For a lot of people being wealthy is about accumulating stuff and not real wealth. We see advertisement every day that show us the good life we can have for $99.99 per month. You might calculate what you can afford in monthly payments and the reality is that you end up paying far for more instead.

Before you buy the item, ask yourself “What is the potential value of the item?” Then you can determine if is worth to go into debt to attain it. I believe that the people who fail financially can’t see them self becoming financially free.

I know tough, I just go to the point…

To avoid falling into the money trap you need to know what you really want out of life and get used to what that life look, sounds, and feels like.

See yourself, having that life you really want.

My wife tells me I’m different, because I go to seminars and listen to motivational speakers.

I might not be like must people, while I have a set short and long term goals. My short term goal’s change once I achieve them and I need to find the inspiration and motivation, and sometimes positive people are the key.

You see, I deal with a lot of people every day with lack of vision in their lives. They never listen positive messages or seek help to achieve their goals.

It’s not a dream, you can achieve it….

Sit down today and think what it is that you trully want out of life.

Have a positive mindset…

Send your plan into active and really believe you can achieve your end goal. Remember your biggest obstacle is you.

Indeed, as the poor and jobless from other countries still seek to enter the US or the EU, it would seem that the middle-class from those very same so-called wealthy industrialized nations are heading in the other direction, or we can say, possibly trading places with the people coming from Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe, etc.

About 10 years ago, a man by the name of Roger Gallo wrote a book titled – Escape From America. Roger, thinking that he locked onto something new and visionary, went to all the major US publishers to see if they would be interested to print and distribute his book. They were not, but that did not stop him. They probably thought – Who is this lunatic? Escape from America – Who would want to escape from America? The answer is a large number of people, in fact more than you could ever imagine. So, the first question you might ask yourself is who is doing such a thing and why? Who is participating in this great exodus from the high tax welfare state countries and where are they going? Where could possibly be better?

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First and foremost, when you hear the term expatriate, offshore banking, tax exile, offshore trusts and a number of other things – what comes to mind? Probably what you have been lead to believe by the much of mainstream media and rumors as well. Which is to say, you probably think all of these subjects involve very wealthy people trying to avoid or escape taxes. Or you may think, such things involve criminals, drug dealers, and those that are doing something illegal. Go on, admit it – that is what you were told or taught to believe. However, the truth is quite different.

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Let us start then with this first topic right from the start – taxes. It is true that someone might be able to reduce or eliminate income, inheritance and other kinds of taxes by living in another country? Yes, but that is only a small part of the larger puzzle. Meaning, there any many, many other issues and motivations, which we will explore shortly. Taxes might be the stated motivation for some, but taxes alone are not always enough to push someone to relocate. And not only the idea of relocation to another state or province – but, rather relocate to another country, with possibly a different language or culture.

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To be sure however, taxes are a very visible and important issue. If you think about it, of all the expenses or deductions you have against your income (rent, mortgage payment, car payment, etc.) income and social welfare tax (FICA or social security for Americans) is the single largest deduction from your income. What if you could reduce it or even eliminate it? How much more disposable income would you have to live on? It is curious to note that under rule by monarchs in Europe prior to 1917, the average tax rate was less than 10 percent. When the income tax was first introduced in 1913 in the United States, the rate was 7 percent. So, what happened? How is it possible that some governments can provide the services that they are mandated to provide with taking so little, while others claim they need to take 50 percent or more? Part of the answer has to do with the great welfare state experiment put into place after 1930, and part of the answer has to do with the nature of public officials in a democracy as well. Which is to say, regarding the latter, the nature of politicians in a democracy is to spend other peoples money without any repercussion. Citizens of a democracy are lead to believe they have a voice or some control in that they can vote out a politician at the next election, but the reality is the politician (once in office) can run amok unchecked. The financial damage is done, left to the next group coming in to clean up or the taxpayer to pay for later on. If you take a look at government spending in the so-called wealthy, industrialized social welfare governments of the twentieth century, you will find ever-increasing expenditures over the years (as a percentage of the nations gross national product) and ever increasing government deficits (debt, which the taxpayers some day must pay for). You cannot live on borrowed money forever and you cannot continue to take money away from the productive citizens of society and simply give it away to someone else (presumably much less productive) without a price to pay (socially and economically).

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Many middle class people in these highly taxed welfare state democracies already are paying a hefty price – in terms of the ability to maintain the same middle class quality of life their parents were able to do before. One very blatant example of this is the fact that a two-income household is required today (in the so-called modern industrialized nations) in order to provide the same lifestyle that only one income could provide forty years ago. One of the reasons for this is that real wages have been stagnant, and in some cases have declined, over the past forty years, where as inflation has consistently eroded the purchasing power of money over time (and salaries have not gone up in tandem). Why? One culprit that has accelerated the devaluation of money has been the removal of the gold standard after 1970, and the resultant true inflation of the money supply (devaluation of the US Dollar), which has not been correctly stated or reported in the selected government inflation figures. Another reason is the inequality in taxation rates, whereby the middle class have borne the largest burden, both for income taxes and payroll taxes (contributions to social security and other welfare schemes).

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It sounds incredible, but it happens to be true. Meaning, many people think or have been told that expatriates or tax exiles are all very wealthy people who might be interested in leaving for greener pastures. Greener pastures? They have it pretty good right where they are. For example, in the case of the US, did you know that the super wealthy earn most of their accumulated wealth from capital gains and not salaried income? This means they (the very, very wealthy) pay only 15 percent marginal tax rates on this kind of earnings, where as most middle class citizens who rely on salaried income principally might pay about 45 percent on more on combined federal, state and payroll (social security) as a marginal tax rate (often enough, much higher). In Europe, the situation is in fact even worse.

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In terms of social security payroll taxes in the US, Social security deductions are applied to salaried income up to US$87,000 per year, and at a top rate right now of 6.2 percent. This means if you are unfortunate enough to earn US$87,000 or less, you are paying a much higher proportion of your income to welfare contributions than someone earning more. Why? This is because salaried income above US$87,000 is not taxed for these types of payroll taxes (social security contributions). So as a result, so as a percentage of income being paid in, someone earning US$250,000 per year in salary is only paying 2 percent (of gross salaried income) into the social security system – where as someone earning US$85,000 per year is paying 6 percent of income.

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This might all sound like some sort of left wing rhetoric designed to complain about the rich versus poor, but it is not meant to be. It is however meant to clearly highlight that it is indeed the middle class that have been hurt the most over the last forty years and WHY this is the economic group that needs to do something in order to survive. The super wealthy in fact, do have an average lower tax burden (as a percentage of earnings or income), and the poor pay almost nothing (or certainly much less than the middle class) and do get a tremendous amount of free benefits as well. So now you know. The people that are leaving the US and other so-called wealthy industrialized nations are the middle class, and small business owners rather than the mega wealthy. Also, it is not about taxes directly. Which is to say, higher and higher tax rates is one of the symptoms and not the actual disease. The disease is the wasteful government expenditures, outrageous accumulated debt, and bankrupt social welfare programs, which need to be funded somehow. The disease is also the reduced quality of life, reduction in true freedom and social ills that have come about from many of the policies and agendas put into place over the last half-century.

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So, the questions remain – When will it end? How much more can the populace be squeezed to pay for it all? Are things being managed responsibly or will it get even worse? Is it too late? While it can often be difficult to predict the future, certainly one can surmise what the potential future direction might be – and for many, it does not look encouraging. In other words, a large ship in motion (even after the engine has been turned off) will continue to drift for some time in the direction it is pointed. You may not know exactly where it will end up, but based on the direction it is going in, you have a pretty good idea, more or less. This is the overall concern for many middle class people living in such environments and why for many, the goal is self-preservation

I hope you liek as I did

I found this story at http://www.ascotadvisory.com/Exodus.html

Go now and see BeRomanticToday.com you will thank me for it.

Now, what will be the benefits of not having a TV at home?

Have you count how many hours you watch TV?

The average American watch 28 hours per week and only spend 38 minutes per week in talking with their children, which is a second job and not that I need one, running 2 businesses plus being active duty in the military.

Not enough, several studies have shown that men, women and children who watch 3 hours of TV per day are more twice likely to be obese.

Still looking for more benefits of not having a TV at home?

Can you associate the violence on TV with how your kid behaves?, another study shows that by age 18 the average children have seen over 16, 00 murders on TV and over 200, 00 violent acts during his time frame.

Go outside play!

Many companies implement strategies to help reduce the number of workplace violence related incidents.

Is yours one of them? I know at DataViking we do. Workplace violence can range from verbal threats and abuse to its ultimate consequences, death. It is estimated that nearly 2 million Americans are victimized by violence =
in the workplace each year. If it is proved that Annie Le was a victim of workplace violence, the question will be asked whether the University had taken appropriate steps to protect her while she worked in the lab. Some steps =
that companies and organizations can take to prevent or reduce the amount of workplace violence include providing security through the use of video surveillance, additional lighting, guards, and alarm systems, ensuring that
those who are working by themselves have easy access to alarms or other devices that they can access to signal that they are in danger, and through the use of buddy systems to prevent people from being alone in unsafe or isolated areas.

Know your people, coworkers, close ones, and if you notice a sudden change just ask and make yourself available.

Angel

And to my own Miss Universe 2009 Miss Puerto Rico Mayra Matos: If you were are looking for a reason to tune into watch Miss Universe 2009, she was the reason. Where else can you see more gorgeous women from all areas around the globe in different setting like Nightgown and the ever-popular Swimwear Competition?

Excellent site on Color Theory: Color Theory Interactive – from the Poynter Institute. Good for middle school and up.

See WebExhibits.org Causes of Color (science too)

Color Symbolism:

Use caution when teaching about color symbolism. Symbolism of colors vary
from culture to culture.
Color is considered one of the most useful and powerful design tools you have. People respond to different colors in different ways, and these responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level. In our American culture, black has long been associated with death, while white is believed to signify life and purity. In the Orient, however, white is the traditional color of mourning. In the United States, black has also come to suggest sophistication and formality. Americans generally associate trust an stability with the color blue, while Koreans have this reaction to pink and other pastel colors.

In the Western Culture:

Purple and gold are often associated with Royalty, wealth and opulence
Red, White and Blue reminiscent of the American flag, immediately convey notions of patriotism and, to some extent, conservatism.
Green has taken on a very strong connotation as the color representing ecology and concern for the environment, however, it also conveys meanings associated with money and the suggestion “to go ahead” which is obviously derived from traffic lights.
Colors represent holidays and seasons of the year.
The Fall foliage colors of Red, orange, yellow, and brown are clearly expressive of Thanksgiving. Halloween: Orange and Black. Red and Green represent Christmas. Purple and Yellow and other pastels colors represent Easter.

Blue, Red, White and Grey = Stability, Power, Trustworthiness, Conservatism
Yellow, Brown, Orange, Green = Nature, earthiness, warmth
Red, Orange, yellow = more warmth
Blues and Aquas = water and coolness
Primary colors (Red, Blue, Yellow) = Convey fun

Color symbolism in Zulu beading

Young girls learned bead work and the meaning of the symbols and colors used from their older sisters. The bead work was usually worn as a head or neck band. Men depended on female relatives to explain the code. The patterns and colors can also tell what region a woman comes from and what her social standing is.

Native American Color Symbolism

Colors in Native American culture often symbolize different things from
culture to culture….African cultures have different meanings….and
so on. Colors symbolize different qualities in various European cultures.

Native American color symbols–Cherokee

The Four Directions
Colors were associated with the four directions.
Blue represented North which meant cold, defeat and trouble.
White was South representing warmth, peace and happiness.
Red was East, the color of the Sacred Fire, blood, and success.
West was black the color meaning problems and death.
Other colors also had special meanings.
Brown was good but yellow meant trouble and strife.

Navajo Meanings of Colors

This information was posted to Getty Teacher Art Exchange by Christine Merriam

The Four Sacred Mountains and directions are associated with colors. The Navajos belief is that their Creator placed them on the land between the following 4 mountains representing the 4 cardinal directions:

White: Mount Blanca (Tsisnaasjini’ – Dawn or White Shell Mountain) Sacred Mountain of the East near Alamosa in San Luis Valley, Colorado
Blue: Mount Taylor (Tsoodzil – Blue Bead or Turquoise Mountain) Sacred Mountain of the South north of Laguna, New Mexico
Yellow: San Francisco Peaks (Doko’oosliid – Abalone Shell Mountain) Sacred Mountain of the West near Flagstaff, Arizona
Black: Mount Hesperus Dibé Nitsaa (Big Mountain Sheep) – Obsidian Mountain Sacred Mountain of the North La Plata Mountains, Colorado. http://www.lapahie.com/Sacred_Mts.cfm

The principal colors, white, blue, yellow and black are linked to the four sacred mountains as well as the directions- Red is often considered a sacred color and represents sunlight. (source for this is off line now)

White Mountain Apaches
Four sacred colors of the White Mountain Apaches in east central Arizona contrast
interestingly with the Cherokee colors:
White represents the north, source of snow
Yellow is east, where the sun comes up
Green is south
Black is west, home of the sun’s setting
These colors are used in a variety of settings, from the tribal government
seal to the ribbons on the cane of Changing Woman (the girls’ puberty
ceremony).

Medicine Wheel color symbolism:
EAST- dawn of new day-Yellow-illumination-inspiration-eagle
SOUTH- red or green-passion, heart, warmth-emotions-porcupine
WEST- black-introspection, self examination, reflection-bear
NORTH- wisdom of our elders-white-white buffalo

The Flag of the Flag of the Iowa Nation
The color of the streamers brings together the four primary
colors in Native American art, the black, yellow, red and white. These
colors are said to represent the four races of man and the four prime
directions of the compass. With its use of color and its chosen emblems the
flag of the Iowas may be the most typical of all Native American
flags.

Information below was from a site I would not go to with students (site is no longer online) I have omitted all of the pagan color symbolism from this page. Sources were not documented.

Native American Color Symbolism (varies by ethnic group – this source was not “authoritative”)

Red (Faith): Communication
Yellow (Love): Overcoming challenges through unconditional love
Blue (Intuition): Using intuition to teach and serve
Green (Will): Living willfully
Pink (Creativity): Working
White (Magnetism): Sharing
Purple (Wisdom): Gratitude/healing
Orange (Learning): Kinship
Gray (Honoring): Friendship
Brown (Knowing): Self-discipline
Rose (Seeing): Motivation
Black (Hearing) Harmony; listening
Crystal (Clarity): Wholeness

Asian Color Symbolism

Red: Happiness, marriage, prosperity
Pink Marriage
Yellow: Against evil, for the dead, geomantic blessings
Green: Eternity, family, harmony, health, peace, posterity
Blue: Self-cultivation, wealth
Purple: Wealth
White: Children, helpful people, marriage,
mourning, peace, purity, travel
Gold: Strength, wealth
Gray: Helpful people, travel
Black: Career, evil influences, knowledge, mourning, penance, self-cultivation

Astrological Color Associations (this source was not “authoritative”)

(SIGN–COLOR)
Aries — White
Taurus — Yellow
Gemini — Red or Purple
Cancer — Bright Green
Leo — Golden Yellow/Orange
Virgo — Pale Blue or Violet
Libra — Violet
Scorpio — Reddish Brown
Sagittarius — Orange or Purple
Capricorn — Brown or Blue
Aquarius — Dark Blue
Pisces — White or Purple

Color in Sacred Art
Color meaning in sacred art — various cultures given — research notes on religious art
by Dr. A.L. Marsland

Color Therapy – Color and the Brain

Specific colors have different effects (list copied from Biopulse.org)
Black: self-confidence, power, strength
Blue: calming, lowers blood pressure, decreases respiration
Green: soothing, relaxing mentally as well as physically, helps those suffering from depression, anxiety, nervousness
Violet: suppresses appetite, provides a peaceful environment, good for migraines
Pink: used in diet therapy as an appetite suppressant, relaxes muscles, relieves tension, soothing
Yellow: energizes, relieves depression, improves memory, stimulates appetite
Orange: energizes, stimulates appetite and digestive system
Red: stimulates brain wave activity, increases heart rate, respirations and blood pressure…..

NOTE: This page is not “authoritative” – I am not an expert on this topic. This page was created while I was doing research to re design our business website.