Gotta admit

[homersapien 12,310]

1 hour ago, CoffeeTiger said:

A square mile of empty farmland in Iowa has vastly more political power in the United States than 1000 people in New York City do. 

Funny but true.

[homersapien 12,310]

1 hour ago, Leftfield said:

One of the most overlooked aspect of being President is who you put in place to run what's already there. Most people only think about the military and the DOJ, but choosing who heads the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Agriculture, and Education are critically important. Trump did little to nothing with these departments during the transition period between Obama's administration and his, largely because he dumped Chris Christie, who was his transition chief, and all the work he and his team had done. Department staffs were expecting to see transition teams within days of Trump winning the election, so the teams could get up to speed, but most say no one showed up for two months.

I doubt if he had any understanding at all of what they do. After all, this is the guy who never even heard of the nuclear triad policy of the DOD.

People like to wail on bureaucrats and "regulations" but try and run a country without them. That would be Afghanistan (for example).

Hell some Republicans are advocating for the elimination of the IRS.

Edited June 30, 2023 by homersapien

[CoffeeTiger 5,957]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

Don’t forget not allowing Biden to do away with student loans.  I am thankful the SCOTUS is doing stellar work.

 

Yeah Republicans worked overtime to defeat the Presidents plan to forgive small portions of student loan debt for middle and low income people, while those same Republicans voted for Trumps massive tax cuts on corporations and wealthy and also supported the PPP loan forgiveness, of which many already wealthy Republican  members of congress benefitted from. Some Republicans who voted against 20,000 in loan forgiveness got over 1 million in PPP loans forgiven for themselves. The hypocrisy and contempt that Republicans have for the poor and middle class is revolting. 

Keep this up and eventually Republican policies will become so unpopular that even the Electoral College wont be able to keep them in power. 

Not only are our young people forced to pay back the unfair college debt that older generations didn't have to deal with, they'll also have to deal with all the massive debt and income/wealth inequality that those same older generations left in their wake. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by CoffeeTiger

[homersapien 12,310]

15 hours ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

Yea god forbid the goverment spend money to help middle class people. I bet you loved those $1.9 trillion Trump tax cuts though, didn't you, buddy?

Completely aware that this a land rule country. 

For example:

Social worker says he’s ‘overwhelmed’ by court’s decision on debt relief

Return to menu

By Corinne Dorsey

Shahem Mclaurin, 29, graduated from New York University Silver School of Social Work in 2020. The Baltimore native was the first in his family to earn a college degree. As an undergraduate at Towson University, Mclaurin relied on scholarships. For his graduate degree, though, he needed loans.

“The only way for me to make it out of poverty was my education,” he said, adding that paying off those loans makes him feel like he’s “back in poverty.”

For more than a decade, Mclaurin was a social worker in the foster-care system. But he moved to adult therapy because the interest rates on his loans and the escalating cost of living made it impossible to work for lower pay with the marginalized groups he cared about, he says.

“I can’t afford to have a job where I’m not being paid enough to pay back these loans, and I still won’t be able to afford it unless I get, like, some astronomically high-paying job,” Mclaurin said.

Mclaurin would have benefited from President Biden’s student loan debt relief program. Now he says he’s overwhelmed, especially after Thursday’s decision barring affirmative action in college admissions. “It’s two decisions back to back that really set [up] specifically people like me, who come from backgrounds similar to mine, to fail,” he said.

------------------

Foster care and therapy.  Great areas to affect with red state abortion bans and the aging population.

Edited July 1, 2023 by homersapien

[homersapien 12,310]

7 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Not only are our young people forced to pay back the unfair college debt that older generations didn't have to deal with, they'll also have to deal with all the massive debt and income/wealth inequality that those same older generations left in their wake. 

Another excellent point. 

[I_M4_AU 9,051]

44 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Yeah Republicans worked overtime to defeat the Presidents plan to forgive small portions of student loan debt for middle and low income people

You really miss the point.  What Biden did was bypass the Congress and unilaterally forgave the loan.  He has no authority to do so, if he wanted to forgive the loans, have Congress vote on such a law, but as you mentioned in the DeSantis thread, Joe knew he didn’t have the votes and refused to even try to work across the aisle. What Joe did was the same thing as using OSHA to enact the vaccine mandate, which is unconstitutional.

49 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Not only are our young people forced to pay back the unfair college debt that older generations didn't have to deal with, they'll also have to deal with all the massive debt and income/wealth inequality that those same older generations left in their wake. 

It’s always someone else’s fault isn’t it.  We are a nation of victims.

[I_M4_AU 9,051]

1 hour ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

Yea god forbid the goverment spend money to help middle class people. I bet you loved those $1.9 trillion Trump tax cuts though, didn't you, buddy?

 

Completely aware that this a land rule country. 

Actually, Trumps *tax cuts* didn’t help me at all.  I have spent my life in the middle class so I don’t see your point.

If you don’t like the rules you are in the right party to change everything without thinking about it, just change it.

[GoAU 1,696]

2 hours ago, homersapien said:

Personally $1,000 "work" truck suits me. 

It's a hell of a lot cheaper than financing one of these behemoths, even after taxes and insurance.

And don't take it so personally. In the aggregate I think DKW is right. 

Oh, don’t worry I’m not taking it personally at all.  Although I can easily afford a new behemoth truck, I’m very content in my older F-350,  it does everything I need it to do and I like not having big behemoth payments

 

It just seems so ridiculous to hear people virtue signaling against people that no one knows what their situation is.  More people need to mind their own business instead of trying to tell other people what they need to do.   

[Mikey 16,781]

12 hours ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

I get that you don't like Trump. I do not categorize you as a MAGA cult member like some of the marks on here. *cough cough mikey cough*

Still lacking in reading comprehension, I see. What I've had to say about Trump is that he was a much better president than Bungling Biden and if we're faced with the same unfortunate choice we had last time, I'll vote for Trump again.

[Mikey 16,781]

11 hours ago, AU9377 said:

Donald Trump inherited a very healthy economy from Obama.  He then went full throttle with tax cuts and deficit spending.  The largest corporate cuts in the history of the country.  That poured gasoline on an already hot economy.

Inflation was 1.4% when Trump left office. Since then it has soared to the highest in 40 years. Your statement is nonsense.

 

6 hours ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

Yea god forbid the goverment spend money to help middle class people

The student wealth transfer wouldn't have helped middle class people. It would have had plumbers and truck drivers paying off loans for doctors, lawyers and professors. It was nothing but an empty promise made in order to buy votes from the wealthy.

7 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

A square mile of empty farmland in Iowa has vastly more political power in the United States than 1000 people in New York City do. 

Yes! All hail the wisdom of our founding fathers. Long live the electoral college!

6 hours ago, homersapien said:

Personally $1,000 "work" truck suits me. 

If you buy a $1,000 work truck I hope you like to walk long distances. My farm backup truck, now 30 years old, cost $3,500 when I bought it ten years ago. I wouldn't trust a $1,000 truck to get me home from the sales lot.

[DKW 86 7,946]

8 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

Thanks. When I saw that statement I was hoping it was from a legitimate analysis and it is. It’s the kind of thing that ends up being distorted and presented very differently by a Mike Lindell or Joe Rogan. 

I got it from Joe Rogan...😘

[DKW 86 7,946]

7 hours ago, GoAU said:

Or perhaps it might actually be possible that people who have to haul / carry things might actually have a family as well???   How about just letting people drive the cars that they need / want instead of worrying about their business and wondering about their genitalia?  

And the rest of us seem tobe able to carry everything our families need in a minivan, a compact truck, or even just a regular sized truck. 

[AU9377 6,109]

8 hours ago, GoAU said:

Or perhaps it might actually be possible that people who have to haul / carry things might actually have a family as well???   How about just letting people drive the cars that they need / want instead of worrying about their business and wondering about their genitalia?  

People can drive what they want. I only shake my head and when friends complain about their bills, yet act as though someone forced them to spend as much on their truck payment as they do their mortgage.

[GoAU 1,696]

5 hours ago, DKW 86 said:

And the rest of us seem tobe able to carry everything our families need in a minivan, a compact truck, or even just a regular sized truck. 

Wow - doesn’t that make you special.  You are truly an achiever for cruising around in a minivan.   I bet it tows trailers every bit as well as a full size truck.  I mean, a 5th wheel would seem difficult to hook to a minivan, but you probably figured that out too, right?

[GoAU 1,696]

5 hours ago, AU9377 said:

People can drive what they want. I only shake my head and when friends complain about their bills, yet act as though someone forced them to spend as much on their truck payment as they do their mortgage.

That is something I completely agree with.  When you make a decision to buy a vehicle, knowing full well what it costs,  you lose the right to complain about your choice.  Kind of like taking out a loan and then complaining about paying it back.  Actually, it’s not “kind of” like it - that’s exactly what it is.  

[homersapien 12,310]

8 hours ago, Mikey said:

If you buy a $1,000 work truck I hope you like to walk long distances. My farm backup truck, now 30 years old, cost $3,500 when I bought it ten years ago. I wouldn't trust a $1,000 truck to get me home from the sales lot.

It's a '98 Tacoma I paid $10k for decades ago. It was involved in an accident (not my fault) about 5 yrs ago. I took the insurance money and made it road worthy.  It's "only" got 120k on it. Looks kinda rough but it's got lots of life left.

Edited July 1, 2023 by homersapien

[DKW 86 7,946]

1 hour ago, GoAU said:

Wow - doesn’t that make you special.  You are truly an achiever for cruising around in a minivan.   I bet it tows trailers every bit as well as a full size truck.  I mean, a 5th wheel would seem difficult to hook to a minivan, but you probably figured that out too, right?

Pulled a fifth wheel with an F350, that stayed parked at the machine shop most of the time. We indeed did have to use a one ton for business. Used it all the time. We did not use it for everyday trips tho.

[1716AU 803]

On 6/24/2023 at 10:44 PM, TexasTiger said:

If you told me 20-30 years ago that this degenerate would be adored by white evangelicals I would have laughed. I knew there was a great deal of hypocrisy among many evangelicals, but man did I misjudge the depth & breadth of it.

Well, Evangelicalism is a cult.  Definitely Southern Baptist Convention.

The Cult of John Nelson Darby and all his end times horses**t.

[aubiefifty 18,444]

42 minutes ago, DKW 86 said:

Pulled a fifth wheel with an F350, that stayed parked at the machine shop most of the time. We indeed did have to use a one ton for business. Used it all the time. We did not use it for everyday trips tho.

hmmmmm. sounds like he is getting a little testy and mean david.

[SLAG-91 1,625]

14 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Not only are our young people forced to pay back the unfair college debt that older generations didn't have to deal with, they'll also have to deal with all the massive debt and income/wealth inequality that those same older generations left in their wake. 

Unfair...welcome to life, although that word doesn't really apply here. Moving on...

I wouldn't have any issues with making student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy, at least in part...if you are unable or unwilling to pay your debt (that no one forced you to take on), you don't get to completely walk away from it consequence-free.

What I'd really like to see happen is putting the schools themselves on the hook for these loans, because right now they have no incentive whatsoever to control costs. 

If people took out loans with the expectation that they wouldn't have to be paid back, then that would make them not very bright.

How many people have taken advantage of the 3+ year opportunity to pay back at least some of what they owe without accruing any additional interest? I figure some did, and that would have been smart on their part.

If people were under the impression that "oh, I'll never have to pay this back, Joe's got my back", well, again, that would make them not very bright.

This is coming from someone who took out loans for school with the expectation that they would be paid back, however long it took, and my lifestyle expectations were adjusted accordingly. Overpaid a little bit every month to get out from under it a bit sooner.

[GoAU 1,696]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

hmmmmm. sounds like he is getting a little testy and mean david.

Nah - I really don’t get testy on Internet forums.  This is really nothing more than “mental exercise”.  I enjoy hearing viewpoints I don’t necessarily agree with, and debating.  Too often in life people tend to live in echo chambers.   On the other hand, life can have stresses of its own, and in the grand scheme, none of our banter here really matters.  I also understand if we were all tailgating at an AU game, and didn’t know screen names, we’d probably all get along just fine. 

2 hours ago, SLAG-91 said:

Unfair...welcome to life, although that word doesn't really apply here. Moving on...

I wouldn't have any issues with making student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy, at least in part...if you are unable or unwilling to pay your debt (that no one forced you to take on), you don't get to completely walk away from it consequence-free.

What I'd really like to see happen is putting the schools themselves on the hook for these loans, because right now they have no incentive whatsoever to control costs. 

If people took out loans with the expectation that they wouldn't have to be paid back, then that would make them not very bright.

How many people have taken advantage of the 3+ year opportunity to pay back at least some of what they owe without accruing any additional interest? I figure some did, and that would have been smart on their part.

If people were under the impression that "oh, I'll never have to pay this back, Joe's got my back", well, again, that would make them not very bright.

This is coming from someone who took out loans for school with the expectation that they would be paid back, however long it took, and my lifestyle expectations were adjusted accordingly. Overpaid a little bit every month to get out from under it a bit sooner.

This is a very solid post.  I worked two part time jobs when I was at AU, and enlisted in the National Guard (part to fund college and part to get experience that would help me when I went active duty after college).  I did this to minimize the loans I’d have to take.  I’ve helped put 3 of my 6 kids through college thus far, and they are all paying their own loans back as well.  Number 4 brought tears of joy to my eyes with her decision.  In TN you can go to community college for free for 2 years to get an associates degree (you have to maintain grades).  She hasn’t decided exactly what she wants to major in, so she’s going to CC for 2 years to get her associates degree for free, staying home and plans to work enough to save the majority of what she needs for her next 2 years.  She sees the loan repayments her older siblings have and wants nothing to do with that.   Very proud of her decision.  
 

I’d love to see any correlation between student loan defaults and the majors of the people that took the loans.  When I see some of the majors colleges offer I can’t help but wonder how you can possibly get a job that would allow you to pay those loans off.  

[arein0 1,110]

On 6/29/2023 at 11:47 AM, homersapien said:

The economy has created 13 million jobs, inflation has been more than cut in half, huge investments are being made in infrastructure and green energy, wage growth has begun to outpace inflation, the first drug price controls are going into effect and the biggest corporations will finally be forced to pay something in federal taxes. Yet polls show voters incorrectly think we are in a recession and remain negative about the economy.

I wonder how many people still believe the economy is tanking and are missing out on all the gains? Everyone I know that I talk personal finance with had all time highs at the end of this month.

[Mikey 16,781]

9 hours ago, arein0 said:

I wonder how many people still believe the economy is tanking and are missing out on all the gains? Everyone I know that I talk personal finance with had all time highs at the end of this month.

Of course they did. That's a product of runaway inflation. They can't buy as much with their current highs, just as their higher paycheck won't cover the bills as well as the lower check of two years ago would. Bidenomics, it's what's for jokes.

[arein0 1,110]

55 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Of course they did. That's a product of runaway inflation. They can't buy as much with their current highs, just as their higher paycheck won't cover the bills as well as the lower check of two years ago would. Bidenomics, it's what's for jokes.

The market YTD is up ~16%. The latest I saw inflation was only up 4% from May 22 to May 23. I'll take that +12% difference every day of the week.

Inflation link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2023/06/13/cpi-may2023/

Tickers I use to judge the Total US market: https://www.google.com/finance/quote/VTI:NYSEARCA?window=YTD

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by arein0
Added links

[Mikey 16,781]

7 hours ago, arein0 said:

The market YTD is up ~16%. The latest I saw inflation was only up 4% from May 22 to May 23. I'll take that +12% difference every day of the week.

Inflation link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2023/06/13/cpi-may2023/

Tickers I use to judge the Total US market: https://www.google.com/finance/quote/VTI:NYSEARCA?window=YTD

 

Blah, blah, blah. Cherry pick much? The  DJIA when Biden took office was at 34,869. In July of 2023 it's at 34,418. Stocks still not up to where they were before Bungling Biden took office. Meanwhile inflation totals around 15% since then. As I said, today's stocks and paychecks have less buying power than they did 2&1/2 years ago. Lets go Brandon!

https://www.macrotrends.net/1319/dow-jones-100-year-historical-chart