I know there is a lot of people who think VaultPress is expensive. In fact I completely agree!

However in my honest opinion VaultPress is the poor man’s version of WordPress VIP Support, whose prices start at $5,000.

Even if I were to upgrade to VaultPress Premium across all 4 of my blogs (which would be $60/month per blog) it would still be cheaper than WordPress VIP (as I would be paying $2,880/year).

I currently have 2 blogs being protected by VaultPress (my personal site as well as my space blog), and once the service exits beta I’ll add 2 more.

I’m only going to have 2 blogs upgrade to VaultPress Premium though, as I’ll have my two personal blogs (this one plus my micro blog) use the basic plan instead.

Total bill: $155/month or $1,860/year (one blog will be grandfathered in the beta prices, otherwise it would be $160/month or $1,920/year).

Still expensive? Yes!!

But I consider my blog(s) to be a living diary of my experiences, views, etc. in life, one that I hope will live on long after I’ve change locations, iDevices, and molecular status (as in death).

Hence the reason why I’m will to pay the price…at least until someone can offer me something of greater value (that is at least semi affordable).

–Posted from my iPhone

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This will probably come across as depressing news, which I hate to post on a Friday.

However it is a good reminder that no matter who is in power (Democrat, Republican, etc.) you should always take government propaganda news with a grain of salt, unless it comes from NASA (at least when they’re not talking about the weather).

(Hat Tip: TechCrunch, Source: Mint.com Blog)

Just in case the video went too fast for you, this image below may help explain things a bit easier. (click to enlarge)

17.2% folks! But is that what I’m hearing online/on TV? Unfortunately no (Hat Tip: Hot Air)

(Bureau of Labor Statistics) The unemployment rate edged down to 10.0 percent in November, and nonfarm payroll employment was essentially unchanged (-11,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In the prior 3 months, payroll job losses had averaged 135,000 a month. In November, employment fell in construction, manufacturing, and information, while temporary help services and health care added jobs.

Household Survey Data

In November, both the number of unemployed persons, at 15.4 million, and the unemployment rate, at 10.0 percent, edged down. At the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons was 7.5 million, and the jobless rate was 4.9 percent. (See table A-1.)

Among the major worker groups, unemployment rates for adult men (10.5 per-cent), adult women (7.9 percent), teenagers (26.7 percent), whites (9.3 per-cent), blacks (15.6 percent), and Hispanics (12.7 percent) showed little change in November. The unemployment rate for Asians was 7.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

Now some people may argue that part-time doesn’t count, or that those who give up shouldn’t be included because they are losers (or something of that twisted logic).

But seriously whether it was 5% or 25%, the only thing I ask is the government be honest about it. Will a higher figure scare the masses? Probably. After all the higher figure is very scary (at least to me).

But at least it would be truthful, which might motivate our spend thrift politicians  and private businesses to do something about it! Aside for more bailouts (which may include newspapers in the future! Ghetto!).

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Sometimes I wonder why God constantly tests our love with money.

If you love God, tithe to the church (Malachi 3:10-11) and don’t forget to help out the poor too (Luke 14:12-14). If you love your country, pay your taxes (Luke 20:22-25)–even if that includes universal healthcare (LORD help us all if that massive behemoth of finacial doom passes, but that’s another rant for another day).

Anyways, a scenario arose, and guess what? It once again involved money (boo!).

Basically in my “perfect wisdom” I forgot to plan ahead for an upcoming bill due on a certain date, creating a temporary cash crunch.

That left me with 3 options:

• Whip out a credit card, something King Solomon might see as foolish (Proverbs 22:7)
• Ask friends for a temporary loan (something I have not done in years)
• Pray and trust that God would provide the funds without me having to go into debt or pull favors

Yeah, that last point came from this verse (Provers 3:5-6):

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Anyways here was yet another test on my path to becoming a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

Since the “ever positive media” were reporting on banks attempting to raise interest rates, I decided against option 1.

Option 2 & 3 looked good, so I attempted to do both of them at the same time–or rather option 2 and simply (out of hope) use the third option as a backup.

To make a long story short, friends & family were unable to help (even those I’ve given money freely in the past), so option 1 was starting to look REAL good again.

Fortunately an hour before the bill was due, the funds came and the bill was paid.

So much for my faith.

While I’m glad the bill was paid off, this scenario has forced me to reexamine myself to determine where do I place my real confidence in.

And I think I won’t like the answer.

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It looks as if my mean Uncle may be giving me the necessary cash in order to purchase an iPhone later on this year.

(KlTV 7 News) Individuals earning 3,000 to 75,000 a year get a rebate of 300 to 600 dollars. For families making up to 150,000 annually, your rebate could be up to 1,200 dollars, plus an extra 300 for each child under 17. But how exactly will the rebates affect taxpayers like you?

Rebate checks are coming as early as May for millions of Americans.

Since you probably have to make at least $75,000 to get the $600, that probably excludes me from the full rebate (note: you can figure out how much you will probably get thanks to this handy dandy calculator).

Unless I can locate a decent smart phone in the next few months, my future phone choices will be: do I choose the 8gb model or the 16gb?

Note: For international readers who do not understand the joke, I am referring to my Uncle Sam.

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