{"id":56962,"date":"2019-09-28T04:15:36","date_gmt":"2019-09-28T11:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=56962"},"modified":"2023-06-25T20:19:20","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T03:19:20","slug":"black-coffee-28-sep-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id56962-black-coffee-28-sep-2019.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Coffee: Here Comes the Lightning Round!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"black<\/a>It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe …<\/em><\/p>\n

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.<\/p>\n

I’m away on vacation — but our resident grandfather, the amazing RD Blakeslee, was kind enough to agree to fill in for me this week with his unique lightning-round version of the Debits and Credits. Thank you, Grandfather!<\/p>\n

And with that, let’s get this show on the road …<\/p>\n

A prophet is without honor in his own land.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

— Mark 6:4 <\/strong><\/p>\n

But…<\/p>\n

Virtue is its own reward.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

— John Henry Newman<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credits and Debits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Housing for Americans in cities is trending in an inhumane direction<\/a>. <\/u><\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> But housing for the self-reliant outside cities is obtainable<\/a>, as always.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Meanwhile, fiat money is debasing everywhere<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Credit: <\/strong><\/span>But there is still plenty of precious metal available.<\/a><\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Elsewhere, brick-and mortar stores are quickly disappearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> But online retailing now offers easier shopping<\/a> at home.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Then there’s this: About three in four Americans generally say they are financially secure<\/a>, whereas only half said so ten years ago.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> But millennials aren’t doing as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Debit: <\/strong><\/span> At the same time, traditional ethics are under one-sided attack<\/a> from the left in many universities.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> While only a small minority of university classes present the other side<\/a> of the issues.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> But there’s evidence here and there that millennials will not allow their lives to be warped to the left<\/a> by the social engineering.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Even though far fewer millennials than earlier generations are conventionally patriotic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> In other news, the city of Chicago is cutting spending on services<\/a> to fund pensions.<\/p>\n