What are you doing to "Obama-proof" your future?

[le Voyageur]

So not fighting the war was about spending money on other stupid stuff, not saving money and paying down the debt!

 

In the economic terms that drive all government spending policies .... guns and butter

 

Big Lie? Does that count as Godwin's Law BTW

 

only as syncretic ingsoc(This message has been edited by Le Voyageur)

[BrentAllen]

Yes, Bush inherited a surplus - that lasted until 9/11. How short our memories are. No airline traffic for how many days? Bush asked us to spend money to keep the economy moving. The dems howled about that - but now are suggesting the same thing.

 

Reaganomics dead? That's a good one! He was the last great president this country had! Remember what he inherited from that glorious president from my home state. Double digit inflation, incredibly high interest rates... unfortunatly, I think President Obama is taking us back there, again. Carter II. Now that is scary!

 

What have we done in our household? Went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University at our church. Paying off debt, saving up emergency fund, switched to a high deductible health insurance plan with a Health Savings Account. My wife and I both work in positions with pensions - we will draw 60% of our salaries at retirement. As safe as that should be, we aren't counting on it solely. Funding retirement plans, college education.

 

The market has always come back, but we've never been in this political environment before. Obama's green plans are going to drive industry out of this country, with the corresponding increase in energy costs. His own team admits energy costs are going to increase, at 10 - 15% on the downside. Manufacturing will move overseas to avoid this "green tax." Add that in with trillion dollar deficits and we are going to be just like the unemployed, over-extended homeowner in a house they can't afford - in foreclosure.

 

Either that, or they are going to keep printing so much money that inflation will eventually kill us.

 

The budget proposals from Obama and the House are totally irresponsible. Instead of reducing spending like any of us would do when we are over-extended, they are acting like drunken sailors on payday. Or that homeowner with an inflated appraisal and a home equity loan they just acquired. God help us.

[TheScout]

It is the inflation that scares me the most.

[CalicoPenn]

Don't tell my boss that weekends are vacation - he might try to deduct them from my real vacation time and I'll end up owing him money for taking too many days.

 

To say "Barack Obama spends more time on vacation than anything else" is nonsensical given that he hasn't taken a day's vacation since being sworn in, and has had to work weekends in order to present a budget overview plan as quickly as it was. Such a statement tossed out this early in the term is part of the same GOP strategy to throw whatever they can at the wall and see what sticks. Using that line so early in the game means that nothing is sticking and the reserves need to be called out - and darn it all that the reserves are failing too. Enjoy the ride - it's going to be bumpy (everyone acknowledges that) but in the end, we'll get to our destination - I'd rather be optimistic until given a real reason to be pessimistic.

 

I live in Illinois - I don't begrudge Barack Obama spending his time running for President of the United States - it's a great feather in the cap of Illinois - and no one from Arizona begrudged McCain spending all that time running for the same office. Both Obama and McCain (and Clinton) were on the Senate floor when they needed to be (and McCain - bless his heart - even managed to make it to the Senate offices when he was just going to get in the way).

 

I'm just very glad I Bush-proofed as much as I did.

 

[BrentAllen]

"it's a great feather in the cap of Illinois"

 

As a very naive 13 year-old, I felt the same way about Carter. But then reality happened.

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Don't tell my boss that weekends are vacation - he might try to deduct them from my real vacation time and I'll end up owing him money for taking too many days.

 

Bud Abbott: How can I help you? Im a pauper.

 

Lou Costello: A pauper? Congratulations! Is it a boy or a girl?

 

Bud Abbott: Never mind that Id still like to know where youre going to get the money.

 

Lou Costello: Now, Abbott, you know I got the money coming. Now this is the end of the yearno more after this.

 

Bud Abbott: What do you mean?

 

Lou Costello: You know, 365 days in a year.

 

Bud Abbott: Well, I know that.

 

Lou Costello: Im working for you, and you owe me a whole years salary!

 

Bud Abbott: Wait a minute

 

Lou Costello: 365 days, 365 dollars, you owe me a dollar a day.

 

Bud Abbott: Wait a minute, lets straighten this out.

 

Lou Costello: Pay me up!

 

Bud Abbott: You say you worked 365 days for me, and you want to be reimbursed.

 

Lou Costello: Look, I dont want to burst anything! Just give me my money, 365 bucks, Ill get out.

 

Bud Abbott: Okay, look, now dont get excited, take it easy. Now, listen. How many hours a day did you work?

 

Lou Costello: Eight hours a day.

 

Bud Abbott: And how many hours are there in a day?

 

Lou Costello: Look, now Abbott, dont try to put anything over on me. Theres 24 hours in a day, all but February, which has 28.

 

Bud Abbott: Youre absolutely right, there are 24 hours in a day. But by working 8 hours you only really worked one-third of each day, isnt that right?

 

Lou Costello: Thats according to the way you figure it.

 

Bud Abbott: Well, one-third of 365 is about 121 dollars. So you only actually have 121 dollars coming to you. Thats the way I reckon it

 

Lou Costello: You sure are wreckin it! Come on, give it up, give me the dough.

 

Bud Abbott: Well, you did have 121 dollars coming, but

 

Lou Costello: I knew there was a but in it.

 

Bud Abbott: But you didnt work Sundays, did you?

 

Lou Costello: No, I had to take a day off to wash my lingerie!

 

Bud Abbott: All right, there are 52 Sundays in a year, deduct 52 from 121 dollars which leaves 69 dollars coming to you.

 

Lou Costello: Youre sure of that?

 

Bud Abbott: Positive!

 

Lou Costello: You see, I dont want you to cheat yourself.

 

Bud Abbott: Now, thats mighty nice of you, to look out for my interests.

 

Lou Costello: I may as well look out for yours, you already wrecked mine! Come on, Abbott, give me the money. Give up something, will you?

 

Bud Abbott: All right, Ill be glad to give you the 69 dollars, but

 

Lou Costello: Hold on to your hats, here we go again! Look, Abbott, give me a couple of dollars. Hows that?

 

Bud Abbott: Well, you must admit you only worked a half a day on Saturday, isnt that right, partner?

 

Lou Costello: Partner! Now that Im losing money, Im a partner! Look, will you give me a dollar? Ill settle give me a half a buck.

 

Bud Abbott: Now wait a minute! Wait a minute, just a second. Just a minute, now where was I?

 

Lou Costello: You just had a toehold on my 69 dollars.

 

Bud Abbott: Oh yes, yes. a half a day on Saturdays, 52 Saturdays in a year, one half of 52 is 26, so you will deduct 26 from 69, leaving you the sum of 43 dollars.

 

Lou Costello: Sum of?

 

Bud Abbott: Yes, sum of.

 

If I get some of it, Ill be lucky! Look, Abbott, give me a quarter, will you let me have a quarter? Give me 20 cents.

 

Bud Abbott: Well, now wait a minute.

 

Lou Costello: Im going out of here with something!

 

Bud Abbott: Now wait a minute, just a minute. Theres still a balance of 43 dollars. But!

 

Lou Costello: Stop butting! Youre getting my goat!

 

Bud Abbott: But you took a two weeks vacation, didnt you?

 

Lou Costello: Oh, yeah, yeah.

 

Bud Abbott: Thats 14 days. Take 14 from 43 dollars, leaving you the exact sum of 29 dollars.

 

Lou Costello: Look, Abbott, will you give me a dime? Is that asking too much? Will you give me anything?

 

Bud Abbott: Well, Id give you the 29 dollars,

 

(in unison) but

 

Lou Costello: I know it as good as you do!

 

Bud Abbott: How much time did you take off for lunch?

 

Lou Costello: Oh, this is going to run into money! I took off one hour a day.

 

Bud Abbott: Very well, 365 hours is equal to 15 days, I take it.

 

Lou Costello: You might as well take it, youve taken everything else! Go ahead!

 

(in unison) 15 from 29 leaves 14, but

 

Lou Costello: Now I know it better than you do! Look, Abbott, will you give me something? Will you give me a nickel?

 

Bud Abbott: What do you mean?

 

Lou Costello: Give me four pennies!

 

Bud Abbott: What do you mean give you four pennies?

 

Lou Costello: Look, can you spare a rat biscuit? Maybe you got a spare mothball?

 

Bud Abbott: A mothball?

 

Lou Costello: Look, is it asking give me a sardine, go ahead, Mrs. Niles is going to have me in the can anyway!

 

Bud Abbott: Just a minute, lets straighten this thing out. There are 13 holidays in a year which you didnt work, and as you only have 14 dollars coming to you, we deduct the 13 from the fourteen, leaving you the exact sum of 1 dollar. Here you are, my dear friend, and good luck to you.

 

Lou Costello: Nice work, Abbott. I need money for a lawyer because Mrs. Niles is going to throw me in jail, and youre giving me only a dollar.

 

Bud Abbott: Lets have no more words about it!

 

Lou Costello: One measly dollar! After I worked and slaved for you for a whole year!

 

Bud Abbott: I always pay my obligations - heres your dollar.

 

Lou Costello: I wouldnt mind, Abbott, I wouldnt care if it was just for me alone, I need more than a dollar. I got another mouth to feed.

 

Bud Abbott: Now listen, your troubles are not my wait a minute. You what?

 

Lou Costello: I have another mouth to feed.

 

Bud Abbott: Another mouth to feed? You never told me that.

 

Lou Costello: I know it.

 

Bud Abbott: Why, youve been with me all this time, Costello, and now you tell me you have another mouth to feed? Why didnt you tell me that before?

 

Lou Costello: I was ashamed.

 

Bud Abbott: Oh, you fortunate fellow, thats nothing to be ashamed of. I was only kidding about the other money. Here, heres your 365 dollars. And to show you that my hearts in the right place, heres 50 dollars of my own. You should be so happy! What is it, a boy or a girl?

 

Lou Costello: A goldfish!

 

Bud Abbott: Get out of here!

 

[skeptic]

BrentAllen:

 

You say you are a history expert; so what made this country what it has been until recently? Initiative, innovation, and invention, leading to solving of problems useful world-wide. Maybe we will have those again once the whiners and businesses that have become short term profiteers have left. Maybe, just maybe, if CEO's, boards of directors, and politicians on both sides had taken blinders off, they would have reacted to many of these problems in their infancies. This I want/deserve all I can get, right now attitude is a large percentage of the problem. Ignoring infrastructure breakdowns, profiteering by large groups of people (usually those with the most already), career politicians, and realities such as fossil fuels are not infinite and new technologies need to be found and developed is why we are here now.

 

While we are at it; give Carter a break. He may not have been the best president; but he did far less harm the last. Besides, he inherited half of his problems, and had little help in Washington. His biggest flaw is probably that he is basically too moral to be a successful politician on that level.

 

JMO; so have fun.

[TheScout]

All that initiative, innovation, and invention was done without the government.

[Hal_Crawford]

"All that initiative, innovation, and invention was done without the government"

 

Really? Much of our innovation has come out of the military, the space program, the National Institutes of Health, research grants to universities and various government contracts. The internet that you use to post your opinions was developed with a lot of government money (USAF, NSF to name a couple). While I am sure you can think of some I am presently at a loss to think of any significant innovations that occurred completely without the government especially when you consider that most inventions are protected by patents granted by the government.

 

Ronald Reagan's favorite candy was developed under government contract... the military wanted candy that was easy to eat and wouldn't melt. The slogan could have been, "melts in your mouth, not on your trigger finger".

 

Hal

 

[TheScout]

The internet is not comparable to what it was when the DOD invented it.

 

Last time I checked private industry has invented more things anyway and such work is more compatible with liberty, not government control.

 

The USSR and other command economies turned out real well.

[skeptic]

TheScout; etal:

 

Just once I would like to see you guys suck it up and admit perhaps you aren't always smarter than the average bear. The real question might be how long would it have been for the internet, as we know it, to become a reality if the first renditions, under the government and colleges, had not occurred? Same really goes for computers too, as they were really pushed in their infancy during WWII, by the government. Rockets, modern planes, "Tang", solar energy, radar, sonar, plasma, field medicine which led to paramedics............... Many would not have gotten very far without the in field testing done by the military or NASA. Go back to your gun fetishes; many of your coveted weapons were developed for the military first.

 

Oh well; none of that makes any difference, as Obama is "The Anti-Christ"!

I almost forgot.

[BrentAllen]

Hal,

Let me help you out. I believe these were all invented without government assistance.

 

The light bulb

the telephone

Automobiles

Airplanes

Machine guns

Iphones

Beer

Wine

Coca-cola

Gatorade

The Chicken Sandwhich (Chik-fil-A)

Baseball, football, etc.

 

Just a few.

 

[GernBlansten]

Advancement without government help?

Third world nations are the control for the experiment of deregulation and small government.

What contributions to technical advancement have third world nations made?

[TheScout]

More than fancy weapons, the internet, or putting a man on the moon I care about human liberty.

 

As government expands and makes more deicions and takes more money - we have less liberty.

 

I said nothing about Obama and do not care about him. I hate big government which interferes with liberty in all its forms.

[BrentAllen]

skeptic,

Most of the weapons I covet were invented by citizens. John Browning invented most of them, Eugene Stoner the others. It was civilians pushing the envelope on rifle and machine gun design. Unfortunately, that all ended in 1986 when civilians were prevented from manufacturing firearms. Now, we have to rely on foreign design and invention (FN and HK).