guyrocket

Here's what I'm doing:

1. MAXIMIZE INCOME. I just got a much overdue promotion. More income helps. I'm going to try for a second one soon. This can be difficult because if your skills are not very marketable it may mean giving up more of your time...which sucks. Move up where you are and when you can't do that any more move over to somewhere else with more headroom.
2. BE WISE. Be fiscally conservative. I think you need a decent income for this, if you're barely scraping by then you don't have this luxury. Have the recommended months of savings, avoid unnecessary expenses, save for retirement, buy instead of rent, avoid borrowing, etc. All that stuff financial advisors and personal finance classes teach.
3. MINIMIZE EXPENSES. Do you need a brand new car or can you get by on a 5 year old car? My vehicle is about 15 years old. Vehicles are almost always a liability. Can you take public transportation instead of owning a vehicle? Buying groceries at Whole Foods? Stop that, go to Aldi and Costco. Burning incandescent bulbs? Get LEDs. Can you live with a roommate? Etc.

Some things I'm considering:

1. BITCH ABOUT IT. Write your representatives and tell them to get off their FUCKING ASSES and DO SOMETHING.
2. Downsize my living situation.
3. Rent my current house and buy a duplex. Let someone else pay for the duplex with the other half's rent.
4. Move to Vietnam and live like a king.

I got a super cheap electric guitar kit that I'm going to build (someday). Is there a good source for electric guitar electronics (pickups, etc.)? Or would you just recommend buying cheap used guitars and "stealing" the electronics?

I'm thinking that my electronics are super low quality so I'd like to upgrade.

I've been happy with Home Despot's Behr paint. What brand(s) do you like?

You mention your union more than once above. Have you asked the union (and management) how to handle situations like this? Are there existing procedures and if not, should they be developed? Should security response time be improved? Are there other changes that should happen?

It seems VERY important that everyone can be safe at work. Neither management nor the union should ignore these issues.

https://www.howstuffworks.com/

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

I wonder how well and broadly these truths are applied in human politics. And what are the best strategies to moving towards more success?

I hope you're right but we will see. It would really suck to pay into a system your whole life and never get what you were promised.

Seems pretty easy to keep orders behind the counter.

Gen X here. I do not expect any inheritance at all.

And how much of this "fascination" with generational wealth transfer is actually companies salivating over potential profits?

Your question assumes that users have a clue. Unsafe assumption.

What has your experience been? What brand of bulb are you using?

Happy to answer your questions.
Most of my LEDs were purchased at Costco for dirt cheap prices. Like $1 USD for a 4 pack. They occasionally have special deals where the utility company subsidizes the price so they are ungodly cheap. I've mostly stopped looking for bulbs because I have a houseful now. Costco also reduces your risk with their easy returns.
The brand is Feit electric which seems to be a common bulb brand around here. Nothing special as far as I can tell.
And I cannot recall an LED bulb failing. My CFs were also not generally failing. You might call an electrician to see what they might suggest. I suppose there are power supply situations that are unfriendly to LEDs.
The last LEDs I bought are Feit electric Item 1715918. These are 100 watt replacement LEDs with a switch on them to choose the color (temperature) of light between soft white (2700K), bright white (3000K), cool white (4000K), daylight (5000K) and cool daylight (6500K). Seems like a great idea to let you choose your color. I prefer daylight over the harsher whites.

cobra89 mentions Philips brand and I have heard they sell some of the best bulbs. I don't think I have any but I may eventually get some for specific applications.

Tangential, but here's an interesting video about dim-able LEDs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbvVnOxb1AI

Second this.

CF bulbs have some mercury in them and need to be disposed of properly. DO NOT put these in the trash!

I took mine to the collection box in the customer service / returns area at home despot.

ETA: I think I am now rid of all the compact florescent bulbs in my house. LEDs are now cheap enough that I'll get rid of good CFs for the energy savings.