书城英文图书思考致富(英文朗读版)
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第47章 ORGANIZED PLANNING(11)

Complete assimilation and understanding of the information here conveyed will be helpful inmarketing one’s own services, and it will also helpone to become more analytical and capable ofjudging people. The information will be pricelessto personnel directors, employment managers,and other executives charged with the selectionof employees, and the maintenance of efficientorganizations. If you doubt this statement, test itssoundness by answering in writing the twentyeightself-analysis questions. That might be bothinteresting and profitable, even though you do notdoubt the soundness of the statement.

WHERE AND HOW ONE MAY FIND

OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCUMULATE RICHES

Now that we have analyzed the principles by which riches may be accumulated, we naturallyask, “where may one find favorable opportunitiesto apply these principles?” Very well, let us takeinventory and see what the United States of Americaoffer the person seeking riches, great or small.

To begin with, let us remember, all of us, that welive in a country where every law-abiding citizenenjoys freedom of thought and freedom of deedunequaled anywhere in the world. Most of us havenever taken inventory of the advantages of thisfreedom. We have never compared our unlimitedfreedom with the curtailed freedom in othercountries.

Here we have freedom of thought, freedom in the choice and enjoyment of education, freedom inreligion, freedom in politics, freedom in the choiceof a business, profession or occupation, freedomto accumulate and own without molestation, ALLTHE PROPERTY WE CAN ACCUMULATE, freedom tochoose our place of residence, freedom in marriage,freedom through equal opportunity to all races,freedom of travel from one state to another, freedomin our choice of foods, and freedom to AIM FOR ANYSTATION IN LIFE FOR WHICH WE HAVE PREPAREDOURSELVES, even for the presidency of the UnitedStates.

We have other forms of freedom, but this list willgive a bird’s eye view of the most important, whichconstitute OPPORTUNITY of the highest order. Thisadvantage of freedom is all the more conspicuousbecause the United States is the only countryguaranteeing to every citizen, whether native born ornaturalized, so broad and varied a list of freedom.

Next, let us recount some of the blessings whichour widespread freedom has placed within ourhands. Take the average American family for example (meaning, the family of average income)and sum up the benefits available to every memberof the family, in this land of OPPORTUNITY andplenty!

a. FOOD. Next to freedom of thought and deed comes FOOD, CLOTHING, and SHELTER, the threebasic necessities of life.

Because of our universal freedom the average American family has available, at its very door, thechoicest selection of food to be found anywhere inthe world, and at prices within its financial range.

A family of two, living in the heart of TimesSquare district of New York City, far removed fromthe source of production of foods, took carefulinventory of the cost of a simple breakfast, with thisastonishing result:

Articles of food; Cost at the breakfast table:

Grape Fruit Juice, (From Florida). . . . . . . . . . . .02Rippled Wheat Breakfast food (Kansas Farm). . .02Tea (From China). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .02Bananas (From South America) . . . . . . . . . . . .02?

Toasted Bread (From Kansas Farm) . . . . . . . . . .01Fresh Country Eggs (From Utah) . . . . . . . . . . . .07Sugar (From Cuba, or Utah) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00?

Butter and Cream (From New England) . . . . . . .03Grand total . . . .20It is not very difficult to obtain FOOD in a countrywhere two people can have breakfast consisting ofall they want or need for a dime apiece! Observe thatthis simple breakfast was gathered, by some strangeform of magic from China, South America, Utah,Kansas and the New England States, and deliveredon the breakfast table, ready for consumption, inthe very heart of the most crowded city in America,at a cost well within the means of the most humblelaborer.

The cost included all federal, state and city taxes!

(Here is a fact the politicians did not mention whenthey were crying out to the voters to throw theiropponents out of office because the people werebeing taxed to death).

b. SHELTER. This family lives in a comfortableapartment, heated by steam, lighted with electricity,with gas for cooking, all for 65.00 a month. In asmaller city, or a more sparsely settled part of NewYork city, the same apartment could be had for aslow as 20.00 a month.

The toast they had for breakfast in the food estimate was toasted on an electric toaster, whichcost but a few dollars, the apartment is cleanedwith a vacuum sweeper that is run by electricity.

Hot &nd cold water is available, at all times, in thekitchen and the bathroom. The food is kept coolin a refrigerator that is run by electricity. The wifecurls her hair, washes her clothes and irons themwith easily operated electrical equipment, on powerobtained by sticking a plug in the wall. The husbandshaves with an electric shaver, and they receiveentertainment from all over the world, twenty fourhours a day, if they want it, without cost, by merelyturning the dial of their radio.

There are other conveniences in this apartment,but the foregoing list will give a fair idea of someof the concrete evidences of the freedom we, ofAmerica, enjoy. (And this is neither political noreconomic propaganda).

c. CLOTHING. Anywhere in the United States, thewoman of average clothing requirements can dressvery comfortably and neatly for less than 200.00 ayear, and the average man can dress for the same, orless.

Only the three basic necessities of food, clothing,and shelter have been mentioned. The averageAmerican citizen has other privileges and advantagesavailable in return for modest effort, not exceedingeight hours per day of labor. Among these is theprivilege of automobile transportation, with whichone can go and come at will, at very small cost.