Message-ID: <19991130175630.AAA24906@jubilee.ns.sympatico.ca@LOCALNAME> Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 13:56:39 -04 From: Kerry Miller <mailto:kerryo@ns.sympatico.ca> Subject: Re: Tobin tax update To: mailto:DEVEL-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Bob, > > > These problems have not been solved for any government yet.
> >
> > ... Why are you ... looking to government to solve *our problems?...
>
> Nice try at mis direction - I said governments had not solved the problem,
> not that I was looking for the government to do it.
... > Self regulation has so far only worked when threatened by government
> action.
It makes a neat syllogism. Problem is solved by Industry when Gov threatens; G has not *failed to solve P, therefore P is not solved by I.
Nonetheless, in keeping with my idea that listservers serve discussion (not *solving) of problems, I read messages in hopes they _enhance (not stultify) understanding of the problem and clarification of language to describe the problem. What *you never said is not my concern; rather, what is the _discursive contribution_ of a statement such as 'P has not been solved for (or by) G?' Does it invite questions to the straw man (who said these were problems in the first place)? Does it help locate a role for G in P-solving? - and so on.
(In a similar vein, does a subject line of "Re: DEVEL-L Digest - 27 Nov 1999 to 28 Nov 1999 (#1999-191)" help one to recognize the import of the message following it? I use the digest too, and have no especial trouble editing the headers. )
Cheers, kerry