Credit Card Debt by State

I don't know about you but I don't like debt and as I get older I like it less. There are lots of friends and people out there who have 10 and 20K in credit card debt, own little of their home and owe significantly on their cars. While some of that such as home and car debt are normal the credit card debt should be paid off in short order. Ideally, it should be paid off every month because the interest you save could be used for making your house nicer which raises its value (..one thing to do with it. There are others.)

Like many of you, I was not born with a silver spoon in my life and have had to deal with all the unfairness of life. Yes, there are unfairness and there are those who encourage that unfairness. So, I come from the school of hardknocks and have built my way to where I am now (wherever that is. :). My best advice is to minimize your debt as much as possible. 

One thing I have done is everytime I make a purchase on my credit card, which provides protections that my debit card doesn't, is that I add a little extra. For example, I put $100 on my CC then I might pay $120 that night when I get home. (I'm not sure the bank likes but I shouldn't have to work for them so I try and pay of my debts as best I can.). 

A few things....

1.) Put extra down.

2.) Keep balance low.

3.) Ask yourself it truly adds value to your life and is worth the purchase.

4.) Are you putting away enough for assets and retirement.

5.) Don't care what your high debt friends are buying and just do your own thing.

In the chart it looks like Michigan is about average, California higher.

Source: virtual capitalist

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Dehumanization and Judges Responsibility to Correct

Cheating poeple isn't something new. It is the world we have dealt with in the past and we are going to deal with it in the future. Nor is this a discussion on DEI as it is one framework (there are others) for trying to reverse poor decision making by people who do not see us all as having value or of equal capacity. It is a discussion on the basic purposes and rights of the law and whether or not such laws should fit within our national beliefs or should be derailed by fondness for extremism, hate, clannism, partisanship and/or corruption. 

Before you get excited I'm 100% for good officials, officers and judges but unlike some, hopefully a minority of, our decision makers and leaders know full well there are bad actors out there (in any institution and organization on the planet) and the risks of limited practical protections for victims and whistle blowers. The same lack or protections can be said for those who were correct in their concerns but there was a failure to correct intentionally biased decisions. 

(In the hypothetical example for learning purposes only one minority, and others who were not minorites, reported crimes and instead of investigating corrupted officials/clan associates targeted and tried to silence with hate based rumors, aggression/violence, violations of civil/human rights. That retaliatory behavior continued despite the volumn of people and evidence that came forward. It was a type of defiance by tainted officials against sacred national oaths of liberty and justice for all. Remember its an example so don't get excited.)

Some of us are so conservative we believe God doesn't make mistakes and it is man's folly to mistreat people simply because they don't blindly adhere to a particular unverified logic. It is also poor values to swear oaths to something and then not uphold those oaths when it is necessary. Our behaviors are something we will be called to account for by our Maker if we do not believe in or enforce or professed values in our lifetimes (Remember that our democracy also rests in part on a higher moral order to teach judges and decision makers that they should strive for the highest standards they can. i..e. "In God We trust").

Others of us might believe that the laws should be used to enhance certain races, religions, political ideologies, etc. at the expense of others (We have also seen in history what happens when such individuals, groups, or others get the upper hand in institutions. Reversing poor decisions help us limit their corrosive power on democracy and trust of institutions. That power to avoid the darker side of outcomes is illustrated as waining in this example due lack of commitment.) Where we currently exist is somewhere in the middle and the battle over human freedom and extremism is an ongoing one. 

It not what we should be and it should not be what we strive for. The long-term outcome is good but we are likely going to move through a period where there is a level of more honest discussion to create clarity of purpose brought forward. We should always strive to be a free people with laws and rules that treat us all fairly. Dehumanization in this example can lead to greater things when we actively reject the narrative that some Americans are first class and some second class.

Such examples help us formalize what poor behaviors, unAmerican values, and breakdown in moral order looks like on a practical level.We have examples like this to teach people about hate and where our most truest compass should point. It is encouraged for the youth to learn about our Constitution, our values, and help older generations understand that they have a duty to administrate and make decisions in the best interest of all of society; all of society. 

Examples like this can be shared so we many learn that patriotism is deeper than the superficiality of surface identity anchoring. Despite the risks to the values that support liberty, good people stand firm on Thanksgiving and commitment to our Constitution. (Interesting article on how the holiday started. Federalist Society Constitution and Thanksgiving). 

When a choice to encourage and protect poor behaviors to intentionally harm those who took risks to protect our democracy simply because they have the wrong race, religion, or other shallow criteria such as clannism we know we have room for improvement. While people like this have stained our histories and brought forth generational pain from slavery to extreme bias in outcomes work on finding in your heart to forgive. Perpetrators are ignorant with few checks and balances. We can ask judges to correct hate crime outcomes and if they likewise believe in the devaluing of human life and do not protect our rights then we find a way to move on and live in peace. We are not them (those who undermine what is good in society) because we have a higher value system. They choose to hate and we choose to love. That comes with the responsibility to teach what our forefathers and mothers believed and do our best to support civil rights organizations that protect those values from generation to generation. 

*This is a hypothetical example for learning purposes only. It is a second part of a thought experiment to explore first hate and the breakdown of justice systems and the second which is the dehumanization when there are no recourses. The ending result will be positive but we have to sort of explore some of the darker stuff first. It is meant ot be patriotic to support our nation and its future health. Take with a grain of salt.

Escanaba Holiday Season Events 2024

Lots of great events in Escanaba this holiday season. You can learn more of the schedule at Facebook Visit Escanaba and Visit Escanaba Webpage  Lots of vacationers and fun going on. Shopping downtown was pretty good. (I picked up a pair of boots at Mels Feed [not actually downtown] for half off.  These are waterproof, real leather and insulated. Best of all they are mde in the USA! )

The music, tourism, and shopping scene is improving every year. 

So far great for 
the outdoor and cold.

The History and Meaning of Thanksgiving: A little more than turkey

Thanksgiving is an important day for many reasons beyond the delicious turkey. When some of our European ancestors jumped off the boat they met with people who already lived here (It wasn't a discovery but a connection). For one reason or another a level of pitty was displayed on the dying settlers and the Native Americans (the truest of all Americans) helped them survive. 

Years after that are marked with some controversy and heartache but to me it was the possibilities of it all that are special. Maybe we can learn from history and be thankful for some of the good, remember some of the bad, and have hope for a shared future that brings forward our best. 

Thanksgiving was known for different things but is now somewhat standardized and a little streamlined into parades, floats, turkeys and others. As you enjoy time with you families and the exceptional food (the lost art of cooking from scratch) consider the people out there who do not have all that food or those opportunities. 

Just think about them for a moment, be thankful for what you have, and consider doing some good act to help the less fortunate. 

What Firefighters Want 2024: A Few Thoughts on Grants and Training

Sometimes its beneficial to look at what organizations and firefighters need in order to be successful. The survey below provides a level of understanding from the firefighter’s perspective. The survey included both full and volunteer departments. Most have degrees. 1% are doctors (Dang! That is about the same with the general population.). Leadership, compensation, and staffing. (Our chief is pretty good and tries hard but there are others I'm sure that are not so great.) Recruitment and retention are important concerns as well. Most departments are leaking firefighters because of culture and the complexity/commitment of training. More or less our retention rate is pretty high. A few young people as well that show up regularly. What Firefighters Want 2024

We might consider...

1. Thinking about training necessity and removing the complexity or extra red tape. For example, I might be able to design a streamlined version in conjunction with a fire expert but who as the time and there is no money? Also, one might look at the total program and know what is needed and what is fluff. Thus, we will live with the complexity.

2. Providing additional resources and benefits to firefighters. Free college/training (which I found up to a certain $), higher compensation and/or perks i.e. cheaper insurance or gym memberships. Maybe even a few more firefighter events and activities. I'm just thinking but there are plenty more when you sort of dig into retention. Keep in mind its not about the money because other studies have shown they are doing this for their community in an ultruistic way.

A Few Thoughts on a Firefighter Training Program

A few thoughts on what I would like to do. First, let me start with grants are hard to get and in some cases you may need to hire a professional to apply to some federal grants. If you’re a large entity that works well but if you are smaller there are way too many hoops to get through. That will likely lock out many smaller departments. The best thing they could do is sort of audit and determine the size of most departments to see if smaller volunteer departments who need the resources the most aren't getting access. You can waste hours chasing nothing.

Beyond that I would like to procure some resources to purchase fire training equipment and share and make accessible to other local departments. Further, to start a local fire awareness training that helps groom people to become firefighters while teaching them skills like leadership and teamwork. That could go well with veterans, seniors in high school, local college, and even other departments who may appreciate the availability of training. It raises the recruitment and caliber of fire skills in the area.

Guess what that takes? Money! Ok...it also takes some time and expertise. However, money is the biggest deturrent. I would say $50K with some current equiptment and facilities would likely cover such a program for a year or if lucky 2 years. The first year would be more expensive because of the equipment (i.e. negative pressure simulators, used, training materials, firefighter turnout gear, VR helmets, CPR certifications, etc.). Subsequent years would be much cheaper if you are dealing with training materials. 

 Got a few corporate bucks to throw around to balance out your tax profile feel free to hit me up. I will point you to a good non-profit fire department. 

The Longitudinal Hate Crime Victimization Survey (LHCVS) (Dehumanizing Thought Experiment)

You may be interested that there are good people, scientists and researchers out there trying to protect the public from those who seek to harm others. Not sure what good the long term will do if we don't listen or change our ways. Remember that in this dehumanizing thought experiment for learning purposes and we are exploring what happens to people when they have been victimized by hate. While the study doesn't go this far we might also wonder what happens if perpetrators of hate crimes were rewarded and it was well known by the courts that such crimes occured. There are many layers of victimization that no study can explore fully but this is pretty good to start.

The Longitudinal Hate Crime Victimization Survey (LHCVS) seeks to look at the following to understand the long-term impact of victimization. It is quoted.

-Examine within-person variation in experiences with bias and hate crime victimization—in various forms—over time.
-Examine the within-person relationship between victimization experiences and various psychological/attitudinal outcomes over time.
-Examine patterns in help-seeking following victimization and assess the efficacy of police responses to hate crime victimization.
-Link prior experiences with reporting victimization to the police with variation in responses to subsequent victimization.

The hypothetical thought experiment we are exploring is based on what might happen if there is a default in justice, victims and minorities targeted, and civil rights are actively thwarted by clan affiliates in official positions. No investigations are allowed because of the extent of crimes and the need to sweep it under the carpet. Such officials have an active interest in protecting the mechanisms of hate and the crimes of perpetrators. Others have claimed that one's rank in the clan determines the outcomes of decisions. Associated crimes against females were also well known  (a comingle) but investigations initially stifled. In this example you must now interact with those who violated our laws and were given a free pass to ensure them and their associates are never held to account. They are gleeful of their crimes and knew the outcomes before they started (i.e. being counseled by clan members on how to target.)

One thing that can come out of intentional victimization is the knowledge that our sacred laws such as freedom of religion, speech, Constitution, Civil/Human rights are central to what we are as Americans. Not all officials believe in them and some will circumvent the spirit of our laws for hate based technicalities that reach beyond simple crimes (These officials that underming our futures should be removed.). When poeple want something they will lie and when they want to harm others they will also lie. If you find yourself similar to them be careful in accepting their narratives without critical examination least you become culpable in their crimes.

One lesson learned is that want nothing or expect nothing in terms of justice. Many crimes wouldn't happen if we had the values to stop them in the first place. i.e. a culture against hate and backstops for those who engage in it. We have made mistakes, others have as well. When it comes to intentional hate the victims have no/little recourse in the system and must come to live in peace with their place in society. They can reject the dehumanizing hate that such clans and their associated officials provided as an easy to spread narrative but they have no choice but accept the failure of upholding our central values. Creating divisions in spite of our promise to be indivisible. I encourage us to work through these breakdowns in justice together as a single people focused on the same northern star. Encourage officials to do their job to protect all Americans and even hold some of their friends to account if necessary. Even having values or protecting the victims of your community can lead to all types of grotesque aggressions. They failed to dehumanize...they did energize to support freedom. One may have no idea if we can bring a brighter future for the next generation of diverse people but you do have one person out there who supports our freedoms, Constitution and social contracts. 

*This is a thought experiment on dehumanization and is meant to explore post institutioal default what hate looks like on the victims who might be categorized by some as 2nd class citizens. Take with a grain of salt for it is an exploration of a line of moral logic.