Getting it right on Politics, Economics, and Personal Finance: October 2022

Getting it Right - Welcome

The goal of this blog is to publish my thoughts on a variety of economic and political topics in the hopes that people who find them educational or beneficial will utilize them and/or forward to others who might find them interesting and/or worthwhile to promote to others, possibly including politicians who can push some of these ideas to fruition. The topics in my blog are meant to be of value on a long term basis, not a daily diary or political issue of the day log. If the information posted is useful to you, by all means utilize it and/or forward it as you see fit. If not useful, then merely ignore it. There are no universally agreed upon truisms and too little tolerance between some of those with opposing viewpoints to successfully convince the people with hardened opinions to move away from them. I am an analytical type person who will try to be as factual as I am able.
I disdain the current popularity of name calling and condemnation of viewpoints with no factual alternatives or logical solutions given that I see so often. If you don't have a solution based on fact and logic, then opt out of the discussion because you have nothing to contribute. My background is a degree in Economics from the University of Michigan and 39 years working in middle management jobs for a major retailer. My opinions are forged on the personal experence of life, family, friends, and work as well as triumphs and mistakes that I have made and hopefully learned from. My hope is that this blog helps you.
My first topic will be about personal finance. I chose that one first because most of us work long and hard just to survive but not all of us realize our dreams of becoming financially independent from the labors of our work. Much of our political votes/thinking also focus on the economy and in particular how well we are personally doing financially.
It is relatively simple, without sacrificing the enjoyment of living for 'today' and even at moderate incomes, to retire as a millionaire or multi-millionaire, if you focus on that goal consistently from a young age. It is also simple to ensure that your child or grandchild retires rich. It merely requires a one time gift of just $2,000 invested wisely and the passage of time. Please read my first post on this blog to learn more.

Sunday, October 30, 2022

How many ancestors do you have?

We tend to think of ourselves by our surname. For example I am a Puma. However, only one of my two parents was a Puma, only one of my four grandparents was a Puma, only 1 of my 8 great grandparents was a Puma, etc. Every generation I go back, doubles the number of my ancestors, but the number of Puma's remains only 1 for each generation back. If I go back 10 generations, then I have 4,094 total ancestors of which only 10 were a Puma.

The other interesting factor is that going back in time a few thousand years, would produce billions of ancestors or many more people that lived on Earth at that time. How is that possible? It's called Pedigree Collapse. No matter what your surname, we share many of the same ancestors as it was not unusual for related people such as second cousins with the same ancestors to marry in the past. More on this in the following article: https://namecensus.com/blog/how-many-ancestors-do-you-have/

Sunday, October 23, 2022

What I don't like about cell phones

What I don't like about cell phones:

1. Two of my cars were hit and totaled in 15 months by people driving while on cell phones going through red lights that had been red for quite a while. Both times my wife suffered pain for weeks.
2. Fact - Cell phone drivers are 6 times more likely to cause an accident than drunk drivers.
3. It is faster and easier to communicate to someone by calling them rather than texting them. Don't want to hear that annoying "ding" by others texting the cell phone. Use emails instead!!
4. Phone screens at movie theatres are very distracting when trying to watch a movie. How rude and selfish!!
5. People in a group together are using their cell phones to communicate with others not in the group or just look up stuff when instead of talking to each other. How rude!!
6. More and more, can no longer use computers to sign up for entertainment shows and bring a paper receipt to get into the show; must instead use an app on a cell phone. You now lost me as a customer.
7. Can't call for a ride with a regular phone; must use a cell phone that is connected to the internet.
8. Hate photos and videos taken by cell phones that have huge left and right black margins much bigger than the picture itself. Should be all picture with no margins!!

Friday, October 21, 2022

How can the human race be so smart and so stupid at the same time?

We live in a world of technological wonders unimaginable to our ancestors that we just take for granted and shouldn't. We have cars, trains, planes, motorized ships, boats, and submarines. Also, land line phones, cell phones, TV, radio, cameras, music players, CDs, DVDs, computers, the Internet. Plus heated and air conditioned homes, electricity, electric and gas appliances including ovens and cooktops, microwave ovens, artificial lighting, safe hot and cold water on demand, working tubs, sinks, showers, and toilets connected to effective sewer systems. Modern farming that provides us with an amazing amount of food. Our medical advancements are remarkable compared to our ancestors.

In other words, we have the capability to live in a human paradise, but we don't because we still have wars, crimes, and dictatorships that brutally suppress our freedoms. Again, how can we be so smart and so stupid at the same time?