Today’s picture is a tree with red flowers. It reminded me of sad story. In my late teens, I was in love with a doctor’s daughter, Judy M, nickname "Eatmore". For a teenage country boy like me, with no money, no worldly experience and struggling through school on inadequate student loans, love did not necessarily translate into marriage, children and a mortgage. Hang on, I’ll tie this together in a moment.
Eating habits differ, and many people are indoctrinated over things like which foods are correct for breakfast. I am the opposite, I will eat pickles in the morning if that is what my appetite says is right. Eggs are on my menu maybe twice a month. Yet thanks to my poverty-stricken youth, I still cannot eat rice for breakfast without thinking of Judy “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes”. Or, in a more private joke, “Eatmore”. But I'll bet she can't eat rice without thinking of me.Several months back, I mentioned Jackie (the Troll) went on disability. He has openly discussed the changes in his life, now that he effectively has an allowance that can never be cut off. Years ago, when his case was pending, I told him I wonder what it would be like, to be able to spend your last dime. If you had anything left at month’s end, splurge, because you knew for certain another check would arrive next day. We laughed at the time, but Jackie now reports that this effect is very real.
You see, there is no sense saving anything, for the moment you possess more than $2,000 in assets, you get cut off food stamps. Thus, life’s a Mardi Gras, money becomes a "use it or lose it" commodity. You certainly cannot invest, for all investments are now on government file, as a lot of retirees are about to find out the hard way. Says Jackie, the time often approaches to find he has $50 left over, and he speaks of my old words like they were prophecy. He wants to go party, I caution restraint. What a total change that free money makes.
My words have gravity. Also back in my teens, I met Harry, a rich kid. We are still buddies, although Harry typifies to me an example of how little you need to do in life if you have that steady allowance. Harry opened a comic book store, in his late twenties he finally got a teaching degree and took a job on a cruise ship university that stopped in Russia and Iceland. But as far as real work, well, such things were just not necessary. Thus, I’ve often referred to any steady free cash as “Living Like Harry”. This is not derogatory, I would do it in an instant, given the opportunity.
Author's note 2015-06-08: This phrase, "Living Like Harry" went on to become a stock witticism, applied to any situation where people could tap out their resources because they knew for certain more was on the way. The real Harry eventually met a gal with two kids. She fell in love with Harry either immediately, or shortly after she discovered he owned a house.
This does not make me a hypocrite [for saying I would like the same when I am against welfare]. Defenders of welfare maintain those on assistance are just like the rest of us. If so, once they no longer have to worry about rent or food, where are their masterpieces? I mean, if they are really like us, then being rid of a stifling job should unleash their creativity. There would be countless Rowlings. (This is the lady on welfare who wrote the Harry Potter series which has already sold 400 million copies.)
One thing I can guarantee you is that Rowlings could not possibly have done it after getting off shift at a Montana lumber mill (she did most of her early writing sitting in a cafe). She's recently became a billionaire. So don’t get me wrong, I am not against welfare, I am against the defenders who say if people were that creative, they would not be on welfare in the first place. Ah, but didn’t they just say people on welfare are just like the rest of us? Who’s the hypocrite now?
People on welfare are like women getting child support. The first thing they learn is to never show any incentive. They don’t want their house and food for free. They want the cash money. Therefore, it is dumb not to arrange one’s affairs to get your share. What could be nicer than “Living Like Harry”?
[Author’s note: I already got flak for that statement that all investments are on government file. Let me clarify. When you are old, you cannot take risks, you want to put your money into ventures where the law will protect you from fraud.
Note this: Before government invasion of privacy, there had to be blanket laws that covered the big picture, not the individual. Now that they got YOU on file and unless your investment is “official”, you don’t get any protection. You’ll find you gave it (your right to privacy) away, one smart comment at a time about having “nothing to hide”. You gave the government the right to ignore businesses that commit crimes and come after the small fry.
And that’s what I meant.]
