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| Rob's Soapbox | ||
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Congratulations!
You have finally landed on the one page on this entire site (and on the entire internet for that matter) that is purely without bullshit... my soapbox page. There are a lot of times during our show that, whether it's because of time constraints and other obligations, I don't always get to address some issues that I feel don't get the attention they deserve. There are even more times when I just don't feel like waiting until the show the next day to get some things off my chest. Thus, I have started the "Rob's Soapbox" page. If you have clicked on this page looking for someone to coddle your fragile sense of self-esteem, or tell you what you want to hear or to reinforce your outdated world view, then exit this page right now and go somewhere else. If you are in search of the last forum for reason and common sense left in the world, then sit back, relax, and enjoy. I make only one promise with this soapbox page... if you read long enough and often enough, you will eventually be offended. So here's my latest soapbox. Listen up, 'cause you just might learn something... |
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November 17th, 2008 NO ONE NEEDS One of my most indelible childhood memories occurred in 1989 as I sat at the kitchen table of my father’s home, reading the morning sports section of the local newspaper and discussing with my dad the fact that Rickey Henderson had just signed the biggest contract in baseball history at the time, to the tune of $3 million per year. My father looked at me grinning and said incredulously, “No one needs $3 million per year…let alone to play baseball.” I was 17 at the time yet already a cut-throat capitalist. I challenged my father slightly on the comment and moved on, never forgetting my disdain for the notion he had espoused. Before I continue, I feel compelled to make something clear; my father is a great man whom I respect immensely. He is one of the finest men I have ever known and one of my closest friends. My Dad and I have the relationship that I believe most fathers and sons dream of having once both are of adult age; we speak when it’s convenient to both of us and if that means we don’t talk for a month, neither party takes offense. When my dad and I do chat, it is substantive and of great meaning to both of us. We do not discuss the weather or other meaningless small-talk-related topics, we talk about our lives and what’s important to each of us, riveted to the conversation regardless of which one of us is speaking. When we see each other, my dad and I spend hours playing cards, talking and remembering why we love each other so much; not because we are related, but rather because we truly respect one another and are fond of the others’ company. With such friendships, in my opinion, comes the ability to disagree about things yet still love one another. On the issue of Rickey Henderson, we have such. The notion that “no one needs” is not only not the point, but is also fundamentally anti-American. Not in an un-patriotic sense, but rather in a way that goes against everything that America was founded upon; freedom, and the ability of everyone to pursue happiness however it is that each individual defines happiness, including the pursuit of great wealth. I believe that the “no one needs” sentiment has become an epidemic in America which is driving our culture directly into the bowels of hell. The “no one needs” mentality creates a myriad of cultural vigilantes ranging from class warfare to bad driving. Let’s begin with the example I sited at the beginning; “No one needs $3 million per year, let alone to play baseball.” Literally, of course, the sentiment is true. In fact, no one needs anything other than oxygen and sustenance, but I am pretty sure that we can all agree that there is more to life than simply breathing and existing. Thus for the purpose of argument’s sake, let’s agree to cede the point that we are not arguing over the definition of the word “need,” but rather we are debating how each individual American defines his or her own personal needs and whether or not they should be allowed to. This, I remind you, in a nation founded on an individual’s right to pursue happiness. Socialists argue that one man pursuing his “need” to make millions robs others of that wealth. I argue that in America, any person should be paid what they are worth, defined not by the government or socialist do-gooders, but rather by the marketplace at hand. In 1989, Rickey Henderson was the greatest lead-off hitter in baseball on the best team in baseball. Compared to the amount of money generated by attendance, merchandise sales and advertising revenue, $3 million per year was a bargain for Henderson’s services. Again, the socialist argument contends that none of the parties in my example should keep their wealth; the league, the team, the networks and the player should be compelled (a socialist word for “forced”) to “spread their wealth around” to those who have done nothing to earn the very money they are being handed. To paraphrase Ayn Rand I ask, “By what right and under whose code?” Under what silly notion do you propose to claim what others need? The truth of the matter is that “need” is not really the word such people are arguing. They are, in fact dismissing the notion of what an individual deserves, believing wrongly that all humans are worthy and deserve equally. The truth that they refuse to acknowledge is that some people are better than others and that there are losers in life; such losers deserve nothing to be given to them, and certainly not by the achievers amongst us. Rickey Henderson “needed” $3 million per year because that’s what the market was willing to pay him. He deserved every penny of it. For whatever reason, the “no one needs” phenomenon has trickled down to the most basic facets of our day-to-day lives, proving how dangerous the notion is. Those of you who argue that socialist ideals affect no one adversely and/or only affect the financial sector of a society need look no further than our society today. The “no one needs” mantra is literally running our lives and driving us to the brink: No one needs to drive that fast: Uttered when some do-gooder road vigilante refuses to yield to the right hand lane when you are behind him and desire to go faster than the limit he has deemed appropriate (unless he is a cop, it isn’t his job to police you or your behavior…but then again, no one needs to go 85 MPH…even, apparently, if you are racing to see your dying mother before she passes away from cancer). No one needs trans-fats: City after city thinks that you are too stupid to know what to eat and thus they are banning trans-fats from their restaurants. Obesity should be extinct by this time next year. No one needs to smell your second hand smoke: I have never smoked cigarettes in my life but have been stunningly offended at the war against smoking in America. Through junk science and lies we have created an entire culture of people who are trying to rob people of their ability to choose to smoke under the guise of their choice somehow affecting our health. It’s both ludicrous and laughable, but more than it’s dishonest. People simply don’t want you making choices that they don’t support and therefore, they want to ban you from making such choices. No one needs to smoke, drink, eat fatty foods, drive such a big vehicle, drink so much caffeine, chew tobacco, drive alone, live in such a large house, wear fur, own such a large diamond, burn wood, or have any type of fun or make any type of choice that a large enough group of do-gooders doesn’t agree with. Such notions are hidden under the guise of “helping” either people or society or the earth or all of the above, but that is just another lie. The “no one needs” group are simply behavior control artists who refuse to allow others to live in a way they neither understand nor agree with. Ironically, the only thing people in America should agree on is that no one needs help making their own life decisions and formulating their own choices. The truth is that no one needs to be nagged and finger wagged upon as they make perfectly legal choices for themselves, their family and their own recreation. What the “no one need” crowd really “needs” is to take a look in the mirror and worry solely about themselves and their own lives.----- |
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