應付經濟變遷／莊峻華

 應付經濟變遷／莊峻華

全球經濟大變遷，就是通貨膨脹，世界經濟列強都紛紛提出對策，例如美國央行不斷升息，圖扼阻幣流，中國是降息，鼓勵消費，其他國家，包括歐盟，都競相貶幣值，非常有趣，小消費者如我者，也有對策，先說通貨膨脹，經濟連續成長12年，將達高峰，這是常態，這時候成長停滯曰，高原期，供不過於求，於是物價高漲，消費者調整消費，供過於求，成長緩慢下滑，終將近盤谷，這是經濟學，無以為奇，美國央行看法是否認消條，所以升息，於是股市重挫，投資者期待利息，優於股市。

我是按部就班，從年輕時就養成儲蓄習慣，年老無債務纏身，通貨開始膨脹，立即減少無謂支出，例如出外旅行，美國開始增加中國進口稅25％，進口貨漲價25％，對物價無助，美國消費者有對策，減少支出，如此開始另一類平衡。美國個人所得平均值高，應付經濟變遷腹地較廣，加上物產豐富，因此美金升值，為全球所追求，在國際幣值上佔優勢，想想看全球存大量美金，似乎無息貸款美國。

中國靠出口生產，帶動經濟，當世界工廠，賺取廉價勞工為收入，自川普增加進口稅後，物價上升25％，這是通貨膨脹主因，國際廠商無高利潤可圖，於是資本撤出中國，造成大量失業，中國人平均所得，本來不高，一旦失業率高，造成危機，所以中國降低利息，刺激經濟繼續成長，但基礎建設，非常實在，要像美國日本歐洲經濟列強一樣，始能渡過難關。

我來美國近半世紀，經過1987年和2008年，兩度經濟變遷，股市都重挫，兩次都是化險為夷，美國有很多經濟專家，競爭力強，美國經濟可以帶動全球，小消費者如我，不如在旁觀望欣賞，精神愉快。

Lost at Alicante, Spain for searching ATM/Carlos Pueblo

 Lost at Alicante, Spain for searching ATM/Carlos Pueblo

After Malaga we arrived Alicante, Spain over night. I planned to get some Euro from an ATM machine at the port; however, I got lost for searching such facility. I did have five days stay at Alicante previously and with a very fond memory of it. The city was the site of an Hollywood movie, El Cid, started by Charles Heston and Sophia Loren about a story during the Moor's war in Spain before Columbus era. There was a final scene of battles at a castle at Alicante when el Cid was dead yet leading a charge to the castle. I thought that I could have some Euro change to ride a shuttle bus to the downtown Alicante to visit the old dead river bed with a love bridge full of the valentine locks and lovely roses. I could also visit the Cathedral with a David star on it.

I was lost after I walked out of the pier into a city block with some residential area and business section, a huge square block outside of the city. I couldn't find a bank or any ATM machines at all. I did finally found a bus stop yet I couldn't get on it because that I ran out of my Euro change. Fortunately, I did find a small eatery where I could use its toilet.

That year, I went to Barcelona to visit Spain on the high speed rail including Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, and Malaga etc. On my train ride, I did pass the original Sierra Nevada, Spain while I knew the difference of the Sierra Nevada of the California and Nevada border line.

I was not disappointed that day. I know that I shall come back again to visit Alicante one of these days.

在西班牙亞莉坎得港迷路／莊峻華

 在西班牙亞莉坎得港迷路／莊峻華

船行北上抵達亞莉坎得港，這是我舊遊之地，亞港座落於巴塞隆納港和馬拉加港之間，是一地中海沿岸海港，頗具歷史故事，好萊塢電影艾爾.西德故事，提到摩爾城堡爭奪戰役，上次旅行住在城中客棧五夜，參觀城中美麗建築，還有那座乾涸河床愛情橋，印象深刻，我以為下船後，在碼頭附近，可以找到銀行提款機，領取歐元，結果迷路，未能搭車到城中。

我以為小事一件，事先未曾詢問，口袋歐元零錢已盡，下船後步行到一偏僻社區，這是碼頭附近之郊區，像是住宅區，又有商業區，僅一街道但無銀行，居民顯然搭公車到城中，但又未見公車站，碼站有繳費巴士到城中，我仗藝高膽大，自信換錢後可以搭巴士赴城中，重溫舊夢，結果是行軍一大圈，沒有甚麽失望，此行停靠八大港口，一共十六日，船費廉價舒適，毫無怨言。

船上愛女愛孫女聞言，均甚感嘆，我是無所謂，朱博士和其老母，搭巴士到城中，然後就搭15歐元之上下雙層遊覽車逛街，也甚好玩，我未詢問其他華人女士們，如何遊覽亞莉坎得市，此城甚早有據落，約是兩千四百年前，羅馬帝國時代，我提到之摩爾時代，是西元十五世紀前六百年之故事，這是來自中東之回教徒。

愛情橋為我命名，在城中老乾涸河道，橋上巨盆小玫瑰花，五花十色，年輕人扣上愛情訂鎖，整整兩大排，乾涸舊河川，將亞莉坎得市分成三部份，女導遊講述教堂故事，天主教徒缺錢，完成新教堂，央請猶太人幫忙，猶太人要求教堂前牆鑲上大衛星像，迄今仍在，我想再拍照一次留念，這次迷路，僅待下次。

Biden forgives some students debts/Carlos Pueblo

 Biden forgives some students debts/Carlos Pueblo

Finally, President Biden fulfills his campaign promise to forgive some students loan debts, ten thousand to twenty thousand dollars for individual annual income up to $125,000 and family income up to $250,000. It takes a week for me to switch my opinion from disgusting to my tolerance. I am going to tell you the reason.

I believe that the Federal Government is taking the risk to the student loans forgiveness. It might be an investment going wrong like any of the stock investment. The government bet on young people for higher education in order to prepare them to make good income after such education and it didn't go well as planned. Of course, $125,000 individual income income is till generate a lot of the federal income tax and I am aware of. $250,000 family income tax can be more than $100,000 federal income tax. If you don't pay it first, you go to jail for it. Student loans default is much easier. At the same time, I have noticed the PPP loans default is identical to the student loans default to serve the national needs. There is a priority difference to slice the national revenue pie. The Republican tax cut for the rich and the Progressive welfare preference are very identical. We need to know what we are prefer to in the national order.

I have been through three members in our family with three degrees and one associated degree and come out with no college loans debts. First, I saved money once they were born and Amy only went to the community colleges. I borrowed money from credit cards 0% balance transfer with a cash back up from the return capital of rental houses. I even made some fringe profit on the excess loans to short terms bank certificates. I have explained in details on my blog. It is because that I try to avoid the higher interest rate for students loans, 7% at that time in the 2000's. It took a college science degree to figure it out.

All of my family members, Amy, Michelle, and Arthur are doing very well after their college education and paying very high federal income tax as results. Of course, the Federal Government ignore my good effort of such investments and I am alright with it. I appreciate very much that the U.S. provides me as an immigrant and provided me some financial help of my graduate study. Now I am paying back annually.

論寬免學生貸款／莊峻華

 論寬免學生貸款／莊峻華

拜登總統之寬免學貸行政命令公佈後，仍舊是兩極反應，這是國家資源分配的問題，讓我思考多年，始能了解拜登之作法，從厭惡到可以容忍之程度，容我詳述。

美國學校義務教育，只到高中四年級，大學尚屬自費，克林頓總統時代，曾有稅法優待大學教育學費，如第一年美金兩千美元，第二年以後全家一年兩千美元，當然不夠，但至少有些鼓勵，我家有三位都經過這優待，完成三學位一副學位大學教育，當然是公立學校。我初步猜測這些學貸問題之根本原因，是因為學貸容易於所有謀生之道，無所謂待遇之高低，只要有入學許可，有很多錢在等待你來花，如此也幫助大學之利潤，教職員之就業穩定機會，當然還有銀行之利潤，銀行拿幾近無息之定期，借給學貸之7％，當然很難四年後複利償還，沒有很好之數理基礎大學畢業生，有此獨立思考判斷能力，所以我將子女大學準備金，留在高科技基金，拿售出租屋款為本，短借信用卡0％貸款，年底還清並且存款在短期生息，非常有趣。

這是因為我有化學硬科學背景，又有賣保險基金等經驗，有非常基本之所得稅概念，又住在德州無州所得稅，只有一棟住屋，常常向銀行街錢，而且提早還清，又很節省，銀行一直想辦法借錢給我，所以我無法了解，借錢不還，有何種極好處？聽說讀醫藥科，貸款容易我了解，而且還錢應該也容易才是，律師就不一定，所以學貸到幾十萬美金，或甚百萬美金，全國1.3兆美金，真是不可思議。

借錢不還，就讓我想起川普，這老兄借錢不還，據稱超過十億美金，資產百億，二十年無需繳所得稅，又當四年美國總統，幾近一半選民支持他，全共和黨都怕他，美國有是與非乎？借錢不還如學貸，是可容忍也或非也？我欲無言。

Re-visiting Malaga, Spain 2022/Carlos Pueblo

 Re-visiting Malaga, Spain 2022/Carlos Pueblo

Malaga is located on the southern part of Spain with lovely weather and scenery. I was here one year for five days and with fond memory. It is one of the main reasons why I select this cruise trip. I promised my fellow passengers to guide them to the city center to visit the botanical garden, the city hall rose garden, the Moor's castle, and the lovely downtown.

We took a taxi van and shared the expanse to the downtown. I let a group of 4 Chinese ladies to walk up to the castle. I accompanied Mrs. Chu, a Ph.D. in the organic chemistry and her 93 years old mother to walk along the botanical garden toward the city hall and its rose garden. A rich and successful local business man donated the botanical garden to the city to keep variety of plants from all over the world. The city has kept an excellent maintenance of the garden. All plants are doing very well in the climate of Malaga. I found the rose garden finally with certain disappointment. The previous glory was gone that I guessed was the relocation of the city hall. It was one of my favorite rose gardens in the world such as the Queen Mary's at the Regency Royal Park in London, Queen Elizabeth II  in Vancouver, Canada, and the Rosetta in Buenos Aires, Argentina, etc.

I noticed the re-location of the city hall because we used the now hotel and museum's rest room. Then we cut in to the city center. I was a little bit of concerned with this old lady's physical condition and slow down a bit. Actually she was very healthy. I did explain Picasso, Danish Andersen, and Miguel de Cervantes the creator of Don Quixote. I didn't find the old hostel location last time I stayed.

We sit down in front of the old Roman wall and the entrance of the castle for a free WiFi connection. I was very satisfied with that day's progress. Mrs. Chu and I had a very good conversation that I regretted very much that I didn't complete my Ph.D. in chemistry when I was young. She had her Ph.D. from Rutgers with a post doctorate study at the Cal Tech and now works for the federal government.

重遊西班牙馬拉加港／莊峻華

 重遊西班牙馬拉加港／莊峻華

馬拉加市是我舊遊之地，這次郵輪旅行，行程標誌格林那達，又掛號馬拉加，我知道怎麽一回事，格林那達是古摩爾宮殿馳名全球，我仍無緣拜訪，但確實住過鄰近之馬拉加五日，其中外出兩日，都是拜訪摩爾古都宮殿，摩爾人來自阿拉伯，經過北非摩洛哥，跨海統治西班牙幾百年，有一好來塢電影艾帥故事內容，已經是摩爾尾端，小時候留下深刻印象。

我指點同行紐約市華人女客，跟我到城中，下計程車後，隨我行軍經一植物園，看到城堡在近小山崗上，我就叫這群女士上山崗城堡，相約在市府玫瑰花園，抑或，城中計程車站見面，我陪一位雲南昆明來美朱博士和她93歲母親逛街，朱博士是紐澤西羅特格大學，有機博士，加州理工博士後研究，現任職聯邦衛生署，其太夫人仍甚硬朗，健行無礙。

我的幾句西語，派上用場，原來市政府舊址，已改為大飯店，樓上是美術館，警衛親切，讓我們使用廁所，旁邊的玫瑰花園，已無當年之豐彩，玫瑰花仍在，僅未見園丁，四週之橘樹仍在，只不見橙黃柳丁，我是有些失望，我很喜歡參觀玫瑰花園。

我帶兩位逛馬拉加美麗之城中心，一一解釋我認識的馬拉加，丹麥安徒生童話作者，就在馬拉加住，大畫家畢加索是馬拉加人，街上有一紀念他的美術館，也有紀念唐吉訶德作者，瑟凡提斯之紀念館劇院，都在城中，我們在城堡入口處，使用免費網路，朱博士教我，只要有網路，蘋果手機就可以送電話簡訊。

回家後，我又想起舊日美憶，那年我搭西班牙高鐵，環遊幾座城市，心情緊張興奮，時間較長，郵輪停留，時間較短，有一舊日摩爾回教清真寺，趕出回教摩爾人後，天主教徒將清真寺改成天主教堂，爭論幾百年，就在馬拉加抑或下一站，亞力坎得市。