The GOP creates jobs??? I guess i can agree with that as they are creating good paying ones with excellent fringe benefits with TARP money ehich includes a trip to the Spa resort, right??? :P I wonder if you get one of Hugh's girls preferrably Holly Madison for the night??? :P :P :P
Did you watch 60 minutes tonight??? They were talking about big of a rip-off 401K plans are to company employees and how half of the income you earn is ate up by excess fees from the providers. They said good luck finding how much you are being ripped off per fee. :mad:
I remember back early in my career just how many millionaires were going to be created from 401K plans. I always have and still do think they are the biggest fraud benefit going today. The globalist pulled another one over the sheeples eyes and look at where it got em'. It's not much different than investing with Madofff.
Wagoner couldn't turn a big ship over 14 years! Dud after dud due to his wisdom:
Aztek - Dud G6 - Hit Cobalt - Hit Solstice/Sky -In between HHR -Dud G8 - Hit so far Camaro (soon) -Big Hit Volt (probably never) -Hit if BO gives a big tax break for buying them. Just read that GM has plans on the next generation to be able to cut battery costs down maybe as much as half.
thought he was the best CEO ever.
One of the best!!! :shades:
He's the one that agreed to the VEBA that GM could never afford.
See Wall Street for why they couldn't afford the VEBA. Wall Street and Big Oil $4.00 gas destroyed GM and thus they couldn't afford there VEBA obligations. :sick:
He hired KLutz who first knocked hybrids, then later thought they were the best things since sliced bread.
Lutz, was pro diesel like me. I agree with gagrice (imagine that) that we need more diesels here in this country. I however want the diesel to be made out of cow, pig, chicken remains instead of oil. Lutz jumped on the hybrid wagon to support in being a voice of unity with Wagoner as Lutz adds credibility and was very well respected in the automobile world.
I see exactly that pal. They have lost a lot of there nationalism. When Norway started allowing Arabs into the country like the rest of Europe they were doomed. It's going to be no different than what we have coming from the south but at least the ones from the south are more inlined with our "faith". I think Europe will be doomed and countries such as Norway 40 years from now will be over run with a large population of immigrants. You might be driving down the road and the sign is printed in Norwegian and Arabic. :surprise:
Commercially, none of the above are hits. They sell a lot of G6's and Cobalts, but aren't those mostly for fleets?
I don't think so....GM isn't "fleeting" there inventory like they use too pal.
Let's say that you and I have different definitions of "dud" and "hit". :P
I'm okay with that. The Cruze will be replacing the old Cobalt very soon thus don't forget that soon to be "hit" The 2010 LaCrosse is one of the best designed cars ever and will be a hit also. :shades: let's don't forget the 2010' Equinox also.
Beth, went to a ride and drive "training" in Warren, MI on friday and loves the new Camaro, and she can't wait to drive it. She got to play around with it and says the fit and finish was better than expected. She didn't like the cloth seat though. They had pin stripes or something which she didn't like. She says the leather was of good quality though. if I were still at my former dealership I probably would of been there that day also.
I compared a Honda Civic vs. a Ford Fusion. The Fusion :mad: scores 87 and the Honda scores 44. Yet the Honda is made in the US and has 70% domestic content. The Fusion is made in Mexico and has 40% domestic content.
It appears that the "Level Field Institute" which is UAW retirees just wants you to buy US-nameplates regardless of who assembled the car or where the parts originated.
My Acura TL made in the USA was strangely not even listed on the comparison pull-down.
Beth, went to a ride and drive "training" in Warren, MI on friday and loves the new Camaro, and she can't wait to drive it. She got to play around with it and says the fit and finish was better than expected. She didn't like the cloth seat though. They had pin stripes or something which she didn't like. She says the leather was of good quality though. if I were still at my former dealership I probably would of been there that day also.
You should send us pictures of Beth in her Camaro. (Because we are interested in the car) :P
the wall st journal says GM has unsecured debt so it looks like bondholders will get a robust 12 cents on dollar, take it or leave it...Chrysler biggest creditor is JP Morgan and maybe goldman sachs, 2 of our most evil banksters (robert rubin and henry paulson are the crooked alumni of Goldman) but unlike GM dodge used their plants as collateral so these godawwful banks could conceivably liquify chrysler if a agreement cant be reached ...lets keep the chrysler workers and liquify goldman or at least send them to china...i think the big 3 have done a lot more for working stiffs than these banksters ever have
why is cobalt a dud?...it is inexpensive and runs, just ask anybody with world class ecotec engine...the new camaro will rock...i liked the G8 and G6...i say screw hyundai, they are korean owned..but at least they do have a few plants here, but less domestic components of course...i think the G8 is assembled by Gm subsidiary holden in australia, that would be only reason i would not buy it
after larry bird retired, i really didnt follow NBA much until celtics came back last year...Jordan was real thing, i remember he scored 49 and 63 vs a great 1986 celtics team in consecutive playoff games..celtics won title that year, but i couldnt believe how good young Mr MJ was...i remember his clutch game winner in 1982 NCAA title game vs ewing led georgetown...makes me gag when anyone would dare compare kobe to jordan...jordan was clutch and a ferocious competitor, kobe is a wannabe, lebrick too at least so far...i am indifferent as a celtics fan, of course i hate lakers and kobe...Bird and Mchale drove american cars though by God, another reason to love them...i bet magic led lakers didnt...i remember mchale making a remark about that, that LA players wouldnt be driving a crown vic
some games do seem rigged....come to think of it, Magic dad worked at GM for many years so imagine magic bought a few cadillacs in his time and growing up in lansing he was well aware how important GM was to state...bobby knight would only buy domestics too...bird, mchale, magic and bob knight all grew up in midwest where our auto industry is based
I compared a Honda Civic vs. a Ford Fusion. The Fusion scores 87 and the Honda scores 44. Yet the Honda is made in the US and has 70% domestic content. The Fusion is made in Mexico and has 40% domestic content
The Civic isn't all that it once was. Why would you compare a Civic to a Fusion??? Two different size cars. I know edmunds staffers have a hard time making comparo's like that but I wouldn't expect that from you. Remember gagrice says cars made in Mexico are made better than the ones here. :P
It appears that the "Level Field Institute" which is UAW retirees just wants you to buy US-nameplates regardless of who assembled the car or where the parts originated.
Yes they want you to buy U.S. nameplates. I personally would never buy a Fusion, and I didn't know the domestic content was only 40% :surprise:
My Acura TL made in the USA was strangely not even listed on the comparison pull-down.
You own a 2006 right??? That is 65% domestic content. Maybe with the passage of EFCA the UAW will unionize and pay those honda workers a good wage and benefits and someday I will consider another Acura. They would first have to do something with that nose because I thought I'd get use to it but honestly it's still a sore spot. Outside of that the new TL is a great car but it needs a manual and I never thought they should of went away from the 3.2 V6. They should of slapped a turbocharger on it IMHO.
MJ owned a Corvette. If I recall correctly he owned a few american cars. MJ was good but one could argue Kobe is better than MJ and Lebron is better than them both IMHO. Lebron is 6'8 270lbs. and can run like a 4.3 "40" He (Lebron) might be the greatest pure athlete to have ever lived. I agree the Celtics players were good patriots and drove american cars.
some games do seem rigged....come to think of it, Magic dad worked at GM for many years so imagine magic bought a few cadillacs in his time and growing up in lansing he was well aware how important GM was to state...bobby knight would only buy domestics too...bird, mchale, magic and bob knight all grew up in midwest where our auto industry is based
Magic drives GM cars. I would love to see GM, sign him to endorse there products especially since "Magic" has a lot of credibility in the business world. I wasn't a Lakers fan but I did like Magic. A great athlete and person.
Rockylee - It's not gold plated anymore. Dad has a PPO and has some out of pocket expenses. I think he pays like $800 bucks a year or something plus copays
See Rocky, that's another example of yours and the UAWs disconnect from reality. $67/month is peanuts for health care coverage nowadays. My wife and I are paying around $250/month for medical coverage, which is probably considered a good deal by some people.
It's not the UAW's fault that you and the rest of the country are getting a screw job on healthcare premiums. They have faught for years to get the costs down to reasonable levels yet we see quarter after quarter record breaking profits for pharmaceutical and the insurance industry. I was paying $126 a month at Pantex. I had it better than most. Instead of venting your anger at GM and the UAW you would be better served by attacking the insurance and pharmaceutical industry for price gouging. We are paying on average 5 times what the Canadians are for drugs. Why aren't we getting the same deal as them??? That's what you should be upset about.
Bush made it illegal to get our drugs from Canadian sources. I had hope Osama would switch that back as part of the change, but that ain't going to happen.
Healthcare costs are hidden taxes in part. In Ohio the Governor promised no taxes so he's raised 130-150 fees. Who says men of the cloth don't lie. He's a reverend and ran heavily on that as support of his honesty despite his party affiliation. So much for the Bible. :P He has $400 million + in new fees for hospitals proposed. That's a tax on the users--including me and mine. That won't lower healthcare costs.
Reagan was right: government is the problem. :surprise:
It's not the UAW's fault that you and the rest of the country are getting a screw job on healthcare premiums.
Of course it's not. But it's the whining by the UAW that $67/month for health care is somehow outrageous that's the issue. That means someone else - the employer, taxpayers - is paying the bulk of the cost for those gold plated benefits.
This is the point that has been made hundreds of times in this forum - that the UAW and it's workers have been divorced from the realities faced by most people in this country for such a long time, and that their sense of entitlement just plain wears on others.
I think Fintail, proved your $9,000 wage theory was about as accurate as the spew coming from Fixed News. You just don't stop do you?
Not my figure. It came from Forbes. They claimed the unions got a 3.6% increase. That amounted to $297 per year. I posted the link, you and fintail can complain to Forbes.
The real point is wages in Norway vary considerably depending on your skills. It is not one wage for all as you keep wanting.
"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."
I wished Marsha7 and gagrice would drop the Mises book and take in what "Honest Abe" said many years ago. Great Post cooterbfd!!
I could not tell you what a Mises is and have not heard of him except from you. Abe had it right. You go out and work hard and you reap the fruits of your labor. If memory serves me right Abe spent his days splitting wood for fence posts and his evenings studying by candle light. His statement in NO WAY says that you are entitled to a high paying job. It says to get off you butt and work hard and you will make money. You have got your thoughts so corrupted by the UAW think, you cannot see that the over paid jobs for unskilled workers, are no longer available. That means if you got to work hard digging ditches for $6 per hour to put food on your table, so be it. You want to emulate Abe, get out and work like he did. He would roll over in his grave knowing how lazy the American people have gotten.
Well unfortunately the Republicans are also all for those who break the law by sneaking into this country illegally to get jobs and citizenship. I guess that's helping working-class people. What ever happened to the rule of law? On this Rocky and I agree.
That may be sadly so. I am a Duncan Hunter Republican. Which is one of the few things Rocky and I agree upon. I would not treat illegals quite as violently as Rocky. I do think we need to ship illegals back. If they come across a second time pay Sheriff Joe Arpaio to look after them in one of his tent prisons. I don't believe they should be given automatic citizenship for being born here. And I do not believe we should be obliged to give them medical care or any other public assistance. Such as Obama's aunt living illegally on welfare in Boston for the last 5 years. People coming here legally and 3 years later collecting SS is also wrong. It is more of a Democrat thing to avoid the issues, as they are the ones expecting to get the votes. It will bring down the standard of living for many in the lesser skilled fields.
Community colleges cost very little. How about University expenses. My ex has $50K in student loans thus yeah that is very little. Okay!!!
Yeah, higher education costs are one of those things that's really gotten out of hand. I remember my first semester at the U of MD College Park was around $900, plus books. That was fall of 1988. My last semester, May 1993, it was around $1500. That's a 66% jump just in 5 years, and we thought it was bad at the time! But I just checked their webpage, and tuition is around $4,000 per semester now!
What the hell was your Ex studying for, to run up a $50K loan?!
People coming here legally and 3 years later collecting SS is also wrong. It is more of a Democrat thing to avoid the issues, as they are the ones expecting to get the votes.
Does that really happen? I thought you had to get at least 40 quarters in, before you'd be eligible for social security. I'm presuming that means one quarter of a year, so that would mean you'd have to work at least 10 years before you're eligible. And even then, I don't think you can collect until you're 62, unless you get yourself permanently disabled.
I guess like anything else though, there are ways around it.
We get it. You smarmy one-worlders don't like to admit to any kind of collusion or united ideal to make a dumbed down standard for the masses of the planet, at the expense of the future of what was the western world. Point taken.
I just don't see the difference from 100 years ago or two hundred years ago. We have generally bought from the lowest bidder nation. The focus has been recently on cheap goods from China. How about all the fruit and veggies from Chile. The fish from Vietnam and the Philippines. I live in the middle of avocado groves and the stores never have local avocados. They are from either Chile or Mexico. Same with melons. Salinas CA is the Garlic capitol of the World. I cannot find any garlic that is not a product of China in our supermarkets. Not to mention the fact that lumber subsidized by the Queen devastated the US lumber industry a LONG TIME ago.
We can lament our position in the global economy. I do not see any movement away from expanding the trend. I would rather be here than any other place I can think of. And I am far below that top tier. I am right in the middle of the middle class. After decades of being behind the UAW. We finally passed them in the late 1990s. Financially my best years were post 9/11 till I retired in 2006.
PS I get $250 from Obama. Just got the letter in the mail. Think I will buy a new car with that. :shades:
It may be SSI. Not sure how that works. The routine is the kids in the Philippines join the US military. Then bring mom and dad to the US and apply for all the welfare benefits. We have so many loopholes in our welfare system it is amazing we are still solvent. Both for those at the top and the bottom.
Yeah, higher education costs are one of those things that's really gotten out of hand. I remember my first semester at the U of MD College Park was around $900, plus books. That was fall of 1988. My last semester, May 1993, it was around $1500. That's a 66% jump just in 5 years, and we thought it was bad at the time! But I just checked their webpage, and tuition is around $4,000 per semester now!
UMCP seems to have been raising their prices at a higher rate than many. Maybe it's because their reputation has been steadily improving?
My oldest son went to NC State instead of Maryland. Because of the way the costs were structured at NC State (low room and board, relatively high out-of-state tuition) and the fact that my wife had a tuition remission plan through Hopkins, he went to NC for lower out-of-pocket costs than if he had gone in state.
Rocky may criticize the cookie-cutter degrees that he thinks are handed out just by showing up for class - kind like a UAW paycheck :P - . But my son will be making 6 figures in another year or so, after only having been out of school 5 or 6 years. That's a pretty good payback on what we/he spent - money well spent. And yes, we made him take out some loans so he would have stake in it.
The banks were giving loans away like they were with housing. No credit, no job, no problem!!!! Gary seriously I think you know better but are only trying to get under my skin aren't chya.
I did not say it was built on solid economics. How was the housing bubble any different than the Dot.com bubble? my 401K lost more in the 1998 crash than the 2008 crash. I did not agree with the lending and the consequences caused by giving every tom, dick and harry a long with no stated income. We could argue who was behind it all day, and probably not agree.
If you are a history buff you should know the good and the bad about FDR. Most Democrats are blind to his mistakes. I think our friend fintail could more eloquently clue you in.
I am afraid we will both be unhappy with the amnesty bill that will go through this year. It is all about votes. That is all politics amount to anymore. There is NO MORALITY IN WASHINGTON DC. You think ACORN is OK. They were signing up illegals by the truck load in the South West. I would bet those indictments will all fade into the woodwork. They are due to get a couple Billion of your Stimulus money. I say yours because I will not be around to pay it back.
So sad the thinking the UAW saves only 3% of the employees that work paying union dues,from total lazy do nothing to drunk out of control and those that play the race card. Every one pays but it is that 3% it costs us all. That is not to say when the Contract is renewed it is nice to see representation . The UAW always took its lead from Canada going back to 1938 but found The Canadian CAW would not sign off on Profit sharing and split ( so much for profit) now back to The Government inter fearing in contracts ! not good when things turn around will all be replaced with what was broken by this Government? or is the Government turning RED as the U.S.S.R. and want to take over every contract that has been written? This economy thing has happened before and it will happen again this is four times in my lifetime and we lived through it when I worked for GM without the Government causing this Unjustified panic to cut their own thought ,The amount of people put out of work in America is on the shoulders of the Government and the cost to supplement income through the services of the Government is out of this world .(go get a Job because the Government is taking on staff to cover this disgrace)
It's not the UAW's fault that you and the rest of the country are getting a screw job on healthcare premiums.
Medicare, which last time I checked, was a program administered by the Federal Government. Medicare costs those of US on SS at least $126 per month. Some SS retirees are paying $275 or more per month. I repeat the gold plated plan for UAW retirees is unsustainable. No wonder they don't want on Medicare. It will cost them a lot more than they are paying now. Sometimes the entitlement mentality is beyond all belief.
Some folks like to knock Reagan. He knew the truth. The root of all evil resides in Washington DC with our bloated and getting bigger each day Federal Government. I hope the young folks that put people like Pelosi into control are happy with their Change in standard of living.
What the hell was your Ex studying for, to run up a $50K loan?!
Most of the student loans are used to live on. Some think they have to have a new car, and all the toys while going to school. Friends have their son at Wheaton and it is costing them $3000 per month. The other son is at Air Force academy in Colorado Springs for FREE. Which would you prefer?
Did you watch 60 minutes tonight??? They were talking about big of a rip-off 401K plans are to company employees and how half of the income you earn is ate up by excess fees from the providers. They said good luck finding how much you are being ripped off per fee. :mad:
I remember back early in my career just how many millionaires were going to be created from 401K plans. I always have and still do think they are the biggest fraud benefit going today. The globalist pulled another one over the sheeples eyes and look at where it got em'. It's not much different than investing with Madofff.
Yeah, I saw it. It's like anything else, their are good plans out there and bad ones. The 401(K) is only one piece of the puzzle. It was never intended to be main source of retirement funding, but a tool to supplement other retirement vehicles such as SS, pensions, IRAs, and other savings.
It's not different than pension plans and SS as far as who has their hands in the til. If you think Pension funds aren't paying such fees, think again. You have to save your own money, PERIOD!!. Because putting 100% trust into one of the following: 401k, pension (if you have one), and SS is a recipe for a poor retirement. You talk as if a defined benefit plan is the only way to a secure retirement and that is 100% false thinking. I know very few people that have a pension that provides enough monthly income alone. Most retirees I know still have to rely on personal savings. Hell, I know several people who's pensions were turned over to the PBGC meaning a 50% cut in monthly benefits for some. Not having personal savings to fall back on could mean eating dog food.
Yeah, it's probably SSI (Supplemental Security Income), which is a Federal welfare program for poor people who are aged (at least 65) or disabled. Although it's administered by the Social Security Administration, it's entirely separate from regular Social Security & it's funded from general tax revenue.
$10-$15 an hour is certain poverty in Philadelphia. The only way you're going to survive on that is to live with Mom and Dad forever, have at least two roommates, or marry somebody wealthy. Nobody will make it on their own at that level unless he has a second job or is slingin' rocks on the corner.
So the greedy hardware store owner is taking advantage of the down economy. That is what is happening. He could probably pay $10 an/hr. but they know a lot of people are looking for work and why not exploit them. If this isn't a form of communism for the peasants I don't know what else you could call it.
That store owner is going end up with the dregs of the employment market, unless he hires his 16 year-old nephew. They will make up for the poor wages by robbing him blind. I can see tools, plumbing fixtures, copper pipe, etc. going out the back door into some crook's van.
The Civic isn't all that it once was. Why would you compare a Civic to a Fusion??? Two different size cars. I know edmunds staffers have a hard time making comparo's like that but I wouldn't expect that from you.
Well you pointed out the site that supposedly rates which cars are better for America. I picked two high-selling cars to compare. This UAW retiree propaganda site says the Mexican Fusion is better for US jobs than the US-made Civic, even though Civic has much higher US parts content. So that site is more concerned about UAW than US jobs. If it's a non-unionized US citizen's job then I guess that isn't important.I wasn't comparing types of vehicles directly.
So the greedy hardware store owner is taking advantage of the down economy. That is what is happening. He could probably pay $10 an/hr. but they know a lot of people are looking for work and why not exploit them. If this isn't a form of communism for the peasants I don't know what else you could call it.
Another possible scenario is that the "greedy" hardware store owner is up to his armits in debt, upside down on his mortgage, leveraged to the hilt, and has creditors banging down his door 24/7. So minimum wage might be all he can afford to pay for this position. He might not be as well off as he appears.
Eastern Europe might be a better society than the global capitalist are going to wrought for the majority of us.
Yeah, the proletariat in those countries will at least have alcohol, cigarettes, and a roof over their heads. Those of us who thought we were all that with out cookie-cutter MBAs from "Gudger College" will be left to starve in the streets like dogs.
Comments
-Rocky
I remember back early in my career just how many millionaires were going to be created from 401K plans. I always have and still do think they are the biggest fraud benefit going today. The globalist pulled another one over the sheeples eyes and look at where it got em'. It's not much different than investing with Madofff.
-Rocky
Aztek - Dud
G6 - Hit
Cobalt - Hit
Solstice/Sky -In between
HHR -Dud
G8 - Hit so far
Camaro (soon) -Big Hit
Volt (probably never) -Hit if BO gives a big tax break for buying them. Just read that GM has plans on the next generation to be able to cut battery costs down maybe as much as half.
thought he was the best CEO ever.
One of the best!!! :shades:
He's the one that agreed to the VEBA that GM could never afford.
See Wall Street for why they couldn't afford the VEBA. Wall Street and Big Oil $4.00 gas destroyed GM and thus they couldn't afford there VEBA obligations. :sick:
He hired KLutz who first knocked hybrids, then later thought they were the best things since sliced bread.
Lutz, was pro diesel like me. I agree with gagrice (imagine that) that we need more diesels here in this country. I however want the diesel to be made out of cow, pig, chicken remains instead of oil.
-Rocky
-Rocky
-Rocky
-Rocky
-Rocky
imidazol97, you might be interested in this one since it's from Cleveland?
-Rocky
G6 - Hit
Cobalt - Hit
Solstice/Sky -In between
HHR -Dud
G8 - Hit so far
Camaro (soon) -Big Hit
Let's say that you and I have different definitions of "dud" and "hit". :P
Commercially, none of the above are hits. They sell a lot of G6's and Cobalts, but aren't those mostly for fleets?
A good read and eye-opener for many!!!!
-Rocky
I don't think so....GM isn't "fleeting" there inventory like they use too pal.
Let's say that you and I have different definitions of "dud" and "hit". :P
I'm okay with that. The Cruze will be replacing the old Cobalt very soon thus don't forget that soon to be "hit" The 2010 LaCrosse is one of the best designed cars ever and will be a hit also. :shades: let's don't forget the 2010' Equinox also.
Beth, went to a ride and drive "training" in Warren, MI on friday and loves the new Camaro, and she can't wait to drive it. She got to play around with it and says the fit and finish was better than expected. She didn't like the cloth seat though. They had pin stripes or something which she didn't like. She says the leather was of good quality though.
-Rocky
A good read and eye-opener for many!!!
What a propaganda joke!
I compared a Honda Civic vs. a Ford Fusion. The Fusion :mad: scores 87 and the Honda scores 44. Yet the Honda is made in the US and has 70% domestic content. The Fusion is made in Mexico and has 40% domestic content.
It appears that the "Level Field Institute" which is UAW retirees just wants you to buy US-nameplates regardless of who assembled the car or where the parts originated.
My Acura TL made in the USA was strangely not even listed on the comparison pull-down.
You should send us pictures of Beth in her Camaro.
(Because we are interested in the car) :P
One of these days I will take a good pic of Beth and I togeather and put it on my carspace.
-Rocky
I compared a Honda Civic vs. a Ford Fusion. The Fusion scores 87 and the Honda scores 44. Yet the Honda is made in the US and has 70% domestic content. The Fusion is made in Mexico and has 40% domestic content
The Civic isn't all that it once was. Why would you compare a Civic to a Fusion??? Two different size cars. I know edmunds staffers have a hard time making comparo's like that but I wouldn't expect that from you.
It appears that the "Level Field Institute" which is UAW retirees just wants you to buy US-nameplates regardless of who assembled the car or where the parts originated.
Yes they want you to buy U.S. nameplates. I personally would never buy a Fusion, and I didn't know the domestic content was only 40% :surprise:
My Acura TL made in the USA was strangely not even listed on the comparison pull-down.
You own a 2006 right??? That is 65% domestic content. Maybe with the passage of EFCA the UAW will unionize and pay those honda workers a good wage and benefits and someday I will consider another Acura. They would first have to do something with that nose because I thought I'd get use to it but honestly it's still a sore spot. Outside of that the new TL is a great car but it needs a manual and I never thought they should of went away from the 3.2 V6. They should of slapped a turbocharger on it IMHO.
-Rocky
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090419/AUTO01/904190328/1148/auto01/Auto+task+f- orce+to+confer+with+Big+Three+salaried+retirees
I also wanted make note that Exxon overtakes Wal~Mart on the Fortune 500 list.
-Rocky
-Rocky
-Rocky
Magic drives GM cars. I would love to see GM, sign him to endorse there products especially since "Magic" has a lot of credibility in the business world. I wasn't a Lakers fan but I did like Magic. A great athlete and person.
-Rocky
See Rocky, that's another example of yours and the UAWs disconnect from reality. $67/month is peanuts for health care coverage nowadays. My wife and I are paying around $250/month for medical coverage, which is probably considered a good deal by some people.
-Rocky
Bush made it illegal to get our drugs from
Canadian sources. I had hope Osama would switch that back as part of the change, but that ain't going to happen.
Healthcare costs are hidden taxes in part. In Ohio the Governor promised no taxes so he's raised 130-150 fees. Who says men of the cloth don't lie. He's a reverend and ran heavily on that as support of his honesty despite his party affiliation. So much for the Bible. :P He has $400 million + in new fees for hospitals proposed. That's a tax on the users--including me and mine. That won't lower healthcare costs.
Reagan was right: government is the problem. :surprise:
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Of course it's not. But it's the whining by the UAW that $67/month for health care is somehow outrageous that's the issue. That means someone else - the employer, taxpayers - is paying the bulk of the cost for those gold plated benefits.
This is the point that has been made hundreds of times in this forum - that the UAW and it's workers have been divorced from the realities faced by most people in this country for such a long time, and that their sense of entitlement just plain wears on others.
Not my figure. It came from Forbes. They claimed the unions got a 3.6% increase. That amounted to $297 per year. I posted the link, you and fintail can complain to Forbes.
The real point is wages in Norway vary considerably depending on your skills. It is not one wage for all as you keep wanting.
"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."
I wished Marsha7 and gagrice would drop the Mises book and take in what "Honest Abe" said many years ago. Great Post cooterbfd!!
I could not tell you what a Mises is and have not heard of him except from you. Abe had it right. You go out and work hard and you reap the fruits of your labor. If memory serves me right Abe spent his days splitting wood for fence posts and his evenings studying by candle light. His statement in NO WAY says that you are entitled to a high paying job. It says to get off you butt and work hard and you will make money. You have got your thoughts so corrupted by the UAW think, you cannot see that the over paid jobs for unskilled workers, are no longer available. That means if you got to work hard digging ditches for $6 per hour to put food on your table, so be it. You want to emulate Abe, get out and work like he did. He would roll over in his grave knowing how lazy the American people have gotten.
That may be sadly so. I am a Duncan Hunter Republican. Which is one of the few things Rocky and I agree upon. I would not treat illegals quite as violently as Rocky. I do think we need to ship illegals back. If they come across a second time pay Sheriff Joe Arpaio to look after them in one of his tent prisons. I don't believe they should be given automatic citizenship for being born here. And I do not believe we should be obliged to give them medical care or any other public assistance. Such as Obama's aunt living illegally on welfare in Boston for the last 5 years. People coming here legally and 3 years later collecting SS is also wrong. It is more of a Democrat thing to avoid the issues, as they are the ones expecting to get the votes. It will bring down the standard of living for many in the lesser skilled fields.
How about University expenses. My ex has $50K in student loans thus yeah that is very little. Okay!!!
Yeah, higher education costs are one of those things that's really gotten out of hand. I remember my first semester at the U of MD College Park was around $900, plus books. That was fall of 1988. My last semester, May 1993, it was around $1500. That's a 66% jump just in 5 years, and we thought it was bad at the time! But I just checked their webpage, and tuition is around $4,000 per semester now!
What the hell was your Ex studying for, to run up a $50K loan?!
Does that really happen? I thought you had to get at least 40 quarters in, before you'd be eligible for social security. I'm presuming that means one quarter of a year, so that would mean you'd have to work at least 10 years before you're eligible. And even then, I don't think you can collect until you're 62, unless you get yourself permanently disabled.
I guess like anything else though, there are ways around it.
I just don't see the difference from 100 years ago or two hundred years ago. We have generally bought from the lowest bidder nation. The focus has been recently on cheap goods from China. How about all the fruit and veggies from Chile. The fish from Vietnam and the Philippines. I live in the middle of avocado groves and the stores never have local avocados. They are from either Chile or Mexico. Same with melons. Salinas CA is the Garlic capitol of the World. I cannot find any garlic that is not a product of China in our supermarkets. Not to mention the fact that lumber subsidized by the Queen devastated the US lumber industry a LONG TIME ago.
We can lament our position in the global economy. I do not see any movement away from expanding the trend. I would rather be here than any other place I can think of. And I am far below that top tier. I am right in the middle of the middle class. After decades of being behind the UAW. We finally passed them in the late 1990s. Financially my best years were post 9/11 till I retired in 2006.
PS
I get $250 from Obama. Just got the letter in the mail. Think I will buy a new car with that. :shades:
UMCP seems to have been raising their prices at a higher rate than many. Maybe it's because their reputation has been steadily improving?
My oldest son went to NC State instead of Maryland. Because of the way the costs were structured at NC State (low room and board, relatively high out-of-state tuition) and the fact that my wife had a tuition remission plan through Hopkins, he went to NC for lower out-of-pocket costs than if he had gone in state.
Rocky may criticize the cookie-cutter degrees that he thinks are handed out just by showing up for class - kind like a UAW paycheck :P - . But my son will be making 6 figures in another year or so, after only having been out of school 5 or 6 years. That's a pretty good payback on what we/he spent - money well spent. And yes, we made him take out some loans so he would have stake in it.
I did not say it was built on solid economics. How was the housing bubble any different than the Dot.com bubble? my 401K lost more in the 1998 crash than the 2008 crash. I did not agree with the lending and the consequences caused by giving every tom, dick and harry a long with no stated income. We could argue who was behind it all day, and probably not agree.
If you are a history buff you should know the good and the bad about FDR. Most Democrats are blind to his mistakes. I think our friend fintail could more eloquently clue you in.
I am afraid we will both be unhappy with the amnesty bill that will go through this year. It is all about votes. That is all politics amount to anymore. There is NO MORALITY IN WASHINGTON DC. You think ACORN is OK. They were signing up illegals by the truck load in the South West. I would bet those indictments will all fade into the woodwork. They are due to get a couple Billion of your Stimulus money. I say yours because I will not be around to pay it back.
Medicare, which last time I checked, was a program administered by the Federal Government. Medicare costs those of US on SS at least $126 per month. Some SS retirees are paying $275 or more per month. I repeat the gold plated plan for UAW retirees is unsustainable. No wonder they don't want on Medicare. It will cost them a lot more than they are paying now. Sometimes the entitlement mentality is beyond all belief.
Some folks like to knock Reagan. He knew the truth. The root of all evil resides in Washington DC with our bloated and getting bigger each day Federal Government. I hope the young folks that put people like Pelosi into control are happy with their Change in standard of living.
Most of the student loans are used to live on. Some think they have to have a new car, and all the toys while going to school. Friends have their son at Wheaton and it is costing them $3000 per month. The other son is at Air Force academy in Colorado Springs for FREE. Which would you prefer?
I remember back early in my career just how many millionaires were going to be created from 401K plans. I always have and still do think they are the biggest fraud benefit going today. The globalist pulled another one over the sheeples eyes and look at where it got em'. It's not much different than investing with Madofff.
Yeah, I saw it. It's like anything else, their are good plans out there and bad ones. The 401(K) is only one piece of the puzzle. It was never intended to be main source of retirement funding, but a tool to supplement other retirement vehicles such as SS, pensions, IRAs, and other savings.
It's not different than pension plans and SS as far as who has their hands in the til. If you think Pension funds aren't paying such fees, think again. You have to save your own money, PERIOD!!. Because putting 100% trust into one of the following: 401k, pension (if you have one), and SS is a recipe for a poor retirement. You talk as if a defined benefit plan is the only way to a secure retirement and that is 100% false thinking. I know very few people that have a pension that provides enough monthly income alone. Most retirees I know still have to rely on personal savings. Hell, I know several people who's pensions were turned over to the PBGC meaning a 50% cut in monthly benefits for some. Not having personal savings to fall back on could mean eating dog food.
That store owner is going end up with the dregs of the employment market, unless he hires his 16 year-old nephew. They will make up for the poor wages by robbing him blind. I can see tools, plumbing fixtures, copper pipe, etc. going out the back door into some crook's van.
Well you pointed out the site that supposedly rates which cars are better for America. I picked two high-selling cars to compare. This UAW retiree propaganda site says the Mexican Fusion is better for US jobs than the US-made Civic, even though Civic has much higher US parts content. So that site is more concerned about UAW than US jobs. If it's a non-unionized US citizen's job then I guess that isn't important.I wasn't comparing types of vehicles directly.
Another possible scenario is that the "greedy" hardware store owner is up to his armits in debt, upside down on his mortgage, leveraged to the hilt, and has creditors banging down his door 24/7. So minimum wage might be all he can afford to pay for this position. He might not be as well off as he appears.
You own a 2006 right??? That is 65% domestic content.
I actually have a 2005. The new one is awful. They turned one of the best looking cars IMHO into one of the worst.
Yeah, the proletariat in those countries will at least have alcohol, cigarettes, and a roof over their heads. Those of us who thought we were all that with out cookie-cutter MBAs from "Gudger College" will be left to starve in the streets like dogs.