Food for thought

[sasvermont]

[pomtzu]

He would get a standing ovation from me on that one!

[Karen]

Succinct. Of course, getting any taxes on the wealthy will be a tough sell with this Congress, who don't seem to like anything, or anyone, and could disagree on the color of the sky on a clear blue day!

[Grace]

Bravo, Senator Sanders. Another standing O from me.

[Puckstop31]

Ahhh, good old Bernie Sanders... Always about robbing Peter to pay Paul, rather than teaching Paul how to earn his own living. Socialists (I can say that, because he openly admits it) never have any idea how to create anything, only how to steal it from someone else. Why work hard? Big Brother has your back.

He is correct on some of the quoted points, but missed a key component of the current mess. The part where Fedzilla forced banks to give loans to people who could never possibly pay them back. But that was OK I guess, because Fannie and Freddie bought those loans... So its all good, right?


The ONLY way out of this is for everyone to have a little pain. We have been living on maxed out credit cards for way too long. Sure, soak the rich. Streal every dime they make. It will barely make a dent. Why? Because when does government ever stop growing and spending?

My daughter is so screwed. But, don't worry, YOUR SS check will still not bounce, for now....

[Lady's Human]

Puck, soak the rich? Steal every dime they make?

Let's start with the all too real fact that only the chumps in this country pay any taxes at all.

Corporate income tax rate of 35%? Yeah, sounds high, but who actually pays that? GE? Lockmart? You're kidding me, right?

Income tax on the rich too high? The truly rich aren't paying it, they don't have income. (evidenced by Steve Job's salary structure......great PR and a tax dodge all in one!)


Yeah, we're screwed, but as shown by the deficit supercommittee,

(Pardon me whilst I LMAO, nice move, guys, full of thunder and bluster but ZERO actual effect or impact, all Congress has to do is pass a law changing the "automatic" federal spending cuts and then both sides get to whine to their base about how bad the other side is)

We're not so screwed that the children in Congress don't see this as anything other than a chance to score political points while delaying a solution to the problem.

It ain't the Democrat's fault, it ain't the Republican's fault.

It's OUR fault.

We keep reelecting the same hacks. As a country we are well and truly insane. We keep electing the same people and expecting different results.

[Puckstop31]

Corporate income tax rate of 35%? Yeah, sounds high, but who actually pays that? GE? Lockmart? You're kidding me, right?

On "Republicans" are beholden to lobbyists. Didn't you get the memo?

Income tax on the rich too high? The truly rich aren't paying it, they don't have income. (evidenced by Steve Job's salary structure......great PR and a tax dodge all in one!)

I know. I've said as much before.

Yeah, we're screwed, but as shown by the deficit supercommittee,

(Pardon me whilst I LMAO, nice move, guys, full of thunder and bluster but ZERO actual effect or impact, all Congress has to do is pass a law changing the "automatic" federal spending cuts and then both sides get to whine to their base about how bad the other side is)

We're not so screwed that the children in Congress don't see this as anything other than a chance to score political points while delaying a solution to the problem.

It ain't the Democrat's fault, it ain't the Republican's fault.

It's OUR fault.

We keep reelecting the same hacks. As a country we are well and truly insane. We keep electing the same people and expecting different results.

Target.

[Bonny]

Ahhh, good old Bernie Sanders... Always about robbing Peter to pay Paul, rather than teaching Paul how to earn his own living. Socialists (I can say that, because he openly admits it) never have any idea how to create anything, only how to steal it from someone else. Why work hard? Big Brother has your back.

He is correct on some of the quoted points, but missed a key component of the current mess. The part where Fedzilla forced banks to give loans to people who could never possibly pay them back. But that was OK I guess, because Fannie and Freddie bought those loans... So its all good, right?


The ONLY way out of this is for everyone to have a little pain. We have been living on maxed out credit cards for way too long. Sure, soak the rich. Streal every dime they make. It will barely make a dent. Why? Because when does government ever stop growing and spending?

My daughter is so screwed. But, don't worry, YOUR SS check will still not bounce, for now....

Just got my very first SS check on Wednesday.

Hannah has dual citizenship so in the future she can make a decision to leave the US & move to Canada. There is a way out for her if she decides to take it.

[pomtzu]

Just got my very first SS check on Wednesday.

Don't spend it all in one place. Of course if the cost of living that really isn't rising, keeps rising, the check will no longer stretch to shop in more than one place anyway.

[Puckstop31]

Just got my very first SS check on Wednesday.

Hannah has dual citizenship so in the future she can make a decision to leave the US & move to Canada. There is a way out for her if she decides to take it.

Heh.

I doubt that will be a much better option. We just returned home from a trip to Canada to visit Tanya's family. You think stuff is expensive here? $40 for a 5 lb roast beef. $42 for a case of beer. c. $6/gallon for gas. Etc.....

Canadians sure do pay a LOT for that 'free' health care.

[Puckstop31]

Don't spend it all in one place. Of course if the cost of living that really isn't rising, keeps rising, the check will no longer stretch to shop in more than one place anyway.

I can only imagine how tough it is to live on what SS provides Ellie. You have to trust me that I am not unsympathetic... But something HAS to change. It just has too.

Our Government is addicted to debt. Like any addiction, it hurts to come off it. To sustain the current level of spending with out incurring new debt, would require very oppressive levels of taxation. Levels of taxation that would make it very difficult for companies to afford to hire....

You could 'almost' make the arguement that, over the past few decades, it has almost been the goal of government to ruin the economy..... I mean politicians never lie, right?

[pomtzu]

I can only imagine how tough it is to live on what SS provides Ellie. You have to trust me that I am not unsympathetic... But something HAS to change. It just has too.

Yes, you're right Brian, something DOES have to change. But to make changes at the expense of those who need every penny that they get, then yes, that is wrong.

The folks like me who worked all their lives with the knowledge/expectation/promise??? that retirement would be something to look forward to, were certainly duped - be it intentionally or by "unforeseen" circumstance. We seniors cannot afford cuts to our benefits that we worked all of our lives to earn, now only to find that these golden years are very tarnished. Some have nice nest eggs to fall back on or draw from, others aren't that fortunate. I don't see what I receive from the government as a handout (and I'm not implying that you said that) - I worked hard all my life - thinking that I would be able to have a reasonably comfortable retirement. And when I say that I worked - I worked - from the time I was 18 until I had to retire at 62, with time out only to have a couple of kids. I never received any assistance for anything at any time, and only ever collected unemployment for a total of one whole week in all that time. I never wanted anyone to give me anything that I didn't work for, but I worked for the "benefits" I now receive, and now the government wants to cut them and increase what we pay for Medicare too. I might just as well drop dead now, because Uncle Sam sure is trying to dig my grave deeper at every curve in the road.

[Bonny]

Yes, you're right Brian, something DOES have to change. But to make changes at the expense of those who need every penny that they get, then yes, that is wrong.

The folks like me who worked all their lives with the knowledge/expectation/promise??? that retirement would be something to look forward to, were certainly duped - be it intentionally or by "unforeseen" circumstance. We seniors cannot afford cuts to our benefits that we worked all of our lives to earn, now only to find that these golden years are very tarnished. Some have nice nest eggs to fall back on or draw from, others aren't that fortunate. I don't see what I receive from the government as a handout (and I'm not implying that you said that) - I worked hard all my life - thinking that I would be able to have a reasonably comfortable retirement. And when I say that I worked - I worked - from the time I was 18 until I had to retire at 62, with time out only to have a couple of kids. I never received any assistance for anything at any time, and only ever collected unemployment for a total of one whole week in all that time. I never wanted anyone to give me anything that I didn't work for, but I worked for the "benefits" I now receive, and now the government wants to cut them and increase what we pay for Medicare too. I might just as well drop dead now, because Uncle Sam sure is trying to dig my grave deeper at every curve in the road.

The SS I receive helps pay for my not so free medicare, drugs, & back up insurance. I just received a notice from my back up insurance, a rise in the premium already.

I work part time & am paying into medicare, SS, Fed, & the State. The newest prediction is those of us that can work will be working into our 80's. That looks like I better go take my aspirins, vitamins, & calcium so I can stay in shape to keep ahead of Uncle Sam with his shovel.

[momcat]

I've heard Bernie Sanders speak a number of times and am quite impressed. His message is consistently on the side of the working middle class. I'm hoping he decides to run for president, he'd have my vote in a heartbeat. Obama is a wimp and candidates on the republicant side are pathetic with their alliance with the Koch brothers and Norquist.

[lizbud]

Give em hell Bernie.