Setting the record straight
Posted on Jun 30, 2010 by
Paul WhiteRecently I was talking to some friends and family, and I came to notice there are an increasing number of people who are getting sucked into this Modern Hippie Lifestyle, doing things in total disregard for capitalism. So in this blog I will list out all the things I see people do and point out why I disagree or agree with it.
Recycling via your sanitation service provider
This I fully support. Its convenient, and takes little effort to walk to the garage and drop your water bottles and plastic into your little green or blue bin. But unfortunately many service
providers don't accept all types of plastic, or paper. So you have to make sure you are only putting the correct plastics in the bin. My only complaint is my little green bin is too small ( I drink a lot of bottled water )
Taking your stuff to the recycling center.
This is where I draw the line. Sure it would be nice to recycle all the stuff that your normal sanitation company does not accept, but to drive across town just to recycle your plastics when they aren't paying you for it, makes no sense. Think of it. You are getting into your 3000 - 4000 pound car, and driving over the 10 lbs of paper or plastic to some place. It is costing you gas, time and risk of getting into an accident. Now if you have several thousand aluminum cans, and they are going to pay you for them, then its worth it, but still you better be making enough on those cans to compensate you for your time, energy ( gas ), and risk. If you can get $100, then go for it, else keep saving those cans.
Buying Organic Food
The thought that organic food is somehow better for you is a bunch of crap. Yes it might taste different, better or worse depending on your preference. If you are buying it for taste that is one thing, but buying it for the belief that food grown with natural plant food, and no pesticides is some how going to make you live forever, or is better for you is nothing but
marketing. But people still buy it. They try to say that non organic food is making them fat. That all the chemicals used on regular food is causing their body to be toxic. If you want to eat 100% organic and do that whole lifestyle thats fine, but don't use the whole health benefits propaganda to validate it. In my eyes all you are doing is spending more money on less food, which in turn gets you behind.
Big Weddings
If you are a girl and are getting married, ask yourself this. How much do you really love the guy? Do you love him enough to get a $10 ring from a kiosk at the mall, put it on your finger go to the courthouse and pay a judge $100 to marry you. Saving you , your friends and family the expense of a big wedding. Or do you care more about a big wedding just so you can show off to your girl friends. Its amazing the number of people I know that have a huge wedding, and then a couple years later get divorced. It seems that girls these days are more in love with the idea of a wedding than actually being married. They have watched way too much reality TV that glamorizes the entire wedding experience. Their expectations are way too high, then when it doesn't go as planned they get upset. If you really love the guy, the size of the diamond, doesn't matter, and a big wedding doesn't matter. Take the money you would have blown on that wedding and use it for a down payment on a house, or better yet just save it.
Birth Control
Now don't get me wrong, I am 100% for not having unplanned
babies, especially if you are younger ( under 30 ). Women seem to think that the pill is the answer to their problems. Its going to make the cramping go away, and have less bleeding, and everything else. But most of them have no clue how the pill really works. The pill is just estrogen and progesterone. Each brand uses a different balance of the two hormones. It basically tricks your body into thinking its already pregnant. To do this it raises these two hormones to levels that would match that of a pregnant women. You take it for 21 days, then you take the placebos ( sugar pills ) the other 7 days. During these 7 days you get your period. I have been with multiple women on the pill, and I have seen the same effects on every girl. What you have to understand is that hormones directly affect your mood, and view on the world. Hormones have more to do with our behavior than most people want to admit. A girl on the pill is no different that a guy doing heavy steroids. At first the sides are not that bad, but with time that is when it gets bad. Unlike Steroids which cause a guy to get roid rage, gain muscle, and lean out. Estrogen will cause a girl to get fat, and within 6 months most guys will think you are a psycho. You will snap at guys for almost no reason at all. In the mean time you can't bring yourself to stop watching all the overly dramatic shows on lifetime television. You will have an overly negative view of the world. If you are lucky you will realize how you have changed and get off the pill, before you destroy your relationship. I know several girls who had relationships with very good guys, and blew it because they went psycho while on the pill, and the guy didn't stick around. Trust me on this, The side effects of the pill out weigh the benefits. Use a condom instead.
Reality TV
First of all there is no such thing as reality TV. Everything you see on TV is rigged. They plan out the shows as to what will drive ratings, and keep people watching. TV networks don't want to teach you anything, they just want to keep your attention so they can sell their advertising. TV these days has become overly dramatic and overly negative. They have to keep pushing the limits to shock the audience. If you want to get a head in life don't waste you life in front of a television. Stop living vicariously through the characters on a TV show or movie.
Fox News
When fox news first came on the air over 10 years ago, they were fair and balanced. And for many years they prided themselves on being fair and balanced. But today they have become nothing more than a we hate democrats propaganda machine. I can't remember the last time I heard them say something nice about any democrat. They take the smallest thing and
flash a FOX NEWS ALERT ( DONG ), and act as if another building was hit by a terrorist. The only person who trys to stay somewhat fair is Bill O'Reilly ( which is a complete change from the drunken Irish man we all used to remember ). I consider myself a conservative, yet I don't see Fox News putting any light on any Republican Ideas. Instead is just a big trash talk on democrats. Its becoming obvious what their motive is. Take all the thoughts that baby boomers are already thinking, Then tell it to them in 20 different ways, make up some fake conspiracy theory about how Obama is going to take away your guns, make your kids gay, and raise your taxes, then quickly cut to a commercial break to sell the old people pharmaceuticals. There are plenty of republicans with good progressive ideas. However Fox News would rather focus on scare tactics to keep ratings. Anyone else noticed how they don't use the whole "Fair and Balanced" slogan anymore?
E85
The idea that E85 is going to save the world is a lie. First of all it comes primarily from corn. The increase in demand for corn due to the increased demand for E85 has increased the price of corn. This in turn increases the price for all corn products ( tacos, bread, high fructose corn syrup, animal feed ), which then trickles down to other products. The result is you save a few cents per gallon of gas, then you pay an extra buck for a gallon of milk. What is worse is people don't understand that E85 provides less power per unit of volume than other fuels. This means you get less MPG when you use E85 instead of regular unleaded.
Obama's tax on people making 250K and up.
Now this is one place where most Americans are clueless. Most people have job, they get a paycheck, and various taxes are withheld. They assume that everyone else even those at the top of food chain deal with the same thing. The truth is the rich don't make their money via a paycheck. They make their money via dividends, which are taxes are 10% regardless of the amount. This is notorious for companies both small and large. Berkshire Hathaway for example, employs Warren Buffet. He pays himself a $100K / year which he pays about 30% taxes on. Then he gets several hundred million in dividends which he pays 10% on. And this is perfectly legal as far as the IRS is concerned. For example if you own your own company, as long as you pay yourself a reasonable salary, the IRS will leave you alone. This means if most people in your position only make $30K / year, yet your company takes in $500K / year. you could pay yourself $30K / year and then almost completely escape the taxes on the additional $470K, by paying it to yourself as a dividend. So when you hear of stories of CEO taking a $1 salary, keep in mind they are making a ton in Dividends.
Discussion
No Comments have been submitted
WhiteSites Blog