Ace of Spades HQ

March 25, 2013

DOOM: Welcome to the wasteland
— Monty

So the Fed has been pulling out all the stops to make sure that saving money is a chump's game, and yet economists are surprised that people are saving less. And Boomer retirees are paying the price not only for the Fed's saver-hostile monetary policy, but also by their own inability (or unwillingness) to save enough for their retirements.

Some interesting chart-fu on global retirement trends.

Employee benefit packages often compose a quarter or more of total compensation in many jobs, yet few employees really have a good idea of what these benefits are worth...or how much the cost is to their employers.

Cyprus makes the same devil's bargain that Greece made in order to avoid bankruptcy and ejection from the Euro. Basically, they're committing to a program of austerity and fiscal policies that have no support in the population. And like in Greece, they're not buying salvation so much as years of grinding recession, civil unrest, and political upheaval. Cyprus is still going to steal some depositor money; it's just that they moved their arbitrary cut-off to a higher amount so they'd only be stealing from the relatively wealthy. This was done to fool the rubes so there wouldn't be a run on the banks. So the takeaway from this episode is: it's okay to steal from the rich. Class-warfare is policy now, there and here.

And lest you think that Cyprus will be the end of the Eurozone's troubles, Nigel Farage is here to remind you that Spain is still a bomb on the verge of exploding as well. There wasn't much trust in the Eurozone banking system prior to the Cypriot bailout, but now there will be none at all. That lack of trust will have implications that the Eurocrats and their pet bankers haven't really thought all the way through just yet.

There are a lot of eventualities that come into play when planning for retirement, but the best solution is one I've been harping on all along: don't depend on Social Security for the foundation of your retirement income. Think of it as frosting on the cake, not the cake itself. If you make sure that you can meet your retirement needs of your own resources, Social Security acts as a buffer...which is what it was intended to be at first.

Is California still boned? Why, yes. Yes they are.

Larry Kudlow suggests that maybe Teh Bernank deserves a pat on the back rather than a kick in the nuts. (I'm still resolutely in the "kick in the nuts" camp, however.)

Just remember that dollars your state or municipality are spending on employee pensions are dollars they're not spending on stuff like roads, bridges, and state parks. More and more tax dollars get funneled into the black-hole of the unfunded pension programs (and healthcare benefits), and less and less into stuff the state and local governments are actually supposed to be doing.

Posted by: Monty at 04:24 AM | Comments (171)
Post contains 502 words, total size 4 kb.

1 Doom beats the rainbow-THC.

Posted by: zsasz at March 25, 2013 04:27 AM (MMC8r)

2 "...Social Security acts as a buffer..." Yeah, the family had a lot of "buffers..."

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at March 25, 2013 04:29 AM (tqLft)

3 I knew not to count on Social Security in the early 1990s. Even my company knew it. Their pension plan was structured on total comp, including SS, and the planning for my retirement date was that SS would provide 50% of what it did in 1993.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 25, 2013 04:30 AM (3Mkrp)

4 Morning all. Well with baseball season just days away as a Yankee Fan I now know how the rest of the teams in baseball often feel when they look at the opening day lineup: "Who the fuck are these guys?"

Posted by: Nevergiveup at March 25, 2013 04:31 AM (9Bj8R)

5 The Dow doubled in the last 4 years many posters did not see that. The long term?? well in the long term we are all dead.

Posted by: occam at March 25, 2013 04:32 AM (GUG2O)

6 We spend a lot on Mexican Illegals here in Mexifornia and there has been little intervention by the voters to stop it...

Posted by: clemenza at March 25, 2013 04:32 AM (HMQ8k)

7 Kinda hard to save when there's no fucking money. Cause there are no fucking jobs.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 04:33 AM (da5Wo)

8 My hundred year old company used to pay all healthcare premiums but this year employees are paying 30% monthly premium thanks to Romneycare, um I mean Obamacare. Thanks Romney! Other benefits are being cut like free vending machine items....... #Doom

Posted by: Yamana at March 25, 2013 04:33 AM (Vou5P)

9 Least depressing DOOM thread in a while. I only feel like getting drunk instead of slicing my wrists.

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 04:34 AM (9ScGj)

10 Where's the obligatory story about how the "Boomers" (god I hate that term) are to blame for everything wrong in the world?

They're such an easy target. And some bright spark at some point decide that anyone born after WWII was a boomer. (how's THAT work?) Up to the '60's. I guess they decided that anyone who was "of age" during WWII who then had a kid after, created a "Boomer".

The actual TRUE Boomers are those children born by returning military from the war. (maybe some civilians too who were holding back because things were a bit iffy for a while.)

So that's 1946 to about 1951-53. MAX.

But there are those who look for scapegoats and a cohort that small wasn't quite threatening enough so over the years, the media chicken little's expanded the definition to what it is now.

As of today, all you all outnumber us all. So who do you blame now?

Posted by: Bitter Clinger and All That at March 25, 2013 04:35 AM (Kpn/z)

11 As of today, all you all outnumber us all. So who do you blame now?

Posted by: Bitter Clinger and All That at March 25, 2013 08:35 AM (Kpn/z)

The Boomers.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 04:36 AM (da5Wo)

12 Toonces, is that you?

Posted by: Andy at March 25, 2013 04:36 AM (OZPoa)

13 Has the Russian Mafia signed off on the Cyprus deal yet?

Posted by: zsasz at March 25, 2013 04:36 AM (MMC8r)

14
12 Toonces, is that you?

Posted by: Andy at March 25, 2013 08:36 AM (OZPoa)

Gabe promised two weeks to the new site in the THC. I'm holding you to that.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 04:37 AM (da5Wo)

15 Stealing from the Russian Mob = best plan ever . There will be repercussions and they won't be subtle .

Posted by: Bill D. Cat at March 25, 2013 04:37 AM (TQOZk)

16 6 We spend a lot on Mexican Illegals here in Mexifornia and there has been little intervention by the voters to stop it... Posted by: clemenza at March 25, 2013 08:32 AM (HMQ8k) Who do you think the majority of voters are? Hint: they're the subject of your sentence.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at March 25, 2013 04:38 AM (tqLft)

17 So the Fed has been pulling out all the stops to make sure that saving money is a chump's game

They are monetizing the debt. Its what you do when you can't raise taxes.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 04:38 AM (53z96)

18 The Dow cratered on the news the JEF was coming. And has been pumped since then. You can't seriously believe companies have a real value today of twice what they had in 2008. You can't believe that. ...Maybe you can believe that.

Posted by: Truman North at March 25, 2013 04:38 AM (I2LwF)

19 Yep, but your money in that savings account. Earn 2.5% interest, while the JEF runs the printing presses at levels that would make a Zimbabwean politician blush.

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 04:39 AM (9ScGj)

20 13 Has the Russian Mafia signed off on the Cyprus deal yet? Posted by: zsasz at March 25, 2013 08:36 AM (MMC8r) Cyprus probably gave them the mineral rights to their part of the huge Med natural gas field.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at March 25, 2013 04:39 AM (tqLft)

21 >> The Dow doubled in the last 4 years many posters did not see that. Odd, the Fed's been pumping air into the tires for almost the exact same time. A little longer, actually. Hole's still there, though.

Posted by: Andy at March 25, 2013 04:40 AM (OZPoa)

22 The main thing you should remember about all governments is that they will always steal from their citizens to survive.

Posted by: Guy Mohawk at March 25, 2013 04:40 AM (IY7Ir)

23 Gotta run, folks. Will be checking in de temps en temps. Ciao.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at March 25, 2013 04:40 AM (tqLft)

24 >> Gabe promised two weeks to the new site in the THC. I'm holding you to that. I was told Two Weeks. Several times. Months apart.

Posted by: Andy at March 25, 2013 04:41 AM (OZPoa)

25 US-Funded Palestinian Authority Hid Monument With Â“PalestineÂ” Replacing Israel So Obama WouldnÂ’t See It During VisitÂ… Whatever they did it worked because Obama Â“unblockedÂ” $500 million in U.S. aid. Via Times of Israel: The municipality of Bethlehem removed a monument depicting the Palestinian state as covering the entire area from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean sea ahead of US President Barack ObamaÂ’s visit to the city last Friday, Palestinian Media Watch revealed on Sunday. Obama route into the city would have taken him past the monument, called Â“The State Monument,Â” and said to showing the Â“State of Palestine,Â” PMW said. The model of Â“PalestineÂ” also includes all of Israel, thereby erasing it completely, the watchdog group noted. Typical

Posted by: Nevergiveup at March 25, 2013 04:42 AM (9Bj8R)

26 Up until the 60s it was illegal to have public service unions. JFK made an executive order to reverse that and congress followed it u with legislation. We have been boned ever since.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 04:42 AM (53z96)

27 "Gabe promised two weeks to the new site in the THC. I'm holding you to that." Sometimes a company will just change their label and declare it "New and Improved!".....I wouldn't get your hopes too high.

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 04:43 AM (9ScGj)

28 "Larry Kudlow suggests that maybe Teh Bernank deserves a pat on the back rather than a kick in the nuts. (I'm still resolutely in the "kick in the nuts" camp, however.)"

Larry Kudlow loves whatever makes stock prices go higher. 0% interest rates practically force people to buy stocks, since the alternative is a 5% a year loss (after inflation) keeping money in the bank.

Posted by: Mr. Moo Moo at March 25, 2013 04:44 AM (HDgX3)

29 Morning y'all! I love the smell of Doom in the morning.

And I see the ONT went sideways. Did not expect that. And I also got some concern trolling for the ONT pics. Did not expect that either. Guess you can't please everybody.

Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 04:44 AM (GQ8sn)

30 I will get my first SS check the second Tuesday in May. I also lose 1/2 of my company retirement check the same month.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 04:45 AM (53z96)

31 @Nevergiveup at 25 It would have been a cool bill if they'd let him see it

Posted by: Truman North at March 25, 2013 04:45 AM (hjSgF)

32 Oops my bad, it was a comment in the first para that I skimmed over.

I skimmed over it because I'm an evil selfish boomer.

I note that you actually conceded that some "Boomer's" might not have had a choice on whether they could prepare for retirement.
But of course you had to qualify THAT by making sure to point out that some were evilly and selfishly "unwilling" to prepare for retirement.

You have no clue, how clueless you are about conditions and attitudes prevalent in this country in the '60's and '70's. (I am assuming you're not a boomer because if you are, you're very nearsighted or had a limited sphere of experience during that time)

It's always easy to look back in the past and see what you (or others) COULD'VE done to avert disaster. Trouble is, that being able to foresee the future clearly AND be able to formulate a cogent plan to avert it or bypass it is singularly difficult when circumstances either prevent you from seeing the danger clearly enough or what is perceived is not understood as being worth the extra effort AT THAT TIME.

Everyone's an ACE (in their mind) after the battle's over and won or lost.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger and All That at March 25, 2013 04:46 AM (Kpn/z)

33 And I see the ONT went sideways. Did not expect that. And I also got some concern trolling for the ONT pics. Did not expect that either. Guess you can't please everybody.

Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 08:44 AM (GQ8sn)

Really? I checked out way early. What happened?

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 04:46 AM (da5Wo)

34 Stopped at a gas station on the way through WV. Friend got a bottle of water - $1.42. Hands over 2 bucks to the cashier who entered the transaction. Friend pulls out .50 cents and hand them to cashier and gets the dollar back. Since the transaction for $2 has already been entered it shows the change he should receive at the register. So now it is 1.50 instead of 2.00. Cashier pulls out a calculator to figure out 1.50 - 1.42. Yep. We're fucked.

Posted by: RWC at March 25, 2013 04:46 AM (fWAjv)

35 The ONT went sideways? There was a quibble about John McCain but it mostly seemed good.

Posted by: Truman North at March 25, 2013 04:46 AM (hjSgF)

36 Ah, the Monty Doom! No one can do Doom like Monty, except for maybe SMOD. SMOD, where you been? We is Doomed I tells ya!

Posted by: Judge_Roy_Bean at March 25, 2013 04:47 AM (FnIim)

37 Sie sind so ernst! Warum?

Posted by: Jones in CO at March 25, 2013 04:48 AM (8sCoq)

38 I've got your doom right here: my bracket is hosed. And it's still in the teens. And there's still still snow everywhere.

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at March 25, 2013 04:49 AM (mUtZB)

39
And I also got some concern trolling for the ONT pics.

I've yet to read through the ONT far enough to find concern posts. What was the problem exactly?

P.S. And please do ignore the concern trolls.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at March 25, 2013 04:50 AM (0IhFx)

40 What was wrong in the 60s and 70s? The Democrats controlled virtually every wing of the government. And who elected them? Hint: It wasn't the boomers.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 04:51 AM (53z96)

41 Really? I checked out way early. What happened? Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 08:46 AM (da5Wo) Whether McCain deserved respect or not regarding his POW years to his years as a shitty Senator, or something like that. For the record, I respect his service, but loathe what he has become.

Posted by: RWC at March 25, 2013 04:52 AM (fWAjv)

42 TwwwWWWwwwooo WWwwweeksss!

Posted by: Large Marge gets her ass to Mahs at March 25, 2013 04:52 AM (r4v64)

43 My 401K quarterly statement read the Cyprus story, and now it's hiding under the desk like it's afraid that something's chasing it...

Posted by: Lincolntf at March 25, 2013 04:52 AM (ZshNr)

44 @ 34 But they could do it for $22/ hr, right?

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at March 25, 2013 04:52 AM (mUtZB)

45 #10

Consider the source of the phrase. Baby Boom. It isn't about framing with historical events (end of WWII to JFK assassination or Beatles coming to US), it's about when the birth rate shot up and leveled off. World War I had the flu epidemic that killed adults in their prime and thus blunted any post-war baby boom.

My WWII vet father had my eldest sibling in 1952 but #5, me, didn't show up until 1964. But it wouldn't matter if he served or spent the war working in a factory. What matters is the birthrate and how the nation reacted to it.

For instance, I don't think we would have the Department of Education if the sheer volume of children didn't create a change in how people looked at the subject. The level of focus on children had a lot of effects. A lot of them negative.

Posted by: epobirs at March 25, 2013 04:53 AM (kcfmt)

46 Vic, you still haven't received your first SS check? Nice try.

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 04:54 AM (9ScGj)

34Stopped at a gas station on the way through WV

How do we know the toothbrush was invented in WV? Were it invented anyplace else, it would have been called a 'teethbrush'. We have 5" of gorebull warming here and it's still falling.

Posted by: Cicero Kid at March 25, 2013 04:54 AM (UrENZ)

48 The actual TRUE Boomers are those children born by returning military from the war. (maybe some civilians too who were holding back because things were a bit iffy for a while.) So that's 1946 to about 1951-53. MAX. Yeah. I was born in late Nov '62. I'm considered a boomer and have seen the boomer designation go into '64.

Posted by: rickb223 at March 25, 2013 04:54 AM (GFM2b)

"The Dow doubled in the last 4 years many posters did not see that."

Super. Go back 5-6 years, do *that* math and get back to us.

Posted by: Jaws at March 25, 2013 04:55 AM (4I3Uo)

50 Vic, you still haven't received your first SS check? Nice try.

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 08:54 AM (9ScGj)

second week in May

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 04:55 AM (53z96)

51 Whether McCain deserved respect or not regarding his POW years to his years as a shitty Senator, or something like that.

For the record, I respect his service, but loathe what he has become.

Posted by: RWC at March 25, 2013 08:52 AM (fWAjv)

Of course he gets respect for his service. By all appearances, he served honorably and bravely.

Other than that, fuck him.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 04:55 AM (da5Wo)

52 Whether McCain deserved respect or not regarding his POW years to his years as a shitty Senator, or something like that.

For the record, I respect his service, but loathe what he has become.

Posted by: RWC at March 25, 2013 08:52 AM (fWAjv)

That came up again? I thought that rumble went down some weeks ago.

Posted by: Red Shirt at March 25, 2013 04:56 AM (FIDMq)

53 #40

The left was very aware of their advantage in exploiting the young. Recall how they pushed through the lowering of the voting age, because that gave them the boomer kids that much sooner and that much dumber.

I've mentioned it before but I want to see the minimum voting age bumped up to at least 25, especially now that we have scientific evidence that the average human brain doesn't mature until then. I'd grant early voting for military service and other forms of public service to be determined.

Posted by: epobirs at March 25, 2013 04:56 AM (kcfmt)

54 The official Census Bureau classification for Baby Boomers is 1946 through 1964.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 04:57 AM (53z96)

55 #32 It's quite true that many Boomers are not ready to retire for reasons outside their control.

I started to type out what my husband and I have been through but decided it was too much personal information to put on the internet.

However, you younger people who think you can plan and save, dont be so prideful. Events and conditions outside your control can place you very quickly in a bad position.

Posted by: Miss Marple at March 25, 2013 04:57 AM (GoIUi)

56 Looks like comments are getting ready to die.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 04:59 AM (53z96)

57 So my bracket was boned like most, but I'm one of the few people in my office pool with a Final Four still intact. Keeping my fingers crossed for a repeat victory! And the pool is worth like $150 more than it was last year.

Posted by: mugiwara at March 25, 2013 05:00 AM (W7ffl)

58 "Events and conditions outside your control can place you very quickly in a bad position." Please tell me women, booze, cigarettes and gambling fall into this category.

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 05:00 AM (9ScGj)

59 Of course he gets respect for his service. By all appearances, he served honorably and bravely.

It was a comment about McCain being responsible for killing the 134 sailors on the Forrestal incident, as if he was the one that shot the rocket himself. That's completely wrong.

Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 05:00 AM (GQ8sn)

60 I read these threads mostly to identify which shithole 3rd world country I ought to retire to with my BS no-pension worthless dollar having ass. I'm thinking the best trade off for dollars to services and lifestyle is probably gonna be Zaire. I don't really care if it sucks, just as long as I'm lording it over everybody else

Posted by: Bigby's Strong Arm Tactics at March 25, 2013 05:03 AM (3ZtZW)

61 Has the Russian Mafia signed off on the Cyprus deal yet?

That's my big question. They are the ones being told to take a haircut. Do they do press releases? A recurring theme in movies is to steal from someone who can't go to the cops. There is plenty of high drama as the boys want their money back, and what they are willing to do to get it.

Posted by: Paladin at March 25, 2013 05:03 AM (mCOPv)

62 USS Forestfire. A bad luck ship. They finally had to decommission it after it burned up again.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 05:03 AM (53z96)

63 It was a comment about McCain being responsible for killing the 134 sailors on the Forrestal incident, as if he was the one that shot the rocket himself. That's completely wrong.

Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 09:00 AM (GQ8sn)

Yeah, I've never heard that one before. Now I've seen/heard some back and forth on whether or not it was his plane that was hit, but to claim that it was his plane that fired the rocket????

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 05:03 AM (da5Wo)

64 Cashier pulls out a calculator to figure out 1.50 - 1.42.
Yep.
We're fucked.

Posted by: RWC at March 25, 2013 08:46 AM

***

I had a 15% off coupon @ The Sports Authority and they couldn't do it because they didn't have a calculator that had a percent key. When I did it by multiplying by .85 they said you can't do that so I did it on paper for them and they didn't believe me because they thought I was making it up.
College. Graduates. Too.

Posted by: The Generic, Award Winning Moron at March 25, 2013 05:04 AM (+I8Mq)

65 I know guys like McCain IRL...if everyone suddenly agreed with his position he'd change sides.

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 05:04 AM (9ScGj)

66 And in other good news, the washer overflowed sometime during the night, probably around 3 AM, flowing down through the floor into the kitchen below. (My mother tends to be awake and doing stuff like laundry at odd hours.)

Could be worse. At least I'm in a warmer part of the country without a lot of global warming falling from the sky.

Posted by: epobirs at March 25, 2013 05:05 AM (kcfmt)

67 #58 Well, some of those are in your control. Here are some things that have affected us:

Birth of a daughter that needed extensive surgery and therapy, keeping me from working full-time
Illness of both parents for extended periods, wiping out their savings
Mortgage interest rates of 14% when we had to relocate
Encouragement to use credit cards (deductible) followed by it being NOT deductible during the 80's tax reform
Husband's industry decimated by a Congressional Act, followed by his second career decimated by the real estate collapse, causing him to have to start a third career and work outside the country

Posted by: Miss Marple at March 25, 2013 05:05 AM (GoIUi)

68 I had a 15% off coupon @ The Sports Authority and they couldn't do it because they didn't have a calculator that had a percent key. When I did it by multiplying by .85 they said you can't do that so I did it on paper for them and they didn't believe me because they thought I was making it up.
College. Graduates. Too.

Posted by: The Generic, Award Winning Moron at March 25, 2013 09:04 AM (+I8Mq)

Or multiply by .15 and then subtract it. Wtf?

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 05:05 AM (da5Wo)

59Of course he gets respect for his service. By all appearances, he served honorably and bravely.

WTF?

Posted by: Benedict Arnold served honorably before becoming dishonorable, too at March 25, 2013 05:05 AM (UrENZ)

70 The level of focus on children had a lot of effects. A lot of them negative. ---------------- Yep. There's a reason that culture became so youth-based in the years after World War II. Prior to that, "culture" was separated into two largely separate and non-interacting spheres: the adult culture, and youth culture. Adult culture was where the serious stuff went on (literature, music, art). But this began to erode in the late 1950's as the huge Boomer demographic began to enter their teens: they overwhelmed the older and more sophisticated culture through sheer force of numbers. A decade later, by the late 1960's, the youth culture had almost wholly eclipsed the older "serious" culture entirely. There's a lot of argument over whether "high" culture was in decline even as early as the 1920's, though. Opera was already fading in the face of motion pictures, classical music was giving way to jazz and pop. (American literature was experiencing something of a Renaissance, however, that would continue clear into the 1950's.) The American culture of the 1950's was the last time we had a nationwide "overculture" in which everyone could participate. After that, the fragmentation began until you reach the present time, where there really is no such thing as an overculture any more. We don't even have a language in common as much as we used to, much less the religious, civic, or entertainment rituals that we used to.

Posted by: Monty at March 25, 2013 05:05 AM (G8OwX)

71 If I recall correctly the plane that fired the rocket wasn't even manned. Or I may be confusing that with the big fire on the Enterprise.

In any case there have been multiple fires on the Forestall.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 05:05 AM (53z96)

72 McCain being responsible for
killing the 134 sailors on the Forrestal incident, as if he was the one
that shot the rocket himself. That's completely wrong.

***

McCain has fired rockets into the fabric of our republic.

Posted by: The Generic, Award Winning Moron at March 25, 2013 05:06 AM (+I8Mq)

73 Posted by: Bigby's Strong Arm Tactics at March 25, 2013 09:03 AM (3ZtZW) Thailand!

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 05:06 AM (9ScGj)

74 40 What was wrong in the 60s and 70s? The Democrats controlled virtually every wing of the government. And who elected them? Hint: It wasn't the boomers. Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 08:51 AM (53z96) 1. A whole different breed of Democrat. 2. The LiBeRaL policies hadn't eaten through the hull yet, because we still had the economic (manufacturing) strength, due to our position post-war, to move despite the drag of New Deal policies. 3. The downward trajectory of the 60's/early 70's loonyism was still in it's infancy. 4. A huge preponderance of Greatest and Silents were bamboozled FDRcrats. They had yet, unlike now, to have an "in your face" example of LiBeRaL failure.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC Waiting for the Sun at March 25, 2013 05:07 AM (KWlvw)

75 >>> Events and conditions outside your control can place you very quickly in a bad position.

We had a plan here at the Road household for the past 30 years of exactly what we needed to have buried in the backyard to retire. I was absolutely on track till 2001. Spent the next 10 years after that recouping what was lost, and that's where I am today. 2001.

Posted by: Tobacco Road at March 25, 2013 05:07 AM (4Mv1T)

76 Here's GGE putting us some knowledge about the Forrestal from #330 on the ONT:

His aircraft wasn't involved in the initial blaze you ignorant shitstain. It was an F-4 Phantom from VF-11 that had stray voltage on its rocket pods, this launched a Zuni into a Skyhawk sitting NEXT to McCain's aircraft.
Credibility. Gone. Fuck you, thanks for playing.
As for points 2 and 3, I guess getting hit by a missile marks you as a scumbag, I guess that's a great comfort to LCDR Scott Spiecher's family. Fuck you twice. And getting captured behind enemy lines after being violently ejected from an aircraft and dislocating both shoulders, yeah what a fuckstick McCain is.
Blather on all you want about his actions in the US Senate and I'll nod along, but CPT McCain is not the same man as SEN McCain.

Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 05:08 AM (GQ8sn)

77 71 If I recall correctly the plane that fired the rocket wasn't even manned. Or I may be confusing that with the big fire on the Enterprise. In any case there have been multiple fires on the Forestall. Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2013 09:05 AM (53z96) Pretty sure that's correct. Ordinance crews were loading the Zunis.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC Waiting for the Sun at March 25, 2013 05:09 AM (KWlvw)

78 Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 09:08 AM (GQ8sn)

Well then, nice to see all the kids playing nice on the ONT.

And who gave you crap about the ONT pics?

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 05:09 AM (da5Wo)

79 Or multiply by .15 and then subtract it. Wtf?
Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 09:05 AM

***

I actually did it both ways but truncated my comment.

Posted by: The Generic, Award Winning Moron at March 25, 2013 05:09 AM (+I8Mq)

80 Miss Marple, I was being a little silly, but you are correct. "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray"

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 05:11 AM (9ScGj)

"I've mentioned it before but I want to see the minimum voting age bumped up to at least 25"

I'd settle for a consistent application of 21 years old being the age of majority. No more of this graduated adulthood crap.

If 18 is old enough to get your ass shot off in the .mil, enter into contracts, vote, buy a long gun, etc. but NOT be able to buy a beer, there's something very wrong. Toss in Obamacare extending minorhood to age 26 and we're all screwed up.

18 or 21. Pick one and go with it.

Posted by: Jaws at March 25, 2013 05:12 AM (4I3Uo)

82 McCain=meh

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at March 25, 2013 05:12 AM (mUtZB)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock futures rose on Monday after negotiators reached a deal hours before a deadline to avert a financial meltdown in Cyprus and the country's possible exit from the euro zone.

The deal between Cyprus and heads of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund will spare the Mediterranean island a likely banking collapse by winding down the largely state-owned Popular Bank of Cyprus and shifting deposits below 100,000 euros to the Bank of Cyprus to create a "good bank."

Yep, everything is good. Party on Wall Street!!

Posted by: TheQuietMan at March 25, 2013 05:12 AM (1Jaio)

84 McCain=meh

***

Meh Cain

Posted by: The Generic, Award Winning Moron at March 25, 2013 05:13 AM (+I8Mq)

85 Barack Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a malignant traitor.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 05:13 AM (4OvDk)

86 I once got into an argument with a grocery manager when I complained that the "10% off all magazines" sign had not applied to my $4.00 magazine, because only 10 cents had been deducted from the price.

She insisted that 10% meant 10 cents.

I had to ARGUE and show examples of 10% of different amounts.

Have also had the calculator thing happen to me when items were 75% off after Christmas. Cashiers couldn't figure to charge 25% of the original price. They had to take a calculator and figure 75% and then subtract it from the original amount. Ack!

Posted by: Miss Marple at March 25, 2013 05:13 AM (GoIUi)

87 Mayor, I cede nothing to you but a sopt on my ass that you may kiss. Mayor Bloomberg: Government has the right to infringe on your freedom Bloomberg said on Sunday: Sometimes government does know best. And in those cases, Americans should just cede their rights. http://tinyurl.com/cjrn85p

Posted by: rickb223 at March 25, 2013 05:13 AM (GFM2b)

88 And who gave you crap about the ONT pics?

A couple of people. One commenter I haven't seen before.

Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 05:14 AM (GQ8sn)

89 I had a 15% off coupon @ The Sports Authority and they couldn't do it because they didn't have a calculator that had a percent key. Dear heavens, I can do that in my head.

Posted by: zsasz at March 25, 2013 05:14 AM (MMC8r)

90 Or multiply by .15 and then subtract it. Wtf?

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 09:05 AM (da5Wo)

Frankly I've never even used the % key on a calculator, almost everyone one I've tried has had weird rules that make it so much simpler just to do standard operations (one calculator I had when the percent key was hit would divide everything by 1000 for some odd reason.)

Posted by: tsrblke at March 25, 2013 05:14 AM (GaqMa)

91 Alas, I have work to do, so must depart the thread.

I will check in later.

Posted by: Miss Marple at March 25, 2013 05:14 AM (GoIUi)

92 A couple of people. One commenter I haven't seen before.

Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 09:14 AM (GQ8sn)

And some that you have? The hell? Fuck em.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 05:15 AM (da5Wo)

93 Events and conditions outside your control can place you very quickly in a bad position. Absolutely true and this is where a lot of no-minds go completely over to the darkside. Something like that happens and an otherwise industrious, rule-player goes stupid and decides that: A). Society is to blame, because MeDia!!!11!! told me. and B). Government is supposed to fix it.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC Waiting for the Sun at March 25, 2013 05:16 AM (KWlvw)

94 I once got into an argument with a grocery manager when I complained that the "10% off all magazines" sign had not applied to my $4.00 magazine, because only 10 cents had been deducted from the price.

She insisted that 10% meant 10 cents.

I had to ARGUE and show examples of 10% of different amounts.

Have also had the calculator thing happen to me when items were 75% off after Christmas. Cashiers couldn't figure to charge 25% of the original price. They had to take a calculator and figure 75% and then subtract it from the original amount. Ack!
Posted by: Miss Marple

I had a debate with some clown at the electric company who insisted that .1 and .01 were the same thing.

Posted by: Dang at March 25, 2013 05:16 AM (R18D0)

95 And who gave you crap about the ONT pics? Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 09:09 AM (da5Wo) Only complaint I had about that was when you print it out life-size you lose some of the detail with the resolution.

Posted by: RWC at March 25, 2013 05:17 AM (fWAjv)

96 I note that you actually conceded that some "Boomer's" might not have had a choice on whether they could prepare for retirement.
But of course you had to qualify THAT by making sure to point out that some were evilly and selfishly "unwilling" to prepare for retirement.

You have no clue, how clueless you are about conditions and attitudes prevalent in this country in the '60's and '70's. (I am assuming you're not a boomer because if you are, you're very nearsighted or had a limited sphere of experience during that time)

It's always easy to look back in the past and see what you (or others) COULD'VE done to avert disaster. Trouble is, that being able to foresee the future clearly AND be able to formulate a cogent plan to avert it or bypass it is singularly difficult when circumstances either prevent you from seeing the danger clearly enough or what is perceived is not understood as being worth the extra effort AT THAT TIME.

Everyone's an ACE (in their mind) after the battle's over and won or lost.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger and All That at March 25, 2013 08:46 AM (Kpn/z)

_____________

Obviously not every single boomer is a fucktard. But as a group boomers are the biggest group of fucktards ever.

Posted by: Mr. Moo Moo at March 25, 2013 05:18 AM (HDgX3)

97 Left attacks Fox news girls. ....and you've never seen Megyn Kelly looking this sexy. http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/left-gets-vicious-over-girls- on-fox-news/

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 05:20 AM (9ScGj)

The U.S. is the only country able to set the rules. As such, it would be easy to establish a quasi-government backed independent corporation that could purchase federal assets now and sell them as the market allowed over the next few hundred years.

This new corporation could buy the oil shale and gas on federal land and offshore for 50 miles with a 0% federally backed loan.

With the proceeds, the government pays off the national debt, all consumer credit, mortgages and student loans. A national reset.

Who is going to fight this? Yes, it's an accounting trick, but it accomplishes setting the country up for tremendous growth.

Posted by: jwest at March 25, 2013 05:20 AM (u2a4R)

99 ugh i hate having to stand up for mccain.....damn you ec.....way to start off my monday......

Posted by: phoenixgirl,commenter on a conservative award winning blog at March 25, 2013 05:22 AM (GVxQo)

100 30 I will get my first SS Spanish-American War pension check the second Tuesday in May. FIFY

Posted by: Ed Anger at March 25, 2013 05:22 AM (tOkJB)

101 Yow gotta admit, the Fox News hotties do sorta resemble well dressed pron stars. Not that I know what one looks like.

Posted by: Tobacco Road at March 25, 2013 05:22 AM (4Mv1T)

102 "The lawsuit contends that the museum uses misleading marketing and training of cashiers to violate an 1893 New York state law that mandates the public should be admitted for free at least five days and two evenings per week. In exchange, the museum gets annual grants from the city and free rent for its building and land along pricey Fifth Avenue in Central Park."

http://tinyurl.com/c7snqov

If he wanted to do it, Bloomberg could establish a trust for the museum so that no one ever has to pay again. He's the 13th wealthiest man in the world. Instead he's spending his money on an anti NRA campaign:
http://tinyurl.com/c5gqjoh

Makes you wonder about why these issues are so important to the mayor. What does he have to gain?

Posted by: Caustic at March 25, 2013 05:24 AM (/b8+5)

103 I had a 15% off coupon @ The Sports Authority and they couldn't do it because they didn't have a calculator that had a percent key. *very long sigh* It was time to whip out a bubble gum wrapper and do the math for them. Just so you can show them. I know some of us can do it in their heads. I used to do simple 2nd/3rd grade (at the time) column addition with anywhere from 10 to 20 different sub totals and some of the yoots would look at me like I was calculating the Apollo 11 flight. Not that they knew what that was..... ugh...

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC Waiting for the Sun at March 25, 2013 05:24 AM (KWlvw)

104

"well dressed pron stars"

Talk about defeating the purpose.

Posted by: Jaws at March 25, 2013 05:24 AM (4I3Uo)

105 Bloomberg said on Sunday: Sometimes government does know best. And in those cases, Americans should just cede their rights. You can take my rights from my cold, dead hands. Obviously not every single boomer is a fucktard. But as a group boomers are the biggest group of fucktards ever. My boomer parents would agree with this statement. They may not think they were quite as "entitled" as Gen-X after them, but I think they realize their generation is definitely (as a whole- exceptions are exceptional by definition) selfish little spoiled brats.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 05:25 AM (4OvDk)

106 30 I will get my first SS Spanish-American War pension check the second Tuesday in May. OK. I laughed. Sorry, Vic.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC Waiting for the Sun at March 25, 2013 05:26 AM (KWlvw)

107 Yow gotta admit, the Fox News hotties do sorta resemble well dressed pron stars. Not that I know what one looks like. Only because you've never seen one well dressed.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 05:26 AM (4OvDk)

108 >>>Talk about defeating the purpose.

If they dressed in that trade's usual state of undress, we'd never hear a word they say.

Posted by: Tobacco Road at March 25, 2013 05:26 AM (4Mv1T)

109 Is anyone really that surprised if a gas store clerk can't do math in his head? Isn't that kind of WHY they are a gas store clerk?

Posted by: Mr. Moo Moo at March 25, 2013 05:27 AM (HDgX3)

110 Monty: From an anthropologist's point of view there has never been an American culture. And if you look at the definition of culture you'll find they're right.

Posted by: Ed Anger at March 25, 2013 05:27 AM (tOkJB)

111 If they dressed in that trade's usual state of undress, we'd never hear a word they say. You watch Fox with the sound on?

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 05:27 AM (4OvDk)

112 Is anyone really that surprised if a gas store clerk can't do math in his head? Isn't that kind of WHY they are a gas store clerk? No, but then again, yes. It's not surprising that they can't do quadratic equations. That they can't figure out "10% off means divide by 10, then subtract that form the price" (long form) or (better

"10% off means multiply by .9" is fairly disturbing.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 05:29 AM (4OvDk)

113 You watch Fox with the sound on?

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 09:27 AM (4OvDk)

You don't just use Google Image Search?

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 05:29 AM (da5Wo)

114 ugh i hate having to stand up for mccain.....damn you ec.....way to start off my monday......

I didn't make the comment, but I saw it and thought it was way out of line. I'm separating his Vietnam service from his Senator-ship.

Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 05:29 AM (GQ8sn)

115 Yay doom! Okay, here's something that I should know but, sadly, cannot remember. Why is it that 85% (IIRC) is deemed to be the sound level of contribution for funding of future pension obligations? I've assumed that's because x % of people will kick it before hitting retirement age + presumed growth of investments in the fund, but, honestly I don't know if that's an assumption or something I half remember from reading it somewhere on the tubes. Put me some knowledge, Horde. As far as savings, I'm stuck in that boat right now. Should I save more? Should I pay down debt? If I save, where should I put that pittance because I would like it to be liquid in case I need it but I'd also like some return above .05%? Is there value in taking the tax hit and drawing down some of my not too almighty retirement funds in order to clear debt? Is there any play at all right now that makes sense? I'm leaning towards everything is a bad choice and nothing makes any sense because the underlying fundamentals don't make any sense. Re: Social Security. I'm upper end Gen X and there is literally no line item for Social Security in my retirement planning. In fact, not only do I assume that I will never see a penny from the money I've thrown into that hole for the last mumblemumble years, I assume that my investments and income are going to be taxed significantly to pay those benefits for others. Please don't even bother with the but but but I didn't vote for this and it's the Greatest Generation who did it and how dare you blame the Boomers and Fraaaaauuuuuuddddd! For once, what difference does it make is a fair comment. It no longer matters who did what in whose mouth. This is where we are and it's going to get very very ugly out there. I'm not kidding about the Team SMOD thing. A hard reset is truly the only way out of all of this.

Posted by: alexthechick - SMOD. Mmmm. Blondies. at March 25, 2013 05:30 AM (VtjlW)

116 The Horde is gettin' its perv on pretty early in the morning. Wait. Is it still the ONT?

Posted by: Tobacco Road at March 25, 2013 05:31 AM (4Mv1T)

117 So, we're supposed to believe they hired Mika for her brains?

Posted by: zsasz at March 25, 2013 05:31 AM (MMC8r)

118 Also, if you would like to invest in brass, lead, and cetera, you might go over to that blog I don't have. You don't just use Google Image Search? Sure, sometimes, but they'll put Fox on in the breakrooms at my various clients.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 05:31 AM (4OvDk)

119 Heartache by the numbers, lovers by the score...

Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 05:33 AM (LRFds)

120

Hey, you got DOOM in my chocolate!

You got DOOM in my peanut butter!

Good thing we haz some Choom. Nom nom nom.

Posted by: Reese's Feces at March 25, 2013 05:33 AM (i7B17)

121 The Horde is gettin' its perv on pretty early in the morning. Wait. Is it still the ONT? Nah, this is nothin'. Wait until Cochrain or Bannion tick off AtC later today (it'll happen, one of them will do it). Then they start trying to one-up each other with NSFW pics to curry her Imperial Majestiness's favor.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 05:34 AM (4OvDk)

122 That 'Girls of Fox' song is a little catchy...and the eye candy doesn't hurt.

Posted by: Icedog at March 25, 2013 05:34 AM (9ScGj)

123 And some that you have? The hell? Fuck em.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 09:15 AM (da5Wo)

Yeah, I didn't expect that from here. This is the Horde after all! Maybe it was a Hot Air commenter.

Posted by: EC at March 25, 2013 05:34 AM (GQ8sn)

124 115 Alex the Chick,

AtC never forget we *are* the SMOD in the end....

mankind is the only species that can knowingly bring on an ELE....

the dinosaurs were not sitting around going 'Dave what if we you know quit having kids and ate all the fucking food for shits and giggles?'

Only we can willfully blow our brains out as a species....and by God we're on it!

Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 05:35 AM (LRFds)

125 A lot of baby boomers justified using their savings to pay for the college educations of their children, usually three kids, because they assumed the value of their house would keep rising and when they sold and retired to "somewhere where it is cheaper to live" that they would be fine. When the bubble burst they too were deflated.

Problem is, their union peers, have remained the millionaires next door. As their pensions and perks of government health care for them only have been maintained and augmented. While those who worked in the private sector have been all but stripped of their savings and pseudo "home equity wealth".

Heard a short blurb the other day about a waitress being questioned about cash tips and her income reporting and it reminded me of all those teachers who conduct very lucrative "cash only" tutoring businesses in their towns and cities. Bet they aren't reporting their "cash only" income but yet, the poor waitress is the one having problems.

Posted by: Caustic at March 25, 2013 05:36 AM (/b8+5)

126 Nah, this is nothin'. Wait until Cochrain or Bannion tick off AtC later today (it'll happen, one of them will do it). Then they start trying to one-up each other with NSFW pics to curry her Imperial Majestiness's favor.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 09:34 AM (4OvDk)

I'm gonna try and go a whole day without pissing off Her Stompyness.

Stop laughing. Seriously.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at March 25, 2013 05:36 AM (da5Wo)

127 Jim Carrey - "Do we possess guns in America or do guns possess us?" Wow man. That is some deep thinking shit right there.

Posted by: RWC at March 25, 2013 05:37 AM (fWAjv)

128 I'm gonna try and go a whole day without pissing off Her Stompyness. It's good to have ~~delusions~~ goals.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 05:37 AM (4OvDk)

129 127 RWC,

Maet had a story about Jim "inferior to Drew" Carrey's first job in Mexico City...

diving in a billion gallons of crap prepared him for Horrywood

Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 05:38 AM (LRFds)

130 Jim Carrey is a faggot, and his shit's all retarded.

Posted by: The Talented Wayans Brother at March 25, 2013 05:38 AM (i7B17)

131 Cashier pulls out a calculator to figure out 1.50 - 1.42.

Yep.

We're fucked.

Posted by: RWC at March 25, 2013 08:46 AM

==============================
And just remember, they now have pictures of the food on the registers at McDonald's for the cashiers as opposed to written description (and yet they still get my order wrong!)

Posted by: Astronaut Achmed at March 25, 2013 05:39 AM (Kiz9M)

132

Posted by: alexthechick - SMOD. Mmmm. Blondies. at March 25, 2013 09:30 AM (VtjlW)

I know how you feel. I have a pile of cash I had intended on using to open up food service as a side venture while maintaining my day job. The execution of this plan was entirely contingent on evicting the JEF from office. Now I don't know what to do with it. Pay down my mortgage? It made me like $0.35 sitting in my savings account last year earning a hefty 0.01%.

Posted by: mugiwara at March 25, 2013 05:40 AM (W7ffl)

133 Fuck this shit about boomers being innocent pawns.

I know plenty of supposed "conservative" boomers who went on a spending orgy during the housing bubble using their house as an ATM to buy all sorts of toys. And when the whole thing came crashing down on them, they pretended they had no idea what was happening.

BULLSHIT

When your house goes from $200K to $500K in 5 years and you take out a $150K heloc to buy a new BMW, a couple of Harleys and a new boat, you don't need a Phd in finance to know something just ain't quite right.

Posted by: Mr. Moo Moo at March 25, 2013 05:40 AM (HDgX3)

134 If we just had a $22 an hour minimum wage, surely all of these math deficient workers would be healed of their cognitive deficits!

I'm not a math guy but I cannot imagine being so incurious as to not be able to do any operation involving numbers on simple boundaries. 10%? Just shift the decimal point. 5% Half of 10%. 15% Add them up. We're not talking Trig here, just simple mechanisms any child should have in their head by the time they're ten, if not earlier.

Posted by: epobirs at March 25, 2013 05:40 AM (kcfmt)

135 Yeah the Feds were the first to work the con on the citizens....first they got you to believe "the sound as the dollar"...BS after the security of Gold went in the Privy and then they start basing everything on poll numbers. polls taken in New Yuck And Mexifornia are skewed....I would rather trust a pole dancer All those polls on the changing attitudes of Ghey marriage are dirty diapers in your sandwich

Posted by: clemenza at March 25, 2013 05:41 AM (HMQ8k)

136 Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 09:38 AM (LRFds) Figures. When did he post the story ? Yesterday?

Posted by: RWC at March 25, 2013 05:43 AM (fWAjv)

137 109 Is anyone really that surprised if a gas store clerk can't do math in his head? Isn't that kind of WHY they are a gas store clerk? Posted by: Mr. Moo Moo at March 25, 2013 09:27 AM (HDgX3) In the days before gas station cashier was considered a career, a person holding that job to, you know, get spending cash, work their way through college (I know, I know. Foreign concept), etc..... ...you were thoroughly versed in percentages without a calculator. The horror...the horror....

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC Waiting for the Sun at March 25, 2013 05:44 AM (KWlvw)

138 If I save, where should I put that pittance because I would like it to be liquid in case I need it but I'd also like some return above .05%? Your mattress. Key word: Liquid. If it is out of your immediate control, it's not doing you a bit of good. Safety deposit box? Can you access it at 8:00 pm? 10:00 pm? 3:00 am? Is .05 - 1.00% really worth not having total control?

Posted by: rickb223 at March 25, 2013 05:44 AM (GFM2b)

139 Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh, the smell of Doom....

It smells like................ doom.....

Posted by: Tex Lovera at March 25, 2013 05:45 AM (wtvvX)

140 Het I am all for 22 bucks and hour minimum wage . but leave the ACLU and Bammy;s machine out of the picture and the Employer gets to decide who has the ticket to ride that gravy train,....

Posted by: clemenza at March 25, 2013 05:45 AM (HMQ8k)

141 How come Iceland was able to do what they did but Greece and Cyrpus and probably the PIIGS will probably end up being totally screwed?

Posted by: Caustic at March 25, 2013 05:45 AM (/b8+5)

142 I had a cashier count my change old school the other day. She was, like- 70 tho.

Posted by: Beefy Meatball at March 25, 2013 05:46 AM (i7B17)

143 Sit ludos incipiunt

Posted by: toby928© sips the sweet tea of despair at March 25, 2013 05:46 AM (QupBk)

144 136 RWC,

last night's ONT turns out when Jim Carrey was diving in Mexico City's filth and fecal offerings he would on occasion find Sarah Jessica Parker's cousins bodies in the sewers...

it was really compelling stuff....

I am waiting for "Bullshit-my life as a mexican Sewer Rat-the Jim Carrey story" to be a made for TV drama any day now...

Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 05:47 AM (LRFds)

145 Link dump up.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette, assault Hobbit at March 25, 2013 05:47 AM (wbeNt)

146 As far as the generational stuff goes, I recommend "The Fourth Turning" by Strauss & Howe. Even if you don't accept their thesis, you can learn a lot about what makes different generations tick.

Posted by: rickl at March 25, 2013 05:49 AM (zoehZ)

147

"Jim Carrey is a faggot, and his shit's all retarded."

...and dual-citizen Canadian. He can FOAD.

Why would someone who lives in a bizzarro world where people are paid millions to pretend to be fictional characters think his opinion ton The Real World means jack shit? Yet they all do. Weird.

Posted by: Jaws at March 25, 2013 05:49 AM (4I3Uo)

148 Jim Carrey - "Do we possess guns in America or do guns possess us?" What is the sound of two hands clapping? Jim hasn't heard it in a while.

Posted by: toby928© sips the sweet tea of despair at March 25, 2013 05:49 AM (QupBk)

149 Nah, this is nothin'. Wait until Cochrain or Bannion tick off AtC later today (it'll happen, one of them will do it). Then they start trying to one-up each other with NSFW pics to curry her Imperial Majestiness's favor. Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 09:34 AM (4OvDk) I'm not entirely certain you've thought through the incentive structure you just set up. Also, it is theoretically possible for me not to get pissed off for no reason whatsoever. In theory. I know how you feel. I have a pile of cash I had intended on using to open up food service as a side venture while maintaining my day job. The execution of this plan was entirely contingent on evicting the JEF from office. Now I don't know what to do with it. Pay down my mortgage? It made me like $0.35 sitting in my savings account last year earning a hefty 0.01%. Posted by: mugiwara at March 25, 2013 09:40 AM (W7ffl) Yeah, someone upthread mentioned getting 2.5% in a savings account and my immediate thought was dude where! Stop bogarting that shit and share with the class! I have negative interest in owning a home but given interest rates right now I'm actually considering buying a wee tiny condo because anything under 3.5% is playing with OPM. Since my prior need to be instantly mobile is no longer present, I could do so without being overly concerned with being able to sell in a reasonable time frame (defined as 6-8 months). I'm just kicking that around right now because I don't have 20% down in cash on hand and hell no to 100% financing on a LIBOR ARM. Contra what some people here think, I'm not actually a total mathematical idiot and I know how that story will end. I am fascinated to see what's going to happen with the LIBOR debacle. Honestly, I have no idea where you would even start trying to untangle that mess.

Posted by: alexthechick - SMOD. Mmmm. Blondies. at March 25, 2013 05:51 AM (VtjlW)

150 2.5% RoR right now is a fantasy on everything but Helicopter Ben's fetish site also knows as the DJIA.....

he makes it rain with other people's ink bay bee

Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 05:55 AM (LRFds)

151 I'm not entirely certain you've thought through the incentive structure you just set up. Also, it is theoretically possible for me not to get pissed off for no reason whatsoever. In theory. I'm just pointing out what always happens. I make no statements about the whys or wherefores.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Channelling Breitbart at March 25, 2013 05:56 AM (4OvDk)

152 151 AllenG,

one needs perspective for patterns...

Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 05:57 AM (LRFds)

153 When DOOM came a knockin' I pumped two shotgun blasts thru the door and jettisoned effluence from every orifice.

Posted by: Fritz at March 25, 2013 05:59 AM (WM+rJ)

154 153 Frritz,

Slo Joe are you telling me you crapped your pants?

Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 06:01 AM (LRFds)

155 >>>Slo Joe are you telling me you crapped your pants?

Last Monday, DOOM took my pants.

Posted by: Fritz at March 25, 2013 06:05 AM (WM+rJ)

156 jim carrey is just pissed off because any bill that would ban the mentally ill would keep him from having a gun......

Posted by: phoenixgirl,commenter on a conservative award winning blog at March 25, 2013 06:06 AM (GVxQo)

157 156 PHXGrl,

when your career as a serious actor peaked with "sudden impact"....

Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 06:09 AM (LRFds)

158 #141

Acknowledging reality when it comes calling is something the Icelanders have in their DNA. Otherwise such an unforgiving environment would not have any inhabitants.

Heinlein used to suggest that the average IQ of a successful space colony might be significantly higher than old Earth because there was summary execution for what would be survivable mistakes on a nice comfy planet.

Posted by: epobirs at March 25, 2013 06:10 AM (kcfmt)

159

Taking the money back from right-wing billionaires and the "international bankers" is completely acceptable. That money was stolen from the hard-working middle class and from the developing world by Wall Street corporations. Billions of poor brown people would not be poor had their money not been used to buy weapons that were sold to their government by a series of racist American governments.

Posted by: Mary Cloggenstein from Brattleboro, Vermont at March 25, 2013 06:10 AM (jCQ+I)

160
   We structured our retirement assuming SS would not factor in it. It IS, as was noted, a bonus.

   I didn't ask to have it extorted from me during my career--that was simply done to me. Since it is classified as a tax, then I've go no objection to having that tax refunded --and I know pretty much the sum. When that sum is reached then the gov't is welcome to any further money.

     We can do nicely on the income without it.

Posted by: irongrampa at March 25, 2013 06:11 AM (SAMxH)

161 #159

OK, I think I'm following this. At what point did the brown people have money to be stolen?

Posted by: epobirs at March 25, 2013 06:12 AM (kcfmt)

162 Underfund pensions for years and they have trouble paying benefits. Who would have thought?

Posted by: rmark at March 25, 2013 06:23 AM (wgNcw)

163 Also, it is theoretically possible for me not to get pissed off for no reason whatsoever.

Posted by: alexthechick - SMOD. Mmmm. Blondies. at March 25, 2013 09:51 AM (VtjlW)

Incorrect.

The study has an "n" of sufficient value that validates the statement.

It is, within the current data, demonstrably true that:

"AtC always gets pissed off."

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 25, 2013 06:25 AM (3Mkrp)

164 Remember when the public employee unions crashed the economy and took bailouts? Me neither.

Posted by: Another Assholic Facebook Meme at March 25, 2013 06:28 AM (66zNN)

165 164 Another Assolic Facebook Meme,

yeah comes with being able to hide your debt load with ink until the total implosion of the system....

see Russia circa '89

Posted by: sven10077-ArkLaTex travelogue and Researcher at March 25, 2013 06:30 AM (LRFds)

166 Remember when the public employee unions crashed the economy and took bailouts? Me neither. I remember it like it was today. Wait, it is today.

Posted by: toby928© sips the sweet tea of despair at March 25, 2013 06:57 AM (evdj2)

167 DOOOM!

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 25, 2013 07:04 AM (n+FHp)

168 Caustic: 141 How come Iceland was able to do what they did but Greece and Cyrpus and probably the PIIGS will probably end up being totally screwed?

Because the Icelandic banks simply fessed up to what happened. They invested in bonds based on US home mortgages, and when those shoddy instruments crashed and burned, they were left holding the bag.

So they did a straight-forward bankruptcy. All depositors got exactly the same haircut, because the assets were not there anymore.

Posted by: Kristophr at March 25, 2013 07:24 AM (wYVte)

169 This Cyprus thing is not the government stealing bank accounts. These accounts were insured by the government for up to 100K Euro. Looks to me like the terms are those with 100K or less get full, and those with over 100K get 60% of what they had over 100K. They are lucky to be getting anything. The banks assets are worth less than their deposits. Somebody has to make up the difference. Don't see why it should be the Cypriot taxpayers or the European taxpayers. They should just follow the the rules: only first 100k insured.

Posted by: chrisnotrock at March 25, 2013 07:28 AM (dX5s2)

170 #161- the wholesale looting of the Third World's natural resources, which not only was a violation of their right to economic justice, but also was bad for Mother Earth. Corporations rape the planet in the name of profits, and our beloved President Obama needs to do something about this by returning the wise environmentalist Van Jones to the White House.

Posted by: Mary Cloggenstein from Brattleboro, Vermont at March 25, 2013 08:00 AM (jCQ+I)

171 Monty, don't stop with your blame of boomers...Let's go back to the post-civil war crowd who gave us Woodrow Wilson and the income tax. Or, the post depression folks who voted for FDR. How about going back to the Constitutional Congress where southern colonies lobbied to keep the slave trade going for another forty years. Did you know that in 1860 there were six million slaves in the south? Guess what, even though Republican Lincoln freed the slaves, their descendents vote democrat in lockstep...More, let's examine the women's movement where a bunch of mostly lesbian agitators started the war on the family. As the family structure devolved, the democrat party stepped in with an alphabet soup of Federal and state agencies to provide support for single mothers. And those single mothers almost all vote...wait for it...democrat. I get your unveiled disgust for boomers, of which I guess I am one...But, why stop there...

Posted by: Name withheld by request at March 25, 2013 05:12 PM (unF5M)

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