I was thinking about this some more. I was thinking about Milton Friedman working with Chile’s(#7 on the Heritage index) Pinochet. So before rule of law can be established education had to take place. But this education had to take place at the top, as is the case with Canada(#6) with Paul Martin. What is your take on this?

I guess what I’m getting at is HOW do you make a difference? Don’t get me wrong I respect and admire what you are doing. It seems like China might be in for a rough patch until they address this private property issue. Until you have a rule of law I guess that private property is out the window. So then how do you make a change?

My experience with Iraqis and Iranians is anecdotal. At the shop a neighbor is Iranian and the best machinist I have ever seen but he is also Baha’i which may be the more important aspect. At home my neighbor is a Dr from Iraq in fact his 4 brothers are also Dr. A while back they were all visiting. At the time I was having my house tented for termites. They asked the question can we take a picture of your house as we want to show everyone back home how big the tents are in America.

I looked at the table you linked and the Iranians are at 116 and I couldn’t even find the Iraqis, so much for anecdotal information.

Look at Cuba at #8 if that is an example then education does not trump private property/rule of law? As Cuba is #177 on the Hillsdale index.

http://www.heritage.org/index/ranking

You can download a copy of my book, pdf or audio, via http://www.workthesystem.com

You mention “person,” in conjunction with “artist” and “craftsman.” (“I want to mention the Person, Craftsman, Artist, etc.”).

What does that mean? Are you somehow redefining the meaning of the word “person”? If so, please tell me what that definition is. I’m just curious.

I don’t agree with the assumption (and I paraphrase your general statement), “the people of Iran and Iraq are well trained.” In fact, most of the population is not especially well educated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index, or “well trained,” compared to western countries. In the media we occasionally see glimpses of technical people in white lab-type coats, but these are carefully released images, not to be confused with the reality of the largest part of the population. Such is the outcome of any socialist-tending, theocratic, non-democratic state.

-sam

But there are other forms of success…

I want to mention the Person, Craftsman, Artist, etc.
Most would say they are totally opposite of what you are saying is the key to success.

They are mostly self centered self motivating achievers (in their own world) Their ‘systems’ maybe or look disorganized to most….BUT some of the most creative, beautiful and usefull ideas or concepts come from them…. They don’t have to ‘think out of the box’ to get a different perspective on a situation…..THEY ARE OUT OF THE BOX to begin with.

Really what I’m saying is success depends on your definition.
A creative, innovation thinker could call a smoothly run machine (business) DEATH. Because there would be nothing for them to do, the system or organization could easily be turned over to ‘system managers’. And that would or could kill a creative person, too much organisation for them.

They say that the most creative people have the messiest desks…possibly true. I think Andy Rooney of 60 minutes did an essay (with photos) on that concept. I always liked his essays.

This also brings up another pet pieve of mine…..It seems the furniture and cabinet trades proponents are turning most of the companies (furniture-cabinet) into PANEL PROCCESSORS.

YOU CAN’T IMAGINE HOW MUCH I HATE THAT PHRASE.

Sure, panel processing is good for producing a ‘product’, but why would anyone get excited to be a ‘panel processor’ standing in front of and feeding a machine made in Italy or Germany day after day after day. When they could be a furniture or cabinet maker perfecting their skills and level of craftsmanship in building one of a kind beautiful pieces of furniture or cabinets with ‘lovely materials’….. for a personal customer who will love what they have created.

Hey, just my point of view as always. There is a place and time for everything and all decent hardworking people deserve respect and consideration for what they do and how they do it. As long as it has good karma.

It is beautiful outside today….Over and out.

Birdie

Do they have private property in Pakistan?(or maybe it is overwhelmed by the lack of a rule of law?) Seems to me that might underlie the ignorance of exchange?

It appears that this country is loosing the above perhaps forever come November.

One thing I wonder about is when I look at countries like Iran as the people are very well trained or in Iraq the people are also well trained. It appears that unless the oppressors are trained to allow private property or removed the people cannot better themselves. What is your take on this?

I listened to your interview with Sam.
Which brought up many interesting questions and issues.

You use the word successful (alot).

What is success? There can be many answers to that question.
Depending on location and time (situation).

I feel the root of most local, national and world problems stems from a miss guided or distorted set of values or lack of values.

Why am I bringing this up? Sam is involved with helping in Pakistan, he felt because of a situation, earth-quake, they needed sanitation….toilets! Bravo to Sam. How simple and I’m sure very helpful and healthy for the people who need to use them and also an business-employment opportunity.

What is valuable and what is success?
A toilet and a job to be done and be paid for, or time off and an accumulation of expendable money. Time off and accumulation of expendable money doesn’t help when people are in need, like our economy. Our economy need jobs, and people spending money.

According to Madison ave. and capitalism, MONEY is success.
I say money is a by-product.

Madison Ave, shows pictures of young good looking people basically high on material goods or services. Usually a 40-50 year old guy with slightly greying hair, in shape, with a 20-30 year old HOT girl. Holly crap, what a load of BS that is.

How about the person, who has a family, works 40 to 50 hours a week, donates time and money to charity, (whatever and whenever they can) is honest and helpful, like 80-85% of us Americans. Aren’t we succesful? Why don’t they show us as an example of success. Why isn’t the working ‘stiff’ shown as a goal to achieve.

The perception of success, by Madison Ave is not ‘US’ normal people. Madison Ave. shows an illusion or perversion of suc
cess.

Madison Ave. is an evil place, when you consider all the propagada that come from it. I think most of the negative feelings for America stem from Madison ave. advertising and a patheticaly weak government controlled by special interest groups.

YOU work 10-14 hrs a day any 7 days a week you want. And you seem like the average “Joe”. Would you consider yourself to be successful if you didn’t aquire expendable money?

Talk about Lean….What is the value of lean? Is it better to have exess materials and time to waste or to work hard to conserve material and time? Is it better to acumulate material, time and money or to ‘use’ material, time and money wisely to help (others and the economy)?

We successful people need to give back opportunity and praise the values that make us ‘good people’.

Some people ‘steal’ to get money and things, so they can feel or look successful (to themselves and others). Because they weren’t raised to feel successful if they had to work (work hard) to achieve (expendable money and things).

Pride in a ‘good days work’ and the feeling you get when you ‘help someone out’ should be the prime example of success.

When someone is on their death bed, no matter how much money or free time they had, that cannot help them if they don’t feel they did the best they could to be a reponcible good person.

To finnally get to the point….true VALUES are what will help us here at home and throughout the world. If the USA led the way, (and we partially do) with real true values, not just money or the protection of ‘oil flow’. I think the entire world would see it our way, the way of the average ‘Joe’.

All this thought because a guy felt that people needed toilets.

Have a great weekend..