This is from traderp's journal on June 16th of this year...

Being a good stock trader is being God -- you are one step removed from the system. You profit from the system, but you are no longer required to be a producer within the producer-consumer equation. Once the escape from being a producer happens within the system, you have absolute economic freedom.

I've always thought this but I've never been able to put it in such positive terms. People get mad at traders (especially scalpers). They think we're some sort of parasite, and in a way we are, exploiting the tiniest inefficiencies in micromomentum markets. (We DO steal all the good fills at good prices from the 9-to-5 schmoes' fund buyers...) The richest of us are still only nibbling away at pennies in the fluctuatuions of thousands of securities and commodities, each with billions of dollars in market caps. So I've always thought of myself as being a parasite, living off the inefficiencies of other people's transactions, like a beggar getting change from the world markets or scrounging in garbage cans for scraps of food.

But I don't want to think this way anymore. There is a fucking NOBILITY to what we do. We are voluntarily seceding from the machinations of capitalism. Instead of being the slave hamsters that power the juggernaut, or being lucky enough to be one of the few who get to ride on it, we're keeping pace with it at our leisure, scooping up the exhorbitant amounts of excess money that fall off at every bump in the road.

I don't want to PRODUCE anything for anyone else to use. My time here is limited and NO AMOUNT of money per hour can make me use that time making something for someone else to use or enjoy. I am fucking PROUD to steal from the machine, and participate as a consumer when I want.

In Grand Bend this weekend I bought a Corona at Coco's. I was sitting with JADESTAR, her hot friend ANGTWIN, and a bunch of dudes I didn't know, and they saw me pay for it with a twenty, take the ten dollar bill back, and leave $4.50 in change as a tip.

They didn't understand why I left such a big tip, and proceeded to say shit like "Ten bucks!?! That's like an hour of my time!" etc., etc. Fuck impressing them or anyone; I don't care about that kind of shit. My reason was: I'm wearing a bathing suit with one pocket that fits only my wallet. I don't have anywhere else to carry four loonies and two quarters, I don't want them jangling around uncomfortably in the full ass-pocket of my wet bathing suit. The point is, that $4.50 was not measured in sacrificed minutes of my precious time living in this universe. It was made in some profitable trade somewhere, and I make dozens of those EVERY DAY. I spent ten bucks to enjoy a sunset with some ladies in a little beach town, cold beer in my hand.

And THAT is economic freedom.