http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727 It seems to me the best way to survive the current economic crisis is to heed the advice of those who survived the last one. The big one. It's a concept many of our state and federal leaders, including our new president, apparently fail to grasp, given their predilection for higher taxes and $800 billion spending sprees. Some who struggled through the Great Depression wonder why policymakers dismiss common sense policies like less government and lower tax rates &mdash; policies that give folks the best possible chance to work, save and invest. After all, it worked for them. Mary Collup of Bakersfield was born in 1933, the year 25 percent of the nation&rsquo;s workers were unemployed. Losing the family home &mdash; or the family farm, in Collup&rsquo;s case &mdash; was an even greater threat than it is today. Collup, who was born in Oklahoma, says her young years were hard and profoundly influenced her future work ethic and spending habits. &ldquo;We knew we had to work to have something, because nobody was handing anything out,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;We were poor, but everybody was, so I didn&rsquo;t think anything of it.&rdquo; Collup&rsquo;s mother sewed her children&rsquo;s clothes, grew her own fruits and vegetables, created meals that &ldquo;weren&rsquo;t centered around meat&rdquo; and used the cardboard from saved cereal boxes to resole her children&rsquo;s shoes. And we think it&rsquo;s a big sacrifice to pass up our morning mint-mocha-chip frappuccino. In 1935, Collup&rsquo;s dad loaded up the family&rsquo;s Model T and joined the great &ldquo;Okie&rdquo; migration to California, eventually finding work in a Watsonville rock quarry. The rest of the family followed a year later, after Collup&rsquo;s mother had scrimped and saved enough &ldquo;egg money&rdquo; to make the trip by train. Those early years left a lasting impression on Collup, who started working at 14, taking her high school lunch break to work the Woolworths&rsquo; lunch counter. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school and worked all her adult life until she was disabled by a stroke 16 years ago. I met Collup recently at a luncheon, to which she wore a striking simulated-tiger-skin-and-leather jacket. When I asked where she&rsquo;d found the chic garment, she leaned in close and, with a conspiratorial glance over her shoulder, whispered &ldquo;the Bargain Box on Q Street &mdash; I paid $3 for it.&rdquo; Collup, whose husband of 51 years died three years ago, says other than basic &ldquo;30-day bills,&rdquo; like gas and electric, she lives debt free. She&rsquo;s lived in the same house for 20 years, runs her dishwasher and laundry during nonpeak hours, guards against unnecessary purchases and never, EVER uses credit cards. &ldquo;You have to be creative to make it through the hard times,&rdquo; says Collup, who believes much of our current economic angst &ldquo;is of our own making.&rdquo; &ldquo;Today, it&rsquo;s a world of expectations and entitlements,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;If we just live within our means, we can get along all right.&rdquo; Wow. Live within our means. What a radical concept. I wonder how low we&rsquo;ll go before policymakers finally figure that out. &bull;&bull;&bull; There are more words to write on this issue and many more issues to write about, but I&rsquo;ll leave those for others to tackle. Except for an occasional visit to the opinion page, this column will be my last for The Californian. There are a number of reasons why &mdash; my full-time work for a local nonprofit, other writing projects, a family I&rsquo;d like to see more of. For those who suspect my departure is part of a left-wing conspiracy to rid the paper of a pesky conservative, I assure you the decision to resign the column was mine and was reluctantly accepted by editors and colleagues at the paper. Hopefully another conservative voice will soon fill this space. For me, the gig is up. It&rsquo;s been a privilege and a pleasure. Many thanks. It seems to me the best way to survive the current economic crisis is to heed the advice of those who survived the last one. The big one. It's a concept many of our state and federal leaders, including our new president, apparently fail to grasp, given their predilection for higher taxes and $800 billion spending sprees. Some who struggled through the Great Depression wonder why policymakers dismiss common sense policies like less government and lower tax rates &mdash; policies that give folks the best possible chance to work, save and invest. After all, it worked for them. Mary Collup of Bakersfield was born in 1933, the year 25 percent of the nation&rsquo;s workers were unemployed. Losing the family home &mdash; or the family farm, in Collup&rsquo;s case &mdash; was an even greater threat than it is today. Collup, who was born in Oklahoma, says her young years were hard and profoundly influenced her future work ethic and spending habits. &ldquo;We knew we had to work to have something, because nobody was handing anything out,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;We were poor, but everybody was, so I didn&rsquo;t think anything of it.&rdquo; Collup&rsquo;s mother sewed her children&rsquo;s clothes, grew her own fruits and vegetables, created meals that &ldquo;weren&rsquo;t centered around meat&rdquo; and used the cardboard from saved cereal boxes to resole her children&rsquo;s shoes. And we think it&rsquo;s a big sacrifice to pass up our morning mint-mocha-chip frappuccino. In 1935, Collup&rsquo;s dad loaded up the family&rsquo;s Model T and joined the great &ldquo;Okie&rdquo; migration to California, eventually finding work in a Watsonville rock quarry. The rest of the family followed a year later, after Collup&rsquo;s mother had scrimped and saved enough &ldquo;egg money&rdquo; to make the trip by train. Those early years left a lasting impression on Collup, who started working at 14, taking her high school lunch break to work the Woolworths&rsquo; lunch counter. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school and worked all her adult life until she was disabled by a stroke 16 years ago. I met Collup recently at a luncheon, to which she wore a striking simulated-tiger-skin-and-leather jacket. When I asked where she&rsquo;d found the chic garment, she leaned in close and, with a conspiratorial glance over her shoulder, whispered &ldquo;the Bargain Box on Q Street &mdash; I paid $3 for it.&rdquo; Collup, whose husband of 51 years died three years ago, says other than basic &ldquo;30-day bills,&rdquo; like gas and electric, she lives debt free. She&rsquo;s lived in the same house for 20 years, runs her dishwasher and laundry during nonpeak hours, guards against unnecessary purchases and never, EVER uses credit cards. &ldquo;You have to be creative to make it through the hard times,&rdquo; says Collup, who believes much of our current economic angst &ldquo;is of our own making.&rdquo; &ldquo;Today, it&rsquo;s a world of expectations and entitlements,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;If we just live within our means, we can get along all right.&rdquo; Wow. Live within our means. What a radical concept. I wonder how low we&rsquo;ll go before policymakers finally figure that out. &bull;&bull;&bull; There are more words to write on this issue and many more issues to write about, but I&rsquo;ll leave those for others to tackle. Except for an occasional visit to the opinion page, this column will be my last for The Californian. There are a number of reasons why &mdash; my full-time work for a local nonprofit, other writing projects, a family I&rsquo;d like to see more of. For those who suspect my departure is part of a left-wing conspiracy to rid the paper of a pesky conservative, I assure you the decision to resign the column was mine and was reluctantly accepted by editors and colleagues at the paper. Hopefully another conservative voice will soon fill this space. For me, the gig is up. It&rsquo;s been a privilege and a pleasure. Many thanks. en-us Sat, 21 Mar 2009 08:08:26 PDT <p>The stimulus bill isn't aimed at people who don't live within their means. It's focus is on people who don't have any means to live within.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383485 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383485 <p>The stimulus bill isn't aimed at people who don't live within their means. It's focus is on people who don't have any means to live within.</p> <p>And then there ware those getting a bailout who should naver have been allowed to borrow the money to buy home.&nbsp; Especially since they bought homes they couldn't afford.&nbsp; Living ABOVE their means.&nbsp;</p> <p>Marylee, good luck on all your other projects.&nbsp; May you live long and prosper.&nbsp; (I stole (plagerized) that one.)&nbsp; I hope you'll visit the blog often.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383499 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383499 <p>And then there ware those getting a bailout who should naver have been allowed to borrow the money to buy home.&nbsp; Especially since they bought homes they couldn't afford.&nbsp; Living ABOVE their means.&nbsp;</p> <p>Marylee, good luck on all your other projects.&nbsp; May you live long and prosper.&nbsp; (I stole (plagerized) that one.)&nbsp; I hope you'll visit the blog often.</p> <p>I&nbsp;wish you the best, and with such an excellent topic to finish with.</p> <p>Living with our means; if more of us did so, we all might be a little closer to ourselves.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383504 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383504 <p>I&nbsp;wish you the best, and with such an excellent topic to finish with.</p> <p>Living with our means; if more of us did so, we all might be a little closer to ourselves.</p> <p></p> <p><em>The stimulus bill isn't aimed at people who don't live within their means. It's focus is on people who don't have any means to live within.</em></p> <p>Sorry cat, I have to disagree with this due to sheer personal experience.&nbsp;&nbsp; I was unable to work most of last year, mainly due to medical reasons.&nbsp; I won't see a dime of the stimulus money.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383509 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383509 <p></p> <p><em>The stimulus bill isn't aimed at people who don't live within their means. It's focus is on people who don't have any means to live within.</em></p> <p>Sorry cat, I have to disagree with this due to sheer personal experience.&nbsp;&nbsp; I was unable to work most of last year, mainly due to medical reasons.&nbsp; I won't see a dime of the stimulus money.</p> <p>I bid you Godspeed in your new endeavors, Marylee, and thanks for the memories of your carrying the conservative mantle in your columns as well as putting up with the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the left. Your shoes will be huge ones to fill.</p> <p>Your last column couldn't be more spot on on what to do about this economic mess. I'll have to admit I&nbsp;didn't always live within my means. Fortunately I married a good one from a country where loans, checks and credit cards are unheard of. She was distraught to learn about my 30-year home mortgage. It was of little comfort for her to know that mortgages are all so common in this country. But you know how wives are and she gave my financial worldview and habits the smackdown, which I&nbsp;have to be grateful for considering the predicament we are in.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383534 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383534 <p>I bid you Godspeed in your new endeavors, Marylee, and thanks for the memories of your carrying the conservative mantle in your columns as well as putting up with the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the left. Your shoes will be huge ones to fill.</p> <p>Your last column couldn't be more spot on on what to do about this economic mess. I'll have to admit I&nbsp;didn't always live within my means. Fortunately I married a good one from a country where loans, checks and credit cards are unheard of. She was distraught to learn about my 30-year home mortgage. It was of little comfort for her to know that mortgages are all so common in this country. But you know how wives are and she gave my financial worldview and habits the smackdown, which I&nbsp;have to be grateful for considering the predicament we are in.</p> <p>Common sense---IF it's not in the bank account--we don't spend it...credit cards--same thing--and only used in case of an emergency....it's called discipline.....</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383537 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383537 <p>Common sense---IF it's not in the bank account--we don't spend it...credit cards--same thing--and only used in case of an emergency....it's called discipline.....</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I've got to agree with those who <em>have</em> been living within their means. I had a problem with credit card debt back in the mid 80s. Got rid of them ALL, paid off the debt and now only make large purchases after saving and shopping for the best deals. Discipline is key.</p> <p>spamcode - <strong>L</strong>et&nbsp;<strong>GO&nbsp;MY</strong> $$</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383539 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383539 <p>I've got to agree with those who <em>have</em> been living within their means. I had a problem with credit card debt back in the mid 80s. Got rid of them ALL, paid off the debt and now only make large purchases after saving and shopping for the best deals. Discipline is key.</p> <p>spamcode - <strong>L</strong>et&nbsp;<strong>GO&nbsp;MY</strong> $$</p> <p>We're on the same page, Ling and Rick.</p> <p>Too many people have grown to consider debt payments from adulthood to grave to be as&nbsp;certain as death and taxes.</p> <p>I&nbsp;use credit cards for convenience (I&nbsp;do not like debit cards), but never carry a balance.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383540 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383540 <p>We're on the same page, Ling and Rick.</p> <p>Too many people have grown to consider debt payments from adulthood to grave to be as&nbsp;certain as death and taxes.</p> <p>I&nbsp;use credit cards for convenience (I&nbsp;do not like debit cards), but never carry a balance.</p> <p><strong>Shrider</strong>:&nbsp;&quot;<em>Some who struggled through the Great Depression wonder why policymakers dismiss common sense policies like less government and lower tax rates &mdash; policies that give folks the best possible chance to work, save and invest. </em></p> <p><em>After all, it worked for them.</em>&quot;</p> <p>Boy, what a way to go out, Ms. Shrider. What were the tax rates for the richest people in America during the Great Depression?&nbsp;And if you believe that &quot;less government&quot; was the lesson of the Great Depression..... you are not only wrong, but spectacularly so. Not only was the lesson of the Great Depression that MORE government was necessary during times of economic downturns, but that banking needs to be regulated, not <strong><em>de</em></strong>regulated (as the &quot;conservative&quot; <u>Republicans</u> did in 1999 and 2000). The only thing that kept us afloat and truly brought us out of the Depression was massive governmental spending.<br /> <br /> While the lesson of &quot;living within one's means&quot; is a good one, it was <u>not</u> the government pushing easy credit and &quot;no paperwork&quot; home loans. Private companies not only asked the government to deregulate Depression-era rules, but to create new ways for them to &quot;make&quot; money. Eight years of lax rule enforcement (of the few rules left) and unmonitored financial games has led to our current economic woes. Credit card companies hunted down people to push easy credit, and predatory lenders hunted uneducated people to prey on. <br /> <br /> Spam code:&nbsp;OY RLY?</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383545 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383545 <p><strong>Shrider</strong>:&nbsp;&quot;<em>Some who struggled through the Great Depression wonder why policymakers dismiss common sense policies like less government and lower tax rates &mdash; policies that give folks the best possible chance to work, save and invest. </em></p> <p><em>After all, it worked for them.</em>&quot;</p> <p>Boy, what a way to go out, Ms. Shrider. What were the tax rates for the richest people in America during the Great Depression?&nbsp;And if you believe that &quot;less government&quot; was the lesson of the Great Depression..... you are not only wrong, but spectacularly so. Not only was the lesson of the Great Depression that MORE government was necessary during times of economic downturns, but that banking needs to be regulated, not <strong><em>de</em></strong>regulated (as the &quot;conservative&quot; <u>Republicans</u> did in 1999 and 2000). The only thing that kept us afloat and truly brought us out of the Depression was massive governmental spending.<br /> <br /> While the lesson of &quot;living within one's means&quot; is a good one, it was <u>not</u> the government pushing easy credit and &quot;no paperwork&quot; home loans. Private companies not only asked the government to deregulate Depression-era rules, but to create new ways for them to &quot;make&quot; money. Eight years of lax rule enforcement (of the few rules left) and unmonitored financial games has led to our current economic woes. Credit card companies hunted down people to push easy credit, and predatory lenders hunted uneducated people to prey on. <br /> <br /> Spam code:&nbsp;OY RLY?</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Enjoy your days off~&nbsp;best wishes.</span></p> <br /> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383579 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383579 <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Enjoy your days off~&nbsp;best wishes.</span></p> <br /> <p>So, you had to get in that last criticism of Obama, as if he is the cause of our present crisis.&nbsp; What is the point of all this anti-government propaganda?&nbsp; Also, you cannot blame our current problems on the indiscipline of idiots with credit cards.&nbsp; Put the blame where it belongs on the greed of the wealthy the past ten years.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p>Do you really want to deprive all but the rich an education and basic health care?&nbsp;&nbsp; Do you really want to go on burning fossil fuel until the last available drop is gone and the world economy collapses for good?&nbsp; Do you really think all our employment problems will be solved if only the unemployed would do the hard and dirty work of illegal immigrants? &nbsp; Is it really ok to put 15% of our young men in prison while the rich continue to maximize their profits?</p> <p>How can you righteously give advice on how to survive the current crisis when it was conservative voices like yours that helped get us into the crisis with your constant whining for lower taxes and unlimited freedom to do business?</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383619 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383619 <p>So, you had to get in that last criticism of Obama, as if he is the cause of our present crisis.&nbsp; What is the point of all this anti-government propaganda?&nbsp; Also, you cannot blame our current problems on the indiscipline of idiots with credit cards.&nbsp; Put the blame where it belongs on the greed of the wealthy the past ten years.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p>Do you really want to deprive all but the rich an education and basic health care?&nbsp;&nbsp; Do you really want to go on burning fossil fuel until the last available drop is gone and the world economy collapses for good?&nbsp; Do you really think all our employment problems will be solved if only the unemployed would do the hard and dirty work of illegal immigrants? &nbsp; Is it really ok to put 15% of our young men in prison while the rich continue to maximize their profits?</p> <p>How can you righteously give advice on how to survive the current crisis when it was conservative voices like yours that helped get us into the crisis with your constant whining for lower taxes and unlimited freedom to do business?</p> <p>Mattloch, you spam code OYRLY likely was referring you to Orly Taitz, who is working overtime to get Barry Soetoro aka Barack Obama removed from office before he unconstitutionally causes this great nation of ours to live even more beyond our means: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92393</p> <br /> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383622 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383622 <p>Mattloch, you spam code OYRLY likely was referring you to Orly Taitz, who is working overtime to get Barry Soetoro aka Barack Obama removed from office before he unconstitutionally causes this great nation of ours to live even more beyond our means: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92393</p> <br /> <p><strong>Pax</strong>, no it wasn't.</p> <br /> <p>But keep making that stupidly ignorant claim. It keeps people from ever taking you seriously. (Not that they ever had that problem in the past...)</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383635 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383635 <p><strong>Pax</strong>, no it wasn't.</p> <br /> <p>But keep making that stupidly ignorant claim. It keeps people from ever taking you seriously. (Not that they ever had that problem in the past...)</p> <p>I've enjoyed reading your column, Marylee, and I wish you well in your future endeavors. You sure took a lot of abuse here and handled it all with grace.&nbsp;</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383767 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383767 <p>I've enjoyed reading your column, Marylee, and I wish you well in your future endeavors. You sure took a lot of abuse here and handled it all with grace.&nbsp;</p> <p>Marylee, it was a pleasure reading your work on here and getting the chance to meet you in person and listen to your logical and common sense debating style.&nbsp; We could use more people like you in this town!&nbsp; I know I'll probably read more of your work in the future, and I hope your successor raises as many valid points and eyebrows as you have raised - they'll have some pretty big shoes to fill!&nbsp; Cheers! - E.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383800 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383800 <p>Marylee, it was a pleasure reading your work on here and getting the chance to meet you in person and listen to your logical and common sense debating style.&nbsp; We could use more people like you in this town!&nbsp; I know I'll probably read more of your work in the future, and I hope your successor raises as many valid points and eyebrows as you have raised - they'll have some pretty big shoes to fill!&nbsp; Cheers! - E.</p> <p>Regarding the living within your means ~ I read a book called &quot;The Millionaire Next Door&quot;&nbsp;and they bring up two types of people - the under accumulators of wealth (UAWs) and the prodigious accumulators of wealth (PAWs).&nbsp; Living in the southwest I&nbsp;am constantly amazed at how many high income people there are who are actualy UAWs.&nbsp; Fancy leased cars, enormous houses with enormous mortgages, a credit card for every day of the month where one is used to make the minimum payment on the other - it makes me wonder how they get by when music stops playing and it's time to settle the debts.</p> <p>I've taken a cue in my life from my elders and my own mistakes.&nbsp; You work hard, live not only within your means but <em>beneath </em>them, and don't own credit cards.&nbsp; I am appalled when I think back and realize that at age 22 I had $60k in credit card debt - at <em>22</em>!&nbsp; I&nbsp;recently had a friend on disability who worked for years to repair his credit to an excellent rating and then, within six months, had to declare bankruptcy as he had over $65k in car and credit card debt, and this on $800/month!&nbsp; Obviously, there are flaws in our system but rather than blame everyone else I adopt the addage that &quot;the problem lies not in our stars but in ourselves.&quot;&nbsp; I don't have a credit card and refuse to patronize places that require them (most car rental places, some hotels).&nbsp; The only items I finance are a car and home, and even then I&nbsp;look for deals, buying a used car over a new one and not succumbing to irrational whims.&nbsp; My choclate coloured interior isn't exactly what I&nbsp;wanted but hey, guess what, I&nbsp;can still get from point A to B in it!</p> <p>I'm disgusted when I&nbsp;think of people who scoff at working at McDonald's or Walmart because &quot;it's beneath them&quot; when their parents and grandparents were willing to work in the sheds to make ends meet to raise them, a fact they overlook when patting &quot;themselves&quot; on the back for their middle class lifestyle.&nbsp; I&nbsp;guess unemployment really does suit these type of people best, and holds an inherent dignity over actually working.&nbsp;</p> <p>People who won't buy clothes second hand or at places like Walmart because they must have A&amp;F, D&amp;G, or whatever other acronyms they pay quadruple for get a laugh out of me - I just smile at their silliness and go about my way wearing brands I've never heard of.&nbsp; The fact that I&nbsp;can live within and beneath my means has made me and others sharing my &quot;cheapskate values&quot; immune to laughter, criticism and remarks from those too good to do so.&nbsp; I can enjoy modest things like a good homecooked NY&nbsp;steak every now and then and I&nbsp;think of those I know who eat out all the time, spending $100 for meals at fancy restaurants.&nbsp; My only consolation is that when the music stops I'll still be content while they are puzzling over how to turn on the stove.&nbsp; The schadenfreudlich part of me wants to also say that I'll continue to smile at these people even during the dark times - heck, I might even toss a quarter in their cups as I go about on my unassuming way.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383801 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_383801 <p>Regarding the living within your means ~ I read a book called &quot;The Millionaire Next Door&quot;&nbsp;and they bring up two types of people - the under accumulators of wealth (UAWs) and the prodigious accumulators of wealth (PAWs).&nbsp; Living in the southwest I&nbsp;am constantly amazed at how many high income people there are who are actualy UAWs.&nbsp; Fancy leased cars, enormous houses with enormous mortgages, a credit card for every day of the month where one is used to make the minimum payment on the other - it makes me wonder how they get by when music stops playing and it's time to settle the debts.</p> <p>I've taken a cue in my life from my elders and my own mistakes.&nbsp; You work hard, live not only within your means but <em>beneath </em>them, and don't own credit cards.&nbsp; I am appalled when I think back and realize that at age 22 I had $60k in credit card debt - at <em>22</em>!&nbsp; I&nbsp;recently had a friend on disability who worked for years to repair his credit to an excellent rating and then, within six months, had to declare bankruptcy as he had over $65k in car and credit card debt, and this on $800/month!&nbsp; Obviously, there are flaws in our system but rather than blame everyone else I adopt the addage that &quot;the problem lies not in our stars but in ourselves.&quot;&nbsp; I don't have a credit card and refuse to patronize places that require them (most car rental places, some hotels).&nbsp; The only items I finance are a car and home, and even then I&nbsp;look for deals, buying a used car over a new one and not succumbing to irrational whims.&nbsp; My choclate coloured interior isn't exactly what I&nbsp;wanted but hey, guess what, I&nbsp;can still get from point A to B in it!</p> <p>I'm disgusted when I&nbsp;think of people who scoff at working at McDonald's or Walmart because &quot;it's beneath them&quot; when their parents and grandparents were willing to work in the sheds to make ends meet to raise them, a fact they overlook when patting &quot;themselves&quot; on the back for their middle class lifestyle.&nbsp; I&nbsp;guess unemployment really does suit these type of people best, and holds an inherent dignity over actually working.&nbsp;</p> <p>People who won't buy clothes second hand or at places like Walmart because they must have A&amp;F, D&amp;G, or whatever other acronyms they pay quadruple for get a laugh out of me - I just smile at their silliness and go about my way wearing brands I've never heard of.&nbsp; The fact that I&nbsp;can live within and beneath my means has made me and others sharing my &quot;cheapskate values&quot; immune to laughter, criticism and remarks from those too good to do so.&nbsp; I can enjoy modest things like a good homecooked NY&nbsp;steak every now and then and I&nbsp;think of those I know who eat out all the time, spending $100 for meals at fancy restaurants.&nbsp; My only consolation is that when the music stops I'll still be content while they are puzzling over how to turn on the stove.&nbsp; The schadenfreudlich part of me wants to also say that I'll continue to smile at these people even during the dark times - heck, I might even toss a quarter in their cups as I go about on my unassuming way.</p> <p>Nancy, Cat, Pax, Apollo - many thanks for your kind wishes. It's been fun and I've always appreciated your civility, support and common sense.</p> <p>Erik, it was especially nice to meet you - I sincerely hope our paths cross again. In the meantime, be happy and keep fighting the good fight.</p> <p>Blessings,</p> <p>Marylee</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_385272 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/rightthinking/42727/#c_385272 <p>Nancy, Cat, Pax, Apollo - many thanks for your kind wishes. It's been fun and I've always appreciated your civility, support and common sense.</p> <p>Erik, it was especially nice to meet you - I sincerely hope our paths cross again. In the meantime, be happy and keep fighting the good fight.</p> <p>Blessings,</p> <p>Marylee</p>