| Author | Message | ||
     Fahren |
For anyone wanting a good and humorous perspective on things, in a great but Not Work Safe video format, check out Deek Jackson at FKN News: http://deekjackson.com/ | ||
| Fahren |
And this (work-safe) may help us all get our heads around the enormity of it all: A visualization of the US debt: http://www.wtfnoway.com/ | ||
| Dannyd |
Char, You said exactly how I feel. The funny thing is from an article I just read on Yahoo, I am considered to be in the top 10% of wealth in America. I sure don't feel wealthy!!! (Message edited by dannyd on July 26, 2011) | ||
| Whatever |
If EVERYONE stopped having children the problem would be solved in the next 200 years easy...  | ||
| Dannyd |
Actually white folks have stopped having big families and it is the Hispanics who keep reproducing. In about 30 years the Hispanics are going to be the majority and it will be their problem to figure out how to pay for everything. You have to wonder how they will feel about illegal immigration then? | ||
| Chauly |
Here's a thought: if it is likely that the mortgage interest deduction is going to be done away with, wouldn't it be better to do it when interest rates are at or near their historical lows? The impact wouldn't be so high... Just thinking. | ||
| Hootowl |
Some good news at least... http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/07/26/ten-states -that-added-the-most-jobs-in-the-first-half-of-201 1/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl11%7Csec1_lnk2%7C8 1147  | ||
| Court |
I'll comment on a few of these items but before I do let me make a couple points clear. 1) Char, and I share this because many of you are new to Buell & Badweb, is a smart person, a good person, well educated and has thought out points of view. Although we may disagree on some issues (and this will be a treat to some of you who've been drug through some of the things here recently) she and I can discuss and listen to each other’s opinions without wrestling in the mud . . . as much as I'd love to mud wrestle her. Dave Gess and I have done this for years. We are polar opposites ideologically in many ways. But I always enjoy talking, listening and hearing his point of view. The internet makes it too easy to call a person a name, call them "dumb" and dismiss them. Dave and Char are both smart folks and the mere fact that folks I know to be smart harbor such opinions makes me want to listen. May not make me agree but I listen. No one ever learned anything by talking. 2) Trying to hang any specific part of this on either the republicans or democrats is akin to holding balloons underwater in a bathtub. The harder you try the more evident the futility becomes. We've had some dishonest leaders and, in all candor, some who just couldn't make the mental extrapolation to see what the "term de jour" of "unsustainable" has come to infer. Regardless of your position on these issues . . . I'd be challenged to find a single person here that would subscribe the principles government has employed, to run their own life. That being said . . . some random thoughts . . mostly to fuel the fire of discussion. . ________________________________________ quote: When I can't buy groceries or medication, will you buy them for me ? ________________________________________ I'd be willing to help and that was, at least in part, my intent when I paid those taxes without bitching or complaining. I want to help build highways, help the less fortunate and all those things government did before it became bloated and tried to be everything to everybody. ________________________________________ quote: Is it unreasonable for me to believe that since I have paid taxes for over twenty years that I should have a reasonable expectation that I should not starve to death or die of illness in the US in the 21st century ? ________________________________________ Tough question. If I had my way, a long shot, I'd much rather see one of those "uber rich" create some scientist type job, you work, produce, buy insurance and reap the benefits of self reliance. I'm convinced that one of the great problems of the "redistribution" is that you can move all the money in the world but no amount of money replaces the self-esteem of having cast your own destiny. ________________________________________ quote: And YES... how about a flat tax of 33% for EVERYONE... regardless of how much you make... unless of course you are unemployed or disabled. ________________________________________ You darn sure have my vote on that one. I'd maybe even go along with making it a VAT type of thing . . you buy gas, you pay the tax on it, you buy a shirt, you pay the tax . . and, you’re gonna love this, you buy a boat or a jet . . yep, you pay the tax. ________________________________________ quote: I’d like to see a clean outline of where all those stimulus dollars went. ________________________________________ You can't. It's an utter embarrassment. The stimulus.gov website, heralded as the new transparency it would bring, was a disaster from day 1. At one point there was something like $250,000,000 unaccounted for. Stupidity, as was highlighted in Billy Jack, is not illegal. Incompetence may be but malfeasance certainly is. At the least it's a shame, it may be a crime. At this . . at a time when government jobs now pay an average of 31% more than the private sector and the number of folks in government making over $165,000 per year has skyrocketed in the last 18 months. ________________________________________ quote: With nearly 50% of the population being part of the "recipient class" with ZERO LIABILITY for payment for the programs they consume, why be concerned about the tax rates the wealthy pay? ________________________________________ If you have ever been in a tug-o-war . . you know what happens when >50% of the folks get on one side of the rope . . . I've heard theories about "vote only if you pay taxes" but that violates everything that is American. But . . we have learned that by and large folks stay out of work as long as unemployment benefits last. Yes. I am aware that's not everyone and is always the case. The scary part is how many folks it does describe. ________________________________________ quote: I agree with Sheriff Joe. It's time for EVERYONE to have "skin in the game". ________________________________________ There used to be something in America that was akin to what I knew in the United States Marine Corps. If I saw a Marine, a person who's name I didn't know and who's face I'd never seen, in peril . . I'd do whatever it took, place myself at whatever risk I needed and overcome any obstacle necessary to help. Some here know that mental dynamic. I recall an America like that. I remember when people, not programs, helped each other. We strayed away from that and the further we got the more poignant the lesson became about how futile charity and human kindness become when they need to be properly documented to "cover your ass". Shame it is. My parents both worked multiple jobs when I was a kid. I lived with the Guerrero family near the Santa Fe shops in the Urban Renewal Project in Topeka, KS during the week sometimes. These folks were pretty much on the edge of poverty, but they were terribly proud, worked hard every day and most of all they were happy. They were grateful, not for handouts or charity, but for one another. Their faith was their anchor. It worked. ________________________________________ quote: My financial situation is due to choices I've made. ________________________________________ And you may take joy in the fact that one of the things that made that America I described so damn great is that you are able to remake that choice and to remake your lot whenever and however you choose. I knew Erik Buell when he, literally, couldn't buy groceries. He never applied for any program, just applied himself and worked harder. Folks do it in record numbers every day. Colonel Sanders (and someone will have to correct me on this age) was broke and on his ass at age 60 or something. My Granddad was orphaned and lived with over a dozen families. He later sold his chain of stores (yep, you know them) at 87 years old for $873M. By the way, he was also in a store bagging groceries on his 87th birthday. ________________________________________ quote: Court for President. Best one line summary of the problem ever. ________________________________________ Okay . . . so you get one funny story. Years ago there actually was the start of an effort to run me for Mayor. My theory was this . . . first, double the salaries of teachers and law enforcement professionals. I wanted law enforcement and teachers to make about the same as young lawyers. The opposition cried . . "but how will we pay for that". I responded. . the moment the word gets out that we are the safety city in America and that our schools are the envy of even the best private schools that . . . well . . it was like the Delta Delta Delta house at KSU . . . you get enough attractive stuff in one place and you can keep folks from coming to town. Well . . I made it quite clear that I knew my thoughts were a tad radical and that I, in fact, had no intentions of running. The reporter from the Capital-Journal, Mr. Mike Hall, asked me if I would "eventually be persuaded" . . my comment was "not now, not ever, not under any circumstances . . clear enough?". Well . . in those days things were looking good in town. Santa Fe moved their entire IT function to town, they moved their shop facilities from San Bernardino to town and things were looking great. Then the pendulum of government thinking changed. The last time I was in town I shot a photo looking down Kansas Avenue and it was nearly empty. The Menninger Foundation, founded and run by a group of very famous Topeka doctors (Google Karl Menninger) actually closed down their entire campus (it was huge) and moved to Texas. Government sets the stage . . . it creates the environment . . but it can't play the music are create one job without private entrepreneurs, those taxpaying "uber rich" with vision and dreams. I want my America back damnit. | ||
| Whatever |
Funny thing is that Court understands the questions I asked were all in jest... if I only wanted a handout I would have seduced some rich old sick bast*rd and killed him by having sex some years ago...  Court knows more of what I have been through than a lot of people here do, and most of you know next to nothing... so I do not take any of it personally. | ||
| Hootowl |
"some rich old sick bast*rd and killed him by having sex" That reminds me of a really good joke. You can fill in the beginning, I'll just skip to the punch line. Guy comes out of the bathroom wearing ear plugs, nose plugs, and a condom. "Two things I can't stand are the sound of a woman screaming and the smell of burning rubber." | ||
| Mtjm2 |
HEY , Char . not rich or edgimicatedd , but IM up for the S word . COME ON DOWN !! That should be the new Obama slogan | ||
| Kenm123t |
Char why are there pics of you choking Court on badweb ? lol You ll get a job You need to be out on your own you care about results not moving paper. I do all of it some days but i hire drones to do the tedious bs paper moving. My job is rain maker keep the whole place together and moving. Start a EE consulting company. I may be building a waste processing system in the US for a off shore company. Selling the units and or leaseing them May be you would be interested in I ll keep you posted. I meet with the owners in Sept | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
For far too long the Federal government has sought and succeeded in being the arch competitor to charity. "I gave at the office." is the new mantra. Why should I give gigantic sums to the Federal government to combat hunger/poverty/medical issues/housing issues/world hunger/etc. AND give to provide for those in need. I still do, but I resent it. I want to determine where my charity goes, who I provide for, and how much. I don't want someone else to do it. It isn't charity if it comes at the point of a gun. I went to Joplin and volunteered because I wanted to. I went to Honduras to volunteer my time because I wanted to. I give to my church because I want to. My wife's company donates a portion of the sale of their line to a local charity that supports adults with mental handicaps because SHE wants to. Each organization is flat, efficient, and seeks to place those dollars where they will go the farthest and do the most good. I don't have to worry about the resources being squandered buying beer instead of baby formula or being spent at a casino or on junk food. THAT was the intent of the Framers. If someone is selfish and doesn't want to give any of THEIR money away, what is it my business? It's their loss, not mine. They are only one person. The waste and the grift of the Federal system is MANY times worse and less efficient than having a selfish person here or there. We have all seen the charity and help that has come from total strangers here in BW toward other total strangers here on BW. THAT is the American spirit. That is what America is all about. The problem is that every dollar the Federal government confiscates in the name of charity is spent a thousand times less efficiently than it would be in the hands of private citizens to provide for the same charitable intent. It makes me sick. Institutionalized charity creates entitlement mentality. Period. When you accept charity and have to look the provider of that charity in the eye, you have a feeling of obligation that is created within. When it comes as a check in the mail or from a nameless, faceless bureaucracy, you are able to create a framework of entitlement. "I would have this already, but some rich person took it from me." | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
If someone is without a job, whose responsibility is it to fix that condition? | ||
| Whatever |
What jobs ? Not everyone who wants a job desperately and does everything they can to get a job is going to have the privelege of having a job now. State of North Carolina has layed off 600 people in the last month and eliminated 160 open positions. Looks like the Feds will soon follow suit. If corporations follow the model of HD and lay off 30%, demote 30% to less than half of their former pay and keep the executives, exactly how does that create jobs? How does the economy recover if the middle class ceases to exist ? If there is some secret to getting a living wage job (10$ an hour or more), please spill the beans, I am dying to know how to do it. | ||
| Fahren |
What jobs? US citizens will be limited to a couple of options: 1. "You want fries with that?" and 2. http://motherjones.com/rights-stuff/2011/07/ohio-w arehouse-temps-unemployment Thanks to every president, red, blue or purple, since (at least) Nixon, and the goofuses in the US Congress. And the superpowers of the economy whose bidding they do. | ||
| Chauly |
Char, you're near Greensboro, or where? Completely wedded to the "stay around here" thing? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Please answer the question. Who's responsibility is it to "create" jobs? (Message edited by ft bstrd on July 26, 2011) | ||
| 01x1buell |
i would love to answer that,in my opinion it is not the governments ,but they do have a direct affect on the job market due to the horrible way it is run right now/. i am working a •••••• job right now the only way i can work here and pay all bills is that i work 55 to 60 hrs a week so i get alot of o/t | ||
| Whatever |
You changed your question there Fatty... are you suggesting the unemployed have to create their own jobs ? Obviously you believe every person who is unemployed is so because it is their own fault . Did God resign and hire you in his place ? | ||
| 01x1buell |
you know i agree with you there charlotte i was unemployed for a while and it was not my fault but after 6 months of searching i was able to find one. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Please answer EITHER question. Pick one. I don't believe I've indicated my beliefs in stating either question. | ||
| 01x1buell |
if you are without a job it does not mean that it is your fault. sometime it is the employers fault for doing dumb shit. and yes some people deserve to lose there jobs for being f%^$in morons and doing dumb shit. some things do happen without any explination . but maybe if this so called government did ther job and did not mess things up we MIGHT be a little better off, i am not saying we will be better off we just MIGHT . GWB was much better in some ways then mr black. | ||
| Whatever |
I don't know if it IS possible to 'create' a job. I think it is a myth. I also think it is my responsibility to 'get' a job. But like many people I am only medically capable of doing certain work... which is why it is called a disability... which I suppose some would say is also my fault . | ||
| Whatever |
I don't think moving to India to make 2$ a day is a viable option today. | ||
| Whatever |
In a perfect world I would have been a cop or enlisted... but I am too old and broken to do that now. | ||
| Johnnymceldoo |
What inhibits certain work but doesn't affect riding a motorcycle? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Concentrate. Where do jobs come from? | ||
| 01x1buell |
Where do jobs come from? they come from a need for certain products and services ,, and as always money that creates jobs. the more u have the more u spenr the more the demand for people to make/ build/ install/serviced everyone who has money. | ||
| Rocketsprink |
I thought the republicans made that their mantra in 2010 to "create" jobs. So to answer your question, the republicans. That's what they said they'd do. So far I'd give them a big fat F. Go back and do some reading. That was their platform. Just like fear gay marriage was in 2004. Very effective party at fear mongering. Not good at anything else though. Their track record proves that. |
