A social inconvenience

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A short walk from my office is a street with many Indian businesses, including restaurants. I walked into a nice vegetarian place and was shown a table. Sat down, looked up, saw a team from work. Didn’t know most of them, but did know one person that I am working with on a project.

What to do? I reseated myself on the other side of the table so I wasn’t facing them. I don’t mean to be antisocial. It’s just that lunches like these are for team building – and that’s not my team.

Nice veggie biryani! Here’s a pic.

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How much did you lose in ten years?

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics has a CPI Inflation Calculator that’s an eye opener.

I cranked in my salary in 2001, and calculated what the amount represents in 2012 dollars. The result: In spite of earning $20,000 more (and being pushed into a higher tax bracket), my buying power has remained absolutely flat over 11 years.

Progressive inflation of the currency is an invisible tax that enables the federal government to pay for its debt with cheaper dollars. It’s a tax we pay through reduced buying power. What’s worse, the problem is compounded by the progressive income tax, which increases the rate of individual taxation and reduces buying power even further over time.

A flat tax would eliminate the political incentive for progressive inflation. We need this.

Facing death

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Somebody I’ve known for years was diagnosed a couple months ago with inoperable brain cancer. He’s opted for radiation and chemotherapy. His attitude is that he will recover, and will not consider other possibilities.
I don’t know how I would face a similar situation. I had cancer when I was a kid. I only knew that God loved me, and that I was to do what my parents and the people at the hospital told me to do. That simple faith as a child is so powerful. We grow up, and as adults we learn many doubts and many more fears.

Sunday evenings are never long enough

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Sunday evenings are never long enough.  I should be in bed now — the alarm goes off at 5:30, and I have to be on the train to New York City before 7:00.  The weekend has been okay. Got the backyard mowed. Although I’m feeling laid back, I’m also feeling the tension of my meeting tomorrow morning.

Hope your evening is peaceful also.