Network Marketing and Subsidiarity

As I embark on this brave network marketing journey, I encounter repeated arguments against it but very few arguments in favor of it. I want to write some of my thoughts on these issues, both arguments in favor of network marketing and responses to some common arguments.

My first argument in favor of network marketing is that it meets the principle of subsidiarity as I understand it. The bulk of profits goes to the people who do the bulk of the work, people at the lowest level. There is a tremendous culture of support of those at the lowest level since each person up the chain depends upon the success of the newbies. There is a small contingent of people "at the top" and they can be a problem if the compensation package is not structured properly, just like Enron or Fannie Mae. I particularly appreciate the minimal overhead, such as the lack of a gigantic marketing group that generates "buzz" by flooding the media with pictures of scantily-clad women and/or celebrities getting paid millions of dollars to pretend they use the product in question. Paid endorsements just give more money to rich people. I much prefer an organization that lets normal people work for a normal profit.

Why I want small government

I really don't want this to become a political blog. So I will do my darndest to keep to economics which is the topic that makes me interested in the current financial hullabaloo. Here is a great article from 10 years ago that describes exactly how we got into this subprime fiasco. In short, when you lower the requirements to get a mortgage, you get more bad loans. I think it is atrocious that the government forced this situation through well-intended legislation. Lenders have every right to discriminate against people with poor credit scores.

Passport to Truth

I am always flattered when someone asks for my opinion and I was particularly flattered to receive an autographed copy of Passport by Christopher Blunt at the CCL Convention.

Christopher Blunt has written a novel demonstrating nearly the entirety of the Church's teachings on marriage and sexuality. I am stunned by how well everything hangs together without being forced. The plot involves fornication, abortion, contraception, personalism, NFP, annulments, and marital chastity. The story is gripping and believable with a main character, Stan, who appeals to me, a Simpsons-loving entrepreneur. Stan is also a Catholic like me, who takes the Truth for granted and needs to re-learn the Faith constantly.

As Stan re-learns the Faith, a variety of events occur in his life which succeed in being surprising while not being unexpected. Stan's life is not a common one, yet it appeals to the common man. His is a truly Catholic life, where small things can teach great lessons and where an average man is prepared for great gifts.

New content soon

Here is another good link which I have been reading while I get back into the saddle.

Out of Commission

Dear reader, I have been barely upright for the last two days so I apologize for the light posting until this sinus infection and/or nasal detoxification passes. I hope to write another post tonight but staring at the computer is not beneficial to my predicament.

Until then, give this blog a try.

Jack of All Trades

Your result for The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test...

The Harlequin

You are a mystery, a jack-of-all-trades. You have the king's ear, but also listen to murmurings of the common folk. You believe in the value of force and also literature. Truly you are the puzzlement of the age.

Take The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test at HelloQuizzy

Investigating Life

Here is an interesting article on nutrition from the Washington Post. It captures many of my concerns with current state of nutritional research. First and foremost is the lack of a starting point. After all, how do we know what the human body looks like when it has complete nutrition if we don't know what complete nutrition is? Secondly, research funding invariably causes biases. The government has its own biases just like corporations. And finally, though not mentioned in the article, how do you determine the amount of nutrients in our food when it is so affected by soil quality and farming practices?

Visitors Welcome

I am completely awed by my SiteMeter stats. This blog has had 4800 unique visits and just broke the 10,000 mark for page views. Dear reader, I hope you get a little joy from visiting here, if not some humor and wit.

Running for Life

And its not an election post!

A Baby's Breath is having a Run for Life on Sunday September 14. They have a great, Catholic crisis pregnancy center (with an amazingly competent director) and this is their main fundraiser for their Main Line office. Please support them if you are free and need a good 5K run or a simple one mile walk. The race marshals are especially courteous and well-trained!

Oh! And please support the businesses who support the unborn!

Linkfest

Some great links:

The pill is an environmental pollutant, so the Left is against them, right?

Catholic doctors, being Catholic!

Babies in Guyland

Here is an interesting take on the post-college, "I won't grow up" life. I'm glad Jen puts up with me. She just might have saved my life.

VP Pick

Since everyone is talking about the Vice Presidential pick, I thought I would give my two cents. I like the governor of Alaska as McCain's veep. All the other candidates pale-in comparison!

A Tastefully Simple Fundraiser

As part of my recent, low budget birthday extravaganza, I hosted a Tastefully Simple party as a fundraiser for the PNFPN. It was a blast. Elena Perri was a wonderful hostess and the food was delicious, especially the beer bread and the spinach dip. It was great to help someone else succeed with their business and I pray that her customer base may grow faster and deeper than mine.

From the horse's mouth

Here is a chance to listen to the founder of Planned Parenthood in her own words. She actually claimed that the Church has a celibate position when it said that marriage should produce children. Right, and contraception leads to parenthood. It is great to hear an interviewer, Mike Wallace, actually quote Church documents and construct a logical argument. It is just as amusing to hear flat denials from Mrs. Sanger when confronted with her own contradictions. I thought that Oprah was a good interviewer until I heard Mr. Wallace.

Oh, woe is she

Here is a damsel in distress, awaiting her knight in no-fault armor to save her from a life of reality. I was going to fisk the whole thing, since a dear reader actually e-mailed to ask what I have to say, but the article is not worth repeating any more than I would repeat what I found upon staring at my navel for three hours.

After denigrating her husband for a few paragraphs, she mentions how women of all ages can look sizzlingly hot and therefore attract a new future ex-husband. Maybe this isn't the best way to find a good man since that attitude got her to where she is now, middle aged and dreaming of divorce. Perhaps she could try something different, like prayer and self-sacrifice, just to mix things up a bit. Also, getting off hormonal contraception is a good idea, since many of her issues can be related to its side effects as explained in Contraception:Why Not by Dr. Janet Smith.

Then, after a few paragraphs of trying to summarize the feminist revolution, she cites examples of other women: a high-powered high-earner, a mogul's wife, a clothing designer, and a doctor. Do I even need to mention that she lives in New York? Maybe she should get out more. I bet Wife Swap would take her.

Her final hypothesis is that marriage will wither away like a vestigial organ. I can only pray that she actually try to use her organ before it withers away, she may discover that it isn't so vestigial after all.

Cold Markets with Warm People

I worked my first table for Reliv at the CCL Convention and it was a blast. I thought that I would be far more intimidated by talking about a business to strangers but I have found it to be amazingly easy. I really just talked to whoever walked by my table, which is exactly what I enjoy doing at CCL Conventions. I met some great people. I heard some interesting stories about other home-based businesses and about Reliv. I got a few people who wanted more information and I followed up with them, which was excellent. I'm still playing phone tag with them so I don't know how successful the convention was from a monetary category but it was a personal success. It's good to learn first hand that business can be personal and quality, now I just hope my low pressure, personalistic model can succeed so I can do this full-time. How sweet would that be!

Burdens of Providing

I've been having an existential quandary for most of this year and I think I can finally phrase the question. Work has been feeling particularly toilsome for this year but the pay is actually a family wage and the prospects for a career there are good. But, basically, I only go because I need to pay the bills. This toiling has been an excellent motivator to get me to learn about money management and investing, as well as starting my own home-based business. However, I am torn over the spiritual dimension: should I be happy at the career that God has currently laid before me and ignore the desire to do things differently and potentially better? Or, should I assume that this entrepreneurial spirit which I have always had is a gift from the Lord and pursue it more diligently?

It is amazing how many difficult situations in life can be summed up by the word discernment.

Apologies to the Smurfs

So, I was watching the Michael Phelps last night with my beautiful Michael Phelps and I couldn't Michael Phelps the scores that were Michael Phelpsed in for the women's Michael Phelps bars. I was also Michael Phelpsed at the men's Michael Phelpses in the Michael Phelps . I'm glad that my Michael Phelps has gotten me Michael Phelpsed in the Michael Phelps. I have Michael Phelpsed some stunning Michael Phelpses as well as some Michael Phelps sportsmanship by the Michael Phelpsest Michael Phelps to win Olympic Michael Phelps.
Go team U.S.A.!

A Regular DeVil

I have been a fan of Disney since birth, and it is with heavy heart that I have seen some of their choices as a business. However, I just recently "got" a character name and I felt like a total maroon. While reading 101 Dalmatians, I realized that Cruella DeVil's last name is actually devil. I can't believe it took me so long to notice. I also can't believe how much I enjoyed those moves as a kid and how far they have dropped in quality. It is quite sad to read, "This is where the path of hatred leads us" as the moral of Pocahontas. Even 101 Dalmatians with its simple plot has a deeper story or parental dedication to children. A formula which leads to tremendous value and success. Long live Pixar!

A Newspaper to Trust

The Bulletin "Philadelphia's Family Newspaper" just ran an article on A Baby's Breath. Hehe, ran, I crack me up.
Read the article to get the joke.