So.....What are you going to do with your EXTRA $8.00 a week!!!

tonyb

timlitton wrote: »

I think people tend to forget the hundreds of other incentives and program associated with this package. There are so many things wrapped up in it that will help the economy but all we hear about is the "juicy" bits that can be spun for better ratings on our 24 news outlets.

One example is for renewable energy. The first package allowed geothermal heating and cooling units (geoexchange - not hot rocks and geysers) to receive a 30% tax credit for installation costs. Unfortunately that was capped at $2000. This second package removes that cap entirely. This will save homeowners THOUSANDS more, and when combined with state and local incentives, really makes switching to geothermal attractive. The EPA and DOE has called geothermal "the most energy efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly way to condition our homes and businesses." It reduces our dependence on fossil fuels, lowers utility bills by up to 70%, and happens to be good for the environment as well.

This is just an example and there many others like it.

I think you tend to forget the government will not support anything they can't control or tax.

Dammit Jessie,you stole my line.:)

timlitton

tonyb wrote: »

I think you tend to forget the government will not support anything they can't control or tax.

I would have liked to see a little MORE control over the last handout of billions to banks that spent it on things like vacation junkets and bonuses to execs in failing companies.:(

But point taken.

rayslifecycle

I will spend my $8 to distribute flyers describing all the wonderful things that government does for us.

madmax

timlitton wrote: »

I would have liked to see a little MORE control over the last handout of billions to banks that spent it on things like vacation junkets and bonuses to execs in failing companies.:(

But point taken.

I think that money was totally 100% thrown away. Might as well have thrown it in a trash fire.
madmax

obieone

I think this whole situation is starting to sound a LOT like that 'Blonde with a checkbook' joke:rolleyes:

For those that haven't heard it, basically the punchline is "But I can't be out of money, I've still got MORE checks":mad::mad:

Joking

I agree, It dosen't change much for me really, im still going to work for my money and still try to help those around me. besides life is more important than money anyway.

SKsolutions

That's only part of the debt, most of which is foreign owned. Our internal and external debt is closer to 100 Trillion if you add unfunded liabilities. There is a huge debt curve coming. If we try to inflate our way out of it, it grows bigger, being that the benefits are tied to CPI measures.

From the Dallas Fed Reserve:

Add together the unfunded liabilities from Medicare and Social Security, and it comes to $99.2 trillion over the infinite horizon. Traditional Medicare composes about 69 percent, the new drug benefit roughly 17 percent and Social Security the remaining 14 percent.

I want to remind you that I am only talking about the unfunded portions of Social Security and Medicare. It is what the current payment scheme of Social Security payroll taxes, Medicare payroll taxes, membership fees for Medicare B, copays, deductibles and all other revenue currently channeled to our entitlement system will not cover under current rules. These existing revenue streams must remain in place in perpetuity to handle the “funded” entitlement liabilities. Reduce or eliminate this income and the unfunded liability grows. Increase benefits and the liability grows as well. Let’s say you and I and Bruce Ericson and every U.S. citizen who is alive today decided to fully address this unfunded liability through lump-sum payments from our own pocketbooks, so that all of us and all future generations could be secure in the knowledge that we and they would receive promised benefits in perpetuity. How much would we have to pay if we split the tab? Again, the math is painful. With a total population of 304 million, from infants to the elderly, the per-person payment to the federal treasury would come to $330,000. This comes to $1.3 million per family of four—over 25 times the average household’s income.
Full article

obieone

Thanks SK. That was the figure I was talking about a couple of months ago, but couldn't link to it, because I had heard on Glen Beck. That's what has HIM sooooo freaked out.

That $100,000,000,000,000 is the 800 lb. gorilla in the room!

Motzart

Oooooooo big ole $8.00!!
Geeee that's a lil extra income for NY to tax me on.
With the way things are going up it means absolutely NOTHING!

I might as well give up on retirement.....in 20yrs it won't be there.
With all the people getting laidoff....who is paying into it to keep it going?
At this point I hafta work till I'm 72 to get full retirement.....I won't be in any shape to work by then.
Makes ya wonder what the next generation has to look forward to?

All of this is SOOOOO depressing!!

Motzart

Joking wrote: »

I agree, It dosen't change much for me really, im still going to work for my money and still try to help those around me. besides life is more important than money anyway.

What quality of life do you have if you don't have any extra money to spend to enjoy it!
Work....sleep....eat....pay bills day in and day out is a wicked drag.

Nothing has changed....rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Yeah us that are still working should be thankful for what we have.....question is how long will we have it?

danger boy

i'll probably get that new kidney I've been looking at on the black market..

or maybe get some Lee press on nails for my cat :eek:

Refefer

Hmm, I think most of us keep forgetting that all these taxes we have paid do end up going somewhere after all. Not to belabor the point beyond a small comment, I've noticed that many of us who have commented on the dislike for taxes have come in heavily in favor the war in Iraq. Similarly, the school tuition that was subsidized by my state and made it affordable enough so that I could go to college was bankrolled in part by fellow citizens in the state.

I enjoy walking down the street and not getting shot.

I am fairly sure all of us like the fact that we have civil liberties. It all costs money. I have no problems paying taxes to support that.

$8 back isn't a crap load of money per week, sure. Then again, I wasn't expecting anything back at all. I'll pocket the change and take my opinions about how well the country is being run in my ballot box.

madmax

danger boy wrote: »

i'll probably get that new kidney I've been looking at on the black market..

You are too old to get a new kidney, they won't allow it now. You need to get used to the fact that whatever ailments you have you need to learn to deal with them.
madmax

bobman1235

Refefer wrote: »

Hmm, I think most of us keep forgetting that all these taxes we have paid do end up going somewhere after all. Not to belabor the point beyond a small comment, I've noticed that many of us who have commented on the dislike for taxes have come in heavily in favor the war in Iraq. Similarly, the school tuition that was subsidized by my state and made it affordable enough so that I could go to college was bankrolled in part by fellow citizens in the state.

I enjoy walking down the street and not getting shot.

I am fairly sure all of us like the fact that we have civil liberties. It all costs money. I have no problems paying taxes to support that.

$8 back isn't a crap load of money per week, sure. Then again, I wasn't expecting anything back at all. I'll pocket the change and take my opinions about how well the country is being run in my ballot box.

a) that is an ignorant and terrifying (to me) way to look at things. Yes everything costs money, the question is HOW MUCH. How long can you watch the fed flounder and mess up EVERYTHING IT TRIES TO DO before you ask why they need so much of your money just to eff things up? THey take your money and throw it into a hole and what comes out the other end? An endless war (justified or not, it's gone on too long and is going nowhere), social programs with no positive effect, unemployment at record levels. Your "i don't like getting shot int he street" comment is the most asinine thing I've read in years. COps do not prevent crime, they react to it. You don't get shot in the street because no one's decided to shoot you in the street, if they did the only thing the cops would do is catch the guy so he couldn't shoot someone else, and help scrape your body off the street.

b) $8 a week "isn't a crapload of money." Correct, it's a pointless amount of money, and it's money the gov't DOESN'T HAVE. So it won't have any kind of positive effect on any individual, and yet it's essentially BILLIONS of dollars in government spending with no appreciable gain to the economy. While I love getting any amount of my own money back, I'd rather it mean they're not spending that money, not that they're just writing more checks they can't cash.

Motzart

Refefer wrote: »

I've noticed that many of us who have commented on the dislike for taxes have come in heavily in favor the war in Iraq.

I enjoy walking down the street and not getting shot.

I am fairly sure all of us like the fact that we have civil liberties. It all costs money. I have no problems paying taxes to support that.

As for the War in Iraq.....don't look at me for that one...I was against that before it started!
Afganastan is where Benladen was (911 organizer) we shoulda went after Him as promised.
Not go after the puke Saddam who had nothing to do with 911 and had no weapons of mass distruction....like Bush said he did.
If they wanna kill each other let em....none of our business.
Benladen is still free and a severe threat to us!
Had no business in Iraq....can thank Dad and Son Bush for that mess and HUGE cost....that's where a wad of our deficit came from.
Woulda been worth the debt to go after someone who killed 3000 of our innocent people!

Many streets aren't safe in America and you can get shot at any given time!

Getting taxed to death was the reason we came here from England......it's happening all over again!

Since 911 many of our civil liberties don't exist anymore.

This is all I'm gonna say about this due to the fact this thread is gonna cause a big political blow out which IIRC is against the rules here at CP!!

CP RULE #2

"The discussion of politics and religion is not allowed on this forum. "

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