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Not so long ago, in a not so distant land, school children were taught, there is no A for Effort.  Seems like a pretty simple concept.  First, the word, "effort" doesn't begin with A, and the grading system didn't even include an E.  There was a bell curve, then the percentile.  When the bell curve was replaced with the percentile grade, that made sense, in that every A in the class did not require a failed couterpart, or for every F, there was no guarantee an A was earned.

We didn't stop there, though.  We didn't stop there in grades, we didn't stop there in sports, therefore; the work environment was transformed as well.  Back when there was no A for effort, work had to accomplish something, achieve results.  A farmer couldn't just go "spend time" in the field and have food in the winter.  As the industrial revolution broke down accomplishment and the motivation of the workers, we see what happened.  While Americans were fighting for benefits and more pay for not working, the people of other nations were fighting to survive, and they were willing to work.

I am appalled at what has happened in sports.  Truly outstanding athletes are drug tested constantly and severely overpaid.  The transition I noticed, though took the motivation away from those who would aspire to athletics.  It seems so many programs now, offer no winners or losers, just participation trophies and awards. That's nice on a superficial level, but everyone still knows which kid can't run and which kid strikes out, and which child misses the ball . . . every time.  What it really has served to do, is stifled the motivation for those who would excel or even strive to win.

What's wrong with the reality that everyone doesn't excel in the same area?  Some people don't excel at any one particular thing but can achieve and accomplish a myriad of tasks.

Life has taught most of us there is no A for effort, but the other 1% has figured out there are valued results in achievement and accomplishment.

When it's All Said and Done

Remember when there was a Middle Class that discussed "plans?"  It is getting to be a distant memory, isn't it?  There was a time when a mortgage required a 20% down payment and people actually intended to enjoy life after the mortgage was Paid in Full.  "Burn the mortgage" was actually a recognized term for the end of payments and celebration for many.  All of that began to change, though in the late 70's and early 80's.  Even though there was great fan-fare raised against the establishment for a time, ultimately most of the babies born in the materialism of the 50's joined the establishment and greatly upped the ante.

Then just when it seemed perpetually ridiculous, we inadvertently raised our kids to live for the moment and not even be concerned with no light at the end of the tunnel.  I know of many in my generation, and I'm fairly late in it, that don't even plan to have a mortgage paid off.  There are many boomers who do not plan to be debt free in their life, or if they do, it will be by economic default.  I've read and heard those comments, but somehow many of us have allowed ourselves to be defined by props that we aren't taking with us.

Before entering the ministry, I was a funeral director.  There are 3 things I can confirm.  There is no "special place for money or extras" in a casket and cemetery plots are the same size.  Even under the huge monuments, the grave is the same size as the unmarked grave.  And last, many in the "living large" lifestyle haven't made their "final arrangements" and don't have enough money to cover the cost.

For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away . . . in a Psalm of Holy Scripture

Keeping Inflation Low

I usually use this site to offer alternatives to mainstream economics, but today I'm addressing the direction of the American economy.  I must sound the warning!  I'm noticing a very disturbing trend that has been gaining momentum for some time now.  That is the absence of cash in business transactions.  I remember seeing someone pay with a debit card back in the mid 90's and it was obviously an oddity, that I remember it.  Now, to see someone pay with cash is a rarity.

Let me say clearly that I do not believe the American paper currency is any more valuable or spiritually founded than plastic debit cards, but the difference lies in the power behind them.  First, the federal reserve is in charge of it all, so that's not what I'm addressing.  The power that I'd like to address is that of the person who is the "buying power."

The whole point of currency is to provide a common means of transacting commerce.  The accumulation of currency is not the issue.  I'm not suggesting that we spend everything we earn, but rather to be aware of the fact that currency is only a tool and once it's earned it's ours for the using, and once it's spent, it's gone, so the wise choice would be to spend it on something of value.  The buying power that is now concerning me with debit cards and payroll bank cards is the fact that employees must now pay a fee to have access to their earnings.  This should not be so.

I'm going to round off and round up and round out, just for the sake of mathematical ease to make my point. Say, I've earned, after taxes, $500.00.  In cash, that's the sum.  On a debit card, however; it may cost me at least $5.00 to access that money, taking my spendable cash to below $495.00.  This takes place for the most part in low income, less than 40 hour employment, so already the employee is an a financial disadvantage.  They are not likely to be the individuals with free checking.  On the flip side to this new arrangement, if I don't draw my available cash out all at once, I can be charged for every transaction, which could literally be a significant percentage of my earnings.

Now, if I draw it all at once, there's the fact that I'm walking around with a significant amount of cash on me, and the "bank card" has served no purpose except to make the bank some money.  Over a year's time, bank fees can be a major expense for low income employees.  Our earthly economy is still failing and people are literally paying for money that is already their's.

I don't usually get so side tracked on a topic, but this is a serious phenomenon that will literally erode the standard of living without inflation or raising prices, although prices are going up.  Bank fees are not figured into inflation or rising cost of living.

A bank transaction fee is a black hole in an already dismal economy.

Avoiding Unintended Consequences

When I first read about the latest plans in Washington, I truly thought what has been done for years has finally been labelled and made into a bureaucracy, agency, or committee.  The powers that be have been influencing the sheople for years, and calling the non-conformist everything from rabble rousers to dissidents to combatants, or just plain crazy!

The "nudge squad" as it is called will politicize peer pressure, basically.  More social and political pressure to conform to the plans of the powers that be.  I looked up nudge on WordWeb.  Two synonyms were "poke at" and "prod."   So, if Washington gives itself permission to "poke at" the people, that makes it socially acceptable and politically correct?  Washington has been "shaping behavior" for years now, through legislation.   Other than building more prisons, hospitals, and offering student loans for higher education, because public school is not enough to get anywhere in life, what has the unlabeled behavioral shaping done for us?  Making laws and wars, offering health care, and mandatory education doesn't seem to have made us a more civil society, a healthier people, or a smarter culture!  Maybe if we call it nudging, it will hold more power or pressure?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/30/govt-knows-best-white-house-creates-nudge-squad-to-shape-behavior/#ixzz2aYxmQwtP