[This is a joint operation with www.ustransitauthority.blogspot.com to educate and reduce commutes.]
I looked back on the jobs I have had, and found that one of the factors making a job most enjoyable was a short commute. The quality, workmates, content, and pay scale of the job were also factors, but the commute played a part of many of these, since commuting is technically part of working, unless your commute is zero.
A long commute will actually *reduce* your effective salary. Assuming you produce 40 hours a week on the job for 50 weeks a year, every half hour of your daily commute will add 250 hours to your work. This reduces your hourly wage by 1/8, if you work 2000 hours a year. An hour long commute reduces your salary by 25%.
Furthermore your commute is not free. Assuming that you drive and get good mileage and fuel prices remain stable, you are also paying ~$5 per half hour of your daily commute. This becomes $1250 per year per half hour of your commute. If you are commuting 2 hours to work every day, you have increased your work year from 2000 hours to 3000 hours [taking a 33% pay cut] and you also will pay $5000 in fuel expenses, add maintenance and wear. Is that job worth your time and money? They would have to pay you substantially above-market rates to make it equally worth your while to commute.
You could take a lower paying job closer to home, or move closer to your job, if it is worth the time commuting. Please consider this when choosing employment, transportation, and residence. You will help improve your quality of life and the freetime you have to enjoy it more, and you will help save the planet and help the community.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
College Books and Excessive Profit
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-collegebooks2506nov25,0,954603.story
College textbooks are the ultimate monopoly market. Often the college bookstore is the only source for the book, which is often 100% required to pass. This can elevate the cost to 'anything not suspicious'.
This is not legitimate. It contains criminal business practices, and at the very least needs to be changed. So here we are at the crossroads.
Anything that is aggressively profitable is, well, unfortunately wrong. If you're making 500% profit on something and it is turning into quite an uneven amount of leftover cash, you are cheating someone. Not maybe cheating, not making a killing, you are doing something wrong.
Unless your customers are not suffering from paying the cost. In that case, it doesn't seem to matter, except for being peculiar. But if you're charging students $400 or $500 per semester for books, and you produce these books for pulp, and could sell them for half their price, and the students are suffering, you are profiting from their suffering, which is bogus.
This practice is anti-community, anti-commerce, and detestable. It should stop.
College textbooks are the ultimate monopoly market. Often the college bookstore is the only source for the book, which is often 100% required to pass. This can elevate the cost to 'anything not suspicious'.
This is not legitimate. It contains criminal business practices, and at the very least needs to be changed. So here we are at the crossroads.
Anything that is aggressively profitable is, well, unfortunately wrong. If you're making 500% profit on something and it is turning into quite an uneven amount of leftover cash, you are cheating someone. Not maybe cheating, not making a killing, you are doing something wrong.
Unless your customers are not suffering from paying the cost. In that case, it doesn't seem to matter, except for being peculiar. But if you're charging students $400 or $500 per semester for books, and you produce these books for pulp, and could sell them for half their price, and the students are suffering, you are profiting from their suffering, which is bogus.
This practice is anti-community, anti-commerce, and detestable. It should stop.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Dominus Vitae
People vs Nations
If you own 66% of the world's resources, along with it comes the responsibility of those who rely on those resources for survival. Aggressive economics can be lethal otherwise, which is in the jurisdiction of the law.
This is the basis of state formation. If massive investment groups want to form commerce nations, then they will be allowed to, but they must operate in line with UN charters or they will be acted upon.
In the same way, building a national fence is unethical if you place a plurality of vital resources on one side only. In the way governments claim imminent domain, human populations may be able to claim dominus vitae on resources or other controlling elements.
Oil -> work
Drugs -> God
Sex -> love
Do not let the medium get in the way of the message.
If owning that much stuff gets in the way of your duty to others, you should not have it.
When economics and ecology clash, there will be death. This is potentially one of the laws of economics, or one of the consequences of environment.
Who do we represent? We are God's people, here to represent God.
Do not let the medium get in the way of the message.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Money is Also From God
Money represents things. It is the earth, a bushel of wheat, a field of oil. Having money is like having an unsubstantiated or undefined deed. It does not give you tyranny over the item. It gives you responsibility and authority over the item.
Money, too, is from God, as is the water and land and your time and life. It is to be used responsibly. Someone who makes a monopoly using money is a criminal just as someone who makes a monopoly using land or other resources.
If the Federal Reserve commits a monetary monpoly, they will deserve antitrust charges in the name of the people.
Money, too, is from God, as is the water and land and your time and life. It is to be used responsibly. Someone who makes a monopoly using money is a criminal just as someone who makes a monopoly using land or other resources.
If the Federal Reserve commits a monetary monpoly, they will deserve antitrust charges in the name of the people.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Black Gold Beans
Observe this movie about 3rd world - 1st world dominance in trade. If these 3rd world countries had a way to generate energy cheaply, they would not need to trade for such a pittance, and could engineer their economy more 'fruitfully'. This could give the 1st world less beneficial resource deals, though. This is economic terrorism.
Making coffee farming profitable is a good way to get more real trading partners and fewer impoverished slave-nations. The ideal is no impoverished slave-nations, and this is possible with free energy. This cannot condone 1st-3rd slavery. It is a crime that the 1st world enforces. It would be better to pay them reasonable wage for their beans than to break their knees into economic weakness.
Making coffee farming profitable is a good way to get more real trading partners and fewer impoverished slave-nations. The ideal is no impoverished slave-nations, and this is possible with free energy. This cannot condone 1st-3rd slavery. It is a crime that the 1st world enforces. It would be better to pay them reasonable wage for their beans than to break their knees into economic weakness.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Bare Cost of Living and Federal Minimum Wage
The 1968 minimum wage was equal to $9.33 [2006]. The cost of living in 1968 was also lesser in 2006 dollars. This would make even the least able person capable of making a suitable living wage! We did beat the Soviets' communism in that sense, and tenable welfare and other tax-provided public services can fill the gaps inbetween. But we lost to the lowest bidder when our state became unable to do this by allowing megaprivatization, corporatization, lagging out the minimum wage, and unbalancing the economy that is now threatening our Constituional framework and producing a poor lifestyle for millions in America and exploiting those around the world.
http://www.letjusticeroll.org/stateminimumwagechart.html
This chart shows the state minimum wages. The federal government recently did not pass a law that would make the minimum wage $7.50.
Monthly: hi low
Car insurance 78 78
Gasoline 200 100
Car care 150 50
Rents 500 300
Foods 400 300
Repayments 300 200
Stuff 200 22
Savings 200 50
Tax/Junk-15 305 165
---------------------------------------
M-Total 2334 1265
Annual 28000 15144
Weekly Pre- Tax Income
538 291
Hourly Wage $14.00 $7.57
[2000hrs]
This is a rough estimation of the basic living needs of the average human being working in America. If they begin debt free, they can work easily and use $2400-3600 less per year, which would turn into $1.20-1.80 less per hour, changing the debtless basic plan to $6.37/hour. Car insurance for many states and drivers is higher than $78 per month. Savings selections may vary. Rent indicates shared inexpensive rented dwelling. Food may cost more than $400 per person per month. The Red Cross affords something like $75 weekly for a person for food. Purchase of 'stuff' assumes no 'major' spending events, like buying a leather jacket or new computer, or only every few months. Assume no health insurance, or job-only payers, or add it on top at ~60 biweekly, turning into +~$.75 hourly. The tax is also somewhat low and does not include state tax.
The state minimum wage in:
Massachusetts is $6.75. In January, 2007 it will become $7.50 FAIRish
Connecticut is $7.40. In 2007 it will become $7.65 FAIR
California has $6.75. In 2007 it will become $7.50 In 2008 it will become $8.00. Okay
New Hampshire: Federal Rate $5.15. POOR.
New York State is $6.75. It will become $7.15 in 2007. NOT-OK
Rhode Island is $7.10, which becomes $7.40 in 2007.
Vermont has $7.25, which is adjusted for inflation annually! KIND OF FAIR
Washingont State had $7.63, which is the highest minimum income state, which is adjusted for inflation annually. Only Washington state truly meets the living minimum figured here.
http://www.letjusticeroll.org/stateminimumwagechart.html
This chart shows the state minimum wages. The federal government recently did not pass a law that would make the minimum wage $7.50.
Monthly: hi low
Car insurance 78 78
Gasoline 200 100
Car care 150 50
Rents 500 300
Foods 400 300
Repayments 300 200
Stuff 200 22
Savings 200 50
Tax/Junk-15 305 165
---------------------------------------
M-Total 2334 1265
Annual 28000 15144
Weekly Pre- Tax Income
538 291
Hourly Wage $14.00 $7.57
[2000hrs]
This is a rough estimation of the basic living needs of the average human being working in America. If they begin debt free, they can work easily and use $2400-3600 less per year, which would turn into $1.20-1.80 less per hour, changing the debtless basic plan to $6.37/hour. Car insurance for many states and drivers is higher than $78 per month. Savings selections may vary. Rent indicates shared inexpensive rented dwelling. Food may cost more than $400 per person per month. The Red Cross affords something like $75 weekly for a person for food. Purchase of 'stuff' assumes no 'major' spending events, like buying a leather jacket or new computer, or only every few months. Assume no health insurance, or job-only payers, or add it on top at ~60 biweekly, turning into +~$.75 hourly. The tax is also somewhat low and does not include state tax.
The state minimum wage in:
Massachusetts is $6.75. In January, 2007 it will become $7.50 FAIRish
Connecticut is $7.40. In 2007 it will become $7.65 FAIR
California has $6.75. In 2007 it will become $7.50 In 2008 it will become $8.00. Okay
New Hampshire: Federal Rate $5.15. POOR.
New York State is $6.75. It will become $7.15 in 2007. NOT-OK
Rhode Island is $7.10, which becomes $7.40 in 2007.
Vermont has $7.25, which is adjusted for inflation annually! KIND OF FAIR
Washingont State had $7.63, which is the highest minimum income state, which is adjusted for inflation annually. Only Washington state truly meets the living minimum figured here.
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