Letters to the Editor
Amerigo
Published Letters: 955 Editor's Choice: 60
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Good example, Anon
[Read the article: Usury: Back and better than ever]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Good example! $750 per month is an obscene amount to be spending on booze and cigarettes.
My own monthly expenditure on these items is approximately $0 give or take $2, but take the example of two of my tenants, Mr and Mrs Filthy (as I secretly call them).
I spoke to the Filthys a few minutes ago. He was wearing a T-shirt upon which I complimented him, which read "My Next Wife Will Be Normal". Mrs Filthy chipped in and said that she had bought it for him since he had never yet been married to anyone normal.
Mrs Filthy does not work and has not worked since a run in with the law a few years ago for which she was put on probation, possibly for stealing. She always has a cigarette in her mouth, and leaves a trail of cigarette butts everywhere she goes. With all this time on her hands you might think their house would be immaculate, but in fact, it is quite filthy. The toilet that was originally white is black and the whole place reeks of cat piss.
Mr. Filthy also suffers from a delusion that if he buys junk cars they can be repaired and sold at a profit after rusting in the yard for a year or two.
Mr. Filthy works as an assistant departmental manager in a Super Wal*Mart and I believe he gets a check for about $750 twice a month. Even with his employee discount, I should think at least half of his pay must go on booze and cigarettes, and that is a VERY conservative estimate. Then Mrs. Filthy, who is at home has the A/C and cable TV running 24/7, which must cost a fair bit.
Is it then surprising that they should frequently be late with the rent and sometimes resort to payday loans--a luxury that I could never afford?
I am glad to say that Mr. Filthy is in line for promotion at his job and went for an interview at another branch yesterday. He may get quite a large pay raise, which will be a cause of celebration for the impoverished tobacco farmers of North Carolina, and midwestern grain growers, but probably not for me.
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How The Poor Live
[Read the article: Usury: Back and better than ever]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Amerigo tells us that "they will often prefer to spend their money on booze and cigarettes rather than on bleach to occasionally clean the toilet." Note that he isn't speaking only of the poor people he so grandly helps pay their rent to him; he's speaking generally of MOST poor Americans.
Well, actually I am speaking of people I know, not of all Americans, and I know poor people who don't fall into this category.
But the main point--as I have said before--is that there are mainstream business like loan sharks (pay day loan stores), income tax preparers, liquor stores etc., that are more than happy to keep the poor poor, rather than help them.
Shit, the party of the religious mullahs was until recently in power for several years at all levels nationally and in my state, and yet you never hear a damn thing about usury being unbiblical, and precious little about the imperative to help the poor.
Last night one of my tenants, a hard working young man, came to me and asked me to co-sign for a car loan for him, as he needs to replace his truck with a more modern reliable version. He wants the 2000 model. As he is a pretty reliable guy, pays his rent on time, does odd jobs for me, and keeps his toilet clean, after some discussion I agreed to do so. Am I supposed to redirect him to the loan sharks?
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The important issue...
[Read the article: Usury: Back and better than ever]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The important issue, if you really want one that concerns responses of Salon readers, is how little Salon readers have had to say on this topic, compared to the kind of trivial issues you find in the Cary Tennis column, which regularly get hundreds of responses.
Still, I suspect there are at least 1000 readers for every person who writes a letter.
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Packaging the art of flirting and seduction
[Read the article: The art of the pickup]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]All this is about is a glorified version of How To Win Friends And Influence People, with the focus on flirting and seduction.
Marketing commonplace ideas that many people use instinctively is as American as apple-pie, or more so.
As a Seasoned Seducer of Scores of Women (Purple Heart, retd.) I can offer my unique method here on Salon absolutely free, except for having to read a load of bilge to find it.
1. Make her feel that she is special.
2, Frequently say her name aloud. Tell her it is a pretty name.
3. Compliment her on her uniqueness.
4. Compliment her on her intelligence.
5. Smile a lot.
6. Be sincerely attracted to her, because getting her into bed is the easy part, but in a worst case scenario you may be spending the rest of your life with her. Women are devious.
Attention Brightstar69
My dear fellow, sex and relationships are supposed to be fun. The end game may be children, family, alimony etc., but before a woman will allow you to father her children, you need to show that you know how to play games, otherwise what use will you be as a dad? Use a bit of humour. Tell her that you are not an easy lay and that you need a ring on your finger before you will drop your pants unless there are exceptional circumstances. Make her strive to corrupt you. Good luck.