Tag Archives: MC1961

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/17/pope-francis-attacks-cult-money

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[JR: Guess he want's me to react to it. OK. We don't have "honest money"; we have ever devaluing Gooferment IOUs. Honest commodity money would be fair to the pensioner, the saver, the poor, and the "little guy". Crony Capitalism does things like price controls to support the "friends" of the political class. Otherwise, how do you explain things like diary price supports, sugar parity, and -- my favorite -- pay "farmers" for not growing stuff. Funny how those "farmers" are big political contributors or politicians and bureaucrats themselves. I'd like to see a more honest society with much lower taxes so I could be even more charitable. Unfortunately, the Gooferment steals from all of us.]

[JR: Enough a reaction?]

# – # – # – # – #  2013-May-19 @ 10:30  

Would Donald Stebbins ’61 have felt better if the 16 year old had killed his brother with a knife or baseball bat? 

Menchise, Louis (MC1987)

[JR: No, I think he was pointing out that it was an event that couldn't have happened without a gun in the hands of an untrained individual. A better question is "if it had been a real intruder who killed a defenseless 16 year old, would that have been better?". In all case, death is so final. Even though I'm a little L libertarian pro-gun nut (and pro-life pro-choice), I think it is foolish to put any dangerous tool in the hands of ANYONE who's in capable of operating them safely. This goes for chainsaws, lawnmowers, smartphones, cars, or computers. No doubt our fellow alum would point out me and computers as a danger!]

# – # – # – # – #  2013-Apr-01 @ 09:51  

Dear Jasper John,

Your answer reveals a perverse way of looking at the world. A company sells
me a washing machine and then stops making parts for it and you say I
am demanding too much!! Your mode of thinking is way off base. They are
cheating me pure and simple and should be forced to comply with a law
requiring maintenance of the machines they sell – they have my money
not the other way around. Money seems to be your only god, especially when it is
in the hands of corporations and/or rich people.

Look up the history of pollution in New jersey and you will find the government
was responsible for cleaning it up. Face facts rather than just saying things without
proof or documentation of any kind for your claims

see: http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2011/01/marine_biologists_book_recalls.html
One small part reads:
“In “Protecting New Jersey’s Environments” ($23.95, Rutgers Press), Belton, who attended St. Peter’s Prep, reflects on the personal anecdotes that led him to his career in environmental protection, including losing his brother and father to cancer.

“Growing up before the Clean Air Act, there used to be coal furnaces in every housing project for burning trash,” Belton said. “I remember my mother would hang laundry up to dry, and it would get covered in the coal dust from everyone burning it”

There are thousands of articles backing up what I say- read them

Sincerely yours,

Donald M Stebbins
BS 1961

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[JR: It's always fun how you pick the starting points of your arguments. So if I follow your logic: pollution became a problem and the (wonderful God-like) "State of New Jersey" rushed in an made it all better. Can we run the VCR back a few years? Are you asserting that the Federal and State Governments had no role in creating this Their laws and regulations had no inducements on CREATING the environment that caused the problem? And, that their actions -- laws, rules, diktats -- were powerless to predict, identify, and avoid the problem? But, yet they were magically able to rush in and save us? I see a flaw there. I'll have to do some "digging" (pardon the pun), but I'm sure that in the end I'll find a source that you can dispute that hangs the blame where it should be. By The Way, the smell that everyone makes fun of in Secaucus was the direct result of zoning and waste handling regulations; we learnt that in injineerin skrule. See the model is: Government uses force to make diktats, either intentionally or unintentionally problems result, and then the Gooferment rushes in to save us by making more diktats and assuming more control over our lives.]

# – # – # – # – #  2013-Feb-24 @ 08:19 

Dear Jasper John,

I find it difficult if not impossible to believe that anyone growing up in North Jersey
during the 1950′s would oppose government action to clean up the environment.
I remember well the horrible smells, smog, and gas mask requiring atmosphere
encountered when traveling on the NJ Turnpike and other roads in the area, Those
conditions were the product of the unregulated “free enterprise” system you love
so much and would inflict on the rest of us. Look up the history of this problem
and you will find that strong government action saved the day.

As far as filters for plastic fibers in washing machines are concerned I have found
the subject quite complicated as will have to defer a response. A quick Google search did not uncover
an answer as to which is the best way to go.

Your mention of Whirlpool sent me in another direction leading to my questioning of
your claim that companies are apt to act to the benefit of consumers. A couple of years
ago my washing machine ( apparently built by Whirlpool although it had a different name
on it) suddenly stopped working, I called a local appliance repair company who found that
the problem was a defective temperature control switch. The machine started working again
but the technician said the switch would probably fail again shortly, He said he would
install the switch if he could find one (or I could find one). The problem I faced then is
that the company had stopped making the part ( worth about 2 dollars) and none were available
anywhere on the internet or elsewhere. Sure enough the switch failed in about two weeks
and I thought I was faced with forking out 500 dollars for a new machine for want of a two
dollar switch. But my Manhattan education led me to the old solution of hitting the machine
with my hand and it has worked ever since. The fact remains however that companies
should be required to maintain parts for the machines they make until they are not being used.
I’m sure that Whirlpool could have made enough parts but decided not to on the basis of costs
and to heck with the consumer. Government laws requiring the stockpiling of parts for
machines should be passed. That would save consumers a lot of money and trouble.

Sincerely yours.

Donald M Stebbins
BS 1961

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JR:

What makes you describe what we have as “unregulated free enterprise”? New Jersey is know for its Gooferment corruption. Essex, Hudson, and such are well known for how much you can get away with! I’d suggest that our problems are all caused by the Gooferment! They are the biggest single polluter as well as the biggest enabler!

A law requiring inventory might sound good, but you’e imposing a cost on someone that you don’t want to bear yourself. By what right do you or your Gooferment transfer that cost from you to others. A company is nothing but an illusion that represents a cooperative effort of a lot of people. So you make a law that imposes your will on others. You couldn’t do it alone so how can your agent, the Gooferment, do what you’re not able to?

# – # – # – # – #  2013-Feb-20 @ 21:17  

I’d like to respond to the note by Donald M. Stebbins (MC1961) about plastic in the ocean. Don, you make a good point about the problem of plastic pollution, but I don’t think it’s really correct to blame the washing machine itself. The blame would more properly lie with clothing manufacturers using the plastics in clothing (which would leach microfilaments into the water even with ordinary vigorous scrubbing on a washboard… maybe even MORE so!) A secondary, but still quite strong, blame could be attached to the machine manufacturers and government regulators for not requiring better filters as environmental controls. (I may share some of Jasper John’s “l”ibertarianism, but reasonable environmental standards are, I believe, a reasonable role for our government to step into.)

With proper filters, washing machines could well be our savior. And, as noted above about the washboard scrubbing, it’s possible that even with current filters they’ve ALREADY been our savior!

Michael J. McFadden
Peace Studies, 1973

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McFadden, Michael J. [MC1973]

# – # – # – # – #  2013-Feb-17 @ 20:10