From: "Sgt.Sausage" 
Newsgroups: misc.invest.financial-plan
Subject: Re: A Good Look at the Subprime Mess
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:15:40 -0500
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"Elle"  wrote in message 
news:13id0uhabvs5iee@corp.supernews.com...
> "Sgt.Sausage"  wrote
>> Let me rephrase, then: For most, Joe-and-Sally-SixPack-America,
>> making good choices based on knowledge of mistakes made
>> by others is a pipe-dream.
>
> You seem to be ignoring my main point, which is that most of America does 
> not have the education (be it from mum or dad at the dinner table; public 
> schools; a mentor; the military; whatever) to know how to make the right 
> choices. Most folks' brains are in fact wired to emulate someone close to 
> them. Otherwise, people are in fact not unlike two-year-olds with regard 
> to budgeting.

You seem to be ignoring the fact that I wrote that
every single kid who attended public schools in America
(probably any time in the latter half of the last century
through this very day, today), in fact, *did* have the
necessary education but *chose* to ignore it.

It's simple 'rithmatic. Plusses, minuses, a few ratios,
quotients and multiplications. More complex (compound
interest, time value of money (present value/future value) --
*all* is taught to every single kid by early high school.
I have my mathematics textbooks from the seventh grade.
All of this is in there. All was taught, and tested,
in grade school. The education happened. The results
you're looking for based upon said education did not.

It is not an education issue. These folks were educated
and had the necessary tools, but chose denial instead.


> I like Chris Gardner's story. He's the guy portrayed in the recent film, 
> "The Pursuit of Happyness." But I note that, in his rags to riches story, 
> he credits some family role models.
>
> Otherwise, I guess you're saying that this group, and fora like it, do not 
> help most of the people who post to it.

I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that most people
wouldn't be helped. The fact that some are coming to
this particular forum and others like it -- that specifically
excludes 'em from the "most people" category. "most people"
don't actively seek out information. "most people" just let
life happen to 'em. "most people" will fall for any salesman's
pitch. "most people" won't back up the saleman's BS by crunching
the numbers themselves. "most people" have the necessary
cognitive development and skills to handle this, but *choose*
to ignore it. By definition, the folks actively seeking out
information are *not* these "most people".

The folks who come to this forum certainly ain't "most
people".

> We disagree.





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