Monday, March 31, 2008

Disturbing

Another good read:

Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys..

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Maxed Out

This is a great documentary on the bad effects of credit cards and borrowing in general. I think most people would be able to watch this and immediately identify with a lot of the people interviewed.

One critique I do have is that the film seems to suggest that the solution is for government to step in and protect people from corporations. But, as you can see, the government can't even fix it's own credit problem. The solution is individual responsibility. The government can't fix the problem. So you will need to fix the problem.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Good Advice from Lincoln

NPS Source Book: Abraham Lincoln: "As his station in life slowly improved over that of his poor relatives, Lincoln was frequently called upon for assistance. He always displayed a keen interest in the welfare of those who had been close to him in his youth, especially his stepmother, and gave liberally to their aid from his limited means. The following letter to his step brother, however, shows that he was not to be imposed upon in this respect. It also bespeaks a regard for the dignity and value of labor that is in the best American tradition."

"Dear Johnston: Your request for eighty dollars I do not think it best to comply with now. At the various times when I have helped you a little you have said to me, "We can get along very well now"; but in a very short time I find you in the same difficulty again. Now, this can only happen by some defect in your conduct. What that defect is, I think I know. You are not lazy, and still you are an idler. I doubt whether, since I saw you, you have done a good whole day's work in any one day. You do not very much dislike to work, and still you do not work much, merely because it does not seem to you that you could get much for it. This habit of uselessly wasting time is the whole difficulty; it is vastly important to you, and still more so to your children, that you should break the habit. It is more important to them, because they have longer to live, and can keep out of an idle habit before they are in it, easier than they can get out after they are in.

"You are now in need of some money; and what I propose is, that you shall go to work, "tooth and nail," for somebody who will give you money for it. Let father and your boys take charge of your things at home, prepare for a crop, and make the crop, and you go to work for the best money wages, or in discharge of any debt you owe, that you can get; and, to secure you a fair reward for your labor, I now promise you, that for every dollar you will, between this and the first of May, get for your own labor, either in money or as your own indebtedness, I will then give you one other dollar. By this, if you hire yourself at ten dollars a month, from me you will get ten more, making twenty dollars a month for your work. In this I do not mean you shall go off to St. Louis, or the lead mines, or the gold mines in California, but I mean for you to go at it for the best wages you can get close to home in Coles County. Now, if you will do this, you will be soon out of debt, and, what is better, you will have a habit that will keep you from getting in debt again. But, if I should now clear you out of debt, next year you would be just as deep in as ever. You say you would almost give your place in heaven for seventy or eighty dollars. Then you value your place in heaven very cheap, for I am sure you can, with the offer I make, get the seventy or eighty dollars for four or five months' work. You say if I will furnish you the money you will deed me the land, and, if you don't pay the money back, you will deliver possession. Nonsense! If you can't now live with the land, how will you then live without it? You have always been kind to me, and I do not mean to be unkind to you. On the contrary, if you will but follow my advice, you will find it worth more than eighty times eighty dollars to you."

LINCOLN TO JOHN D. JOHNSTON, JANUARY 2, 1851.

Spring Break in Croatia

Wonderful. Fantastic. Beautiful.



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April 15th

I did my taxes. I managed to keep some of my own money. I took me 27 pages to do it though. Does that seem reasonable? I don't think so. Can anyone say, "reform"?

P.S. I highly recommend using Intuit's DeluxeTurboTax online. It's quick (5 hrs.), cheap ($29.95), and did a great job (I'm getting a refund).

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Politics and Nonprofits

In case you haven't noticed lately, I haven't been blogging very much lately. There is a reason for this.

I work for two separate nonprofit organizations. I'm paid by one; seconded to the other. Well, I got an e-mail from the first that was sent to the entire organization warning us that we could endanger our IRS tax-status if we use the organization's name or resources to endorse political canidates.

So let me set the record strait:
  1. My personal views do not come from my work with either of the organizations I work for.
  2. The two nonprofits have not asked me to do any political work on their behalf.
  3. The two nonprofits are strictly apolitical.
  4. From this time on, none of their resources will be used for political commentary on this blog. That includes time, computers, and e-mail.
  5. Any political contents on this blog will be a result of my own time and efforts without endorsement of either nonprofit.

I should be a lawyer.