Oy Vey, even the Pope is in trouble for a sex coverup. Yes, they say that he let pedophiles go free. And now, after the Health Care Reform vote, there are threats of violence against government officials! Can't we all just get along?
We've got a recession that we're worried about! We need to get out of our cabins and spend money again. How can we? The deficit is rising, terrorists are trying to take over like cock roaches, and our government officials are bickering about their own popularity in November.
It's a shame. We can only hope for a better world in the future. I feel positive about it. Life is good. We will get through this. A day at a time. We can only hope.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
What is pork anyway?
Read the bill. John McCain jumped in the President's proverbial #%$@ because he has delivered a 2700 page Health Care Bill. So, read the thing! What's the problem? How many 12 year old Harry Potter fans have already read the last book totaling 800 or so pages three or more times? If you asked, they would tell you that they read it in three days! Sorry, John McCain, but the days of claiming that you have never turned on a computer and being proud of it are over.
The lawmakers complaining about a 2,700 page bill should be impeached. End of story. When it is your job to make laws, you do your homework. If going to the office on a weekend to read 2,700 pages is too much for you, quit your job. There is no excuse for complaining how long it is. I don't get it. All that I can do is hope that someone runs against you in the next election that is willing to do the job.
I've downloaded and looked over the entire document. It's interesting how certain politicians are saying that it's loaded with pork. I wonder exactly what each individual's interpretation of pork is. I wonder what the specific problems are for the people that haven't read it over. Let me give a short analogy of my interpretation, because most of the so called pork is stuff that we would be spending on in one form or another.
Let's say that you were going to be moving to a state that doesn't charge sales tax. Let's also say that you have a little money in your savings account. Not that the U.S. has money in their savings account, however, there are projected expenses either way. Would it be worth taking money from your savings account today, in order to save thousands of dollars in sales tax for tires, appliances, groceries, etc., If it were going to save at least 33% of your income for the next couple of years?
Not everybody shops like that. Not everybody has a savings account to draw from. Not everybody would buy in advance even if they did. Does that mean that the person that is willing to buy in advance is wrong? Or does that mean that they are making a mistake because tire prices might go down in the future? I can't even speculate on an answer.
I have prepared many million dollar budgets in my career, and I know that the best way to save money and to stay within a budget is to forecast far into the future. The best way to forecast the future is to take the statistics from the past and try to compare apples to apples.
It might seem like irrational spending to some people to speculate what the future might hold and to plan this far in advance. To me, it's well worth the risk to buy my tires now because, as we all have learned, we might not even have a job tomorrow.
The lawmakers complaining about a 2,700 page bill should be impeached. End of story. When it is your job to make laws, you do your homework. If going to the office on a weekend to read 2,700 pages is too much for you, quit your job. There is no excuse for complaining how long it is. I don't get it. All that I can do is hope that someone runs against you in the next election that is willing to do the job.
I've downloaded and looked over the entire document. It's interesting how certain politicians are saying that it's loaded with pork. I wonder exactly what each individual's interpretation of pork is. I wonder what the specific problems are for the people that haven't read it over. Let me give a short analogy of my interpretation, because most of the so called pork is stuff that we would be spending on in one form or another.
Let's say that you were going to be moving to a state that doesn't charge sales tax. Let's also say that you have a little money in your savings account. Not that the U.S. has money in their savings account, however, there are projected expenses either way. Would it be worth taking money from your savings account today, in order to save thousands of dollars in sales tax for tires, appliances, groceries, etc., If it were going to save at least 33% of your income for the next couple of years?
Not everybody shops like that. Not everybody has a savings account to draw from. Not everybody would buy in advance even if they did. Does that mean that the person that is willing to buy in advance is wrong? Or does that mean that they are making a mistake because tire prices might go down in the future? I can't even speculate on an answer.
I have prepared many million dollar budgets in my career, and I know that the best way to save money and to stay within a budget is to forecast far into the future. The best way to forecast the future is to take the statistics from the past and try to compare apples to apples.
It might seem like irrational spending to some people to speculate what the future might hold and to plan this far in advance. To me, it's well worth the risk to buy my tires now because, as we all have learned, we might not even have a job tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Americans Are Weary
"Americans Are Weary." This is what I heard on the news today. Ya think? Weary is not the word! Sick and tired and fed up is more like it! We're all camping. I mean, I can hardly complain because Al still has a job with health coverage for him. His paycheck covers my COBRA which will run out late this summer. We also have a roof over our head that we can afford, but camping nonetheless. By that, I mean that we no longer have a land line, have cut our TV services to the bare minimum, we go out to eat very rarely, and make sure to bundle errands into one day a week rather than go out and use gas whenever we want.
Many Americans are virtually camping camping. No bedroom, no bathroom, let alone bare TV services. Weary barely covers it. I'm starting to get cranky. WTF are these guys in congress doing claiming that Americans shouldn't get unemployment extensions because they WANT to be unemployed? That Americans have become lethargic and don't want to work.
Well, Tom Delay, you were a buffoon and a loser on Dancing With The Stars, and now you're a buffoon as a Republican spokesperson. Americans want to work. In fact, we want to work so badly, that I think that we should all consider running for office so that we can control our own destiny and get free health care coverage like the rest of the bums in Congress.
The only way that you people in Congress will ever touch the ground like the rest of us is to find yourselves with no jobs and no health coverage for your families. You're all making fools of yourselves covering only your own asses and making foolish remarks about how the typical unemployed Americans feel.
Many of us were making it as self employed Americans with employees of our own, but the cost of health care and wars and bank bailouts have taken it all away. My message to all of you has-been, lazy, fat buffoons in Government, look out! The typical unemployed Americans are not only cranky, but now we're motivated to roll your fat lazy asses off of the podium to become the new lawmakers of this country.
Watch for me. I'll be on the ballot as an Independent. You can check the box "Cranky and Motivated" to cast your ballot for me. One thing is for certain. YOU will not be re-elected.
Many Americans are virtually camping camping. No bedroom, no bathroom, let alone bare TV services. Weary barely covers it. I'm starting to get cranky. WTF are these guys in congress doing claiming that Americans shouldn't get unemployment extensions because they WANT to be unemployed? That Americans have become lethargic and don't want to work.
Well, Tom Delay, you were a buffoon and a loser on Dancing With The Stars, and now you're a buffoon as a Republican spokesperson. Americans want to work. In fact, we want to work so badly, that I think that we should all consider running for office so that we can control our own destiny and get free health care coverage like the rest of the bums in Congress.
The only way that you people in Congress will ever touch the ground like the rest of us is to find yourselves with no jobs and no health coverage for your families. You're all making fools of yourselves covering only your own asses and making foolish remarks about how the typical unemployed Americans feel.
Many of us were making it as self employed Americans with employees of our own, but the cost of health care and wars and bank bailouts have taken it all away. My message to all of you has-been, lazy, fat buffoons in Government, look out! The typical unemployed Americans are not only cranky, but now we're motivated to roll your fat lazy asses off of the podium to become the new lawmakers of this country.
Watch for me. I'll be on the ballot as an Independent. You can check the box "Cranky and Motivated" to cast your ballot for me. One thing is for certain. YOU will not be re-elected.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Writing For Supper
I read a lot of writing blogs. Like most professions, it depends on which side of the business that you're on, how you choose to operate. I'm not sure who all of the writers are that say that story, article, and essay contests are a waste of time, but they must already have an agent that does their worrying for them.
When there is a recession, a plumber goes out and explores every possible option for a job. It really doesn't matter if he was the star of the town in the past. The same goes for actors, teachers, mechanics or whatever else that a person might be professionally trained to do. If you call yourself a writer, unless you're John Grisham (and by the way, his last book had the MAXIMUM marketing campaign that I have ever seen!), you need to pursue a paying publication, or even two or three EVERY day if you need to pay the bills.
If you are otherwise unemployed, you will need to buy food and gas for your family. Many competitive stores and product manufacturers have essay contests on "Why I Like Their Product The Best." You are one lucky writer if this is a product that you normally purchase. The prizes are usually in the form of product.
I lived in a small surf town in California for a while. The local grocery store had those TV Guide contests where you had to provide the code from the grocery line TV Guide, a grocery receipt for anything over $10.00, and an essay. Most people didn't participate at all, so there was my $500.00 worth of groceries three times in a year!
Most recently, I participated in an essay contest for my Chinese Herb Company. I order from them once a month. Runner up got me a mention in their trade newsletter (which is where my clients and colleagues shop), and $100.00 worth of product.
So, whoever the hotshot writers are that think that contests are a waste of time, congratulations! Either you're an accomplished novelist, or an unemployed factory worker that will never have the joy of being a working writer.
I am determined to write rather than wait tables. Nothing against waiting tables, it's just more fun to hunt down quirky but profitable writing gigs.
When there is a recession, a plumber goes out and explores every possible option for a job. It really doesn't matter if he was the star of the town in the past. The same goes for actors, teachers, mechanics or whatever else that a person might be professionally trained to do. If you call yourself a writer, unless you're John Grisham (and by the way, his last book had the MAXIMUM marketing campaign that I have ever seen!), you need to pursue a paying publication, or even two or three EVERY day if you need to pay the bills.
If you are otherwise unemployed, you will need to buy food and gas for your family. Many competitive stores and product manufacturers have essay contests on "Why I Like Their Product The Best." You are one lucky writer if this is a product that you normally purchase. The prizes are usually in the form of product.
I lived in a small surf town in California for a while. The local grocery store had those TV Guide contests where you had to provide the code from the grocery line TV Guide, a grocery receipt for anything over $10.00, and an essay. Most people didn't participate at all, so there was my $500.00 worth of groceries three times in a year!
Most recently, I participated in an essay contest for my Chinese Herb Company. I order from them once a month. Runner up got me a mention in their trade newsletter (which is where my clients and colleagues shop), and $100.00 worth of product.
So, whoever the hotshot writers are that think that contests are a waste of time, congratulations! Either you're an accomplished novelist, or an unemployed factory worker that will never have the joy of being a working writer.
I am determined to write rather than wait tables. Nothing against waiting tables, it's just more fun to hunt down quirky but profitable writing gigs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)