如何面對通貨膨脹（2）？／莊峻華

 如何面對通貨膨脹（2）？／莊峻華

通貨膨脹2022是真實不虛，個人如何面對此經濟突變？是人生必需解決之難題，這不是短期之解決，而是長期之準備，我有三代之經驗，當然政府政策有關，執行政策官員有關，最直接且重要者，還是個人財務之安排，這需長期甚至幾代家庭之努力。

要有工作收入，工作不分貴賤，收入不分高低，有了工作收入後，減少通貨膨脹增加支出之壓力，我一生工作中，總是讓公司開除，因為我拒絕辭職，因辭職就失去工作收入，所以雖然沒有主要工作二十餘年，但一直有一些收入，實際上，自十九歲考入台灣師大領取台灣政府公費後，當年是1967，公費額是一個月五元美金，加上免學費，兩年學生宿舍。畢業後服兩年常備兵役，有一個月兩美元之收入，這是義務役，役滿返鄉任教高中，收入增加到一個月一百美元，如此兩年，台灣國民黨政府，很信用發放教師薪水。離開台灣是領薪水到八月，八月中旬來美國，阿拉巴馬州政府給助學金一個月三百七十五美元，從九月開始，在休大是四百五十美元一個月，一直到現在七十五歲，仍舊有一些工作收入，當然主要是社會福利金和退休儲蓄領出等收入，我一直都有收入，我的兩位子女也都有工作收入，有投資收入，支出都在收入範圍內，先父生前在台灣糖廠工作一生，收入甚是微薄，但有穩定之家境，培養出來我們之節約儲蓄習慣。

節約儲蓄就是累積資本，讓錢來幫我們賺錢，我的投資大部分在住屋和退休金，這次遇到2022年通貨膨脹，把長期壓抑之石油股兌現，本金加股息今錢領出。通貨膨脹帶來之消條，已經在股市呈現，全球都需要美國之消費者，努力以赴。

全球消條後，始能體會美國的社會福利政策，領社會福利金，我已經領近20年，需要長期工作，累積分數，還可以有老人健保，加上退休金，節約儲蓄，2022年通貨膨脹無慮。

在社會上要有工作，必需上學校讀書，有堅決之意志，有好家庭背景，父母親之鼓勵。

Re-visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico 2022/Carlos Pueblo

 Re-visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico 2022/Carlos Pueblo

By late March this year, I have been away from any traveling for more than 27 months due to the Corona Virus Pandemic and I feel sorry for myself because of my aging and there is limited time for me to enjoy my life as a matter of the fact. I, therefore, booked a ten days cruise trip to the Eastern Caribbean Sea. The first port to visit is San Juan, Puerto Rico where I have been visited for about 10 times and only around the port area and the down town.

Houston, Texas was still chilly while Puerto Rico was nice and warm. Mr. Yong, my brother-in-law and my travel partner, agreed that we only walked around the down town streets. He lives in New York City and is accustom to the busy environment of San Juan. I had my one purpose for my walk around that was to replace the battery of my old idle wrist watch. None of jewelry stores offer such service because the wrist watch is no longer popular while the i-phone can provide exact time. The old city is very attractive and we can see the first floor stores and inns on the second floor. People are coming out now like that we come out for a trip away from home. I didn't dare to take him to march to the old National Heritage Park for a view of the old guns facing to the sea. He was just out of a serious illness while old age caught me. I still love Puerto Rico.

I attempted to get a Wi-Fi connection at a restaurant. It was not working for some reasons. Cruise ships regularly would charge a fee for the internet connection and I always learn to follow the cruise staff on the street to find where they use to get the connection. This time the ship still prohibits them to disembark. What my desire to connect my i-phone is simply to send a message home or watch the stock market. I was alright at San Juan because my i-phone was working because P.R. is still considered domestic and the phone is still working without a charge. We came back for a nice lunch on board and didn't go out again.

The huge ship is really like a small Texas town which I would say about 2,500 people living among 14 plus decks. It is enough for me to eat at free restaurants which I mean meal costs are included in the fare. I am invited to two fee restaurants with a guest due to my frequent passenger status. Usually I choose the steak house and an Italian Restaurant. Restaurants on the cruise are very high quality with the over all environment and foods which they provided. I can't eat very much now because that I don't like to eat too much meat. 

He can't drink now and I hate to pay, yet I still have some opportunity to get free drink such as a latitude party to meet fellow frequent passengers and a bottle of free wine along with one of the free specialty restaurant.

重返波多黎哥珊璜市2022／莊峻華

 重返波多黎哥珊璜市2022／莊峻華

三月底，開始懷念郵輪旅行，邀請連襟榮祥兄同遊，剛好他有興趣，我在2016年也邀他同遊跨大西洋到西班牙巴瑟隆那市，這次寶石號在紐約市曼哈頓碼頭上船，時期十日，遊覽東加勒必海，他很仔細教我如搭地下鐵和市公車，我睡在他公寓沙發，他公寓座落女皇區的愛斯托莉亞，是住宅區，環境幽雅，很像西歐熱鬧小市區，他帶我出去逛街，我邀請峻嚴老友桃園阿火兄，帶我們到法拉盛唐人街吃韓國料理，上次他請過我，印象深刻，店內美麗女侍能言北京語，原來是滿洲朝鮮族，很有意思，捲舌且字正腔圓。

紐約市很大，榮祥在市交通公司退休，幾十年都是我的導遊，這次他也帶我參觀新景區，我將一一報導，例如公寓附近的公園，在東哈德遜河畔，有運貨鐵橋，有戴客地鐵穿過東河，非常壯觀，還有後來特別到羅斯福島，坐纜車吊過東河，真是有趣，他特別介紹聯合國職員社區，只是我們時間有限，而且我年紀稍大，容易疲倦。

我們先搭地鐵到50街和第八大道附近，然後再叫計程車到碼頭，一到碼頭，我就非常親切，像是回到家一樣興奮，我在入船注冊時，需要郵武肺未感染證明，這在手機上，我們房間分別在第八和第九層甲板，上船後就有午餐，已經是首日。

紐約開到波多黎哥約有兩日航程，郵輪很穩重，水波不興，我們在船上結識很多新朋友，每天節目精彩，食物豐盛可口，最美麗的餐廳，最佳之服務，榮祥來自馬來西亞，熟悉印度料理，郵輪上很多印度大廚，中餐是菲律賓大廚，都非常道地，郵輪材料新鮮，由一家美國大食品公司提供。

我來珊璜市不下十次，有時候機省錢，甚至住客棧，所以我能帶榮祥逛街，因為體力，我未行軍到砲台國家歷史公園，只在鬧區找手錶店，擬換電池，但無店可換，一直到最後的龜港，始問到一家，其實紐約唐人街更方便。

波多黎哥是否獨立？是否入美國一州？是否維持現狀？現在有浮出新聞，可能會有公民投票，波多黎哥風景很美，人口約僅兩百萬，許多住民都已經移民美國。

The inflation of 2022/Carlos Pueblo

 The inflation of 2022/Carlos Pueblo

the inflation of 2022 is the highest one in four decades that is what the newspaper says today. I have been throughout the severe inflation of the mid-seventy thill the late 80's and I know what the inflation is. When I came to the United States, I had little to be mentioned and what I had was a $375.00 a month stipend as a teaching assistant. I managed to pay $90 for the tuition, $90 for the apartment rent, and I even saved $400 after two years. It was the oil embargo of the 70's made the inflation of everything related to oil products. 

I came to Houston in 1977 and my paid was raised to $450 a month and I gave that $400 saving to my poor elder sister for her expensive at school in Kansas. My brother allowed me to stay at his home until I got married. At that time, I had purchased a condominium and a new house with minimum down payments and 9.75% mortgage which was very high inflation. One time, I even joined my elder sister to purchase a rental house with 12.75% mortgage gradually increasing rate of 1% each year, that was 1982. I have not in default for every house which I had owned. I didn't make a profit, yet I did get my money back with a little bit of diminished value after 20 years. During this period of hard inflation, I had been working and raising a family simultaneously. I have never received any of the welfare money and the un-employment benefit because both are not applied to my situation by laws.

I have been very lucky to be healthy and also I have saved to the maximum allowed to my retirement in mutual funds. For the past 10 years, the country has been experienced the economic boom as a matter of fact more than 2 decades. My retirement savings have been appreciated and I can maintain my frugal life style without any worry. This inflation of 2022 means no stress to me. As a matter of fact, I get my old investment of the oil stock money back, of course, not as good as high tech stocks in my retirement mutual funds. My retirement funds are down more than 20% this year and that is also the worry of the U.S. government because I can't pay more income tax.

People will get used to the inflation as long as we can manage to live through it. We must take advantage of our opportunity to work and to save for the funds available for a hard time like this. 

2022年經濟狀況／莊峻華

 2022年經濟狀況／莊峻華

今年已過半年，股市低迷，年初沒有明顯的小股票漲價，年中也沒有夏季重振，股市續跌，而且通貨膨脹，非常厲害，開車使用之汽油，增加一倍以上，原油一桶飆高到一百二十元，我先將石油股賣出，拿回本金，今年以前的十五年，都是虧本，當然領回本金，也是貶值之美金。

經濟成長幾十年，是將遇到通貨膨脹，而且美金也會貶值，例如投資的股票，消條之經濟，消費者減少支出，將就一切，商業會受不了，聯邦政府中的民主黨參議員，又提議增加社會福利金，也是騙票辦法，和共和黨之減富人所得稅率一般，我的經驗是，每個人從小就要養成好習慣，努力讀書，認真工作，節約儲蓄，入必縛出，有錢要買斷一切，不要有債務。

我看總統以下，財政部長，央行總裁等，都開始頭疼，如何處理這頑固之通貨膨脹？我稍歸類幾項主因，第一，長期擴充之經濟，需要冷却，消耗掉過餘之生產，戰爭一例，雖然殘忍，但戰爭消耗許多庫存。第二，減稅，可以使美國人大膽消費，刺激生產。第三，減輕進口關稅，美國需要斟酌對中國之關稅，中國貨物廉價，維護美國幾十年廉價消費物品，當然，也需要考慮中國之狡詐，盜竊成品專利。

這些都需時間，要能渡過難關，例如，買斷之住屋座車等，通貨膨脹時，住行都無問題，前幾天我拿舊西裝去乾洗，十年來不曾穿洗，休市夏天太熱，無業後也無需西服社交，偶爾取出參加郵輪派對，僅此而已。

講到郵輪，我就擔心郵輪在消條期間之生意，郵輪旅行是一消費，不是必需，但確是嗜好，期中又必需考慮到機票，旅舍，和碼頭交通等，通貨膨脹後，我需多考慮成本，郵輪航空公司旅舍等，都需煩惱沒有生意。

To my dear friemds on cruises/Carlos Pueblo

 To my dear friends on cruises/Carlos Pueblo

After a week back from my 4 cruises vacation, my life is back to regular and normal. The right shoulder pain due to the lack of tennis playing is getting better every day. I am enjoying the heat way of South Texas weather by swimming after my morning tennis. My defensive stroke in tennis is back and I am back in my game.

I have taken some photos on the trip from both ships. My son Arthur has helped me up-load them to my desk top and i am going to send them to you. I know that I may have some difficulty to e-mail each one properly, yet I am going to do my best. Thank you very much for your patience and your friendships.

I have a plan to go back to Seattle to take the last Alaskan cruise for the season and back to Miami along the Pacific Coast through the Panama Canal in October. I hope to see some of you if you're not on vacation.

郵輪旅行回來一週／莊峻華

 郵輪旅行回來一週／莊峻華

上週一郵輪旅行返家，這是武肺肆虐27個月後，首次出外旅行，我選擇郵輪旅行，因為較為方便習慣，這次連續週遊加勒比海，橫跨大西洋和地中海，最後在阿拉斯加結束，我希望十月中旬，重返西雅圖港，再搭船遊最後一季阿拉斯加，再隨該輪遊美墨西海岸，沿巴拿馬運河回邁阿密港，愛美要我回家過感恩節。

這次搭兩船，寶石號和安可號，都是初次，但都有舊識關係可尋，搭乘郵輪旅行，像是回家一般親切，而且行程多次重複，我仍舊認收愛女愛孫女，現在連男孩們也來找慣係，許多船員都是舊識，非常親切，我因年紀漸高，開始接認孫女，一兩日後整船都知道這號人物之到來，這是我最喜愛郵輪旅行之處，這些年輕船員，工作努力，和藹親切，認勞認怨，真實社會難覓，連我親生女兒，已近中年，口氣仍舊拔扈不勘。

因為武肺未解除，郵輪職員，仍舊需要戴口罩，我們也跟著戴口罩，我戴三具，第一具抗議中國習近平，隱瞞瘟疫，第二具抗議不打疫苗者，第三具抗議不戴口罩者，船上人口密集，雖然許多防範措施，我相信還是有人感染，例如一些人突然失蹤幾日，大約是被隔離，郵輪已經有能力和知識應戰，有時候郵輪開始發口罩，或是強調戴口罩，都是有原因。

我大約留覽一下拍攝相片，我將開始寄出相片留念，我希望身體尚能郵輪旅行幾年，這是我老年之嗜好，對我身心調劑有益。雖然旅行中，有很多步行，甚至爬山行軍，但均未有適當之手背運動，右肩開始酸痛，有時影享睡眠，回來一週，恢復網球和游泳，四肢開始恢復正常。