Here's two letters sent in to Dave Ramsey. They really give us a good example of what's wrong with our economy right now. The first shows a guy who won't take responsibility for his money, and the second shows a reader being punished for her success. Click the link for Dave's response.
Dear Dave,
My boyfriend has a lot of debt. The other day a creditor called, and he wouldn't answer the phone. Then, he told me it would be easier for him to pay off his debts if we were married because I could act as his accountability partner. I don't want to be the money cop, and I wonder if he would truly be more motivated. What do you think?
Janine
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Dear Dave,
I just received notice that my homeowners insurance is about to increase $200 because my FICO credit score dropped. I recently became debt-free, so I know this score will continue to drop. I'm very confused and angry about this. What should I do?
The debate's over. I didn't think anything really came out of it.
It was kind of boring, but both sides did what they needed to. Biden needed to make sure he didn't look like a jerk and Palin needed to make sure she looked like she knew what she was talking about.
As for who "won" the debate, the poll on Drudge Report, which has a pretty large conservative audience has Palin ahead, and the poll on MSNBC, which has a pretty large liberal audience has Biden on top. I think that means that most people already had their "winner" picked in advance.
So what if the moderator of the VP debate has a financial stake in the election, right?
What a joke. PBS is a complete disgrace. Funded by YOUR tax dollars. (And mine.)
The moderator of Thursday's vice-presidential debate is writing a book to come out about the time the next president takes the oath of office that aims to "shed new light" on Democratic candidate Barack Obama and other "emerging young African American politicians" who are "forging a bold new path to political power."
Chuck Baldwin? I didn't see that coming. Not that there's anything wrong with it. I voted for the Constitution (Nebraska) Party in state elections before; I just assumed Ron would endorse Bob Barr.
Representative Ron Paul of Texas, a former seeker of the Republican nomination for president, has endorsed Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin for president in 2008.
Ironically, Paul says he was swayed to make the endorsement by former Republican Bob Barr, who is now running for president on the Libertarian Party's ticket, the same party which nominated Paul for president in 1988.
'The Libertarian Party candidate admonished me for 'remaining neutral' in the presidential race and not stating whom I will vote for in November," Paul wrote both on his Campaign for Liberty website and as a contributor to SmallGovTimes.com. "I've thought about the unsolicited advice from the Libertarian Party candidate, and he has convinced me to reject my neutral stance in the November election. I'm supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate."
TMZ picked up the story about Jake appearance at an indy show this weekend. He shows up drunk (no, really!) and basically no-sells a couple of blows from his opponent, J.T. Lightning, until Lightning is forced to shoot-pin him and end the match.
I'm not sure if my favorite quote from the article is this:
"We're also told nearly two dozen empty airplane bottles of vodka were found by his gear."
or this:
"After the verbal assault, Jake pulled down the front of his pants and exposed his penis to the crowd."
Click the link to see the video clips. (Sorry, no penis in the video.)
UPDATE: From Jake's press team:
Jake was given an open container of what he was told was a cold drink. That happened when he got to the venue. He remembers nothing between that time, and the time he woke up the next morning in the motel, alone, beaten, injured. I had a really fun time getting him back on the same page, by phone, to just get him to the airport to try to get back home. It was a constant string of conversation just to get him to MOVE. This is not how he behaves ever. On his worst days, Jake has always had total recall.
Jake was drugged. He has been home since Saturday afternoon about 4:30PM and up until last night about 8:30PM, had not eaten or slept. His standard answer for everything the last two days has been "I don't know."
So there you have it. He was obviously framed.
On a more serious note, I hope he gets the help that he so desperately needs.
On a personal note, for those of you who don't know, I started this site way-back-when as a Pink Floyd fan site. I got the title themeofabsence.com from a Pink Floyd bootleg box set called Variations on a Theme of Absence, which was also the original name of fan site before I bought the domain, themeofabsence.com.
I still have that fantasy of Waters, Gilmour and Mason will reuniting for a 2009/2010 tour to celebrete thirty-year anniversary of The Wall, but now if that were to happen, they'll be one member short.
Like I said, sad news.
LONDON — A Pink Floyd spokesman says founding member Richard Wright has died. He was 65.
Wright died Monday after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. His family did not want to give more details about his death. The spokesman is Doug Wright, who is not related to the artist.
Richard Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason at college and joined their early band Sigma 6.
Sigma 6 eventually became Pink Floyd and Wright wrote and sang some of the band's key songs. He wrote "The Great Gig In The Sky" and "Us And Them" from Pink Floyd's 1973 "The Dark Side Of The Moon."
He left the group in the early 1980s to form his own band but rejoined Pink Floyd for their 1987 album "A Momentary Lapse of Reason."
Ric Flair gets a black eye, his daughter gets tazed, and her boyfriend might face charges. Click the link to read about the fun at the Flair house!
Police say a scuffle with his daughter’s 22-year-old boyfriend left both men bruised and bloody. Police responded after neighbors at the Sunstone Apartments near University Mall called about a fight in progress.
By the time police arrived, the two men and Flair’s daughter Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr, 22, were inside her apartment. None would cooperate as officers questioned them. Police said Fliehr kicked an officer and was arrested on charges of assault and resisting arrest.
Neither Flair nor his daughter's boyfriend was charged in the incident. Chapel Hill Police Capt. Chris Blue declined to release the boyfriend's name, because he could face charges at a later date.
"Since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves, I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities." ... "Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."
I'm planning on a couple of races in October, so I started running again. Also, I think the next karate Kyu Test (it's where you get your belt rankings) is in November. I'm hoping to be ready for that.
Here's my current routine:
Monday: Run Tuesday: Karate Wednesday: Weights (Full body circuit) and a light jog Thursday: Karate Friday: Weights (Full body circuit) and a light jog Saturday: Run Sunday: Rest
Mark your calendars. On October 3, 2008 David Zucker (Airplane! and Naked Gun) is putting out "An American Carol", to make fun of Michael Moore. Staring Kevin Farley and Kelsey Grammer, with cameos from Bill O'Reilly and LESLIE NIELSEN!
Here's a link to a page selling a costume that looks just like the "bigfoot" that appears to be stuffed in the freezer. I am really sick of hoaxers.
Here's my prediction. They'll give some ape hair to some scientists, and then it will wait in a lab for months on end until it comes back "inconclusive." In the meantime, they'll release a DVD you can buy to see videos of the body and listen to some "expert opinion."
Yes, I'll wait for the press conference tomorrow, but like I said, I'm sure this will just be another "Stan Romanek Alien."
Well, the MSM is starting to pick this up now, so I suppose I should mention it.
I'm still suspicious. In a "Stan Romanek Alien" sort of way.
Two Northern California men and two Georgians say they've got a body, a photo and DNA evidence pertaining to the elusive forest-dwelling man-ape — and that they'll reveal all at a press conference in Palo Alto, Calif., on Friday.
Swimming sensation Michael Phelps has an Olympic recipe for success - and it involves eating a staggering 12,000 calories a day.
"Eat, sleep and swim. That's all I can do," Phelps, who won two more gold medals today, told NBC when asked what he needs to win medals. "Get some calories into my system and try to recover the best I can."
A large object with a turquoise hue plummeted out of the sky earlier this summer and plowed into the earth south of Las Vegas. Eyewitnesses say this was no meteorite, especially since a bunch of helicopters hauled it away. Chief Investigative Reporter George Knapp has the story.
Scientists have used microscopes to analyse of strands of hair found caught on some rocks in jungle near the India-Bangladesh border.
The tests showed the thick, wiry hairs do not belong to any of the most common wild animals known to live in the area.
Instead, they bear a 'startling resemblance' to some collected half a century ago by Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary.
Researcher Ian Redmond said: 'The hairs are the most positive evidence yet that a yeti might possibly exist. It might be that the region this animal is inhabiting is remote enough for it to remain undiscovered so far. We are very excited.'
Here's one for ya. Any question you've ever had is answered here. Religion, politics, pyramids, Reptilians, hollow earth... you name it.
For example:
The sun is a cube, not a sphere. It only appears to be a sphere because it is spinning at a high velocity. All suns (i.e., stars) are cubes. Darkness intentionally designed the universe like this because on a metaphysical level, cubes (or more specifically, their 90-degree right angles) create strife, confrontation, and confusion.