Weaken the Dollar

While riding around in Los Angeles trying to find an un-metered curb, it quickly becomes apparent that, today, nothing is free. We are charged and we charge others for every little thing we do and have done, everyone is just money, money, money; every American is turned to money grubbing to survive. Without money, our society stops but money shouldn't be the be all, end all of the world.

I remember, in the not too distant past, when something needed to be done in the neighborhood, one or two or more people would come help out. At the end of the job, maybe money would be offered but it was usually declined and instead the helping parties received a dinner invitation or some other small token of gratitude. Today, when favors are done, money is not only expected but it's a great likelihood that it will be accepted; albeit graciously.

In this day and age, no one is willing to provide any services without money first (which, in advertising sources and talent agencies, for example, seems backwards) and almost everyone wants to lock you into something for at least one year, thus ensuring 12 months of your money...GUARANTEED!

Money is a great incentive to do things but it's become our number one, it's become pretty much ALL we work towards. Life shouldn't be about money or stuff or where you get in your career; it should be about people, your family, and the simple things.

It's not a goal of the mainstream public; perhaps it's a goal of no one...but it's my goal. We need to get the importance off money and onto things that really matter.

You Don't Have to Go to College

College makes sense, in fact, it's almost stupid not to go; in today's society, college is almost required to do anything worthwhile (that you don't start yourself; i.e. business). We are at the point where a Bachelor's is like a high school diploma and maybe that's progress; we are more educated so perhaps more education is needed for those who want to go higher.

Now here's the problem; why is it thousands of dollars a semester? If school is so important than why have we only made it accessible to those with money lying around or those gutsy enough to take out a loan and risk having that debt hang over their head for years.

We all need money to operate, no one can deny that in today's America but there has to be some way to make college a more affordable option, especially if it is so important.

I am lucky, my father, an uneducated, once immigrant to this country, founded a business chain which continues to grow and go on strong; not going to college is an acceptable option because I have a fall back waiting there for my Americanized mind (in a world of immigrants and improper English), but what about those who don't have it so lucky? Are they just out of luck?

Those who don't have money merely have to watch those with money gain success as they sit and recalculate their finances a third time trying to scrounge enough money to take a class at a community college. God forbid they feel suicidal but don't really want to die; hospital will take that remainder money and then you won't even be able to afford to kill yourself.

You Can't Afford to Be Crazy

On April 16th, 2009; I checked myself into Henry Mayo because I was suicidal at the time for reasons which now seem juvenile but I didn't think that at the time, I just went to save my life that night.

I stayed at the Behavioral Health Unit at Henry Mayo for three days, a standard psychological hold, and, while everything wasn't 'fixed' by being there, I did feel marginally better when I left.

Health insurance is a beautiful thing, they payed most of my bill but that hospital felt the need to prod me continuously for a final thousand dollars (after being paid by my insurance over $15,000). Eventually, this balance was sent to collections where my heartfelt pleas about the nonsense of overcharging the insane fell on deaf ears. How is it that we live in a world where we have to pay to be crazy? Through no fault of your own, you're crazy...so now you gotta pay!

Business is business but people are also business; business makes people it's business...or at least that's the only kind of business I know how to operate, lest I have no customers.

Look at the world around us; free is a commodity that you don't see anymore. No one does anything for pure pride and accomplishment; it's only about money. Our whole world is just about money; not people, not art; green worthless pieces of paper that we give so much power and even love.

It's not our fault, we live in a world where you can't even stay home without money...everything costs money so, as a result, we all become money grubbing just so we can live in the world we've created.

We have to find a way to bring back the simplest of things; leave these do nothing politics behind and just go back to caring about your neighbor and just being good people. With each passing year, we get farther and farther away from the closeness that makes us strong, lest we only be a collection of States of America.