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Originally posted by emberscott
Originally posted by chemistry
otherwsie we all WILL become debt-slaves
Become? You already are. What makes you believe you are not?
Originally posted by ColCurious
The people of Europe need to wake up and make their voices heard.
Opposition against brussels centralism is already growing. Just recently conservative politicians (aswell as leftists) here are speaking out against the idea of "more Europe"... this could finally turn the tables.
The German constitutional court is currently processing several complaints about the €Z-contracts and the ESM being unconstitutional. If they rule against the ESM... it is pretty much dead.
Originally posted by Screwed
reply to post by mee30
You are using YOUR understanding of human nature and I can't say I would have disagreed with you several years ago. It seems only logical but I will submit to you this.
Several years ago there was a restaurant here in St. Louis which decided they would do away with prices.
You pay what you feel the meal was worth. If you had some extra cash and you were doing well in life it was hoped that you would pay a little more. If you were down on your luck, you could bring the whole family and eat for free. Yes,......FOR FREE!!!!!!!
How could that be???
What a stupid idea!!
They will lose their ass.
People will just all come in and SAY they're broke and take advantage of the system.
This is only logical right?
Listen, open your mind, and learn.
Are you ready?
CLAYTON, Mo. — Rashonda Thornton looked up at the menu on the wall, ordered a Caesar salad and dropped a $10 bill in a box. Pretty generous, considering the meal at Panera Bread's cafe in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton sells for less than $7.
It was a year ago that Panera (PNRA) converted the Clayton restaurant into a non-profit pay-what-you-want restaurant with the idea of helping to feed the needy and raising money for charitable work. Panera founder and Chairman Ronald Shaich said the cafe, operated through Panera's charitable foundation, has been a big success, largely because of people like Thornton.
The majority of patrons pay retail value or more. Statistics provided by Panera indicate that roughly 60% leave the suggested amount; 20% leave more; and 20% less. One person paid $500 for a meal, the largest single payment.
Not everyone is so generous, but that's OK with Brooke Porter, who manages the restaurant. She knows that times are still hard for many. She has seen families down on their luck come in to celebrate birthdays with a meal they normally couldn't afford. A teacher laid off after 25 years stops by on his way to job fairs. He can't afford to pay much but makes up for it by volunteering at the store.
"If a man in a suit and tie leaves a dollar for a $10 meal, that's fine," Porter said. "We don't know his story."
Only a few take advantage of the system — "lunch on Uncle Ron" as Shaich calls it. He still fumes over watching three college kids pay $3 for $40 worth of food. Generally, peer pressure prevents that sort of behavior, he said.
"It's like parking in a handicapped spot," Shaich said.
Overall, the cafe performs at about 80% of retail and brings in revenue of about $100,000 a month. That's enough to generate $3,000 to $4,000 a month above costs, money being used for a job training program for at-risk youths.
You see?
Somewhere your logic (perfectly understandable logic) breaks down.
It does so because you lack one very important piecce of the puzzle.
You underestimate the PURE UNADULTERATED POWER that we wield when we give.
When we give of ourselves,time,money(yuck),talents,labor etc, we activate THE most powerful force in the universe. The Law of attraction. It will steamroll. Keep getting bigger and bigger until none of us can stop it.
"The lesson here is most people are fundamentally good," Shaich said. "People step up and they do the right thing."