Thread: Happy Thanksgiving to ALL.....!

Originally Posted by YellowFever

*Knauie...for being 10,000 miles away...

The feeling is mutual, lass

Happy Turkey Day to everyone!

The Pilgrims' Real Thanksgiving Lesson: Newsroom: The Independent Institute

The Pilgrims' Real Thanksgiving Lesson
November 25, 2008
Benjamin Powell

Feast and football. That’s what many of us think about at Thanksgiving. Most people identify the origin of the holiday with the Pilgrims’ first bountiful harvest. But few understand how the Pilgrims actually solved their chronic food shortages.

Many people believe that after suffering through a severe winter, the Pilgrims’ food shortages were resolved the following spring when the Native Americans taught them to plant corn and a Thanksgiving celebration resulted. In fact, the pilgrims continued to face chronic food shortages for three years until the harvest of 1623. Bad weather or lack of farming knowledge did not cause the pilgrims’ shortages. Bad economic incentives did.

In 1620 Plymouth Plantation was founded with a system of communal property rights. Food and supplies were held in common and then distributed based on equality and need as determined by Plantation officials. People received the same rations whether or not they contributed to producing the food, and residents were forbidden from producing their own food. Governor William Bradford, in his 1647 history, Of Plymouth Plantation, wrote that this system was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. The problem was that young men, that were most able and fit for labour, did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children without any recompense. Because of the poor incentives, little food was produced.

Faced with potential starvation in the spring of 1623, the colony decided to implement a new economic system. Every family was assigned a private parcel of land. They could then keep all they grew for themselves, but now they alone were responsible for feeding themselves. While not a complete private property system, the move away from communal ownership had dramatic results.

This change, Bradford wrote, had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been. Giving people economic incentives changed their behavior. Once the new system of property rights was in place, the women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability.

Once the Pilgrims in the Plymouth Plantation abandoned their communal economic system and adopted one with greater individual property rights, they never again faced the starvation and food shortages of the first three years. It was only after allowing greater property rights that they could feast without worrying that famine was just around the corner.

We are direct beneficiaries of the economics lesson the pilgrims learned in 1623. Today we have a much better developed and well-defined set of property rights. Our economic system offers incentives for us—in the form of prices and profits—to coordinate our individual behavior for the mutual benefit of all; even those we may not personally know.

It is customary in many families to give thanks to the hands that prepared this feast during the Thanksgiving dinner blessing. Perhaps we should also be thankful for the millions of other hands that helped get the dinner to the table: the grocer who sold us the turkey, the truck driver who delivered it to the store, and the farmer who raised it all contributed to our Thanksgiving dinner because our economic system rewards them. That’s the real lesson of Thanksgiving. The economic incentives provided by private competitive markets where people are left free to make their own choices make bountiful feasts possible.

Good history lesson.

Thank you and the same to your family and you. To everybody else as well-Happy Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night......somehow that doesn't sound quite right.

Hey guys....Happy Thanksgiving!

I am out in FOB Albany (aka the Garage, aka the Buck Hut) with the turkey smokling on the grill, listening to the quintessential classical American symphony, Copeland's Appalachain Spring...while MRS AR is inside doing the easy stuff!


Hard work...need a beer!


My football starts tomorrow...WVU vs Pitt and the Monday night!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you strange Americans.

Originally Posted by chakos

Happy Thanksgiving to all you strange Americans.

How about all of the normal ones?

Originally Posted by Albany Rifles

How about all of the normal ones?

There are normal ones????

Originally Posted by chakos

There are normal ones????

Oh...good point.

But pretty rich coming from an Aussie!

Originally Posted by YellowFever

True it's an American Holiday but I want to wish a Happy Thanskgiving to our friends all around the world also.

As far as this forum goes, I am thankful for:

*Julie....who strokes my ego..and slaps me down...whenever I act up.

*Tankie....for allowing a know nothing idiot such as myself to make fun of him and taking it in good strides.

*Southie...for taking everything I say in good humor.

*Knauie...for being 10,000 miles away...LoL...kidding kidding.

*Shamus....I mean the guy won't let go. I make fun of him once and he's taken it as a personal jihad and is stalking me.

*Pari, TH, IronDuke, OoE, Jad....the mods (or Admins) who takes our caustic BS and keeps the place running smoothly.

*Celine Dion pictures....LoL

*Too many guys to mention....highseas, Dale, Zraver, Shek, Astralis, gunnut, Gunny.....etc...etc....who, although I don't engage them regularly....has taught me ALOT (you guys have no idea) about things I've always wanted to know.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone....!
























And Southie....is still ugly.

creep with soggy diapers , and i note fang is still raggying yer avatar , ol yella oh yea happy days gents/ n / gals across the pond

Originally Posted by YellowFever

At least I'm not British.

aw shit , i didnt want to to go here , but , zank heaven for ze little girls :biggrin

charles azno voice