There are few Americans that I know, or can imagine, that would give $12,000 to a beggar on the street.  I doubt there are even many Americans who would give $12,000 to their neighbor who just lost his job.  For that matter, I'll bet there are few that would even give a family member $12,000, even if that family member had just lost their job and really needed it.  This isn't just because many of us don't have $12,000 to give, though many of us don't, but quite rightly, we question exactly what the recipients would do with that money, what type of mistake or mistakes they had made to put themselves in the position to "really need" $12,000, and also, why they "deserve" that money more than you, who had earned it.  Certainly, if giving this money to beggars, neighbors, or family was productive most of the time, then people would probably be doing it a lot more often, maybe even as often as they could.  For instance, working at a job is productive, most of the time, which is why so many people do it so often.  You need to work to survive, and survival is certainly productive for the individual, right?

So why has every American given $12,000 to the Federal Government and counting?  $3.8 trillion dollars, divided by the three hundred million people in the United States, equals $12,000.  Maybe, because this is the first that they've heard of this?  Or maybe because in once sense, they haven't given it; it's been stolen from them?  Or maybe because they didn't need to write a check or actually hand the cash to an IRS agent?  Or maybe because they wanted to, which is why they voted for the President and the congress who just passed that 3.8 trillion, and counting?

I don't know why, nor do I claim to hold the pulse of the American people in my hand, but there are some very simple things that I do know, and that I think are apparent to most Americans.

1.  Borrowing or spending your way out of debt doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  When you owe a lot of money, and the monthly payment on your credit card is becoming very painful because you bought that extra LCD screen for your bedroom and that new computer, it's probably not the best time to take a loan out to donate $12,000 to your neighbor or the beggar on the street.

2.  Stealing money from people who create and produce things, only makes those people angry.  They will either want to stop producing things, leave the country, or break the law, and those are the reasonable solutions.

3.  Stealing is morally wrong, even if the thief benefits greatly from the theft.  In the end, the thief will be judged by society, and ultimately god.  That judgement will always be harsh.

Americans have been a strange bunch ever since coming to "The New World."  They ideas they lived, had never been tried before with such a large group of people in agreement.  They travelled from all over the world, from different cultures, to experience the reality of their dreams, which to a lot of people at the time, sounded like nightmares.  The American adventure, at the time, was only for the "crazies," and many did die trying to live their dreams, but many survived and flourished, more than any humans in recorded history had ever flourished.

If anything I wrote above doesn't make sense to you, or you disagree, then I recommend that you read many of the awesome books out there, like FDR's Folly, Freedom to Choose, Atlas Shrugged,  The Road to Serfdom, or any of the countless others.  If you are blind, just don't like reading, or would simply rather have a different medium, check the books out at Audible.com and listen to them via your ipod or stereo.

How many of you have had the opportunity to live for a couple days in the airport, and taken it?  I've heard people refer to this experience as a bad dream, which wouldn't be too inaccurate, except that my bad dreams tend to be a lot more exciting and involved.  A better description for me, would be a long and boring dream.  Having my motorcycle stolen was like one of my bad dreams.

So here I am in Lima, Peru, in my long and boring dream.  At least I have internet and a power outlet, thanks to Starbucks, a coffee shop and one of my previous employers.  Thank you Starbucks.

Last night, I slept on the floor, near a fire hose, and the flight status monitors.  There was already one couple and a random dude sleeping in the vicinity.  I was very happy not to have to be the first one to make a makeshift bed and bunk out on the airport floor, although, I was the last one to still be there when I woke up this morning at 9am.

There's nothing quite like the experience of sleeping on the floor, alone, waking up, and seeing that everyone is walking around you and looking at you.

I think I'd prefer this to be a bad dream.

 42 Hours

How many of your dreams last for two days?  Few of mine last for two days, so I'm pretty sure this isn't a dream.  So far, I've logged 42 hours in this airport.  It kind of feels like home now.  My stomach has settled into the poor quality food, and I found a place that sells a 2.5 liters of water for $2, instead of $6.40, like Starbucks.  Life is better tonight.

57 hours

Again, tonight,  the good spot on the floor was already taken, because I didn't make it to sleep until 4am.  Around 6am, I moved to the good spot, since I was the only one left sleeping on the floor, again.  Around 8am I moved to an open Starbucks cushioned chair, and slept there until around 1:30pm.  Tonight, I'm flying out on a regular ticket, since my stand by flights have failed me thus far, and if I don't make it out tonight, I will miss my flight to the caribbean.

64 Hours Total

A record amount of time in an airport, if I make it out tonight at 11pm.

I made it out on another ticket with Spirit Airlines.

Erik Stone's living in airport record: 64 hours