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That's what got us into all this crap - "go out and buy something". Why would I? What kind of a freedom is that when you are owned by the bank?
Let me rephrase that.. Go out and buy something you can afford.. What got us into this mess was people buying homes, cars and a bunch of other crap that they couldn't afford. Couples with a 100K a year income buying million dollar homes and the banks let them do it... etc etc
So the solution is to go out and get jobs and go buy things.
What a keynesian-simplified attitude!
There are 6 million people out of work in this country, 60% of the country is on some kind of assistance, food prices have literally doubled in the past year and continue to climb, jobs are not being created fast enough to even keep up with those graduating from college, much less high school, and the solution is to get a job and buy things. Can't afford them - guess you have to get another job, eh? Golly, hope you can afford those heating bills this winter.
My DH and I worked two jobs apiece for over 20 years to raise our family. He was crippled at one of them. I still work; and we sold everything 3 years ago and bought a farm to raise our own food (which is working out very well, TYVM, and what we had worked so hard to do). But then, of course, we understood basic economics.
Unfortunately, not a lot of people saw or wanted to see that, in a service economy, there are not only fewer jobs, but when service-employed people are the only ones paying other service-employed peoples' salaries, while manufacturing is overseas, we are passing the same handful of dollars back and forth, devaluing them at every pass, while sending the bulk of our money out of the country to buy everything from clothes and food to weedeaters and TVs. If you don't MAKE something, you have no wealth, because it is dependent on purchasing what other people make. So not only are the people in this country slipping back into poverty, they soon will not be able to afford even basic necessities, and will be dependent on the government for even a loaf of bread.
And the solution is to go out and get a job and buy something. Brilliant. I guess George Soros has finally come to City-Data to spread his wisdom - or maybe Alan Greenspan. Yay, New World Order! There's not going to be a collapse, as long as we can keep borrowing from the Chinese and raising the debt ceiling... Of course not.
As Margaret Thatcher said, "the trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples' money". When we run out, and we can't afford to borrow much less pay it back, no worries - we'll just get some other poor fool to buy our debt. Ponzi lives!
Evidently not even these jobs are working out. My son has a job like this.
This came to me from a friend on line.
Read it and weep.
.................................................. .................................................. ....
Military Pay
If you get this more than once, feel honored that you know more than one person who supports our military and appreciates what they do.
If you don't forward it, you don't deserve their sacrifice.
CINDY WILLIAMS was appointed by Obama as an Assistant Director for NATIONAL SECURITY in the Congressional Budget Office.....
Military Pay
This is an Airman's response to Cindy Williams' editorial piece in the Washington Times about MILITARY PAY, it should be printed in all newspapers across America ..
Ms. Cindy William wrote a piece for the Washington Times denouncing the pay raise(s) coming service members' way this year citing that she stated a 13% wage increase was more than they deserve.
A young airman from Hill AFB responds to her article below. He ought to get a bonus for this.
"Ms Williams:
I just had the pleasure of reading your column, "Our GI's earn enough" and I am a bit confused. Frankly, I'm wondering where this vaunted overpayment is going, because as far as I can tell, it disappears every month between DFAS (The Defense Finance and Accounting Service) and my bank account. Checking my latest earnings statement I see that I make $1,117.80 before taxes per month. After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run that through the calculator, I come up with an annual salary of $13,413.60 before taxes, and $10,49040 after.
I work in the Air Force Network Control Center where I am part of the team responsible for a 5,000 host computer network. I am involved with infrastructure segments, specifically with Cisco Systems equipment. A quick check under jobs for "Network Technicians" in the Washington , D.C. area reveals a position in my career field, requiring three yearsˆ™ experience in my job. Amazingly, this job does NOT pay $13,413.60 a year. No, this job is being offered at $70,000 to $80,000 per annum............ I'm sure you can draw the obvious conclusions.
Given the tenor of your column, I would assume that you NEVER had the pleasure of serving your country in her armed forces.
Before you take it upon yourself to once more castigate congressional and DOD leadership for attempting to get the families in the military's lowest pay brackets off of WIC and food stamps, I suggest that you join a group of deploying soldiers headed for AFGHANISTAN ; I leave the choice of service branch up to you. Whatever choice you make though, opt for the SIX month rotation: it will guarantee you the longest possible time away from your family and friends, thus giving you full "deployment experience."
As your group prepares to board the plane, make sure to note the spouses and children who are saying good-bye to their loved ones. Also take care to note that several families are still unsure of how they'll be able to make ends meet while the primary breadwinner is gone. Obviously they've been squandering the "vast" piles of cash the government has been giving them.
Try to deploy over a major holiday; Christmas and Thanksgiving are perennial favorites.. And when you're actually over there, sitting in a foxhole, shivering against the cold desert night, and the flight sergeant tells you that there aren't enough people on shift to relieve you for chow, remember this: trade whatever MRE's (meal-ready-to-eat) you manage to get for the tuna noodle casserole or cheese tortellini, and add Tabasco to everything. This gives some flavor.
Talk to your loved ones as often as you are permitted; it won't be nearly long enough or often enough, but take what you can get and be thankful for it. You may have picked up on the fact that I disagree with most of the points you present in your open piece.
But, tomorrow from KABUL , I will defend to the death your right to say it.
You see, I am an American fighting man, a guarantor of your First Amendment right and every other right you cherish...On a daily basis, my brother and sister soldiers worldwide ensure that you and people like you can thumb your collective noses at us, all on a salary that is nothing short of pitiful and under conditions that would make most people cringe. We hemorrhage our best and brightest into the private sector because we can't offer the stability and pay of civilian companies.
And you, Ms.. Williams, have the gall to say that we make more than we deserve?
Evidently not even these jobs are working out. My son has a job like this.
This came to me from a friend on line.
Read it and weep.
.................................................. .................................................. ....
Military Pay
If you get this more than once, feel honored that you know more than one person who supports our military and appreciates what they do.
If you don't forward it, you don't deserve their sacrifice.
CINDY WILLIAMS was appointed by Obama as an Assistant Director for NATIONAL SECURITY in the Congressional Budget Office.....
Military Pay
This is an Airman's response to Cindy Williams' editorial piece in the Washington Times about MILITARY PAY, it should be printed in all newspapers across America ..
Ms. Cindy William wrote a piece for the Washington Times denouncing the pay raise(s) coming service members' way this year citing that she stated a 13% wage increase was more than they deserve.
A young airman from Hill AFB responds to her article below. He ought to get a bonus for this.
"Ms Williams:
I just had the pleasure of reading your column, "Our GI's earn enough" and I am a bit confused. Frankly, I'm wondering where this vaunted overpayment is going, because as far as I can tell, it disappears every month between DFAS (The Defense Finance and Accounting Service) and my bank account. Checking my latest earnings statement I see that I make $1,117.80 before taxes per month. After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run that through the calculator, I come up with an annual salary of $13,413.60 before taxes, and $10,49040 after.
I work in the Air Force Network Control Center where I am part of the team responsible for a 5,000 host computer network. I am involved with infrastructure segments, specifically with Cisco Systems equipment. A quick check under jobs for "Network Technicians" in the Washington , D.C. area reveals a position in my career field, requiring three yearsˆ™ experience in my job. Amazingly, this job does NOT pay $13,413.60 a year. No, this job is being offered at $70,000 to $80,000 per annum............ I'm sure you can draw the obvious conclusions.
Given the tenor of your column, I would assume that you NEVER had the pleasure of serving your country in her armed forces.
Before you take it upon yourself to once more castigate congressional and DOD leadership for attempting to get the families in the military's lowest pay brackets off of WIC and food stamps, I suggest that you join a group of deploying soldiers headed for AFGHANISTAN ; I leave the choice of service branch up to you. Whatever choice you make though, opt for the SIX month rotation: it will guarantee you the longest possible time away from your family and friends, thus giving you full "deployment experience."
As your group prepares to board the plane, make sure to note the spouses and children who are saying good-bye to their loved ones. Also take care to note that several families are still unsure of how they'll be able to make ends meet while the primary breadwinner is gone. Obviously they've been squandering the "vast" piles of cash the government has been giving them.
Try to deploy over a major holiday; Christmas and Thanksgiving are perennial favorites.. And when you're actually over there, sitting in a foxhole, shivering against the cold desert night, and the flight sergeant tells you that there aren't enough people on shift to relieve you for chow, remember this: trade whatever MRE's (meal-ready-to-eat) you manage to get for the tuna noodle casserole or cheese tortellini, and add Tabasco to everything. This gives some flavor.
Talk to your loved ones as often as you are permitted; it won't be nearly long enough or often enough, but take what you can get and be thankful for it. You may have picked up on the fact that I disagree with most of the points you present in your open piece.
But, tomorrow from KABUL , I will defend to the death your right to say it.
You see, I am an American fighting man, a guarantor of your First Amendment right and every other right you cherish...On a daily basis, my brother and sister soldiers worldwide ensure that you and people like you can thumb your collective noses at us, all on a salary that is nothing short of pitiful and under conditions that would make most people cringe. We hemorrhage our best and brightest into the private sector because we can't offer the stability and pay of civilian companies.
And you, Ms.. Williams, have the gall to say that we make more than we deserve?
Let me rephrase that.. Go out and buy something you can afford.. What got us into this mess was people buying homes, cars and a bunch of other crap that they couldn't afford. Couples with a 100K a year income buying million dollar homes and the banks let them do it... etc etc
No, go out and learn how to make something you need. I am tired of paying for overpriced shoddy services, crap products that cost 20 times the material they are worth and the time that was put in. The society has reduced itself to making a quick buck off the incapable masses that don't care. I draw the line when I call a plumber to install a faucet in my kitchen and get a $200 quote for one hour of labor (I already bought the faucet). So, I did it myself. I am growing my own food, soon I will own enough pasture for my horses and a few cows. Trades, craftsmanship, it's all dead or dying. It's all about shoddy work and the quick buck now.
Even though the letter was directed towards a different Cindy Williams, the letter itself is still genuine and was indeed written by the airman who signed it. And I completely agree, our service personnel are grossly underpaid, and deserve much better both during their term of service and afterwards.
Now back to the topic of the thread.....
I don't think anyone here is hoping or predicting the end of the world. I find that statement to be quite offensive, and the tone in which it was delivered condescending. While there are quite frequently discussions regarding potential scenarios that may be possible (even if they are improbable) those discussions are there to stimulate creative thinking abilities that will be needed when/if such events may come to pass. The discussions and speculations are not wishful thinking, no one actually hopes for something terrible to happen. The discussions are there to assist others in deciding how to plan for what each individual feels is the most likely scenarios that may happen and what they can do to minimize the negative impact on their individual families.
It isn't doomer porn. I plan for different scenarios than you might plan for, and the same can be said for every member of this forum. While I find the discussions on some of the more extreme scenarios fascinating, and at times amusing, that doesn't mean those discussions have no place in a rational forum. The most likely things that could happen are the everyday emergencies...storms and storm damage, chemical spills from tanker trucks/trains/ships, job loss, crop failures, personal injuries, etc. Sure there are other things that can happen, like a major asteroid strike, supervolcano eruptions, global economic meltdowns, and government collapse (this list not in order of possibility). All of these possible scenarios are likely to happen at some point, which may or may not happen during my or your lifetime. But preparing for bad things to happen is merely a form of insurance, much like car or home insurance. Because we buy insurance doesn't mean we actively hope to need it.
I am always surprised at the level of ignorance displayed by those who think that preparing for the possibility of something bad must mean those who prepare are crazy doomer nutjobs who can't wait for the end of the world to come. To every single one of them I wonder...do you have life or health insurance? Car, homeowner, personal liability insurance? Do you keep our money in a federally insured financial institution? If you answer yes to any one of those questions, then guess what? You are a prepper too.
Thanks Jet, but the sentiment is still there. My college grad son joined up for lack of better pay, in better jobs. He is deep in the sand as I type. And I suppose once he gets home and then gets out, it's back to poundin nails at NH rate pay. Not real good pay.
No, go out and learn how to make something you need. I am tired of paying for overpriced shoddy services, crap products that cost 20 times the material they are worth and the time that was put in. The society has reduced itself to making a quick buck off the incapable masses that don't care. I draw the line when I call a plumber to install a faucet in my kitchen and get a $200 quote for one hour of labor (I already bought the faucet). So, I did it myself. I am growing my own food, soon I will own enough pasture for my horses and a few cows. Trades, craftsmanship, it's all dead or dying. It's all about shoddy work and the quick buck now.
OD
I hear that! Once because I was busy I paid a tech to do ball joints in a 84 Chevy truck, a 4x4, and I had replaced these my self once before. I still own that truck. The job I got was crude, things were broken that hadn't a thing to do with the work, and other things were attempted to be taken apart that didn't need to come apart to just do the job.
I was smokin mad over steering knuckel threads destroyed too.
I no longer hire out for anything. I need new pipes I do it, a rok I do it, the snow shoveled off the barn I do it, The cars, trucks and bikes fixed I do it, I do all small engines too.
I want a book case, I buy lumber and rabbit out the ends and build it. No matter what it is I can do it.
I sew in cloth and leather, make holsters and noc, Mittens too, coats hats shirts and pants. I even make moc boots to my knee. Want a knife, I make it. Want a canteen, I make that too of birch bark and split out white pine with bass wood plugs and fitting sewn on. I use bee's wax for a liner sealer. I got 100 bucks for one of them once and another 100 in anitique trade beads. I can't make anitiques yet I do wiring too from 12dcv to 440 acv.
One guy I work for makes parts and together we build new machines. I build crates to his specs and we ship global, all out of one little shop in the deep woods of NH.
What Kills me is China requires cooked bug free wood. I say they should get real We do that too, but can't certify the blasted wood. We must buy certified wood and I cut and assemble that taking care to not cut out the ink!
Mean while in China they add waste and junk to their exports like auto coolant waste to dog food, and lead to paint for toddlers toys. For crap sulfer to sheet rock, this is no error, they ADD that waste to these items.
Chinese auto batterys aren't worth the powder to blow to hell, since these are dead and gone past charging by the time they get off the dock.
Their tires are bad too, and before they get off the dock.
Americans should invest once, in good tools and do it all, and tell Red Commie China to go pound salt, and maybe we will buy that.
Mean while in China they add waste and junk to their exports like auto coolant waste to dog food, and lead to paint for toddlers toys. For crap sulfer to sheet rock, this is no error, they ADD that waste to these items.
Chinese auto batterys aren't worth the powder to blow to hell, since these are dead and gone past charging by the time they get off the dock.
Their tires are bad too, and before they get off the dock.
Americans should invest once, in good tools and do it all, and tell Red Commie China to go pound salt, and maybe we will buy that.
Ohhhh, doan git me started!!! Have you seen what Chinese brass does in loads? EXPLODES! It shatters the gun and can kill you...
I agree; until Americans start making their own again - and take pride in a well-made, cost-effective product again - there's not much hope. And there isn't much hope of that as long as the 'regulatory agencies' have a stranglehold on American production, while letting the Chinese and other countries' manufacturers (Mostly, previously American companies) slide under the regulatory radar, scot-free. Melamine may be good enough to feed to their dogs and babies, but not mine.
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A little Basic Economics obs.
Golly, hope you can afford those heating bills this winter.
I do wiring too from 12dcv to 440 acv.
We do that too, but can't certify the blasted wood. We must buy certified wood and I cut and assemble that taking care to not cut out the ink!
It shatters the gun and can kill you...
