Gas prices , again

[reible]

Gas price here are always going up and down. IN refinery has had several issues this summer and each one leads to price flux. It can be as low as a few cents but sometimes 30 cents or more happens. It is always a moving target.


I have a Chrysler Town & Country LSi from 2000. It listed for over $40K with the leather seats, upgraded stereo etc. I've been very happy with it and would do it again if I could get this same one, of course time has marched on and if I were to buy new today it would not be a Chrysler. It has had a couple of non normal maintenance issues like a cracked head and a broken suspension part but otherwise I can't complain. It has only 128K miles so I'd like to keep it a few more years but now I'm seeing rust above the rear wheels.......

So anyway what I wanted to mention was that I like to replace the battery every 5 years (so I don't have to worry about starting issues here in the winter). Last time the battery was $75, same battery now at the same store was $105. That is a pretty heft price increase! So what is that about?

Ed

[JPG]

Lead has become 'hazardous'!

[joedw00]

I read this morning in the Business Journal that gas should drop below $2.00 by Christmas.

[Gene Howe]

If that happens, will the gubment want some of my SS check back?

I read this morning in the Business Journal that gas should drop below $2.00 by Christmas.

[Bruce]

$2.95/gal for regular unleaded here in way northern California - I have an account with the local CardLock, so I get it for more like $2.70/gal, but either way quite a bit more than virtually everywhere else in the US. I don't complain too much, as it wasn't that long ago I was paying between $4.00 and $5.00/gal

Being California, I imagine your gas taxes are out of this world. The progressive rulers in California love their taxes to pay for all of their social and environmental programs. Just my opinion.

[Gene Howe]

Only NY imposes higher taxes than CA.
http://taxfoundation.org/article/state- ... -2009-2013

[jsburger]

If that happens, will the gubment want some of my SS check back?

I read this morning in the Business Journal that gas should drop below $2.00 by Christmas.

Fortunately there are laws in place that say if you get a government check it can't be less than the last one. In other words they can't reduce your pay, either retirement or on the job.

They are talking about changing military retirement. That will not effect any of us that are already retired. They are talking about changing Social Security. That will not effect any of us that already get SS.

Before all the naysayers start let me explain my position. First it is your choice who you work for and what you do with your life. My wife and I chose to serve our country directly so all of us can have a good and safe life in this world of chaos. I fought in two wars, Viet Nam and Desert Storm to keep this country what it is.

Because of that we get benefits that some other people do not. My wife has 35 years with the US Army and the US Air Force directly supporting combat material (helicopter radios, laser sights for tanks and aircraft generators). She is under the old Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). She did not pay into Social Security under that system and does not receive SS. Her take home retirement check is almost the same as when she was working but only because she suspended her federal health insurance and went with my Military Tricare which is much less. Hers $250/MO, Tricare $60/Quarter. Another benefit because of my service.

I said before we get 5 government checks. That is true. My wife gets one. I get 4. One from my military service. I get one from the VA due to my disability. The VA check amount is subtracted from my military retirement so that is a wash..

I get one for my 10 years of Federal Civil Service employment. And I get Social security.

If anyone thinks that is too much compensation then do what I and my wife did for the last 75 years and then come back and tell me what you think.

We earned every bit of it and we are very comfortable in retirement.

[rjent]

And I as a business owner/starter and jobs creator, I helped pay for it all. I guess we don't get credit for all of that because we didn't "serve" our country .... All I get from the government is a paltry SS check that should be 3 times more, but the government started stealing money from SS in the 60's. My "retirement" is from investments from my hard work over 50 years. Does that count? I am sorry, but every productive person "serves" their country .....

[BuckeyeDennis]

My dad once told me a Social Security story that was both humorous and educational. It seems that Social Security was launched some three months before my grandfather retired. Well, Granddaddy reportedly bitched and moaned for three whole months about Uncle Sam confiscating those Social Security taxes from his paycheck. And then he retired. And then he started getting regular Social Security checks. And then those checks started getting cost off living adjustments. And before very long, my grandfather felt that he not only deserved this largesse, but that he had earned it. This situation continued for almost 20 years. Nice "investment" there, Granddaddy!

My Dad found the whole situation pretty amusing. At least his generation would more or less break even.

But my grandfather's case illustrates that Social Security was never designed as a retirement "investment". It is a social wealth-transfer program, from younger people to retired people, and attempts to ensure that older Americans do not have to live in poverty. But the fiscal structure has always resembled a pyramid scheme, and it is vulnerable to changing demographics and life expectancies. The raiding of the Trust Fund by the congress to fund general deficit spending has made it even less secure. But as long as the government can print money, I expect that my generation will receive quite a few pennies on our dollars.

[JPG]

Unfortunately printing more $ to cover payments is a house of cards.