It's Tea Time

Rage Against the Machine once said this. They said it naming the same tormentor, but with a lack of understanding of the game. I say it now to both you and them.

The good, say the mystics of the spirit, is God, a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man's power to conceive--a definition that invalidates man's consciousness and nullifies his concepts of existence. The good, say the mystics of muscle, is Society--a thing which they define as an organism that possesses no physical form, a super being embodied in no one in particular and everyone in general except yourself. Man's mind, say the mystics of spirit, must be subordinated to the will of God. Man's mind, say the mystics of muscle, must be subordinated to the will of society. Man's standard of value, say the mystics of spirit, is the pleasure of God, whose standards are beyond man's power of comprehension and must be accepted on faith. Man's standard of value, say the mystics of muscle, is the pleasure of Society, who's standards are beyond man's right of judgement and must be obeyed as a primary absolute. The purpose of man's life, say both, is to become an abject zombie who serves a purpose he does not know, for reasons he is not to question. His reward, say the mystics of spirit, will be given to him beyond the grave. His reward, say the mystics of muscle, will be given on earth--to his great-grandchildren.

-- John Galt, "Atlas Shrugged"

Wake up.

I read "Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?" a number of years ago, and have been fascinated by the purchasing trend ever since. I feel the same way about the diamond trade as I did about the housing boom: reality catches up with you sooner or later.

When I would speak with folks about their home prices, and how it was impossible for them to continue to increase at the current rates, they would nod in agreement. Then as if I had said nothing, would recommend I just go out and buy a house I clearly could not afford because "I could just sell it when the price went up". It's just starting to sink in for me now, and I suggest others reading this take it to heart: Yes, some people really are just that stupid. You can't help them, you can't count on them to do the right thing, you can only stay out of their way.

And that's how it is with the diamond obsession. Women are obsessed with them because they are a symbol of status, and that's true. They are a symbol of ignorance, shallowness, and an inability to judge the true value of a thing. Diamonds are not a rare commodity. They are plentiful, which is why the title of the linked article above is perfect. In order to find out how much you've been ripped off, you need only go and try to sell your diamond a day or two after buying it. You won't be able to, not for anywhere near the price you purchased it at.

You see, the way the hustle works is a lot like the housing market. The problem is, people do want to sell their homes and make their money. People generally do not sell their diamond rings. They are encouraged not to in fact. Why do you suppose that is? For the men and women caught up in this shell game...too bad so sad. I was lucky enough to fall in love with a woman with a brain, who was able to figure out that having the money for things with actual value was a better idea.

And she did it all by herself! Who knew women could do things like that?

OK, so now MSNBC is alluding that perhaps the word "socialist" is actually "code" for the word "nigger". I refuse to use "the N-word" when referencing nigger because we all know what the N-word is anyway.

What would be nice is if MSNBC would do a segment on how to criticize this administration without being racist or labelled right wing extremists. They won't ever do that, because there is no way to do it. Whether you are yelling out protests, or trying to rationally communicate them calmly and quietly, it's the ideas themselves they consider radical. The method of delivery is not relevant.

The word "socialist" is something they are attacking because it is both accurate and effective. Many of our governmental policies in existence now are socialist in varying degrees. What is happening right now however is the greatest expansion of governmental control in decades, and it is being done in the name of extremely socialist ventures. If you can't call a spade a spade anymore, why not just pull an "Animal Farm" on the first amendment. You know, something like:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech unless necessary, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

That's the way it's always been, right Boxer?

When exactly did any amount of debt become justified in the face of the all important college education? My guess it was around the same time that "liberal arts" became a major.

Let's face it, the majority of degrees are just plain not required. An art degree? Really? How many artist have you met in your life who are successful because of their degree? Music falls into the same category. The world has a need for only so many of the musically talented persuasion, and if you need a college degree to push you over that hump, it's likely not a hump you were ever meant to make it over.

Even if one were to argue that these degrees are worthwhile, they most certainly are not worth it at the price point they currently sell for. If you hadn't went after that art degree, you could have used your money for say, opening your own art studio and testing the waters. Maybe bought art supplies for, well, twenty years? That seems like a much better investment no?

I know it's hard to really think logically about what I'm saying here. It's especially hard to do so if you actually got indoctrinated, I mean educated, at one of our fine institutions of higher learning. Still, because it's hard to do doesn't make it any less true. If you were taken in by the college trap, it was probably due to parental and societal pressures. One thing you can do, if you are so inclined, is to teach any offspring you may have in the future to make thoughtful decisions about their future.

College is not for everyone, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Save your money for things that will actually do you some good.