You thought that was too snarky archer? I'll use more smiles next time. I'm glad the retires are living good, my folks are in their 80s and travel alot, and fortunately in good health. Enjoy it while it lasts, I don't blame you.
Other than the seniors, I doubt many people are saying the 2008-2012 years are the good ol days.
Its more like survival mode.
If you want to be, press one. If you want not to be, press 2
Republicans are red, democrats are blue, neither of them, gives a flip about you.
Another ridiculous, and wrong, global assumption... I've been making well into 6-figures for the past 6 years, and my income has gone up and my taxes have gone down or stayed the same... You soooo don't know WTF you are talking about. What part of "YES, I'm better off than I was 4 years ago" do you not get?
Joe wrote: You thought that was too snarky archer? I'll use more smiles next time. I'm glad the retires are living good, my folks are in their 80s and travel alot, and fortunately in good health. Enjoy it while it lasts, I don't blame you.
Other than the seniors, I doubt many people are saying the 2008-2012 years are the good ol days.
Its more like survival mode.
Smilies rarely change the intent of a post Joe.....
2008 hit a lot of people hard, there is no denying that, and neither LJ nor I claimed otherwise.....what we did say, and what seems to be bothering several here, is that things are improving. Not just in my life, but that of my children too. One is a small business owner and his business is flourishing, in NYC of all places. The other is a paramedic, married to a cop....and they are much better off now than 4 years ago. Are they the exception? I don't think so......yes, unemployment is high, and yes I see the need for us as a country to address that issue with whatever it takes to get manufacturing going, bringing jobs back to the US, retraining and retooling,.....but all that takes an investment in our citizens and I am not seeing anything from the Republicans that indicate they are willing to work in that direction.
All I am hearing is cut unemployment, cut health care, cut medicare, cut SS, cut, cut, cut....and I do agree we need to make cuts....but we also need to increase revenue.....and not a single Republican is willing to admit that the constant tax cuts may well be killing the economy (yes, Obama's tax cuts too). Anyone who understands how business works and what a balance sheet is showing, knows that you have to bring in more revenue to keep the business afloat, you can only cut expenses so far before the business goes under from lack of funding. And this country is no different. Taking away those very programs that make America a great place to live, raise a family and retire with some dignity may save you money and shrink government, but I believe it will also destroy what we have built over several hundred years and turn the clock back to an America we do not want to see again and worked so hard to improve upon. JMHO.
LadyJazzer wrote: So, "on paper" you're better, but you measure your improvement by "everyone else"? Sounds to me like you need to examine your definitions of "keeping up with the Jones'"....
Material possesions are un-importatnt to me. I have managed to lead a debt free life except for my home. Everything else I pay cash for or buy used. I am more concerned about my neighbors losing thier homes and things like that. Food has risen about 33% over the last year. I have read health insurance and co pays have gone up for people and many have just flat out given up looking for any type of employment. Those that continue to look have extremely high odds at even getting an interview let alone an actual job offer becasuse several hundered people are applying for the one job that is open. From my point of view things are not getting better but slowly getting slightly worse every month. What do you think will happen when more people can't afford food or fuel. i'm glad you are doing well hopefully you can hang on to it when desperate people start doing desperate things.
gmule wrote: Those that continue to look have extremely high odds at even getting an interview let alone an actual job offer because several hundered people are applying for the one job that is open.
Thank you for driving home the point that I have made at least 50 times... It's nice to hear a conservative admit it. The rest here won't do that, but just tell the unemployed to "go get a job."
LadyJazzer wrote: Another ridiculous, and wrong, global assumption... I've been making well into 6-figures for the past 6 years, and my income has gone up and my taxes have gone down or stayed the same... You soooo don't know WTF you are talking about. What part of "YES, I'm better off than I was 4 years ago" do you not get?
Geez, you sure love to brag about your "6-figure" income don't you. Could be a sign of insecurity though. Better get that checked out. Good luck!
If you want to be, press one. If you want not to be, press 2
Republicans are red, democrats are blue, neither of them, gives a flip about you.
gmule wrote: Those that continue to look have extremely high odds at even getting an interview let alone an actual job offer because several hundered people are applying for the one job that is open.
Thank you for driving home the point that I have made at least 50 times... It's nice to hear a conservative admit it. The rest here won't do that, but just tell the unemployed to "go get a job."
Thanks.
I'm not a conservative or a Liberal. I will go either way on any given issue or vote for any candididate as long as what he / she wants to do makes sense. Sorry I don't fit into a box.
LadyJazzer wrote: Another ridiculous, and wrong, global assumption... I've been making well into 6-figures for the past 6 years, and my income has gone up and my taxes have gone down or stayed the same... You soooo don't know WTF you are talking about. What part of "YES, I'm better off than I was 4 years ago" do you not get?
Geez, you sure love to brag about your "6-figure" income don't you. Could be a sign of insecurity though. Better get that checked out. Good luck!
Gee, you sure like to make grandiose, sweeping, stupid generalizations about people you know jack-sh*t about. Better get that checked out. ...And I don't care if you have luck or not.
archer wrote: All I am hearing is cut unemployment, cut health care, cut medicare, cut SS, cut, cut, cut....and I do agree we need to make cuts....but we also need to increase revenue.....and not a single Republican is willing to admit that the constant tax cuts may well be killing the economy (yes, Obama's tax cuts too). Anyone who understands how business works and what a balance sheet is showing, knows that you have to bring in more revenue to keep the business afloat, you can only cut expenses so far before the business goes under from lack of funding. And this country is no different. Taking away those very programs that make America a great place to live, raise a family and retire with some dignity may save you money and shrink government, but I believe it will also destroy what we have built over several hundred years and turn the clock back to an America we do not want to see again and worked so hard to improve upon. JMHO.
Tell me why, after witnessing the oppressive burden created by SS and Medicare when left in the hands of the general government and the effect of that burden on the ability of the middle class to save for their own retirement instead of paying the bill for someone else's, you want to keep the programs in the hands of the general government. It makes no sense to me. The burden placed on the shoulders of the working class and their employers has more than quadrupled during the course of your lifetime and the program's finances now are worse off than they were the last time we managed to break the political gridlock at the national level the last time it faced imminent financial ruin.
Why would we not be better off keeping the intent of the programs and turning over the responsibility for funding and operating them to the States? Do not the workers for the State of Colorado enjoy a much better retirement program, both in pensions and in health care, than their private sector counterparts who are forced to fund the one run with the same Ponzi scheme foundation of having current investors pay for the benefits of earlier ones being run by the general government? How are we to believe that the general government knows best when the evidence to the contrary is so overwhelming? Every single public sector state worker, who by the way are exempted from any responsibility to contribute to the system operated by the general government, has a better retirement program than their private sector counterpart. Now that is either because the state systems for their workers is vastly superior in nature to the one operated by the general government or there has to be another explanation for this phenomena.
State workers are eligible to retire earlier and with a better pension than the rest of us do - how is this possible if the federal system is the better system? And if the federal system is indeed as inferior as it seems to be, why would we begin to continue to support keeping it instead of phasing it out in favor of the much better systems implemented and operated by the States which provide for a better retirement? You don't here of too many retired schoolteachers having to be placed on the SNAPS programs, do you? Know of any that are unable to pay their utility bill in the winter? Know of any that are facing the same problems those that rely on Social Security are facing? Me either. I don't even know of any former CDOT workers who face those challenges, or drivers license renewal clerks - in fact I haven't heard of a single retired state worker that is in abject poverty as a senior citizen - have you? I hear of cases involving Social Security recipients living in Colorado, but not a single case of a Colorado State employee who spent their working years working for the Colorado State government. Tell me again why I shouldn't want my pension in the hands of my State government instead of the general government archer, because I can't seem to find a single reason why I shouldn't be looking for a way to turn my pension for my later years over to the State of Colorado instead of leaving it in the hands of the general government.
I'll use more smiles next time. I'm glad the retires are living good, my folks are in their 80s and travel alot, and fortunately in good health. Enjoy it while it lasts, I don't blame you.
