“Disposable Income.” What a perverted misnomer. Does no one think before coining a phrase and then unleashing it into American vernacular? Not only is it not what it says it is, apparently the people that use it are unable to agree to what it should mean. I’m not going to go into technical definitions. I’ll be certain to fall comatose at the keyboard and bruise myself. My point is that the term is a slippery little bastard that will inevitably be used against you in some form of legal plunder.
Let’s say you are involved in a severe car accident and an ambulance picks you up and takes you to a hospital. Then, while attempting to recover, you get the ambulance bill for, say, $4000. (It was just a little jaunt down the highway that should have cost maybe $1000 if you were feeling generous; but they, like every other medical “caregiver” get to make up the bills as they go along because you are in no shape to argue. Lucky them, you are in pain or unconscious. And woe unto you if they took you via helicopter.) So, you get this inflated monstrosity of a bill along with about 30 others because everybody wants to profit from your misfortune as much as possible. Let’s say you earn an average American salary which is around $46,000 per year. And let’s say you have a spouse and children. It’s going to be damn difficult to pay all 31-ish medical debts at the same time. You can call them and ask for patience. Some will work with you and some won’t. You can write to them but unfortunately the literacy rate has fallen so dramatically many won’t know what a letter is much less what it means. (I kid you not.) While you’re attempting to sort invoices out and pay the debts to your best ability, lo and behold, the lawyer enters the scene, sues you, wins, blights your credit score (shame on you for getting in an accident), then garnishes your wages based upon … “disposable income.”
They can (and will) take 25% of your “disposable income.” At face value a logical person might think disposable income is what is available after you’ve paid not only your taxes, but your mortgage/rent, utilities, food, etc. One might think that disposable income is what is left over after necessities have been paid and can be disposed of at one’s own discretion to eat at a restaurant or go to a movie or buy a CD. No. That would be logical. We are dealing with immoral opportunists here. For debt collection purposes “disposable income” is your entire net pay.
Let’s say from your income of $46k/year you bring home $3000 per month for your family of four to live on. (This is a national embarrassment already.) Even without any car, credit card, or student loan debt your bills, groceries, and gas alone will run a conservative $2500 depending upon your location, etc. This doesn’t begin to address the other medical debts waiting in the wings (probably preparing to sue you as well). Once they take 25 percent of your net pay you will be left with about $2250 per month. They’ve put you in a corner. Decisions must be made. Do you not pay the rent or mortgage and become homeless? Do you not pay the car insurance or put gas in the car and lose your employment? Do you not pay gas, phone, electricity, water, or heating bills? What’s left? Food and possibly medications. What’s it going to feel like when you look your family in the eyes and tell them your food budget has been cut 40 PERCENT for several months? Garnishment in situations like this literally takes food from children. (Of course with an income of $46k/year you can’t get food stamps so fuck you and yours.)
Nice system we’ve got, eh? And quite the career path that the debt collectors and their lawyers have chosen. I wonder if, as children, they aspired to be evil and prey on the pain and misfortune of others or they just fell into it by default – unable to earn an honest, respectable living and quite happy that legal doesn’t mean right.
I take great comfort in the universal law that you reap what you sow. It makes me very, very happy … gleeful in fact because I’ve never seen this law violated. I could write a book. (Maybe I will.)
To all you people (and corporations, governments and whatever entity you fester within) who prey on the innocent, do know that the money taken from them will rot your soul and eat your flesh so when your tragedy arrives remember that you planted the seeds for it yourself and I’ve rejoiced at your reaping. It might not be today or tomorrow. It might be decades from now but your crop of misery will indeed come in fruitful and multiplied. While blessings will rain in abundance on those who have sowed love, compassion, peace and beauty. It’s already a done deal.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
"School First," chants wild-eyed Stepford Mom
My kids occasionally like to watch “Wife Swap” or “Trading Spouses” just to see how illogical and bizarre (they would say crazy) people are. Obviously since these shows are attempting to be entertaining they choose women from families with lifestyles that are in stark contrast to one another. Often they will trade/swap a creative or quirky wife with a very traditional, conservative wife; or trade a wealthy, materialistic, spoiled wife with one who is poorer, physically hard-working, and lacking luxuries. What fun. My children and I usually think that both women are quite on the fringe of going round the bend. However, the show does illustrate that people seem to make decisions based upon tradition and emotion and then fail to revisit those decisions unless forced to do so. That’s all fine and dandy unless you have children.
During almost every show at least one mom (guess which) goes on a tangent about how school must always come first before any other interest. Women also love to lay down the law as far as chores and housework go. During their rant they never actually back up their opinion with reasoning. Maybe an hour is just not enough time to make sense.
What should come first in a child’s life?
When my mom was growing up (in the 50’s) her parents insisted that chores come first. She had to do chores before school in the morning and before homework in the afternoon. (They didn’t have a TV.) She also had an enforced bedtime. Often, this meant she didn’t have enough time to do homework which in turn means she didn’t do too well in school. I’ve never understood how my grandparents, who were both intelligent and literary types, could put chores before education. It’s almost as though learning were a luxury and they sent their children to school because it was a requirement. It seems they had a Little-House-on-the-Prairie point of view.
What this translated into was a woman who’s greatest talent, her most marketable skill, was cleaning a house. Appearance became her priority. Not exactly a lofty goal. Sure, it made for an exemplary housewife and that’s all fine and dandy until her husband left her unwell at mid-life. Can we define “destitute?”
Then you have women who tell children that school always comes first before any other interest or skill. Some children have strong talents and passions for subjects such as art, music, theater, dance, a sport, cooking, gardening, astronomy etc., etc. Yet they will be told “school first” before allowing the child time to pursue their gifts. Why? Without being emotional or just regurgitating the SOS you’ve heard all your life, ask yourself “What is the purpose of school?” Is it to make good grades? Is it to keep a child occupied while mom and dad are working? Is it a place where kids are indoctrinated day after day for 12+ years to be “good” citizens? Is it a place to learn; and, if so, learn what? How to survive the social labyrinth? Algebra? The works of Shakespeare? These are extremely important questions. It seems the only people asking these questions are the people who have a financial interest in the answers. Parents seem too pre-occupied with the mortgage and far too trusting of the entrenched education system which they themselves were subject to.
Parents’ definitive responsibility is to raise their children with love and care to be independent adults. That’s it. That’s the job. School is a tool. Parents can use it to their children’s benefit and/or the system will use it to its benefit. What does your child need to know to be an independent adult? We could probably all agree that every person needs to be able to read and write. (We’re in trouble already.) Every person needs to be able to do basic business math. (Easy stuff with calculators and computers.) Every person should know basic world geography and have at least overview knowledge of world history. Every American should know what the Constitution says so that we all know how the government is SUPPOSED to work. Every person should have a general understanding of biology, health, and ecology. Every person should be able to do self-directed research. These are all basics. These things don’t take eight hours a day, nine months per year for 12+ years to learn. The basics, if done right, are a part-time, temporary gig. It's a foundation not a house.
To be independent adults children must discover and hone their talents in their fields of interests. This is the crescendo and climax of childhood. It is the purpose for which they were born. It is more important for a musician to practice their instrument than to learn algebra. It is more important for an aspiring chef to cook than to study Shakespeare. It is more important for a future chemist to study chemistry and experiment than to play basketball in gym class.
This life passes in a flash. School is not first. Chores are not first. The children themselves and the gifts they carry are first. Otherwise, all is lost.
During almost every show at least one mom (guess which) goes on a tangent about how school must always come first before any other interest. Women also love to lay down the law as far as chores and housework go. During their rant they never actually back up their opinion with reasoning. Maybe an hour is just not enough time to make sense.
What should come first in a child’s life?
When my mom was growing up (in the 50’s) her parents insisted that chores come first. She had to do chores before school in the morning and before homework in the afternoon. (They didn’t have a TV.) She also had an enforced bedtime. Often, this meant she didn’t have enough time to do homework which in turn means she didn’t do too well in school. I’ve never understood how my grandparents, who were both intelligent and literary types, could put chores before education. It’s almost as though learning were a luxury and they sent their children to school because it was a requirement. It seems they had a Little-House-on-the-Prairie point of view.
What this translated into was a woman who’s greatest talent, her most marketable skill, was cleaning a house. Appearance became her priority. Not exactly a lofty goal. Sure, it made for an exemplary housewife and that’s all fine and dandy until her husband left her unwell at mid-life. Can we define “destitute?”
Then you have women who tell children that school always comes first before any other interest or skill. Some children have strong talents and passions for subjects such as art, music, theater, dance, a sport, cooking, gardening, astronomy etc., etc. Yet they will be told “school first” before allowing the child time to pursue their gifts. Why? Without being emotional or just regurgitating the SOS you’ve heard all your life, ask yourself “What is the purpose of school?” Is it to make good grades? Is it to keep a child occupied while mom and dad are working? Is it a place where kids are indoctrinated day after day for 12+ years to be “good” citizens? Is it a place to learn; and, if so, learn what? How to survive the social labyrinth? Algebra? The works of Shakespeare? These are extremely important questions. It seems the only people asking these questions are the people who have a financial interest in the answers. Parents seem too pre-occupied with the mortgage and far too trusting of the entrenched education system which they themselves were subject to.
Parents’ definitive responsibility is to raise their children with love and care to be independent adults. That’s it. That’s the job. School is a tool. Parents can use it to their children’s benefit and/or the system will use it to its benefit. What does your child need to know to be an independent adult? We could probably all agree that every person needs to be able to read and write. (We’re in trouble already.) Every person needs to be able to do basic business math. (Easy stuff with calculators and computers.) Every person should know basic world geography and have at least overview knowledge of world history. Every American should know what the Constitution says so that we all know how the government is SUPPOSED to work. Every person should have a general understanding of biology, health, and ecology. Every person should be able to do self-directed research. These are all basics. These things don’t take eight hours a day, nine months per year for 12+ years to learn. The basics, if done right, are a part-time, temporary gig. It's a foundation not a house.
To be independent adults children must discover and hone their talents in their fields of interests. This is the crescendo and climax of childhood. It is the purpose for which they were born. It is more important for a musician to practice their instrument than to learn algebra. It is more important for an aspiring chef to cook than to study Shakespeare. It is more important for a future chemist to study chemistry and experiment than to play basketball in gym class.
This life passes in a flash. School is not first. Chores are not first. The children themselves and the gifts they carry are first. Otherwise, all is lost.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Say... That’s a Nice Paper Sword You’ve Got There
If you read comments posted on forums regarding government (and basically the state of the world) you often see people state things like “We have the right to do ______ from document _______ section ______ paragraph ______.” These are usually the same people who consider the Democrat vs. Republican hydra a choice. Don't giggle. I'm serious. The people who write these things actually seem to believe them. Droves and herds and multitudes of people actually believe these things. They believe this because they were taught to believe them, conditioned to believe them without question. Look at it. The very “entity” that drafts these words doesn’t abide by them. The only power those documents have is the belief that the common people have in them.
The Constitution of the United States is brilliant – a work of genius. It’s a must read and it’s brief (which, in part, is why it’s so brilliant). Now the problem is that the “Powers That Be” NEVER play by the rules and this includes the Constitution. Right from the get-go the Declaration of Independence stated the reality of “all men are created equal.” I mean, really, if you need someone to tell you that then you already are a lost cause. Even the founders stated that it was self-evident. Yet the only people treated as equals were white, male land-owners. We all know that right? The heart of the beast never changed, only the paper clothing.
The powers that you believe are yours because they are written down somewhere are not real. Just as you can do research and spend time writing a business plan detailing your trajectory to success. Do pages of line graphs and positive statistics equal success? Or is it really nothing more than wishful thinking on paper?
People don’t really change. Have you noticed? It takes Herculean effort and a blessing from God to change even the smallest things about ourselves. If you are born with a short temper chances are very high that you will have to work hard to keep it under control all of your life. If you are a naturally untidy person you will have to put in much more effort to keep a somewhat organized house, car, or work area. If you tend to gain weight easily then you will have to work harder than average all of your life to keep your weight down. It’s just the way it is. Nations are the same. We can see with our own eyes what the United States did to the Native Americans. The U.S. wrote many treaties with the Native Americans and broke them with such consistency it seemed a sport. The U.S. government doesn’t give a damn about what it’s agreed to on paper. It wants land, resources, money, power and control. And it takes what it wants. Don’t delude yourself about that. If it wants your house, it will take it. If it wants your money, it will take it. If it wants Iraq’s oil, it will take it. If it wants Afghanistan’s heroin/opium supply, it will take it. It always has. But just to appease the masses it tells us from birth that this is a free country… the best country in the world… freedom isn’t free… we have the best medical system in the world... blah, blah, propaganda, blah. I mean really. Do we not have eyes to see? Can we not put two and two together?
The U.S. Government disregards the Constitution. Many in government don’t even know what the Constitution states. So, if we the people agree to and believe the Constitution contains the principles upon which our nation should exist then we have a job to do. Unfortunately this requires an educated and thinking populace. How’s that U.S. public education system working out for us, eh? Well, it’s working just as it was designed to work.
Wars are not created by the average citizen of Earth. If we all lived by the Golden Rule we could get along in peace. But war is more profitable to the Powers That Be. They have big guns but they’re not too bright. We all watched the towers fall with demolition precision and they thought we wouldn't notice. What’s pathetic is that although people did notice a large percentage didn’t question it. I guess they couldn’t put two and two together. Dumb confounds Dumber.
Over 2700 people died in the WTC that day. Everybody freaked out. Meanwhile over a quarter of a million people die each year in the U.S. as a direct result of our shoddy Best-in-the-World medical system and no one bats a lash. TV commercials alternate between fake food, drugs, and law suits against drug companies. Follow the money. You eat Franken food (no nourishment for you but big bucks for Big Agra), you get sick (big bucks for Medical and insurance companies), you take drugs (big bucks for Big Pharma), you go from bad to worse (hardship for you and your family), and then the lawyers want to “help” (big bucks for the ambulance and hearse chasers). Is anyone actually helping you? Does anyone with any influence or power actually have your best interest in mind? Do you really want the same government that allowed slavery, that robbed from and murdered Native Americans en masse, that wages war for profit to be in charge of your “health” care? There are quicker methods of suicide.
That’s a nice paper sword you’ve got there. Be careful not to get a paper cut as you go about your serfdom.
The Constitution of the United States is brilliant – a work of genius. It’s a must read and it’s brief (which, in part, is why it’s so brilliant). Now the problem is that the “Powers That Be” NEVER play by the rules and this includes the Constitution. Right from the get-go the Declaration of Independence stated the reality of “all men are created equal.” I mean, really, if you need someone to tell you that then you already are a lost cause. Even the founders stated that it was self-evident. Yet the only people treated as equals were white, male land-owners. We all know that right? The heart of the beast never changed, only the paper clothing.
The powers that you believe are yours because they are written down somewhere are not real. Just as you can do research and spend time writing a business plan detailing your trajectory to success. Do pages of line graphs and positive statistics equal success? Or is it really nothing more than wishful thinking on paper?
People don’t really change. Have you noticed? It takes Herculean effort and a blessing from God to change even the smallest things about ourselves. If you are born with a short temper chances are very high that you will have to work hard to keep it under control all of your life. If you are a naturally untidy person you will have to put in much more effort to keep a somewhat organized house, car, or work area. If you tend to gain weight easily then you will have to work harder than average all of your life to keep your weight down. It’s just the way it is. Nations are the same. We can see with our own eyes what the United States did to the Native Americans. The U.S. wrote many treaties with the Native Americans and broke them with such consistency it seemed a sport. The U.S. government doesn’t give a damn about what it’s agreed to on paper. It wants land, resources, money, power and control. And it takes what it wants. Don’t delude yourself about that. If it wants your house, it will take it. If it wants your money, it will take it. If it wants Iraq’s oil, it will take it. If it wants Afghanistan’s heroin/opium supply, it will take it. It always has. But just to appease the masses it tells us from birth that this is a free country… the best country in the world… freedom isn’t free… we have the best medical system in the world... blah, blah, propaganda, blah. I mean really. Do we not have eyes to see? Can we not put two and two together?
The U.S. Government disregards the Constitution. Many in government don’t even know what the Constitution states. So, if we the people agree to and believe the Constitution contains the principles upon which our nation should exist then we have a job to do. Unfortunately this requires an educated and thinking populace. How’s that U.S. public education system working out for us, eh? Well, it’s working just as it was designed to work.
Wars are not created by the average citizen of Earth. If we all lived by the Golden Rule we could get along in peace. But war is more profitable to the Powers That Be. They have big guns but they’re not too bright. We all watched the towers fall with demolition precision and they thought we wouldn't notice. What’s pathetic is that although people did notice a large percentage didn’t question it. I guess they couldn’t put two and two together. Dumb confounds Dumber.
Over 2700 people died in the WTC that day. Everybody freaked out. Meanwhile over a quarter of a million people die each year in the U.S. as a direct result of our shoddy Best-in-the-World medical system and no one bats a lash. TV commercials alternate between fake food, drugs, and law suits against drug companies. Follow the money. You eat Franken food (no nourishment for you but big bucks for Big Agra), you get sick (big bucks for Medical and insurance companies), you take drugs (big bucks for Big Pharma), you go from bad to worse (hardship for you and your family), and then the lawyers want to “help” (big bucks for the ambulance and hearse chasers). Is anyone actually helping you? Does anyone with any influence or power actually have your best interest in mind? Do you really want the same government that allowed slavery, that robbed from and murdered Native Americans en masse, that wages war for profit to be in charge of your “health” care? There are quicker methods of suicide.
That’s a nice paper sword you’ve got there. Be careful not to get a paper cut as you go about your serfdom.
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