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That is all fine and dandy, although their stock prices do not reflect that.
Let's work through this, shall we?
Cable has traditionally cost around $100 per month.
100 x 12 = $1200.00 per year plus interest in an account or investment vehicle of their choice.
The principal would give them 3x the amount we are discussing: $400 x 3 =$1200.00.
Now, that is not a king's ransom, but it is more than $400: $1200.00 > $400.00
Now dysgenic, we could shift that example and apply to a number of things: iphones, cars, eating out, using credit cards for vacation, etc).
The point being is that Americans have traditionally been enthusiastic consumers and have the debt and distress to prove it.
Not that my finances are any of your business, but I decline cable, am still using an iPhone 4, and maintain only 1 (rather old) car for the family. I bought a small home in a good school district and used a 20 percent down payment on a fat and fixed 30 year.
That makes me about the most dull and unstylish guy on the block- and a middle class success story.
Try it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moth
Nonsense.
It was very clearly written. You started babbling about investments and returns. It was a simple budget and savings example, not investment advice.
It's fine to misread something, but don't attack someone over your own negligence.
You are the one attacking people when all I did was ask a simple question. You brought up "principal" and mentioned putting something in an interest bearing or investment account. It was a logical question to ask considering you could have summed it up much more clearly and eloquently, like how vacoder did.
Anyway, I'm not here to argue with you, but just be careful where you are pointing fingers.
Great, excellent post. To get this back on topic -
Your data, litterally every move you make and thought you have are being sold out from under you. You get no return on it, in fact you paid Apple and your carrier so they could earn on you.
Your car puts you at risk of safety in that you won't have the latest advantage. American products punish laggards not just in quality but also health.
Your school system is likley unsustainable due to pension costs. Certainly it is if you live in heavilty unionized states. In addition your child will likley graduate behind China and India and then be asked to assume 200k of debt that Australians and Canadian peers do not have.
As a law-abiding American you are the fool. That's what the American system is, it makes the people who toe the line into fools holding the bag. And that is directly and measurably why so many people have only a few bucks to their name - they are playing by the rules of working hard, being responsible and having good character. These traits are punished by the current system.
OK besides the school system which many are the subject of losing funding from the recession and states not putting back the money into it, what I saw from your post is capitalism 101.
You are the one attacking people when all I did was ask a simple question. You brought up "principal" and mentioned putting something in an interest bearing or investment account. It was a logical question to ask considering you could have summed it up much more clearly and eloquently, like how vacoder did.
Anyway, I'm not here to argue with you, but just be careful where you are pointing fingers.
No, it was not a simple question at all. It was a thinly-veiled snarky remark. And you received an appropriate response.
My dad who died in his late 80's in 1982 always use to say '
'serete vrlo tanko'
'in the future you'll be sh*ting very thinly.'
We use to laugh him off all the time, I now realize how right he was.
My guess - given the Obesity rate which has gone vastly higher since then....is that his prediction did not come true. Unless all those people have some kind of miracle digestive systems, there are some monsters being dropped regularly.
The topic is actually similar to a lot of others - and does involve income inequality. Sure - people can live on less and they surely shouldn't go into debt for more TV. But that doesn't really solve the root problem. Just the cost of health care along in the US is almost 1K per person per month, so the $60 savings from cable to internet/netflix is really not going to pay the bills.
We can't forget that that "system" - which includes the government, wall street, the culture, etc. - encourages consumption and therefore debt. People would yell and scream if GDP went down, yet that is exactly what would happen (and should, IMHO) if people cut the cord and lived on less.
Remember - after 9/11 GW told us to go shopping.
I think what happened here is that a perfect storm of Capitalism occurred (predatory capitalism) and the cost of basic living, including health care, education, housing, etc...alone is more than many (tens and tens of millions) can afford. Yet, those people need to have many of those services...to lead a decent life and be part of a modern civilization.
The very rich figure they have enough money to get away from all those problems...and, to a degree, they do.
If we say that 40% can't come up with $400, how many can't come up with $1K or 2K? It would seem we'd get into a solid majority.
Please take a look and learn. Looking backwards, costs are 10.6K per person per year. So a couple would be 21K per year.....
Just for kicks, take a couple with one kid.
30K plus for health care (no, they don't pay that because I and government subsidize it - adding to debt and deficit).
12K for one kid in school (cost per student for public primary schools).
5K for basic Federal government (Military, etc.)
----------
47K before they've eaten or gotten a car or a house, etc....
Some people would ask "well, how does the world keep turning around then?" - the answer is simple. Most of you are on welfare (government debt and deficit - like the recent 1.5 trillion)....the only difference is that your welfare will have to be paid back by your children and grand children. It's not "free".
If you'd like to do your own math instead, the country spent about 3.3 Trillion on health care last year and had 320 million or so residents - that's over 10K each.
Please take a look and learn. Looking backwards, costs are 10.6K per person per year. So a couple would be 21K per year.....
Just for kicks, take a couple with one kid.
30K plus for health care (no, they don't pay that because I and government subsidize it - adding to debt and deficit).
12K for one kid in school (cost per student for public primary schools).
5K for basic Federal government (Military, etc.)
----------
47K before they've eaten or gotten a car or a house, etc....
Some people would ask "well, how does the world keep turning around then?" - the answer is simple. Most of you are on welfare (government debt and deficit - like the recent 1.5 trillion)....the only difference is that your welfare will have to be paid back by your children and grand children. It's not "free".
If you'd like to do your own math instead, the country spent about 3.3 Trillion on health care last year and had 320 million or so residents - that's over 10K each.
1. Remove all regulations on health care.
2. Allow people to insure whichever way they choose to insure.
3. Allow foreign companies to open health care companies.
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