It’s not uncommon to find happy families on any given day in Cloverdale’s two public parks, and why wouldn’t they be happy? Work is plentiful because the worldwide recession can’t find the Confederacy of Dunces.
Our citizens are different than those that live in The Other World. We save money, even if it isn't convenient, because we realize every bright sunny day is followed by a dark, cold rainy one. Life has its ups and downs. If you’re only prepared for the ups, what will you do when the roller coaster starts to free fall? If you don’t have a plan you won’t bottom out and climb again. Instead you crash and crashing is never pretty.
Our citizens understand and live by the principle of an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. You may think its common sense but isn't 'common sense' in short supply in The Other World? Why do people 'out there' believe they are entitled to a big home and new car right out of school? Those are the things you purchase after years of hard work and only when you saved enough to justify the purchase without borrowing beyond your ability to repay.
Our CEO’s in the Confederacy make a competitive salary with those in the Other World. They get pay raises if their employees get pay raises. Bonuses are not permitted. You're paid what you’re worth. Is there something wrong with that? Why receive a bonus if your company does well. Isn’t that what your paid to do for the company anyway?
Our citizens purchase homes they can afford to live in. If you can’t afford the house payments with a normal fixed rate 30 year mortgage then you shouldn’t purchase the house. Find something smaller. Does it seem like common sense to you? If so, then you may be one of us.
Life in the Confederacy of Dunces may be slower. People may be more cautious with their money and more conservative in their purchases but at the end of the day they sleep well knowing they are living within their means and saving a little at the end of every month for the future.
Stress disappears with that piece of mind. So, the moral of the story is this. Engage the common sense chip you were born with. If is sounds too good to be true then it is. Go into debt for large purchases only (car and home). Pay with cash for everything else from your emergency savings funds and then, when you get home from work, instead of going to your second or third job, take the family to the park and skip on the sidewalk and swing in the trees.
Life can be good again. You know what to do.
Self-reliance....hum, not a word spoken by many in the outer world.
ReplyDeleteThe words for the day in the outer world: bail out.