It's Tea Time

I wrote about college and the debt loads incurred a while back. By the day, the advice I gave for prospective college students rings more and more true: save your money.

College, like the housing market circa 2004, is currently an impenetrable wall of idealism. Millions of children, and even worse their parents, take a stand on the issue by sticking their head further into the sand. If this continues we will have another financial implosion akin to the housing bubble burst, but it will be worse. You see, we're already stretched way to thin. There's just nothing more to give.

Now, while I believe that what is truly needed is a core transformation in who we are as a culture, I am a realist. It would be ludicrous for me to assume that such a thing could occur for any reason than absolute burning necessity. However I do think that given the opportunity to think about it, the majority of people will realize the wisdom in choosing alternatives to that expensive out of state school. They will come to understand it because it is in their best interest, and will give them a much better chance of achieving the goals they seek.

For any of you high school grads out there, or people thinking of returning to school, I have a single bit of advice that will solve all of your problems relating to your education choices. The beauty of my solution is in a single moment you can learn one of the major things all colleges purport to teach. So here it is:

Think about it.

Now before you dismiss this as patently obvious, give me just a moment or two more. When I say "think about it" what I mean is a few things, but two in particular:

1) Be aware of your emotions as you think. Your brain will tend to reflexively reject certain ideas you may have on emotional grounds. Maybe you don't want to live in a crappy apartment even though it allows you to be financially stable, so any solutions involving said apartment are immediately thrown out. Allow those ideas to come to the forefront in spite of negative emotion. Think about them, how would they work, how long would such a situation likely last. Don't be scared to explore any option, and keep your base goals in mind: food, shelter, clothing, transportation, etc.

2) Dismiss, to the best of your ability, stereotypes. Think about your future on the premise that everyone else is wrong, not that everyone else is right. Move forward with yourself in mind, and if a solution makes sense to you don't be afraid to pursue it. There is one thing that is absolutely true: misery loves company. Opposition to some ideas you have will be founded in that fact. But hey, you don't have to take my word for it. In fact I encourage you not to take my word for it. Find your own truth and you will likely find your truth makes you happier than the one society has set for you.

I promise you that if you strive to overcome communal or societal pressures when making these decisions, and just believe in and be happy with yourself, the decisions will turn out better. Sometimes you will find that what your peers or society as a whole has to say is right in line with your life planning, and other times it will be a terrible fit. The key is to make sure that you are deciding these things with your rational mind and not from fear or emotional need.

Remember: It's your life. Do you want to spend it desperate, a slave to your debt, or as a productive and independent human being. A human being who has built a base for themselves that will serve as a cushion should they fall when reaching for the stars. A base that will serve to protect forever the most important thing we all hold tight to our chests.

Hope.

Unemployment numbers for October were released today, and for those who those who missed it:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The nation's unemployment rate rose above 10% for the first time since 1983 in October, a much worse jump than expected as employers continued to trim jobs from payrolls.

Now in case it is not mentioned, which it most likely will not be, I would like to remind you that Obama claimed that his HUGE stimulus package would keep the unemployment rate below 8%. As it exceeded that 8% prediction, many in his camp noted that without the stimulus we probably would be looking at double digit unemployment. Well guess what: We are looking at double digit unemployment, and we've spent a ridiculous sum of money on...well actually, I don't know what we spent it on. Do you?

Don't worry your pretty little heads though folks, the Democrats are already cooking up schemes for a second stimulus package. See, the problem wasn't that it made no economic sense, the problem was the biggest stimulus package in our nations history wasn't big enough. You know, sometimes I wonder how these people sleep at night.

I love this guy.

Billionaire Warren Buffet is reportedly seeking to acquire the second largest railroad in the U.S. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), Buffet is planning to invest $34 billion in the purchase of Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad.

You want to talk about someone investing in our infrastructure? Take a look a Warren Buffett. I guarantee you that $34B will go a long, long way at Burlington Northern. You'll be hearing that name a lot in the coming years.

You see, that's how we grow as a country and as individuals. Government printing money can't do it. You have to actually have something of value, something that can be productive, and then you grow that thing. You make it better, faster, more efficient, stronger, smarter...any myriad of positive adjectives. You do this because you know then people will come to use it, to need it. Some will want to help you continue to improve via investment, and you will have to get help from others via their employment. This is why we see Walmart everywhere today. If it were run by the federal government, you never would have known its name.

Warren Buffett is what a government can't be. He is agile and dynamic, not cumbersome. Most importantly however, he is reality. He can actually fail. Warren Buffett must play by the rules of supply and demand. He must actually create something worthwhile with this venture or he will lose his investment. He cannot just legislate his competition out of his way, he must compete.

We need to remember this when our government asks us to support things like universal health care. True choice lies in the private market. Once our government takes over the healthcare system, that's it. There is no going back. Private monopolies can be broken up peaceably, but a governmental monopoly can only be broken via revolution. Remember this when you're deciding what to support, because if it's universal health care, there is no going back. You are choosing for your children, their children, and on down the line, until maybe your children ten generations removed bleed to change the system.

You can keep it safe now by pushing a button, no trigger pulling necessary.

Liberals seem to be ecstatic over their big win in New York's 23rd district. They love to talk about how a Democrat hasn't been elected there since the time of the dinosaurs, and tout it as the beginning of some liberal revolution in the area. What they lack, either via willful ignorance or an ability to comprehend, is perspective.

See, Hoffman, the Conservative party candidate running opposite the Democrat, is a new comer. Now I don't mean just new comer in terms of who he is, I mean the actual party he's running under. When is the last time you seeing a "C" next to anyones name at the ballot box?

Add to that the fact that the local "Republican" candidate, Dede Scozzafava, pulled her self out of the race at the last minute and threw her support to the Democrat. You read that correctly. Why did this hurt? Because not only was she still listed on the ballot, but she was listed on the ballot twice. In the end she received five percent of the vote, people who didn't get the memo on her departure and likely just vote party lines. Given that the race was lost by a meager three percent, that's a very big deal.

Why not include voting for more than one candidate in situations where there are more than two parties involved? Seems like a simple solution. Vote for your first pick, then your second pick. If all first pick votes will not be enough for that candidate to win, your votes go to the second candidate. If the sum total of first and second tier votes for a candidate still can't pull him through, he loses, and the people truly have their choice. A system like this would actually allow for third party candidates to be viable, because people wouldn't be "throwing away" their vote on them. They can vote for a third party candidate secure in the fact that if he or she is destroyed on election day, their choice will automatically be switched over to the second pick. Simple no?

But back to the point: Democrats lost way more than they gained here. The New York 23rd win is a sham and temporary. It will be back red in no time. The losses in both New Jersey and Virginia were much more telling, and only the most delusional of folks registered (D) can write them off. They won't be able to write them off for long however, enjoy fantasy land while it lasts. Reality is coming to kick your door in.