Salty Ginger Talk Newsletter

December 27, 2024

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SGT
December 27, 2024

Salty Ginger Talk Newsletter

December 27, 2024

Slide into the post-holiday weekend with our Friday newsletter, now buzzing on Beehiiv! 🐝 Stay tuned for fresh updates, exclusive content, and more delivered straight to your inbox.

CURRENT EVENTS

Ramaswamy draws blowback with comments on American culture

Our take: Vivek Ramaswamy is without question a super intelligent guy. He has been successful in education and the business world. His ill-fated run for the Republican presidential nomination was likely nothing more than a plan to raise his name in the public, which has worked out very well for him. Unfortunately, human nature is what it is. When people desperately want to be accepted by a group that has rejected them, they hold onto it for a long time. In an unsolicited rant on X, Ramaswamy took exception to “American culture” that he feels is putting our citizens at a competitive disadvantage.

"The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born and first-generation engineers over 'native' Americans isn't because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy and wrong explanation)," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. "A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers, and if we're really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the truth: Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn't start in college; it starts YOUNG."

He added: "A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers. If you grow up aspiring to normalcy, normalcy is what you will achieve."

Ramaswamy went on to say he hopes "our culture fully wakes up. A culture that once again prioritizes achievement over normalcy; excellence over mediocrity; nerdiness over conformity; hard work over laziness."

While there is a lot of truth in Ramswamy’s words, he comes across as a guy who got cut from the football team and rejected when he asked the cheerleader out. He should read the room and not lose the traction the Trump team has gained with the American public by airing his own personal grievances from high school and college on X.

COURTESY: NEWSWEEK

Lottery jackpot swells to over $1 billion

Our take: The Mega Millions jackpot, which is being drawn Friday, December 27th, is over $1 billion. We are not fans of lotteries for a few reasons.

First, the math on winning the lottery is stacked firmly against everyone who plays. You are more likely to be struck by lightning, killed by a shark, or have a vending machine tip over on you than you are to win the lottery.

Second, the people who play the lottery are overwhelmingly middle- and lower-class. This means the lottery works as a regressive tax on people at the lower end of the economic spectrum, taking a disproportionate percentage of their income.

With all that said, there are not many instances where you can spend $5 and have a chance (no matter how exceedingly rare) to win $1 billion. If you have time before the drawing, it could add a little fun to your Friday night.

COURTESY: MSN

Looking for a low-stress job with decent pay? Check this article out

Our take: Many people are looking to simplify their lives. Instead of living to work, it is much more common for people nowadays to work to live. They want to make enough money to have a decent place to live, do the things they want to do, and not have to worry about paying their bills each month.

If that describes you, check out this article we found from The Independent. It lists out 10 jobs that pay well but have little stress, at least according to the author. Happy hunting!

COURTESY: NEW YORK POST

TIP OF THE DAY

When you have conversations with people, listen with the intent to understand their point of view, not so you can respond. There will be plenty of time during the conversation to express your views and get your opinions on the table. If you truly listen to someone, it will greatly strengthen your relationship with them.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.” —Chris Grosser

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