A Description of the Day

Ah, how beautiful the day is! The fresh smell of spring is in the air. The sun is shining, and how wonderful it was, feeling the warmth on my back when I was hanging out the laundry a few minutes ago. A breeze is blowing, keeping the heat at bay. Everything is green, and the bluebonnets are still out. Even though they are on the decline, they are still a beautiful blue against the lively green of the grass.
I heard a cardinal singing, high up in a tree, his bright red feathers shining. Along with him sings a myriad of other birds, none of which I can identify. Regardless, their chorus is beautiful, livening up the day.
Our sugar snap peas have begun blooming, and now we have several handfuls of crisp, deliciously sweet pea pods. The spinach is also growing well. Quite soon, perhaps tomorrow for dinner, we can have salad.
The peach tree blooms have come and gone, and now the two trees are covered in little peaches, about an inch in diameter. Soon, ah yes, very soon, we will have lovely ripe peaches with beautiful red and orange fuzzy skin, so juicy that when you bite into it, the juice runs down your arm, dripping off your elbow. Ah, how I long for the day!
However, this lovely spring day was stained a bit this morning by the butchering of eight chickens. I will spare you from all the gory details, which I think would ruin my description of eating one of our peaches, that you just read. But thankfully, that was the last of the escapees (the chickens that kept getting out, even when we tied a large stick to their leg), so there will be no more chicken butchering for quite a long time. Or, until we run out of chicken.
I must go now, and finish reading this weeks pages in Paradise Lost, which is for school. I would tell you about it, but I think that if you really want to know, you can ask me. I'm afraid that would be quite a large rabbit to chase, to go from talking about how beautiful this day is, to describing the battle in heaven between Satan and his angels, and Michael and God's angels.

A Quote

This is a quote from Sir Walter Scott's novel, "Kenilworth", that I thought was really funny. This was the first piece of dictation that I did this year, and so far, I think it's still my favorite.


"Now, out upon thee for a faint-spirited slave! What adventurous knight ever thought of the lady's terror, when he went to thwack giant, dragon, or magician, in her presence, and for her deliverance? But why talk to thee of dragons, who would be driven back by a dragon-fly. There thou hast missed the rarest opportunity!"

Kenilworth, by Sir Walter Scott

a narration on government and economics

The Question:

Imagine and tell what America would be like if it practiced Common Law. Cite specific examples of things that would be different.

The Answer:

Right now, in the year 2007, the United States of America is governed by Political Law. This is basically where whoever holds the power can make the rules. This can be disastrous, but just imagine what it would be like if we got rid of Political Law altogether, and replaced it with Common Law. Then, the government would have a lot less power, and all citizens would be under the two fundamental laws: (1) do all you have agreed to do, and (2) do not encroach on other persons or their property. These two laws would apply to all people, including the government. Thus, there would no longer be eminent domain, which is encroachment. There would no longer be any need for taxes, because the government wouldn’t be in charge of those things that they would have used that money for. The postage rates would be less expensive, because there could be competition. There would be less problems with drugs, because whenever the government tries to deal with moral problems, they just get worse. The government wouldn’t be in charge of that anymore, though really it never was their job; it's the parents responsibility. We wouldn’t have all these problems with the environment anymore, because when people privately own something, they tend to take better care of it than when it belongs to everyone.

These are just a few of the problems that would be solved, and things that would improve, if we were once more under the Common Law. May we strive to turn back to these ways, and make this world a better place in which to live.

Is There a Better Way?

An argumentative essay on the use of credit cards, written by Deborah Bruce.

In America today, almost everyone uses a credit card. We buy almost everything with credit; fuel for our cars, groceries, and other necessities, not to mention entertainment and things on the internet. It’s something that everyone does; so what could be wrong with it? Have we ever dared to question whether using credit to buy things is really the best way? Can paying with cash be a better alternative, or is it too risky? I say there is a better way than credit.

What about the convenience? It’s so much easier to just whip out the plastic than to count out the amount of money you need to buy something. In that aspect wouldn’t it be better to use a credit card?

When we use a credit card, we tend to spend more than when we use cash. Studies show that when the buyer uses a credit card to buy their groceries, they tend to spend almost double what they would spend if they used cash¹. And, when you can only spend the money you have in hand, you can’t buy those things you can’t afford, and you can’t spend money that you don’t have. But when you use credit, you are more apt to buy those things you normally wouldn’t if you used cash, thereby putting yourself even deeper into debt. Debt is yet another thing that Americans feel is something you have to have. And yet, God says in Proverbs 22:7 that the borrower is slave to the lender. Do you want to be a slave like that? I don’t! I would much rather pay for something with my own money, rather than use someone else’s, and have to pay them back.

But what about big purchases, like furniture and cars? Are you supposed to pay for that with cash? How could you possibly come up with that much money all at once? Wouldn’t that be a good time to use a credit card?

With big things like that, yes, you can save your money and buy it outright. Paying with cash for things like that makes quite an impression, and you can probably get yourself a deal by showing them the money right there, but you need to, you can also pay for such things with your debit card. Debit is by no means the same as paying with cash, but it is there if you absolutely have no other choice. Yes, it is quite possible to not use credit in such situations, and you probably will save by paying with your own hard earned money.

But carrying cash is dangerous! If someone were to steal your money, there would be virtually no way to get it back. But, if they were to steal your credit card, it would be possible to keep them from stealing any of you money. And, if you bought something with cash and then realized it wasn’t what you thought it was, and wanted your money back, it would be way harder to do that with cash then it would be if you had used credit. Thus, wouldn’t it be better to use a credit card?

Consider this. On average, cardholders carry a balance of $8,367 on their cards from month to month, paying an average of 18.3% in interest. In a year, they will pay $929.70 in interest payments². If instead they had used cash that year, they could have kept their $929.70! I really don’t think that in a year that much money or more would be stolen from out of your pocket. Thus, by using a credit card, you would lose more money than if you used cash. People can’t look through your pocket or purse, and see that you carry cash instead of a bunch of credit cards. As far as they know, you’re like everyone else. And about getting your money back for something you bought that you want to take back: here you just have to be careful where you put your money. And if you do have this problem and lose your money, there is a lesson learned. Be careful where you send your money; you just might not be able to get it back.

But what about buying things on the internet? You can’t use cash then, and wouldn’t it be unsafe to use a debit card? If someone were to steal your number, they could drain your bank account. In this case, wouldn’t it be better to use a credit card?

Credit cards are no less dangerous than debit cards. If you use a debit card made by VISA, it will have all the safeguards that a VISA credit card would have. Sure, it is possible that someone might steal your debit card number and spend all your money, but that’s where you need to be very, very careful, like you ought to be with all your purchases. What we do is we have a separate account that we use for buying things on the internet that has in it only the amount we need to buy that item. That way, even if they did get our number, they couldn’t take all our money. But even then, we ought to be very careful where we send our money.

But with some credit cards, you get rewards. When you spend so much money, you can get prizes, airline miles, gift cards, and other neat things like that. Shouldn’t that be a good reason to have a credit card?

The way that reward process works, you have to spend quite a lot of money in order to get them, and then you don’t get back near what you had to spend to get it. And, you still owe them money, and you’ll have to pay them back sooner or later. And on top of all that, they have so many rules and conditions, and they hold the right to back off their end of the deal at any moment. They are in charge of all of it, and you are pretty much at their mercy.

Besides all of this, by not using a credit card, you can be debt free. You don’t have to owe any credit card company any money, and have to pay them huge amounts in interest. Instead of being normal like everyone else (statistics say that the typical household debt totals more than $38,000)³, you can say “Yes! I am debt free!”

I urge you to consider what I have presented here, and do your own research, and see for yourself that there is a better way than credit. Help me, and others likeminded, as we strive to make America a better place, a place where everyone can find financial freedom.

Notes:

¹ Robert J. Klein, “When to borrow, when to pay cash,” D & B Reports (March/April 1993), 63.

² “Average Cardholder Balance,” CardTrack, status report cited by RAM Research Corp.

³ Jeff Blyskal, “Loans,” The Consumer Reports the Money Book (New York: Consumer Union of United States, Inc., 1995), 32.

The Fall of a Droplet

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted, but I went off to Mexico on a mission trip for a week, and then I've been hopping busy with school and such, that I just now have found time (and a piece of writing!) to post.
This is the newest poem that I've written, hot off the press. This week we're studying spacial poetry, and this is what I wrote.

The Fall of a Droplet

a
bit
of a
drip of
water falls
through the air
a blob from the whole
down, down in a weightless
abyss. alone in the darkness
looking for a landing. Suddenly
cold floor and droplet meet
drip becomes a little puddle
landing with a tiny splat.