In the due course of history, a man is empowered with the capacity for life and liberty when he is financially beholden to neither men nor entities. These truths are self evident in their own right, that without freedom from debts and liabilities men are deprived in the profoundest of ways from pursuing that which would ensure their happiness and well being. It is hereto realized and understood the egregious deception by which principalities have sought to strip us of the very power that has been so rightly bestowed to us by our Divine Creator.

Acknowledging then the oppressive currents of those who have entrusted themselves to the cause of evil, I hereby declare my free and total financial independence, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence to utilize these newfound freedoms for the noble cause of truth, justice, and charity.

In other words, I paid off my school loan.

That concludes the triple play of payments I’ve been making to get myself completely out of debt, starting with my credit card (which went as high as $8,000), then my car loan, and finally my college loan, which had been a boil on my boom booms for 11 years.

It couldn’t have come at a better time either. The VERY day I made my last payment on my school loan, my job started a 6 month period where I have to work two days a month without getting paid, a concession my union made because they’re a bunch of spineless baboon heads that are only good to take my money so they can organize picnics I never get invited to.

But anyway, regardless of that temporary cut back, the world is my oyster now, and that my friend is truly a miracle. Not too long ago I was $20,000 or more in debt, and now it’s all but gone. This is the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous before our eyes. From here on out, I can just keep on saving until I build myself a decent nest egg and use that to go back to school for a masters, buy a new car, and/or put a down payment for a nice house in another state (some place very, very far away from New York). I’m not sure exactly what I’ll do by then, but one thing I do know is that I will NEVER, EVER (with the possible exception of a mortgage), go into debt again. The feeling of owing money to whomever was to me the worst feeling in the world, and I thank God for this tremendous gift of financial freedom, given to me on the 4th of July, of all days. From now on I will be the head, and not the tail, and I will lend to many nations, but I will not borrow thereof.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go collapse into bed for some well deserved rest, then get ready for muchos BBQ food, fireworks and good times.

Happy Independence Day!

Tags: car loan, college loan, credit card, debt, debts, financial, financial freedom, gift, God, independence, independence day, job, liberty, lord, money, world is my oyster
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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I lead a charmed life.

So I’m just minding my own business and checking my email, when I get this alert from a Christian pastor I know.  He feels a great calamity is about to occur soon, causing massive fires in New York City that will spread out even to New Jersey and Connecticut, along with lootings and riotings in major cities worldwide.

If it had been anyone else I would have immediately dismissed him as a quack and merrily gone on my way.  But he had warned about the real estate crash and about the financial crisis we’re experiencing now since the early 90s and was right on both counts.  The fires he feels will happen soon is something he had been warning about for several years.  God’s judgment.

Whether you believe this or not, the email left me sinking into a pit of despair, even though it was meant to be sent as an encouragement to believers with the knowledge that God is still in control and will provide even in times of major distress.

But if there’s one thing that could define just why I feel so out of place in this world, that email sums it up.  It’s not something I can share around the water cooler at work with non-believers, lest they think I was dropping acid.  I try talk to other Christians about it but their heads are so far up the hairy flesh balls of Rick Warren that I might as well be speaking Klingon.

I could just say screw it, nothing’s gonna happen, we’re all right as rain here, but in my heart I know it isn’t true.  We’re in for some very hard times ahead, and there is virtually no one out there with whom I can confide in and share my feelings with about this without coming across as a cracknut to them.  And who knows, maybe nothing will happen, and in His mercy God will grant us a reprieve.  But can I not even have a conversation about this with others without getting strange looks or being laughed at?

People are often perplexed as to why I remain single, but this is a big reason why.  I see things that no one else does.  I believe things that no one else believes.  It isolates me from others, and I often have to keep people at arm’s length simply because once they knew the real me, they would either hate me dead or run away, or both.  And that’s fine.  I’m not looking to be the life of the party here.  A friend and a lover is all I’ve ever wanted.  While others need to be surrounded by people to the extent that they even use a ranking system for the best friends they have (BFF1 BFF2, etc. – WT*?!?), I would be more than happy having just one true friend.

We pride ourselves on our individuality, but the truth is most people are sheep, and would choose conformity over being unique so long as it meant not having to be alone.  That’s why most Christians today are merely nominal in their faith.  Their beliefs are so generic and ultimately meaningless that the only way I can get along with them is by completely leaving God out of the picture.  As long as we don’t talk about God or spiritual things, we’re a-ok.  God is somebody they treat as an equal, someone who is reduced to commercial slogans (Got Milk? becomes Got Jesus?) or a drug high, as if the experience of serving the Creator was tantamount to getting a heroin fix.   I’ve never understood this mentality, and yet every time I’ve challenged it, it’s resulted in near violence.  So I simply keep my beliefs to myself in order to maintain the peace.  People don’t want to hear it.

And now I have to deal with these new set of emotions brought on by this possible revelation of calamity that may soon come upon us, topped off with the fact that I’ve been feeling pretty lousy and fatigued for eons now, and facing a bleak future for which it would seem pointless to even hope of building a new life for myself, much less one that would include a special girl who can truly love me for who I am (who I REALLY am.)

I lead a charmed life.

Tags: best friend, calamity, christian, Christians, depression, despair, emotions, faith, feelings, financial, financial crisis, fires, friends, God, health, judgment, new york city, pastor, rick warren, violence
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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I paid off my car loan!      

2 down, 1 to go!  I paid off my credit card last July, so all the remains now is my college loan, which at my current pace should be paid off this 4th of July, of all days. 

I learned a few things today too.  For one, withdrawing a few hundred bucks from an ATM machine is not quite as easy as you might think.  My tax return was finally deposited into my account yesterday, but the account that held my car loan was with a different bank, so I needed to deposit part of my tax return into that account so I could pay off my loan in its entirety.  I figured no problem though, I’ll just hit up the ATM for a few hundred and be on my way.

First I went to the local gas station where their ATM doesn’t give me lame surcharges.  I cheerily walked in, took out my card and…

“Out of Service.  Please come back another time.”

Of course…

So I went to a 7-11 and used the ATM there.

“Withdrawal request exceeds allotted funds.  Please try again.”

For the love of… ok, I’m sure by now you’re thinking why I didn’t just go to my bank directly and make the withdrawal there.  The bank was 20 miles away, and a trip there and back would lose me an hour at least.  By the time I got to the other bank holding my car loan it’d be closed, and I REALLY wanted to get this over with now.

So I took the maximum amount of cash the ATM could dish out, which was $400, then drove to another ATM.  This time I could only withdraw $100.  I withdrew that amount, then swiped my card again to make another withdrawal.

“We’re sorry, you have exceeded the daily limit of withdrawals that can be made.  Please try again tomorrow.”

Huh? 

I tried it again.

“We’re sorry, you have exceeded the daily limit of withdrawals that can be made.  Please try again tomorrow.”

I just stood there, trying to figure out what to do next.  I was still a $100 short, and I needed to find some other way to get it.  Ooooh I know, I’ll use my credit card!  I could pay the difference when I got home too.  Easy peachy!  So I swiped my credit card.

“Please enter your pin number.”

Pin number?  Oh crap.  I had forgotten what it was.  Let’s see, I think it was 1-2-3-4.

“Incorrect PIN number.  Please try again.”

@#$%^!!!

Ok, ok, let me think here, how else can I get cash without using the ATM… … …

Cashbacks!!

I quickly ran into another 7-11 and bought myself coffee.  Swiped my card at the register and waited for the cashback screen to show up:

“Cashback amount?”

I inputted $100, then waited, confident and enjoying my coffee.

“You may only withdraw a maximum of $10.”

Dude… why?

“Is everything alright, sir?”

“Could I like, get some money from your register?”

The cashier stood there wide-eyed.

“No no no, I mean the cashback here only goes up to, you know… uh,  I didn’t mean…, I’ll just take my coffee now.”  I quickly walked out.

Alright, what now…  I vaguely remembered being able to get more than $40 cashback from the supermarket, so I figured my best bet would be there.  I drove a few miles to a nice big honking supermarket and went inside.

Only one thing was going to make all this aggravation worth it.  Bagels!  I bought myself a few whole wheats and some cappy ham, then quickly went to the self check-out.  Swiped the card again, said a little prayer and inputted $100.

“Card Approved.”

YES!  Finally!  The machine started dispensing my $100… in 5 dollar bills, and of course, it had to be one of those nuclear powered cash dispensers where gobs of 5 dollar bills went flying out like a winning slot machine.  I frantically picked up the cash, counted it to make sure I had it all, then hauled heinie out of there.

At long last, after what had to be 5 or 6 stops (I lost count) of putting together the cash I needed, I stopped by my bank and proudly slapped down the money.

“I’d like to pay off my car loan please.”  I smiled broadly.

They gave me a receipt and that was it.  I got into my beautiful ride and took a deep breath.

“Finally, you’re all mine.”  I turned the ignition and sighed happily.

*click*

Ha, just kidding, it started up fine. 

I have to tell you though, during the drive home it seemed like the whole world was literally aiming at my car, almost as if they all knew it had just been paid off too.  Oy.

But finally, FINALLY, this headache was now over with, and with all that behind me my college loan was the only thing left that stood between me and becoming completely debt free.

I can’t wait! 

Tags: atm machine, bank, car loan, cash, cashback, college loan, credit card, debt, financial, independence, money, supermarket, tax return
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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I have finally arrived at the magic number of 500 posts!  

It’s hard to believe that I managed to stick it out even when there were so many times I was tempted to hang it up and stop blogging for good.  But writing is in my blood evidently, and blogging has always been a good outlet for me to express myself in a linguistic sense.  With 2009 also on the horizon and a new plan possibly in the works to really get some traffic going, who knows, I might finally be able to realize my dream of actually making some serious money off this blog.

Yet what if that were to really happen though?  What if… I were able to honestly blog for a living?  Should I give up my job for good and blog full time, and do what I’ve always been pining to do, which was to travel across America and write about my experiences?

Doing so would mean giving up a dull job that otherwise offers a lot of benefits, from being able to work only 33 hours, 4 days a week, to enjoying excellent medical and dental plans, including additional perks like longevity pay, education stipends, ample vacation/sick time, being vested in a retirement and additional medical plan, not to mention the fact that it is laid back enough that I can surf the Internet for most of the day while still getting my work done.  Heck, I don’t even have a supervisor either (at least not for a long while, since I scared them all away.)      And since it’s a government job, it offers the kind of job security that could easily survive the recession as well (as long as crime doesn’t go out of business.)

There’s also the fact that if I succeed in monetizing my blog, I would effectively have two incomes as long as I keep my current job.  In a few years I could buy a condo or even a home in another state without even taking out a mortgage.  Such a possibility had never even occurred to me until I considered what I’d be able to do if I pretended my second income didn’t exist at all, and just let it pile up in my savings account for a few years.  I could afford a home for my parents.  A real home.  I could fund their accounts so they’d no longer have to work full time and can enjoy some kind of semi-retirement lifestyle.  I could really help people, good people who are just going through a hard time and could use a little financial charity.  I’d be able to provide for a family too if I had one.

And the only sacrifice I had to make was to simply put up with my ultra-boring, soul sucking job, and God help me, the stupidest bloody coworkers that could have ever graced creation.  And of course, continue living in the worst, most disgusting leftist-riddled state in the entire union. 

You know, as much security as  my job would offer me now, there’s something to be said for being completely self-sufficient and self-employed, with an online income that doesn’t require you to be tied down to any one location.  It offers the kind of freedom most people can only dream of, and for it to even be a distinct possibility for me is a miracle unto itself.  Maybe I can somehow find a way to live the best of both worlds though.    Ultimately, it all hangs on what happens in the next year or so.

In the meantime, here’s to another 500 posts, and promises of a better future that sees this blog not only enrichening my life, but the lives of many others as well. 

Tags: blog, blogging, coworker, dream, family, financial, freedom, income, job, job security, life, living, monetizing, money, online, parents, travel, work
Categories: Blog Fog, In The Coal Mine
 
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A conversation I had on IM today:

Lincoln: so hey i see that bailout is working wonders

Casey: what did I tell you? It would make things worse

Casey: We’ve just socialized much of Wall Street, and a good portion of our financial system…a further economic collapse will have a liberal government taking over transaction and payment systems…something clearly foretold as an end-time event…you cannot buy or sell without the mark of the beast.

Lincoln: Thank you Mister Sunshine

Lincoln: Could we possibly hold off the end of the world until after I get a girlfriend?

Tags: bailout, beast, collapse, conversation, financial, girlfriend, government, IM, liberal, stocks, Wall Street
Categories: News Fit To Blog
 
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It looks like Wall Street is having a little bit of trouble.

For about 8 years I’ve been warning people here and there that the real estate market was overvalued and would someday result in a massive crash.  Oddly enough my main source of info was a preacher in Times Square, who had been warning of a financial crash for years.  I’ve also read books on the subject as well by experts who were unbiased enough to tell the truth about the real estate bubble, and that the housing market was headed for a severe correction.

Anyone I told though pretty much blew me off, including a coworker of mine who purchased a $300,000 shack with a 40 year variable mortgage.  I told him it was unwise to buy then and that his house was going to lose value over the long run.

Does he listen?  Of course not.  Evidently I’m not somebody worth listening to to since A) I don’t have a girlfriend, B)  I don’t own any property, and C) I don’t have any postgraduate degrees that my opinion should matter to anyone.

How about (D) then:  I was right all along and now you money sluts are finally gonna get what’s coming to you?

Not that I’m gloating or anything. 

On a more sobering note though, I cannot understand why so many Christians particularly were so blind to this (well actually I do understand, since we’re talking about the same people who thought Todd Bentley could shoot lightning bolts of fire out of his cooties.)  The point is, we were not to follow the world’s philosophies about money because we live under different rules.  Paul once said that having food and raiment we should therefore be content.  (1 Timothy 6:8)  I have these things and more, so I never felt the need to invest or save up money to purchase property, or learning about retirement savings or whatever.  These things were all beyond my understanding anyway, so I simply left all those things for God to deal with and take care of.  Even the viability of my blog is something I’m leaving in His hands.  If I prosper, it will be because He blessed the work of my hands, and nothing else.

I’ve also susbcribed to a minimalist philosophy too.  I don’t worry about losing things then because, well, I really have nothing to lose.  After all, if you don’t have it, you can’t lose it.   If you store up your treasures in heaven, then you won’t grieve too much for the treasures you lose here.

Although, I’m pretty sure I’d get really torn up if I ever lost my iPhone.  (If I had one that is.  Hee.)

But all things considered, I’m not going to worry.  Because of God’s guidance and care, I will be debt free and in a position to handle whatever hard times lie ahead.  And not only that, but also be in a position to help others in time of need as well, just like my great uncle did.  He lived during the Great Depression, but he managed to do well for himself and prosper during those hard times, and as a result he was able to help a LOT of people.  If God blesses me likewise, I only hope that I can measure of and be the good steward that my great uncle once was.

Just so long as I’m able to keep a motorbike in the meantime. 

Tags: christian, Christians, crash, debt, depression, financial, God, housing, housing market, markets, money, real estate market, stock, todd bentley, uncle, Wall Street, world
Categories: News Fit To Blog
 
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