FS 2, or FS PRO?

Yes my opinion IS judgmental – just like any economist will tell you that most Americans have a serious personal debt problem and they had better get a handle on their spending. I chose to own my home and make the mortgage payments instead of spending money on fancy cars and other expensive personal items while many others are still just renters and their net worth is -zero-. Umm, I know many renters whose net worth is significantly higher than zero. Likewise, there are many people who chose to own their own home whose net worth is deep in the red. In fact, a lot of those people who chose to own their own homes are a big part of the reason that America has a serious debt problem. Not that I'm discounting all of the other forms of credit binging that have gone on... Furthermore I find it ironically amusing how people are grousing and fuming about the high price of gas (which requires $Billions to drill for and produce) yet they will not hesitate to run out and plunk down $450 for an LZR (which is probably made in China for a few cents on the dollar). So who's the biggest price gouger -Exxon Mobil or Speedo?? :lolup: Your economist from the first paragraph might point out that both companies are smart in observing the principles of supply and demand. Furthermore, the U.S. does have an obsession with sports and athletics similar to the Roman Empire and the Gladiators and too much public money is being spent on stadiums to hosting pro-sports teams. In addition, parents are aggressively prodding their children into sports at the expense of reduced academic achievement –just look at the poor test scores in reading, science, and math. My wife and my mother are both teachers, my wife working a Title I position, and I reject your argument that sports is the reason for reduced academic achievement. A big part of the reason is that parents and kids just don't care. Period. It has nothing to do with sports. I could go on about NCLB, curricula, etc, but the main reason is apathy. The American public school system is geared toward inclusiveness, which in theory has greater public utility at the expense of overall average testing. In fact, many critical thinkers have proposed that the U.S. may actually undergo a socio-economic collapse just like ancient Rome and cease to be a superpower. :lolup: We've all got to go sometime, political entities included. Or, in the words of Maimonidies, a critical thinker in his own time, "This too shall pass". Am I proposing that people paying $450 for an LZR is going to lead to the destruction of the U.S.? Obviously not –but taken in the context of the overall picture of the U.S., this kind of fanatical approach to swimming a little bit faster than someone else does give me (and quite a few others) pause for concern about what’s going on in the psyche of the American people. :doh: Oh jeez. I think competing and trying to get faster is a pretty healthy way to spend your time and/or money. In fact, I think it's much healthier than plunking down X amount of dollars each month for your meds, your junk, a shopping spree, or whatever gets you your fix. I'll take being fanatical about swimming over being fanatical about most other things like wasting your time railing against tech suits. The fact that you managed to tie in the LZR with a whole batch of social issues that you have no real grasp on is a tribute to your own mania. You shouldn't worry so much about the psyche of the American people. Now I feel dirty.

Yes my opinion IS judgmental – just like any economist will tell you that most Americans have a serious personal debt problem and they had better get a handle on their spending. I chose to own my home and make the mortgage payments instead of spending money on fancy cars and other expensive personal items while many others are still just renters and their net worth is -zero-. Umm, I know many renters whose net worth is significantly higher than zero. Likewise, there are many people who chose to own their own home whose net worth is deep in the red. In fact, a lot of those people who chose to own their own homes are a big part of the reason that America has a serious debt problem. Not that I'm discounting all of the other forms of credit binging that have gone on... Furthermore I find it ironically amusing how people are grousing and fuming about the high price of gas (which requires $Billions to drill for and produce) yet they will not hesitate to run out and plunk down $450 for an LZR (which is probably made in China for a few cents on the dollar). So who's the biggest price gouger -Exxon Mobil or Speedo?? :lolup: Your economist from the first paragraph might point out that both companies are smart in observing the principles of supply and demand. Furthermore, the U.S. does have an obsession with sports and athletics similar to the Roman Empire and the Gladiators and too much public money is being spent on stadiums to hosting pro-sports teams. In addition, parents are aggressively prodding their children into sports at the expense of reduced academic achievement –just look at the poor test scores in reading, science, and math. My wife and my mother are both teachers, my wife working a Title I position, and I reject your argument that sports is the reason for reduced academic achievement. A big part of the reason is that parents and kids just don't care. Period. It has nothing to do with sports. I could go on about NCLB, curricula, etc, but the main reason is apathy. The American public school system is geared toward inclusiveness, which in theory has greater public utility at the expense of overall average testing. In fact, many critical thinkers have proposed that the U.S. may actually undergo a socio-economic collapse just like ancient Rome and cease to be a superpower. :lolup: We've all got to go sometime, political entities included. Or, in the words of Maimonidies, a critical thinker in his own time, "This too shall pass". Am I proposing that people paying $450 for an LZR is going to lead to the destruction of the U.S.? Obviously not –but taken in the context of the overall picture of the U.S., this kind of fanatical approach to swimming a little bit faster than someone else does give me (and quite a few others) pause for concern about what’s going on in the psyche of the American people. :doh: Oh jeez. I think competing and trying to get faster is a pretty healthy way to spend your time and/or money. In fact, I think it's much healthier than plunking down X amount of dollars each month for your meds, your junk, a shopping spree, or whatever gets you your fix. I'll take being fanatical about swimming over being fanatical about most other things like wasting your time railing against tech suits. The fact that you managed to tie in the LZR with a whole batch of social issues that you have no real grasp on is a tribute to your own mania. You shouldn't worry so much about the psyche of the American people. Now I feel dirty.