Tag: #corporations

  • Let’s Talk About Debt

    We paid off a credit card today. It was a victory, but it barely made a blip on our daily routine. One reason is that mornings for us are a little crazy with walking a dog, and getting the kid ready, setting up remote school, and then setting up the wife’s remote work. Lots of moving parts. The other thing is that we just paid off one card of seven. So, we still have a long way to go.

    The reason for our debt is wide and varied, and will be the subject for a blog on another day.

    What I want to engage in is just talking about debt. Ever since I can remember, no one talked about their debt. Not my family, and not my friends. Maybe a joke about credit cards, or the ever-enveloping nature of student loans. Outside of an occasional joke, no one talked about the debt that was amassed.

    Debt has always been treated as a moral failure. That any debt is a sign you have failed in some way. That you are bad with money, or frivolous with planning, or just a person who can’t hack being an adult. Shame was placed on having debt.

    But as I have worked professionally, all companies have debt and use it to their advantage. Either in leveraging  it for lines of credit and loans, or using it as a loss for their taxes. Companies buy and sell each other and use the debt to load on the acquired company. I was sort of surprised at how corporations I worked for, had no intention of paying off their debt.

    I have decided that I will not be ashamed of my debt, and at the same time, I will still actively try to pay it off.

    But at the same time, I know if I pay all my debt off and no longer use my cards, then the banks will close the accounts, and then my credit will dry up. Now, if that happens, then I won’t be able to get the home/car/student loans I will need in the future. So, it’s like I have to keep some debt on the books.

    Funny how that works.

  • More FaceBook Thoughts

    I am still thinking about the FaceBook NYTimes article that came out yesterday. What has stuck with me, or what I keep turning over in my head is what protections do we have from corporations when we seem to be living in a time where an individual seems to have less and less power to stand up to them.

    “Seem” is the word I am using as I am not sure if that statement is true. It sure does feel that way, but is that the reality?

    If I try to be objective when it comes to the formation of my opinions, there are two major camps. The first is from my Grandpa Lawrence, who was a union man, a Democrat, and who said that if there wasn’t a check on corporations, then they would run amuck and destroy everyone and everything to make a profit. The other thought camp is my Grandpa Delmore who was the manager of a quarry, was pro-business, believed that individual liberty was key to being an America, and was a Republican.

    These are the two voices that debate in my mind when issues like this come up. Delmore would say that you don’t need FaceBook to live and work, so don’t sign the agreement and you won’t lose any of your data. Lawrence would say that unregulated corporations lead to corruption and destructive behavior.

    In this situation, I see myself siding with Lawrence on this issue, but how do I want government to weigh in on this? If I want to use an internet service, and it is being offered for free, does that mean I have to surrender my personal info to use it? IS there another business model that will work? Or is this just a matter of we have to start paying for what was once free.