How many are able to work in your shop this month?

[keakap]

Regan said it first but - "There you go again"

What would we not have if the Government remained closed?

What would we have that we don't want, if the Government remained closed?

One very KEY word that is missing, while changing the question will definitely alter- to the good- the answers:

Federal.

The Federal gummint is for security/defense and military.

Period.

The rest is for the states, or at least was, before progressive communism a la Wilson, FDR, Obama et al

[keakap]

I hope the IRS folks enjoy a loooong furlough.

Furlogh, administrative leave, even retirement, didn't, hasn't, isn't and wont cost at least one IRS employee a red cent.
Remember Lois Lerner?

[keakap]

I think you should recalculate this Ed. A great deal of public money is financing their efforts.
Dick

Methinks all too often one example of a possible plus is used to justify 4,687 definite provable minuses.

In this case, I would bet my Social Security that the companies aren't turning that financing into 40% waste off the top, like the Federal gummint does.

[keakap]

Wait Wait Wait you forget all the money that congress siphoned off the SS to fund other projects. If that the money was returned there would be MORE THAN ENOUGH to pay every SS claim well into the future and give all those presently on SS big raises.

No one ever wants to talk about the money congress stole from the Social Security fund.

Just like no one hesitates to call the payment of Social Security to a receiptant as an entitlement.

It isn't an entitlement it was insurance we who worked were forced to pay for and was promised to receive back.

When this money was taken Congress said it would return the money or meet the need out of the budget.

I don't want them to go to treasury and do anything. I want Congress to start paying back all the money they said they would when they first took it. If they can't then shut them down and find some people of integrity that will.

............................. EXCELLENT ! .................................

[keakap]

Pardon me while I post about a completely different subject.

Since the weather in Phoenix is FINALLY cooling down, and I've got a LARGE project to do, along with lengthening my FrankenSmith, I'll be able to get some work done, on my apartment patio/shop.

Now, back to the sidetrack at hand. "Fearless Leader" has decreed that all "non-essential" personnel would be furloughed.

This begs a "stupid" question. WHY do we have (why are we paying for) "non-essential" government employees? Does your boss have non essential workers? Why? Is he (or she) just as dumb as a box-o-rox?

Ed, in Tampa, do you agree? Sounds like you just might.

If, you are employed by the Federal Government, and your job (or organization) isn't mentioned in the Constitution, "buh-bye!"

See the 10th amendment. Get your state to do it, or your community, or even a group of like-minded citizens.

National Park Service. Arizona, you just got the Grand Canyon. California, you just inherited Yosemite...

Boeing, Lockheed, (used to be) McDonnell-Douglas, you just got NASA (Sell Moffett field to Google, since they want it, or rent them Hangar One. Make them restore it.) Oh, all you companies, you "ain't" gettin' it for free!

Since I'm on a soap-box, and it's an old fashioned wooden one, here are some more.

Congress, ANY law you pass, applies to you, as well as the rest of us. Your salaries will reflect your state's or district's average salary, as will your "leave" status. (If the average person in your district, gets 3 days off, paid, a year, so do you.) Air flight will be at YOUR expense, and commercial. Like I said above, you WILL be entered in Obamacare, at YOUR expense, until YOU repeal it!

I'll climb down now. Glad it was a wooden soap-box!

Was this over the limit? Have I ruffled too many feathers?

steve

................. also EXCELLENT ! ................

[Ed in Tampa]

OK Guys I will vent a bit more. Luck you!! In the late 1930's when FDR instituted Social Security believe that no one was ever supposed to collect. Well, not in very large numbers anyway.
I think that the average working American male died at about 61 or 62 years of age. FDR said if you are lucky enough to make it to 65 we will pay you this nice little stipend to tide you over. So people would pay and die young and never collect so the people would never collect and the Gummint would get the windfall. (my opinion only) My dad died at age 60, never collected, my mom at age 66, collected one year, my sister at age 63, never collected.
Other problem is that the retirement age never went up with the life expectancy. I should not have been able to retire at 63. I should have been required to work longer because of the increased lif expectancy. But they said go and retire when I got laid off at 63 and 1/2.
In addition, a law can not be changed once it is passed unless another law is passed to recind the first one and replace it with another. (think prohibition)

Bill
One thing you forget to mention, the money your father and sister paid in that was never used built a huge surplus. Add to that surplus interest compounded daily and before long that huge surplus becomes even bigger. Add to that the hugely expanding workforce that paid into social security after the it was put in place and the surplus got even bigger. Add to that compounded interest and well.... You get the point the SS pot was growing so large that it would not run out of money. That is until Congress saw that money and started to drool over it. They could use that money, with their crossed finger promise to repay it for pork barrel projects that would guarantee their reelection. The rest is history.

[keakap]

...
Okay I will get off and hopefully stay off the soap box. Sorry! I just hope the American public wakes out and votes these bums out and aren't stupid enough to vote in bigger criminals.

Yo Ed, sorry to rain on your soap box, but if Hawaii is a representative example, the bums will not get voted out, and the voters ARE that stupid.
Since statehood Hawaii has elected Democrats to run Legislatures as well as City & County gummint. And when inevitable new taxes and new failures occur, who gets blamed? Republicans. Yeah, even if there are NONE in office at the time. And the 'stupid' part-- the voters then elect More Democrats!

Today's parallel-- Obama (& Greta bin Sufferin) try to blame on Republicans All problems- IN THE SENATE!

another oops-- I suspect the reference to Greta may not be obvious to everone. It's a FoxNews talk show with Greta van Cistern (or -Sufferin, or Systerin, er somethin like that). One of the funniest shows you can see on a "news" channel. She is Quite Liberal/ Progressive/ Obama-n but tries to hide it somewhat. One of my favorite "skits" of hers is when she gets a Republican from Congress and grills him on, for example, why the Senate, illegally, has not passed a budget in 4 or 5 years. The DEMO controlled Senate. That one.
She must be one of the most dishonest and/or unbelievably naive women on the planet. Very Funny show!

[wa2crk]

Ed in Tampa et all,
I may not have mentioned it but the point that I was trying to make is that most of it was never expected to be payed out. Most people were expected to die before they could reach the age to collect!! It is probably one of the earlier examples of "spreading the wealth around" or an early example of redistribution of wealth.
The actuaries should have made adjustments during the 70's, 80's and 90's but they did not and now there is a problem.
Bill V
PS I just have to add this. I believe that Obama is doing to the American economy exactly what Ronald Regan caused the old Soviet Union to do theirs. Regan used the Star Wars defense system to goad the Soviets to overspend through the military budget and as a result collapse their monetary system. It worked!! I see the same thing happening here and I am afraid it will work again unless some of our congress people wake up, but I am probably dreaming.
Bill V

[skou]

Bill, I'm afraid you're right, and here is my reasoning. George Soros, and Peter Lewis of Progressive Insurance, are HEAVILY involved with funding almost everything this President is pushing.

Soros made his BILLIONS, by selling short on a few country's treasury, then tanking their economy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lewis_(businessman)

Peter Lewis is hardly any better.

I think they are running this presidency, and this president is not just a bumbling idiot. He is VERY DEDICATED into ruining this country, which would enrich his patrons even more.

steve

[davebodner]

I see the right-wing anger-fest has resurrected itself. I, like most others, am disinclined to give it anymore attention than necessary. However, when a thread with this much disinformation goes on for this long, I can no longer hold my tongue.

I can't reply to everything, but I'll address this:

Originally Posted by Ed in Tampa
Wait Wait Wait you forget all the money that congress siphoned off the SS to fund other projects. If that the money was returned there would be MORE THAN ENOUGH to pay every SS claim well into the future and give all those presently on SS big raises.

No one ever wants to talk about the money congress stole from the Social Security fund.

That surplus has always been invested in interest-bearing bonds with an organization that so far has an excellent repayment record. Let's hope the record remains unblemished as we move toward the debt-ceiling later this month.

The accountants who look at the solvency of SS take the interest into account. So Ed, you're assertion is wrong. Here's the official word: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/fundFAQ.html#a0=1 A couple more clicks will tell you the interest rate is essentially determined by the market.

And whether you regard the government as a good debt-risk is immaterial. The numbers simply don't support your assertion.