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Actually, many states allow seniors to attend college for free; the age (some are 60; others are 65) and particulars (which and how many classes, whether or not you can work toward a degree or just audit) vary from state to state.
You don’t have to be a senior. Some degrees are like mortgages and take 30 years to pay off. My own degree which was about $40,000 in loans would be closer to $200,00 today. But salaries are lower than they were in the past. I make now what I made over 15 years ago.
In that vein, I cant even make the same amount of money (level of pay) that I made 45 years ago. 45 years.
Yes. I recently took a side gig (as much to level up on experience in some areas as anything) that paid a little above median for run of the mill line of business software development, and it was about the same hourly rate I was charging as a consultant in about 1988.
For my primary gig, I am grandfathered into a consulting gig turned captive developer thing at a little over twice that rate, but it will probably end Dec 31.
To have anything like that rate elsewhere, I'll have to hang my consulting shingle back out again, and my initial explorations into that area tell me that it's going to be brutal in one or more of several ways. Either paying thousands to buy my way into a consulting or ISV relationship with one or more vendors, possibly training costs, and uncertain ROI because I can't seem to figure out how much business they would actually refer to me. It may be hard to do on a small scale, too. I was already getting into territory where I needed to hire 10 people if I wanted to make a go of it. The day of the one-man shop with lots of low-hanging fruit has been gone probably for at least 15 years now.
To just get me through the next 5 years I'm very tempted to try to negotiate a FTE role with the primary gig, even at a discount, and just see how long I can stand the environment of a multinational mega-corp.
Of course in the meantime the world churns on, possibly toward nuclear war for all I know, so ... part of me just wants to bag it altogether ...
We have a low income Vietnam Vet a few doors down. We check on him every so often, and today he mentioned he ran out of food a week ago, so we cleaned out our pantry and will add some meat and take it over to him.
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We have a low income Vietnam Vet a few doors down. We check on him every so often, and today he mentioned he ran out of food a week ago, so we cleaned out our pantry and will add some meat and take it over to him.
I hope this comes back to you in some way times 10.
I think people have forgotten how high gas was in the spring of 2008. I’m in California and while I don’t remember the exact price per gallon it was inching towards $5.00. So let’s say $4.50 give or take which is about what it is now 14 years later.
Now, the price of used cars is another story.
Here in Tennessee, we don't have a state income tax. And people go crazy off the charts at the mention of one. But we have one of the highest combined sales tax rates in the country. So when inflation is high, people lower down the economic ladder have to pay even more of their income for taxes on their food or any other needed items.
The wealthier people make sure that any thoughts of having a modest income tax and reducing the sales tax are quickly squashed. Because after all, if lower income retirees and those with families are struggling; well too bad
Here in Tennessee, we don't have a state income tax. And people go crazy off the charts at the mention of one. But we have one of the highest combined sales tax rates in the country. So when inflation is high, people lower down the economic ladder have to pay even more of their income for taxes on their food or any other needed items.
The wealthier people make sure that any thoughts of having a modest income tax and reducing the sales tax are quickly squashed. Because after all, if lower income retirees and those with families are struggling; well too bad
That’s a good point. We have income tax but no sales tax on food or clothes. It didn’t occur to me that it’s better for low income families that way because they’d probably get the income tax back in their tax refund.
Here in Tennessee, we don't have a state income tax. And people go crazy off the charts at the mention of one. But we have one of the highest combined sales tax rates in the country. So when inflation is high, people lower down the economic ladder have to pay even more of their income for taxes on their food or any other needed items.
The wealthier people make sure that any thoughts of having a modest income tax and reducing the sales tax are quickly squashed. Because after all, if lower income retirees and those with families are struggling; well too bad
That sucks. I thought HI was the only state that taxed food. But at least in TN they reduce the tax rate on food.
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That sucks. I thought HI was the only state that taxed food. But at least in TN they reduce the tax rate on food.
Idaho taxes food too. You can apply for a tax refund, but it's limited - I think ?$150? a year is the max.
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