Website owner: James Miller
There has to be a better way
I just asked ChatGPT what the average cost for health insurance was for a family in our state. The answer was $25,000 a year! Wow! That is a ridiculous amount to pay for health insurance! Certainly one reason for that high cost is personal foolishness — the unhealthy lifestyle of most Americans. Unhealthy lifestyles create health problems and health problems bring high medical expenses. If the most of the people of a society have a lot of health problems, that means the cost of health insurance will be high. I have long been health conscious — walked five miles a day for the last 45 years, kept my weight down at a healthy level, avoided sugar, sodium, and greasy food and bad habits like smoking and drinking — and am still very healthy at an age of 86.
It is not just the cost of health insurance. It is the cost of housing! And the rent levels! I have invested in real estate for years and the increasing prices of real estate has worked to my advantage. But the situation must look very discouraging to a young person just getting started.
Then there are the long commutes to work that so many people are forced into.
If I were young everything would all look very dismal and discouraging to me.
Right now a young, handsome, very articulate, very smooth fellow by the name of Zohran Mandani is running for mayor of New York City. He says he is a Democratic Socialist. His ideas are definitely socialist. And the people of New York City just love him! It looks like he is going to win the election. I am sure that if he does win it will all come to a very bad end eventually. But there will probably be a lot of foolishness before it does. If he does win I wouldn’t be surprised if there will be a lot of businesses who will decide to leave New York City for more friendly environments.
I understand that rents in New York City are very high and that commutes are long. I am sure there are many things to complain about up in New York City. But the answer is certainly not Communism.
I watch a lot of YouTube videos — videos on life from all over the world. I have lately been watching a lot of videos on life in Japan. The “Salarymen” there put in long days — they are expected to put in long hours of overtime without pay. It is a longstanding custom. You leave your job at 11:00 PM, take a hour train ride home, and get home after your wife and children are in bed. Then you get up at 5:00 AM in the morning to start a new day. Why don’t these salarymen complain? They know they can be easily replaced. And compared to the apartments and homes that we live in here in America, the apartments they live in are just incredibly small.
It is my impression that life in countries like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China is just extremely competitive — starting in the very first years of school. These are regions with high population densities and large numbers of people means stiff competition.
From watching videos of life in countries around the world I think that life for most people in the lesser developed countries is very hard.
I believe in hard work but I also believe in ample time for relaxing, thought and reflection. And if I am going to work hard I want to see some gain in the form of accumulation of wealth. A simple hand to mouth type existence doesn’t appeal to me. I would feel very discouraged if I were young and faced the high cost of housing that today’s young people are faced with. So what would I do? My mind would probably turn to ideas such as those I wrote about years ago: the ideas under the heading Self-sufficient Country Living in my website. I have a cabin on a 100 acre tract in the Appalachian Mountains and I believe I could live there for a couple thousand dollars a year. See
On how little cash income can one live?
One could combine this kind of living with the idea of living out of a motor vehicle such as a van. The big problem with this is finding a way to make a couple thousand a year in cash. With a couple thousand a year income I think I could live in my cabin — with my wife — very happily. We live in a crazy, messed up, foolish world. I was raised in the country. I like the country.
See
The Job Losses Have Been MUCH WORSE THAN WE’VE BEEN TOLD
The REAL Reason Prices Will Never Come Down Again
4 Nov 2025
Jesus Christ and His Teachings
Way of enlightenment, wisdom, and understanding
America, a corrupt, depraved, shameless country
On integrity and the lack of it
The test of a person's Christianity is what he is
Ninety five percent of the problems that most people have come from personal foolishness
Liberalism, socialism and the modern welfare state
The desire to harm, a motivation for conduct
On Self-sufficient Country Living, Homesteading
Topically Arranged Proverbs, Precepts, Quotations. Common Sayings. Poor Richard's Almanac.
Theory on the Formation of Character
People are like radio tuners --- they pick out and listen to one wavelength and ignore the rest
Cause of Character Traits --- According to Aristotle
We are what we eat --- living under the discipline of a diet
Avoiding problems and trouble in life
Role of habit in formation of character
Personal attributes of the true Christian
What determines a person's character?
Love of God and love of virtue are closely united
Intellectual disparities among people and the power in good habits
Tools of Satan. Tactics and Tricks used by the Devil.
The Natural Way -- The Unnatural Way
Wisdom, Reason and Virtue are closely related
Knowledge is one thing, wisdom is another
My views on Christianity in America
The most important thing in life is understanding
We are all examples --- for good or for bad
Television --- spiritual poison
The Prime Mover that decides "What We Are"
Where do our outlooks, attitudes and values come from?
Sin is serious business. The punishment for it is real. Hell is real.
Self-imposed discipline and regimentation
Achieving happiness in life --- a matter of the right strategies
Self-control, self-restraint, self-discipline basic to so much in life