views s

Ask Attorney
Ken Gross

for openers

Department of Redundancy Department

W

e don’t usually choose to
waste words. However,
some bad habits have crept
into our conversations and we often
repeat ourselves.
Have you ever recounted to some-
one what happened
at 10 a.m. in the
morning? (There is
no other 10 a.m.) But
you heard from a close
personal friend (which
a friend is expected to
be; otherwise, he is an
Sy Manello
Editorial Assistantr
acquaintance) of an
unexpected surprise
(which surprises are by nature.)
In a moment of hopeful optimism

(if not hopeful, then it is pessimism),
your two twins (if more, they are
triplets, etc.) bought you a bouquet of
flowers (which is what bouquets are.)
Have you noticed that foreign
imports (we don’t have domestic
ones) rarely feature new innovations?
(If old, they are not innovative). This
may instill intense fury, cloud future
prospects and cancel out any desirable
benefits. (Are you still with me and
nodding in agreement as you recog-
nize these?)
Let me practice some mental telepa-
thy. When you were last in a live audi-
ence and saw a wall mural in the studio,
you joined together with a bald-headed
anonymous stranger to compare past

histories for the purpose of a very
unique experience.
When out and about, have you vis-
ited an ATM machine? Then you were
challenged to remember your PIN
number. Did you ever check the UPC
code on a parcel before it disappeared
from sight?
Well, not to over exaggerate, but in
my personal opinion, our conversa-
tions are doomed to total destruction
if we continue on with what we deem
absolutely essential expressions. The
final outcome will be, as an added
bonus, that less wordy speakers will
become fewer in number. Perhaps I
should postpone until later thinking
about that. ■

essay

Purpose Makes a Great College Application

W

that college admissions coun-
hen I was a high
selors want a piece of the appli-
school senior apply-
cant’s personality, that the appli-
ing to college, I
cation essay should be reflective,
wanted a higher learning expe-
show the applicant’s character.
rience where the opportunities
My eldest son is a high school
were so vast, the campus so big,
I could theoretically meet some- Lynne Golodner junior eager to look at colleges
and dream of the future he
one new every day and still not
might build. He’s ready to go.
know everyone.
But is he ready to write this
That was my defining characteristic
kind of essay?
for choosing a college. Of course, it was
I have been a writer all my life, and
the late 1980s and times were different,
I’d like to think that when I was ready
but kids were not. Teenagers have nar-
to apply to college, I somehow had the
row perspectives as they’ve existed until
magical talent to write an application
that moment in a bona fide bubble of
essay that dazzled admissions coun-
parental protection and limited geog-
selors. I don’t remember what I wrote
raphy. That’s what it is to be a teenager
about, but I’m going to guess it wasn’t
— you can dream big because someone
that fantastic. After all, I was 17. My
else is responsible for building your
life experiences were limited; I was
foundation.
sheltered.
In Kim Lifton’s Oct. 18 article, “Share
Today, I could write the kind of
Your Voice: What do colleges really
reflective essay that colleges are looking
want in an admission essay?” we learn
for, but I’m 47 years old, the author of

eight published books and thousands
of articles, and I’ve taught college writ-
ing classes for more than 20 years. I’ve
lived enough to know what it means
to reflect. My command of language is
more sophisticated than when I was a
teen. My love of learning runs deep.
Today’s schools are not focused
on instilling in our children a sense
of wonder and joy when it comes to
learning. They aren’t teaching them
the skills they need to compete on this
level. Even for my children, who attend
great schools and are high-achieving
students, high school English is about
regurgitation, learning to take standard-
ized tests, writing resumes and cover
letters and, ultimately, churning out a
sample college application essay.
This is not learning for learning’s
sake. When did high school become
just a funnel for college? When did we
give in to the pressure to do more, be
more, achieve more, instead of embrac-

Credit Card Debt
- Aargh!

Here we go again. Credit card debt is
higher now than it was in 2008 - when
the Recession virtually stopped the
world. When that happened, the banks
shut down available credit lines on credit
cards and equity lines by sending letters
to their users after they had already shut
down the use of the credit! Millions of
people were left with no cash in savings
and no available credit on their cards
and equity lines. There are two stories
here. First, and most important - if you
are carrying $30,000 or more of credit
card debt, paying 15% - 30% interest
- you are wasting valuable retirement
money because you're in the credit card
trap. You keep paying the minimums
or a bit more, but the balances never
go down - they usually go up - because
you have no cash left to buy things
after making your payments - so you
&KDUJHLW7KLVLVWKHELJJHVWÀQDQFLDO
mistake you can make. Multiply your
credit card balances, by 2.5%, then by
12 (months), and then by 10 (years) and
that is the amount of money you will
have wasted. (i.e. 50,000 x 2.5% x 12
x 10 = $150,000) - and that is without
earing any return on your money. The
second story is more telling - what do
you think will happen when economy
cools down? Call us today - we will
help you get out of the Credit Card Trap
DQGSUHVHUYH\RXUÀQDQFLDOIXWXUH

THAV GROSS has been solving
its clients’ business, tax and fi nancial
problems since 1982. Be sure to tune
in to the Law and Reality – Sunday
mornings at 11 AM on TV20.

thavgross.com  lawandreality.com

30150 Telegraph, Suite 444
Bingham Farms, MI 48025

continued on page 10

jn

November 8 • 2018

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