Re: [VOID] Who is the poorest person on FoRK?

Jay Thomas (jpthomas@ix.netcom.com)
Wed, 17 Jun 1998 13:23:55 -0400


I Find Karma wrote:
> Besides, I can probably find someone here poorer than me simply through
> credit card debt. USA Today a few months ago told us that around 30% of
> Americans with credit cards are rolling over debt by carrying a balance
> from month to month. Presumably those people have less than zero or
> they'd pay off their credit cards. Looking at

I wouldn't say less than 0, but I do carry revolving debt, much to my
regret. I have this problem. My brain says "Save, invest, child on the
way!", then the Sharper Image/Brookstone/Hamacher catalog shows up,
with the $72K personal 3 man submarine, and my plastic screams
"Hallelujah!" So, with around $9k in plastic debt, at which I throw
around $3K a month, and yet never seems to diminish, I guess I'm stuck
in this hole for a while. Just spent a bunch on vacation last week,
been buying baby stuff.

> So why do people incur such high credit card debts? Like having
> unprotected sex with multiple promiscuous partners and driving a
> motorcycle without a helmet, aren't these things people *know* they
> shouldn't do in the America of 1998?

As one who has committed all 3 sins, yes. I *do* know better. I still
do it. I smoked for 9 years, 2 packs of Marlboro reds a day, knowing
with each lungful that it was bad. But, damn did it feel goooood. Just
as does unprotected sex with many partners, eating red meat, gargling
whisky, puffing stogies, feeling the wind in your face on a bike, and
yes, buying expensive toys that you can't really afford. Whats the
point of living forever, if you can't live well?

> I don't make monthly car
> payments, and I don't carry over any credit card balances. So I suppose
> I should just count my blessings and shut up...

Oh, yeah, my monthly payment for my much-maligned SUV, forgot about
that....

-- 
Jay Thomas		(work) 617-576-4832	
Network Manager		(cell) 617-212-4768	
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Verbing weirds language  -- Calvin