[Centaurmyst]

Originally Posted by NYLIER

How about keeping the discussion about Obama in the Political portion of this forum. Vermont is the topic discussed here.

I was responding to this quote and just posted what that comment made me think:

I'm only praying that the next President doesn't raise taxes that much. A large tax hike would put us in a depression for sure. It's sad how history repeats itself. We have a big economic boom and the country ends up in serious financial turmoil.

Some people are annoyed when a portion of a person's post strays a bit from the topic. Others, like myself, are annoyed by people who are not moderators behaving as if they are.

Now back on topic...I LOVE Vermont, it's wonderful.

[68vette]

Originally Posted by Centaurmyst

68vette...if you have specialty training and want a very high wage then you are not going to find that in the country. You will only find something you are happy with if you relocate into a large city. Typically you take a less wage in the country as a trade off for the quality of life.

I follow politics very closely. I'm really pulling for Obama to win. I don't like everything he has to say but he's a calm, rational and reasonable man. I'm scared to death that McCain would jump into another war with yet another country and this country can't afford to keep spending money in places like Iraq when the people right here at home are in dire straights. Obama was raised by a single Mom and he knows what it's like to struggle as a family. I think he's more in touch with what American families are going through. On top of that, Democrats are always better for helping families when they are down. Bush got this country in a huge mess and I am really not trusting the Republican Party at all right now. I'd feel a lot more secure with a Democrat in office for awhile. Obama isn't going to tax anyone who makes less than a quarter of a million a year. He wants to target the same people who are so bloody greedy that they pay themselves millions in bonuses while ripping off the regular people. I don't see anything wrong with that at all. Republicans will argue that those people create jobs but they are so darn greedy the majority of the jobs they create are in third world countries where they can pay virtually nothing for labor. I don't think we need to keep giving breaks to people who send jobs overseas. I just pray people will vote their own best interests this time. I don't talk about politics a lot at home but I watch the news. My 8 year old is even talking about the election. She wants Obama. Her 3rd grade class had a mock vote and all but 4 of the kids in her class voted for Obama, lol. When 3rd graders pay attention to politics you know the election is really important. I hope America does the right thing this time...I really do. I don't have anything against McCain. I just think he is too gung ho to fight with other countries and I feel much too uneasy about him as president. I would have voted for him in 2000 but not this time...Democrats will look out for regular people better and I really think that's something we all need to make sure happens first and foremost.

It depends on the training and what part of the country you are talking about. My wife and I work in health care. We could go almost anywhere in the US and make between fifteen to twenty five dollars more an hour. This is from the research we have done and it includes not just urban areas. We love living in Vermont and our incomes compared to most other Vermonters is substantial. It's not that we need to move in order to survive, but we know there are other options. Northern New England just doesn't have the growth or development to warrant higher incomes.
Every part of Vermont is now starting to feel the economic hardships the rest of the country is feeling. This past week WCAX ran a story on the construction industry and how many contractors will most likely be out of work after December. People are not building or remodeling in these hard times. I failed to mention this in my previous post, but my stepson looked for work in both Burlington and in the White River area(where his biological father lives). There were job openings, but they were highly competitive. Most were at or near minimum wage. It took almost four months to get the job he has now. He still needs to live at home because he can't afford to live on his own on his income. I guarantee that if there was a $25 per hour job sitting open and they were willing to train you in that job. That job would be flooded with applicants within a few hours of being publicly posted in todays economy. If you have training or an education that are not effected by the economy there are some decent jobs still out there. If there is any silver lining to our economy it's lower oil prices due to the poor economic outlook worldwide. We are still paying more than we did a year ago, but with the lower prices compared to a few months ago it will only mean that more people will stay a little warmer in Vermont this winter.
I'm not trying to be political here so moderators please be kind. I am an undecided at this time, but the flip side of a significant tax hike on the very wealthy is that it will kill growth not only in Vermont, but nationwide. If the wealthy are business owners they are not going to give you or me a big raise or hire more people to expand a business just to be taxed more. They are not going to pay us more so they can make less.

[flu189]

C'mon, isn't Vermont all about the hope and change that our next president who we overwhelmingly root for and support promises. It's got a lot to do with with the title of this thread. Come this time next year when I am in Afghanistan on my deployment, if current plans continue on track, I'll let you know how well things are going. The sad thing is that by all accounts the conditions there and hope for improvement has diminished as reported from multiple diplomatic and military sources, however, because of the Vermont supported wonder candidate not a peep of concern regarding shifting emphasis there. Well, next year in all probability over two thousand Vermont citizens will be there, so, yes, I think it is in the spirit of this thread for Vermonters to "chime in" as the thread heading says. Now, taxes, well we don't any new changes from Washington as we have mastered this concept quite well already.

[GypsySoul22]

I agree with 68vette on that job example.
I am sure any job here that 'appears' to pay decently will be flooded.
Here the main employers are both "Dartmouth" facilities--the college and the hospital. Getting a job at either comes with very good benefits. They must get a ton of resumes. I have been trying to get into the college for a year on and off and yesterday got yet another "we are not going forward with your application' because I am SURE they have everyone applying to get it.

You can see signs all over for fast food servers and if you are a waitress or housekeeper in this area you can have a job tomorrow!
Try to get something 'a bit better' and you are waiting a long time or in the running with everyone else who wants a dollar or more an hour better than the job they have now. Think about people who have experience and education who won't even 'get considered' for any of these 'tons' of jobs because the employer wants someone who is content with $8.50/hr and who will never leave!

How is this an 'employees' market?

[flu189]

You know what is scary? Based on the amount of assets which has vaporized, assets which so many Vermonter's relied on to meet their daily commitments, the demand for assistance will absolutely skyrocket next year. There is a large segment of the self sustaining middle class who have already or will shortly find themselves bumped into the dependency class. Will be interesting to see how the brain trust in Montpelier tries to deal with this issue. Reason I mention this today is that based on today's market performance ALL of my investment profits in my plans has been eliminated, now further losses will just eat away at the money I initially contributed. Can't wait to hear what the next "rescue" plan entails.

[vtmetsfan]

Just for kicks, I reviewed my 401k balance a few minutes ago. It's great to know that even with a YTD rate of return of -40%, I still have a pulse remaining on my portfolio. Some people view 401k as the ideal way to invest for retirement, while others view it as one of the biggest scams in corporate history. While I think it's neither, I am not entirely certain how successful my portfolio will perform down the road. Sure we're buying low, but boy does it hurt to see 'your money' just vaporize in a matter of weeks! Let's just hope history repeats itself with regards to stock market performance.

[Lilybeans]

Let's always keep in mind that any investment entails risk, and certainly stocks are risky and not guaranteed to go up in value. I was always taught that if you can't afford to lose money, don't buy stocks. it's dissapointing when they go down in value, but everyone knows that is a possibility.

The one thing you can count on is land. They aren't making any more of it. Land to live on, not to hold to try to make money. That's a nice fringe benefit, but owning vacant land means you can always have a place to call your own.

[flu189]

Yeah, I also have lost about 40% over the last year. So now it's looking at the situation as the glass being half full rather than half empty. I always knew the inherent risks, but other than just utter frustration at present, assume that in the coming years I will recover. This really has set back plans for many and will cause a long lasting impact. Maybe a postive outcome will be for many to be more cognizant of excessive credit debt as we now see how quickley home values and other assets can lose their luster as a piggy bank. Yup, a good gut and reality check.

[vtmetsfan]

I'm with you on the glass half full mentality. On the other hand, I believe the market recovery this go around will take longer than the recovery from the dot com bust.

Not to go off topic, but I love your status. How true it is! I almost feel like a Red Sox fan did pre-2004. Hopefully, Citi Field will bring some good karma to the 2009 season and many more to come.

[NYLIER]

Originally Posted by Centaurmyst

I was responding to this quote and just posted what that comment made me think:

Some people are annoyed when a portion of a person's post strays a bit from the topic. Others, like myself, are annoyed by people who are not moderators behaving as if they are.

Now back on topic...I LOVE Vermont, it's wonderful.

You are right....I am not the moderator and apologized to him immediately after writing that post.

I see that you just joined this forum this month, your starting out fabulous.