Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Technology Catching Up With Government Officials

A rash of fraud crimes by L.A. County Deputies.

Outrageous disparities in criminal sentences.

The days of folks working in Law Enforcement and the Judiciary getting away without anybody noticing are over. So, get over it, folks.

Cameras are everywhere. Your cell phone is tracking your movements (the deputy in the L.A. article's cell phone gave the lie to his alibi). You simply can't get away with this B.S. anymore, and you will be forced to stop protecting each other.  So while you are at it, since cameras are everywhere, it is time for the state and federal legislative bodies to issue statutes preventing law enforcement from arresting people for using cameras.  Arrests require force, and there are endless youtube.com videos of police pointing guns at people for nothing more than using a camera... considering that police cars have dash cams, and officers have chest cams, and every commercial establishment and many homes have cameras going 24/7... this seems to be an outrageous criminal abuse of human rights.

Get with the program.

-------------------------------------------------

I loved this article. Maybe it reminds me of my childhood.

I can tell you from personal experience that the path to "freedom" is not in consumption... it is in living small and being self-reliant. My own experience of living far, far under my means has led to a certain peace of mind... I recommend it very highly.  I am not recommending poverty... Living small nearly always yields abundance. My little house has a little electricity bill and a little property tax bill... and no mortgage. I haven't had a mortgage since my late 30's... and its not that I inherited money or anything... I lived small, saved money, and lived debt free. I had some big earning years... and rather than buy a $100k car, I kept my old pickup truck. When we got married, we had a nice party for a few thousand $$ and spent no money on rings or limosines (actually, one of my buddies gave me the use of a limosine as a wedding present to take us to and from the party... I am not above accepting gifts... but our wedding was a "bring no gift" affair)... in fact, we don't own any jewelry (though I do own plenty of gold and silver bullion) whatsoever. I don't even own a watch.  Accordingly, I don't have to worry about people breaking into our home to steal anything of value... because I don't own anything of value! (Personal safety is another issue.)

Here's the upside. Because I live small and modestly, my family and I are going to spend next winter someplace tropical, on the beach, and surf every day... and it won't be at the Ritz, either. I'm thinking of Rio... Or Costa Rica... in a little apartment with a couple of beach towels, toys for the kids, and our surf boards... I will all of this for about 25% of what it costs to live in an executive neighborhood with a couple of BMW's in the driveway... maybe less. You gotta enjoy this life, but you don't need what the Corporations want you to need, and you do need to start young.  If you stay in college until 30, you better come out as a surgeon or Harvard lawyer... otherwise, its the grind for you.

There are no "do overs". You don't get your 20's back. Going to work young and starting a business will give most the best opportunity for financial independence.... because its just math. By 30, you should have half of your house paid off and money saved. By 40, no mortgage and real money saved. By 50, you should be coasting... some business owners will go through bouts of failure and success... I went "broke" twice... but people that know how to go out and get customers/clients and hustle a service that the market needs ALWAYS come back. Corporate folks put out to pasture in middle age? Not so much.

Don't buy the BullSh#!... and there is plenty of it. Get your boots on and wade through it. Every year counts. All your spending decisions count.

My favorite quote of all time comes from the book/movie "Fight Club":

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need."

And there it is.

No comments:

Post a Comment