Thursday, April 09, 2009
Piggy Bank Feasts At Spring Break
Ok. Listen. I have the DOW and NASDAQ as well as currency exchange on my desktop (computer) so that each and every time I open this thing, I can look and see what the markets are doing. I’ve seen that in the past week, the DOW is back up above 8000. I know we still have a ways to go and things can change but I have to tell you, people are spending their money.
This week, official Spring Break, has been touted to be the busiest Spring Break we’ve had ever. Ever. Tuesday is my Monday and kids, I’ve been working, NON stop every single day with two more to go. These last two days being the weekend. Meaning even MORE business coming. To give you an idea of what I mean by “non stop working”, on Tuesday, I didn’t get to stop and eat lunch until 4pm. In fact, that was the first break I had all day. We close at 5pm. Wednesday, not until just after 3pm. Today? I got a small break at 4pm but was right back out after that.
I have been raking in the dough, hand over fist this week and frankly, as tired as I am...."tired", please, that doesn’t cover it...beyond exhausted, I am loving this money. I don’t know if people are unaware of what the economy has been doing in the past few months or what but they are spending their money like it falls from the sky every Thursday.
Because I do not trust what will come, I am saving as much of this as I can to hold me over when a) summer comes or b) shit hits the fan or c) both. I am hoping that this trend of people spending like they’ve just hit the lottery continues but I don’t trust that it will. So I’m being personally responsible FOR MYSELF and planning ahead. If it did continue like this, my GOD, I would never have a financial struggle again. Ever. I don’t even want enough stuff to be able to spend this much in a year let alone what I could accumulate over the rest of my working years from not spending it.
I know people say, “You will always spend more when you make more.” HA! They do not know me. They do not know that I’ve been through some of the worst times and once you’ve been through that kind of stuff, (as I’ve stated on this site thousands of times), you never lose the fear of it happening again. So I’m kind of a hoarder now when it comes to my money. I know you can’t take it with you but I’d like to be comfortable and not stress about money while I’m here. Whatever is left after I part ways with Earth? Goes to charity, probably dealing with the rescue of animals.
However, again, I don’t trust that this trend will continue. And while I see people around me throwing their money all over the place and not thinking of their future, I think to myself, “Boy are you people going to be hating life soon. Granted, I love that you’re flinging that money my direction but you really need to stop and think about what you are doing.”
Early this morning I was having a conversation with a co-worker. I could not get him to understand why socialism is a bad thing. See, he doesn’t understand, fully, what socialism is. He is not a stupid person at all but he just doesn’t get it. He mentioned things like, “helping everyone”, “loaf of bread” and “this country is obligated to help everyone”, (meaning, the government). I tried to get him to understand that the government is NOT “obligated” to help everyone by taking money from this bunch of people and giving it to that bunch of people just because they have less. No, it is NOT obligated.
I tried to get him to understand why bailing out businesses that make piss poor products is a no win situation for anyone. Yes, I understand, people will lose their jobs if that company goes under but that doesn’t mean that they will all lose their homes and starve to death, as was stated to me. People invest. People save. People can find other jobs. Just because you lose your job doesn’t mean you’re going to end up on the streets without a bite of food to eat. I should know, I’ve lost a LOT of jobs in my life time. A LOT.
And each and every time I was able to get back up, find another job and continue to live in my place and eat. Only once did I lose my place to live and it had nothing to do with me losing my job. It had everything to do with a roommate bailing on me leaving me with ALL the bills just because she wanted to be closer to her boyfriend. I won’t get in to that story again. I’ve already told it. The government did not help me out of that. I helped me out of that and one person put me up for three weeks until I helped myself out of that.
This is what I could not get my co-worker to understand. Why on EARTH should Joe Schmoe have to pay for me to get out of a suck ass situation when a roommate decided she was just going to bail two days before rent and all other bills were due? Was that my fault? Well, if you’re my parents, yes it was. It was my fault I chose that roommate. (God, give me a break.) If you’re a reasonable person, of course that wasn’t my fault but I STILL wouldn’t expect someone to pay my way out of that.
I lost my place to live as well. And I worked through it while still going to school.
I’ve gone through that whole, “not a bite to eat” as well. And I worked my way through it. Any assistance I did get was from neighbors, friends or co-workers who wanted to help and NOT because government forced them to help. THAT is the difference.
People are charitable. People give a lot of money to charities. People DO help out other people when they see they need it. They help a lot when they see that someone is really trying and shit just keeps hitting the fan but that person keeps trying. They do not like to help when people do stupid ass shit like buy $800,000 homes they cannot afford and surprise, surprise, face foreclosure. They do not like to help when someone mooches off of them. When the person does not get up and try to find work, try to find their own place to live, try to get an education, try to get ahead and change things around. If you’re just going to live on someone’s couch and do nothing, why on earth should anyone help you?
I used our work as an example. Summers are usually slow here as it is. It’s fucking hot and people don’t want to sit out in the boiling sun on a tour. It’s not fun. We do get people but we get way less than we do other times of the year. By the time the tour is over, they are miserable shits and grouchy and not thinking rationally and since you are right there in front of them, you can get the blame for their now pissy ass mood. And they don’t want to tip. Because they are hot, sweaty, grouchy and burnt. That’s just the way it is.
This summer, I fear, will be even less busy than usual. And so I’m saving what I’m making now to get me through those horrible months soon to come. Some of my co-workers cannot save a dime to save their lives. Every week, they end up with no money. They have to borrow all the time. Or they just don’t have much left. They have no savings. They live week to week. So what will they do come summer time? How will they survive?
How will they pay their rent, put gas in their car, food down their throats?
I explained to this co-worker that in a socialist society, even though I planned ahead and was responsible, because my co-workers didn’t, I’m going to have to bail them out. I worked hard and I saved and didn’t go anywhere, didn’t buy steaks every night, didn’t go out drinking every night, didn’t go to this amusement park or that every other weekend while they did. We all had equal opportunity to make money and save it yet they spent all of theirs and now, they have nothing left. Now, they can’t get to the store to buy anything because they have no money for gas OR anything inside the store.
And I’m supposed to feel sorry for them and give them some of my money.
What kind of fucking bullshit is that?
If they had saved their money and something happened, say, some medical issue or whatever and they ran out, then of course I would think that helping them is a good thing but because you drank and smoked your way through the winter, I have to give you my money now that you have none left when that well runs dry? Fuck that.
I don’t like to see people suffer but let’s clarify this, kids: I don’t like to watch innocent people suffer. And by innocent, I mean, people who try, try, try and try and do all the right things but it just doesn’t work out for them. I don’t like to see them suffer and I do what I can to help.
I do not care if greedy people suffer. Fuck them. You ate prime rib, drank a six pack every night, washed it down with 2 joints, went here, there and everywhere on your days off, spending like a fool and now I’m supposed to give a shit that you have nothing left?
No. I don’t.
You made that bed, you lie in it. Maybe, when you suffer through like that, you’ll learn how to plan ahead the next time and not be such a damn burden on our society. THAT is how you learn if you aren’t smart enough to do it right the first time. You suffer.
It sucks complete ass. It’s not fun to suffer. It doesn’t matter if you did right or blew through your money every week, suffering is suffering and it sucks. The problem is, if you do everything right and need some help, eventually, doing everything right will work out for you. If you just trail blaze through your wallet week after week, you’re not going to learn until you learn it the hard way. Having people bail you out of that every year teaches you nothing except to expect it. So now we’ll have dumb, lazy idiots walking around with a sense of entitlement looking for a handout after they lived it large until the money ran out.
Now, suddenly, they are the poor and the down trodden because they can’t afford a slice of bread. Those are the ones that socialists and government and bleeding hearts tell me I have to give to and yet those are the very most undeserving people out there.
Eventually, everyone will stop working and everyone will fail. We won’t have anyone able to afford to give to charities out of the goodness of their hearts. So those people won’t be helped either. In the end, we’ll all have nothing. What a brilliant plan!
The point is, you must take personal responsibility. You must plan ahead and stop taking for granted that your financial well being will be the same tomorrow. You must look at the bigger picture. Stop taking inventory on your wants and focus on your needs and your needs in the future. Put aside for those needs and if you have something left over, go ahead and buy yourself a little treat but stop expecting me to give you my hard earned and saved money after you pissed and crapped all of yours down the toilet.
I have sat out in the hot sun, I have had my face be burned, day after day after day regardless of the fact that I use sunscreen, I have sat on a hard, plastic seat for 8 fucking hours every day, I have talked myself hoarse, I have cleaned up after you, dealt with your attitudes, your heckling, your arrogance, your lack of humor, I have sweat all day long, I have gotten filthy with mud, I have put my limbs at risk so that you can enjoy alligators in a pit, I have come in early and have stayed late. I have worked 7-8 hours without a single fucking break. Not even two minutes. Not even ONE minute. Not even long enough to light up a cigarette and take one puff. I have guided you, advised you and worked the crowd. I have been rewarded for this hard work. And I have saved my reward.
And I’ll be DAMNED if you’re going to come in and take it from me because you don’t want to put that much effort in to yourself.
You can suck it. And enjoy your air sandwiches.
