From our Muslim Agent in the Field.
My points, minor and succinct, are thus:
1. "Would drive people to almost get married before having children!"
2. "Would drive people to almost consider (GASP) STAYING AT HOME TO RAISE THE CHIILLLLLDREEEEENNNN!"
3. Notice everything was in percentages of "single mother income" implying the father is not around as well as there should be a government subsidy. Minimalism, gentlemen. Minimalism. Make as little as you can so you are paying nothing in taxes to support other people's mistakes ...errr ..."children."
Friday, August 31, 2012
Before You Major in Finance...
A lot of readers (and people in general) really like economics and finance. They find it intellectually engaging and intriguing. And they should because it is.
Just don't major in it.
I say this because I majored in it and, though, you would think it is a practical degree with mathematical aptitude, the entire industry is a cronyistic, nepotistic, brown-nosing mess that puts a premium on connections over mathematical genius.
And as an aside, yes, there will be a consequence to such a vital component of the US economy being corrupted. Namely, the confiscation/eradication of your precious 401k.
But, again, to quote Michael Savage,
"You don't want to hear about that. No, no, you much rather hear about some guy hitting a ball over a fence."
Just don't major in it.
I say this because I majored in it and, though, you would think it is a practical degree with mathematical aptitude, the entire industry is a cronyistic, nepotistic, brown-nosing mess that puts a premium on connections over mathematical genius.
And as an aside, yes, there will be a consequence to such a vital component of the US economy being corrupted. Namely, the confiscation/eradication of your precious 401k.
But, again, to quote Michael Savage,
"You don't want to hear about that. No, no, you much rather hear about some guy hitting a ball over a fence."
Health Insurance Idiocy
So I'm qualified for COBRA health insurance. I get the letter in the mail and for the low low price of $500/month I can have health insurance. This special rate is available to me for the next 2 years.
I have a question.
Since my catastrophic plan was only $120/month before I was employed, why on god's green Earth would I go with COBRA?
Seriously, I think if people just refused jacked up health insurance "offered" by their employers and said, "you know, just give me the cash instead," and then shopped around for catastrophic plans your little health insurance problem would go away.
But no, oh no. Nothing's "too good" for our little children. We need to flood the market with trillions of dollars to price everybody else out.
I have a question.
Since my catastrophic plan was only $120/month before I was employed, why on god's green Earth would I go with COBRA?
Seriously, I think if people just refused jacked up health insurance "offered" by their employers and said, "you know, just give me the cash instead," and then shopped around for catastrophic plans your little health insurance problem would go away.
But no, oh no. Nothing's "too good" for our little children. We need to flood the market with trillions of dollars to price everybody else out.
The Economics of "Wyoming Hustle"
Several people have asked if I'm moving back to the city and, yes, I am. But allow me to share with you an economic epiphany I developed that was 100% caused by and derived from my experiences here in Wyoming and is 100% the reason I'm moving back-
The Economics of Hustle.
Now I know you people love nothing more than to point out that the epiphanies the Captain has had in the past were already observed and noted by long-dead ancient philosophers and economists. However, "hustle" has NEVER been observed before nor incorporated into economics. So finally at last, your Captain has an epiphany he can claim is all his own. But more importantly I do believe there is some economic merit to "hustle" and may even write thesis about it if I ever get my doctorate.
First, let me start off by stating something that is going to seem insulting, but I NEED YOU TO LISTEN TO ME CLEARLY to realize that is not my intent. And that "something" is the people of Wyoming are by far the dumbest group of people I've ever met. Again, I do not say that to be insulting or to raise the ire of Wyomingites or to use the term "dumbest" as a pejorative. Nor do I say it to make it sound like I'm some arrogant "east coast liberal" that views the center of the country as "fly over states." I say it because that has been my honest observation after living and interacting with the people there for a year. Never have I met an entire population that was so dumb, slow, oblivious and uninteresting.
Were there smart people?
Oh, sure.
Were there intelligent and interesting people?
Of course.
Did I make some friends?
Sure.
But as a whole Wyoming has BY FAR the dumbest population I've ever experienced.
Now, most people don't think about this because they don't observe it from the outside or put themselves into completely different cultures, but you simply cannot escape humans. Humans and humanity permeate every aspect of life. Every interaction you have involves a human. From conducting commerce, to working, to socializing, there are humans everywhere. They are inescapable. So when THE ENTIRE SOCIETY is literally about 10 IQ points shy of the average, it not only shows, but you get to pay a psychologically tormenting price as you live in that society.
For example a "normal" sandwich artist at a Subway can knock out a sub in about 1 minute. But it takes about 5 minutes for the average Wyomingite sandwich artist to put together your sub WITH the tripling of the chance they goofed up your order. It got so bad your Captain would actually prefer to COOK HIS OWN FOOD than go to a Subway. It was just not worth the hassle and blood pressure.
Speaking of blood pressure, go to the grocery store and you can observe, quite clearly the costs of this lower-IQ society. Almost like witnessing the forming of a perfect storm, the variables for an insufferably and unnecessarily long wait in line start to conspire and collide. Idiots who are in line, but not done shopping, darting out of line to get more food. A 38 year old man PAYING BY CHECK. Tilly decides to converse with the check out lady for 3 hours. Poor staff management as it becomes obvious the check out clerk should have called for back up or opened a new lane 20 minutes ago. And this is the LUXURY grocer. You want to slum it, go to the local Wal-Mart in Wyoming. That IS where the "people of Wal-Mart" are photographed.
Another example is banking. You ever hear of a "truck equity loan?"
Of course you haven't. Because you're not a moron and would never imagine somebody so stupid enough to "take money out of his truck" let alone a bank stupid enough to agree to such a thing. But truck equity loans are just part of "the Wyomin' Way." Along with 8 pieces of collateral for one loan (true story), $300,000 loans on a car wash in the middle of the state (ie-nowhere), and people late 36 times on their loans (but we'll never repossess on them).
Do you like teenage, single moms? They got plenty! And you get to pay plenty too when they go to the WIC office. This did vary by town, but it seemed if you were in any of the larger towns of Wyoming (bar Cheyenne) then there was a commensurate increase in the chances you were mandated to have children before graduating from high school.
But forget fornication, let's just talk about socializing. If you are a guy and merely want to hang out with girls on a platonic basis (for say like hiking, motorcycle rides or ballroom dancing), forget it. The fine, upstanding, and infinitely secure men of Wyoming will have none of it. They really do view women as property there. One gal that was kind enough to help me move, I offered a motorcycle ride. We couldn't drive on main street as she was afraid her boyfriend would see her. Dance classes I offered were populated with women who only showed up once until their husbands forbade it OR would show up as a chaperone. NOT TO DANCE, but to watch and make sure she didn't start having an affair with some stranger right there on the floor in front of everybody. I was threatened twice by men for "talkin' to their women" when both men were declared ex's. And a 68 year old grandpa gave me a mean look and said "No" when I asked his 65 year old wife to foxtrot.
And finally, let's not forget health. YOu have some of the world's greatest mountains and terrain. Hundreds, if not thousands of miles of trails to go hiking on. What's the number one physical activity in Wyoming?
Drinking.
"Wha!? The mountinnnnnz? Wha we hiked dat back in hiiiiskool. What we want to hike dem mountains fer?"
They take the insane beauty and nature for granted and never avail themselves of mountains that are only 15 minutes away.
Now I could go on and on, but you get the idea. The population is slow. It is not terribly intelligent. Alcoholism is the new power-walking. ie- there is 0% hustle in this state. Presumably then, with these things going against it, the economy would stink. Unemployment should be high. Government dependency should be high. GDP growth should be low.
Turns out its the opposite.
Wyoming has a much lower unemployment rate than the rest of the nation. 4.6% vs. 8.2%. It's gross state product has grown faster than the US average. AND it is ranked 48th I believe in government dependency. It is an economic success.
So what factors are overcoming this lack of hustle and this intellectual handicap?
Two simple factors - energy and low taxes.
Wyoming has no state income taxes and thusly people do move to the state, incorporate there, etc. Also, Wyoming is enjoying an energy boom. An interesting observation I had while living in Casper is you could tell the years the economy boomed and busted based on the architecture in the town. There was the founding of the town (1870's or so type of western mainstreet architecture) and a notable influence of ugly, brown 1970's early 80's architecture (another energy boom). Today the entire east side of Casper is all new construction attributable to the energy boom today.
Now if it seems like I'm rambling, I'm not because I'm trying to combine several points here at the same time. So let me point out another state and hopefully you'll see the lesson I'm trying to make about hustle.
Compare the "hustle factor" of Wyoming to say California or New York.
Whereas there is literally no hustle in Wyoming, New York City or LA is nothing but hustle. Spend one week in Casper, WY and then move to New York City and you'll get whiplash at the acceleration in the pace of life. People are on a mission in the city. They got to get stuff done. No, don't bother me now, I don't have the time. TALK IN THE CHECK OUT LANES??? Are you kidding me? New Yorkers would beat you in the alley.
There is no doubt the people of New York, California or just any major city are faster, have more hustle, and (yes, I dare say) are more educated and intelligent (wisdom, however may be another thing).
Regardless, these states and cities have a more motivated population, a faster population, they just have more hustle.
So how are their economies doing?
We all know poorly. Both New York and California I believe still have double digit unemployment, their public finances are in the toilet. We don't need to rehash it.
So how can this be? Also, why would I shoot my own theory down about hustle? Hustle you would THINK would correlate positively with economic growth and standards of living, so why do we see the opposite occurring.
Three points.
1. The lack of economic performance by the likes of New York and California does not so much speak to the failure of hustle to translate into economic growth as much as it is a harsh condemnation of their socialist policies. I have never seen a society move as fast, as smart and as quick as New Yorkers, Chicagoans, and the west coast. Also, much as I hate California, there is no more innovative place than Silicon Valley. All that hustle and flow for naught because it's been mooted by socialist policies. On the other side of the same coin is Wyoming. A state whose people, once again, in my experience are the slowest people on the planet. No hustle, no flow, no care, no fire in the belly. But despite (what I would have previously considered) a crippling handicap, the pro-capitalist policies of low taxes and free markets overcome this to deliver very low unemployment, higher standards of living and increased economic growth.
2. Wyoming could be considered the "Votech" or "tech school" state requiring real skills and trades. While New York and California could be considered "academia" states requiring, well, no really pliable skills or trades at all. Just a sheepskin.
3. We haven't looked at economies or societies that have BOTH hustle AND pro-capitalism policies. Places like Hong Kong, Singapore, the Cayman Islands, etc. I don't have the time today, but just by recollection knowledge about these economies, they blow Pro-Capitalism/No-Hustle countries/states out of the water.
The larger point is not my hatred for Wyomingites. Nor is it my loathing of the liberal coasts. It's to merely demonstrate the power of free-market economics and capitalism and what it can overcome. We all don't need to be doctoral students in electrical engineer slaving away 80 hours a week to increase our standards of living. We just need to leave people be, let the free-market work its magic, and "even Wyomingites" can succeed. About the only thing that can stop the free market from being successful is simply replacing it with a more socialistic model.
Then again, we all knew that. Just don't try to explain that to the CCC's (a little inside joke there for the Wyomingites).
Post-post - from a reader. IQ by state. I challenge the data (not the reader of course).
The Economics of Hustle.
Now I know you people love nothing more than to point out that the epiphanies the Captain has had in the past were already observed and noted by long-dead ancient philosophers and economists. However, "hustle" has NEVER been observed before nor incorporated into economics. So finally at last, your Captain has an epiphany he can claim is all his own. But more importantly I do believe there is some economic merit to "hustle" and may even write thesis about it if I ever get my doctorate.
First, let me start off by stating something that is going to seem insulting, but I NEED YOU TO LISTEN TO ME CLEARLY to realize that is not my intent. And that "something" is the people of Wyoming are by far the dumbest group of people I've ever met. Again, I do not say that to be insulting or to raise the ire of Wyomingites or to use the term "dumbest" as a pejorative. Nor do I say it to make it sound like I'm some arrogant "east coast liberal" that views the center of the country as "fly over states." I say it because that has been my honest observation after living and interacting with the people there for a year. Never have I met an entire population that was so dumb, slow, oblivious and uninteresting.
Were there smart people?
Oh, sure.
Were there intelligent and interesting people?
Of course.
Did I make some friends?
Sure.
But as a whole Wyoming has BY FAR the dumbest population I've ever experienced.
Now, most people don't think about this because they don't observe it from the outside or put themselves into completely different cultures, but you simply cannot escape humans. Humans and humanity permeate every aspect of life. Every interaction you have involves a human. From conducting commerce, to working, to socializing, there are humans everywhere. They are inescapable. So when THE ENTIRE SOCIETY is literally about 10 IQ points shy of the average, it not only shows, but you get to pay a psychologically tormenting price as you live in that society.
For example a "normal" sandwich artist at a Subway can knock out a sub in about 1 minute. But it takes about 5 minutes for the average Wyomingite sandwich artist to put together your sub WITH the tripling of the chance they goofed up your order. It got so bad your Captain would actually prefer to COOK HIS OWN FOOD than go to a Subway. It was just not worth the hassle and blood pressure.
Speaking of blood pressure, go to the grocery store and you can observe, quite clearly the costs of this lower-IQ society. Almost like witnessing the forming of a perfect storm, the variables for an insufferably and unnecessarily long wait in line start to conspire and collide. Idiots who are in line, but not done shopping, darting out of line to get more food. A 38 year old man PAYING BY CHECK. Tilly decides to converse with the check out lady for 3 hours. Poor staff management as it becomes obvious the check out clerk should have called for back up or opened a new lane 20 minutes ago. And this is the LUXURY grocer. You want to slum it, go to the local Wal-Mart in Wyoming. That IS where the "people of Wal-Mart" are photographed.
Another example is banking. You ever hear of a "truck equity loan?"
Of course you haven't. Because you're not a moron and would never imagine somebody so stupid enough to "take money out of his truck" let alone a bank stupid enough to agree to such a thing. But truck equity loans are just part of "the Wyomin' Way." Along with 8 pieces of collateral for one loan (true story), $300,000 loans on a car wash in the middle of the state (ie-nowhere), and people late 36 times on their loans (but we'll never repossess on them).
Do you like teenage, single moms? They got plenty! And you get to pay plenty too when they go to the WIC office. This did vary by town, but it seemed if you were in any of the larger towns of Wyoming (bar Cheyenne) then there was a commensurate increase in the chances you were mandated to have children before graduating from high school.
But forget fornication, let's just talk about socializing. If you are a guy and merely want to hang out with girls on a platonic basis (for say like hiking, motorcycle rides or ballroom dancing), forget it. The fine, upstanding, and infinitely secure men of Wyoming will have none of it. They really do view women as property there. One gal that was kind enough to help me move, I offered a motorcycle ride. We couldn't drive on main street as she was afraid her boyfriend would see her. Dance classes I offered were populated with women who only showed up once until their husbands forbade it OR would show up as a chaperone. NOT TO DANCE, but to watch and make sure she didn't start having an affair with some stranger right there on the floor in front of everybody. I was threatened twice by men for "talkin' to their women" when both men were declared ex's. And a 68 year old grandpa gave me a mean look and said "No" when I asked his 65 year old wife to foxtrot.
And finally, let's not forget health. YOu have some of the world's greatest mountains and terrain. Hundreds, if not thousands of miles of trails to go hiking on. What's the number one physical activity in Wyoming?
Drinking.
"Wha!? The mountinnnnnz? Wha we hiked dat back in hiiiiskool. What we want to hike dem mountains fer?"
They take the insane beauty and nature for granted and never avail themselves of mountains that are only 15 minutes away.
Now I could go on and on, but you get the idea. The population is slow. It is not terribly intelligent. Alcoholism is the new power-walking. ie- there is 0% hustle in this state. Presumably then, with these things going against it, the economy would stink. Unemployment should be high. Government dependency should be high. GDP growth should be low.
Turns out its the opposite.
Wyoming has a much lower unemployment rate than the rest of the nation. 4.6% vs. 8.2%. It's gross state product has grown faster than the US average. AND it is ranked 48th I believe in government dependency. It is an economic success.
So what factors are overcoming this lack of hustle and this intellectual handicap?
Two simple factors - energy and low taxes.
Wyoming has no state income taxes and thusly people do move to the state, incorporate there, etc. Also, Wyoming is enjoying an energy boom. An interesting observation I had while living in Casper is you could tell the years the economy boomed and busted based on the architecture in the town. There was the founding of the town (1870's or so type of western mainstreet architecture) and a notable influence of ugly, brown 1970's early 80's architecture (another energy boom). Today the entire east side of Casper is all new construction attributable to the energy boom today.
Now if it seems like I'm rambling, I'm not because I'm trying to combine several points here at the same time. So let me point out another state and hopefully you'll see the lesson I'm trying to make about hustle.
Compare the "hustle factor" of Wyoming to say California or New York.
Whereas there is literally no hustle in Wyoming, New York City or LA is nothing but hustle. Spend one week in Casper, WY and then move to New York City and you'll get whiplash at the acceleration in the pace of life. People are on a mission in the city. They got to get stuff done. No, don't bother me now, I don't have the time. TALK IN THE CHECK OUT LANES??? Are you kidding me? New Yorkers would beat you in the alley.
There is no doubt the people of New York, California or just any major city are faster, have more hustle, and (yes, I dare say) are more educated and intelligent (wisdom, however may be another thing).
Regardless, these states and cities have a more motivated population, a faster population, they just have more hustle.
So how are their economies doing?
We all know poorly. Both New York and California I believe still have double digit unemployment, their public finances are in the toilet. We don't need to rehash it.
So how can this be? Also, why would I shoot my own theory down about hustle? Hustle you would THINK would correlate positively with economic growth and standards of living, so why do we see the opposite occurring.
Three points.
1. The lack of economic performance by the likes of New York and California does not so much speak to the failure of hustle to translate into economic growth as much as it is a harsh condemnation of their socialist policies. I have never seen a society move as fast, as smart and as quick as New Yorkers, Chicagoans, and the west coast. Also, much as I hate California, there is no more innovative place than Silicon Valley. All that hustle and flow for naught because it's been mooted by socialist policies. On the other side of the same coin is Wyoming. A state whose people, once again, in my experience are the slowest people on the planet. No hustle, no flow, no care, no fire in the belly. But despite (what I would have previously considered) a crippling handicap, the pro-capitalist policies of low taxes and free markets overcome this to deliver very low unemployment, higher standards of living and increased economic growth.
2. Wyoming could be considered the "Votech" or "tech school" state requiring real skills and trades. While New York and California could be considered "academia" states requiring, well, no really pliable skills or trades at all. Just a sheepskin.
3. We haven't looked at economies or societies that have BOTH hustle AND pro-capitalism policies. Places like Hong Kong, Singapore, the Cayman Islands, etc. I don't have the time today, but just by recollection knowledge about these economies, they blow Pro-Capitalism/No-Hustle countries/states out of the water.
The larger point is not my hatred for Wyomingites. Nor is it my loathing of the liberal coasts. It's to merely demonstrate the power of free-market economics and capitalism and what it can overcome. We all don't need to be doctoral students in electrical engineer slaving away 80 hours a week to increase our standards of living. We just need to leave people be, let the free-market work its magic, and "even Wyomingites" can succeed. About the only thing that can stop the free market from being successful is simply replacing it with a more socialistic model.
Then again, we all knew that. Just don't try to explain that to the CCC's (a little inside joke there for the Wyomingites).
Post-post - from a reader. IQ by state. I challenge the data (not the reader of course).
Thursday, August 30, 2012
God Bless Gina Rinehart
Woman after my own heart.
You poor people who like whining and complaining all the time would do well to listen to her.
That is of course, unless you like being poor your entire life.
You poor people who like whining and complaining all the time would do well to listen to her.
That is of course, unless you like being poor your entire life.
Never Trust a Public Sector/Non-Profit Economist
I had a request from a reader to dissect this.
But Vox Day does a decent enough job.
The only thing I could add to it is the ridicule of the authors of this "girlyfesto."
Did any of you idiots ever work for a living? Did any of you ever work in the private sector and have to adhere to reality and efficiency? Or did we just float on through life with daddy's credit card and enroute to a doctorate in economics and thus a cushy non-profit position in academia or Non-Profit-LaLa Land? AND with the added bonus of lecturing people who live in the real world what needs to be done.
I think we need an "Economist MMA" where nerdy skinny economists like myself duke it out physically in a ring.
Not because it would prove anything.
But because it would feel so great to pummel the ever-living-crap out of these DB's.
But Vox Day does a decent enough job.
The only thing I could add to it is the ridicule of the authors of this "girlyfesto."
Did any of you idiots ever work for a living? Did any of you ever work in the private sector and have to adhere to reality and efficiency? Or did we just float on through life with daddy's credit card and enroute to a doctorate in economics and thus a cushy non-profit position in academia or Non-Profit-LaLa Land? AND with the added bonus of lecturing people who live in the real world what needs to be done.
I think we need an "Economist MMA" where nerdy skinny economists like myself duke it out physically in a ring.
Not because it would prove anything.
But because it would feel so great to pummel the ever-living-crap out of these DB's.
The Power of Capitalism
Though this does NOT benefit me (it actually hurts), I am happy to see this.
The PRICE OF EDUCATION DROPPING. From my e-mail.
Normally the price of these classes is around $100-$120. Apparently the internet and the free delivery of education is forcing people to lower prices.
If you love the Captain (and you do) you can always take his two classes and benefit from his Super Awesome Economic Genius!
Stocks, Bonds and Investing: Oh My!
And
The Analysis and Valuation of Stocks.
I STRONGLY recommend the latter as it is a REALLY good class culminating all my experience and schooling on fundamental analysis.
Besides, you don't want the Captain to starve, do you?
The PRICE OF EDUCATION DROPPING. From my e-mail.
Normally the price of these classes is around $100-$120. Apparently the internet and the free delivery of education is forcing people to lower prices.
If you love the Captain (and you do) you can always take his two classes and benefit from his Super Awesome Economic Genius!
Stocks, Bonds and Investing: Oh My!
And
The Analysis and Valuation of Stocks.
I STRONGLY recommend the latter as it is a REALLY good class culminating all my experience and schooling on fundamental analysis.
Besides, you don't want the Captain to starve, do you?
"It's a Post About Nothing"
Tam gets a Seinfeld post. A post about "nothing."
On a somewhat related note (on account I'm pilfering other people's posts while I drive across Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota to move my meager worldly possessions), if anybody Cappy Cappites live on Hwy 212, contact me. I'm pretty much guaran-freaking-teed to be driving through your town!
On a somewhat related note (on account I'm pilfering other people's posts while I drive across Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota to move my meager worldly possessions), if anybody Cappy Cappites live on Hwy 212, contact me. I'm pretty much guaran-freaking-teed to be driving through your town!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Whilst Packing and Driving My Motorcycle Back
Greetings Cappy Cappites,
In the middle of packing and moving so send your QUALITY posts to me. To start the day we'll start with a university that has too much money.
In the middle of packing and moving so send your QUALITY posts to me. To start the day we'll start with a university that has too much money.
Monday, August 27, 2012
12 Hours of Driving
So I'm on the road executing a logistical plan than rivals the D-Day invasion (3 vehicles, a minimalist amount of stuff, transported over 800 miles, in 3 or less trips, under $800 in expenses, with one driver and a regional airport, you do the calculus, I figured it out due to my SAEG(TM)).
Regardless, at my old job I could check in every 4 minutes to see if there was a new post, approve it and then get back to looking like I was working... that or doing the problem loan report for yet another chromosome-challenged Wyoming hick we lent money to for a 4th trailer home equity loan to put his sister and daughter (same thing out here) through salon school. But don't worry, that "double wide" is going to appreciate in value. I heard they're puttin' a McDonald's nearby!
Sorry, inside humor between me and the other 4 non-retarded people in this state, 2 of which have left.
ANYWAY, back at my old job I could check in every 4 minutes and approve comments.
Well 12 hours in the middle of nowhere SoDak, not a lot of internet access. I finally pull into town, fire up the computer, magically get internet access in "these hayere parts" and BLAMO!
38 comments.
Keep spreading the word lieutenants. I appreciate it. Besides, I did some calculations and I can now officially live off of the money I make on this here pathetic blog you've all grown to love and hate.
More on that later, but it is good news.
Regardless, at my old job I could check in every 4 minutes to see if there was a new post, approve it and then get back to looking like I was working... that or doing the problem loan report for yet another chromosome-challenged Wyoming hick we lent money to for a 4th trailer home equity loan to put his sister and daughter (same thing out here) through salon school. But don't worry, that "double wide" is going to appreciate in value. I heard they're puttin' a McDonald's nearby!
Sorry, inside humor between me and the other 4 non-retarded people in this state, 2 of which have left.
ANYWAY, back at my old job I could check in every 4 minutes and approve comments.
Well 12 hours in the middle of nowhere SoDak, not a lot of internet access. I finally pull into town, fire up the computer, magically get internet access in "these hayere parts" and BLAMO!
38 comments.
Keep spreading the word lieutenants. I appreciate it. Besides, I did some calculations and I can now officially live off of the money I make on this here pathetic blog you've all grown to love and hate.
More on that later, but it is good news.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
How to Shop for Groceries, Bachelor Style
I had the great misfortune of being in a Trader Joe's this weekend. The experience and my observations of the people are enough to merit their own post, but there is something much more important to write about -
How to go grocery shopping "bachelor style."
And by "bachelor style" I mean "the most efficient and correct way."
Understand BOTH men and women have no strategy or organization on how to go shopping for groceries. They merely enter, follow the way the marketeers of the grocery store have laid out your path for you, and dare you leave that path you wander aimlessly, down aisles, looking for something.
So let me help you save time and money doing things "The Bachelor Way."
First, stop it with lists. The only people that should have lists are chefs because they're making something specific and need ingredients. Even if you ARE a chef, the Bachelor Way is still most efficient. Besides, true bachelors don't do lists.
Second, get rid of the coupons. Yes, I know you save money. But you will lose that money in time nitpicking around looking for that 32 oz box instead of the 27 oz box not to mention holding up the entire US economy, double dipping us into another recession as you hold back 40% of the local labor force in your check out lane.
Third, your goal is TIME. Most specifically, efficiency. To get ALL the groceries you need in the shortest amount of time.
Fourth, employ the "Cappy Cap Method" of shopping.
This is a method or technique I developed in college when time was of the essence.
You grab a cart.
You place that cart at the end of an aisle. You RACE up one aisle, looking right and then left, grabbing everything you need in that aisle. You then U-turn into the adjacent aisle and do the same thing as you head back to your cart.
Drop all the items into your cart that you picked up in the two aisles.
Move the cart down to the next two aisles.
And repeat the process until in (what should be) 5 minutes you have covered ALL the aisles in the ENTIRE grocery store with EVERYTHING you need. (I will permit you to get a Red Bull as a treat whilst in the check out lane).
The main point of the Cappy Cap Method of shopping is NOT to bring your cart into the aisle along with the rest of the obese 50 year olds scanning each square inch of the shelving as you create a grocery store traffic jam. You cover as much ground as quickly as possible, positioning your cart at a strategic drop point which allows you to get everything you need and get out.
This has been a public service announcement from Cappy.
How to go grocery shopping "bachelor style."
And by "bachelor style" I mean "the most efficient and correct way."
Understand BOTH men and women have no strategy or organization on how to go shopping for groceries. They merely enter, follow the way the marketeers of the grocery store have laid out your path for you, and dare you leave that path you wander aimlessly, down aisles, looking for something.
So let me help you save time and money doing things "The Bachelor Way."
First, stop it with lists. The only people that should have lists are chefs because they're making something specific and need ingredients. Even if you ARE a chef, the Bachelor Way is still most efficient. Besides, true bachelors don't do lists.
Second, get rid of the coupons. Yes, I know you save money. But you will lose that money in time nitpicking around looking for that 32 oz box instead of the 27 oz box not to mention holding up the entire US economy, double dipping us into another recession as you hold back 40% of the local labor force in your check out lane.
Third, your goal is TIME. Most specifically, efficiency. To get ALL the groceries you need in the shortest amount of time.
Fourth, employ the "Cappy Cap Method" of shopping.
This is a method or technique I developed in college when time was of the essence.
You grab a cart.
You place that cart at the end of an aisle. You RACE up one aisle, looking right and then left, grabbing everything you need in that aisle. You then U-turn into the adjacent aisle and do the same thing as you head back to your cart.
Drop all the items into your cart that you picked up in the two aisles.
Move the cart down to the next two aisles.
And repeat the process until in (what should be) 5 minutes you have covered ALL the aisles in the ENTIRE grocery store with EVERYTHING you need. (I will permit you to get a Red Bull as a treat whilst in the check out lane).
The main point of the Cappy Cap Method of shopping is NOT to bring your cart into the aisle along with the rest of the obese 50 year olds scanning each square inch of the shelving as you create a grocery store traffic jam. You cover as much ground as quickly as possible, positioning your cart at a strategic drop point which allows you to get everything you need and get out.
This has been a public service announcement from Cappy.
MP3 of Interview
If you missed the interview and was interested, you can download my interview with Leslie and Silvio here.
If you are a parent or just have a kid in your life you care about about to enter college, I STRONGLY recommend they listen. "Worthless" is a book after all, if your kids were like me when I was a kid, they very much dislike reading. This is much shorter, but gets some of the key points in there.
If you are a parent or just have a kid in your life you care about about to enter college, I STRONGLY recommend they listen. "Worthless" is a book after all, if your kids were like me when I was a kid, they very much dislike reading. This is much shorter, but gets some of the key points in there.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Boo Freaking Hoo, Eh?
From our Canadian Agent in the Field:
"Please share my pain and read and share this appalling article.
http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/it-happened-me-i-am-31-and-still-school
She contributes nothing. She creates nothing. And despite decades in school, she can't even craft a sentence above a fifth-grade level.
Notice the "action figures" on the shelf behind her head in the photo. A 31-year-old woman! And why doesn't she work? She says, in a barely-literate reply to a reader comment:
I have left school twice and only managed to get those jobs mentioned above. I have not been graced with good "business connections" merely hard work and decent grades. This doesn't always lead to lucrative careers. Furthermore, simply having a BA coupled with being a woman (in a still uneven employment market) doesn't bode well for jumping into a career after an undergraduate degree. I'd say it's starting to become the norm for people to do graduate degrees. I would love it if employers could see the value in the Humanities but sadly, this is not always the case.
"Coupled with being a woman"! I am crying with laughter. She lives in Ontario, because she mentions OSAP."
"Please share my pain and read and share this appalling article.
http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/it-happened-me-i-am-31-and-still-school
She contributes nothing. She creates nothing. And despite decades in school, she can't even craft a sentence above a fifth-grade level.
Notice the "action figures" on the shelf behind her head in the photo. A 31-year-old woman! And why doesn't she work? She says, in a barely-literate reply to a reader comment:
I have left school twice and only managed to get those jobs mentioned above. I have not been graced with good "business connections" merely hard work and decent grades. This doesn't always lead to lucrative careers. Furthermore, simply having a BA coupled with being a woman (in a still uneven employment market) doesn't bode well for jumping into a career after an undergraduate degree. I'd say it's starting to become the norm for people to do graduate degrees. I would love it if employers could see the value in the Humanities but sadly, this is not always the case.
"Coupled with being a woman"! I am crying with laughter. She lives in Ontario, because she mentions OSAP."
"Networking" Cannot Replace Skills
The day will come historians and archeologists will do their research and discover "LinkedIn." They will point to it and say,
"There, THERE! Look there! We have found why the US collapsed."
So allow me to explain "networking" and why I and any intellectually honest person loathes it.
"Networking" is not a skill or a trade. It doesn't produce anything of value and ultimately, it is destructive. It is, however, the perfect "skill" for a population too lazy to learn real skills but still wants to make it look like they're working. I'll even admit right now, people with good "networking skills" and the most "LinkedIn" connections do command higher salaries, but it is a temporary phenomenon. A "linkedIn" bubble if you will, because in the end networking is nothing more than kissing ass instead of kicking ass. Talking, instead of producing. Planning, but never executing.
Because of this networking has no real economic value. All the time people spend going to "after-work socials," "conventions," and "happy hours" to hobnob, establish contacts and "network" produces nothing. The salaries, wages, not to mention money spent on booze and food are all sunk costs, with no return. If anything, networking is nothing more than an excuse to spend the company's money on booze, food, travel and other personal expenditures with the secret understanding that it's "for business" *wink wink*. But it's precisely because that's what networking is, that makes it so palatable to its participants and lodges it securely in America's business culture.
While it is at minimum unproductive or has zero economic value, I will take it a step further and contend it's actually destructive. The reason why is that is it nulls the efficiency of the labor market. Not just in terms of employing people, but what people you do business with, who you promote, who gets contracts, etc. etc. These spoils of business do not go to the best or most qualified candidate, it goes to the best networker - i.e.- the best charlatan - who is usually not only not capable as others, but is usually dishonest. Allow me to provide you an example.
I went to a wedding this summer. The guy getting married was in sales. All of his co-workers were tall, good looking younger men (23-28). All of them drove BMW's, Mercedes, and had tall drop dead gorgeous girlfriends. I overheard that the groom would not hang out with people unless they made at least $70,000 per year.
It comes time for the best man to give a speech. He gets up, and this moron is wearing sunglasses indoors. He then proceeds to deliver the typical, DB, fratboy speech that had nothing intelligent, nothing clever and nothing witty in it. Just blathering on about the good ole times and drinking and lame attempt at humor (which I'll leave out to prevent from ID'ing this guy).
He was the type of guy Stewie from Family Guy would "just have to kill." You had a natural urge to beat the crap out of him.
But this guy could outsell me in a nano-second. This guy could network beyond my wildest dreams. This guy had the Beamer and the tall girlfriend.
This guy had no problem lying his ass off.
I can't prove it, but I KNEW he was fake. I knew all those Beamers were financed to the hilt. I KNEW none of these guys owned their own home or had a positive networth (in part because I knew this was the case with the groom). But just like their girlfriends, they didn't know the difference between debt or equity spending, they just had a Beamer, went to fancy clubs, so they were "rich."
But let me ask you a question - who is more likely to be promoted to CEO in today's corporate America?
The smooth talking DB who wears sunglasses in doors and is fun?
Or is anal retentive, boring economist counterpart that insists on looking at the figures?
And now you see why networking is destructive.
Putting such an emphasis on "people skills" and "networking" only takes the focus off of what really matters, the numbers and profits. Hiring "nice" and "charming" people merely masks and hides the cold, blunt truth of the company's finances and future. Everybody likes the "fun guy," nobody likes the "party pooper." And as long as the boat isn't being rocked, everybody is happy right up until the nano-second the Titanic sinks because nobody bothered to look below decks.
Of course, not all companies are infected with this disease. There are companies that do focus on profits, want to maximize them, and increase shareholder value. But none come to mind right now. However, a limitless number of companies I know are infected with this disease. Heck, entire industries. And they account for the vast majority of companies in the US.
Again, rip apart the public sector all you want. The private sector is just as hopelessly corrupt and impaired. Thankfully, just like a person on welfare or a trophy wife spending more money than he husband makes, when the Chinese stop loaning us money, those all-star "networkers" will go the way of the dinosaur.
"There, THERE! Look there! We have found why the US collapsed."
So allow me to explain "networking" and why I and any intellectually honest person loathes it.
"Networking" is not a skill or a trade. It doesn't produce anything of value and ultimately, it is destructive. It is, however, the perfect "skill" for a population too lazy to learn real skills but still wants to make it look like they're working. I'll even admit right now, people with good "networking skills" and the most "LinkedIn" connections do command higher salaries, but it is a temporary phenomenon. A "linkedIn" bubble if you will, because in the end networking is nothing more than kissing ass instead of kicking ass. Talking, instead of producing. Planning, but never executing.
Because of this networking has no real economic value. All the time people spend going to "after-work socials," "conventions," and "happy hours" to hobnob, establish contacts and "network" produces nothing. The salaries, wages, not to mention money spent on booze and food are all sunk costs, with no return. If anything, networking is nothing more than an excuse to spend the company's money on booze, food, travel and other personal expenditures with the secret understanding that it's "for business" *wink wink*. But it's precisely because that's what networking is, that makes it so palatable to its participants and lodges it securely in America's business culture.
While it is at minimum unproductive or has zero economic value, I will take it a step further and contend it's actually destructive. The reason why is that is it nulls the efficiency of the labor market. Not just in terms of employing people, but what people you do business with, who you promote, who gets contracts, etc. etc. These spoils of business do not go to the best or most qualified candidate, it goes to the best networker - i.e.- the best charlatan - who is usually not only not capable as others, but is usually dishonest. Allow me to provide you an example.
I went to a wedding this summer. The guy getting married was in sales. All of his co-workers were tall, good looking younger men (23-28). All of them drove BMW's, Mercedes, and had tall drop dead gorgeous girlfriends. I overheard that the groom would not hang out with people unless they made at least $70,000 per year.
It comes time for the best man to give a speech. He gets up, and this moron is wearing sunglasses indoors. He then proceeds to deliver the typical, DB, fratboy speech that had nothing intelligent, nothing clever and nothing witty in it. Just blathering on about the good ole times and drinking and lame attempt at humor (which I'll leave out to prevent from ID'ing this guy).
He was the type of guy Stewie from Family Guy would "just have to kill." You had a natural urge to beat the crap out of him.
But this guy could outsell me in a nano-second. This guy could network beyond my wildest dreams. This guy had the Beamer and the tall girlfriend.
This guy had no problem lying his ass off.
I can't prove it, but I KNEW he was fake. I knew all those Beamers were financed to the hilt. I KNEW none of these guys owned their own home or had a positive networth (in part because I knew this was the case with the groom). But just like their girlfriends, they didn't know the difference between debt or equity spending, they just had a Beamer, went to fancy clubs, so they were "rich."
But let me ask you a question - who is more likely to be promoted to CEO in today's corporate America?
The smooth talking DB who wears sunglasses in doors and is fun?
Or is anal retentive, boring economist counterpart that insists on looking at the figures?
And now you see why networking is destructive.
Putting such an emphasis on "people skills" and "networking" only takes the focus off of what really matters, the numbers and profits. Hiring "nice" and "charming" people merely masks and hides the cold, blunt truth of the company's finances and future. Everybody likes the "fun guy," nobody likes the "party pooper." And as long as the boat isn't being rocked, everybody is happy right up until the nano-second the Titanic sinks because nobody bothered to look below decks.
Of course, not all companies are infected with this disease. There are companies that do focus on profits, want to maximize them, and increase shareholder value. But none come to mind right now. However, a limitless number of companies I know are infected with this disease. Heck, entire industries. And they account for the vast majority of companies in the US.
Again, rip apart the public sector all you want. The private sector is just as hopelessly corrupt and impaired. Thankfully, just like a person on welfare or a trophy wife spending more money than he husband makes, when the Chinese stop loaning us money, those all-star "networkers" will go the way of the dinosaur.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Are Feminists Ever Happy?
No, seriously. I mean that question. And I demand a feminist answer it.
Are you ladies EVER happy? Is this your life? This is what you do? Nag and nit-pick the rest of society on trivial matters? Not to mention, matters that are none of your business?
I mean, you guys have got to be the most miserable people on the face of the planet. And you have the gal to mock and ridicule housewives or stay-at-home-moms who actually ARE happy? Women who love their husbands and do not view them as oppressors? Women who will happier than you could ever conceive, let alone be?
I'm say this not because I hope it's true, but because it is true and it should give the remaining 95% of the population that just plain doesn't like feminism or feminists some solace:
It must be hell, pure hell, living a life of a feminist today.
This isn't a sexist piece. This isn't a bigoted piece. This is an adult who's had enough and is putting his foot down and calling out childish behavior. Stop hiding cowardly behind "isms" to excuse your pathetic behavior and start preparing to be treated like, and held up to the standards of, adults. Which is what feminism wanted, right?
Are you ladies EVER happy? Is this your life? This is what you do? Nag and nit-pick the rest of society on trivial matters? Not to mention, matters that are none of your business?
I mean, you guys have got to be the most miserable people on the face of the planet. And you have the gal to mock and ridicule housewives or stay-at-home-moms who actually ARE happy? Women who love their husbands and do not view them as oppressors? Women who will happier than you could ever conceive, let alone be?
I'm say this not because I hope it's true, but because it is true and it should give the remaining 95% of the population that just plain doesn't like feminism or feminists some solace:
It must be hell, pure hell, living a life of a feminist today.
This isn't a sexist piece. This isn't a bigoted piece. This is an adult who's had enough and is putting his foot down and calling out childish behavior. Stop hiding cowardly behind "isms" to excuse your pathetic behavior and start preparing to be treated like, and held up to the standards of, adults. Which is what feminism wanted, right?
Two For You
1 - Guns don't deter crime!
2. The Captain will also be on internet radio later this evening. Canto Talk with Silvio Canto. It is 7PM Pacific, 8PM Mountain, 7PM Central. I will however be calling from Nowhere, SD as I will be traveling today.
Tune in!
2. The Captain will also be on internet radio later this evening. Canto Talk with Silvio Canto. It is 7PM Pacific, 8PM Mountain, 7PM Central. I will however be calling from Nowhere, SD as I will be traveling today.
Tune in!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Why Gen Y and Gen X Should Not Save for Retirement
Much as I dislike the OWS movement, hipsters and lefter-leaning youth who voted for Barack Obama, I do feel pity for them. They were brainwashed after all (despite their claims they're so "intelligent" and "independent minded") with 13 years of indoctrination in the public schools, 18 years of left-leaning television and media, absentee parenting, government programs every step of the way, and so how do you think they were going to vote? Additionally they're being dumped into the lousiest labor market in (truly) 50 years. Of course, because of their brainwashing and mis-education about economics, they're clueless as to why they can't find jobs, and what's even more sad is it's actually by their own hand voting in socialist policies. So I do have an element of pity for them. Thusly, unlike my typical "tirade, yell, ridicule and mock" type approach I have to politics, with younger folk I've opted to engage them instead of ridicule them
This is evidenced by my book Worthless. Yes, I wrote it for money, but I also wrote it to explain to recent college graduates why they can't find employment and to prevent college-bound youth from making the same mistake. I also have my seminar on youtube titled "Why Gen Y is Completely, Hopelessly and Totally Screwed." Again, I was on book tour, but the reason I spent the time putting that together is to provide an explanation to youth as to what was going on and what kind of economic environment they are in. To help them understand "why" things were happening instead of letting them suffer, cluelessly having no idea what was going on and what to do.
The good news is that I've found youth to be more receptive than say, an estasblished burnt out 65 year old hippie who's been set in their political ways since '68 and think "going green" is the latest indulgence to save their economic souls. The reasons are multiple. First, (frankly) I'm much better of a speaker than the average college professor and public school teacher. I speak directly, bluntly, clearly and simply. I don't talk over their heads and in my profession (unlike most liberal arts) my job is not to lie, pervert or distort the truth. When I put together a book or a speech, it is based in reality, not a political agenda. Second, in an ironic sense, the economy these youth voted in is making my job easier. They did EVERYTHING they were told. "Go to college." "Follow your heart and the money will follow." "It doesn't matter what you major in, it's to get your foot in the door." AND they voted how they were told. "Hope and change." "Diversity." "Spread the wealth." "Fair share." "Bush's fault." "Wage gap." Blah blah blah. And what they have to show for it is unemployment, crushing student debts and a quickly disappearing future. In short, their entire reality is crumbling before their eyes and rapidly so. One week you're a senior about to graduate with your BA in BS, the next week you're moving back home because you can't find a job and student loans are coming due. They naturally are looking for an explanation why things aren't turning out the way their teachers and professors told them it would, and I give it to them.
And so, since I've found Gen Y, "Millineals" and even some Gen X'ers to be more receptive, allow me to provide another bit of advice in the hopes you will continue listening and thusly improve your life;
Don't save for retirement.
Of course, this is funny, because most of you guys (meaning Gen Y/X, Millineals, etc.) don't HAVE any money to invest anyway! The economy has been so wonderfully managed previously that you have a bankrupt government, pending inflation stored up in the banking system, debt levels you simply cannot pay (be it personal debts or your share of the government debts), public employee pensions you can't pay, and health care/social security promises to other people you can't pay, all resulting in a lousy economy with no investment and an unemployment rate around 16% for you youth (around 50% underemployment in my estimation as well). You don't have the disposable income to save for your retirement.
But let's play "hope and change" and IMAGINE you did have the money to invest in an IRA or a 401k. Just imagine.
First realize what you're going to be investing that "hopey changey" money in - retirement programs. Retirement programs that were established by the government to give you various tax incentives to save for retirement, things like 401k's, IRA's, 403b's, etc. The actual 'assets' you buy in these programs are stocks, bonds and mutual funds (mutual funds themselves being nothing more than conglomerations of stocks and bonds).
Now the first retirement program was started in 1978. You were around then? I was 3 at the time. But certainly none of us were working and had the ability to start saving for retirement then. So what happened over past 34 years?
Well, millions of people who WERE working over those past 34 years invested TRILLIONS of dollars into these various stocks, bonds and mutual funds. IF (and that's a big IF because I know the quality and caliber of college economics courses) you remember Econ 101 correctly, when a market is flooded with TRILLIONS of dollars that means demand has gone WAY UP. And when demand goes WAY UP, so too does the price.
We see this when new shoes hit a store or perhaps you remember the PS2 being bid up to insane prices.
Well that's the same thing happening in the stock market today. Even if you had the "hopey changey" money to invest, you would be investing in an overpriced market (here is a lengthier and statistically backed post you can read if you want the numbers). Worse still is you will have the baby boomer pulling their money out of the market which (again, IF you were listening in Econ 101) will have a negative effect on prices. In short, generational factors are making the market a bad deal for younger investors.
Second, let's talk about that lack of money. If you were like me when I was younger, you have some kind of guilt or shame that you aren't investing in a 401k or saving something for retirement. Stop worrying and stop feeling guilty. If you don't have the money, you just plain don't have the money. I starved myself to save up a whopping $2,000 in my IRA back when I was (about) 23. That's not enough to retire on. Besides, there are more important things you should be spending your money on that would help you more financially. Paying off student debts or any debts is a good thing. Getting a REAL trade or a skill at a tech college isn't bad either if you've majored in Fluffy Bunnies and Chocolates. And heck, you might as well take what little money you have and enjoy life. Life is not meant to be slaving away working all the time, investing your disposable income into bubbly stock markets.
Third, let's talk about confiscation. Your professors never called it that. They called it "social justice," "nationalization," or "the rich paying their fair share." In reality it's nothing more than theft. It is one person or a group of people stealing the money and time of others. But as it pertains specifically to your theoretical retirement program, there is a chance that after you slave away, save your pennies and dimes, invest religiously in your 401k or IRA, the government will simply at one point in time decide to take it. And not only is there a chance, I fear given the ENORMOUS debts of the federal government, it's almost a guarantee they'll confiscate or at least rescind the preferential tax treatment of those retirement plans.
Oh, I know, I know. I'm just this "radical crazy, right wing blogger" stirring up the rhetoric and hate-speech pot. But realize it has happened already before. In Argentina and in Bolivia. And if you don't think it can happen here, well, again, I'm just a right wing kook.
Fourth, let us talk about death. You are going to die. I know your professors may have told you differently, but then again, I'm sure their arguments against mortality were just as convincing as their arguments for socialism, but I'm so sorry to have to say this, you are going to die. However, unless you get in an accident, it isn't going to be POOF, you're dead. There will probably be a deterioration in your health. And that deteriorating period will not be a pleasant time. It will also be a VERY expensive time for you. The vast majority of your medical expenses in your life will be incurred in the last 6 months of your life. The price tag will of course vary, but it can easily be $200,000 or more.
So let me ask you this. You slave away today in your health and youth. And by "slave away" I mean sacrifice your time to build up the money to pay for your last 6 months of life that is going to really suck. And because those last 6 months of your life are going to be so expensive, you have to sacrifice much more time TODAY to work up the money to pay for those last 6 months. To save up $200,000, heck, that's going to take at LEAST 5 years.
So, if I understand this correctly, you're going to sacrifice 5 years of your HEALTHY YOUTH to live another 6 painful, rotten, bed-ridden months.
I got a better plan. I call it the "Smith and Wesson Retirement Plan." It costs only 33 cents. (Ah ah ah. Think it through before knee-jerking a reaction).
Now, as is usually the case when I talk about the financial, economic and mortality aspects of life, people get all upset. I see this when I teach my classes and I tell people, bluntly, not to major in the liberal arts. They take it personally, when in reality I am trying to explain to them the REALITY of the labor market and GENUINELY help them. When I have the 58 year old divorcee who never thought about saving for retirement come up to me and say, "Well, I finally paid off my childrens' student loans, and I'd like to start saving for retirement. I'd like to retire at 62. I have $4,000 and some cats as assets." I tell him/her they're going to have to work till they're 75 and will not be able to retire at 62. It's the truth, but again, they get very upset. And it is here I want you to (for your own good) to be able to set aside your emotions and your feelings and approach this in a logical, reality-based, mathematical manner.
This is reality.
The markets are overvalued because of previous generations' trillions of dollars flooding the retirement plans.
The government has debt equal to 100% GDP and it's only going to grow because of all the government goodies we've promised us and everybody else on the planet into the future. This not only means impaired economic growth, but a very increased chance the government will simply confiscate your retirement plans.
It is infinitely cheaper to knock yourself out when you find out your terminally ill, not to mention you'll leave a lot more to your family, or at least not be a fiscal burden on the tax payer.
Dark, macabre, yes, but truthful.
There is however, some good news - freedom.
Understand to save for retirement is a huge fiscal burden, and like end-of-life medical care, it requires you sacrifice a lot today for relatively little tomorrow. Additionally, in today's debt-ridden, socialist-leaning economic and political environment, saving for retirement is proving more and more risky. Not that the stock prices won't go up, but that your hard-earned money will simply be confiscated.
So what is the logical thing to do?
Enjoy life now. Spend your money on you now.
As I mentioned before, some of you, like me, felt guilty if you didn't start saving for retirement at 22. You even spent money you couldn't afford on an IRA or 401k because it was "what you were supposed to do" (just like going to college or "following your heart" and other advice you've received). You didn't go out, you stayed in, you didn't enjoy life.
But that is not what life is about. If you don't go and have fun every once in a while, then why be alive in the first place? Working to simply to finance your last miserable 6 months on this planet or to pay for other people's stuff is not "life." That's slavery. And you're already going to be paying enough in taxes to pay for other people's mistakes or laziness to the point you're effectively a slave 40% of your working hours anyway. So why risk slaving away more? You're here on this planet this one short period in time. Do yourself a favor. Forget the retirement plan. And MORE IMPORTANTLY, let go of the guilt. Go live life.
Because I guarantee you now, if you slaved away only to have it all confiscated as you lie on your government financed death bed, you'll have more regret and guilt then than if you had actually lived life.
This is evidenced by my book Worthless. Yes, I wrote it for money, but I also wrote it to explain to recent college graduates why they can't find employment and to prevent college-bound youth from making the same mistake. I also have my seminar on youtube titled "Why Gen Y is Completely, Hopelessly and Totally Screwed." Again, I was on book tour, but the reason I spent the time putting that together is to provide an explanation to youth as to what was going on and what kind of economic environment they are in. To help them understand "why" things were happening instead of letting them suffer, cluelessly having no idea what was going on and what to do.
The good news is that I've found youth to be more receptive than say, an estasblished burnt out 65 year old hippie who's been set in their political ways since '68 and think "going green" is the latest indulgence to save their economic souls. The reasons are multiple. First, (frankly) I'm much better of a speaker than the average college professor and public school teacher. I speak directly, bluntly, clearly and simply. I don't talk over their heads and in my profession (unlike most liberal arts) my job is not to lie, pervert or distort the truth. When I put together a book or a speech, it is based in reality, not a political agenda. Second, in an ironic sense, the economy these youth voted in is making my job easier. They did EVERYTHING they were told. "Go to college." "Follow your heart and the money will follow." "It doesn't matter what you major in, it's to get your foot in the door." AND they voted how they were told. "Hope and change." "Diversity." "Spread the wealth." "Fair share." "Bush's fault." "Wage gap." Blah blah blah. And what they have to show for it is unemployment, crushing student debts and a quickly disappearing future. In short, their entire reality is crumbling before their eyes and rapidly so. One week you're a senior about to graduate with your BA in BS, the next week you're moving back home because you can't find a job and student loans are coming due. They naturally are looking for an explanation why things aren't turning out the way their teachers and professors told them it would, and I give it to them.
And so, since I've found Gen Y, "Millineals" and even some Gen X'ers to be more receptive, allow me to provide another bit of advice in the hopes you will continue listening and thusly improve your life;
Don't save for retirement.
Of course, this is funny, because most of you guys (meaning Gen Y/X, Millineals, etc.) don't HAVE any money to invest anyway! The economy has been so wonderfully managed previously that you have a bankrupt government, pending inflation stored up in the banking system, debt levels you simply cannot pay (be it personal debts or your share of the government debts), public employee pensions you can't pay, and health care/social security promises to other people you can't pay, all resulting in a lousy economy with no investment and an unemployment rate around 16% for you youth (around 50% underemployment in my estimation as well). You don't have the disposable income to save for your retirement.
But let's play "hope and change" and IMAGINE you did have the money to invest in an IRA or a 401k. Just imagine.
First realize what you're going to be investing that "hopey changey" money in - retirement programs. Retirement programs that were established by the government to give you various tax incentives to save for retirement, things like 401k's, IRA's, 403b's, etc. The actual 'assets' you buy in these programs are stocks, bonds and mutual funds (mutual funds themselves being nothing more than conglomerations of stocks and bonds).
Now the first retirement program was started in 1978. You were around then? I was 3 at the time. But certainly none of us were working and had the ability to start saving for retirement then. So what happened over past 34 years?
Well, millions of people who WERE working over those past 34 years invested TRILLIONS of dollars into these various stocks, bonds and mutual funds. IF (and that's a big IF because I know the quality and caliber of college economics courses) you remember Econ 101 correctly, when a market is flooded with TRILLIONS of dollars that means demand has gone WAY UP. And when demand goes WAY UP, so too does the price.
We see this when new shoes hit a store or perhaps you remember the PS2 being bid up to insane prices.
Well that's the same thing happening in the stock market today. Even if you had the "hopey changey" money to invest, you would be investing in an overpriced market (here is a lengthier and statistically backed post you can read if you want the numbers). Worse still is you will have the baby boomer pulling their money out of the market which (again, IF you were listening in Econ 101) will have a negative effect on prices. In short, generational factors are making the market a bad deal for younger investors.
Second, let's talk about that lack of money. If you were like me when I was younger, you have some kind of guilt or shame that you aren't investing in a 401k or saving something for retirement. Stop worrying and stop feeling guilty. If you don't have the money, you just plain don't have the money. I starved myself to save up a whopping $2,000 in my IRA back when I was (about) 23. That's not enough to retire on. Besides, there are more important things you should be spending your money on that would help you more financially. Paying off student debts or any debts is a good thing. Getting a REAL trade or a skill at a tech college isn't bad either if you've majored in Fluffy Bunnies and Chocolates. And heck, you might as well take what little money you have and enjoy life. Life is not meant to be slaving away working all the time, investing your disposable income into bubbly stock markets.
Third, let's talk about confiscation. Your professors never called it that. They called it "social justice," "nationalization," or "the rich paying their fair share." In reality it's nothing more than theft. It is one person or a group of people stealing the money and time of others. But as it pertains specifically to your theoretical retirement program, there is a chance that after you slave away, save your pennies and dimes, invest religiously in your 401k or IRA, the government will simply at one point in time decide to take it. And not only is there a chance, I fear given the ENORMOUS debts of the federal government, it's almost a guarantee they'll confiscate or at least rescind the preferential tax treatment of those retirement plans.
Oh, I know, I know. I'm just this "radical crazy, right wing blogger" stirring up the rhetoric and hate-speech pot. But realize it has happened already before. In Argentina and in Bolivia. And if you don't think it can happen here, well, again, I'm just a right wing kook.
Fourth, let us talk about death. You are going to die. I know your professors may have told you differently, but then again, I'm sure their arguments against mortality were just as convincing as their arguments for socialism, but I'm so sorry to have to say this, you are going to die. However, unless you get in an accident, it isn't going to be POOF, you're dead. There will probably be a deterioration in your health. And that deteriorating period will not be a pleasant time. It will also be a VERY expensive time for you. The vast majority of your medical expenses in your life will be incurred in the last 6 months of your life. The price tag will of course vary, but it can easily be $200,000 or more.
So let me ask you this. You slave away today in your health and youth. And by "slave away" I mean sacrifice your time to build up the money to pay for your last 6 months of life that is going to really suck. And because those last 6 months of your life are going to be so expensive, you have to sacrifice much more time TODAY to work up the money to pay for those last 6 months. To save up $200,000, heck, that's going to take at LEAST 5 years.
So, if I understand this correctly, you're going to sacrifice 5 years of your HEALTHY YOUTH to live another 6 painful, rotten, bed-ridden months.
I got a better plan. I call it the "Smith and Wesson Retirement Plan." It costs only 33 cents. (Ah ah ah. Think it through before knee-jerking a reaction).
Now, as is usually the case when I talk about the financial, economic and mortality aspects of life, people get all upset. I see this when I teach my classes and I tell people, bluntly, not to major in the liberal arts. They take it personally, when in reality I am trying to explain to them the REALITY of the labor market and GENUINELY help them. When I have the 58 year old divorcee who never thought about saving for retirement come up to me and say, "Well, I finally paid off my childrens' student loans, and I'd like to start saving for retirement. I'd like to retire at 62. I have $4,000 and some cats as assets." I tell him/her they're going to have to work till they're 75 and will not be able to retire at 62. It's the truth, but again, they get very upset. And it is here I want you to (for your own good) to be able to set aside your emotions and your feelings and approach this in a logical, reality-based, mathematical manner.
This is reality.
The markets are overvalued because of previous generations' trillions of dollars flooding the retirement plans.
The government has debt equal to 100% GDP and it's only going to grow because of all the government goodies we've promised us and everybody else on the planet into the future. This not only means impaired economic growth, but a very increased chance the government will simply confiscate your retirement plans.
It is infinitely cheaper to knock yourself out when you find out your terminally ill, not to mention you'll leave a lot more to your family, or at least not be a fiscal burden on the tax payer.
Dark, macabre, yes, but truthful.
There is however, some good news - freedom.
Understand to save for retirement is a huge fiscal burden, and like end-of-life medical care, it requires you sacrifice a lot today for relatively little tomorrow. Additionally, in today's debt-ridden, socialist-leaning economic and political environment, saving for retirement is proving more and more risky. Not that the stock prices won't go up, but that your hard-earned money will simply be confiscated.
So what is the logical thing to do?
Enjoy life now. Spend your money on you now.
As I mentioned before, some of you, like me, felt guilty if you didn't start saving for retirement at 22. You even spent money you couldn't afford on an IRA or 401k because it was "what you were supposed to do" (just like going to college or "following your heart" and other advice you've received). You didn't go out, you stayed in, you didn't enjoy life.
But that is not what life is about. If you don't go and have fun every once in a while, then why be alive in the first place? Working to simply to finance your last miserable 6 months on this planet or to pay for other people's stuff is not "life." That's slavery. And you're already going to be paying enough in taxes to pay for other people's mistakes or laziness to the point you're effectively a slave 40% of your working hours anyway. So why risk slaving away more? You're here on this planet this one short period in time. Do yourself a favor. Forget the retirement plan. And MORE IMPORTANTLY, let go of the guilt. Go live life.
Because I guarantee you now, if you slaved away only to have it all confiscated as you lie on your government financed death bed, you'll have more regret and guilt then than if you had actually lived life.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Why The Captain is Anti-Men's Rights and Anti-White Rights
On my statcounter I noticed some traffic coming from a Reddit subgroup called "White Rights." I believe it referenced a post of mine mocking the concept of diversity wherein German is having a raccoon infestation problem. They want to get rid of the raccoons because it threatened eco-diversity. I asked the question, "well, wait, isn't the addition of raccoons by definition an increase in eco-diversity and therefore good?" And then plied this failed logic to diversity in humans with merriment and humor.
However, what concerned me was that there's a group for "white rights." I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something bothering me about it. This wasn't a "white supremacy" group, just a group advocating whites getting equal treatment (I surmise) so it wasn't racism that was bothering me. But it was akin to establishing a "Male studies" department. Matter of fact it was the exact same feeling of disagreement I had when I heard there were people kicking around starting a male studies department.
So I sat and tried to figure it out and found out why this was bothering me so.
It is a lack of character, integrity and honesty that is driving such groups. It is hypocrisy.
What angers me so much about "group based" politics is it jettisons the individual's responsibility for their own actions and conveniently excuses or forgives their failures based on their (you name it)
sex
religion
race
creed
sexual orientation
etc. etc.
AND at the same time blames other people for their failures through
sexism
bigotry
racism
ignorance
hate
It is cowardice. It's childishness. It's refusing to be a responsible adult. It's hypocrisy.
Now I am male and I am white. And I can more than understand how people in that category get righteously angry when people accuse you through implication of being racist, sexist, a bigot, etc. etc. And I can also understand where there might be a drive or a desire to "create our own group." But that is nothing more than becoming the exact same cowards, charlatans and hypocrites who hide behind their sex, race, religion, creed, etc. that we despise. And understand we despise them NOT because of their race, creed, color, religion, sex, but because they use those traits as excuses for their failures AND, by default, blame those failures on our communal oppression (which is where you get such nonsense from hyphenated-studies programs where only "whites" can be racist).
So why would we want to become what we hate?
I propose something instead.
We advocate the elimination of group-based politics and victimization classes. We champion treating everybody equally. Nobody gets special rights, because nobody is special. We are all equally crappy, slothful, lazy, debt-ridden, work-eschewing, math-impaired American losers who want the Chinese to lend us more money to buy Apple products we can't afford. Nobody is unique, nobody is special and you should be shamed if you judge somebody (for worse OR BETTER) because of their race, creed, sex, etc. etc.
Because not only is this what Martin Luther King was aiming for, it's the only way it's going to work. You can go ahead an have different groups with different rights and once those lines are draw you've now created "teams" and because of lesser minds they will battle against one another, be it socially, economically, politically or even in the streets. Or, you can eliminate differential (preferential or negative) treatment of all groups and treat everybody equally.
In short, don't play into the hands of socialists, liberals, feminists and communists. Don't become like them. There is no reason for a "male studies" department just as there is no need for "white rights." It is the unfair privileges we grant to everybody else that needs to be eliminated.
However, what concerned me was that there's a group for "white rights." I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something bothering me about it. This wasn't a "white supremacy" group, just a group advocating whites getting equal treatment (I surmise) so it wasn't racism that was bothering me. But it was akin to establishing a "Male studies" department. Matter of fact it was the exact same feeling of disagreement I had when I heard there were people kicking around starting a male studies department.
So I sat and tried to figure it out and found out why this was bothering me so.
It is a lack of character, integrity and honesty that is driving such groups. It is hypocrisy.
What angers me so much about "group based" politics is it jettisons the individual's responsibility for their own actions and conveniently excuses or forgives their failures based on their (you name it)
sex
religion
race
creed
sexual orientation
etc. etc.
AND at the same time blames other people for their failures through
sexism
bigotry
racism
ignorance
hate
It is cowardice. It's childishness. It's refusing to be a responsible adult. It's hypocrisy.
Now I am male and I am white. And I can more than understand how people in that category get righteously angry when people accuse you through implication of being racist, sexist, a bigot, etc. etc. And I can also understand where there might be a drive or a desire to "create our own group." But that is nothing more than becoming the exact same cowards, charlatans and hypocrites who hide behind their sex, race, religion, creed, etc. that we despise. And understand we despise them NOT because of their race, creed, color, religion, sex, but because they use those traits as excuses for their failures AND, by default, blame those failures on our communal oppression (which is where you get such nonsense from hyphenated-studies programs where only "whites" can be racist).
So why would we want to become what we hate?
I propose something instead.
We advocate the elimination of group-based politics and victimization classes. We champion treating everybody equally. Nobody gets special rights, because nobody is special. We are all equally crappy, slothful, lazy, debt-ridden, work-eschewing, math-impaired American losers who want the Chinese to lend us more money to buy Apple products we can't afford. Nobody is unique, nobody is special and you should be shamed if you judge somebody (for worse OR BETTER) because of their race, creed, sex, etc. etc.
Because not only is this what Martin Luther King was aiming for, it's the only way it's going to work. You can go ahead an have different groups with different rights and once those lines are draw you've now created "teams" and because of lesser minds they will battle against one another, be it socially, economically, politically or even in the streets. Or, you can eliminate differential (preferential or negative) treatment of all groups and treat everybody equally.
In short, don't play into the hands of socialists, liberals, feminists and communists. Don't become like them. There is no reason for a "male studies" department just as there is no need for "white rights." It is the unfair privileges we grant to everybody else that needs to be eliminated.
Don't Beat Yourself Up Over It
You are only "wrong" about predicting prices until they inevitably move to the price you predicted. Besides, markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.
While I Play Catch Up
Two posts from our agents in the field while I play catch up being gone for the past week. I want to thank all of you who sent me posts to fill the gap in my absence. Hopefully the traffic was adequate pay enough.
1
and
2
I strongly recommend #2, not because of the reference, but I learned a lot about types of debate in the Roman days and philosophy I didn't know. Additionally he really pulls things together and connects some dots that are very far apart. Not really in agreement about the gay marriage thing, but he hits it out of the park critiquing the concept of "men's rights."
1
and
2
I strongly recommend #2, not because of the reference, but I learned a lot about types of debate in the Roman days and philosophy I didn't know. Additionally he really pulls things together and connects some dots that are very far apart. Not really in agreement about the gay marriage thing, but he hits it out of the park critiquing the concept of "men's rights."
Final Pics from the Ride
Some final pics. Going to upload a video one of these days.
Yes, this is taken sideways, tilt your head.
This is the quonset hut of my artist buddy Khanh. Yes, he does live in the quonset hut. No, there is no air conditioning. Yes, there are scorpions there. Yes I did see a black widow. No, I don't know how my buddy Khanh is still alive.
This is just south of Kaycee, WY. The mountains in the distance are the Big Horn Mountains.
And back to the town where we left.
Yes, this is taken sideways, tilt your head.
This is the quonset hut of my artist buddy Khanh. Yes, he does live in the quonset hut. No, there is no air conditioning. Yes, there are scorpions there. Yes I did see a black widow. No, I don't know how my buddy Khanh is still alive.
This is just south of Kaycee, WY. The mountains in the distance are the Big Horn Mountains.
Monday, August 20, 2012
My Observation About Telephone Poles
Let me tell you about telephone poles.
Oh, I know, I know. I can see it now. All you schmoes are now saying,
"Oh no, how much sun did the Captain get that he's starting to philosophize about telephone poles"
but I'm about to prove you doubting Thomases wrong.
First take a look at these couple of pictures and see if you can see where the telephone poles are ( you may have to magnify them).
Now keep in mind these are just two photos. In my travels through the west I notice that telephone poles are put and placed in a very direct manner. Whoever put them in didn't care what terrain had to be traversed. The lines ran the way the bird flies - in the most direct manner.
This means the telephone poles were placed and installed on the highest mountains, the deepest valleys, across the driest lands which leads me to opine...
HOW COOL OF A JOB WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE 30's-50's TO BE THE GUYS INSTALLING THOSE TELEPHONE POLES?!?!
I mean, you would get to hike and climb the most awesome and breath-taking terrain and GET PAID FOR IT. Oh sure, I'm sure it was very physically demanding, but if you look at telephone lines and where they go, you have to get a little jealous of the employees of the telephone company that were paid to put those in.
Sturgis/Black Hills riders can appreciate this, as I first noticed this when entering the Spearfish Canyon. NOt only do telephone wires go across the canyon, a swathe of trees were cut out right up the side of the mountain to make way for more telephone poles. Well who got the joy of climbing Spearfish Peak to do that!?
Now that I'm not working maybe I should look into employment at some of the western telephone companies to do repair work.
This concludes my Super Awesome Philosophical Observation (TM) of telephone poles.
Oh, I know, I know. I can see it now. All you schmoes are now saying,
"Oh no, how much sun did the Captain get that he's starting to philosophize about telephone poles"
but I'm about to prove you doubting Thomases wrong.
First take a look at these couple of pictures and see if you can see where the telephone poles are ( you may have to magnify them).
Now keep in mind these are just two photos. In my travels through the west I notice that telephone poles are put and placed in a very direct manner. Whoever put them in didn't care what terrain had to be traversed. The lines ran the way the bird flies - in the most direct manner.
This means the telephone poles were placed and installed on the highest mountains, the deepest valleys, across the driest lands which leads me to opine...
HOW COOL OF A JOB WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE 30's-50's TO BE THE GUYS INSTALLING THOSE TELEPHONE POLES?!?!
I mean, you would get to hike and climb the most awesome and breath-taking terrain and GET PAID FOR IT. Oh sure, I'm sure it was very physically demanding, but if you look at telephone lines and where they go, you have to get a little jealous of the employees of the telephone company that were paid to put those in.
Sturgis/Black Hills riders can appreciate this, as I first noticed this when entering the Spearfish Canyon. NOt only do telephone wires go across the canyon, a swathe of trees were cut out right up the side of the mountain to make way for more telephone poles. Well who got the joy of climbing Spearfish Peak to do that!?
Now that I'm not working maybe I should look into employment at some of the western telephone companies to do repair work.
This concludes my Super Awesome Philosophical Observation (TM) of telephone poles.
More Pics of the Captain's Great Adventure
So I left Buffalo and headed south to Phoenix taking a route that went along the west side of the Rockies. On my return trip I went along the east side of the Rockies. Just pulled into Denver and am smoking at Cigars on Sixth (and yes Mom, I'm having another cigar for breakfast).
Enjoy the pictures!
Enjoy the pictures!
Why Clifford Orwin Needs a COSTFU
You're right Clifford. There is no online substitute for a university, in person class. Where else can young, impoverished colleges students blow thousands of dollars to pay a washed up professor with no real world experience, nor desire to obtain any, blather on about their little realm of irrelevant academia that does nothing to better the outside world? You're right, online classes can come nowhere near screwing over endebted college students like that.
My how the horse and buggy manufacturers are desperately fighting against Henry Ford.
The reader who sent this to me asked me to guess his degree. I didn't bother. I'm betting not electrical engineering
Oh, and buy Worthless. You can click on any of the links to the right or left.
My how the horse and buggy manufacturers are desperately fighting against Henry Ford.
The reader who sent this to me asked me to guess his degree. I didn't bother. I'm betting not electrical engineering
Oh, and buy Worthless. You can click on any of the links to the right or left.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Why You Philosophically Must Ride Fast and Take Chances
This is a long, but very important one. So first pour yourself a drink.
Second READ THIS because it will provide the context to what I'm about to write.
Did you read it?
DID YOU?
Ok, let's begin:
By most conventional standards and measures I am a failure.
I don't make a lot of money, just enough to get by.
Despite a spectacular track record of predicting economies and assessing risk, I have spectacularly failed in a financial/economic career.
As much success as I've had with the ladies, I've had Tsar Bomba levels of failures.
And understand, this is all while facing an economic environment that is not only very poor, very hostile to capitalist American males, it's likely to be unviable and get much worse.
But how am I so happy?
Very simple lieutenants, agents in the field, and junior, deputy, aspiring, official and otherwise economists.
Context. Plain and simple context.
You see, I took more risks and have suffered more highs and lows, successes and failures by the age of 25 than most men will by the time they die. It was and still is exhausting. It is akin to hiking out mountainous terrain instead of merely driving on the road that bypasses the mountains to reach the same destination.
But, when me and my driving counterpart reach the same destination, I have context.
I know the lay of the land better, I've got plenty more vantage points and victories by summiting all the mountain peaks, and just as I know failure when I was in the deepest valleys. I know what's in those mountains while my counterpart who merely drove around them is still wondering.
And over time knowledge will serve you better than wondering as you age.
A small example is 401ks or retirement plans.
It's a fool's game.
Oh, I know that, and you know that. But how did we get to this epiphany? We had to journey through a trek of economics, research, philosophy and data crunching. We also had to dare to have independent thought.
But try explaining that to somebody who didn't hike through the mountains and took the easy route their HR department told them to with their 401k investment options. To them you're a "kook" a "whack." Just some sensationalist trying to stir up drama. Heck, try being in financial advising and telling people, "um, hey, better have a plan B incase the government nationalizes your 403b."
Another example is moving around and job hopping. I am a job hopper. Why?
Am I disloyal?
Am I a bad employee?
No, I just can't tolerate politics, lying, indecision, inefficiency, bureaucracy and mediocrity (which, actually in today's America makes me a very bad employee, so um, yes, I am a bad employee).
Is there a consequence? Certainly - lack of steady income and the stigma associated with job hoppers. But that reputation or stance is the official one that comes from taking the road. Let me throw a different spin on it or a different perspective from the mountains.
Loyal employees are suckers.
How many people do you know that slave away, loyally and then get laid off because of ineptitude on the part of management or the economy tanks? Additionally, how fun is it being the yes man and suffering day in and day out reconciling what you know to be wrong with what you're told to do. Also, how much suffering and abuse must you sustain because you bought a house you couldn't afford, married a profligate spending spouse and bred children you can barely support? And good thing you're moving up in income tax brackets to pay those progressively higher taxes! Right, the loyal corporate stooge is the way to go.
But what's funny is this observation can only be made from a mountain top as you watch the lemmings slave away with no self-respect, just barely scraping by. They don't see it. They think there's going to be that gold watch at the end of that road. They think their company is going to be around forever. They don't see the road construction around the bend and the bridge out another 3 miles further that you do perched atop your peak.
But arguably the most important thing I've learned or gleaned from taking the trail-never-travelled is what's really important - other people. And here is where I have to make a confession.
I told all of you I was in South Dakota working in collections. That was not true. I was working at yet another wonderful community bank in Wyoming. I was already on my way to get a 2 year degree in computer networking, but then out of the blue a recruiter called me and wanted to know if I was interested in working a job in Wyoming.
No state income taxes.
It would put me closer to the west and I would finally be able to explore all the national parks to my my heart's content.
I would recapitalize my bank accounts, pay down the mortgage more, purchase some fixed assets.
The pay was decent.
So off I went knowing full well this was going to be another crappy community bank with the same crappy prospects. But you'll all be proud of me.
I shut up.
Did what i was told.
Made no waves.
Made no decisions.
I made the job work for me.
I was excited about moving out west and living my childhood dreams. But, again, this was taking a chance. Doing something different. It was climbing another mountain and not taking the road. There were going to be lessons.
While I was able to hike more miles and discover more fossils in one single year than I did the past 7 I paid an egregious price. Not in terms of work (I already climbed previous mountains to know what was in store with another podunk bank), but in terms of society and socializing.
Wyoming is hands down the dumbest state in the world.
Are there smart people?
Yes, certainly.
Are there interesting people?
Yes, certainly.
But those people are married right quick, have children and do not socialize and if the do, it is usually before 10PM.
Additionally, another interesting aspect of living in Wyoming is that you take the mountains and parks for granted. Ironically NOBODY hikes or does any kind of physical activity in Wyoming. There was no limit to the number of people who had LIVED ONLY 2 HOURS AWAY FROM THE BLACK HILLS BUT NEVER WENT THERE. 4 HOURS AWAY FROM BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK AND NEVER BEEN THERE. They were so convenient, nobody thought to avail themselves of the opportunity.
The result?
The majority of single or socially active people are fat, drunk, uneducated, unintelligent and uninteresting. The only social activity they engage in is drinking and breeding illegitimate children. For once I agree with the coast liberals.
Unaware of this sociological trait of the state, what ended up happening was an interesting transformation. During the first few months I excited and happy, I tore up after mountains, rode my motorcycle wherever I could, shot guns, hunted fossils. BUt at night I'd come home and there were no friends to go cocktailing with. There were some places that had dancing, but the men are incredibly possessive of not just their wives or girlfriends, but their ex's. Plutonic activities involving the opposite sex (ballroom dancing, motorcycle riding, etc.) were impossible. There was nobody to go dancing with. I tried to finding hikers and hiking clubs, but there was nobody to go hiking with. And in the end you could be in a town of 50,000 people, but all alone. Not because you are unsociable, but because it would be more enjoyable to be by yourself getting your intellectual fix over internet discussion boards with genuinely intelligent people than hanging with the locals at the local dive bar listening to how they can't make their payments on their used pick up truck because they knocked up another girl.
Soon I started drinking. Even more than I normally do. And with winter set in, there was really nothing else to do. Oh I joined a gym and jiujitsu, ran and worked out twice a day, I got right ripped, heck, I wrote "Worthless" in two weeks. But that still isn't enough time to kill the entire day. The booze would inevitably flow at the end of the night because my friends out east in a later time zone had fallen asleep. It was the only thing to stimulate my brain and also knock me out to dreamland. This was the valley that taught me my lesson. BUt this was the valley that provided me the most important context of my life - that the number one thing, the most important thing you have in your life is other people. They mean more to me that my hatred for Minnesota liberalism and socialism.
I had already decided there was no way my friends or my girlfriend would move out to Wyoming. I wouldn't do that to them. And it was very apparent I wouldn't befriend anybody in this state to make it worth staying. So I crunched some numbers and realized if I made it another 3 months I'd be able to keep my signing bonus and build up enough cash to last about 2 years. It's not a lot of cash, but with super low living expenses and no children, you'd be amazed how long you can last in the field on little money.
Four days ago, at 8:01 AM on my one year anniversary, I gave my boss my two weeks notice. The hike was over, I reached my destination and with the KNOWLEDGE that people are the most important thing in your life. My road-driving counterparts finished their drive, but without that important lesson which is why I'm happier, though a "failure."
The story gets better, as icing to the cake was the bank was worried about me hacking the system or firebombing the place (I thought I was being professional giving a 2 weeks notice, and such a fear would be unfounded). But then again, with the hypersensitive nature of modern day American employers, a man's word is not worth the risk. They said they would pay me 2 weeks anyway and I could just wrap it up (I wasn't doing any work anyway).
And so to celebrate the end of this journey, I decided to do a victory lap. The great western motorcycle ride I'm on right now. While I'm out west and getting paid, I figured i might as well drive down to Phoenix and visit my friends, and head back a different route through the Rocky Mountains.
The story will end in about 2 weeks. I will return to Wyoming this week. My boxes have already been packed, ready to move (i've even estimated the amount of time it will take to load up the truck - 20 minutes). A convoy of friends will come out here to retrieve my gear and my vehicles, and I will drive my motorcycle back to the Twin Cities, straight to "my bar" in "my town" to a homewelcoming party. A year and 2 weeks of pure hell, and of course your Captain racks up another "failure," but I will return with the context and KNOWLEDGE of what's most important in life - my friends and loved ones. And, not that I didn't appreciate them before or somehow took them for granted, but I will appreciate them on a whole new level, be much more thankful for them and enjoy their company at least twice as much as when before I left. Because of that context, I will be happier than my "more successful" road-travelling, obedient counterpart as he vainly tries to go for that gold watch, gets divorced, and wonders why the government is nationalizing his 401k account when he "did all the right things."
Enjoy the decline!
Second READ THIS because it will provide the context to what I'm about to write.
Did you read it?
DID YOU?
Ok, let's begin:
By most conventional standards and measures I am a failure.
I don't make a lot of money, just enough to get by.
Despite a spectacular track record of predicting economies and assessing risk, I have spectacularly failed in a financial/economic career.
As much success as I've had with the ladies, I've had Tsar Bomba levels of failures.
And understand, this is all while facing an economic environment that is not only very poor, very hostile to capitalist American males, it's likely to be unviable and get much worse.
But how am I so happy?
Very simple lieutenants, agents in the field, and junior, deputy, aspiring, official and otherwise economists.
Context. Plain and simple context.
You see, I took more risks and have suffered more highs and lows, successes and failures by the age of 25 than most men will by the time they die. It was and still is exhausting. It is akin to hiking out mountainous terrain instead of merely driving on the road that bypasses the mountains to reach the same destination.
But, when me and my driving counterpart reach the same destination, I have context.
I know the lay of the land better, I've got plenty more vantage points and victories by summiting all the mountain peaks, and just as I know failure when I was in the deepest valleys. I know what's in those mountains while my counterpart who merely drove around them is still wondering.
And over time knowledge will serve you better than wondering as you age.
A small example is 401ks or retirement plans.
It's a fool's game.
Oh, I know that, and you know that. But how did we get to this epiphany? We had to journey through a trek of economics, research, philosophy and data crunching. We also had to dare to have independent thought.
But try explaining that to somebody who didn't hike through the mountains and took the easy route their HR department told them to with their 401k investment options. To them you're a "kook" a "whack." Just some sensationalist trying to stir up drama. Heck, try being in financial advising and telling people, "um, hey, better have a plan B incase the government nationalizes your 403b."
Another example is moving around and job hopping. I am a job hopper. Why?
Am I disloyal?
Am I a bad employee?
No, I just can't tolerate politics, lying, indecision, inefficiency, bureaucracy and mediocrity (which, actually in today's America makes me a very bad employee, so um, yes, I am a bad employee).
Is there a consequence? Certainly - lack of steady income and the stigma associated with job hoppers. But that reputation or stance is the official one that comes from taking the road. Let me throw a different spin on it or a different perspective from the mountains.
Loyal employees are suckers.
How many people do you know that slave away, loyally and then get laid off because of ineptitude on the part of management or the economy tanks? Additionally, how fun is it being the yes man and suffering day in and day out reconciling what you know to be wrong with what you're told to do. Also, how much suffering and abuse must you sustain because you bought a house you couldn't afford, married a profligate spending spouse and bred children you can barely support? And good thing you're moving up in income tax brackets to pay those progressively higher taxes! Right, the loyal corporate stooge is the way to go.
But what's funny is this observation can only be made from a mountain top as you watch the lemmings slave away with no self-respect, just barely scraping by. They don't see it. They think there's going to be that gold watch at the end of that road. They think their company is going to be around forever. They don't see the road construction around the bend and the bridge out another 3 miles further that you do perched atop your peak.
But arguably the most important thing I've learned or gleaned from taking the trail-never-travelled is what's really important - other people. And here is where I have to make a confession.
I told all of you I was in South Dakota working in collections. That was not true. I was working at yet another wonderful community bank in Wyoming. I was already on my way to get a 2 year degree in computer networking, but then out of the blue a recruiter called me and wanted to know if I was interested in working a job in Wyoming.
No state income taxes.
It would put me closer to the west and I would finally be able to explore all the national parks to my my heart's content.
I would recapitalize my bank accounts, pay down the mortgage more, purchase some fixed assets.
The pay was decent.
So off I went knowing full well this was going to be another crappy community bank with the same crappy prospects. But you'll all be proud of me.
I shut up.
Did what i was told.
Made no waves.
Made no decisions.
I made the job work for me.
I was excited about moving out west and living my childhood dreams. But, again, this was taking a chance. Doing something different. It was climbing another mountain and not taking the road. There were going to be lessons.
While I was able to hike more miles and discover more fossils in one single year than I did the past 7 I paid an egregious price. Not in terms of work (I already climbed previous mountains to know what was in store with another podunk bank), but in terms of society and socializing.
Wyoming is hands down the dumbest state in the world.
Are there smart people?
Yes, certainly.
Are there interesting people?
Yes, certainly.
But those people are married right quick, have children and do not socialize and if the do, it is usually before 10PM.
Additionally, another interesting aspect of living in Wyoming is that you take the mountains and parks for granted. Ironically NOBODY hikes or does any kind of physical activity in Wyoming. There was no limit to the number of people who had LIVED ONLY 2 HOURS AWAY FROM THE BLACK HILLS BUT NEVER WENT THERE. 4 HOURS AWAY FROM BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK AND NEVER BEEN THERE. They were so convenient, nobody thought to avail themselves of the opportunity.
The result?
The majority of single or socially active people are fat, drunk, uneducated, unintelligent and uninteresting. The only social activity they engage in is drinking and breeding illegitimate children. For once I agree with the coast liberals.
Unaware of this sociological trait of the state, what ended up happening was an interesting transformation. During the first few months I excited and happy, I tore up after mountains, rode my motorcycle wherever I could, shot guns, hunted fossils. BUt at night I'd come home and there were no friends to go cocktailing with. There were some places that had dancing, but the men are incredibly possessive of not just their wives or girlfriends, but their ex's. Plutonic activities involving the opposite sex (ballroom dancing, motorcycle riding, etc.) were impossible. There was nobody to go dancing with. I tried to finding hikers and hiking clubs, but there was nobody to go hiking with. And in the end you could be in a town of 50,000 people, but all alone. Not because you are unsociable, but because it would be more enjoyable to be by yourself getting your intellectual fix over internet discussion boards with genuinely intelligent people than hanging with the locals at the local dive bar listening to how they can't make their payments on their used pick up truck because they knocked up another girl.
Soon I started drinking. Even more than I normally do. And with winter set in, there was really nothing else to do. Oh I joined a gym and jiujitsu, ran and worked out twice a day, I got right ripped, heck, I wrote "Worthless" in two weeks. But that still isn't enough time to kill the entire day. The booze would inevitably flow at the end of the night because my friends out east in a later time zone had fallen asleep. It was the only thing to stimulate my brain and also knock me out to dreamland. This was the valley that taught me my lesson. BUt this was the valley that provided me the most important context of my life - that the number one thing, the most important thing you have in your life is other people. They mean more to me that my hatred for Minnesota liberalism and socialism.
I had already decided there was no way my friends or my girlfriend would move out to Wyoming. I wouldn't do that to them. And it was very apparent I wouldn't befriend anybody in this state to make it worth staying. So I crunched some numbers and realized if I made it another 3 months I'd be able to keep my signing bonus and build up enough cash to last about 2 years. It's not a lot of cash, but with super low living expenses and no children, you'd be amazed how long you can last in the field on little money.
Four days ago, at 8:01 AM on my one year anniversary, I gave my boss my two weeks notice. The hike was over, I reached my destination and with the KNOWLEDGE that people are the most important thing in your life. My road-driving counterparts finished their drive, but without that important lesson which is why I'm happier, though a "failure."
The story gets better, as icing to the cake was the bank was worried about me hacking the system or firebombing the place (I thought I was being professional giving a 2 weeks notice, and such a fear would be unfounded). But then again, with the hypersensitive nature of modern day American employers, a man's word is not worth the risk. They said they would pay me 2 weeks anyway and I could just wrap it up (I wasn't doing any work anyway).
And so to celebrate the end of this journey, I decided to do a victory lap. The great western motorcycle ride I'm on right now. While I'm out west and getting paid, I figured i might as well drive down to Phoenix and visit my friends, and head back a different route through the Rocky Mountains.
The story will end in about 2 weeks. I will return to Wyoming this week. My boxes have already been packed, ready to move (i've even estimated the amount of time it will take to load up the truck - 20 minutes). A convoy of friends will come out here to retrieve my gear and my vehicles, and I will drive my motorcycle back to the Twin Cities, straight to "my bar" in "my town" to a homewelcoming party. A year and 2 weeks of pure hell, and of course your Captain racks up another "failure," but I will return with the context and KNOWLEDGE of what's most important in life - my friends and loved ones. And, not that I didn't appreciate them before or somehow took them for granted, but I will appreciate them on a whole new level, be much more thankful for them and enjoy their company at least twice as much as when before I left. Because of that context, I will be happier than my "more successful" road-travelling, obedient counterpart as he vainly tries to go for that gold watch, gets divorced, and wonders why the government is nationalizing his 401k account when he "did all the right things."
Enjoy the decline!
Friday, August 17, 2012
That's Not a Bug, It's a Feature of Socialism
Dear Democrats, Socialists, Communists and Other Varied Sorts of Lefter Leaning Folk,
I find it necessary to write this letter on account there has been now more than one instance of one of your members complaining about "evil rich people sending all their jobs/money overseas" within earshot of me. It is apparent you need a vocabulary lesson, specifically the term "capital flight," so let us begin out Super Awesome Economic Lesson (TM).
"Capital flight" is not a "conspiracy" or "another evil republican plot" to undermine you.
It is a built in feature of socialism.
It has nothing to do with "evil capitalists" conspiring against the little people. It has nothing to do with evil rich men controlling the world through global markets or central banks. It has nothing to do with the illuminati or the Masons.
It is a 100% trait or feature of socialism. People deciding to ship their money overseas, shutting down businesses here, or just plain opting no longer to work is not the doing of "greedy capitalists." It is a by-product 100% caused by socialism.
Now I know you have problems understanding this. Heck, if the extent of my thoroughness in stress-testing my own ideology entailed merely just saying,
"I just feel we should do nice things for people and make those rich bastards pay"
and never bothering to thing of secondary or tertiary economic consequences, then yes, I'd blame it on conspiracies too. But if you would be so kind to treat this like a chess game where you could buck your intellectual laziness and muster the calories of energy to think 2 or even 3 moves ahead, you can see why capital flight is your fault.
"Capital flight" is a natural human reaction to parasitism.
If you discover a tick or a leech on your arm sucking out your blood, you get rid of it.
If your husband or wife is abusive, you leave.
If your boyfriend or girlfriend spends more and more of your money to the point you're impoverished, you dump them.
In short getting rid of parasites is a natural, darwinistic, survival instinct of self-preservation. And when you demand other people pay you to bribe other people to vote for you...err....I mean, demand other people pay higher taxes to create make work government jobs employed by armies of worthless liberal arts majors...errr...I mean, demand other people spend progressively higher and higher percentages of their lives enslaved to others, they will simply walk or minimize their economic production efforts.
I will once again aliken this to how a woman would like to be treated by her husband in the vain hopes this simple economic lesson sinks in.
If a man beats his wife, do you think she's going to stick around, let alone be supportive of him?
OR
if a man treats his wife like a goddess, do you think she will be more productive and reciprocative?
You just keep beating your economic wives and see how well that works for you in the long run. Just remember, it's your fault when she leaves. Not some "complex, super high end, intenational conspiracy financed by "big oil" and uh uh...the corporations acting all 'corporationy'."
I find it necessary to write this letter on account there has been now more than one instance of one of your members complaining about "evil rich people sending all their jobs/money overseas" within earshot of me. It is apparent you need a vocabulary lesson, specifically the term "capital flight," so let us begin out Super Awesome Economic Lesson (TM).
"Capital flight" is not a "conspiracy" or "another evil republican plot" to undermine you.
It is a built in feature of socialism.
It has nothing to do with "evil capitalists" conspiring against the little people. It has nothing to do with evil rich men controlling the world through global markets or central banks. It has nothing to do with the illuminati or the Masons.
It is a 100% trait or feature of socialism. People deciding to ship their money overseas, shutting down businesses here, or just plain opting no longer to work is not the doing of "greedy capitalists." It is a by-product 100% caused by socialism.
Now I know you have problems understanding this. Heck, if the extent of my thoroughness in stress-testing my own ideology entailed merely just saying,
"I just feel we should do nice things for people and make those rich bastards pay"
and never bothering to thing of secondary or tertiary economic consequences, then yes, I'd blame it on conspiracies too. But if you would be so kind to treat this like a chess game where you could buck your intellectual laziness and muster the calories of energy to think 2 or even 3 moves ahead, you can see why capital flight is your fault.
"Capital flight" is a natural human reaction to parasitism.
If you discover a tick or a leech on your arm sucking out your blood, you get rid of it.
If your husband or wife is abusive, you leave.
If your boyfriend or girlfriend spends more and more of your money to the point you're impoverished, you dump them.
In short getting rid of parasites is a natural, darwinistic, survival instinct of self-preservation. And when you demand other people pay you to bribe other people to vote for you...err....I mean, demand other people pay higher taxes to create make work government jobs employed by armies of worthless liberal arts majors...errr...I mean, demand other people spend progressively higher and higher percentages of their lives enslaved to others, they will simply walk or minimize their economic production efforts.
I will once again aliken this to how a woman would like to be treated by her husband in the vain hopes this simple economic lesson sinks in.
If a man beats his wife, do you think she's going to stick around, let alone be supportive of him?
OR
if a man treats his wife like a goddess, do you think she will be more productive and reciprocative?
You just keep beating your economic wives and see how well that works for you in the long run. Just remember, it's your fault when she leaves. Not some "complex, super high end, intenational conspiracy financed by "big oil" and uh uh...the corporations acting all 'corporationy'."
I'm Not a Pastor, But I Play One On This Blog
Good news for you young men (and women) thinking about becoming a pastor.
Old People Aren't Holy
Matter of fact a lot of them are mean, selfish people.
Again, I have no problems cutting Medicare and Social Security.
None.
Enjoy the alone time in the cheap nursing home.
Again, I have no problems cutting Medicare and Social Security.
None.
Enjoy the alone time in the cheap nursing home.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
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