A Giant Ponzi Scheme?

I just got off the phone with my insurance company. They’ve insured my house and both cars for years. 

I asked, “Why is my homeowner’s insurance premium 25% higher this year?”

Here was the answer. “There have been a lot of claims in your area recently.”

Wait.

Really?

Last month a storm brought hail and wind to our neighborhood. Several neighbors put on new roofs and new siding. I haven't made a claim. My insurance went up anyway.

Right now I’m calling other insurance companies for new quotes. I need to re-enter this Ponzi scheme thing at the bottom level.

No Sign of Business

After saving all year for a home improvement project, I drove to the local business I planned to hire.

Pulling into their parking area, I spotted a flag flapping in the breeze outside the front door. It read OPEN. Then I noticed a CLOSED sign on the door itself. That sign hung right above the store hours, which stated it opened over an hour before.

Not bothering to check which sign was true, I turned around and drove to a competitor. Minutes later I left with an agreement for that business to tackle my project.

Open or not, signs matter.

Storage Wars

Back when I was born, the average house size was around 1,000 square feet. Today that average is more than 2,700 square feet, a 150% increase in size.

And yet, those bigger houses aren’t large enough to hold all our stuff. Americans have 2.3 billion square feet of self-storage space. One out of every ten households currently rents a unit.

According to the Self-Storage Association, it's now "physically possible that every American could stand—all at the same time—under the total canopy of self-storage roofing."

We could get rid of all our crap and end homelessness all at once.

Discontent

We excel at being dissatisfied with the present.

It is too hot or too cold…

not enough rain or too much…

too busy or not busy enough…

bored with the routine or don’t like all the changes…

too loud or can’t hear it…

can’t wait to upgrade to the newest technology, but then it’s immediately obsolete…

apartment-owners want a house, house-owners fondly remember carefree days of apartment-living…  

employees want to be their own boss, and bosses wish they could punch out after 8 hours and leave all the responsibilities behind.

In reality, something to eat, wear, and Jesus is enough.