In this space, visitors are invited to post any comments, questions, or skeptical observations about Philo T. Farnsworth's contributions to the field of Nuclear Fusion research.Subject: Re: Crunch time for Big Fusion?
Date: Oct 19, 10:54 pm
Poster: Scott StephensOn Oct 19, 10:54 pm, Scott Stephens wrote:
>5. Everyone sequestered from a normal lifestyle until the job is done. This fifth criterion is a must have. No one with a Phd. will fart or daudle around burning off days of their lives, while living in barracks, eating every meal in a chow hall, crapping and showering in communal bathrooms, behind barbed wire fences. They will become very focused on the project's successful completion at the earliest possible date not only for the scientific goal, but to allow them to return to the good life - Real life.
The 'silent generation' from the 40's knew how to stoically sacrifice having gone through the depression. The war going on was sending our family back in body bags and wounded. Pearl Harbor was recent. I don't think there is any way the baby-boom and later generations would make sacrifices like that today in peace.
Maybe this doesn't describe you, but I hear certain people say what we need for kids today is the draft and 'volunteers'. I 'volunteered' in high school (rather than write a 20 page term paper) for 20 hours community service and 2 lessons I learned were:
1. The governments idea of 'fairness' is equal suffering; the more fair the government tries to make us, the less fair and pleasant life becomes
2. People are not allowed to capitalize on their talents and strengths. But rather the goal to be optimized is climbing in a bureaucracy so you have underlings to exploit, pass blame and responsibility on.
I was suppose to feel a sense of ownership in the community, and affiliation and civic responsibility. I'm sorry but when I'm being lied to, cheated, and taxed to tolerance by greedy corrupt, depraved, hypocritical pigs, with double binds, double standards and double-whammys, all I can say is lead by example and sacrifice and then I'll be inspired. Don't coerce me and call me a 'volunteer' in Orwellian double-speak.
Making making others sacrifice to your satisfaction (hazing) is just another example of how everyone feels everybody else, society, owes them because they have had the hardest time. "I (my generation/race/gender orientation/religion/species) has sacrificed the most, paid the highest price, was victimized the most, so you owe us, you should pay us! (but no body has had a harder time in life than your's truly!)
DeToqueville prophesied are nation would collapse when big gangs (political interests) formed to tax weaker ones.
So with no grave threat of an enemy, with leaders that lie for their own selfish benefit, with a commercial culture that constantly tells us life's purpose is pride, greed and lust, so they can sell us a cheap substitute for purpose, there is no way you could find people to sacrifice like that, IMHO.
The government is so untrustworthy I wouldn't be surprised if they deliberately leaked information to the Chinese just so congress could scream for money for another arms race, and get more kick-backs from the defense contractors. So much for patriotism. Where is my family? My brothers, sisters and mother are those that do the will of my Father. Where are they? Busy victimizing me.
What I think is needed are brief inspiring speeches every week, maybe giving the first tickets to the moon and outer planets once the spacecraft are built. Giving stock shares that would be worth millions.
The time for the stick is over. The job market the way it is, you need a juicy carrot.
Of course the government could do what corporations are doing and hire foreigners that dont know what 'normal' is on those indentured-servant visas and shamelessly exploit them. That is dangerous and destabilizing.
Or maybe the CIA finally has developed some effective mind control tricks?
>Temper or alter any one of the above and the project will just be a bigger, longer running boondoggle than has ever yet been launched.
There is very, very little the government is now doing that couldn't be done in the private sector better, cheaper and faster. We have forgotten what the cold war was about; why communism and socialism are failures. The government big enough to give you what you want is big enough to take all you've got (and will; they are not creative only dissipative) and government should only stop monopolies to make a fair playing field, so we are free to realize our potential and persue happiness. (see http://www.lp.org/ for hope and a bright future 8^)
Scott