Plan B.

< sigh> It's problematic. Hard to get any reliable figures as a basis of comparison because there isn't any good data on the rate of currency inflation.

I'll give you an example: Back in 1980 i was driving commercially. Our shop was non union so our drivers were averaging 5.60$/hr. We always looked up to the guys in the union shop because they were making 10.00$/hr.

10.00$/hr was pretty darned good money back then. You could comfortably support a family of four on that.

Your SSA contribution might have been a total of 12% of your wage or 200.00$/month ?

The average living wage today would nearly triple that contribution because the currency has been inflated / devalued.

~ It gets pretty narly when you start factoring shifting currency values ~

If your monthly SSA check was a straight up average of what you paid in over a lifetime of work it would only come out to a benefit of a few hundred dollars a month to live on ? :&

Do you remember the old saying " another day ...another dollar ? That goes back to when the SSA was first set up and the average wage was a dollar a day.

Imagine the problems involved with providing a Social Security check to that generation of retirees !

Bottom line .... this program was doomed to go bankrupt from the start. Maybe the only thing they could do is start sending contributions ( SSA tax ) directly to the treasury and lump it in with all of the other entitlements for budgetary purposes ?

As long as it maintains the appearance of a retirement fund and the old folks get their monthly check the rest is just details ?

No one should ever feel they need to be excused from their opinions. It is the right of every thinking person to have one. It may be controversial but, an opinion is never wrong or right.

A great part of what is wrong with america to day is the subjugation of opinions by small loud groups with OPINIONS on subjects that go against the morality of the majority opinion of others who are too afraid to express theirs for fear of reprisal. The road back to the America I grew up in and loved will never be traveled again until we all stand solid in our opinions.

Do small loud groups have a right to live the way they choose ? Of coerce they do, my American Republic gave them that right but do they have a right to force that opinion on me or my institutions, no they do not.

I think if you look back you'll find that one group or another has been trying to impose their will on the rest of us. It starts with a sense of entitlement and moral superiority. They feel that it's their right and responsibility to remake the world in their image.

Do you remember the term " Banned in Boston " ? At first it was a bad thing. In the 70's it became a good thing. Then ... the whole power structure of that group collapsed and they limped off in disgrace.

The same thing will happen with the groups that are currently trying to force themselves on the rest of us. Abuse of power gets old, and after awhile even the sheeple get fed up with the extremists.

How bout this one from back in the day ? :)

Who – Won't Get Fooled Again Lyrics

We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie
Do ya?

There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Yeah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

Money

By Pink Floyd

Money, get away
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay
Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I'll buy me a football team

Money, get back
I'm all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack
Money, it's a hit
Don't give me that do goody good bull****
I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet

Money, it's a crime
Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today
But if you ask for a raise it's no surprise
That they're giving none away
Away, away, way
(Away, away, away, away)

Songwriters: MOHLABANE, GOAPELE K. / HO, JAMES RYAN WUIHUN

Yeah .... i think about it sometimes.

You know ... you go out there and bust your butt to make a living. :(

Question is: Are you entitled to the fruit of your labor ?

I mean ... you should reasonably expect to pay for government services but how much is too much ?

When you add up all of the direct taxes,self employment taxes, the indirect currency inflation tax, and the debt that they're running up in YOUR name how big a share of the fruit of your labor are they taking from you ?

Are you finding it harder and harder to get by every year ? Maybe they're leaving you less and less to get by on ?

~ Food for thought ~

Exit plan..Plan B...

After a year plus of running my own business and seeing how things were moving or progressing in the market I had an opportunity to return to a previous employer whom had contacted me. My plan was to use that income to enhance my business and continue to grow. Instead it has been the complete opposite, suddenly ended up on the overnights (7pm to 7am) 3 on, 1 off, 3 on...makes for a difficult and productive way to grow a business...and on top of it I forgot that I left there for a reason LOL. I suppose I am saying that even the best laid out plans often need a plan C, D, E, F, and even G...Considering just taking the plunge back to the business full time and letting things run their course...Just this guys thoughts...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by michaelcali

Exit plan..Plan B...

After a year plus of running my own business and seeing how things were moving or progressing in the market I had an opportunity to return to a previous employer whom had contacted me. My plan was to use that income to enhance my business and continue to grow. Instead it has been the complete opposite, suddenly ended up on the overnights (7pm to 7am) 3 on, 1 off, 3 on...makes for a difficult and productive way to grow a business...and on top of it I forgot that I left there for a reason LOL. I suppose I am saying that even the best laid out plans often need a plan C, D, E, F, and even G...Considering just taking the plunge back to the business full time and letting things run their course...Just this guys thoughts...

---

Might not be a bad idea to stick it out for a little bit to see if prices recover somewhat. Then go back to full time when you can make more for your efforts.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scrappah

I think if you look back you'll find that one group or another has been trying to impose their will on the rest of us. It starts with a sense of entitlement and moral superiority. They feel that it's their right and responsibility to remake the world in their image.

Do you remember the term " Banned in Boston " ? At first it was a bad thing. In the 70's it became a good thing. Then ... the whole power structure of that group collapsed and they limped off in disgrace.

The same thing will happen with the groups that are currently trying to force themselves on the rest of us. Abuse of power gets old, and after awhile even the sheeple get fed up with the extremists.

How bout this one from back in the day ? :)

Who – Won't Get Fooled Again Lyrics

We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie
Do ya?

There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Yeah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

---

"One of the greatest dangers to liberty is the encroachment of men of zeal, well meaning but, without understanding". Justice Bandies.

Here is my take.

I should pay for my civil protections, fire and police services. Basic social services, including emergency health care, surgical...the stuff that can happen despite the best planning. I should pay for the roads and buildings that I use. I should pay for the protections of my freedoms by taking an ass kicking to the doors of those who would threaten my freedoms in any capacity. I should also pay for the things that improve my day to day life, parks, lakes, public hunting grounds...and so forth. Lastly, education should be my responsibility, the one expense which my money will pay a dividend is to put forth and make the world a smarter place, or a more skilled place...either way.

What would happen if we stopped paying what I lovingly refer to as "not my child support". Do you think removing the safety net of a promised land containing free food and shelter for not much more than having a kid would spur the world's young people into condom use? Could it be that simple to get people to participate and be productive members of society? Is it a hard road, **** right it is, but look at the demographic of most of us here on this forum. The common scrapper already has a job, this is ANOTHER job, more work, so that they can make a little extra money and gain some control over their day to day lives. Couple that with the fact that most of us despise government controls and social programs. We see it all the time, people who do have a vested interest will throw away every bit of potential to their lives.

I don't think it's any one particular thing -or- even some kind of sinister plot by either the left or the right to harness the generative power of an entire nation and direct it to a specific purpose.

For example: Nazi Germany pulled all kinds of crazy political sh*t to harness the fruit of everyone's labor and turn it toward a war effort & global domination. The same might be said of the former U.S.S.R. during the cold war.

Anyway .... i don't think it's like that here. It's more like our government grew like an oak tree. It started out simple like an acorn that landed in fertile soil. Then it grew. Then it grew some more and the main branches forked out into smaller branches. Then it grew into a 200 year old oak tree. Very big with branches and leaves everywhere !

That's what government does. It's a living thing and the bureaucracy propagates itself just we humans propagate ourselves.

Maybe we could trim back the branches and put the bureaucrats on birth control ? ;)

==================

If there's a problem with our young people then maybe we need to teach the values of respect,self respect,personal accountability for their choices, and a strong work ethic ?

It's monkey see / monkey do ?

The kids need to sow their wild oats a bit before settling into adult responsibilities. More often than not though ... they'll follow the example their parents set because that's what they know.

Scrappah, I hear you about the kids. I raise mine with the idea they could lose it all tomorrow and will have only themselves to account for and rebuild. I raise them with the thought in their mind that excess is waste and that living a lean lifestyle is a good thing. My eldest son doesn't play video games, not by choice, but by enforcement. He had a rough patch we had to get through related to his day to day priorities and has lost that privilege until he proves himself able to take responsibility. Working is much the same thing. People start wondering why they get fired, passed over for promotions and passed over for raises. Not that all companies are 5 star earners and good to their people BUT of most businesses you pay what someone is worth on the open market and if they prove to be responsible and worth more than that you pay them more, give them more responsibility and this cycle continues until they move from working joe to trusted employee and finally, if aspirations are there, colleague. Point is, I lead by example, in my situation I work all the time, I want more for my kids and myself so I push hard to do better and be a better businessman, a better dad and so on. However, my ex wife is a pretty serious debbie downer one of many reasons I am no longer married. The two of us as parents are a stark contrast for our kids. My girls live with her, they want to live with me...wonder why. Ah well. I hope they are the generation to break the social norm of entitlement. I'm trying to teach them self sufficiency on its most basic level. Let's hope for better, it's all we can do sometimes.

You know .... all you can do as a parent is do your best and hope it all works out. There will come a point later on when you have to turn them loose and they will either succeed or fail on their own merit.

Before, in the last post, i was talking more in general terms. Cultures vary from place to place here in the states but if we could just teach our kids a few simple things ? They would be better taught at home but these values could be taught in school.

Take something like respect for instance: Never been there, but i always figured the military as having a culture of respect. If you were special forces it's likely they taught the work ethic & the concept of taking personal responsibility for getting the job done too? See what i'm saying ?

Most of the world's problems would be resolved if people really understood the concept of respect.

If we taught taking personal responsibility for one's choices unwanted teen pregnancies would drop.

If we taught the work ethic and how to work you would have a better pool of perspective employees knocking on your door.

I guess to be honest scrapping was never my plan A. Even as young as I am (25) I think the market moves to much for supporting a family securely. I currently run a break even dairy business and my wife is a nurse.... She basically covers our family's medical. I've always scrapped on the side to bring in extra income. And now the bus thing is working pretty good but I still wouldn't turn to it alone. At the moment the buses are my income per say but competition for Mexico is getting stronger and the old mechanical diesels are almost all gone.(my biggest market is Amish saw mills) the writing isn't on the wall but I'm still cautious. As afore mentioned skilled trade is a solid fall back. I'm a bridge welder by trade and a decent skilled carpenter laborer. All else fails I'll head to the oil fields.... (Yes they r still hiring) been out there once. Did you know you can fit 6 aluminum semi rims and $1000in brass in a neon? Ahhh dumpster diving in the oil field.... Lol.
ZR