Modern Meta

Saved Nothing for the Swim Back

2009-11-24T23:34:00.004-06:00

“It's about those moments when you can feel the perfection of creation, the beauty of physics, the wonder of mathematics, the elation of action and reaction. That is the kind of perfection I want to be connected to.”

Today marks my 27th birthday and contrary to what many may believe, I feel oddly youthful.

It always seems to be the case for 20-something year olds to dread the final countdown to 30. Each year to 30 is a sullen procession towards the critical mass of being a grownup. Of course we are all adults at the age of 18, but legal isn’t always legitimate. Adulthood and being a grownup are hardly the same. Ask any parent or newly promoted manager.

Publications and entertainment companies are capitalizing on once rogue, now mainstream demographic sentimentalities. They publish editorials declaring that the 30s are the new 20s. HBO will continue to pump Vincent Chase and Carrie Bradshaw as idols for young professionals. Why? I suspect that it’s an unscrupulous conspiracy to collect more disposable income. The longer we delay having children, the longer we can be fashionable.

However, time catches up to all of us. I doubt anybody can really convince us that 40 will be the new 30. Gravity always wins. Do we really want to be the creepy old guy who frequents dive bars, or do we want to be the guy who has to get home in time for dinner?

I was recently hired by a real estate firm as a junior developer. I can’t remember the last time I was eager to go to work. This is probably due to the fact that I’ve never been. I’ve only spent 4 days here, but everyday feels like spring. My work allows me to be part of creation. I get to witness the beauty of physical structures, orchestrate the wonders of excel, and bask in the elation of labor and accomplishment. Maybe this last sentence is over the top, but I’m finally where I want to be in both my personal life and my career.

As Thanksgiving rounds the corner, I’m reminded of those who I am grateful to. Without the help and the commissioned opportunities, it would’ve taken me longer to get here. I am indebted and I make good to those who helped me along the way.

Tomorrow my company flies me out to our condo tower development in Las Vegas. I’ll be in meetings, building surveys and business soirees. I don’t feel old at 27. I feel grownup.

All These Things

2009-11-22T18:14:00.003-06:00

Old Goals:

1) Discipline act of 2009. - Passed! Averaged about 2lb loss a week. I highly recommend any thing soupy like pho or potato soup.
2) Get a REAL real estate job - Done! I was hired last friday. You now know Meta M, Jr. Developer.
3) Meet more people with a common interest - fail... however, my application to join the Urban Land Institute is approved, so I'll be fraternizing with other real estate professionals soon.

New Goals:

1) Work my tail off - Time to fly.
2) Pay off my debts - You guys know who you are.
3) Roast a Rabbit - Heh, this will be fun.
4) Read a new fiction - Been reading too much non-fiction lately

Play now or Play later

2009-11-12T10:40:00.003-06:00

I was early and the half stucco silo building looked like a cheaply renovated remnant of a World War II training barrack. As I parked my car in the crumbling parking lot, I took a quick inventory of the surrounding cars. Almost everything was pre-2000 and of Japanese decent. I noticed just one Mercedes-Benz. It must be the car of the company owner.

The hallway before the company business suite was something out of a horror movie-- flickering fluorescent lights and empty tenant suites. If Jigsaw was hiding around the corner, I'd be a goner. My resume would deliver a few paper cuts at best. I appreciate my life. I appreciate my life.

I entered the office suite to find half torn carpet and a panoply of mismatched tiles lying unattached to the ground. The secretary led me through the gapping hole in the dry wall to their conference table. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), this wasn't what I was expecting.

Mr. G is a short Chinaman (redundant adj...ha) who preempted male pattern baldness by shaving it off himself. Like most ethnic Han Chinese, he's missing the folded eyelids and the back of his head is flat as board. His resemblance to Mozuka in Dexter is uncanny.

Like most interviewers, just about all of them are trying to be atypical. No more stock questions that everybody has prepared for. What are your strengths? And weaknesses? Nope, not anymore. The questions nowadays demand the profundity of a modern art blurb to earn a passing mark. What is your life philosophy? What do you believe is the difference between main street and wall street? No more WHERE do you want to be in 5 years, rather it's WHY do you want to be there in 5 years?

"Once you know why, how will be easy."

I had no problem waxing philosophical banter with Mr. G. My bachelor's degree and old xanga blog endowed me with plenty of practice and insight on the matter. He did not have as much finesse as any philosophy student out there; however, he did have an immense amount of drive. Honesty, loyalty, and hard work were the tenets of his philosophy.

Like all our successful modern day rappers whose lyrics always contain braggart stanzas on how they're the $hiet, Mr. G was of the same vein. Eager to recite his accomplishments and distinguish himself as one of the last men standing, much of the interview was a rap about himself.

I like Mr. G. He's very exact in the German manner. He strives for consistency in his own absolutism. Everything about him reminded me of a Randian hero. Good with people, but not nice. Words have an exact meaning and he's precise with them. He's an intolerant yet curious man who is undeniably respected for his development ability. Like House, others must associate with these people for their ability to add value.

He's driven in the same manner as anybody with deeply-rooted egoism yet feels like it must be proven. My favorite quotation on motivation is by Michael Jordan, "You motivated me not through love, but because you challenged me. You put another log on the flame." While Mr. G hasn't accomplished what MJ has accomplished, they both share the same Olympic flame. It's a burning resentment to show the world their Freudian super-ego. It was the driver behind Rocky 6 -- to toe the line and declare that, "I am!"

Now the fork.

My supervisor as BofA sat me down the other night and told me that his recommendation was approved. If I wanted it, I would advance to a team leader as a full-time employee and manage the new hires that are coming into the department in December. I'd be managing about 16 people in the mortgage department.

As always, I sent Papa W my dilemma while he gallivants around in Japan and he replied with, "Either choice is fine at this stage of your career."

The dilemma comes down to choosing one of the two:

(1) Be a junior real estate developer at the boutique firm where I'll get to be closely involved with all the work from start to finish. Excellent learning experience, yet lower pay and lack of benefits.

or

(2) Be a team leader at Bank of America. Make decent money with great benefits. Education would be very departmental.

Decisions, decisions.

2009-11-07T10:55:00.003-06:00

"You're still live at home???"

So, after a month of recording actual cashflow, I've come to conclude that I can afford my own apartment... again. And once again, I'm faced with the decision of moving out or residing in the nest. Decisions, decisions.

This time last year, I could've made a 20/80 down payment on a home, bought a nice yuppie car, and rolled through uptown clubs like a choochoo train. However, I didn't want the highlight of my mid-20s to be a liquor-soaked evening of striped shirt dive bars. There was an opportunity cost to consider.

I continue to receive a few off-handed remarks about living at home, especially at the ripe old age of 26. A man must move out and mark his own territory! Go pee in the bushes! Find your alpha!

I completely understand the notion; however, I think I played it right. Perhaps one of the most important lessons I learned from my father lies in the ability to forgo glamor. Do notice that everytime we do get something of glamor, it's motivated by a certain textile industrialist's daughter. Since all her pink collar friends drive a Lexus and get free coffee and car washes at the dealership, she wants one too. Nevermind the nice house or credit line. Anyway, I digress.

Life is good where I am. Work is 6 minutes away (just 4 traffic lights), my gym is one stop sign away, and I save on rent. I have all the amenities of a luxury apartment, steam shower, massage chair, tub, etc. Call me foolish, but I can leverage more in my life this way. I bit the bullet from May 06-July 08, and I saved quite a lot.

If I paid rent & utilities (say $800/month), multiply by 26 months of living at home, that's $20,800. Add a new car @ $18,000, and I saved about $38,800 after taxes.

"That's nice and all, but is that the price of your freedom?"

I'm sorry, but what'd you do last year? Maybe I'm missing something here, but living at home allowed me to live abroad for a year. Car payments, rent, cable, and utilities are all shackles that keep you nailed to the ground.

"You still live at home."

Yea... so I could get a master's degree, internship in London, live abroad for a year, see 10 countries and 17 cities, make friends internationally, and be recruited by BofA within a month of job searching (who btw offered full-time employment after our 5-month contracts are up).

So why am I staying here now? Because I'm saving up for something bigger than fast cars, drunk evenings, flashy apartments, and trendy clothes.

Quotations.

2009-10-29T14:32:00.002-05:00

"Only the man who does not need it is fit to inherit wealth -- the man who would make his own fortune no matter where he started. If an heir is equal to his money, it serves him; if not, it destroys him."

"The verdict you pronounce upon the source of your livelihood is the verdict you pronounce upon your life. If the source is corrupt, you have damned your own existence. Did you get your money by fraud? By pandering to men's vices or men's stupidity? By catering to fools, in the hope of getting more than your ability deserves? By lowering your standards? By doing work you despise for purchasers you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a moment's or a penny's worth of Joy. Then all things you buy will become, not a tribute to you, but a reproach, not an acheivement, but a reminder of shame."

"When I disagree with a rational man, I let reality be our final arbiter; if I am right, he will learn; if I am wrong, I will. One of us will win, but both of us will profit."

My Challenges

2009-10-28T01:43:00.004-05:00

Challenge #1: Get a job with hours during the day time.

Work initially was a mundane evening of ctrl-c and ctrl-v's. They hired a lot of people with real estate experience; however, maybe only 2-3 who actually know how to use excel to any degree beyond "=sum(xxx:xxx)". So for the first week, we were delegated tasks of transcribing account numbers from BPOs (aka, faux-appraisals) and pasting it onto an excel spreadsheet. It was stupid easy...any idiot could do it. In fact, I was somewhat insulted by the work, but any work is good right now, so I copied and pasted.

Until tonight, my job didn't revolve around anything more than copy and pasting. I dare say it was my evening to shine.

Anyhow, I won't go into detail. I translated numbers and my supervisor was happy with me. He mentioned he'd be passing along more of that kind of work to me as it comes along. Perhaps this will translate to a day shift job, but only God knows.

Challenge #2: Meet more people with common interests.

To be honest (as opposed to being normally deceiving? ha), I find it hard to meet people who are still naive enough to cling onto large ambitions. I'm getting older and the 2am business pacts that were formed on the curb of 4th/6th street no longer transpire. Many of my friends are just trying to enjoy life and the novelties they can afford.

It's all about the new electronic blah, the new Xbox blah, the new i-blah and the new i-blah blah 2. It's consumerism run-amok. If it's not consumerism, it's the continual worship of football. I've never really been into sports. Sure I enjoy watching a big game, but let's just say the only reason I browse espn.com is so I have something to say when I have nothing else to say. Sports is the biggest common denominator among guys, and honestly, I'd rather play Counterstrike, than watch the Mavs game. There. I said it.

I want to meet people I can talk 'shop' with, in the same way the rest of my compatriots can talk about fantasy football.

Challenge #3: Pass the Discipline Act of 2009.

My laptop once had the deliberate organization of a Zen garden. Everything had a place and everything was in harmony. Nowadays, it looks like Hiroshima. Defragging estimates push the 4 hour mark.

I'm declaring a holocaust of body fat. After gorging myself on BBQ and Chinese food upon returning stateside, I've put on about 9 pounds... and it aint muscle. I have a pooch that shivers on my metal belt buckle. I can either cheat by wear slimming black clothes like skinny asian girls, or I can practice what I preach and go to the gym.

It takes a village....

2009-10-18T10:09:00.001-05:00

but it starts with one limber man!

Three More Interesting Facts

2009-10-17T20:20:00.008-05:00

1) Over 40% of healthcare providers today are non-profit.
(Source: Non-profit Healthcare)

2) Health care providers cannot transfer policies across states due to government legislation.(Source: WSJ)

3) Health care insurance companies make profit margins of 3.3%
(Source: Seeking Alpha)

Why aren't the Tea Parties talking about these things? Instead they are intent on regurgitating annoying Glenn Beck. Anyway, these three facts tell us 3 important things.

1) The additional promotion of more non-profit cooperatives won't really improve competition by driving down costs. Non-profits already own a significant portion of the market share. Why?

Medicare pays on average 10% below the cost of the actual service. Since the hospital has to get that money somewhere to avoid going bankrupt, prices go up for those with private insurance.

Secondly, Americans are really unhealthy, and our obesity and overweight numbers are rising.

2) Government legislation that restricts insurance companies from working between states should end, otherwise we will continue to have 50 health care cartels that own their own inefficient monopolies. If Obama wants to encourage competition, let the insurance companies compete nationally. And btw-- the cross-state restriction is a leftist policy made by states who want to mandate lower costs.

3) At such a low profit margin, the industry really isn't making that much. For every $1.03 of service they provide, they get 3 pennies after all business expenses are paid.

Hired Limbo

2009-10-15T13:20:00.003-05:00

So after 2.5 weeks of annoyance... I've got a job. It's nothing glamorous. I'll be a part-time portfolio analyst for Bank of America as they staff up to drop all their toxic real estate assets. I'll be paid by the hour (taking a pay cut) and the hours are shit (Mon-Sat. 4:30pm-10pm). After all taxes and social justice handouts are deducted, I'll probably make the same as a person taking unemployment insurance each week.

This really makes me wonder if the unemployment insurance is such a good idea. Why am I working when I could be collecting unemployment? Why am I contributing to the economy while somebody out there is vegging about trying to 'find him/her self'? In my job search, I've found tons of jobs out there, but I think we don't apply for a lot of the jobs due to pride. I was ready to apply for a temping position to just get a little bit of cashflow coming in, until this job application came through.

Anyway, I'm coming down my soapbox. I still don't have a start date which is annoying. My friend told me that he had to wait a month after acceptance to begin working. Until then, I'll be applying to more jobs, attending more job fairs, and improving the knowledge base of my craft.

Travel Map...

2009-10-12T15:09:00.001-05:00

Presidential Honor

2009-10-11T10:41:00.005-05:00

Le Duc Tho, a north Vietnamese negotiator, who worked with Kissinger to end the Vietnam war, is actually the only person to decline the Nobel peace prize in the 108 year history. According to nobelprize.org (which I think is a reliable source on this matter), Le Duc Tho rejected the prize because no peace agreement had been established yet in Vietnam. Kissinger, after accepting the prize, tried to decline it when he realized that he was the schmuck who accepted something he hadn't earned yet.

When I was a kid, I mowed lawns in my neighborhood to make my spending money. One time, a client gave my dad the money in advance since he would be out for the weekend. It was really hot that weekend, and I had only mowed the front before I was completely exhausted. I asked my dad for the money in advance to go see a movie, but he said that I couldn't have it until I finished the job. This was my earliest lesson about getting what you earn.

Contrast Le Duc Tho with Obama who hasn't accomplished anything yet, and you see the difference in personal honor. I truly hate it when people take credit for things they didn't earn. It's a spectacle of phoniness. It's like a lazy trust fund kid who thinks that he has earned the wealth that he's inheriting, or the squandering degenerate who thinks he deserves a slice of the trust fund in the name of 'social justice'.

Liberals have told me that regardless of what Obama does, conservatives will still be against him. I didn't agree with his economic policies before but I still considered him a man worthy of respect. After this debacle, he goes on to enforce why we minorities have such a bad rep for taking things that we haven't earned. It's dishonorable, and he should have followed the lead of Le Duc Tho.

US Unemployment and the Golden Egg

2009-10-07T13:27:00.002-05:00

Around this time last year, I was pushing my conservative agenda with McCain. Although McCain was also a bit too inconsistent for me, he was on the right track when it came to helping the US. Today, I think he would've done a better job than Obama.

McCain wanted to lower the corporate tax rate, make permanent the capital gains cuts, and create an open market for healthcare providers to compete across states. These are all free-market solutions.

Lower corporate tax rates allow businesses more flexibility and make them more competitive internationally.
Lower capital gains tax (ie: stock investment returns, home sales, the death tax) all spur more investment and spending in the economy. Why? What do, we the people, do when they get more money? We... spend, deposit in a bank (which the banks use to loan), or we invest. Either way, it's helping the economy.
An open market for health care across the states will allow more competition that has been restricted by government regulation. The government doesn't allow cross-state insurance plans. Free-market solution will make these plans more competitive, thus driving down cost and increasing quality.

What do we get instead? We get Obama, who frankly is doing nothing significant to help the economy. Only 20% of the massive stimulus bill he passed has been used. They requisition all 787b this money which drives up inflation and weakens the dollar, but what has it done? It's been sitting outside the economy. It's not being used at all. That's putting a lot of capital on the side lines which reduces economic liquidity. How does that help the jobless rate?

I wrote the facebook post a year ago about how democrats are too focused on spending as opposed to creating golden eggs. Almost a year now, and this is proof of it. Obama is focused on how to choke the goose, and how to redistribute the golden eggs. What has he done to increase wealth production? Seriously, let's ask this question, because it's the economy stupid.

Lastly on my Obama rant, why is he still doing nothing about Afghanistan? The top general for the region says that he needs more troops to accomplish his mission. Bush was a tard and didn't send enough soldiers over there, so we saw more loss. After the 'surge' that McCain spearheaded, boom, we a more stable Iraq. Let's do this for Afghanistan and be done with it. But no, Obama is still thinking about it. When he finally comes to a decision, I'd like to read what it was that he was so busy deliberating.

More Metatas

2009-10-05T20:12:00.001-05:00

17 Resumes later, it's official...

2009-10-05T12:57:00.003-05:00

I've applied to every real estate analyst position in Texas.

Now I'm going to canvass NYC and see if I can pique the interest of the big dogs.

For once it feels nice to see these job requirements and actually fit the profile!

John Mackey's (Whole Foods Owner-CEO) WSJ Op-Ed

2009-10-04T09:38:00.003-05:00

The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare

I keep reading about these solutions which make sense. It isn't conservative fear mongering or liberal heart bleeding. No death panels, no hand picked horror story to guilt empathy. Solutions at places like Whole Foods and SafeWay are probably the best solutions out there; however, neither side of the aisle is doing a good job promoting it.

Night-o-Fun

2009-10-04T01:03:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I've had a solid night of fun. The last time it's been a late evening of fun has been in London with my Iberian buddies.

Tonight started out good. BBQ at my cousin's house with some really great steaks grilled by my older brother. While I still believe that the charcoal grill is superior to the gas grill, J somehow grilled it perfect. Combine that with vitamin beer and my dad's case of Samuel Adam's Oktoberfest, the dinner portion was off to a great start.

After dinner, we took off for our local Fox & Hound. A&M was getting served by Arkansas, so we got involved in a very heated game of darts. 501, 301, cricket, and perhaps the most exciting one, 3 person cutthroat. I get lots of anxiety when playing that game.

To finish off the evening, I went on a bowling spree with the cousin and cousin-in-law. While I never get triple digits, I got it for the first time. I should retire now while I'm ahead. Anyhow, 3 jack and cokes later, we pulled by a Wendy's for some comfort food before calling it an evening. This felt like college all over again. Three guys who haven't set foot on campus since 2005, relishing an evening of whiskey-soaked images of darts and bowling pins.

It's been a while, but it was fun. Three cheers to a good night out!

It's in the genes

2009-10-01T11:08:00.003-05:00

Although I never pursued anything resembling the craft of programming, I find myself really interested in it. I'm actually a bit obsessive compulsive over excel financial designs and I'm starting to learn VBA and Macros on my own. Why? Well, it would help in any investment situation.

Over the past week, I've been developing a single-family home investment tool in excel. It's beyond all the shallow conclusions that Robert Kiyosaki and Dolf de Roos proclaim in their get rich quick books. My intention was to apply commercial investment methodologies and apply them to the residential market.

Beginner Investor Scope:

Inputs Considered--

Home Price: $100,000
Rental Rate: $1,000/mo

Conclusions Drawn--

10% return! Good investment!

Intermediate investor:

Inputs Considered--

All the Previous
Insurance:
Mortgage:
Maintenance:
Tax:
HOA(If any):
Property Management:

Conclusions look like this--

Rent: $ 1150
6% IO Mortgage: $ (424)
Property Tax: $ (251)
Hazard Ins: $ (45)
Prop Mgr: $ (92)
CASH FLOW: $337/month!!

Advanced Investor Scope (not inclusive of everything though):

All the previous
Vacancy/Credit Loss
Sensitivity Ratios
Positive or Negative Gearing (Very important!)
Debt Service Cover
Net Present Value/Discounted Cashflow (to account for time value of money, cost of equity, and inflation, etc)
Internal Rate of Return (to understand the true returns for buy-hold-sell investment strategy)
Cash on Cash Return
Leveraged versus no leveraged return

Conclusions:

If positively leveraged then adding more debt will increase returns, if negatively leveraged than adding more debt will decrease returns. What's the threshold?
With the debt service cover ratios you can understand the upper limit loans you can take out on a property and this includes unrealized capital appreciation
NPV/DCF permit you to see how much your returns are really worth X number of years down the road.
IRR allows you to see how much your returns are which includes principal paid off (often not calculated by investors)
True yields.

Since my spreadsheet is still in draft form, I'm offering it free to anybody who wants to see how their current home would perform on the market or how their current investment is performing. My cashflow-IRR tab still needs to include transaction fees and needs some aesthetic improvements, but it'll give you a preliminary idea of a buy-hold 5 years-sell return.

Excel Google Document is HERE.

I welcome feedback as I want to build this up to be as beginner-friendly as possible. I don't like it when people throw out terms that nobody understands to boost their own ego. (Note: in my original excel sheet, I have definitions embedded in each category, but google docs has deleted that... boo!)

Part 1: Healthcare Factoids, not Fearmongering

2009-09-30T10:06:00.005-05:00

The left (D-Michigan, Debbie Stabenow) says that conservatives have been proven wrong. Medicare has not destroyed the american society and has not bankrupted America. However, if America is fine and those arguments have been proven false, then why do costs continue to rise?

Medicare was demonized from 1945 to 1965. LBJ put it into play. Opponents argued that medicare would be a fiscal blackhole. This has proven true. Medicare is predicted to go bankrupt if it does not receive more funding in 2017. (Source: HealthPA) Furthermore, we're having a healthcare debate because medicare (however not solely) has caused prices to rise.

Medicare pays set reduced rates for services. These services result in a financial loss for the hospital who makes up for it by charging higher rates to those who have private insurance. (Source: Washington Post)

This is the 'hidden' tax Obama tells us that we're already paying.

I know some people argue that it's because of the profit motive that prices have risen. While this makes sense, especially when there is incentive not to treat patients, there is data showing that 48% of insured americans are currently under non-profit programs. (Source: Alliance for Non-Profit Healthcare). Most programs out today are non-profit programs, however, hmmm, this doesn't prove that the profit motive isn't responsible for rising costs.

So what are the sources of rising costs?

Cost shifting from Medicare and Medicaid, as stated earlier.
Americans are getting heavier, therefore we are more prone to diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and various other illnesses and disabilities.
Defensive Medicine. Doctors have to cover their own tails, so they order extra procedures. It makes sense since one lawsuit will hit you really really hard on medical malpractice insurance.
Profit Motive. If insurance companies took lower profit margins, then prices would go down, however, lets take a look at the profit margins.
HMO - 3.8%
Life Insurance - 8.2%
Health Insurance - 5.5%
Property & Casualty - 8.3%
(Source: Paduda/Weiss Ratings)
So healthcare is making very low profit margins. 3.8% to 5.5%. Sure, they can cut their profits even lower or reduce salaries, but I think the effect is very minimal.
Melissa Gannon, Weiss VP, notes: "Although the industry has enjoyed an increase in revenues by raising premiums, insurers have also had to deal with the rising cost of medical care as a result of more open networks, an aging population, expensive medical advances, and an inefficient healthcare system.

Part 2: Conservative Economic Solutions that don't involve misinformation or religion.

Primer Prompt

2009-09-29T22:22:00.002-05:00

"Why do you value your failures more than your successes?"
"Successes only last until someone screws them up. Failures are forever."

Maybe it's our failures that make our fate. House's comment made me wonder, if I failed, would Big be there to catch me when I fall? Or would he just screw me? ^_^

All kidding aside, the season premiere of House was 5 out of 5 for me. Unlike a lot of dramas, it doesn't let you off the hook with cheap shortcuts or divine intervention. I don't want to spoil anything, but do watch this episode ASAFP. It's episodes like this that redeem psychology-major screenplay writers.

The Best Pep Talk!

2009-09-24T21:00:00.003-05:00

Lance Armstrong: Could I get a bottle of water. - - Hey, aren't you Peter La Fleur?
Peter La Fleur: Lance Armstrong!

Lance Armstrong: Yeah, that's me. But I'm a big fan of yours.
Peter La Fleur: Really?

Lance Armstrong: Yeah, I've been watching the dodgeball tournament on the Ocho. ESPN 8. I just can't get enough of it. But, good luck in the tournament. I'm really pulling for you against those jerks from Globo Gym. I think you better hurry up or you're gonna be late.
Peter La Fleur: Uh, actually I decided to quit... Lance.

Lance Armstrong: Quit? You know, once I was thinking about quitting when I was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer, all at the same time. But with the love and support of my friends and family, I got back on the bike and I won the Tour de France five times in a row. But I'm sure you have a good reason to quit. So what are you dying from that's keeping you from the finals?

Peter La Fleur: ....right now it feels a little bit like... shame.

Lance Armstrong: Well, I guess if a person never quit when the going got tough, they wouldn't have anything to regret for the rest of their life. But good luck to you Peter. I'm sure this decision won't haunt you forever.

SPAM

2009-09-24T10:09:00.002-05:00

I get lots of it. Once you register as a Realtor, your email gets flooded with spam from residential developers and certification gurus who all want to give you something for free or at a great deal of $blahblah.99! I'm going to see if unsubscribing from all these mailing lists will work. Beginning today, September 24, I will click on the 'unsubscribe me' option at the bottom of the list of every email and track my progress on spam reduction. Normally, I just tag the file as spam on gmail, but this isn't producing any results.

A Critical Conservative Dissent...?

2009-09-23T21:06:00.005-05:00

You see all those videos lambasting tea parties across America showcasing the ignorance of several participants. These videos are taking a small sample of 5-8 people and selecting the yahoos and using it to represent the rest of the protestors. I dare say that this kind of news reporting runs on the same vein as Glen Beck. It's pathetic and it's like playing full court basketball against kids with down-syndrome. Let's challenge the issues, not just the handicapped out there, shall we? Today, I want to examine the claims of socialist OBAMACAREEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Socialism -- refers to various theories of economic organisation advocating public or direct worker ownership and administration of the means of production and allocation of resources, and a society characterised by equal access to resources for all individuals with an egalitarian method of compensation. (Source: Wikipedia)

This is a wordy definition so I'll break it out in easier terms. It means the public (government) or worker (employee) ownership of economic organization (businesses). It also means that the government or employee has control of where that production gets allocated. Lastly, it means that everybody should get equal access to what is produced regardless of social class. So when you have people saying that Obamacare is socialism, they're actually not far from the definition of socialism.

The proposed public option is a government-run health care business. It's government/public ownership and administration of health care (which are economic goods & services) that will be allocated (given) to anybody who wants it regardless of social class or capacity to afford it (egalitarian).

Am I wrong here? Does that not fit the definition of socialism? Maybe wikipedia is wrong? This looks like it nails it right on the nose. Is there room for interpretation here?

Lots of liberals want to call this bill capitalistic since it encourages competition, but free market capitalism requires ownership to be private and production allocation to be discriminatory to those who can afford it. Free market capitalism also requires no government advantages.

Ever since the government intervened in the 40s and 50s and made health care insurance tax-free to employers, that paved to way to employer-based health care. Why? Well, it's a tax deduction! Employer-based health care has a tax shield that gives it a financial competitive advantage, hence why the private health care market is marginalized.

Vindictive Vindication

2009-09-17T12:01:00.004-05:00

Michael Jordan was arguably the best basketball player of all time. He was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame for his prowess on the basketball court. While most people were expecting a positive speech where he'd thank his coaches, fellow basketball players, and family, they got the exact opposite. He was getting even. Jordan touched on something I learned a long time ago in high school.

"You motivated me not through love but because you challenged me. You put another log on the fire." - Jordan

Many people are motivated by many things, and in this respect, I can relate to Jordan. My first taste of sweet revenge was on the game board. I enjoyed playing a World War II game called Axis & Allies. A classmate of mine brought the game to school and we played before classes began, during lunch, and after school. He was determined that he would outplay me, and many times over, he'd tell me he was going to crush me. For those that knows me, I remember. Not because I'm petty, but because I know it's another log in the fire.

When I go for a run, the extra mile doesn't isn't compelled by the fuel of love and benevolence. It's out of competitive spirit. It's out of the same thing Jordan said. It's because of those who doubted my resolve, my promise, my ability to succeed. Many of Jordan's commentators stated that his speech was petty. It was vindictive in what should've been a benevolent speech. Listening to them makes me wonder how many of them are at the top of their field? Do they actually know the motivate fuel it takes to get on top? Or are they just the majority of mediocrity that gets their kicks from shit slinging on the sidelines?

While I'm no higher echelon of accomplishment or success, I can relate to what Jordan goes through.

I know how powerfully motivating it is to be rejected and doubted. To turn the negativity of disappointment into one's greatest strength.

I know how a desperate rage creates combustion better Christmas morning.

I also know how that combustion is difficult to sustain when you've won. How you cannot thrive unless you constantly have enemies nipping you at the heels.

And perhaps most important, I know how you become a sycophant to the plebs' acknowledgment of your 'success'. How you mortgage your self-worth onto the subjective scales of the general populace.

Success at what cost? All this for what?

To be inducted into the hall of fame. To become a 6 time NBA champion. To become a 6 time Finals MVP. To become a multi-millionaire. To become a Hollywood celebrity. To have a model of shoes named after you. To earn two olympic gold medals. To own his own steakhouse in NYC.

But these are just things and boy scout badges, no?

The real worth of a human being is not so much how good he is at his craft, but how much water he can carry for those who can only drink it.

Two Steps Back

2009-09-05T09:36:00.003-05:00

"how is life on the better side of the pond???? you miss London at all?"

What a question... Life is good over here. I get to eat good food on a daily basis, I have a bed that doesn't attempt to dislodge my 5th & 6th vertebrae, and I can casually lock my bike without fear of theft. Very close to my parent's house, I have a fully loaded gym where I can reclaim a year of lost strength training and perhaps most importantly, I can sing track #3 in my car at the top of my lungs without fear of retaliation. As I said, life is good.

Concerning London, I would be remiss to say that I don't miss that riparian metropolis. I think I just needed some time back home to recharge. I liked the fact that I could hop onto one of the buses full of degenerates and stroll the downtown streets of antiquity within 20 minutes. I like the fact that I know every landmark scene that the movies use from London. I miss walking the span of the millennium bridge. I miss seeing the hubris of St. Paul's cathedral as it contests with the gods for reverence. I miss absorbing vitamin D (and P!) with friends at Clissold park or gallivanting the wayward streets in search of a good pub to spend our money. I also miss having my own place, my own leasehold, my own terms.

But for once, I can say that I've had no regrets in London. I've lived and breathed a foreign country for a year, and I've come to love the US that much more for it. I've come back to a place where citizens acknowledge that it is their civic duty to question and challenge their leaders. I'm back in a place where wealth and entrepreneurial zest are admirable, not castigated and viewed as a source of tax revenue. I'm back in the first modern republic.

I will go back to London, but not yet!

Cash for Clunkers Fallacy

2009-09-01T01:16:00.002-05:00

I came upon an interesting little fallacy that fits the cash for clunkers stimulus. It's also known as the broken window fallacy.

Say a shopkeeper's son breaks the shop windows.
The shopkeeper who originally saved the money to purchase wares pays the brazier $100 instead to fix it.
The brazier thanks the shopkeeper's son and repairs the window for $100.
The brazier's business benefits in capital while the shopkeeper's loses capital.

Is destruction good for business? Some would say yes! Of course, the brazier just made a hundy!

However, this doesn't sit right with us though. If this were true, then we should be thanking an assailant for putting me in the hospital. I mean, if I go to the ER, tons of people in the hospital get paid! This is good for the economy, no? Heck, let's thank the serial rapist because psychologists get at least a year's worth of visits to help the victim work through the psychosis.

I used rather dramatic examples but they all share the same common denominator. It's the destruction of something or somebody for the benefit of others.

Let's consider cash for clunkers.

The government gives us a cash credit so that they can 'recycle' the clunkers. Recycle is misleading since the engine and drive train for the clunkers must be destroyed (source: CNN's Time). Essentially, the government gives us $3,500-4,500, to destroy a working (albiet inefficient) asset. This stimulates the automobile sector of the economy, just like how window breakers stimulate the brazier's business, the rapist stimulates the psychology business.

The difference is that the government is giving us money to help pay for the new car, the new glass window, and the shrink sessions. Let's break it out simpler:

Government gives you $3,500-$4,500 to have 60% of your car's value destroyed.
You 'trade in' your car and have it 'recycled'.
You buy a new gas efficient car with the credit.
Car companies thank you for the patronage. Their business flourishes.

But I got a new car out of it! Where do you think the government got the $3,500-4,500? They either got it from taxes, or they sold bonds to other countries -- most likely the latter. Basically, the government took a car loan out for you to destroy your own car so you could buy a better one.

Could you have put that $3,500-4,500 plus whatever else you paid on the new car to a better use? Perhaps invested in a business/education/certifications?

Basically, the government wanted to pour funds into the automobile industry. It's a zero-sum game. Wealth just got redistributed to the automobile industry. Same as the shopkeeper with the broken window. The money went back to Americans.

Lastly, I introduce opportunity cost and the creation of wealth.

The shopkeeper, the rape victim, and the American who 'recycled' his car all could've spent that money somewhere else. Education is probably the best since this leads to innovation, which creates new wealth (ie: RCA, Bell labs, other R&D). Those three people could've invested it into a business which could generate new wealth and taken market share from other countries (Ie: Apple, Google, etc). Essentially, the government wanted to funnel money into the American car industry which demands more pay than the Japanese and produces an inferior product. Thank you Obama.