Danilo wrote:
Good points, tschmath. We all paid for the infrastructure, and we all benefit from it. Phelps paid his share, I assume, and he shouldn't owe back any more than all the rest of us. This mentality reminds me of someone winning the lottery and people come crawling out of the woodwork, claiming a "fair share".
He doesn't "owe back any more than the rest of us", and that was not my point. My point was that he did not do it alone. His incredibly hard work, coupled with what was available for him, made it possible for him to be a success. With any of those elements missing, including all of his hard work, none of that would've been possible. I'm willing to bet that there were times that his mother was the driving force behind him, that she kept him going when he wanted to give up. She drove him to the pool when he was a kid. He could not have done it without her pushing him when he needed it. He did not do it alone. I absolutely stand by what I said. He didn't do it alone. He owes nothing to anyone financially, as you are implying that I'm saying, and no one has any claim financially on him, as you are implying I'm saying. But he didn't succeed in a vacuum. He didn't do it alone.