tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5950664143576637249.post9083742972291143669..comments2024-03-22T18:01:20.065-05:00Comments on Geezer with a Grudge: To Lead or Not to LeadT.W. Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04078254371483458356noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5950664143576637249.post-59936135862047144852009-04-03T08:50:00.000-05:002009-04-03T08:50:00.000-05:00Like I said in the column, I have mixed feelings a...Like I said in the column, I have mixed feelings about this. For me, the bottom line is that I don't really care about the fate of rich kids and their little league dads. They have plenty of power and a bought-and-paid-for government to protect them. I say, "let them eat whatever they eat but don't expect me to be interested." I don't care what happens to Brad and/or Big Lips, either (forgot her name). <BR/> <BR/>Seems to me there was plenty of science going on during the 1950s outside of rich guy hobbies. Universities got into research pretty big about then. Of course, the military industries didn't slow down much. Here in Minnesota, most of medical device science was carried on by garage hobbyists until it became big money. <BR/> <BR/>I really have mixed feelings about collections. A lot of that feels like mental illness, to me. A buddy "collected" Yamaha XS650s by the dozen, until he got married and got a life. I don't know about you, but I thought the original British version of that bike was embarrassment to mechanical engineers everywhere. The Japanese copy was barely a joke. <BR/><BR/>Thomas Day <BR/>Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly Magazine <BR/>http://www.motorbyte.com/mmm/ <BR/>http://geezerwithagrudge.blogspot.com/ <BR/>thomas@motorbyte.comT.W. Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04078254371483458356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5950664143576637249.post-32150734339239886202009-04-03T08:29:00.000-05:002009-04-03T08:29:00.000-05:00Back in the 1950s, when the US State Department re...Back in the 1950s, when the US State Department regarded a passport as conditional on a citizen's behavior, it was rich guys who decided to make a test case of the legality of lifting citizens' passports for disapproved politics. It went to the Supreme Court, who ruled that a passport was simply certification of citizenship, and not a reward for "good behavior". Rich guys know lawyers - they went to school with them - and there is always a class of lawyers who want to take on the status quo<BR/> <BR/>Likewise, until the post-WW II era of "big science", there would have been very little science indeed had it not been for wealthy types who either carried on experiments themselves or funded the activities of others. Charles Parsons was born with the proverbial gold spoon, but interested himself in engineering developments that in 15 years transformed marine transportation and electricity generation.<BR/> <BR/>Rich guys also like to collect things that, in my opinion, ought to be collected. For Kermit Weeks, it's WW II-era aircraft and engines. For others, the arts, or books, glassware, furniture. Were it not for such activities, life would have much more of a "general issue" flavor than it does, and the past would be lost much more quickly.<BR/> <BR/>KCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5950664143576637249.post-48481266136914574242009-04-01T13:57:00.000-05:002009-04-01T13:57:00.000-05:00Since I've not been keeping up on non-issues s...Since I've not been keeping up on non-issues such as this & I've yet to Google the topic, this smells like an April Fools joke to me. I'm really hoping that it is since I'd hate to see tax dollars wasted on this. Of course, this could be considered an economic stimulus package for the lawyer contingent. All the same, I heartily agree that little kids should pedal bikes for quite a while before they get to twist a throttle.<BR/><BR/>Sincerely,<BR/>A fan in TucsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com