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User Info It's Called Evolution, Gentlemen (Tickerforum Changes); entered at 2013-09-29 13:54:14
Nohype
Posts: 71
Registered: 2011-03-19 United States
Gen is right when he points out that it's a matter of choices we all make today, rather than at some undetermined point in the future when we will have "enough" of whatever we think is necessary.

Everyone can do it now.

Like maintaining a healthy weight, it's simple in concept, but difficult to do. Sell everything. Cancel all subscriptions and contracts. All physical assets have a maintenance cost. All non-physical assets aren't assets, except relationships. If you (as I do) count relationships as an asset, they have a maintenance cost too. The more time you spend caring for things, the less time you have available to maintain your relationships.

Time is finite. Mental energy is finite. Every second I spend writing this to you is a second I'll never get back, and that I didn't spend on someone I love. I care enough about people in general to be willing to spend this time in the hope that one person may read it and have the realization hit home. But charity begins at home, so my primary focus is there. I'm only willing to spend my surplus here.

If we all were paying attention to the home front and taking care of the people who are willing to care for us in return (aside from children -- you just have to give it away and know it's the right thing to do), our entire society would function properly.

I can vouch for the fact that owning a house and a car that I can afford without making payments has a heavy social "cost". But is it really a cost to lose relationships with people who judge me on that basis? I say no. Most of my associates don't agree.

Before you say "Oh, well, easy for you to say if you can afford things for cash!" ... I'll give you the purchase prices. House: $12,000. Yes, it's 100% serviceable and functional. You may have guessed it's a trailer, which makes me "trailer trash" in the eyes of some. Lot rent is $225/mo. I can't make the case for buying land at this time because taxes would be higher than rent, and I'd have to maintain my own well, septic and driveway.

I have three vehicles. The truck (for taking garbage to the dump once every month or so, and helping friends with their incessant moves as they try to stay ahead of rising rent -- $2,000. A car that gets 30 mpg for commuting, and for friends who don't have cars to borrow -- $500 + $1,000 for a replacement engine. A motorcycle that gets 50 mpg for commuting on nice days, and weekend fun trips to the mountains, etc. $6,000 (OK I splurged on that).

The entire process started in 2005, when my last kid moved out. Like Karl, I was a single parent. Unlike Karl, I was not lucky or smart enough to make highly profitable financial choices. In 1992, I made the choice to work 100% on commission for the simple reason that I never wanted to be a cost item on anyone's bottom line. By 2005, however, employers had learned that they could squeeze commissions really hard. And they did. Over time, 30% with big cash performance incentives went to 12% with $100 here and $100 there being passed off as "generous" bonuses. The difference went directly to shareholders.

The costs of my 15-year divorce battle and medical care for my allergy-prone youngest kid finally caught up with me. I woke up one day and realized I no longer needed to live in a specific school district. House went up for sale that day. Then I took a look at my bills and realized I was insolvent. Pure and simple. I picked up the phone and called my creditors one by one. I offered what I had and could pay. They ones who played games got nothing until they were willing to accept what I had to offer. Note that I did not go bankrupt. I simply gave them what I had and negotiated settlements. It wasn't easy. But it was simple. I was called every name in the book, and sent all manner of threats. At the end of the day, though, I had nothing so they could get nothing.

I sold everything and divvied up the proceeds to my creditors. Again, simple. But not easy. I never went on food stamps, unemployment or welfare. It's not because I'm a good person. It's because I didn't want to be a slave to a different master. Switching a government master for a corporate master would have done exactly zero for solving my predicament.

Now, I don't want to try to "recover" what I had. Why would I?

"But what if you get kicked out of your park?" I've been asked. This is always a remote possibility. But no more likely than getting kicked off "my" land for back taxes, were I to "buy" it.

I also can't afford to call 911. Catastrophic coverage doesn't cover such things. I can afford a doctor's visit once or twice a year. But I'm also OK with the fact that I'm human and that God will determine when my time is up. Not some medical-industrial complex.

I feel like an adult in a nation of children. Adults make choices. Children expect wishes to be fulfilled. The only thing that scares me is what happens when a nation of children hears the word "no" for the first time in their lives.
2013-09-29 13:54:14