“Most debt and credit books on the market today talk about how to cure debt by curbing your spending and ‘cutting out fat’.  They make you think that it is something you did that created the wild debt problem.” (pg. 218)

That’s an interesting perspective.  Never-mind your wild spending habits, because the credit card companies are out to get you.  It’s not your fault at all.  Granted there are people out there who have had some kind of trouble with a job loss or medical problems where their credit soars, but that’s not the majority and people are ultimately responsible for what happens to themselves.  You are the gate keeper to your life and your money.  It is absolutely misleading for Trudeau to say imply that you are not responsible for your debt and all the other books are wrong.

It’s not that I don’t think credit companies haven’t done shady things, but only you can protect your money.  Debt cures should be about learning to manage your assets.  Not everybody is in serious debt (mortgages and cars excepted), so they must have learned to control their spending and consciously chose what they want to buy.  Trudeau also refers to the movie Maxed Out numerous times.  While the movie is rather good, I think he abuses the stories in the film to make his case.

I will write more on the book once I have completed it.  It’s not a total piece of trash, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.

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http://reason.tv/video/show/590.html

 

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Enter Scott Adams. Don’t know him? Perhaps you know him better by what he does. He’s a cartoonist. He draws Dilbert.

But besides being a hilariously funny guy, he’s got some great ideas from time to time on how to make our country better. His newest ideas is about how to tax the rich.

What if the government could give something of value to the rich in return for paying higher taxes? It would have to be something that didn’t cost the government or its citizens any real money. How about extra rights?

I smell a deal.

For example, let’s say the super rich are granted the right to use the carpool lane even if no one else is in the car. They’d need special stickers on their cars so they didn’t get pulled over. It wouldn’t clog the car pool lane because there are so few super rich people, and half of them have chauffeurs, so they use the carpool lane already. Society wouldn’t notice the difference.

Let’s also say the super rich are exempt from jury duty. Realistically, they probably get out of serving now if they want, but it saves them the hassle of making up an excuse. Throw that extra right on the list. No one would notice.

Maybe we could also let the super rich name new streets and government buildings. They could name them after themselves, or use it as an opportunity for revenge, e.g. Carlisaputz Avenue. It wouldn’t cost the poor anything, and it might make life more interesting.

Read the rest of the article here.

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Have you ever wondered where the pictures on your $20 bill came from? A fellow 9rules member posted an interesting look at the original portraits that were used in the design of U.S. currency. It’s worth a read.

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Large people also get to see more of the movie/play/concert than the rest of us who are paying the same price. All I see is a huge head. And don’t get me started about how they absorb too much of the bass vibrations.

Click here to read the entire article yourself.

Parker spokesman Chris Weatherhead said: “The new electronic Monopoly reflects the changing nature of society and the advancement of technology.” Although I love the colored play money that is such an icon of Monopoly, I think the younger generation that begins to play this “debit-only” version of Monopoly will be introduced at an early age to the way we actually use money. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I carried more than $3 of cash in my wallet. I can’t wait for the version that allows you to save for retirement using a Roth IRA account!

If, however, you find yourself on the losing side of monopoly there’s still hope. There’s a list of tips on how to win monopoly at About.com that may help you the next time you find yourself stuck in the slums of Mediterranean Avenue with no hope of ever reaching the glamour of Boardwalk.