Re: Question - US National Debt

[Jurriaan Bendien <bendien@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Oh I agree, you implied nothing of the sort. I just thought my own question
was a bit stupid really, if I search a bit harder I will find what I am
looking for. It is just that balanced, critical, self-reflective thought by
Americans about American society and its role in the world, is often rather
scarce, relatively speaking, and I don't always easily find what I am
looking for. But the lists are always helpful !

Best wishes

Jurriaan

----- Original Message -----
From: "Max B. Sawicky" <sawicky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2003 3:46 PM
Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Question - US National Debt


> I never said nor meant to imply that
> anything you said was (or is) stupid.
>
> mbs
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: PEN-L list [mailto:PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Jurriaan
> Bendien
> Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2003 2:56 PM
> To: PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: Question - US National Debt
>
>
> Thanks Max. I guess I asked a stupid question, but your answer is good !
> What it proves to me, at the very least, is that the disregard many
> Americans show for politics (leading to electoral shambles at the most
basic
> level) can be very costly for them. But the question we then have to ask,
> given the ease with which costs are displaced these days to someone weaker
> than yourself, is "who is going to pay for all this ?". And I think here
the
> notion of imperialism and class conflict is relevant, and the objective
> assessments of weakness and strength.
>
> I remember talking to a staff member in an information management course I
> enrolled for, and I ask a question, but I was a bit cagey about doing it,
> and I said "well may it is a stupid question". But the information
> management guy said, generously, "well, there are no stupid questions", he
> denied that there were. I wish often there were more like you and him,
with
> a generous attitude, but on the other hand, I guess whether a question is
> stupid depends also on the context within which it is advanced. To be
> honest, I lost a lot of my confidence in that area, personally, because
> people told me too often I was stupid or treated me as such. You can
receive
> too much criticism in a given interval of time, or be too intransigent. It
> suggests to me I have to have better regard for how I contextualise my
> questions, but also not be afraid or reserved to ask if I strongly feel it
> is important to me. Maybe, it's a bit sheepish and silly to say all this
> too, but then, even if I am supposed to be a Gollum or a Golem, I'm still
a
> human being who's gotta cope with himself...
>
> J.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Max B. Sawicky" <sawicky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2003 7:44 PM
> Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Question - US National Debt
>
>
> > With the tax system of January 2001, the debt would
> > have been paid off in about a decade, with nobody
> > working a day 'for nothing.'
> >
> > The OECD would have comparative data on national debt.
> >
> > mbs
>