Not BAD Just different

Thinking about the economy however there is no such thing just a bunch of individual experiences
But things have changed and the cry goes up and out that it is worse or bad or on the wrong track
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
So you can have a higher minimum wage but with that will come a higher unemployment rate no need to deny it. It is just a tradeoff.
We make choices all the time to have the cake or to eat it. Neither is a bad choice, you just can’t have both.
So the economy is not bad now. It is just different. And everyone is really OK. We are moving in a more peaceful direction. I prefer the cool economy rather than the hot economy. We can all take it easy and be happy and healthy and less driven and manic. So I prefer this “bad” economy. It isn’t really bad.

Affirmation Balance Chi

I love the sky
I love the earth
my CHI is always in perfect balance
flowing freely
through the infinite void
and the clear light

I am the sky
I am the earth
my CHI is always in perfect balance
flowing freely
through the infinite void
and the clear light

there is no sky
there is no earth
there is no CHI
there is no me

Ah!
Oh!
Ummmmm!

Stepping In Poop

Assume our goal is to make it through each day without stepping in poop.

Ways to do that

1. do not walk at all

2. check thoroughly for poop and pick it all up or remember where it is and avoid it.

3. be constantly vigilant for poop and avoid it

4. never walk in the dark or step where you cannot see

5. never assume there is no poop

6. in spite of your best efforts every once in a while you will step in poop

7. don't walk around places where you know there is a lot of poop (if you must go where there is a lot of poop be extra careful)

8. if you are doing a lot of things all at once you are more likely to step in poop

9. if anyone tells you there is no poop, don't believe them

10. you may discover that you have a perverse desire to step in poop. You need to work on that.

11. go ahead and step in it you can probably clean it up

Well Of It

Have you ever heard anybody say, "I'm well of it."?

This morning on my jog I overheard a little girl shouting, "I'm sick of it!"

I think I get it. People get sick because of something going on in their environment, because of how they are treated by others.

But do people also get well from their environment or from the people around them?

I'm well of you.
I'm well of politics.
I'm well of the news.
I'm well of all the whining and bickering and complaining.

I'm well of how you treat me.
I'm well of all the love that surrounds me.

I'm well of the beautiful sunrise and all the beautiful music.

I'm well of it.

Who Is Corrupt?

Nobody

we are all innocent

we are all innocent

nobody is corrupt

there is no corruption

everyone is just trying to do their best, what they think is the right thing to do

if they fail, it is not corruption
it is ignorance
it is error

let us forgive one another

I FORGIVE

Internet Pessimism

Where have all the optimists gone?
Long time passing?

So many are so pessimistic nowadays.
Maybe it has always been that way.
Maybe we just hear more of it now because it it so easy to post a negative comment somewhere on the internet.

I don't really understand what all the fuss is about.
Things are clearly getting better all the time.

I see it in my neighborhood.
People are always busy making improvements. Down the block a big remodel is going on.
And a vacant house got renovated and a new tenant moved in. And across the street a house is for sale and I am sure some great people will be moving in before long.

And another house is in escrow. All this on just my block.
Everywhere people are busy and diligently making improvements. That is reality.

But there are the people who say " the world is headed for a brick wall."

I think those pessimists are lacking perspective. They are not seeing the big picture.
I love my new car. It is a great car. And it was not expensive. And it gets great miles per gallon. And it looks good!
People keep buying new cars and new everything. Things are cooking!
What are the pessimists looking at?

I see it like this.
If a guy makes a million dollars, he has a lot more than he used to.
He is better off.
But if he then loses half of it, he goes nuts!
But with perspective he would realize that he was still better off than he was before he made the million.

And really, we have not lost that much
the economy is only a little smaller than it was at the peak.
And we are swimming in wealth.
The biggest problem is overconsumption, that is why so many people are too fat!

But you just can't argue with the nabobs of negativity. They see the world as they see it.

But it is possible and reasonable to be positive about things.

I Believe In People

And the main reason I am bullish on the long term is that I believe in people. People are creative and adaptable. They can overcome any obstacle. They have a lot of desire. Animal spirits. Progress. Innovation. It's getting better all the time.

People are great
have a little perspective
look at all the great new stuff
the new cars, computers, phones, etc.
so much really cool stuff

where does it come from?

it comes from PEOPLE

I BELIEVE IN PEOPLE

there is progress, there is such a thing as progress
things are getting better
don't believe the people who say things are getting worse
it just isn't so!

Single Family Home As Liability

Was looking around at my house this morning and considering all the deferred maintenance.
Looks like I could spend a bundle getting this place in shape.
Home maintenance is rather expensive.
Remodeling
roofing
painting
plumbing
and then there are other expenses

property taxes
insurance
interest on the mortgage


it all adds up to a really large expense
but in the old days people felt good because the price was always going up so when they sold they had a big profit

hasn't been like that for a few years
will it be again?
nobody knows! but in our democracy inflation is pretty much a sure thing

and there is risk
something can happen to your house that is not insured!
a big flood or earthquake or something unexpected
termites
crazy neighbors
airport expansion
light rail at your doorstep

so there are risks and expenses and what you get is a place to live and a neighborhood to live in

but no guarantee of a profit
as we see lately
many have big losses

so the wise move is to go ahead and buy the house if you can afford it
but don't buy too much of a house
because the more house you buy the more you can win
but the more house you buy the more you can lose

and one more thing happens when you buy a house
a lot of money goes to brokers and bankers and tax collectors etc.
and you lose mobility
the transaction costs probably come to almost 10% of the price of the house

if you are renting a house
it is a lot easier to move
then you are not stuck in one place
you can move around and be more free

Economic Justice

crunching some numbers

all USA numbers

113 million households

median income of households is around $50,000

suppose you took the total aggregate income of everybody and distributed it equally

then the median would be around $68,000

would that satisfy anybody?

of course it would totally wreck the economy, but supposing it was harmless
would it satisfy anybody?

confiscate any income over $68,000 and give it to people with less income
economic justice at last

but really
this should be international, share with Asia and Africa equal shares of the goods of the world

then maybe each household would get around $5,000.
then we would have a just a fair world
and we would all be happy and live together in peace

Propaganda The Big Lies

Appearing on Friday's NBC Today, Meet the Press host David Gregory discussed the political impact of the Wall Street protests and wondered: "How does the President try to harness this anger, this sense of unfairness about the economy, about income inequality in this country, about the middle class stagnating for the past 30 years? That's what the President wants to try to tap into here."

right

INEQUALITY

MIDDLE CLASS STAGNATING

UNFAIRNESS

no truth here, just lies, just definitions and people seeking more power for themselves

There is no stagnation! That is a statistical lie!
There is no unfairness! You still reap what you sow in this life.And virtue is its own reward.

Turn it off. Stop listening to the propaganda, the lies, the dominant paradigm,

face the truth

the one spirit is all

The Curse Of Success

success

what is it? how to define it?

money, fame, happiness, influence, creative output, friends, family,
health

peace of mind

a lot of biographies of super successful people are notably tragic

any more than for the rest of us?

I think success throws up a barrier. If you are famous and you meet somebody,
are they meeting you, or are they meeting your fame?

so the fame steals your identity
makes it hard to have intimacy
isolates

what is real success then?

who is really successful? Undoubtedly it is someone you will never hear about
someone who is really happy
really peaceful
really contented
and really making the world a better place

Was Napoleon a success? JFK? Steve Jobs?
Who knows....
what is it?

Income Averaging

If they are going to have higher taxes on big incomes then they should also put in income averaging.
Why?
Sometimes a person will have one year with a very high income.
Is it fair to tax that windfall heavily?
I don't think so.
Income averaging would be fair to those people who have only one or two good years.

Balancing the Budget

Maybe the household is having money trouble.
You could cut back, always a possibility, but why lower your standards?
You could ask the boss for a raise. Or maybe not...risky strategy sometimes
or

You could get a second job!
Now there is a tried and true method
MOONLIGHTING

why not?
there are plenty of hours in the week.
40 hours at one job and 20 at another still leaves 108 hours!
108 hours to sleep and eat and relax and take care of things.More than enough!

So AMERICA

you need to do some moonlighting to get out of this hole
that is the real solution
no magic wand
just a little more work

Budget Problems

The third way

I hear that there are two things that must be done

cut spending

raise taxes

but the third way, which once was talked about a lot
you don't hear much about lately
I wonder why?

The best solution is for people to work better and earn more and produce more
Then tax collections will increase without raising taxes.

And social spending needs will automatically be cut.

So, how to be more productive?
Easy
Be responsible
be diligent
be reasonable
careful
honest
all the good things and then prosperity will follow like the day follows the night

Amanda Knox Free!

I didn't know I cared until I heard the news and a tear came to my eye.

nice to hear some

good news

The Waggery

THE WAGGERY
published spring 1966
Three issues were circulated. They were dated June, July, and August 1966.
Published by students at Lincoln Junior High School in Santa Monica, California.

First issue contributors
Tracy Tondro
Charles Coffman
Joe Oliva
Steven Paull
Ron Hoffman

Staff included Joe Oliva, Teddy Bullockus, John Harris, Charles Coffman, and Tracy Tondro

Second issue contributors
Charles Coffman
Tracy Tondro
Steve Paull

Third issue contributors
Joe Oliva
Steve Paull
Tracy Tondro
Charles Coffman

Excerpt from editorial in issue 3

"It astonished everyone that the first issue was such a great success. We sold everything that we printed and the momentum given us by our first success led us to printing out another issue on the next Monday.
This issue came out on Monday and on Tuesday we were notified that since we were selling it on campus we were in trouble."

Our motto

IF ANYTHING IN THE WAGGERY DOES NOT AMUSE YOU,
IT IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT UNDERSTOOD IT!

So, we were an underground publication without even knowing it! We meant no harm.
But we got in trouble because we didn't know any better.

Rules and regulations
at least they didn't torture us