President Bush's Performance Tonight

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

Demand's up in India too from what I read.

 

I understand there are different petro companies, but I think most people don't know or care who the fuel provider is, all they know is that it all costs 2.34 per gallon at all of the stations in their town.  Hell, I'm like that.  I use 2 different stations (depending if I'm getting gas on the way "out" or on the way home), and I really don't care who dumps the gas into their tanks - gas is gas is gas.  But I do care how much it costs to dump it into my tank, and there's no difference there between the stations.

323707[/snapback]

 

But that's a local competitive effect most of the time. Stations in a given locality tend to all sell at roughly the same price, because "gas is gas is gas" and if the guy down the street's selling at $2.45/gallon, you can always drive another half-mile and find it a dime cheaper. How many times have you sat at a busy intersection with two gas stations on opposite corners selling for the same price? If one lowers their price, the other's forced to do the same to keep customers...

 

That's also why they come up with gimmicks like "Mobil Speedpass" or whatever it is...they have to establish brand loyalty and a competitive edge somehow, and if gas is gas is gas, the guy with the Mobil Speedpass is going to favor Mobil over the Sunoco across the street.

[VABills]

Demand's up in India too from what I read.

 

I understand there are different petro companies, but I think most people don't know or care who the fuel provider is, all they know is that it all costs 2.34 per gallon at all of the stations in their town.  Hell, I'm like that.  I use 2 different stations (depending if I'm getting gas on the way "out" or on the way home), and I really don't care who dumps the gas into their tanks - gas is gas is gas.  But I do care how much it costs to dump it into my tank, and there's no difference there between the stations.

323707[/snapback]

So what you are saying is that you are a hot pocket, window licking lemming. And I mean that in only the most sincere way.

[PastaJoe]

You guys keep throwing so much B.S. back and forth you're all starting to think your opinions smell good. I swear some of you must be on the Saudi payroll.

[Alaska Darin]

You guys keep throwing so much B.S. back and forth you're all starting to think your opinions smell good.  I swear some of you must be on the Saudi payroll.

323746[/snapback]

Tell us again how you work for $20 an hour, Mr. "3rd grade understanding of business."

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

You guys keep throwing so much B.S. back and forth you're all starting to think your opinions smell good.  I swear some of you must be on the Saudi payroll.

323746[/snapback]

 

Yeah...our observations are a lot more craptastic than your "Oil companies are bad" opinion.

[Chef Jim]

As a senior in high school, our "history" class consisted of a half-year of political science and a half-year of basic economics which included mock investment portfolios, basic accounting, and personal finance. 

 

Because the high schools now only teach for the SOL tests, innovative programs that helped teach life skills have been done away with.  I'm not sure what I expected to happen, but it sure doesn't surprise me given that the braintrust behind NCLB is more or less a functionaly illiterate stooge.

323539[/snapback]

 

So it's up to the schools huh? My dad told me before I graduated high school I needed two things in life. A good lawyer and a better CPA. Words of wisdom I say.

[/dev/null]

So it's up to the schools huh?

323889[/snapback]

 

where've you been the last 15 years?

 

haven't you heard? it takes a village

[KRC]

Doesn't work.  They just ask for more and more money, and you get a lot of nepatism (sp???) within the school system.  Trust me, we live it here everyday.  When our local budget for the school is 70% of the county taxes, and everything is getting cut, the school system as demanded a 25-30% raise in budget for 3 straight years and received it while test scores have plummeted.

323604[/snapback]

 

...and why are the parents/tax payers not standing up to fix the problems? Things do not get done if people are standing on the sidelines.

[KRC]

E.G.: I'd like to teach history, but instead of having my pupils understand how the East India Company's monopoly and  the Townsend Act directly led to the Boston Tea Party, I'll have to drill into their head the useless factoid that it occured on December 16, 1773. I think the concept is more important than the factoid, but the factoid is what's on the SOL.  To me, that's just stoopid.

323621[/snapback]

 

That is stoopid and I do not support that. I have always had less respect for professors that made you memorize things instead of proving that you understand the information. You would be the type of professor I would seek.

[JimBob2232]

An 18 year old who invested $100 a month every month at 8% until they were 65 would have nearly $567,000.00. It's just not that hard.

 

I wonder if someone smarter than me can run these numbers. Suppose you earned a salary where you pay exactly $100 per month into the social security system. Given the same time frame (from 18 to 65 years old), how much money per month will you get out of the social secuirty program?

 

I suspect is is SIGNIFIGANTLY less...and thus makes a strong argument for privitazation

[KRC]

I wonder if someone smarter than me can run these numbers.  Suppose you earned a salary where you pay exactly $100  per month into the social security system.  Given the same time frame (from 18 to 65 years old), how much money per month will you get out of the social secuirty program?

 

I suspect is is SIGNIFIGANTLY less...and thus makes a strong argument for privitazation

323904[/snapback]

 

You get approximately a 1-2% return on your investment.

[KRC]

Found some stats on the benefits for low-income workers if private accounts were implimented:

 

If you have a 28-year-old earning $13,500 a year, they would get just $815 from Social Security but would receive $2,292 if they invested in a mixed fund that earned a 5.75 percent return (which is below the historical rate of return). Couple that with the fact that you will now have the ability to pass your assets on to your family members when you die, it can help improve the situation of the entire family (now and in the future). How much do you get from SS when you die?

[JimBob2232]

If you have a 28-year-old earning $13,500 a year, they would get just $815 from Social Security but would receive $2,292 if they invested in a mixed fund that earned a 5.75 percent return (which is below the historical rate of return). Couple that with the fact that you will now have the ability to pass your assets on to your family members when you die, it can help improve the situation of the entire family (now and in the future). How much do you get from SS when you die?

 

So what you are saying is, 13,500 per year multiplied by YOUR social security contribution(7.5%) is about 80 dollars a month in social security taxes.

 

So..$100 a month invested at 8% from 18 to 65 is $567,000.00 (as noted below).

Therefore $80 a month invested at 8% from 18 to 65 is approx $400,000.00

 

If you take that retirement and put it in a savings account earning 3% and never touch the principle, you will recieve a check for $1,000 per month.

 

Last I checked 1,000 is more than 815. AND you get to keep the 400k in the bank! You will get even more if you annuitize the 400k!

 

This is a no-brainer. We need privatized accounts.

[blzrul]

Didn't see it. The bliss of living on the West Coast is that by the time I get home from work it's all over but the crying.

[Alaska Darin]

So what you are saying is, 13,500 per year multiplied by YOUR social security contribution(7.5%) is about 80 dollars a month in social security taxes.

 

So..$100 a month invested at 8% from 18 to 65 is $567,000.00 (as noted below).

Therefore $80 a month invested at 8% from 18 to 65 is approx $400,000.00

 

If you take that retirement and put it in a savings account earning 3% and never touch the principle, you will recieve a check for $1,000 per month.

 

Last I checked 1,000 is more than 815.  AND you get to keep the 400k in the bank!  You will get even more if you annuitize the 400k!

 

This is a no-brainer.  We need privatized accounts.

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Ah, ah, ah. Big government can't keep you under their thumb if you have your own money.

[JimBob2232]

Ah, ah, ah. Big government can't keep you under their thumb if you have your own money.

 

Yeah, no kidding...the beauty of the privitizaton of social security is that it FORCES you to invest in YOUR future.

 

The current plan forces you to invest in SOMEONE ELSES future.

 

If we could guarentee everyone would do the right thing and have 401ks, IRAs and investments we could do away with SS altogether, but unfortunatly people arent that responsible.

[Alaska Darin]

Yeah, no kidding...the beauty of the privitizaton of social security is that it FORCES you to invest in YOUR future. 

 

The current plan forces you to invest in SOMEONE ELSES future.

 

If we could guarentee everyone would do the right thing and have 401ks, IRAs and investments we could do away with SS altogether, but unfortunatly people arent that responsible.

324021[/snapback]

Mostly because OSHA's fugging with Darwin's Theory.

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

If we could guarentee everyone would do the right thing and have 401ks, IRAs and investments we could do away with SS altogether, but unfortunatly people arent that responsible.

324021[/snapback]

 

But at my more cynical moments, I fail to see why it should be the government's job to protect people from themselves...

[JimBob2232]

But at my more cynical moments, I fail to see why it should be the government's job to protect people from themselves...

 

I agree with you in principle. However, in reality, people who do not look out for themselves wind up living on the street asking me for change. They wind up on welfare and food stamps. They wind up causing problems with crime. All of these things cost ME money. As long as my money stays mine, I am happy.

[Alaska Darin]

I agree with you in principle.  However, in reality, people who do not look out for themselves wind up living on the street asking me for change.  They wind up on welfare and food stamps.  They wind up causing problems with crime.  All of these things cost ME money.  As long as my money stays mine, I am happy.

324037[/snapback]

Gee, good thing with all this government we've gotten rid of street people and crime.