-Alan

When somebody takes out a loan, they know that they owe the money, and if they don’t make their payments, it hurts their credit score. People want to pay their bills, the fact is that they can’t. We are consumers. We like to buy things to enrich our lives and make them better. However when certain costs rise and unexpected events happen, the money that we thought would be there is gone.
People want to be able to pay their bills, and if they can, then the banks will get their money too.

Food prices are up…Gas is up…Electric, Water, and heat are up. The basic things we need to maintain our current quality of living are going up in cost faster than our salaries can grow. A lot of people are taking on second jobs just to get by. Here’s an idea…Lower the tax on wages beyond a typical 40 hour work week. This way, those who spend their extra time trying to earn enough money can finally start to get ahead on thier own. Only a person who is self-motivated can get themselves out of debt and financial trouble. People do not naturally choose to work 60 hour+ a week, they do it so that they can pay their bills. So why not reward the hard working people of this country with a little tax relief for supporting our ecomony at a higher level?

If this bill passes, it will set up our next president for failure. Why not let the next president who will be around for the next 4 years(maybe 8 ) be the decision maker. It’s looking pretty good that Obama will claim office from this years election, and I would not like to see him get screwed over with 700 billion dollars more of a deficit from an unpopular predecessor on his way out.

When I dine out, I like to give an exceptional tip when my service is good. I forget about my worries and bills after a good meal and think of how the waiter/waitress would feel with an unexpected amount of money. It’s the positive feeling of giving to a good cause, only you do so to someone who has worked hard all day long and has earned it. The feeling of richness is there when you are making a difference in someone’s day.

Next time the opportunity presents itself, think of how you can make someone’s day less stressful. It’s more rewarding than giving to a charity as you can see the deserving/thankful face of the person you are helping. You never know who will be helping you out someday…

A 4 day work week would not only save on fuel consumption, but improve on the quality of life for many people. 3 day weekends can also allow homeowners to get more done around the house and therefore improving the overall quality of life. More quality time could be spent with the family. Some employers may argue that 4 day work weeks would hurt the company if someone were to call in from work. Instead of 8 hours coverage, they would be losing 10 hours coverage. A 4 day work week is not for everyone. Child care presents another conflict with a 4 day work week system. However those who want to purse a 4 day week and have a proven attendance record should be able to have this option.

Telecommuting would solve a lot of financial problems. Traffic and road conditions, fuel consumption, a safer work environment, and would save a company on utilities and building space. Employers main concerns with telecommuting are likely controlled productivity. While it would be harder to monitor an employees productivity and actions while they are at home, there are other measurements that can be done. It would have to be a system of trust between the employer and employee. The potential for distractions including substance abuse “while on the job” is always there. I feel that employers will try to stay away from this option as long as possible, as an “unsupervised group” will end up hurting productivity. Until the government steps in and offers companies some good incentives to implement telecommuting, I do not see it expanding much in the near future.

*Supply and Demand is a direct factor in the value of a product. If demand is high, then a manufacturer can get more for their product. If demand is low, then they will not get as much of a premium price. If supply is high, it generally means that demand has slowed down past projected sales, therefore forcing prices to lower. If supply is low or speculated to be low, then the demand skyrockets.

Whenever the first person who opens their mouth about a potential shortage, it starts a panic. People fear the product is going to be difficult to get, and then the hoarding starts. Once this happens, and actual shortage will occur because is screws up the manufacturers projections as the manufacturer does not anticipate this sudden demand. This is a never-ending cycle and has caused a lot of pain to everyone in the manufacturing/production industries and in the end the cost must be passed on to the consumer.

On the other hand, I would like to bring up the famous “gas-strike” chain letters that go around. These “events” are intended to drive the demand down on a product in hopes of lowering the price for consumers. If everyone in the world was going to get together and not fill up on gas, wouldn’t you assume the fuel companies would be in on this too? All they would have to do is shut down production for a day to justify their “lack of business” for it to keep the gas prices the same, if not raise the cost even more.

The oil companies know that we can not go without their product. The presence of price gouging and manipulation will always be there. I wonder…why is it appropriate for the government to mess around with the financial markets of the world, yet will not even think about imposing useful regulations amongst the oil companies?

Everytime a speculator speaks, someone listens. Someone repeats it. What a nasty cycle. I just remind myself that an outspoken speculator is just crying out for attention.

A lot of documentaries I have seen are one-sided, and I doubt that Slacker Uprising will be any different; however I look forward to being fed new ideas and thoughts that haven’t crossed my mind yet. Michael Moore has a lot of radical ideas, however they are generally based on sound logic. I encourage anyone and everyone to check this movie out. Love him or hate him, this movie will be sure to entertain.