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Personal Finance -
Taxes
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Written by the frugal nomad
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Monday, 02 November 2009 14:09 |
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Page 1 of 3
Cheapsters of the world unite! It’s time for a march on Washington. We’ve taken all we’re going to take from the conspicuous consumption crowd. What exactly is so wrong with living simply, sensibly and modestly?
When exactly did a noble word like ‘Cheap’ become so derogatory? If a merchant advertises his goods as being cheap, nobody seems to mind. But when a consumer conserves his cash and decides not to buy ‘cheap’ goods, well then let’s just feed the commie anarchist to the wolves.
It should come as no surprise that the Oxford dictionary lists ‘miserly’ as one of the many possible meanings of cheap. But there’s a caveat – it only means miserly in ‘informal North American usage.’ The rest of the world seems to have no problem with it.
If you want to know what the proper dictionary definition of a cheapster is – it’s cost-cutter. Now, imagine what would happen if we elected a Congress of cheapsters? Let’s start with campaign spending – if a congressman or a senator was more careful with what he spends during his election bid, maybe he wouldn’t have to go hat in hand to the Washington influence peddlers on ‘K Street.’ And if he didn’t have an appetite for 12 course meals and fifty year old wine, maybe he wouldn’t be such easy prey for the lobbyists.
The fact of the matter is that American cheapsters are unrepresented in Congress. In DC, they have a saying - “a billion here and a billion there and soon you’re talking real money.” Well I also have a saying - “a hundred here and a hundred there and you’re on your way to the poor house.” Because that’s the reality for millions of hard working Americans and helps explain the flourishing network of “Paycheck Loan” storefronts that end up charging the most vulnerable low income workers interest rates and fees that can add up to a 400% APR.
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