alt.politics.economics

royls@ wrote:

>On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:01:50 -0400, alexy wrote:
>
>>royls@ wrote:
>>
>>>They didn't place themselves on the treadmill that powers the
>>>landowners' escalator.
>>
>>Interesting image.
>
>And accurate. You just refuse to know it yet.
And no chance that that is your opinion? It is just a matter of fact?

>>30 years ago, I owned no property. Now, after 30
>>years of foregoing current consumption, and a couple of houses and a
>>couple of refi's later, I am about five years from owning my house
>>free and clear. Does that mean that for another 5 years, I can whine
>>about having to run on the treadmill?
>
>It certainly sounds a lot like a treadmill to me.
Which I can respect. In that case, I would not recommend the same
course for you.

> Where did those 30
>years of your life go, hmmm?
Into the past. No way to stop that, as far as I know.

> When you are old and your health is
>gone, will you look back and say, "I'm sure glad I spent those
>irreplaceable best 35 years of my life toiling and scrimping to make
>my mortage payments instead of enjoying the one precious life I had on
>this earth"?
No. More likely I'll look back at my late middle age, or early old
age, and relish the times spent with grandchildren and traveling, free
of the burden of most housing expense.

> Will you look back fondly at the decades you spent
>working and worrying about the cost of raising your kids on top of
>meeting the mortgage, instead of enjoying their childhood for the few
>brief years it lasted?
No. I'll look back fondly at the decades I spent doing work that I
enjoy and spending time with my family. And I'll look at my kids and
realize that they didn't miss much by not having exotic vacations
every year or a 60" TV.

>>Or does the fact that I
>>voluntarily purchased my property make me ineligible? At that point,
>>do I jump over and join the evil ones on the escalator?
>
>How will you feel about those 35 years of toiling and scrimping if the
>guys on the treadmill wake up one day, and smash the evil thing, and
>your escalator stops rising?
I would feel screwed.
>
>You see, that's the diabolical genius of the treadmill system: first,
>it makes its victims adapt themselves to it in sheer self-defense.
>Then it makes them dependent on it. And finally, it recruits them as
>its most fanatical defenders.
>
>Don't worry, though, you have lots of company, even among those who
>will never get off the treadmill and onto the escalator.
>
>You poor sap.

Good to know that I have someone like you to feel sorry for me! Almost
makes me wish I were a whiner, so I could relish the pity.
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.