[lit-ideas] Re: From today's paper

Seems to me that capitalism, like communism and Christianity, has never been 
tried.  Adam Smith would roll over in his grave with all this greed, which 
would make him naive I suppose.  Alan Greenspan let himself off the hook by 
testifying that (shock!) he never expected the system to work out this way, 
without regulation.  I guess that's what happens when Ayn Rand is your 
girlfriend forever, you never quite get a grip on reality.


--- On Fri, 10/31/08, Veronica Caley <molleo1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: Veronica Caley <molleo1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: From today's paper
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Friday, October 31, 2008, 9:18 PM

Thank you.  As I remember, the younger Jolyn was a really good and sensitive 
man.  Not so the father.

What always sticks in my mind and helps me understand the American 
electorate, even though the story is set in Britain, is the episode with the 
balloon vendor.  He is asked by one of the wealthy characters whether he 
would like a society in which  the government helps him economically.

He says no, because he hopes to become rich one day, but never says how.  In 
the meanwhile, his wife is posing nude for an artist so they can eat.  But 
the vendor doesn't know this.  I found this whole episode so striking.

I wondered at the time what Karl Marx would make of it.  I have thought 
about Marx again lately as he is the only one I can think of who predicted a 
lot of our present economic woes.  Not all of it though.  He knew nothing 
about modern "financial instruments".  Neither did I, until lately.

Veronica
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Paul" <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 4:24 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: From today's paper


> Veronica wrote
>
>> Wasn't there a man named Jolon in that wonderful four volume novel

>> called, "The Forsythe Saga."?
>
> There are two Jolyns, one of whom is the other's son, which would mean

> that...
>
> Robert Paul
>
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