Regarding, the subject of political and corporate 'lobbyist narcissism' and unethical lobbyist malpractices...
If there are 'corporate lobbyists' hanging around heads of pertinent government departments -- or 'power politicians' even above heads of government departments -- and 'contracts' or 'drug approvals' are at stake worth millions or even billions of dollars...and 'money' is either directly or indirectly (through 'political contributions') passing hands from 'private corporations' to 'government officials'...
then we all know that this is 'blatant conflict of interest', violating 'private competition laws'....and a form of direct or indirect bribery which obviously is illegal -- or should be.
However, like the 'back of the food package', often if not usually, we would just as soon not 'read or hear what we do not want to read or hear'....and when we read or hear these political-corporate scandals coming out in the daily news, we deem ourselves to be more or less 'helpless' on these matters, and eventually just let the whole scandal slide....which is what the accused and/or guilty politicians want us to do...
Meanwhile, the lost government money goes out the back door, or into the hands of some fired government official who walks away with a multi-hundred thousand dollar 'separation agreement', and to compensate for all the lost money, government just raises our taxes in the next budget meeting -- for example turning our 'Goods and Services Tax (GST)' into a more lucrative, all-encompassing, and hard-hitting 'Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)'....See, even the name of this new tax sounds nice and 'harmonious'...like the front of the package that says: 'No Trans Fats!'...
Every prime minister-to-be, or president-to-be has the greatest ideals for 'cleaning up government conflict of issue problems'...until they actually get into power...and then their 'ethical clean up program' seems to get swallowed up by the gigantic 'Government Establishment Whale'... Personally, I would create a whole system of new taxes geared towards reducing government and corporate corruption...
A brand new network of 'EHTs -- Ethical Harmony Taxes' such as: 1. The 'GOT' (as in 'GOT CAUGHT!') -- i.e., The 'Government Overspending Tax' -- this would be a 13 per cent 'Ethical Harmony Tax' applied to the personal income tax of any government official convicted of having a 'lavish and grossly inappropriate personal/government expense account' in any particular budget year. 2. The 'UGLYT' -- i.e., The 'Unethical Government Lobbyism Yearning Tax' -- this tax could be applied to either government officials and/or private corporate lobbyists who are convicted of any type of unethical government lobbyism malpractice -- such as:
Brian Mulroney and the 'suitcase full of money' episode with the German arms dealer.
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/francis/archive/2007/11/19/brian-mulroney-stevie-cameron-and-sleaze.aspx
At the very least, the Government of Canada could have hit Mulroney with the UGLY Tax -- a 13 per cent surcharge on his personal income tax plus another 13 per cent corporate tax on any company owned by Mulroney or anyone else associated with this debacle (we would hope that, in this case, the German arms dealer would have been banned from any further business dealings with The Government of Canada... however, I doubt it......this might be partly laughable but at the very least, any 'contract chaser' inside or outside Canada convicted of UGLY (Unethical Government Lobbyism Yearning) would be hit with a 13 per cent 'EHCT'' (Ethical Harmony Contract Tax) on any further government contract dealings, as well as an additional 13 per cent corporate surcharge tax, and a personal income tax surcharge for the particular convicted lobbyist and the owners and/or shareholders of the company the lobbyist is working for. It could be applied to anyone 'reasonably assumed to knowing what shenanigans were going on'.
In Ontario here, there was the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Scandal in which the terminated CEO, Kelly McDougald walked away with a$750,000 termination settlement...
http://blog.toronto-employmentlawyer.com/toronto_employment_lawyer/2009/12/ex-olg-exec-gets-750000-wrongful-dismissal-settlement.html
And there was the EHealth Scandal which the auditor said was a '1 billion dollar waste'...
His report says the board of directors at eHealth Ontario felt it had little power over CEO Sarah Kramer because she had been hired by chair Alan Hudson "with the support of the premier." That, McCarter said, gave Kramer the impression she had approval to ignore normal procurement procedures.
It was revealed late Tuesday that Health Minister David Caplan resigned because of the report.
Just minutes after the release of the report, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced that Children and Youth Services Minister Deb Matthews would take over the health portfolio.
Too much power in too few hands
McCarter's probe, which went back to 2000, criticized unnamed consulting companies for driving up each other's fees to artificially create a higher rate for their services and putting too much power in too few hands in awarding of contracts.
In his report, the auditor general also slammed unnamed officials at the Ministry of Health for thwarting his efforts to get investigators into the ministry for a routine audit in the summer of 2008. In the end, the audit didn't happen until February 2009.
McGuinty has since announced new rules to keep a closer eye on the expenses of about 300 top executives at 22 of Ontario's 615 arm's-length agencies, boards and commissions by having them approved by the province's integrity commissioner.
EHealth was set up in 2008 to create electronic health records after Smart Systems for Health spent $650 million but failed to produce anything of lasting value.
Smart Systems for Health was quietly shut down last September.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/10/07/ehealth-auditor.html#ixzz0jZX5E7cj
Sarah Kramer walked away with, I believe, around a $300,000 termination settlement...Meanwhile here was what was said about her 'government performance as former CEO for The EHealth Department...
Kramer's $114,000 bonus was double eHealth's allowable rate
Cancer Care Ontario CEO says no one there was getting such bonuses
Last Updated: Friday, June 5, 2009 | 2:26 PM ET
CBC News
EHealth Ontario CEO Sarah Kramer's six-figure bonus was double the maximum rate allowed at the Crown-owned agency, a spokeswoman for the organization has confirmed.
EHealth Ontario first came under scrutiny last week for nearly $5 million doled out in untendered contracts, with more than half questioned over personal ties to company executives. (CBC)
In early March, four months after Kramer started her post at the newly created agency, its board of directors approved a $114,000 bonus, on top of her $380,000 salary.
Under eHealth's regulations, however, executives are permitted to receive a bonus ranging from zero to 15 per cent of their salary, spokeswoman Deanna Allen told CBC News.
Fifteen per cent would amount to $57,000 under Kramer's current salary. However, she received a bonus worth 30 per cent.
Asked by CBC News whether she had an explanation for why Kramer's bonus was double the highest allowable rate, Allen responded, "No, I don't."
The letter notifying Kramer of her approved bonus was signed by Dr. Alan Hudson, chairman of the board of directors and the former head of Cancer Care.
Hudson and Kramer have been under fire since late last week for awarding more than $5.5 million in untendered contracts, more than half of which have raised questions about personal connections to the vendors.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/06/04/ehealth-ontario-cancer-care-bonus-kramer.html#ixzz0jZXobnoq
So who is paying for all of this overspent Ontario government money? The new 'Harmony Sales Tax' start on July 1st, 2010.
I think my 'EHT' and/or 'EHCT' ideas would have been, and still would be, much more appropriately suited here...There are a lot of potential 'ethical culprits' who could have, and should have, been taxed a new 'Ethical Harmony' tax....Without the McGuinty Liberal Government having to turn in the direction he has always turned in since he took power -- by taxing the citizens of Ontario more for his government's ethical transgressions and indiscretions...
Everyone maligned in 'The Gomery Report' regarding 'The Liberal Adscam Scandal' could have been hit with the EHT (Ethical Harmony Tax) and/or the EHCT (Ethical Harmony Contract Tax). You see, in Canada, Liberals and Conservatives alike have both been found guilty of such 'Unethical Lobbyism Scandals' (ULS). One might almost be tempted to say that it is in 'the blood of many, if not most, seasoned politicians'...not to mention the corporate lobbyists that they deal with behind closed doors, in bars, in alleys, and in untaped phone conversations...As far away as they can reasonably get from the probing public eye and ear...This is called the 'narcissistic capitalist subversion of democracy'... AIG....banks, mortgage companies, insurance companies, stock trading companies...which brings me to another two proposed taxes associated with the newly proposed EHT network of taxes...
3. The 'UGCBT' -- The 'Unreasonable/Unethical Government/Corporate Bonus Tax' -- charged against any and/or all government and/or private, corporate executives charged with, and convicted of receiving 'unreasonable and/or unethical bonuses' for performances not rendered...and/or not appropriate to their job...Sarah Kramer, are you listening? AIG, are you listening?
4. The 'UCSCT' -- The 'Unreasonable/Unethical Corporate Service Charge Tax' -- applied to any corporations and/or associated executives and/or shareholders who are found guilty of charging private citizens and/or employees for 'service charges and/or administration charges where there is no service delivered or delivered sufficiently to warrant the service charge'... Banks would probably be the number one offender here...
5. The 'CGT' -- The 'Corporate-Customer Gouging Tax' -- applied to any corporations and/or associated executives and/or shareholders who are found guilty of overcharging private citizens and/or employees for goods and/or services rendered (or not rendered)...
6. The 'RCBWT' -- The 'Rollover Contract and/or Bank Withdrawal Tax' -- applied to any corporation and/or executives and/or shareholders who are found guilty of coercing/seducing/manipulating customers into signing 'rollover contract agreements' that allow the particular corporation to keep withdrawing money from the customer's bank account even after year end and/or without any overt and/or direct consent on the part of the customer to continue with the contract basically until the customer is dead...or rather, the bank account is dead...All 'rollover contracts', or 'multi-year' contracts in cases such as 'gym memberships' and 'cell phone contracts' should be illegal and/or failing that, also hit corporations and their executives and/or shareholders who indulge in such 'unethical profit gouging' practices with a 13 per cent personal and/or corporate RCBWT...
7. The 'CMMMCT' -- The 'Corporate Monopoly and/or Collusion Tax' -- should be applied to any corporation and/or its executives and/or shareholders who are found guilty of artificially raising consumer prices because it is a monopoly goods and/or service company, and/or because it has found a way to 'manipulate the market' to artificially raise prices, and/or because two or more companies have banded together and colluded, in effect, to create a 'non-competition monopoly' in order to artificially raise consumer prices...
8. The 'GSOTT' -- The Government's (President's, Prime Minister's, Premier's, Mayor's...) Special Over-Taxing Tax' -- designed particular for any and/or all of those politicians held accountable for creating and passing into law the existence of a 'new citizen tax' -- such as the HST -- which is deemed inappropriate by a court of law based on the government's (President's, Prime Minister's, Premier's, Mayor's...) own accountability in the government's waste of taxpayers money relative to government overspending and/or lobbyist and/or bonus and/or expense account overspending scandals that should put the accountability for such overspending squarely back on the government's broad shoulders -- and any and/or all particular officials within the government who are dutifully (or non-dutifully) held accountable for such scandals -- through the administration of the GSOT on any and/or all of the accountable government officials on his or her: 1. personal income tax; 2. private expense accounts; 3. salary bonuses; and/or the elimination of all such future salary bonuses and/or expense accounts all together....
9. One more thing: A 'three strikes and you are out' policy where any and/or all politicians and/or corporations and/or corporation lobbyists who are convicted three times for 'overspending transgression's -- if they have not been let go already after the first or second transgression -- will be removed from all government jobs and/or government-corporate business transactions...forever...
That is about the limit of my political-corporate ethical imagination for today...
-- dgb, March 29th, 2010
-- David Gordon Bain
-- Dialectic Gap-Bridging Negotiations...
-- Are Still in Process...
-- Democracy Goes Beyond Narcissism....
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Rules That Warren Buffet Lives By
Rules that Warren Buffett lives by
by Stephanie Loiacono, Investopedia.com
Thursday, February 25, 2010
provided by
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/article/forbes/1440/rules-that-warren-buffett-lives-by
Warren Buffett is arguably the world's greatest stock investor. He's also a bit of a philosopher. He pares down his investment ideas into simple, memorable sound bites. Do you know what his homespun sayings really mean? Does his philosophy hold up in today's difficult environment? Find out below.
"Rule No. 1: Never Lose Money. Rule No. 2: Never Forget Rule No. 1."
Buffett personally lost about US$23 billion in the financial crisis of 2008, and his company, Berkshire Hathaway, lost its revered AAA ratings. So how can he tell us to never lose money?
He's referring to the mindset of a sensible investor. Don't be frivolous. Don't gamble. Don't go into an investment with a cavalier attitude that it's OK to lose. Be informed. Do your homework. Buffett invests only in companies he thoroughly researches and understands. He doesn't go into an investment prepared to lose, and neither should you.
Buffett believes the most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect. A successful investor doesn't focus on being with or against the crowd.
The stock market will swing up and down. But in good times and bad, Buffett stays focused on his goals. So should we.
"If The Business Does Well, The Stock Eventually Follows."
"The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham convinced Buffett that investing in a stock equates to owning a piece of the business. So when he searches for a stock to invest in, Buffett seeks out businesses that exhibit favorable long-term prospects. Does the company have a consistent operating history? Does it have a dominant business franchise? Is the business generating high and sustainable profit margins? If the company's share price is trading below expectations for its future growth, then it's a stock Buffett may want to own.
Buffett never buys anything unless he can write down his reasons why he'll pay a specific price per share for a particular company. Do you do the same?
"It's Far Better To Buy A Wonderful Company At A Fair Price Than A Fair Company At A Wonderful Price."
Buffett is a value investor who likes to buy quality stocks at rock-bottom prices. His real goal is to build more and more operating power for Berkshire Hathaway by owning stocks that will generate solid profits and capital appreciation for years to come. When the markets reeled during the recent financial crisis, Buffett was stockpiling great long-term investments by investing billions in names like General Electric and Goldman Sachs.
To pick stocks well, investors must set down criteria for uncovering good businesses, and stick to their discipline. You might, for example, seek companies that offer a durable product or service and also have solid operating earnings and the germ for future profits. You might establish a minimum market capitalization you're willing to accept, and a maximum P/E ratio or debt level. Finding the right company at the right price - with a margin for safety against unknown market risk - is the ultimate goal.
Remember, the price you pay for a stock isn't the same as the value you get. Successful investors know the difference.
"Our Favorite Holding Period Is Forever."
How long should you hold a stock? Buffett says if you don't feel comfortable owning a stock for 10 years, you shouldn't own it for 10 minutes. Even during the period he called the "Financial Pearl Harbor", Buffett loyally held on to the bulk of his portfolio.
Unless a company has suffered a sea change in prospects, such as impossible labor problems or product obsolescence, a long holding period will keep an investor from acting too human. That is, being too fearful or too greedy can cause investors to sell stocks at the bottom or buy at the peak - and destroy portfolio appreciation for the long run.
You may think the recent financial meltdown changed things, but don't be fooled: those unfussy sayings from the Oracle of Omaha still RULE!
The Buffett Philosophy
Baby Buffett Portfolio: His 6 Best Long-Term Picks
Think Like Warren Buffett
by Stephanie Loiacono, Investopedia.com
Thursday, February 25, 2010
provided by
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/article/forbes/1440/rules-that-warren-buffett-lives-by
Warren Buffett is arguably the world's greatest stock investor. He's also a bit of a philosopher. He pares down his investment ideas into simple, memorable sound bites. Do you know what his homespun sayings really mean? Does his philosophy hold up in today's difficult environment? Find out below.
"Rule No. 1: Never Lose Money. Rule No. 2: Never Forget Rule No. 1."
Buffett personally lost about US$23 billion in the financial crisis of 2008, and his company, Berkshire Hathaway, lost its revered AAA ratings. So how can he tell us to never lose money?
He's referring to the mindset of a sensible investor. Don't be frivolous. Don't gamble. Don't go into an investment with a cavalier attitude that it's OK to lose. Be informed. Do your homework. Buffett invests only in companies he thoroughly researches and understands. He doesn't go into an investment prepared to lose, and neither should you.
Buffett believes the most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect. A successful investor doesn't focus on being with or against the crowd.
The stock market will swing up and down. But in good times and bad, Buffett stays focused on his goals. So should we.
"If The Business Does Well, The Stock Eventually Follows."
"The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham convinced Buffett that investing in a stock equates to owning a piece of the business. So when he searches for a stock to invest in, Buffett seeks out businesses that exhibit favorable long-term prospects. Does the company have a consistent operating history? Does it have a dominant business franchise? Is the business generating high and sustainable profit margins? If the company's share price is trading below expectations for its future growth, then it's a stock Buffett may want to own.
Buffett never buys anything unless he can write down his reasons why he'll pay a specific price per share for a particular company. Do you do the same?
"It's Far Better To Buy A Wonderful Company At A Fair Price Than A Fair Company At A Wonderful Price."
Buffett is a value investor who likes to buy quality stocks at rock-bottom prices. His real goal is to build more and more operating power for Berkshire Hathaway by owning stocks that will generate solid profits and capital appreciation for years to come. When the markets reeled during the recent financial crisis, Buffett was stockpiling great long-term investments by investing billions in names like General Electric and Goldman Sachs.
To pick stocks well, investors must set down criteria for uncovering good businesses, and stick to their discipline. You might, for example, seek companies that offer a durable product or service and also have solid operating earnings and the germ for future profits. You might establish a minimum market capitalization you're willing to accept, and a maximum P/E ratio or debt level. Finding the right company at the right price - with a margin for safety against unknown market risk - is the ultimate goal.
Remember, the price you pay for a stock isn't the same as the value you get. Successful investors know the difference.
"Our Favorite Holding Period Is Forever."
How long should you hold a stock? Buffett says if you don't feel comfortable owning a stock for 10 years, you shouldn't own it for 10 minutes. Even during the period he called the "Financial Pearl Harbor", Buffett loyally held on to the bulk of his portfolio.
Unless a company has suffered a sea change in prospects, such as impossible labor problems or product obsolescence, a long holding period will keep an investor from acting too human. That is, being too fearful or too greedy can cause investors to sell stocks at the bottom or buy at the peak - and destroy portfolio appreciation for the long run.
You may think the recent financial meltdown changed things, but don't be fooled: those unfussy sayings from the Oracle of Omaha still RULE!
The Buffett Philosophy
Baby Buffett Portfolio: His 6 Best Long-Term Picks
Think Like Warren Buffett
We Are ALL Tongan
Please visit the link!!! Lots of pretty beaches!!!
http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://creativegreenius.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/tonga.jpg&imgrefurl=http://creativegreenius.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/we-are-all-tongan/&h=396&w=599&sz=74&tbnid=kTxH_pdxZG8k3M:&tbnh=89&tbnw=135&pr
A BRIGHTER SHADE OF GREEN
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We Are ALL Tongan
AUGUST 17, 2009
tags: Tonga, We Are ALL Tongan
by creativegreenius
The idyllic island kingdom of Tonga
My friend Elizabeth is from the South Pacific Island Kingdom of Tonga, an exotic locale long fixed in my memory with images of Polynesian paradise.
Tonga has sadly been in the news lately after an inter-island ferry sank on August 5 drowning over 70 people. It’s a huge tragedy in such a small place and it has saddened all Tongans around the world.
When I first met Elizabeth I had no idea that there were so many Tongan Americans living in large communities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Dallas and other cities across the USA. Elizabeth is producing a documentary film on the history of Tongans immigrating to America and she knows a lot about the subject.
But surprisingly, a subject Elizabeth didn’t know a lot about is Tonga’s frontline role as a victim of the climate change crisis.
The same sea level rise that will be coming to our Southern California beaches, to the bays of San Francisco, to New York City, to Miami, to the Gulf Coast states, has already arrived in Tonga and has already forced some of Tonga’s South Pacific neighbors to abandon their homeland of the past three centuries.
Gorgeous Pangangaimotu Beach in Tonga
I’m talking about the Carteret islands, which had already been inhabited for 1,000 years before European contact began in about 1880, and which are now vacant of its people.
Today all 3000 inhabitants of the Carteret Islands have been relocated as they become the first climate change refugees. And they didn’t just pick some other wonderful place that they wanted to relocate to either. They were “placed.”
While many folks rightfully care and cry for the climate change plight of beautiful polar bears and Emperor penguins, beautiful real life men, women and children have already had their world and way of life destroyed by global warming – climate change caused by the coal, oil and gasoline burned to power your consumer world and your comfortable way of life.
Mele'ana Fakatu'ana in Ha'ap ai Tonga Courtesy of National Geographic (c) toensing-photography
Mine too of course. I’m no exception.
Elementary School in Koulo, Tonga Courtesy of National Geographic (c) toensing-photography
And I see the very same fate for the men, women and children of our world here in California and across the United States coming much sooner than you think. There’s a lot more than just sea level rise coming our way.
It’s not my friend Elizabeth’s fault that she didn’t know a lot about all of this. (I say “didn’t” because she sure does now) It’s the fault of the mainstream media, the fossil fuel industries and our own carbon collaborative government from 2000-2008 – all of whom for their own indefensible, self-serving and unethical interests made sure the greatest crisis we have ever faced wasn’t treated that way.
CLICK ON THIS GRAPHIC to witness the fate of the canary
Here’s what I learned that you need to know too…
Climate change is happening much faster and much more severely than expected just two years ago when the big UN IPCC report came out. Every single day for the past two years another convincing piece of science fact is reported that adds to the weight of proof that we are already past the tipping point for catastrophic climate change impacts.
There’s no better place to see the impact from this than in the blue lagoon paradise of the South Pacific.
While Elizabeth has had the pleasant task of teaching me about the history, culture and joys of Tonga I’ve had to play the role of harshing her mellow with today’s reality by teaching her about the future of Tonga.
But before you start feeling too much sorrow and painful empathy for these beautiful Polynesian island people who live halfway around the planet, you should save a healthy dose for the person you look at in the mirror, for your parents, and your partner, and for your own children and grandchildren –
Because the very same fate awaits all of you too.
It may be happening there first, but you will not escape no matter who you THINK you are…
Because no matter what your heritage or where your people immigrated from in the past, when it comes to climate change…
Today we are ALL Tongan.
Why We Tongans Are The Canary In The Coal Mine
Just as canaries with their sensitive respiratory systems were once used as underground warning systems for miners to run and escape when the atmosphere turned toxic and deadly, today the islands of the South Pacific with their sensitive environments are our above ground warning system for a toxic and deadly atmosphere from which we cannot run and escape.
As my friends at the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme put it:
Pacific islands are extremely vulnerable to climate change. The most substantial impacts of climate change include losses of coastal infrastructure and land, more intense cyclones and droughts, failure of subsistence crops and coastal fisheries, losses of coral reefs and mangroves, and the spread of tropical diseases.
Long before sea level rise forces people to move off their island it contaminates the fresh water drinking supplies as well as the land that crops are grown on through storm surges that reach places surges never did before. When you read about ocean acidification, the destruction of coral habitats, dead zones and ocean pollution you’re reading about the big problems right in the backyard of my fellow Tongans. 80% of all Pacific Islanders live in or near coastal areas and rely on the ocean for their livelihoods.
Climate change’s impact on Tonga and her Pacific Island neighbors also includes extreme weather events like storms, cyclones, floods, droughts and heat waves.
Naturally all of the above has serious implications for the future development of all these Pacific islands. Right now tourism is the major industry for most of these small countries that draw visitors by the millions who are in search of the Polynesian paradise. Agriculture is another important industry throughout the region and it too will suffer badly from the impacts of climate change.
For some, like the people of the Carterets, it is already too late.
For Tonga there may still be enough time.
But only if we all wake up immediately and realize that right now is our moment.
And only if we understand that this isn’t someone else’s problem that we get to opt out of.
We’re all on the same island my friends.
We are ALL Tongan.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Wakeup! The Sea Level is Rising & Another Island Nation’s People Are Abou…
Electric Company Too Scared To Tell Truth About Climate Change
The View From Here Today
Climate change
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5 Responses leave one →
AUGUST 17, 2009
localdrivinglessons PERMALINK
this is beautiful island, and very nice shot .
REPLY
AUGUST 18, 2009
David Starr PERMALINK
Joe,
Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want to hear more. Lets go to breakfast. When?
Dave
REPLY
AUGUST 18, 2009
Melonie Magruder PERMALINK
Another reason 350 is so important. If the CO2 rises to 450, the oceans will be so acidified that all the coral will die. No more sushi.
http://oceanacidification.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/coral-reefs-in-danger-of-dying-out-in-next-20-years/
From the Greenius:
CO2 is at 390 ppm today and headed straight for 450 if people that work in the oil, gas and coal industries have their way. The people who work at Exxon in Torrance and Chevron in El Segundo have blood on their hands and their employment is not worth the death and destruction their careers are responsible for. The employees of the fossil fuel industry are immoral and want you to care more about their income and benefits than they have ever cared about you or the fate of our younger generations. These people have even shamelessly sold out their own children and families. With what we know today, those fossil fuel workers are nothing short of assassins doing wet work. They will lie and try to justify the consequences of their actions but they are guilty and deserve no one’s sympathy or empathy.
Right now these killers are working against climate change legislation and our move to clean, green energy because their selfish, greedy way of life is more important to them than anything else on earth. They are truly the sleeper cell of terrorists living among us. I suggest that the employees of the coal and petroleum industries be forced to fight all our future California wildfires instead of using prisoners. They should all spend the rest of their days cleaning up their toxic mess and praying for forgiveness.
REPLY
JANUARY 10, 2010
gary coward PERMALINK
Excellent way to get our minds back to reality,,,,,paradise lost.
And to remember that the entire planet can/could be paradise, each square yard in its own way.
REPLY
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THE CREATIVE GREENIUS
Welcome to Creative Greenius.
My name is Joe Galliani and I've been blogging as the Creative Greenius since October of 2007. I'm responsible for what you read here and I stand behind everything I write. I offer A Brighter Shade of Green that includes reporting, analysis, opinion, commentary and policy advisement.
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#02 Where Does Green Hope Come From? (October 15, 2007)
#03 Al Gore – Bigger Fish To Fry Than The Presidency (October 16, 2007)
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#07 Greenius Readers’ Lighting Reports (November 13, 2007)
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#09 I’m Dreaming of A Green Holiday (November 18, 2007)
#10 Half a Dozen Green Things I Give Thanks For (December 5, 2007)
#11 Charging Into The Future Today (December 10, 2007)
#12 Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go! (January 3, 2008)
#13 Clean Coal, Healthy Cancer & Evil Jesus – Did I mention safe, green nuclear? (January 18, 2008)
#14 Yes We Can! We Just Beat Coal. Time to Go Nuclear? (February 5)
#15 The Sharing Of The Green (March 16)
#16 Not An Environmentalist? Then You Are The Bad Guy In Today’s Story (April 19)
#17 The Cat Is On The Roof – This Joke is at YOUR Expense… (June 25)
#18 BOHICA, Baby! But It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way… (July 5)
#19 Plugging Plug-Ins – Part III – The Greenius Guide to EVs, Hybrids & Plug-In Hybrids That Will Rock Your World (July 14)
#20 I Accept The Challenge Al (July 20)
#21 Greetings From Plugged-In San Jose (July 21)
#22 Welcome to Plug-In 2008 (July 22)
#23 Electrifying Day @ Plug-In 2008 (July 23)
#24 Professor Franks Has Given Birth – Day 3 @ Plug-In 2008 (July 23)
#25 Top Ten Things I Learned @ Plug-In 2008 (July 31)
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We Are ALL Tongan
AUGUST 17, 2009
tags: Tonga, We Are ALL Tongan
by creativegreenius
The idyllic island kingdom of Tonga
My friend Elizabeth is from the South Pacific Island Kingdom of Tonga, an exotic locale long fixed in my memory with images of Polynesian paradise.
Tonga has sadly been in the news lately after an inter-island ferry sank on August 5 drowning over 70 people. It’s a huge tragedy in such a small place and it has saddened all Tongans around the world.
When I first met Elizabeth I had no idea that there were so many Tongan Americans living in large communities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Dallas and other cities across the USA. Elizabeth is producing a documentary film on the history of Tongans immigrating to America and she knows a lot about the subject.
But surprisingly, a subject Elizabeth didn’t know a lot about is Tonga’s frontline role as a victim of the climate change crisis.
The same sea level rise that will be coming to our Southern California beaches, to the bays of San Francisco, to New York City, to Miami, to the Gulf Coast states, has already arrived in Tonga and has already forced some of Tonga’s South Pacific neighbors to abandon their homeland of the past three centuries.
Gorgeous Pangangaimotu Beach in Tonga
I’m talking about the Carteret islands, which had already been inhabited for 1,000 years before European contact began in about 1880, and which are now vacant of its people.
Today all 3000 inhabitants of the Carteret Islands have been relocated as they become the first climate change refugees. And they didn’t just pick some other wonderful place that they wanted to relocate to either. They were “placed.”
While many folks rightfully care and cry for the climate change plight of beautiful polar bears and Emperor penguins, beautiful real life men, women and children have already had their world and way of life destroyed by global warming – climate change caused by the coal, oil and gasoline burned to power your consumer world and your comfortable way of life.
Mele'ana Fakatu'ana in Ha'ap ai Tonga Courtesy of National Geographic (c) toensing-photography
Mine too of course. I’m no exception.
Elementary School in Koulo, Tonga Courtesy of National Geographic (c) toensing-photography
And I see the very same fate for the men, women and children of our world here in California and across the United States coming much sooner than you think. There’s a lot more than just sea level rise coming our way.
It’s not my friend Elizabeth’s fault that she didn’t know a lot about all of this. (I say “didn’t” because she sure does now) It’s the fault of the mainstream media, the fossil fuel industries and our own carbon collaborative government from 2000-2008 – all of whom for their own indefensible, self-serving and unethical interests made sure the greatest crisis we have ever faced wasn’t treated that way.
CLICK ON THIS GRAPHIC to witness the fate of the canary
Here’s what I learned that you need to know too…
Climate change is happening much faster and much more severely than expected just two years ago when the big UN IPCC report came out. Every single day for the past two years another convincing piece of science fact is reported that adds to the weight of proof that we are already past the tipping point for catastrophic climate change impacts.
There’s no better place to see the impact from this than in the blue lagoon paradise of the South Pacific.
While Elizabeth has had the pleasant task of teaching me about the history, culture and joys of Tonga I’ve had to play the role of harshing her mellow with today’s reality by teaching her about the future of Tonga.
But before you start feeling too much sorrow and painful empathy for these beautiful Polynesian island people who live halfway around the planet, you should save a healthy dose for the person you look at in the mirror, for your parents, and your partner, and for your own children and grandchildren –
Because the very same fate awaits all of you too.
It may be happening there first, but you will not escape no matter who you THINK you are…
Because no matter what your heritage or where your people immigrated from in the past, when it comes to climate change…
Today we are ALL Tongan.
Why We Tongans Are The Canary In The Coal Mine
Just as canaries with their sensitive respiratory systems were once used as underground warning systems for miners to run and escape when the atmosphere turned toxic and deadly, today the islands of the South Pacific with their sensitive environments are our above ground warning system for a toxic and deadly atmosphere from which we cannot run and escape.
As my friends at the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme put it:
Pacific islands are extremely vulnerable to climate change. The most substantial impacts of climate change include losses of coastal infrastructure and land, more intense cyclones and droughts, failure of subsistence crops and coastal fisheries, losses of coral reefs and mangroves, and the spread of tropical diseases.
Long before sea level rise forces people to move off their island it contaminates the fresh water drinking supplies as well as the land that crops are grown on through storm surges that reach places surges never did before. When you read about ocean acidification, the destruction of coral habitats, dead zones and ocean pollution you’re reading about the big problems right in the backyard of my fellow Tongans. 80% of all Pacific Islanders live in or near coastal areas and rely on the ocean for their livelihoods.
Climate change’s impact on Tonga and her Pacific Island neighbors also includes extreme weather events like storms, cyclones, floods, droughts and heat waves.
Naturally all of the above has serious implications for the future development of all these Pacific islands. Right now tourism is the major industry for most of these small countries that draw visitors by the millions who are in search of the Polynesian paradise. Agriculture is another important industry throughout the region and it too will suffer badly from the impacts of climate change.
For some, like the people of the Carterets, it is already too late.
For Tonga there may still be enough time.
But only if we all wake up immediately and realize that right now is our moment.
And only if we understand that this isn’t someone else’s problem that we get to opt out of.
We’re all on the same island my friends.
We are ALL Tongan.
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5 Responses leave one →
AUGUST 17, 2009
localdrivinglessons PERMALINK
this is beautiful island, and very nice shot .
REPLY
AUGUST 18, 2009
David Starr PERMALINK
Joe,
Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want to hear more. Lets go to breakfast. When?
Dave
REPLY
AUGUST 18, 2009
Melonie Magruder PERMALINK
Another reason 350 is so important. If the CO2 rises to 450, the oceans will be so acidified that all the coral will die. No more sushi.
http://oceanacidification.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/coral-reefs-in-danger-of-dying-out-in-next-20-years/
From the Greenius:
CO2 is at 390 ppm today and headed straight for 450 if people that work in the oil, gas and coal industries have their way. The people who work at Exxon in Torrance and Chevron in El Segundo have blood on their hands and their employment is not worth the death and destruction their careers are responsible for. The employees of the fossil fuel industry are immoral and want you to care more about their income and benefits than they have ever cared about you or the fate of our younger generations. These people have even shamelessly sold out their own children and families. With what we know today, those fossil fuel workers are nothing short of assassins doing wet work. They will lie and try to justify the consequences of their actions but they are guilty and deserve no one’s sympathy or empathy.
Right now these killers are working against climate change legislation and our move to clean, green energy because their selfish, greedy way of life is more important to them than anything else on earth. They are truly the sleeper cell of terrorists living among us. I suggest that the employees of the coal and petroleum industries be forced to fight all our future California wildfires instead of using prisoners. They should all spend the rest of their days cleaning up their toxic mess and praying for forgiveness.
REPLY
JANUARY 10, 2010
gary coward PERMALINK
Excellent way to get our minds back to reality,,,,,paradise lost.
And to remember that the entire planet can/could be paradise, each square yard in its own way.
REPLY
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THE CREATIVE GREENIUS
Welcome to Creative Greenius.
My name is Joe Galliani and I've been blogging as the Creative Greenius since October of 2007. I'm responsible for what you read here and I stand behind everything I write. I offer A Brighter Shade of Green that includes reporting, analysis, opinion, commentary and policy advisement.
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EARLY GREENIUS
#01 Walking The Green Path (October 7, 2007)
#02 Where Does Green Hope Come From? (October 15, 2007)
#03 Al Gore – Bigger Fish To Fry Than The Presidency (October 16, 2007)
#04 Sustainability Means Feeding the Hungry (October 18, 2007)
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#07 Greenius Readers’ Lighting Reports (November 13, 2007)
#08 Visiting NEPTUN – Source Of A New Light (November 15, 2007)
#09 I’m Dreaming of A Green Holiday (November 18, 2007)
#10 Half a Dozen Green Things I Give Thanks For (December 5, 2007)
#11 Charging Into The Future Today (December 10, 2007)
#12 Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go! (January 3, 2008)
#13 Clean Coal, Healthy Cancer & Evil Jesus – Did I mention safe, green nuclear? (January 18, 2008)
#14 Yes We Can! We Just Beat Coal. Time to Go Nuclear? (February 5)
#15 The Sharing Of The Green (March 16)
#16 Not An Environmentalist? Then You Are The Bad Guy In Today’s Story (April 19)
#17 The Cat Is On The Roof – This Joke is at YOUR Expense… (June 25)
#18 BOHICA, Baby! But It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way… (July 5)
#19 Plugging Plug-Ins – Part III – The Greenius Guide to EVs, Hybrids & Plug-In Hybrids That Will Rock Your World (July 14)
#20 I Accept The Challenge Al (July 20)
#21 Greetings From Plugged-In San Jose (July 21)
#22 Welcome to Plug-In 2008 (July 22)
#23 Electrifying Day @ Plug-In 2008 (July 23)
#24 Professor Franks Has Given Birth – Day 3 @ Plug-In 2008 (July 23)
#25 Top Ten Things I Learned @ Plug-In 2008 (July 31)
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Beware Your Righteous, Theoretical Boundaries!!
Beware your righteous, theoretical boundaries because theoretical boundaries set up an arbitrary self-contradiction from which we cannot escape as long as we cling to that boundary with no flexibility for movement...
Every perspective, every theory, has its own particular strength...
And every perspective, every theory, has its own particular liability...
Why should we limit ourselves to the inevitable weakness of every one-sided theory?
Like a good husband and wife team working in harmony with each other,
Opposing theories can be used harmoniously and integratively to supplement each other's weakness...
To provide a more balanced, wholistic perspective...
When it comes to theories,
The only boundaries that should dictate,
Are those governed by subject-matter, ethics, and integrity...
And even here there is going to be ambiguity and plenty of room for debate,
For example, the subject matter is going to be influenced by 'outside factors',
That can change the nature of the discussion,
Or the boundaries of the subject matter,
Thus, we get 'bio-chemistry', and 'bio-physics',
And an essay like Freud's 'The Neuro-Psychoses of Defence' (1894).
Some boundaries are inherent to the subject-matter under investigation,
But many are simply 'made-made' conceptual and label boundaries,
That are meant to make thinking and understanding easier,
And oftentimes, these can come back to haunt us,
And cause us endless grief,
Until we finally figure out that we have created a man-made conceptual-semantic trap.
Boundaries are meant to be broken...(especially when we make them in places that we shouldn't have made them in the first place).
Giving proper respect to ethical and legal boundaries that are there for good reason.
And organizational boundaries that give us some semblence of an idea of where to start our study and where to end it...
Usually when we start to draw near the end of our subject matter, we start to feel the encroachment of other subject matters surrounding it, each with their own sphere of respective influence...
It was in this manner, and through a famous quote by Jung, that I bumped into the philosophy of Hegel, and in passing from Jung to Hegel, I had jumped over the boundary from psychology to philosophy...
And then I had a whole new discipline to study...
A whole new world of information and knowledge to learn,
Years and years of further study...
To add more depth and historical context, as well as subject matter context, to that which I had already learned in psychology...
And the same could apply to the spheres of business and economics,
And politics and spirituality and religion,
And art and literature...
Inside the 'box' of psychology, we have different 'sub-categories' of study such as 'clinical psychology' and 'research psychology' and 'industrial psychology'...
Inside the 'box' of psychology, we also have different 'schools' of psychology, each with their different perspective, their different slant on things, like 'psychoanalysis' and 'gestalt therapy' and 'adlerian psychology' and 'jungian psycholgy', 'cognitive therapy' and 'client-centered therapy' and 'transactional analysis'...
To go with all the boxes or spheres that we mentioned outside the box of psychology...
In both cases, we need to keep thinking 'inside and outside the box'.
Ascertaining how inside and outside factors influence each other,
Co-determine each other,
Add contextual depth to each other,
Attract and repel each other...
This is what Hegel called 'dialectic thinking'.
I sometimes call it 'dialectic-democratic thinking'.
Or the 'dialectic-integrative evolution of theories'...
Which constantly looks for 'win-win solutions and conflict resolutions'...
To seemingly unsolvable and unresolvable paradoxes, dichotomies, impasses, and riddles...
When a theory becomes too self-limiting by the constriction of its own self-boundaries...
Think outside the boundary...
And then come back to integrate...
What is inside and outside the boundary...
You might be amazed at where it takes you, and what it brings back to you!
New life, new depth, new integrations!!
To that which had become hopelessly self-entangled,
By its own limitations and self-restrictions...
With theorists screaming at each other from each side of their own limited vantage point and self-perspective...
Broaden your horizons everyone...
And reap the benefits from doing this...
The world is a big, big place...
And you are only seeing part of the picture...
Two opposite halves generally make a whole...
-- dgb, Feb. 26th, 2010; updated March 19th, 2010.
-- David Gordon Bain
-- Dialectic Gap-Bridging Negotiations...
-- Are Still In Process...
Every perspective, every theory, has its own particular strength...
And every perspective, every theory, has its own particular liability...
Why should we limit ourselves to the inevitable weakness of every one-sided theory?
Like a good husband and wife team working in harmony with each other,
Opposing theories can be used harmoniously and integratively to supplement each other's weakness...
To provide a more balanced, wholistic perspective...
When it comes to theories,
The only boundaries that should dictate,
Are those governed by subject-matter, ethics, and integrity...
And even here there is going to be ambiguity and plenty of room for debate,
For example, the subject matter is going to be influenced by 'outside factors',
That can change the nature of the discussion,
Or the boundaries of the subject matter,
Thus, we get 'bio-chemistry', and 'bio-physics',
And an essay like Freud's 'The Neuro-Psychoses of Defence' (1894).
Some boundaries are inherent to the subject-matter under investigation,
But many are simply 'made-made' conceptual and label boundaries,
That are meant to make thinking and understanding easier,
And oftentimes, these can come back to haunt us,
And cause us endless grief,
Until we finally figure out that we have created a man-made conceptual-semantic trap.
Boundaries are meant to be broken...(especially when we make them in places that we shouldn't have made them in the first place).
Giving proper respect to ethical and legal boundaries that are there for good reason.
And organizational boundaries that give us some semblence of an idea of where to start our study and where to end it...
Usually when we start to draw near the end of our subject matter, we start to feel the encroachment of other subject matters surrounding it, each with their own sphere of respective influence...
It was in this manner, and through a famous quote by Jung, that I bumped into the philosophy of Hegel, and in passing from Jung to Hegel, I had jumped over the boundary from psychology to philosophy...
And then I had a whole new discipline to study...
A whole new world of information and knowledge to learn,
Years and years of further study...
To add more depth and historical context, as well as subject matter context, to that which I had already learned in psychology...
And the same could apply to the spheres of business and economics,
And politics and spirituality and religion,
And art and literature...
Inside the 'box' of psychology, we have different 'sub-categories' of study such as 'clinical psychology' and 'research psychology' and 'industrial psychology'...
Inside the 'box' of psychology, we also have different 'schools' of psychology, each with their different perspective, their different slant on things, like 'psychoanalysis' and 'gestalt therapy' and 'adlerian psychology' and 'jungian psycholgy', 'cognitive therapy' and 'client-centered therapy' and 'transactional analysis'...
To go with all the boxes or spheres that we mentioned outside the box of psychology...
In both cases, we need to keep thinking 'inside and outside the box'.
Ascertaining how inside and outside factors influence each other,
Co-determine each other,
Add contextual depth to each other,
Attract and repel each other...
This is what Hegel called 'dialectic thinking'.
I sometimes call it 'dialectic-democratic thinking'.
Or the 'dialectic-integrative evolution of theories'...
Which constantly looks for 'win-win solutions and conflict resolutions'...
To seemingly unsolvable and unresolvable paradoxes, dichotomies, impasses, and riddles...
When a theory becomes too self-limiting by the constriction of its own self-boundaries...
Think outside the boundary...
And then come back to integrate...
What is inside and outside the boundary...
You might be amazed at where it takes you, and what it brings back to you!
New life, new depth, new integrations!!
To that which had become hopelessly self-entangled,
By its own limitations and self-restrictions...
With theorists screaming at each other from each side of their own limited vantage point and self-perspective...
Broaden your horizons everyone...
And reap the benefits from doing this...
The world is a big, big place...
And you are only seeing part of the picture...
Two opposite halves generally make a whole...
-- dgb, Feb. 26th, 2010; updated March 19th, 2010.
-- David Gordon Bain
-- Dialectic Gap-Bridging Negotiations...
-- Are Still In Process...
10 tips to get out of debt
10 tips to get out of debt
by Gail Vaz-Oxlade, For CNBC
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Provided by
From the internet...
How can you get out of debt and back on the road to recovery? Renowned financial author and Til Debt Do Us part host Gail Vaz-Oxlade takes a tough-love approach to helping couples in a financial crisis to face reality. Here are Gail's top 10 tips to get out of debt..
Cut Your Credit Cards and Set A Budget
Every family that finds themselves in debt should cut up all their credit cards and live on a cash budget, keeping a log of each and every expenditure made. Use the following formula to set a budget. Keep in mind that the "life" category includes everything from groceries, to gadgets to entertainment. Housing: 35%, Debt: 15%, Life: 25%, Transportation, 15%, Savings 10%.
More from CNBC.com:
Top 10 Tips For Building Wealth
Biggest Types Of Personal Debt
Which Country Gets The Most Vacation Days?
Reduce Your Interest Rates
Reducing your interest cost is one way to fast track your way out of debt. Some people have interest rates as high as 30%. When they pay their monthly minimum, all they're doing is paying off interest rather than chipping away at the principal. By calling to negotiate with creditors, high interest rates can be brought down. If you call and a representative says they can't help you, ask to be connected to a supervisor until you get to someone with the authority to reduce your rates.
Bring In Extra Money
Do anything you can to bring in extra money to throw at your debt, even if you work a full time job. Consider overtime at work, dog walking, baby sitting, tutoring, or using any skill that's unique to you to bring home the bacon…some creative ideas we've seen on the show: web designing, party planning, teaching music lessons and much, much more!
Get Your Priorities Straight
When deciding how to tackle debt and putting a plan in place to save for the future, you have to consider all of your options. Ask yourself the tough questions and prioritize…if going to grad school is important, then maybe you can be a student but take on a part-time job. If having a child is important, do you need to take a full maternity leave? Should you consider buying a home - maybe renting is a smarter option? Make a list of things you want to do and discuss them thoroughly with your partner to help make the best decisions for you and your relationship.
Chip Away At The Debt
To reduce debt, make a list of every single debt that you have and rank them in order of the highest interest rate, not the highest balance. Pay off the highest interest rate card first. Every time you have extra money, throw it at the debt you've targeted until it's gone and then stop using that card! Reward yourself by making a checklist and crossing out the debt, you'll feel better as you start to see it disappear. When your debt is paid off, take the money you were allocating for debt repayment and put it towards savings.
Keep Things In Perspective
Getting out of debt isn't easy, but you have to remember that you cannot let debt consume you and hurt your relationship. You and your partner need to work through the debt together, making sacrifices but focusing on what's important as well - your family and your relationship. Get a babysitter and make time to do something special with your spouse so you can remember why you fell in love, set time aside to do group activities as a family to involve the kids as well. Don't let your debt get the best of you.
Getting Out of Debt Doesn't Mean You Can't Ever Spend Again
When working your way out of debt you can still spend on things that are important to you, you just need to plan and save for them. So for example, if you're planning to get married, don't rush out and cancel your wedding - re-think your wedding plans and see if there are cheaper alternative ways to spend on what you want. If you really love to travel, don't cancel your trip for the year, figure out a way to do it on a tighter budget and save a little each month for it so you don't have to put it on credit cards.
Stop Eating Out
Eating out costs way more than buying food and cooking at home, not to mention that the latter option is much healthier as well. Make cooking dinner a family activity, something that can be done to together to make the experience more enjoyable - and when you're done cooking, sit down and have dinner together, discuss the day's events and catch up. Having dinner parties at home is also a way to cut down on entertainment with friends. If you're planning a romantic dinner consider taking the kids to their grandparents' and having dinner at home rather than in a restaurant. If you're going to get together with friends, consider the same thing. Remember, it's not about the food, it's about the company.
Get Organized
When it comes to working your way out of debt it's all about organization - believe it or not getting your documents in order will help you pay down your debt because it puts you in control. Organize your paperwork so you know where every important document is and so that all documents are easily accessible. Use a collapsible file folder, label the tabs clearly and most importantly, do this with your spouse so you both understand the system.
Be Willing To Part With Toys
Sometimes to get out of debt you'll have to sell something that's really important to you or that you love. The reality is dealing with the heartbreak of losing material things will be far less than dealing with the damage that these things can do to your finances. If you have to sell a car, house, piece of jewelry, artwork or anything else, take a deep breath and realize that what you're doing will help your future and your finances - and just let it go.
by Gail Vaz-Oxlade, For CNBC
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Provided by
From the internet...
How can you get out of debt and back on the road to recovery? Renowned financial author and Til Debt Do Us part host Gail Vaz-Oxlade takes a tough-love approach to helping couples in a financial crisis to face reality. Here are Gail's top 10 tips to get out of debt..
Cut Your Credit Cards and Set A Budget
Every family that finds themselves in debt should cut up all their credit cards and live on a cash budget, keeping a log of each and every expenditure made. Use the following formula to set a budget. Keep in mind that the "life" category includes everything from groceries, to gadgets to entertainment. Housing: 35%, Debt: 15%, Life: 25%, Transportation, 15%, Savings 10%.
More from CNBC.com:
Top 10 Tips For Building Wealth
Biggest Types Of Personal Debt
Which Country Gets The Most Vacation Days?
Reduce Your Interest Rates
Reducing your interest cost is one way to fast track your way out of debt. Some people have interest rates as high as 30%. When they pay their monthly minimum, all they're doing is paying off interest rather than chipping away at the principal. By calling to negotiate with creditors, high interest rates can be brought down. If you call and a representative says they can't help you, ask to be connected to a supervisor until you get to someone with the authority to reduce your rates.
Bring In Extra Money
Do anything you can to bring in extra money to throw at your debt, even if you work a full time job. Consider overtime at work, dog walking, baby sitting, tutoring, or using any skill that's unique to you to bring home the bacon…some creative ideas we've seen on the show: web designing, party planning, teaching music lessons and much, much more!
Get Your Priorities Straight
When deciding how to tackle debt and putting a plan in place to save for the future, you have to consider all of your options. Ask yourself the tough questions and prioritize…if going to grad school is important, then maybe you can be a student but take on a part-time job. If having a child is important, do you need to take a full maternity leave? Should you consider buying a home - maybe renting is a smarter option? Make a list of things you want to do and discuss them thoroughly with your partner to help make the best decisions for you and your relationship.
Chip Away At The Debt
To reduce debt, make a list of every single debt that you have and rank them in order of the highest interest rate, not the highest balance. Pay off the highest interest rate card first. Every time you have extra money, throw it at the debt you've targeted until it's gone and then stop using that card! Reward yourself by making a checklist and crossing out the debt, you'll feel better as you start to see it disappear. When your debt is paid off, take the money you were allocating for debt repayment and put it towards savings.
Keep Things In Perspective
Getting out of debt isn't easy, but you have to remember that you cannot let debt consume you and hurt your relationship. You and your partner need to work through the debt together, making sacrifices but focusing on what's important as well - your family and your relationship. Get a babysitter and make time to do something special with your spouse so you can remember why you fell in love, set time aside to do group activities as a family to involve the kids as well. Don't let your debt get the best of you.
Getting Out of Debt Doesn't Mean You Can't Ever Spend Again
When working your way out of debt you can still spend on things that are important to you, you just need to plan and save for them. So for example, if you're planning to get married, don't rush out and cancel your wedding - re-think your wedding plans and see if there are cheaper alternative ways to spend on what you want. If you really love to travel, don't cancel your trip for the year, figure out a way to do it on a tighter budget and save a little each month for it so you don't have to put it on credit cards.
Stop Eating Out
Eating out costs way more than buying food and cooking at home, not to mention that the latter option is much healthier as well. Make cooking dinner a family activity, something that can be done to together to make the experience more enjoyable - and when you're done cooking, sit down and have dinner together, discuss the day's events and catch up. Having dinner parties at home is also a way to cut down on entertainment with friends. If you're planning a romantic dinner consider taking the kids to their grandparents' and having dinner at home rather than in a restaurant. If you're going to get together with friends, consider the same thing. Remember, it's not about the food, it's about the company.
Get Organized
When it comes to working your way out of debt it's all about organization - believe it or not getting your documents in order will help you pay down your debt because it puts you in control. Organize your paperwork so you know where every important document is and so that all documents are easily accessible. Use a collapsible file folder, label the tabs clearly and most importantly, do this with your spouse so you both understand the system.
Be Willing To Part With Toys
Sometimes to get out of debt you'll have to sell something that's really important to you or that you love. The reality is dealing with the heartbreak of losing material things will be far less than dealing with the damage that these things can do to your finances. If you have to sell a car, house, piece of jewelry, artwork or anything else, take a deep breath and realize that what you're doing will help your future and your finances - and just let it go.
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