I've got a lot of time

This is going to be my forum for the next couple of weeks. The topics will have no particular order just like my writing style. I have a lot of free time on my, hands because I don't have to teach a class for the next two weeks. My students are preparing for a standardized test to gain admittance into high schools. This is similar to our process of getting into college, so the better score a student gets equals a better school. These are very important tests. I have been given "busy work" tasks of coming up with names for grade levels (this takes 30 minutes) and writing a couple of books over reading comprehension. This sounds challenging, but it is really simple. I have a format to follow, and I don't have to write the passages, just questions over the passages. Expect numerous posts over the next couple of weeks.

Here is a great quote I found today while perusing the Internet:

Those who understand interest, collect it; those who don't, pay it. - Albert Einstein

Some of the people I have met over here came to Korean in an attempt to pay off credit card debt. Meg and I both have some school loans to pay off, but I can not imagine how twenty year old somethings amass so much credit card debt.

Maybe it is the "monkey see, monkey do" effect, because the previous generations are bogged down with credit card debt. A house, three cars, a house at the Ozarks, a boat, and everything else under the sun is the kind of actions adults take, including many of our parents, which isn't the best role model for younger generations to follow. It seems like our government is a great example! Maybe it is the relative lack of education we received on the subject. It seems like the average American is clueless. I mean, I don't understand deleveraging and swaps and ratio leverages and derivatives and the majority of financial lingo tossed around during the past couple weeks, but I know that if I spend more than I make, then I'm in the red. With that in mind, many of these twenty year olds would not have any debt if they just curbed their spending habits.

I'm not an expert, and I have yet to live in a challenging situation where I might be forced to take on debt. Take this with a grain of salt from a novice who is just trying to pass some time, but the root of America's financial problems can be traced back to people living beyond their means.


Here is a Ron Paul video dealing with America's recent financial woes. My friend Derek brought this to my attention via Facebook.