Was Robin Hood a good guy?

If it were a "good" desire, then by all means, yes. The desire being discussed above is defined [by thefreedictionary.com] as a blameworthy/reprehensible desire.

What do you refer to when you say "the desire being described above"?

Originally Posted by S1ERRA

If it were a "good" desire, then by all means, yes. The desire being discussed above is defined [by thefreedictionary.com] as a blameworthy/reprehensible desire.

Did you know many of the Ideas Edison had were stolen from other people but he knew how to steal. He said as much. You can't blame him, he had little education. It was the workers he hired that did the inventing in many cases. He gave them the ideas which he stole. Now a man that lived during the same time names Emer Gates had twice as many patents and never stole a thing. He sat in a sound proof office thinking of ideas, according to Napoleon Hill. He used Creative Vision.

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Joetrevison

Now a man that lived during the same time names Emer Gates had twice as many patents and never stole a thing. He sat in a sound proof office thinking of ideas, according to Napoleon Hill. He used Creative Vision.

Hi Joe,

Thanks for mentioning Elmer Gates...

I didn't know much about Elmer Gates, so just did some reading. Apparently part of "Think and Grow Rich" is based on Elmer Gates's work (in particular, part of chapter 12 on developing your creativity)...

Elmer Gates (as Joe says) was a prolific inventor, during the same time as Edison. He invented the foam fire extinguisher, plus a type of air-conditioner and many other inventions...

You can read many of his books online... Check out http://www.elmergates.com and also http://www.emeralda.com/gates/

However, Gates seemed to die in poverty (according to this page)... In this, he reminds me a little of Nikola Tesla - another incredibly brilliant inventor, who however wasn't always the best at business. Edison, on the other hand, was a very successful businessman and entrepreneur. Edison started General Electric - also known as GE - now the 7th largest company in America (according to the Fortune 500).

The lesson? Creativity is important, but you'll do best if you couple that with knowledge of business too!

- Dien

S1ERRA,

Thanks for asking.

Covet as found on Google "define: covet":

# wish, long, or crave for (something, especially the property of another person); "She covets her sister's house"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

# A strong desire for something that does not belong to you.
www.godonthe.net/dictionary/c.html

All property that is not mine is, by default, someone elses - the business owner who sells it for example.

People tend to buy only what they desire, only what they covet.

If the item belongs to a business ower who is selling it we think nothing of it. But if the item belongs to someone who is not in business, our desire can lead us to...

1: Wrong action - theft.

2: Right action - the acquisition via standard means of trade (we buy it) and have thus kept up with the Joneses.

Thus, there is nothing wrong with coveting as long as you do not take Wrong Action upon your desires.

Michael Ross

Originally Posted by Ankesh

My fav author - Scott Adams - put forth a fantastic philosophical question on his blog:
http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_d...tlers_dil.html

In essence - the question is: Was Robin Hood a good guy - to rob the rich and help the poor?

What do you think?

Would you steal if you knew you wouldn't get caught - and could in return help a 1000 people survive?

Definition of Stealing:

To take and carry away, feloniously; to take without right
or leave, and with intent to keep wrongfully; as, to steal
the personal goods of another.

Hi Ankesh,

Thanks for such a GREAT Question.

A Thief is a Theif.

ANYONE that STEALS from someone else, no matter the INTENTION, infringes on another person's well being, and, in My opinion, is making the WRONG choice.

So, Robin Hood was a 'Bad Guy' no matter HOW you look at it.

Of course, the liberal media makes him out to be a hero because
that is what they WANT the US to do to those that do well.

Punishing those that have more just because they have more does not make it right to take from them to 'redistribute the wealth.'

This is called Socialism:

A theory or system of social reform which contemplates a
complete reconstruction of society, with a more just and
equitable distribution of property and labor.

Just My take.

(definitions above profided by: http://dict.die.net/)

I would enjoy seeing Michael Ross' response to this because it would be more clear than my explanations above (but I'm sure that I would agree.)

Two Stories will follow:
The Ant and the Grasshopper
***********************************
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green." Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake. Tom Daschle &John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Peter Jennings that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share." Finally, the EEOC drafts the "Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act," retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Vote Republican

***********************************
College Student:
***********************************
A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. She considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, but her father was a staunch Republican. One day she was challenging her father on his beliefs and his opposition to high taxes and welfare programs.

He stopped her and asked her, "How are you doing in school?"

She answered that she had a 4.0 GPA, but it was really tough. She had to study all the time and ever had time to go out and party. She didn't have time for a boyfriend and didn't really have many college friends because she was spending all her time studying. On top of that, the part-time job her father insisted she keep left absolutely no time for anything else.

He asked, "How is your friend Mary?"

She replied that Mary was barely getting by. She had a 2.0 GPA, never studied, but was very popular on campus, didn't have a job, and went to all the parties. She was always complaining about not having any money, but didn't want to work. Why, she often didn't show up for classes because she was hung over.

Dad then asked his daughter why she didn't go to the Dean's office and request that 1.0 be taken off her 4.0 and given it to her friend who only had a 2.0. That way they would both have a respectable 3.0 GPA. Then, she could also give her friend half the money she'd earned from her job so that her friend would no longer be broke.

The daughter angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair. I worked really hard for my grades and money, and Mary just loafs. Why should her laziness and irresponsibility be rewarded with half of what I've worked for?"

The father slowly smiled and said, "Welcome to the Republican Party".
**********************************

Hope that You Enjoyed!

Christopher

is a thief. Sounds like the IRS to me...... Yep you've just described them to a tee.

later....
Pappy

Hi Ankesh,

Thanks for this question.

Was it a "Let me post this to see if it draws Michael out" question? Either way, I'm here. HA!

I think you will Already know My Answer to that question.

Was Robin Hood a good guy - to rob the rich and help the poor?

Simple version... NO.

More Indepth Answer... Robin Hood is the embodiment of everything that is Wrong. He is the government summed up into one man.

Let me elaborate...

We start with Property Rights and some definitions to help those who don't know, understand them more fully...

Property: What is earned, made, created, bought, inherited, given, trade for and already owned, all without coercion.

Infringe: Take, damage and/or control the use of, without uncoerced permission.

With these two definitions we now have Property Rights as...

What I earn, make, create, buy, inherit, am given, trade for and already own, all without coercion, is My property and no person shall infringe upon it.

A Violation of an individual's Property Rights is Wrong.

Obviously, the largest infringer of an individual's Property Rights is The Government - they TAKE your money without your permission and under coercion and then Distribute it to those groups THEY deem more needy of it.

Robin Hood did the same thing - going by the Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood the story does change. But the modern version is "Rob from the rich and give to the poor".

An action which literally turns the Robbed into a Sacrificial Animal to Support the Life of the poor, ne'er-do-wells and can't-be-bothereds of society. Of course, those who define WHO the poor are are those who also do the taking.

This is, in essence, a Socialist thing. To TAKE from the hardworking, able and productive people and to GIVE to the incompetent, lazy-bones and unproductive hordes. A Property Rights Infringement of the Highest order. Where the Prime Motive Force stops being Achievement and instead becomes Proof of Need. The more Needy you can prove to be the more you will be rewarded. Conversely, the more able, hardworking and productive you are the more you are punished and your life and efforts sacrificed to those who had a higher Need Proof.

If it is wrong for Me to come into your home and threaten you with force, take some of your money and then use it to buy food, headache tablets, or pay rent - and - it is equally wrong for a few of my mates from the bar to do it on my behalf, why is it alright for the government to do the same thing? Just because THEY say it is The Law and They are a group of people who call themselves the Government?

It doesn't matter WHO does it. It is a Property Rights Infringement and is Wrong. It is sacrificing one individual for the benefit of another. That's what it is in its most simple term. A term you might not like to read so blatantly put. But one you Must understand and stop denying or Thinking Around or whatever mental games you play to avoid naming it for what it is (YOU being the generic You, and not you specifically).

Robin Hood is held aloft as some kind of Champion. But in reality, he is a socialist and common old thief turning one group of people, at their expense, into the life-support system of another group which he favors.

But you cannot expect people to think any differently when they grow up in such a system of human sacrifice where we Punish Effort and Hard Work by taxing it and Reward Laziness by paying it from the taxed money stolen from the productive.

Imagine if Property Rights was taught at school. I don't think I need to spell out how ruinous it would be for The Govt and even the Unions and other Socialist and Collectivist Groups. With such vested interests at stake and those same interests the ones who Control what is taught, it is no wonder such is not taught.

Robin Hood, a socialist slave monger who supports human sacrifice. Definetly NOT a good guy.

Michael Ross

Thanks for your opinions, Michael.

I simply stated things the way I see them...in other words, my opinions. No need to defend them to anyone. They're mine, I own them. Period.

Sandi Bowman

Sandi,

Thanks for your post.

I'm not asking you to Defend anything. I AM asking what Reasoning you have behind your Statements. How you came to the conclusion you came to. Surely you know Why you think you do? Or don't you?

It's easy Sandi. I'll start you off and you finish...

"I think Cooperation with one another to achieve individual development and goals is the best model for a successful, sustainable, community because..."

"I think cooperation should be the name of the game for the good of all because..."

And please don't come back with the old standard "I don't have time right now".

Michael Ross