User:Robert W King: Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Robert W King
imported>Robert W King
Line 286: Line 286:


<!--
<!--
Where will you live in 2020?


Let's pretend.


How many of you have been forced to relocate because of the increase in costs of living? 
We'll start with an assumption that we're tracking these factors:


I am, probably like many of you, steeped in credit card debt as the costs of living have surged.  Money that I owe to a creditor, bank, or other financial facility.
* The cost of housing
* The cost of consumer goods
* The cost of living
* The amount of jobs that are sent overseas


In any place within the United States you can get a job making so much per year, that is, if you're a regular Joe-hardworking-citizen (CEOs and other rich elite exempt). 
Given what we know:


However, it may be the case that meeting your necessary fiscal obligations to live have become increasingly difficult.  Partially, we can give thanks to the subprime mortgage industry giving out.  Many banks made granting irresponsible loans standard operating proceedure, and will stand to lose lots of money due to the foreclosures (up 149% from two years ago, by the way) (Source: CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/29/foreclosure.data/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCOther1) unless, of course, the government bails them out, further increasing the budget defecit.
* The latest news over the past year is the subprime lending market crash.  Turns out, as a direct result of the irresponsible lending practices by financial institutions, housing forclosures have risen 149% from 2006. (Source: CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/29/foreclosure.data/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCOther1) The fallout so far seems unmeasurable.


As a consequence, people who previously qualified for temporary fixed-rate -> variable rate loans and used the money to put a roof over their heads are now kicked the the curb.  Is it their fault?  Not necessarily. But What was the alternative? 
* Corporations like Wal-Mart adjust their policies and force suppliers and manufacturers to reduce their costs, thereby decreasing the cost of consumer goods.  The net effect of this is that many lose their jobs as a result, employee pay and benefits are reduced (or lost), and shareholders get returned value.


Move to live somewhere else, obviously; Getting a different job; getting more education; changing careers.  But all these take time and money, which unfortunately doesn't seem like a fiscal responsible measure if you can't even provide shelter and feed yourself.
* The cost of living is forcing many Americans to use credit lines to support themselves as hours are cut, and wages are reduced, in order to increase shareholder stock and CEO value. (Search Any financial section in any newspaper over the last year for terms like "cut jobs" or "Reduced workforce").


You could live in a condo building, or an apartment complex, but there's no guarantee of staying there; rents and leases can change, properties can sell, land values can go up...
* Many jobs and processes have been outsourced to China, India, and other nations that can do them under a fraction of the cost of the average employee in the United States.


So you get a different job, or another part time job in the meantime.  Where can you get a job immediately that will pay you enough to live, especially when you have to be concerned about stockholders that vote to cut jobs in order to meet financial expectations?
So as an average Joe Citizen, what are you to do?


I can't help but wonder if all those books written about futures where a large population of the world lives in slums are inevitably going to come true.  Maybe we should consider cashing out what we've got and moving out west somewhere, and starting a burbclave: building homes from recycled materials and landfill waste.  We certainly can't expect the government to pick up the slack and care for us, and neither will large corporations like Wal-Mart.
Move to live somewhere else, obviously; get a different (or a second or third) job; get more education; changing careers.  However, consider the following:


* Moving will cost you the time it takes to find somewhere else to live, plus any moving expenses you incur along the way (including down-payments, security deposit, vehicle rental + gas). 


  combined with the United States trade defecit (which directly impacts the creation of jobs overseas, lowering of wages domestically in order to provide consumers with the lowest costs of goods, and at the same time making a smaller percentage of people richer), you have to ask yourself: where are you going to live, and more importantly, where are your children going to live?
* Average college tuition rates are rising all the time. You'll almost certainly have to take out a loan (read: more debt).  And then there's the time it takes to complete a degree which may interfere with your work hours.
-->
 
* Career fields only have a certain number of opportunities.  Also anything that can be outsourced for cheaper, probably will be (at the behest of shareholders).
 
I can't help but wonder if all those books written about futures where a large population of the world lives in slums are inevitably going to come true.  Maybe we should consider cashing out what we've got and moving out west somewhere, and starting a burbclave: building homes from recycled materials and landfill waste.  The days of democratic capitalism are gone: we certainly can't expect the government to pick up the slack and care for those in need in our home country, nor will corporations.
 
 
If we as a people do not change our ways where; where will you live in 2020?




-->


[[Category:CZ Authors|King, Robert W]]
[[Category:CZ Authors|King, Robert W]]

Revision as of 11:12, 4 February 2008

Status

  • Work is 60% complete on the Milling Machine(see flickr set here). The Z-Axis needs to be constructed.
  • ContribBot is delayed, possibly indefinately. If you have any questions feel free to leave me a message at my talk page.
  • I am currently a Cruft-Fighting Extraordinaire.

(Hourglass drawing.svg Where Robert lives it is approximately: 03:14)


About me

Quack!

I am a young man working in the field of Information Assurance, and living somewhere in Northern Virginia. I hold an Associate's in Information Technology from NVCC and am working (infrequently) on my B.S. in Information Technology from George Mason University. My interests include data organization, networks, philosophy, critical thinking, and observation.

In the past I have contributed to U.S. Government articles within Wikipedia, and reported on the Wired-sponsored Assignment Zero. (Profile here, contributions here)

I would eventually like to pursue a career in global policy.

Books I have read or am currently reading:

  • The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand (cmplt.)
  • Status Anxiety - Alain De Botton (cmplt.)
  • The Use and Abuse of Art - Jacques Barzun (un-r)
  • The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell (mostly-r)
  • Talk to the Hand - Lynne Truss (cmplt.)
  • Stiff - Mary Roach (cmplt.)
  • The World is Flat 3.0 -
  • Supercapitalism -

Quick Links

http://yarchive.net/home.html


Tabella Nemorosus

Developing Articles

Initial Author

Status 4:
Status 3:
Author / Contributor
Contributor

Stubs

Initial Author
Author / Contributor
Contributor

Templates

Initial Author
Author / Contributor
  • To be completed...
Contributor

Projects on CZ

  • CZ's Core Article Initiative: CZ:CORE
  • CZ's recruiting initiative: CZ:Recruitment. I created a one-sheet black and white recruitment flyer to be distributed (primarly) on college campuses, community bulletin boards, and other open public posting areas. It can be found here. Instructions are enclosed.
  • Hat article image request initiative: If you have one of many different types of hats, and have a picture of you wearing it, please submit it to the articlespace! This article would do greatly with a large number of hat images. --Robert W King 20:49, 18 October 2007 (CDT)

To Do

Images modified

I performed levels of relentless editing on these articles:

I created the following images:

 
Cockroach
Cockroach  
Picture of an Apple
Picture of an Apple  
Mocha and Donut
Mocha and Donut  
Flowers outside my office
Flowers outside my office  
More apples
More apples  
Additive light model
Additive light model  
Subtractive light model
Subtractive light model  
Screenshot of the AZ desktop
Screenshot of the AZ desktop  
Be bold test image
Be bold test image  
Regular exposure of flourescent lighting
Regular exposure of flourescent lighting  
Low level light exposure of flourescent lighting
Low level light exposure of flourescent lighting  
Two insects in mating stance (possibly my best capture yet)
Two insects in mating stance (possibly my best capture yet)  
A stone and concrete walkway
A stone and concrete walkway  
Stone used in a retaining wall
Stone used in a retaining wall  
Rust deposit on a sidewalk
Rust deposit on a sidewalk  
A bowling alley
A bowling alley  
A bowling ball corral
A bowling ball corral  
A very old bowling scoring terminal
A very old bowling scoring terminal  
A group of bowlers on league night
A group of bowlers on league night  
Bowling ball return machine. Do not stick your hands inside!
Bowling ball return machine. Do not stick your hands inside!  
Many people have worn these.
Many people have worn these.  
Modified image of an empty tennis court to include its dimensions
Modified image of an empty tennis court to include its dimensions  


List of Wikipedia articles I have authored and/or contributed to:

Philosophies

Humor

In contrast to the serious efforts of projects, I find that often ridiculous insignificancies amuse me greatly. Within the scope of CZ, here are a few that I enjoyed.

Neutrality

There are three properties that I believe should be adhered to in the context of this project when it comes to non-philosophical topics: fact, relevancy, and neutrality.

  • Fact: Everything that pertains to a particular subject should not be made up or speculated on. There should be no lies and no conjecture. I believe in trails, audits, and observations. That which is shown to be absolutely provable.
  • Relevancy: There will always be a percentage of information which points to a demonstratable conclusion. Only the upmost definitive evidence that shows A leads to B should be included.
  • Neutrality: Every viewpoint should be shown, and substantiated with credible sources. Credibile does not mean "existing", "popular", or "notable"; but rather those sources that are known to exhibit only the observable and objective truth and not an agenda or bias. Documentation is a must.

It is the reponsibility for everyone who wishes to further the knowledge and education of the masses to provide the basis for others to make their own decisions. One should be "informative" and not "convincing" when it comes to the essential elements of knowledge.

Retrieved from "https://citizendium.org/wiki/index.php?title=User:Robert_W_King&oldid=176815"