The Mental Exercise

Right now it is too easy to imagine living in a world of epidemics and pandemics.  Diseases are constantly evolving to new strains (e.g. influenza), crossing species (likely COVID-19) or becoming resistant to almost all forms of drugs (e.g. tuberculosis).  You don your mask, gloves, eye guard protection and make you way to work, school, church or shopping.

On your way you observe many people similarly cautious as you are but many more are living life without the protections by choice, faith, or lack of economic means.  It is hard to protect yourself from the pandemic but increasingly hard to avoid confrontations by those unprotected that accuse you of being a carrier of the disease, lack faith in their god, are hiding behind a mask to commit a crime, or are proudly displaying your economic class.

The news is a daily report of deaths and the spread of the disease and time has proven that the government is unable or unwilling to protect its people, so you must do what you can for you and your family.  Vaccines are like surgical masks, hard to come by or not available at all.  You must wait as you do not have a job deemed critical to jump to the head of the line, have no political influence, and you are not in a high risk category.

Your way of life has changed in many aspects but your online friends are a constant.  Dating has changed from social meetings to longer term online dates.  Physically meeting is now cautioned by no contact, social distancing and a mutually agreed-upon quarantine period for the two of you before any physical contact.

Adjusting to the new normal.  I am hopeful it is not permanent.

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Essential parts of the economy have succeeded in staying running that prevent a total collapse of the economy.  In addition, may businesses have been able to allow work-at-home as a viable alternative to coming into the office.  Such technologies as conferencing (Microsoft Teams, GoTo Meeting, Zoom), mobile phones and laptops or home offices make it possible to only visit the office occasionally.

These technologies are critical to demonstrating that working from home is not only possible but also easy to achieve with many businesses.  Shortly, businesses will begin thinking how they can take advantage of any cost-savings from this in the future.

Office space may be reduced to handle a remote workforce occasionally coming into the office

Office equipment and supplies could become the responsibility of the employee working from home

Some remote jobs may be identified as being needed on a project-by-project basis instead of a full-time position

Future job positions could be remote only with lower salaries designed to take advantage of lower cost of living communities

The gig economy does not have to be limited to ride-share and food delivery.  It can include any job not requiring a full-time presence to resolve issues face-to-face.  These new gig positions can cut deeper into the middle class with  positions such as engineers, project managers, data analysts, truck drivers, IT support, software developers, and data scientists.  A larger segment of the labor market may find that their job is no longer full-time with benefits but has changed to a project-by-project bid with no benefits.

Compared to the alternative, a gig economy job may be preferred however.  Why should a business pay scale in the city in which they reside if they can hire remote workers from a cheaper city, state, or country?  Payroll will get more involved when handling income taxes from other states but it can be worth the effort if the cost savings from wages is large enough.  This would naturally make businesses in higher cost of living cities to seek employees in lower cost of living areas with the right skill sets.  Jobs for remote work in another city or state could hurt workers in the metropolitan area of the business, since the current salaried job could become insufficient to cover costs.  The United States could become more like the European Union where workers commute from their home country to their work country, but in this example it is the businesses that are pushing the employees away.

The extreme case for outsourcing is if the remote work jobs move to another, less expensive country.  This is probably cost effective for medium and large businesses but is subject to the worker visa programs available from the federal government.  This source of outsourcing has been in existence over 30-years so I do not expect it to have much influence since there is a yearly shortage of approved visas.  The work-at-home initiative though could convince some companies that more job types could be outsourced than currently done.  This would require political influence and changes to government policy but it could still pose a risk for the individual employee.

In these times of COVID-19, having the ability to work-at-home is a blessing and I am glad that I am able to do so and delay or avoid having to file for unemployment.  However, this COVID-19 induced recession demonstrates to me, if not my employer, that my job position could be in jeopardy.

Hopefully, I am safe until retirement but I am not counting on it.

Good Luck!

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Original crossword can be found here -> link.

Across

1 A businessman may use this that has failed six businesses through U.S. Code Title 11 (10)

4 A type of goat that gets the blame (5)

7 "If I weren't happily married and, ya know, her father ... " (10)

11 No feeling of concern, sympathy nor social interest (6)

12 Only the third president to receive this damnation from the U.S. House (9)

15 A regular use of derogatory terms based upon racial color or origin (6)

17 Someone else must take this because, “I don’t take responsibility at all” (5)

18 Over 18,000 of these have been stated so they could be called a... (4)

19 A lack of a sense of ethics or social values (6)

Down

2 Wants to be the center of attention and receive constant admiration (10)

3 ___man, one who never disagrees with their boss (3)

5 A grifter, shill, scam artist, or swindler (6)

6 Who is loved above all else (7)

8 An uncooked hotdog or casual sex without a condom (6)

9 Someone with total authority in the government (6)

10 The hiring of relatives to positions of authority (8)

13 The opposite of “drain the swamp” when friends and donors gain positions of authority (8)

14 Avoiding military service, bullying others, and the use of intimidation can make you be accused of being this (6)

16 ____ leader.  Also may be in this group if you have unquestioned trust in your leader, your group is the only true group, your leader says everyone is against us, everyone else is lying, or that thinking should be left to the leader (4)

17 An adult like this may use intimidation, verbal threats, and harassment while a child may often resort to physical abuse (5)

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The US Constitution and more specifically the first ten amendments (Bill of Rights) give specific rights and freedoms to persons or citizens within the US.  These protections apply to the federal and state governments to prevent oppression and tyranny of those governments.  Likewise, the separation of church and state within the US Constitution prevents a religion from usurping those powers for their own benefits.  By way of these amendments, persons and citizens are protected, to some degree, from a pervasive government or any religious organization.  This does not apply to commercial enterprises though.

Large commercial enterprises mostly did not exist at the time of the writing of the constitution.  The Dutch East India Company was founded in 1602 but gone by 1799.  These types of companies operated with the blessing of the government to extend the government’s influence worldwide and to make a tidy profit for the company’s shareholders.  The monetization of citizens of the country were not previously possible.

Now in the 21st century comes large companies, capable of restricting, tracking, and monetizing the lives of individuals.  This is achieved using many methods, all sanctioned or at least not limited by the government. Unfortunately this list is not all inclusive.

The use of arbitration agreements to prevent customers from joining a class action lawsuit for violations by the company of the contract or illegal activity by the company

The permitted collecting and tracking (called tracking afterwards) of individuals on the Internet by their Internet Service Providers (ISP), mobile phone providers, service providers where you have an account (e.g. dating sites, Google and social media sites like Facebook) or when a service is used (e.g. Google searches)

The tracking of individuals by way of allowing automatic opt-in permission for marketing and data sharing for companies due to weak government oversight.

The tracking of individuals in public by government or commercial closed circuit cameras (CCTV)

The tracking of individuals in public by government or commercial vehicle license plate readers

The tracking of individuals in public by facial recognition software to automate CCTV

The tracking of individuals in public or in stores when their Bluetooth or WiFi are turned on, on their mobile phones.

The tracking of individuals’ personal mobile phones with real cell tower data every time the phone checks available service

The tracking of individuals‘ personal mobile phones with fake cell towers, e.g. commercial Stingrays, by commercial or government entities that may be located on a building, in a vehicle like a car, van, or truck, or installed on aircraft flying overhead.

The tracking of individuals through their use of spending at brick-and-mortar and online businesses that also sell purchase and browsing history. Even with cash purchases this is easy to achieve with rewards cards for the store.

The tracking of individuals through their use of credit cards with the sale of purchase information by the credit card companies to third parties (think companies that are building more complete individual profiles)

The tracking of individuals through the sale of credit histories by a for-profit credit reporting company to other companies.

The tracking of individuals by the goods in their physical shopping cart using RFID tags built into the products or packaging.  This is more effective when you log into the store provided WiFi.

The tracking of individuals by the clothing that they are wearing which can have embedded RFID tags that last well past the original purchase, do not require batteries, and can survive repeated washings.

Legal settlements with governments by commercial companies for clearly predatory or illegal activity that permits them to avoid criminal sentences or dissolution of the company.  The fines are often a fraction of a year’s profit and rarely benefit society or the people wronged by the company.

By now the thought of me being paranoid has probably surfaced.  I have been involved with technology my entire career and know much of what is capable with technology.  These are all current examples of what is or has been done with technology.  Also, you may think that you are not doing anything wrong and it is not worth a company’s time to collect data on you.  With modern powerful computers with ginormous data storage, it is easier to collect your data with everyone else’s than it is to filter it out.

Many of these methods cannot be avoided by the average person and faith must be given that a company, who is usually anonymous, will act ethically with the data that they collect.  Even so the sale of the information to another company does not guarantee its protection.

Separately but no less important, the government is prevented from collecting information without warrants or other legal methods, except in public areas permitted by court precedents.  This does not prevent the government from buying all this information from companies collecting the data.  When the government intentionally or negligently permits the wholesale commercial collection of data, they (the government) have in effect found a way to surveil their own citizens without openly violating the US Constitution.

What can be done about it?

There are several challenges here to consider.

The loss of legal protection due to arbitration agreements or government settlements

The automatic opt-in to collect, share and sell information

The lack of permission for your location data to be collected in public by facial recognition, Bluetooth/WiFi/Cell Signal/GPS tracking, and vehicle license plate readers

I propose a constitutional amendment that forbids the acquisition of citizen data by the government from any enterprise, commercial or otherwise, with the same restrictions to surveillance that exist with the Bill of Rights.

This will not prevent companies from collecting data but it would help to keep that data away from the government.

To address companies, I propose an amendment to prevent companies, and all subsidiaries, affiliates and data/profit sharing partners from obtaining data without the direct permission of the citizen.

What do you think?  Is this a problem that you are concerned about?

This work is licensed under a

Answers to crossword can be found here -> link.

Across

1 A businessman may use this that has failed six businesses through U.S. Code Title 11 (10)

4 A type of goat that gets the blame (5)

7 "If I weren't happily married and, ya know, her father ... " (10)

11 No feeling of concern, sympathy nor social interest (6)

12 Only the third president to receive this damnation from the U.S. House (9)

15 A regular use of derogatory terms based upon racial color or origin (6)

17 Someone else must take this because, “I don’t take responsibility at all” (5)

18 Over 18,000 of these have been stated so they could be called a... (4)

19 A lack of a sense of ethics or social values (6)

Down

2 Wants to be the center of attention and receive constant admiration (10)

3 ___man, one who never disagrees with their boss (3)

5 A grifter, shill, scam artist, or swindler (6)

6 Who is loved above all else (7)

8 An uncooked hotdog or casual sex without a condom (6)

9 Someone with total authority in the government (6)

10 The hiring of relatives to positions of authority (8)

13 The opposite of “drain the swamp” when friends and donors gain positions of authority (8)

14 Avoiding military service, bullying others, and the use of intimidation can make you be accused of being this (6)

16 ____ leader.  Also may be in this group if you have unquestioned trust in your leader, your group is the only true group, your leader says everyone is against us, everyone else is lying, or that thinking should be left to the leader (4)

17 An adult like this may use intimidation, verbal threats, and harassment while a child may often resort to physical abuse (5)

This work is licensed under a

February 2, 2020 was announced as a palindrome date in month, day and year format, i.e. 02/02/2020, and is also a palindrome in day, month, and year and database format year, month and day 2020-02-02 formats.

Different regions use different date formats identified on Wikipedia. There are three main formats worldwide; Day-Month-Year (DMY), Year-Month-Day (YMD) and Month-Day-Year (MDY). The palindrome of the year is created and then checked to see if the format is a date. The image below demonstrates the process where the year is reverse preceding the year. The palindrome is then converted to a date in that format and displayed if valid.

The following is a list of dates from the years 1000 to 9999 valid in each of the three formats.  The next date are; for DMY is 12 February 2021, for YMD is 2 December 2021, for MDY is 2 December 2021.

DMY

10/01/1001

20/01/1002

30/01/1003

01/01/1010

11/01/1011

21/01/1012

31/01/1013

02/01/1020

12/01/1021

22/01/1022

03/01/1030

13/01/1031

23/01/1032

04/01/1040

14/01/1041

24/01/1042

05/01/1050

15/01/1051

25/01/1052

06/01/1060

16/01/1061

26/01/1062

07/01/1070

17/01/1071

27/01/1072

08/01/1080

18/01/1081

28/01/1082

09/01/1090

19/01/1091

29/01/1092

10/11/1101

20/11/1102

30/11/1103

01/11/1110

11/11/1111

21/11/1112

02/11/1120

12/11/1121

22/11/1122

03/11/1130

13/11/1131

23/11/1132

04/11/1140

14/11/1141

24/11/1142

05/11/1150

15/11/1151

25/11/1152

06/11/1160

16/11/1161

26/11/1162

07/11/1170

17/11/1171

27/11/1172

08/11/1180

18/11/1181

28/11/1182

09/11/1190

19/11/1191

29/11/1192

10/02/2001

20/02/2002

01/02/2010

11/02/2011

21/02/2012

02/02/2020

12/02/2021

22/02/2022

03/02/2030

13/02/2031

23/02/2032

04/02/2040

14/02/2041

24/02/2042

05/02/2050

15/02/2051

25/02/2052

06/02/2060

16/02/2061

26/02/2062

07/02/2070

17/02/2071

27/02/2072

08/02/2080

18/02/2081

28/02/2082

09/02/2090

19/02/2091

29/02/2092

10/12/2101

20/12/2102

30/12/2103

01/12/2110

11/12/2111

21/12/2112

31/12/2113

02/12/2120

12/12/2121

22/12/2122

03/12/2130

13/12/2131

23/12/2132

04/12/2140

14/12/2141

24/12/2142

05/12/2150

15/12/2151

25/12/2152

06/12/2160

16/12/2161

26/12/2162

07/12/2170

17/12/2171

27/12/2172

08/12/2180

18/12/2181

28/12/2182

09/12/2190

19/12/2191

29/12/2192

10/03/3001

20/03/3002

30/03/3003

01/03/3010

11/03/3011

21/03/3012

31/03/3013

02/03/3020

12/03/3021

22/03/3022

03/03/3030

13/03/3031

23/03/3032

04/03/3040

14/03/3041

24/03/3042

05/03/3050

15/03/3051

25/03/3052

06/03/3060

16/03/3061

26/03/3062

07/03/3070

17/03/3071

27/03/3072

08/03/3080

18/03/3081

28/03/3082

09/03/3090

19/03/3091

29/03/3092

10/04/4001

20/04/4002

30/04/4003

01/04/4010

11/04/4011

21/04/4012

02/04/4020

12/04/4021

22/04/4022

03/04/4030

13/04/4031

23/04/4032

04/04/4040

14/04/4041

24/04/4042

05/04/4050

15/04/4051

25/04/4052

06/04/4060

16/04/4061

26/04/4062

07/04/4070

17/04/4071

27/04/4072

08/04/4080

18/04/4081

28/04/4082

09/04/4090

19/04/4091

29/04/4092

10/05/5001

20/05/5002

30/05/5003

01/05/5010

11/05/5011

21/05/5012

31/05/5013

02/05/5020

12/05/5021

22/05/5022

03/05/5030

13/05/5031

23/05/5032

04/05/5040

14/05/5041

24/05/5042

05/05/5050

15/05/5051

25/05/5052

06/05/5060

16/05/5061

26/05/5062

07/05/5070

17/05/5071

27/05/5072

08/05/5080

18/05/5081

28/05/5082

09/05/5090

19/05/5091

29/05/5092

10/06/6001

20/06/6002

30/06/6003

01/06/6010

11/06/6011

21/06/6012

02/06/6020

12/06/6021

22/06/6022

03/06/6030

13/06/6031

23/06/6032

04/06/6040

14/06/6041

24/06/6042

05/06/6050

15/06/6051

25/06/6052

06/06/6060

16/06/6061

26/06/6062

07/06/6070

17/06/6071

27/06/6072

08/06/6080

18/06/6081

28/06/6082

09/06/6090

19/06/6091

29/06/6092

10/07/7001

20/07/7002

30/07/7003

01/07/7010

11/07/7011

21/07/7012

31/07/7013

02/07/7020

12/07/7021

22/07/7022

03/07/7030

13/07/7031

23/07/7032

04/07/7040

14/07/7041

24/07/7042

05/07/7050

15/07/7051

25/07/7052

06/07/7060

16/07/7061

26/07/7062

07/07/7070

17/07/7071

27/07/7072

08/07/7080

18/07/7081

28/07/7082

09/07/7090

19/07/7091

29/07/7092

10/08/8001

20/08/8002

30/08/8003

01/08/8010

11/08/8011

21/08/8012

31/08/8013

02/08/8020

12/08/8021

22/08/8022

03/08/8030

13/08/8031

23/08/8032

04/08/8040

14/08/8041

24/08/8042

05/08/8050

15/08/8051

25/08/8052

06/08/8060

16/08/8061

26/08/8062

07/08/8070

17/08/8071

27/08/8072

08/08/8080

18/08/8081

28/08/8082

09/08/8090

19/08/8091

29/08/8092

10/09/9001

20/09/9002

30/09/9003

01/09/9010

11/09/9011

21/09/9012

02/09/9020

12/09/9021

22/09/9022

03/09/9030

13/09/9031

23/09/9032

04/09/9040

14/09/9041

24/09/9042

05/09/9050

15/09/9051

25/09/9052

06/09/9060

16/09/9061

26/09/9062

07/09/9070

17/09/9071

27/09/9072

08/09/9080

18/09/9081

28/09/9082

09/09/9090

19/09/9091

29/09/9092

YMD

0101-10-10

0111-11-10

0121-12-10

0201-10-20

0211-11-20

0221-12-20

0301-10-30

0311-11-30

0321-12-30

1001-10-01

1011-11-01

1021-12-01

1101-10-11

1111-11-11

1121-12-11

1201-10-21

1211-11-21

1221-12-21

1301-10-31

1321-12-31

2001-10-02

2011-11-02

2021-12-02

2101-10-12

2111-11-12

2121-12-12

2201-10-22

2211-11-22

2221-12-22

3001-10-03

3011-11-03

3021-12-03

3101-10-13

3111-11-13

3121-12-13

3201-10-23

3211-11-23

3221-12-23

4001-10-04

4011-11-04

4021-12-04

4101-10-14

4111-11-14

4121-12-14

4201-10-24

4211-11-24

4221-12-24

5001-10-05

5011-11-05

5021-12-05

5101-10-15

5111-11-15

5121-12-15

5201-10-25

5211-11-25

5221-12-25

6001-10-06

6011-11-06

6021-12-06

6101-10-16

6111-11-16

6121-12-16

6201-10-26

6211-11-26

6221-12-26

7001-10-07

7011-11-07

7021-12-07

7101-10-17

7111-11-17

7121-12-17

7201-10-27

7211-11-27

7221-12-27

8001-10-08

8011-11-08

8021-12-08

8101-10-18

8111-11-18

8121-12-18

8201-10-28

8211-11-28

8221-12-28

9001-10-09

9011-11-09

9021-12-09

9101-10-19

9111-11-19

9121-12-19

9201-10-29

9211-11-29

9221-12-29

MDY

10/01/1001

01/01/1010

11/01/1011

02/01/1020

12/01/1021

03/01/1030

04/01/1040

05/01/1050

06/01/1060

07/01/1070

08/01/1080

09/01/1090

10/11/1101

01/11/1110

11/11/1111

02/11/1120

12/11/1121

03/11/1130

04/11/1140

05/11/1150

06/11/1160

07/11/1170

08/11/1180

09/11/1190

10/21/1201

01/21/1210

11/21/1211

02/21/1220

12/21/1221

03/21/1230

04/21/1240

05/21/1250

06/21/1260

07/21/1270

08/21/1280

09/21/1290

10/31/1301

01/31/1310

12/31/1321

03/31/1330

05/31/1350

07/31/1370

08/31/1380

10/02/2001

01/02/2010

11/02/2011

02/02/2020

12/02/2021

03/02/2030

04/02/2040

05/02/2050

06/02/2060

07/02/2070

08/02/2080

09/02/2090

10/12/2101

01/12/2110

11/12/2111

02/12/2120

12/12/2121

03/12/2130

04/12/2140

05/12/2150

06/12/2160

07/12/2170

08/12/2180

09/12/2190

10/22/2201

01/22/2210

11/22/2211

02/22/2220

12/22/2221

03/22/2230

04/22/2240

05/22/2250

06/22/2260

07/22/2270

08/22/2280

09/22/2290

10/03/3001

01/03/3010

11/03/3011

02/03/3020

12/03/3021

03/03/3030

04/03/3040

05/03/3050

06/03/3060

07/03/3070

08/03/3080

09/03/3090

10/13/3101

01/13/3110

11/13/3111

02/13/3120

12/13/3121

03/13/3130

04/13/3140

05/13/3150

06/13/3160

07/13/3170

08/13/3180

09/13/3190

10/23/3201

01/23/3210

11/23/3211

02/23/3220

12/23/3221

03/23/3230

04/23/3240

05/23/3250

06/23/3260

07/23/3270

08/23/3280

09/23/3290

10/04/4001

01/04/4010

11/04/4011

02/04/4020

12/04/4021

03/04/4030

04/04/4040

05/04/4050

06/04/4060

07/04/4070

08/04/4080

09/04/4090

10/14/4101

01/14/4110

11/14/4111

02/14/4120

12/14/4121

03/14/4130

04/14/4140

05/14/4150

06/14/4160

07/14/4170

08/14/4180

09/14/4190

10/24/4201

01/24/4210

11/24/4211

02/24/4220

12/24/4221

03/24/4230

04/24/4240

05/24/4250

06/24/4260

07/24/4270

08/24/4280

09/24/4290

10/05/5001

01/05/5010

11/05/5011

02/05/5020

12/05/5021

03/05/5030

04/05/5040

05/05/5050

06/05/5060

07/05/5070

08/05/5080

09/05/5090

10/15/5101

01/15/5110

11/15/5111

02/15/5120

12/15/5121

03/15/5130

04/15/5140

05/15/5150

06/15/5160

07/15/5170

08/15/5180

09/15/5190

10/25/5201

01/25/5210

11/25/5211

02/25/5220

12/25/5221

03/25/5230

04/25/5240

05/25/5250

06/25/5260

07/25/5270

08/25/5280

09/25/5290

10/06/6001

01/06/6010

11/06/6011

02/06/6020

12/06/6021

03/06/6030

04/06/6040

05/06/6050

06/06/6060

07/06/6070

08/06/6080

09/06/6090

10/16/6101

01/16/6110

11/16/6111

02/16/6120

12/16/6121

03/16/6130

04/16/6140

05/16/6150

06/16/6160

07/16/6170

08/16/6180

09/16/6190

10/26/6201

01/26/6210

11/26/6211

02/26/6220

12/26/6221

03/26/6230

04/26/6240

05/26/6250

06/26/6260

07/26/6270

08/26/6280

09/26/6290

10/07/7001

01/07/7010

11/07/7011

02/07/7020

12/07/7021

03/07/7030

04/07/7040

05/07/7050

06/07/7060

07/07/7070

08/07/7080

09/07/7090

10/17/7101

01/17/7110

11/17/7111

02/17/7120

12/17/7121

03/17/7130

04/17/7140

05/17/7150

06/17/7160

07/17/7170

08/17/7180

09/17/7190

10/27/7201

01/27/7210

11/27/7211

02/27/7220

12/27/7221

03/27/7230

04/27/7240

05/27/7250

06/27/7260

07/27/7270

08/27/7280

09/27/7290

10/08/8001

01/08/8010

11/08/8011

02/08/8020

12/08/8021

03/08/8030

04/08/8040

05/08/8050

06/08/8060

07/08/8070

08/08/8080

09/08/8090

10/18/8101

01/18/8110

11/18/8111

02/18/8120

12/18/8121

03/18/8130

04/18/8140

05/18/8150

06/18/8160

07/18/8170

08/18/8180

09/18/8190

10/28/8201

01/28/8210

11/28/8211

02/28/8220

12/28/8221

03/28/8230

04/28/8240

05/28/8250

06/28/8260

07/28/8270

08/28/8280

09/28/8290

10/09/9001

01/09/9010

11/09/9011

02/09/9020

12/09/9021

03/09/9030

04/09/9040

05/09/9050

06/09/9060

07/09/9070

08/09/9080

09/09/9090

10/19/9101

01/19/9110

11/19/9111

02/19/9120

12/19/9121

03/19/9130

04/19/9140

05/19/9150

06/19/9160

07/19/9170

08/19/9180

09/19/9190

10/29/9201

01/29/9210

11/29/9211

02/29/9220

12/29/9221

03/29/9230

04/29/9240

05/29/9250

06/29/9260

07/29/9270

08/29/9280

09/29/9290

The palindrome can also be done with the year first and then reversed as follows.

The following is a list of dates from the years 1000 to 9999 valid in each of the three formats with the reverse palindrom.  The next date are; for DMY is 12 February 2021, for YMD is 2 December 2021, for MDY is 2 December 2021.

DMY

10/10/0101

20/10/0102

30/10/0103

11/10/0111

21/10/0112

31/10/0113

12/10/0121

22/10/0122

13/10/0131

23/10/0132

14/10/0141

24/10/0142

15/10/0151

25/10/0152

16/10/0161

26/10/0162

17/10/0171

27/10/0172

18/10/0181

28/10/0182

19/10/0191

29/10/0192

10/01/1001

20/01/1002

30/01/1003

11/01/1011

21/01/1012

31/01/1013

12/01/1021

22/01/1022

13/01/1031

23/01/1032

14/01/1041

24/01/1042

15/01/1051

25/01/1052

16/01/1061

26/01/1062

17/01/1071

27/01/1072

18/01/1081

28/01/1082

19/01/1091

29/01/1092

10/11/1101

20/11/1102

30/11/1103

11/11/1111

21/11/1112

12/11/1121

22/11/1122

13/11/1131

23/11/1132

14/11/1141

24/11/1142

15/11/1151

25/11/1152

16/11/1161

26/11/1162

17/11/1171

27/11/1172

18/11/1181

28/11/1182

19/11/1191

29/11/1192

10/02/2001

20/02/2002

11/02/2011

21/02/2012

12/02/2021

22/02/2022

13/02/2031

23/02/2032

14/02/2041

24/02/2042

15/02/2051

25/02/2052

16/02/2061

26/02/2062

17/02/2071

27/02/2072

18/02/2081

28/02/2082

19/02/2091

29/02/2092

10/12/2101

20/12/2102

30/12/2103

11/12/2111

21/12/2112

31/12/2113

12/12/2121

22/12/2122

13/12/2131

23/12/2132

14/12/2141

24/12/2142

15/12/2151

25/12/2152

16/12/2161

26/12/2162

17/12/2171

27/12/2172

18/12/2181

28/12/2182

19/12/2191

29/12/2192

10/03/3001

20/03/3002

30/03/3003

11/03/3011

21/03/3012

31/03/3013

12/03/3021

22/03/3022

13/03/3031

23/03/3032

14/03/3041

24/03/3042

15/03/3051

25/03/3052

16/03/3061

26/03/3062

17/03/3071

27/03/3072

18/03/3081

28/03/3082

19/03/3091

29/03/3092

10/04/4001

20/04/4002

30/04/4003

11/04/4011

21/04/4012

12/04/4021

22/04/4022

13/04/4031

23/04/4032

14/04/4041

24/04/4042

15/04/4051

25/04/4052

16/04/4061

26/04/4062

17/04/4071

27/04/4072

18/04/4081

28/04/4082

19/04/4091

29/04/4092

10/05/5001

20/05/5002

30/05/5003

11/05/5011

21/05/5012

31/05/5013

12/05/5021

22/05/5022

13/05/5031

23/05/5032

14/05/5041

24/05/5042

15/05/5051

25/05/5052

16/05/5061

26/05/5062

17/05/5071

27/05/5072

18/05/5081

28/05/5082

19/05/5091

29/05/5092

10/06/6001

20/06/6002

30/06/6003

11/06/6011

21/06/6012

12/06/6021

22/06/6022

13/06/6031

23/06/6032

14/06/6041

24/06/6042

15/06/6051

25/06/6052

16/06/6061

26/06/6062

17/06/6071

27/06/6072

18/06/6081

28/06/6082

19/06/6091

29/06/6092

10/07/7001

20/07/7002

30/07/7003

11/07/7011

21/07/7012

31/07/7013

12/07/7021

22/07/7022

13/07/7031

23/07/7032

14/07/7041

24/07/7042

15/07/7051

25/07/7052

16/07/7061

26/07/7062

17/07/7071

27/07/7072

18/07/7081

28/07/7082

19/07/7091

29/07/7092

10/08/8001

20/08/8002

30/08/8003

11/08/8011

21/08/8012

31/08/8013

12/08/8021

22/08/8022

13/08/8031

23/08/8032

14/08/8041

24/08/8042

15/08/8051

25/08/8052

16/08/8061

26/08/8062

17/08/8071

27/08/8072

18/08/8081

28/08/8082

19/08/8091

29/08/8092

10/09/9001

20/09/9002

30/09/9003

11/09/9011

21/09/9012

12/09/9021

22/09/9022

13/09/9031

23/09/9032

14/09/9041

24/09/9042

15/09/9051

25/09/9052

16/09/9061

26/09/9062

17/09/9071

27/09/9072

18/09/9081

28/09/9082

19/09/9091

29/09/9092

YMD

1001-10-01

1010-01-01

1011-11-01

1020-02-01

1021-12-01

1030-03-01

1040-04-01

1050-05-01

1060-06-01

1070-07-01

1080-08-01

1090-09-01

1101-10-11

1110-01-11

1111-11-11

1120-02-11

1121-12-11

1130-03-11

1140-04-11

1150-05-11

1160-06-11

1170-07-11

1180-08-11

1190-09-11

1201-10-21

1210-01-21

1211-11-21

1220-02-21

1221-12-21

1230-03-21

1240-04-21

1250-05-21

1260-06-21

1270-07-21

1280-08-21

1290-09-21

1301-10-31

1310-01-31

1321-12-31

1330-03-31

1350-05-31

1370-07-31

1380-08-31

2001-10-02

2010-01-02

2011-11-02

2020-02-02

2021-12-02

2030-03-02

2040-04-02

2050-05-02

2060-06-02

2070-07-02

2080-08-02

2090-09-02

2101-10-12

2110-01-12

2111-11-12

2120-02-12

2121-12-12

2130-03-12

2140-04-12

2150-05-12

2160-06-12

2170-07-12

2180-08-12

2190-09-12

2201-10-22

2210-01-22

2211-11-22

2220-02-22

2221-12-22

2230-03-22

2240-04-22

2250-05-22

2260-06-22

2270-07-22

2280-08-22

2290-09-22

3001-10-03

3010-01-03

3011-11-03

3020-02-03

3021-12-03

3030-03-03

3040-04-03

3050-05-03

3060-06-03

3070-07-03

3080-08-03

3090-09-03

3101-10-13

3110-01-13

3111-11-13

3120-02-13

3121-12-13

3130-03-13

3140-04-13

3150-05-13

3160-06-13

3170-07-13

3180-08-13

3190-09-13

3201-10-23

3210-01-23

3211-11-23

3220-02-23

3221-12-23

3230-03-23

3240-04-23

3250-05-23

3260-06-23

3270-07-23

3280-08-23

3290-09-23

4001-10-04

4010-01-04

4011-11-04

4020-02-04

4021-12-04

4030-03-04

4040-04-04

4050-05-04

4060-06-04

4070-07-04

4080-08-04

4090-09-04

4101-10-14

4110-01-14

4111-11-14

4120-02-14

4121-12-14

4130-03-14

4140-04-14

4150-05-14

4160-06-14

4170-07-14

4180-08-14

4190-09-14

4201-10-24

4210-01-24

4211-11-24

4220-02-24

4221-12-24

4230-03-24

4240-04-24

4250-05-24

4260-06-24

4270-07-24

4280-08-24

4290-09-24

5001-10-05

5010-01-05

5011-11-05

5020-02-05

5021-12-05

5030-03-05

5040-04-05

5050-05-05

5060-06-05

5070-07-05

5080-08-05

5090-09-05

5101-10-15

5110-01-15

5111-11-15

5120-02-15

5121-12-15

5130-03-15

5140-04-15

5150-05-15

5160-06-15

5170-07-15

5180-08-15

5190-09-15

5201-10-25

5210-01-25

5211-11-25

5220-02-25

5221-12-25

5230-03-25

5240-04-25

5250-05-25

5260-06-25

5270-07-25

5280-08-25

5290-09-25

6001-10-06

6010-01-06

6011-11-06

6020-02-06

6021-12-06

6030-03-06

6040-04-06

6050-05-06

6060-06-06

6070-07-06

6080-08-06

6090-09-06

6101-10-16

6110-01-16

6111-11-16

6120-02-16

6121-12-16

6130-03-16

6140-04-16

6150-05-16

6160-06-16

6170-07-16

6180-08-16

6190-09-16

6201-10-26

6210-01-26

6211-11-26

6220-02-26

6221-12-26

6230-03-26

6240-04-26

6250-05-26

6260-06-26

6270-07-26

6280-08-26

6290-09-26

7001-10-07

7010-01-07

7011-11-07

7020-02-07

7021-12-07

7030-03-07

7040-04-07

7050-05-07

7060-06-07

7070-07-07

7080-08-07

7090-09-07

7101-10-17

7110-01-17

7111-11-17

7120-02-17

7121-12-17

7130-03-17

7140-04-17

7150-05-17

7160-06-17

7170-07-17

7180-08-17

7190-09-17

7201-10-27

7210-01-27

7211-11-27

7220-02-27

7221-12-27

7230-03-27

7240-04-27

7250-05-27

7260-06-27

7270-07-27

7280-08-27

7290-09-27

8001-10-08

8010-01-08

8011-11-08

8020-02-08

8021-12-08

8030-03-08

8040-04-08

8050-05-08

8060-06-08

8070-07-08

8080-08-08

8090-09-08

8101-10-18

8110-01-18

8111-11-18

8120-02-18

8121-12-18

8130-03-18

8140-04-18

8150-05-18

8160-06-18

8170-07-18

8180-08-18

8190-09-18

8201-10-28

8210-01-28

8211-11-28

8220-02-28

8221-12-28

8230-03-28

8240-04-28

8250-05-28

8260-06-28

8270-07-28

8280-08-28

8290-09-28

9001-10-09

9010-01-09

9011-11-09

9020-02-09

9021-12-09

9030-03-09

9040-04-09

9050-05-09

9060-06-09

9070-07-09

9080-08-09

9090-09-09

9101-10-19

9110-01-19

9111-11-19

9120-02-19

9121-12-19

9130-03-19

9140-04-19

9150-05-19

9160-06-19

9170-07-19

9180-08-19

9190-09-19

9201-10-29

9210-01-29

9211-11-29

9220-02-29

9221-12-29

9230-03-29

9240-04-29

9250-05-29

9260-06-29

9270-07-29

9280-08-29

9290-09-29

MDY

10/10/0101

11/10/0111

12/10/0121

10/20/0201

11/20/0211

12/20/0221

10/30/0301

11/30/0311

12/30/0321

10/01/1001

11/01/1011

12/01/1021

10/11/1101

11/11/1111

12/11/1121

10/21/1201

11/21/1211

12/21/1221

10/31/1301

12/31/1321

10/02/2001

11/02/2011

12/02/2021

10/12/2101

11/12/2111

12/12/2121

10/22/2201

11/22/2211

12/22/2221

10/03/3001

11/03/3011

12/03/3021

10/13/3101

11/13/3111

12/13/3121

10/23/3201

11/23/3211

12/23/3221

10/04/4001

11/04/4011

12/04/4021

10/14/4101

11/14/4111

12/14/4121

10/24/4201

11/24/4211

12/24/4221

10/05/5001

11/05/5011

12/05/5021

10/15/5101

11/15/5111

12/15/5121

10/25/5201

11/25/5211

12/25/5221

10/06/6001

11/06/6011

12/06/6021

10/16/6101

11/16/6111

12/16/6121

10/26/6201

11/26/6211

12/26/6221

10/07/7001

11/07/7011

12/07/7021

10/17/7101

11/17/7111

12/17/7121

10/27/7201

11/27/7211

12/27/7221

10/08/8001

11/08/8011

12/08/8021

10/18/8101

11/18/8111

12/18/8121

10/28/8201

11/28/8211

12/28/8221

10/09/9001

11/09/9011

12/09/9021

10/19/9101

11/19/9111

12/19/9121

10/29/9201

11/29/9211

12/29/9221

The specific palindromic dates are not the same in the first tables (raeyyear) compared to the reversed tables (yearraey).

Normal DMY has 335 dates and the reversed has 258 dates.

Normal YMD has 92 dates and the reversed has 331 dates.

Normal MDY has 331 dates and the reversed has 92 dates.

This work is licensed under a

Imagine that you live in a world that is difficult every day.  Not today, not tomorrow but in a span of years into the future.  This is the world that you grew up in.  It is a world of challenges from eating, working, breathing and just surviving.  It is a world that you would not question if it were not for historic records on an aging Internet.

The world of the past as described on the Internet has temperate climates, outdoor activities, vacation paradises and less violence and conflict than now.  It is not a world with which you are familiar.  Everything about it in fact seems alien, subdued and fake.  It looks at first glance as a fictional world specifically made to make your world seem as bad as possible.  It is just that there is so much evidence in support of this historic paradise.

Now, take a moment to catch your breath.  You have to make oxygen decisions and if you push too hard you may pass out.  None of the old videos on the Internet have people breathing heavily nor using oxygen tanks and breather masks in daily life.  In fact nobody appears in anyway distressed while breathing.  It could be that the video posters are all wealthy and can afford filtered enriched oxygen within their homes.  But that doesn’t explain the outdoor videos and lack of protective clothing.

Today oxygen is a luxury.  While it does not seem like much, the effective level of oxygen at sea level is 20 percent but it used to be just under 21 percent.  Now it feels like living at 1,714 feet (523 meters) with greater exertion to do physical work and increased risk of fainting or passing out.  The great dying of trees around the world caused by deforestation in preference to farmland provided profits for a few while condemning everyone.  Trees provide most of the oxygen from land based plant life and their dying results in decreasing oxygen levels.  Places like Pikes Peak in Colorado USA and Mont Blanc on the France/Italy border that were once challenging climbs have become dangerous expeditions without the aid of oxygen tanks and sunscreens to protect from the dangerous rays of the sun reflected off the snow.

Besides the oxygen we breathe the protective layer of ozone (oxygen-3) around the planet has also been crippled.  The illegal use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) restarted by Asian companies in the 2000′s, to be competitive with the world, has encouraged a downward spiral of environmental protections.  Besides the increased risk of skin cancer for those people unable to avoid sunlight for hours at a time in traffic, plant life cycles have changed to reduce crop production and disrupted blooming, affecting insect and animal life.  Marine life that lives in shallow waters are also increasingly endangered.  Imagine living exposed to those rays with few places to take cover.

Save your strength, conserve your oxygen, and stay indoors as much as possible during the day.

This work is licensed under a

1 September 2018

This will be a multi-part topic on what I believe drives the US economy to work people more hours and for less pay.  I will try to cover topics that effect one or both of these aspects that hopefully will include the following.

The change of professional workers being eligible for overtime to not at all, in practical terms and how colleges contribute to the problem.

The reduction of unions and collective bargaining on the basis of so-called right to work in many states.

The reduction of vacation and sick time to a simpler paid-time-off that is often refused contrary to the stated benefits of the company and in the job descriptions.

The weakening of the employee laws on the books by reduced enforcement by federal and state authorities and the cost to individually sue for your rights.

The use of non-complete clauses on employees to prevent their departure for a better paying job based upon their skills and not proprietary knowledge of their employer.

The adoption of employers to use arbitration clauses to prevent class action status for legal enforcement of discrimination.

The challenge to a minimum wage and how it increases the number of employees without raising payroll.

The lack of acceptance of certifications from one state to another to keep wages lower while performing the same work.

I will for this discussion express that I am not a lawyer and this should not be taken as legal advice.  Instead these are my observations of being in the workplace for over 30 years and seeing how things have changed for the average worker.  During some of that time I have been a manager at various companies and those companies provided legal training through human resource departments on what an employer can basically get away with legally.

I will make a point clear now, the things that I will discuss in principal are not illegal.  There are laws that define what is permitted and what is not.  What I challenge is the intended purpose of these laws and the amount of enforcement by the state and federal governments to protect the workforce.

This work is licensed under a

24 June 2019

It has been a long absence from posting.  I basically hit a limit of being unable to work.  My father had been in declining health when a close uncle of mine died tragically.  I was able to go to my uncle’s funeral and visit my dad at the same time.

The next month my father died from cancer.  I thought that I could cope since I have had a good relationship with him the last 20 years.  What I thought that I was capable handling, I fought guilt for not being there (I live out of state) during his decline.  I did visit several times in the last months but it did not seem enough.  This was bad, but I thought I could manage as I was providing emotional support for the rest of the family including my step-mother and tried to be the strong one.

My work had become more difficult to cope with and my spouse caught the brunt of my moods and arguing.  Then about three months after my dad’s passing a close aunt got sick and died in her sleep.  I was not able to go to the memorial service as I was out of town for work and sent flowers instead.

The next month my boy cat of 15 years had to be put down.  He was unable to eat food without getting an upset stomach.  The prescription food from the vet was the last option and failed to work after six weeks.  The loss was bad enough but the guilt of not being able to do more was hard.

My oldest cat of 20 years started to miss her young boy and one week after his passing she stopped eating.  She refused any kind of food, even her favorites, but continued to drink water.  I could not cope but had to take her to the vet to find out her body was shutting down.  This was the worst by now.  I had her since a kitten and felt guilty there was nothing I could do but be with her at the end.

My spouse and family were imploring me to get help but I thought that I could manage.  One week after the passing of my girl kitty I exceeded my limit.  Two days in a row I could only work half a day and couldn’t think anymore so took the rest of each day off.  The next day I could not even focus on work.  I knew there was something seriously wrong.

Heeding their advice I contacted my doctor and also the EAP plan through work to speak to a counselor.  The next day my doctor put me on family medical leave (FMLA), against my wishes, and prescribed a mild anti-depressant.  By the end of the week I had my first appointment with the counselor.

While it took a month for the medication to kick-in the counselor was able to focus on my unrelieved grief of all of the losses and my actions of overworking in an attempt to deal with all the issues.  The two weeks of FMLA was invaluable as I was able to walk away from work and concentrate on me. I am also fortunate my spouse and family supported me by encouraging treatment and putting up with my moods.

My spouse made me get a new one year old girl cat which I thought was a horribly bad idea, but I knew it was right the moment we entered the animal shelter.  She is very affectionate and tries hard to replace our two recent cats.

It has been five months of medication and counseling and I can see now how I got myself into the situation I was in.  I have always thought that I could push my way through any obstacle but I now realize there is a limit to what you can handle yourself.  I think that I am near done with the counseling as I have little going on that makes me feel stressed.

Sometimes at work I feel unproductive but I have to remind myself that my manager is happy with my work.  I may not be getting everything done but that does not matter.

I also make an effort to spend time with my spouse as well as our new cat and older dog.  I am tending our backyard garden and making time to go out with friends.

It does not feel like I am walking a tightrope anymore with a chasm below.  It now feels like I am climbing rope, a dangerous fall is always possible but I make sure my rope, seat harness, ascenders and rack are safe and properly rigged.

An optimist says a cup is half full.

A pessimist says a cup is half empty.

An engineer says the cup has too much glass.

A physicist asks, ‘what do you mean?  It is half full of liquid and half full of air.’

A mathematician asks what is the definition of full.

I was going to hold off on this topic for a later time but a wildlife official from Idaho, United States forced me to discuss it now.  Here is what happened.

A Fish and Game Commissioner went hunting in Africa.  Besides killing a giraffe, leopard and other animals, he murdered a family of baboons because he claims his wife said she wanted ‘a feel’ of Africa.  A BBC article has more detail on the killings.

First this is not about someone hunting for the need to survive.  If you are this person then you can stop reading now.

Here are a few points that I will briefly make.

Hunting at range with a gun or bow is not sport (maybe with your friends but not for the animals).

Selecting the biggest animal to kill is not what occurs in nature.  Predators target the weakest or slowest prey.

Hunting practices affect the species and can change their biology.  Larger deer in areas are becoming harder to find.

Hunting is a thrill for the hunter.  They get to party with friends, think they are somehow conserving nature, and coming home with a trophy to demonstrate their prowess of killing with military grade weapons.

Hunting laws do make an attempt to restrict the size of what can be hunted.  This is not so much to protect the species as to provide an available number of animals to hunt and kill next season.

Laws place a limit on the minimum size or maximum number of animals to prevent exterminating the species by killing all the young.

Laws limit the seasons for hunting to also keep the herds stronger for the next seasonal culling.

Permits also provide a source of revenue to the government.

Let’s call sports hunting what it really is, government sanctioned slaughter for personal amusement.

If you don’t need deer meat on your table and your main reason to hunt is for a bigger animal to mount then stop lying to yourself and everyone else.  You kill for the fun of it.

If you want a real challenge try free climbing El Capitan in Yosemite or swimming with the sharks offshore of South Africa.

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In Part 1 we discussed some good and bad uses of debt.  In this last installment I will describe truly horrible results due to debt; homelessness, wage garnishment, and the job dependency.

Homelessness risk can be measured by how long will it take to become homeless if your earnings stop for some reason?  We will take into account most states have an eviction process (let us say 45-days) and excluding any help from parents, siblings or friend.

Update: Alabama has only a 7-day eviction process if rent is unpaid but it is easy for a landlord to refuse your payment to get you out.  The costs of eviction are small to the landlord and the state takes the responsibility to move you out and you risk being imprisoned for a felony. (There are more details you can research if you live in Alabama.)

If your time to homeless is only the eviction process then you need to start an emergency fund.  An emergency fund is critical to handle the unexpected necessities without stressing your regular expenses.  I am not talking about that new phone or pair of shoes.  I am talking about paying for rent or mortgage, car payments, car repairs, gasoline, food and utilities.

When I was in college I started at 45-days (the eviction period) from being homeless because I had no emergency reserve and I did not want to depend on parents for emergencies.  I did have a roommate but his finances were more stressed than mine.

So I started by setting aside 3% of each paycheck (I worked part-time in college) into a savings account not tied to my checking account.  Within a year I had enough saved to handle a car repair or other small emergency.  Over the years I have continued to contribute to an emergency reserve, especially since my needs have change.  I now measure the time to being homeless years.  It will not happen overnight but with some effort you can have a safety net.

Now you may be asking, how am I supposed to do that when my current expenses are higher than my take home pay or I do not have a job?  You will have to make difficult decisions like;

Can I afford where I live?  Do I need roommates?

Can I keep my car for 7 to 10 years performing maintenance?

Should I make going out a special occasion and eat at home instead?

Can I lower the heater setting or raise the air conditioner temperature?

Do not make decisions that can put you at greater risk like canceling home, car or health insurance, getting a payday loan (do not do this! borrow from anyone else first!), buying more lottery tickets, or shifting necessities to credit cards and hoping for something lucky to happen.

Wage garnishment is when a court mandates taking money from your paycheck by your employer before you receive it.  This is often due to a failure to pay an outstanding debt like student loans, child support, or a legal judgement against you.  If you are at this point then you may need help from a reputable credit service.  Check with your state government or local bank for assistance finding someone to help.

Where wage garnishment can hurt you is with your employer.  First if you have wage garnishment then you likely have a low credit rating.  If this occurred while employed then it could jeopardize your position especially if you handle money for the company.  Remember that most employers can run your credit rating during the hiring process but also while you are employed.

Second, your supervisor may very well know about your situation and they could take advantage of it.  Due to the wage garnishment you may have difficulty finding another job and your supervisor could put more work on you at the same salary because they know you are in a bind.

Job dependency is when you cannot afford to lose your job.  Most everyone needs a job to earn a living but this entails that you cannot afford to lose this job.  There are many circumstances that can lead to it but the fear (or reality) is that you will not be able to find another job with similar pay or none at all.  The following are some circumstances that could lead to this concern.

Your debt burden is too great.  If you are in the situation of barely making payments or in crisis now, then the fear of losing your job can keep you from looking for another one.  Besides, companies may check your credit score and see your situation.

You are nearing or past 50 years of age.  I will probably write another piece about this but age discrimination occurs in the work all the time.  Many states will not even investigate the claim and suggest that you sue the company in court.

You or your dependents have preexisting conditions.  While this is not the case at the moment with the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare) in force, if it is cancelled or diminished then many families will be at risk.

Your employer may imply advancement, raises or some other benefit but never in writing and only on the condition that you remain with the company.  Unfulfilled promises can keep most anyone in a bad relationship.  Just remember, that is what your employer is, a relationship.  They provide pay in exchange for work that you perform.  They are not performing charity and they usually do not have your best interests at heart.

Your employer may work you almost to death.  It is very hard to look for another and probably better job if your manager does not give you the chance.  No time off not only makes your manager look better but it keeps you from getting a better job.

Your family was previously a two income earner and due to circumstances (maybe one of the above) you are now a single income family with all the burden and risk on you keeping your job.

Debt can be an effective force to keep you in a job.  It can also be a force for your supervisor to take advantage of you.  While some of the things I discussed are not a debt burden now, something like medical bills without insurance can put you in that place.

From my experience, once you are an employee the company is no longer making great offers to keep you, they will do that with the next new hire.  You will get a small raise and maybe a promotion for a bigger raise and more work.  If you really want to see your income grow then consider changing jobs to another company in a similar area of work to preserve your experience.  Also, negotiate for more than two weeks of vacation and a week of sick time.

I hope you are not in a place of high financial risk but if you are then it may be good time to seek help to correct the situation.

Good luck and best wishes.

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31 August 2018

Debt is a useful tool to help you get to where you need or want to be in the future.  It can also cripple your earnings potential.  I will explain in more detail.

The Good

Debt can help you to manage large purchases when it is not practical to do so.  The costs are higher because you must pay interest but sometimes that cost is less than other factors.

A home purchase can be done with a long-term fixed mortgage where the mortgage does not go up every year like rent does and the interest paid on the mortgage has tax benefits to reduce your income taxes.

A car is a necessity in most urban cities to go to a job.  Without a loan (and debt) to get a car your prospects for a job are limited to local businesses or only where the public transportation takes you.

Student loans when paying for a degree that has a known potential for job placement and earnings that can easily handle paying back the student loans while the rest of your life moves forward

The Bad

Buying too much house can consume your paycheck to the point that you cannot afford to make other bills, plan for emergencies, or enjoy life.

Trading in cars when something is still owed can mean that you owe more than the car is worth.  When you trade-in your car your loan may be higher again for the balance owed on the first car.

Credit cards can be convenient and useful when used responsibly.  With typically higher rates than mortgages and cars, spending more on credit cards than you can pay off monthly can place you in a future of spiraling debt that can lead to bankruptcy or worse.

Student loans for a degree that will never earn enough money to pay back the debt or overpriced degree programs that under deliver.  I am looking at you for-profit schools that have poor hiring rates and low wages.  I am also looking at you public and private schools that charge $80,000 for a general liberal arts degree.

The Ugly

The good and bad are generally discussed.  Next time we will discuss the truly ugly parts of debt; homelessness, wage garnishment, and the job dependency.

Until then.

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