The other day I got a loan offer in the mail from some company called Springleaf (if it looks like a payday lender, and sounds like a payday lender...) They say I can borrow $5,250 at get this - an interest rate of 29.43 percent. I laughed, and laughed, and laughed. I'm still laughing like two days later. Who in their right mind would borrow money at that interest rate. Actually, if you're borrowing money at any interest rate you need your head examined, but nearly 30%?! LOL What do I look like? Stupid?
I thought about sending the thing back to them with something funny written on it, but that would cost me a stamp, and I don't think it's worth that. Speaking of profitable, this company would exist if people didn't borrow money from them. People, people, people, you're not broke because you don't earn enough money at your job. You're broke because you keep giving the banks, the payday lenders, the mortgage company, the car loan company, the credit card companies, the Dept. of Education servicer, the loan sharks, etc. ad infinitum, all of your disposable income, and then some! Just STOP IT!
Makes me think of this:
"The borrower is SLAVE to the lender," and this is not rendered obsolete by the Thirteenth Amendment. When you are in debt up to your eyeballs, the debt informs your life, your choices, your career opportunities. The debt is your master, literally, and you, it's slave.
I took the in-laws to the airport this morning and they are now on their way to Venice, Italy. Their flight was delayed and they nearly missed catching their connecting flight to Frankfurt in Houston. Oh, the joys of travel. LOL
Speaking of, I read an AP article the other day about how the First Class passengers on international flights get the perk of being separated from the unwashed masses (which for any of you who have traveled internationally in economy, you will think this sounds like an awesome thing). At any rate, while the article is interesting, the writer couldn't resist throwing in your usual drivel about how this just further widens the gap between the uber wealthy and the rest of us.
"It’s one way that a gap between the world’s wealthiest 1 percent and everyone else has widened."
The fact that the First Class passengers are subsidizing the cost of air travel is lost on the droll thought process of the sorry-excuse-for-a-journalist who churned out the article. If you're trying to make me jealous, it's not working. And if they're making you jealous, you should stop. Just stop, right there. Do you like travel? It's already pretty expensive right? Well, if the extremely wealthy weren't willing to pay $15k and get some perks along with it, and more than just leg room (because do you really think a little more leg room is worth that much?), none of us plebes would be traveling anywhere!
"At big carriers like American Airlines, about 70 percent of revenue comes from the top 20 percent of its customers."
Chew on that for a while, and instead of being jealous, be thankful. Thankful that rich people do want to pony up the money that winds up subsidizing your ticket in chattel class. Yeah, economy sucks, but the end result is usually something you really want, like visiting far away places that you've only read about.
I'm annoyed at the author for throwing that in, and intrigued that rich people get to ride in luxury cars to/from their plane. I'd like to do that sometime. If I ever win the lottery I just might try it once.
