Politics and religion.

[Puckstop31]

Yer comparing me to Adolph ???
Hahahahaha......this is getting better and better.

Well.... You are not giving me much to work with.

If this....

No it ain't, what is left after paying your dues to society is yours. And not a penny more.
Live with it old fella, because all of your whinging and whining ain't gonna make any difference.
You will pay your share, whether you like it or not, just like everyone else does.

...is not something out of Mein Kampf... Well, there is nothing else for us to discuss. If you REALLY think that the money I earn is NOT mine, (I can only assume it is 'societies' money then), well.....yeah.

----

Now, if you want to have a talk about an individuals responsibility to society and how to best take care of each other.... I'm all for it.


If you think I don't care about my fellow man and want the best for ALL of us, you are wrong. Period. The difference is you want to do it by FORCE. I want us to WANT to take care of each other, as locally as possible, first.


FORCE is NOT 'charity' my friend. Government (taxes) is FORCE. I'd rather give my money to charities that work, rather than a government that squanders it enslaving generations of people to dependance on it. That dependance is nothing short of slavery. Most of those people, who depend of "the system' you so cherish have very little chance, by design, IMO. See, i'm not 'whining' because I don't want to use what God has blessed me with via a awful, politically biased system of 'support'. I want it to go DIRECTLY to the people who need it, regardless of a vote, a race, a party or all the other waste that is government these days.


I really hope for an honest answer Wom.

[Bonny]

Pucky does that mean I can collect on my Social Security next Fall? Last spring we were having a tiff over it. I promise to use it wisely & there should be a lot left in there for the next generation to spend wisely if our government keeps its grubby hands off of it.

[Puckstop31]

Pucky does that mean I can collect on my Social Security next Fall? Last spring we were having a tiff over it. I promise to use it wisely & there should be a lot left in there for the next generation to spend wisely if our government keeps its grubby hands off of it.

I can't remain solvent for long.... I expect to get about, $0.00 out of SS. Our society is aging, rapidly. Young people are having less children. Many of the people producing the next generation are already dependant on social welfare programs.... Thus do not contribute to the till. HOW does SS stay solvent the way it is going now?

Yes, it feels good to have a program like SS. Were it run honestly and not used as a political tool it could be in good shape. But, honestly, other than making the SS tax CRIPPLING to the young people (who produce, rather than take) of this country (your posterity) how does SS stay solvent?

Who is going to blink? Are the people drawing SS going to take less? Take it later in life? Or is AARP going to win and coax CONgress into taking more from me and my peers? (not to mention gain millions of new people it can sell Medicare supplemental insurance too.... Hooray for Obama Care!) If that happens.... What is my future like? What is my daughters future like?

It's a poop sandwich for sure.... I've said it before, to make things right.... Its going to hurt a little.

[Bonny]

As far as S.S. in the future maybe it won't be there & I was told as a child by my parents they would not be collecting S.S. & didn't (dad had railroad retirement instead) but my uncles & aunts who also said they wouldn't collect S.S. because there wouldn't be any left did collect it. I was taught in school back in the 1960's that we should not depend on S.S. (because there wouldn"t be any left for us anyhow)alone but put our eggs in other baskets. Even with the Medicare Plan, how long is that going to last? Even though you pay out of your employement check, in the end you have the last say because someone else is in control. It has always been that way & always will be. There is nothing like Medicare & lets say a private insurance plan to boot actually dictating what they are going to pay & not pay & how you are going to be treated when you are deathly ill. That just scares the heck out of me. They have control over what is going to happen to you.

Have any suggestions how to change it? I think it is going to hurt not a little but a lot in the future.

[wombat2u2004]

[QUOTE=Bonny;2319766]As far as S.S. in the future maybe it won't be there. QUOTE]

Don't worry Fraulein Von Bonny, the rich will provide you with bread crusts and water, and other necessities for your old age.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Wombatz Von Adolph.

[sparks19]

[QUOTE=wombat2u2004;2319794]

As far as S.S. in the future maybe it won't be there. QUOTE]

Don't worry Fraulein Von Bonny, the rich will provide you with bread crusts and water, and other necessities for your old age.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Wombatz Von Adolph.

Rich? YOu think we are RICH?

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA that's funny

I suppose we are rich... just not in the way you think we are. We don't have a large home... we are currently busting out of the humble house we currently have. but it's our home and we love it (even with all the stuff that seems to be breaking lately). We don't have unlimited funds to do whatever we please. But we have love and family and laughter. We are rich in life but not in the bank. We live comfortably... and sometimes we struggle between paychecks.

To think that we are "rich snobs who don't want to help anyone" because we don't support government programs that don't actually HELP anyone get back on their feet is laughable at best.

I actually think welfare and such programs have ruined the sense of community and reaching out to them for help. there was a time where everyone knew their neighbors and if a neighbor or friend was in need people would step up and help in any way they could. Now it seems most people don't even KNOW their neighbors and if someone needs help... well isn't that what welfare is for? they are taking such a large chunk from people by force that it seems to be starting the trend of "well it's not MY problem... the government will deal with it" and that is a sad state of affairs.

[wombat2u2004]

[QUOTE=sparks19;2319840]

Rich? YOu think we are RICH?

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA that's funny

I suppose we are rich... just not in the way you think we are. We don't have a large home... we are currently busting out of the humble house we currently have. but it's our home and we love it (even with all the stuff that seems to be breaking lately). We don't have unlimited funds to do whatever we please. But we have love and family and laughter. We are rich in life but not in the bank. We live comfortably... and sometimes we struggle between paychecks.

To think that we are "rich snobs who don't want to help anyone" because we don't support government programs that don't actually HELP anyone get back on their feet is laughable at best.

I actually think welfare and such programs have ruined the sense of community and reaching out to them for help. there was a time where everyone knew their neighbors and if a neighbor or friend was in need people would step up and help in any way they could. Now it seems most people don't even KNOW their neighbors and if someone needs help... well isn't that what welfare is for? they are taking such a large chunk from people by force that it seems to be starting the trend of "well it's not MY problem... the government will deal with it" and that is a sad state of affairs.

Why do you assume "I THINK" you are rich ????

[Puckstop31]

Have any suggestions how to change it? I think it is going to hurt not a little but a lot in the future.

Phase it out over time. 'Guarantees' from the FEDERAL government is not how America is supposed to work.

OR, make participation in it optional. I'd opt out in a heartbeat if I could. Then, I'd give at least half of what I used to pay to SS to two AMAZING, private charities that WORK. ALL with ZERO public dollars.

As for care of our elders... Even if I pre-decease my parents, they will never spend ONE day in a retirement home or dependant on government for their care. I love and respect them too much to not do everything I can for them. As it should be, IMO.

[Grace]

they will never spend ONE day in a retirement home

I'm not getting into this discussion, but did have a question about this one phrase.

Do you mean Nursing Home? When I think of retirement home, I think of the many retirement communities around here, full of vibrant, active people. I don't look at them as places to avoid.

Nursing homes, on the other hand, can be good or bad. My mom was in one in Rhode Island before she died, and it was a great place. But I have seen the other kind.

[Puckstop31]

I'm not getting into this discussion, but did have a question about this one phrase.

Do you mean Nursing Home? When I think of retirement home, I think of the many retirement communities around here, full of vibrant, active people. I don't look at them as places to avoid.

Nursing homes, on the other hand, can be good or bad. My mom was in one in Rhode Island before she died, and it was a great place. But I have seen the other kind.

Correct. I have seen some AWFUL places. Plus, I promised my parents that I would take care of them. They did sacrifice a lot to help get me where I am.

I am sure there are good retirement facilities. My parents asked to not ever be placed in one and I have already secured, as best as possible these days, that they never will be. My Dad suffers from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma as a result of Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam.... And my Mom puts up with him. So, its the least I can do for them.

Thank you Grace, for making this point known.

[wombat2u2004]

Now, if you want to have a talk about an individuals responsibility to society and how to best take care of each other.... I'm all for it.

Suggestions ????

[Puckstop31]

Suggestions ????

Private charities for starters. Private charities with STANDARDS. Stop making it beneficial for unwed mothers to have MORE children. Make it beneficial to live in a nuclear family. Not necessarily married, or even straight.... But a mother and a father figure. I know a lot of single mothers and it is HARD. Raising my daughter I see how important the different things my wife and I bring to the table are. That also makes me realise just how tough it is for single moms. SO please do not think I am sour on single parent homes. I just hope for dual parent homes as much as possible. It matters.


I know private charities work better than anything government could ever do. I KNOW it. I see it. We (my evil, profit making company) donates our valuable time, resources and material to several awesome private charities. One of them being an abused womens shelter. But, they have STANDARDS. If they burn a drug test, they are OUT. The kids go to a pre-screened, PRIVATELY funded foster family and the parent who broke the rules is on their own.

Harsh? Perhaps. Fair? You bet.


HARD time limits on public welfare. Make public welfare recipients WORK for it. I am tired of driving by the public housing units in my town and seeing 22inch wheels on the Mercedes, being driven by people witih cigarettes and beer.


I can add more, but it's time for the nightly Scrabble game. LOL

G'Night.

[wombat2u2004]

Private charities for starters. Private charities with STANDARDS. Stop making it beneficial for unwed mothers to have MORE children. Make it beneficial to live in a nuclear family. Not necessarily married, or even straight.... But a mother and a father figure. I know a lot of single mothers and it is HARD. Raising my daughter I see how important the different things my wife and I bring to the table are. That also makes me realise just how tough it is for single moms. SO please do not think I am sour on single parent homes. I just hope for dual parent homes as much as possible. It matters.


I know private charities work better than anything government could ever do. I KNOW it. I see it. We (my evil, profit making company) donates our valuable time, resources and material to several awesome private charities. One of them being an abused womens shelter. But, they have STANDARDS. If they burn a drug test, they are OUT. The kids go to a pre-screened, PRIVATELY funded foster family and the parent who broke the rules is on their own.

Harsh? Perhaps. Fair? You bet.


HARD time limits on public welfare. Make public welfare recipients WORK for it. I am tired of driving by the public housing units in my town and seeing 22inch wheels on the Mercedes, being driven by people witih cigarettes and beer.


I can add more, but it's time for the nightly Scrabble game. LOL

G'Night.

Charities huh ????
So you think charities are going to feed and support the unemployed ??? The sick ?? The infirm ?? The unmarried mothers ?? The multitudes that arrive daily in your country seeking political asylum and who can't speak a word of English ???
You don't think the govt should feed them ??? Try it !!! And then see how safe you and your family will be.
The BIGGEST problem is the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor. Your BIGGEST HOPE should be to support a system that looks after you and people who can't look after themselves, because if that system breaks down, your Mein Kampf book will begin to look like a book of nursery rhymes.

Hey, I don't like the system either. But I'll always support it. Because in this day and age, it's the only system that CAN work.
Forget pure capitalism, that don't work no more. Forget pure socialism, cos that don't work either. So what the remedy is, is a mixture of those two doctrines.
The system you advocate, doesn't work. It would never work. Especially in this day and age.

[Puckstop31]

Charities huh ????
So you think charities are going to feed and support the unemployed ??? The sick ?? The infirm ?? The unmarried mothers ?? The multitudes that arrive daily in your country seeking political asylum and who can't speak a word of English ???
You don't think the govt should feed them ??? Try it !!! And then see how safe you and your family will be.
The BIGGEST problem is the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor. Your BIGGEST HOPE should be to support a system that looks after you and people who can't look after themselves, because if that system breaks down, your Mein Kampf book will begin to look like a book of nursery rhymes.

I do not support just shutting off the switch in one day. It took generations to create this mess, it will take at least one to turn it around. And by 'switch' I mean public welfare. There is a place for public welfare I suppose, but it needs to be a scale WAY, WAY smaller than it is now.

<Here is the part where I really piss some people off.>

Taking public support needs to be HARDER. Public support needs to suck so bad that the people will do anything to get off of it. I hear stories all the time of people being offered jobs, but refuse to take them because their unemployment compensation is 'easier'. The support system needs to be something that is rare, awful and most of all TEMPORARY. NOT a generational thing....

I know it sounds mean. Its harsh. BUT, it is the BEST thing for them. The goal of public support systems should be getting people back to self sufficency as soon as possible. That is not the way it works..... Because those people on the dole, still get to vote themselves more.

Hey, I don't like the system either. But I'll always support it. Because in this day and age, it's the only system that CAN work.
Forget pure capitalism, that don't work no more. Forget pure socialism, cos that don't work either. So what the remedy is, is a mixture of those two doctrines.
The system you advocate, doesn't work. It would never work. Especially in this day and age.

Well my friend... What you are talking about is not working either. Look at Europe. Look at the US. ( I am sure Oz is just ducky. LOL ) We are BROKE. SOMETHING has to give or we are ALL screwed.

---

What IS poverty anyway? I ask because you mentioned the gap between rich and poor. I think the West defines poverty poorly. How can you be poor AND fat? Poor and 2 cars? Poor and a fridge full of beer? Poor and have 22's on your BMW? Poor and 3 cartons of smokes? Are there truly poor people in ther West? Of course. But there are way more on the system who DON'T need it. BUT, because they get to vote for more.....

I've served in some crappy places and seen what poverty really is.


---

Whatever the answer is.... It HAS to hurt. HAS to. We lived the lie of the Credit Card for way too long. It sucks. I don't like saying this. But, I want my child(ren) to have at least the same chance as me to live the kind of life we live right now. And if my dollar is worthless.....


---

Thank you for the honest reply, BTW. This is a much better way to talk. I'm sorry for the Adolph thing... You seemed to use FEAR (a threat) as the method of getting what you wanted. That is how I made the comparision. I am sorry for that.

[Grace]

Back to Joe Miller for a moment.

Joe Miller files appeal; takes election challenge to Alaska Supreme Court
By Sean J. Miller - 12/13/10 05:22 PM ET

Republican Joe Miller is continuing his legal battle over the outcome of the Alaska Senate race.

Miller filed an appeal Monday of the lower court ruling against his lawsuit challenging how the state counted write-in ballots for Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska.).

The state Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in the case on Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Murkowski was declared the winner last month, but the state is legally barred from certifying the results thanks to an order from a federal judge.

She leads Miller by more than 10,000 votes, and even if all of the write-in ballots challenged by Miller were to be thrown out by a judge, he would still have no clear path to victory.