Quick Quip

We Have time for the things that we Make time for.

The curious nature of debt

Debt is a curious subject. I bet if I polled some people on the street, or even in churches, or church boards that they would say debt is something that everybody has got. You must have it, one or another to have anything.

I am not even a little bit convinced that is the truth. What I am convinced of is that to secure the image of the American Middle Class it is necessary to go into debt to obtain the accessories of that status. The image is the thing that has changed over the years, in doing so the cost has bloomed. Houses are bigger, cars are higher up the food chain, social life is more expensive. Is this the middle class of the Post WW II era that has defined the term, or perhaps has the term been taken and pulled along by those who stand to make a profit on those who desire to rise above the lower class.

What one can live on is clear, not much. In most of the world it is $2/day. However the belief in this country is that you must have internet, cell phone, flat screen tv, computer, cable, car, nice place to live. Almost in that order. Everyone must live in the middle class, unless they can live in the upper class of course.

To achieve this goal of middle-classdom citizens are willing to take out loans to obtain those things that are too expensive to be paid for out of pocket, college, boats, cars, and houses mostly. These loans will take a large time of the citizens life to pay off. The current idea is that having debt is natural and if one has a $400,000 home loan for instance, but makes $80,000 per annum that is natural and they will eventually pay that off and it only trains a portion of their yearly income, less than taxes even. This person is able to assume the veneer of home ownership (even though they do not own the home, the bank does) and is on the outside a middle-class citizen, in truth he is down $400,000!

I propose a change in perception. Debt needs to be seen in a new light. If I am the owner of a house, I am not truly the owner of that house until it cannot be taken away from me. If I have a debt on that house it is not truly mine until the debt no longer remains. So even though a citizen makes a middle-class wage they are incurring massive debt and really only realistically able to live in a lower-class or poverty-line lifestyle with a middle-class veneer.

Let me give a different example. Imagine a citizen who does not adopt these middle-class accessories but retains the middle-class pay. Instead they rent or buy something they are able to afford, or even build their own house, adding on when they are able. From the outside they may look lower-class but they live a life that always has extra finances, always able to give to those in need, they can eat out whenever they please or even invest if they so desire. Continually in the black because they decided on a lower outward appearance.

The trappings of middle-class life of the late 40's and through the 50's is very meager compared to the McMansions, and trappings of today. But true financial stability is the real hallmark of the American Middle-Class. That Hallmark has been exchanged for a stamp of approval and a weight around our necks.

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout with Taylor Lautner from Taylor Lautner

There was once a time in the last century when sports were played and professionals were exceptional, but their paychecks were not.

The way we pay our athletes is ludicrous. We got problems all around, tickets are expensive and the system is expensive to maintain. Greed is getting to everybody. Union isn't helping solve the problem, except how to divide it up best. Oh well I guess, the titans will battle and I will go on living.

It is amazing how the masses entertain and endorse these Jesters.

Yes they are like clowns, even in their squabbling they give people an escape from their own existence. To mock and laugh at the antics of the Jesters of the Empire.

Set the record straight

There are a lot of 'stories' and 'textbooks' about what Independence day is all about, but I'm pretty sure this is how it all really happened.

Nothing like the blues.

I imagine that those who would read that as a status update would comment on the musical genre. The music that I truly love, and strangely don't seem like 'blues' at all. I have the blues though. It seems like a breeze as it comes in and I feel like the wind is out of my sails and I gaze into the mirror of my life.
I'm always concerned with my motivations. Why am I doing this? Why does it matter?
Life is a journey, fantastic for some. We all end at the same place, so how we get there is important.
Is it ok to look? If you do what do you measure yourself against? (see deeper and deeper)
So whatever american measurements are I probably don't measure up.
But it's ok i think.

It is amazing what I can learn from comic strips.

Question

What will happen to an extrovert if they aren't surrounded by people?