First_Duality [he/him]

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Joined 4 years ago
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Cake day: August 21st, 2020

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  • Here's something regarding credit cards/credit lines that may help some people and that they may not be aware of. In fact, I only became aware of the possibility a few months ago. Disclaimer: it does require a 401k and it helps when your company or organization aids in funding it, even if only a little bit.

    It's fairly easy to get low(ish) levels of credit on one card or account, something in the $1k-2k range, but even a few hundred will work just fine. I'm going to use my particular circumstance as an example, but this obviously isn't the only way to do it.

    I was able to get approved for $1.9k through paypal credit last summer even with a modest credit score. Paypal credit allows you to defer interest (which is an absurd 24%) for the first 6 months on every purchase over $100 (this is not unique to paypal credit, a lot of credit line have similar 'deals' that will be offered). This of course means that at 6 months + 1day you owe that much interest on the purchase. However, one of the advantages of having a 401k is that you can loan yourself money from it (a maximum of around 1/2 of the total amount) at very low interest rates for up to (I think) 5 years. I'm talking 4-6% which is insanely better than the 24% on my paypal credit and most other credit cards. And here's the kicker: the interest you pay back on your 401k goes right back into your 401k. That's right, you're not paying that interest to the bank, you're paying it back to yourself. Now, you have to be careful because if you lose your job or otherwise lose the 401k you're on the hook for the money borrowed immediately; but, then again, you get to set the terms of how long you want to loan that money to yourself from between 1-5 years.

    This is great because it's easy for me to make the minimum payments for the first six months, it's something in the neighborhood of $40. And then, toward the end of six months, I loan myself whatever is left on the paypal balance from my 401k and pay myself back to the tune of $40ish dollars a month, only this time it's at 4% interest instead of 24%. And, like I said, that interest I'm paying goes right back into my account instead of disappearing to the bank.


  • Growing up when she was first lady and later running for senator, I was immediately aware of how fake and self-serving she was. I'd see her give a speech in DC or an interview on TV and she'd have that perfect, standard broadcaster accent. And the next day she'd be at an event or whatever in the south with the thickest, almost to the point of condescending, southern drawl.

    To me, this was obviously someone who was willing to lie and deceive about even the most unimportant shit. She's either lying when she's in front of the nation or lying when she's pretending to be southern or both; none of those options are good. They're disqualifying regardless of what she's saying because if she's willing to lie about that for votes, she's willing to lie about anything.

    And the most bizarre part of it all, at least, to me? People like her for it. They love it. Democrats think it's shrewd and convincing. They think it shows how folksy and likable she can be.

    It makes me want to vomit.



  • It creates ridiculous arms-races, too. Coke and Pepsi have no reason to advertise anymore. None. Not even new products, if they just put them out there regular folk will do 99% of the work for them. They are as ubiquitous as it gets. But neither company thinks they can afford to stop, or at least significantly reduce, their advertising because then the other company would spend tenfold in an attempt to dominate. Both could just agree with one another to stop altogether and pocket the savings to pad their quarterly reports and it will never, ever happen.

    If aliens landed tomorrow and spent five minutes studying this single aspect of human culture, they would conclude we were all lunatics and collectively incapable of progress.