Will the U.S. Deficit effect you and your SL?

[Anaiya Arnold]

Too many people have brought into the spin and propaganda hook line and sinker, and tied their egos to it. They lack the will to confront the reality, or even admit to it, and they'd rather rip their own arm off and beat their kids with their detached limb than allow the problem to be tackled and addressed objectively and sensibly.  Metaphorically that's precisely what they are doing.

 

[Ishtara Rothschild]

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amarock Amat wrote:

The rest of the world, are not fighting 3 wars, are not playing superman to nearly all world natrual disasters, being the UN cops around the world. 

 

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Actually, we are playing "UN cops" in Afghanistan on behalf of the USA.

[Alazarin Mondrian]

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amarock Amat wrote:

The rest of the world, are not fighting 3 wars, are not playing superman to nearly all world natrual disasters, being the UN cops around the world.

 

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1] You want WW III, be my guest. No-one else wanted those wars.

2] Believe it or not other nations do actually get involved in disaster relief.

3] Let the UN be the global policeman. That's not the job of any one nation.

[Ishtara Rothschild]

Instead of raising the taxes on corporations, the USA could follow the example of Western European countries and force employers to pay higher wages as well as half of the social insurance fees of their employees, and give more paid vacation days to boot. That indirectly levies money from corporations and leaves the wage earning consumers more time and money to buy things they don't really need. Basically trickle up instead of trickle down economics

[Storm Clarence]

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

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Jacki Silverfall wrote:

Hahaha

Are you kidding?( Sarcasm) No one does anything to help us. But we're always there to help others. We're on our own.

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Well, we non-US residents are paying for the upkeep and military equipment of 250,000 American soldiers. Does that count? The USA couldn't afford being one of the largest military powers if Germany, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines didn't pay for a considerable share of their armed forces.

Which is the only reason that these troops are still stationed here and will probably remain here forever. They're protecting us from our tax money

The help that Germany received after WWII wasn't a handout, it was an investment that yields continuous interest.

There is no room for charity in politics. Governments only help themselves.

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Germans need Americans sitting on that fence.  You want us sitting on that fence.  Your tax dollars are realized two-fold with the economic advantage of having US military personnel in smaller, poorer regions of Germany.  They put back into the economy.  The help 1/2 Germany received after WWII was an investment into the security of Europe.  The Russians offered no help to the other 1/2.  Americans sat on that wall for 40 years.    

 

[Storm Clarence]

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

Instead of raising the taxes on corporations, the USA could follow the example of Western European countries and force employers to pay higher wages as well as half of the social insurance fees of their employees, and give more paid vacation days to boot. That indirectly levies money from corporations and leaves the wage earning consumers more time and money to buy things they don't really need. Basically trickle up instead of trickle down economics

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But...but...this would make us European.  We are not socialists. 

[Ishtara Rothschild]

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Storm Clarence wrote:

Germans need Americans sitting on that fence.  You want us sitting on that fence.  Your tax dollars are realized two-fold with the economic advantage of having US military personnel in smaller, poorer regions of Germany.  They put back into the economy.  The help 1/2 Germany received after WWII was an investment into the security of Europe.  The Russians offered no help to the other 1/2.  Americans sat on that wall for 40 years.    

 

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On which fence? The fence is no more You're right though that a share of the money that we spend on the occupying force U.S. military flows back into our economy.

[Jaylin Wytchwood]

 

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Storm Clarence wrote:

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

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Jacki Silverfall wrote:

Hahaha

Are you kidding?( Sarcasm) No one does anything to help us. But we're always there to help others. We're on our own.

---

Well, we non-US residents are paying for the upkeep and military equipment of 250,000 American soldiers. Does that count? The USA couldn't afford being one of the largest military powers if Germany, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines didn't pay for a considerable share of their armed forces.

Which is the only reason that these troops are still stationed here and will probably remain here forever. They're protecting us from our tax money

The help that Germany received after WWII wasn't a handout, it was an investment that yields continuous interest.

There is no room for charity in politics. Governments only help themselves.

---

Germans need Americans sitting on that fence.  You want us sitting on that fence.  Your tax dollars are realized two-fold with the economic advantage of having US military personnel in smaller, poorer regions of Germany.  They put back into the economy.  The help 1/2 Germany received after WWII was an investment into the security of Europe.  The Russians offered no help to the other 1/2.  Americans sat on that wall for 40 years.    

 

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Typical American bigotry at work. No one needs you here "in poorer Regions", as there are none, other than in your country. Oh and if you read the news the last 20 years... you might see that this wall is no more.

I worked in the "Landesamt für Besatzungslasten/Office for Occupation-demands". You guys got effectively a lot of suger (heh want a new flat for an Officer, ask the dumb germans, they build it) blown into your behinds.

How nice of you, to spends some of that suger into our economy again. It could have gone there in the first place, as the country rebuilt itself.

Oh and who told you the Russians did nothing building up their side of germany? Sure they did, hampered by their own non-capitalistic system, inefficient, but still help.

 

 

 

 

[Ishtara Rothschild]

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Peggy Paperdoll wrote:

Oh!!!  So what I need to do to dig myself out of debt is to up my credit limit so I can purchase that new green car I've had my eye on.  Oh, and I should also go ahead and purchase the mountain cabin I've dreamed of for years.  Maybe I should finally take that 2 week South Pacific cruise. 

 

Okay.............got it.  I'm all good.  Everything is fine and I don't need to worry about how to pay it.......you see I just go to my employer and demand a raise so I can pay the interest on my CC's and have enough left over to eat out twice a week, go to the theater, and I just have to shop for new clothes.  I mean I'm entitled to all that, right?  That's how I'm going to get out of debt.......spend more than I can afford.  Makes sense to me if it make sense to you. :matte-motes-big-grin:

 

It's that moronic logic that got us here...........it won't get us out of this mess.  And, if trickle down economics doesn't work, why were the late 80's and most of the 90's so successful for our economy?  Don't continue showing stupidity.......it's unbecoming to you.

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If all consumers sit on their little money (or on their enormous debt), you can kiss the economy goodbye. Consumers need more spending power. Force their employers to give it to them, make sure that the government gets its proper share of all revenues, and punish businesses that outsource their workforce to other countries with higher taxes. The money needs to trickle up from the pockets of wealthy end consumers.

[Ishtara Rothschild]

I think Storm was posting tongue in cheek

[Storm Clarence]

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

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Storm Clarence wrote:

Germans need Americans sitting on that fence.  You want us sitting on that fence.  Your tax dollars are realized two-fold with the economic advantage of having US military personnel in smaller, poorer regions of Germany.  They put back into the economy.  The help 1/2 Germany received after WWII was an investment into the security of Europe.  The Russians offered no help to the other 1/2.  Americans sat on that wall for 40 years.    

 

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On which fence? The fence is no more

You're right though that a share of the money that we spend on the

occupying force

U.S. military flows back into our economy.

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The 'physical' fence is no more.  However any respectable nation needs a military; especially one that abuts France  :matte-motes-bored: and has a long-long history of warring.    

I don't think the occupiers Russians put any where near the amount of money into Germany that they took out.  They didn't even like the Germans.  We do.

 Ein bier, bitte  or

Принесите, пожалуйста, пива

I think Germany's tax dollars were well spent. 

[Storm Clarence]

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Jaylin Wytchwood wrote:

<snip>

...It could have gone there in the first place, as the country rebuilt itself.

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You are kidding me, right?  

 

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Jaylin Wytchwood wrote:

<snip>

Oh and who told you the Russians did nothing building up their side of germany? Sure they did, hampered by their own non-capitalistic system, inefficient, but still help.

 

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You are kidding me, right?

[Anaiya Arnold]

You're completely right that the US consumer base needs more to spend, (along with more to save and more to invest), and that this lies at the heart of the economic problems. 

In nominal terms, despite significant increases in productivity, wages have been stagnating since the 1980s.  In real terms (inflation adjusted) median wages have actually gone down since the 1980s despite the fact that everyone is now more productive.

The trickle down theory is myopic nonsense, when treated as an axiomatic inevitability rather than merely descriptive of one potential possibility that could manifest in the right circumstances but which is more likely to not occur in most circumstances. 

[RockAndRoll Michigan]

This thread seems to have gone off the rails here and stopped being about how a U.S. default will impact our second lives. However, since it has gone that way, these are some of my thoughts regarding the situation:

First off, we need to look to ourselves and our own borrowing habits, whether we are U.S. citizens or not. I see way too much of this behavior going way wrong here in the U.S. and I doubt this is the only country where this is happening. We're constant bombarded with all the things we "can have" if we just use this credit card to buy it. Well, sure, we can have them, but at what cost? We need to start thinking about that.

I think it's time people start showing the backbone to refuse to accept that credit card. You go to a store and you want that twelve inch key lime cheesecake? Sure, you can have it. Oh, you want to pay for it with plastic? Not with this MasterCard you ain't, this one's a credit card. Give me your debit card my friend. Don't have the money to pay for it? Be off with you. You don't need this cheesecake.

Credit is meant to be used for large purchases that you don't have a prayer of having the cash for, not for everyday items. Sure, get yourself a house on credit, or a car. Even buying a wedding ring or an engagement ring, I can see those things. But we need to start thinking about whether we can really afford to mortgage our future paying 12, 15, even 30 percent interest just to buy that toothbrush, Justin Beieber poster, cheesecake, or what have you on a credit card.

My second point is about taxes, specifically tax breaks for corporations. There are a lot of huge corporations getting tax breaks here in the United States that love to send jobs overseas. Stop it. During the Bush administration, no matter who was at fault and who wasn't (that's an entirely different argument in and of itself), we saw a great deal of high-paying jobs, like in the $30 an hour range, being shipped right out of this country and sent overseas. Meanwhile we had Bush crowing about all the jobs that had been created in the U.S. under his watch. Maybe he was actually responsible for their creation, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that one. The problem is, when you send 500,000 $30 an hour range jobs overseas, taking that income out of this country permanently, and create 200,000 $10 an hour level jobs in the service sector ("Would you like fries with that?"), that still represents a loss of $13 million PER HOUR in U.S. spending power. Hardly something to be proud of.

It's time to tell businesses receiving tax breaks, no matter how large or small, that they're going to lose those breaks forever if they continue to ship high paying jobs overseas. They don't deserve any assistance from Uncle Sam if they can not or will not hire Americans. Period. No flexibility or compromise on this issue, ever. Then maybe we won't have teenagers trying to get jobs saying "Would you like fries with that?" forced to compete with college graduates for those jobs.

Tackling these two issues will go a long way towards putting an end to the problems that have left the United States in the position that it is in.

[Jacki Silverfall]

Can some one pass me the can of worms?:smileytongue:

[Jacki Silverfall]

Well said R&R.

And yes this thread has gone off track, actually I don't think it ever got on it. :matte-motes-bored:

[Anaiya Arnold]

You are misidentifying the problem when it comes to credit.  Without all that borrowing the crisis would simply have happened sooner.  

 

 

[Lynda Baran]

Good Starting points, but I think it will take a hell of a lot more than that Rock. 

But to assage the original question of how it will effect my Second Life.   Not one wit. 

But, we need to make a fundamental change in the way we run the country.  And I don't mean the Hope and Change Uncle Barry and his Regime'  had in mind. 

It's going to hurt, and it's going to be messy.  It's not going to be pleasant or easy.   But the sooner we realize it and get started, the sooner it will be over.

(*Full Disclosure: I work full-time for the government in a Right to Work State with no Public Union Collective Bargaining, a Constitutionally Mandated Balanced Budget (showing a budget surplus and with a AAA Bond Rating) and serve Part-Time in the US Military.  I'm a strict Constitutionalists and whole heartedly subscribe to the idea: "That government which governs least, governs best." And that those rights not granted to the Federal Government by the Constitution are reserved for the several States and THE PEOPLE.)

 

My suggestions for solving the problems would start with the purchase of 28,100 feet of good sturdy Rope.   This, cut into 50 foot segments and combined with the Light Standards lining Pennsylvania, Constitution and Independence Avenues would make a good start.

Okay, okay,  this is just wishful thinking on my part, but everyone needs a dream.   :matte-motes-big-grin-wink: 

 

There is absolutely no single measure that will deflect the current budgetary situation.  It would require a concerted redirection of our present system and a return to the principles of a Constitutionally Limited Government, with power being returned to the States and, the People.  And, take a few Amendments to enforce the changes, since politicians can't be trusted beyond the ends of their noses.

We can't be concerned with what other countries think or want, or by concerns for some misguided concept of a "Global Community. This is about us and they can go their own way.   And these are just some of the things that have distracted us over the past 120 years and lead to the current situation.  Things can be turned around, but at a cost few may be willing to bear.  But the alternative is becoming Greece, Spain or Portugal.  Or Worse......

 We need to start by remembering we are a REPRESENTATIVE REPUBLIC and not A SOCIALIST DEMOCRACY!!   The US was founded on the principles of INDIVIDUAL Rights and Liberties, Personal Responsibility and a very limited central government, NOT collective, Special Interest  or group rights.  Nor a bloated Federal Bureaucracy.  They work for ALL of us, not the unions, the Greenies, the lawyers or the other special interest, ALL of us.

 

Return the size of the US Government to that authorized by the Constitution:

Then return authority to the States where it belongs.  Say Bye Bye to the Departments of Energy, EPA, Health, Education, etc.   It would save hundreds of billions dollars a year.   Also get rid of FannieMae, FreddieMac, Federal Housing Authority and Housing and Urban Development.   The Federal Government never had any business acting as a mortgage company or gaurantor.  If you want a home of your own, bust your ass and earn it.

 

Shut down Uncle Sam's Plantation:

The federal government has no business in welfare.   It's better left to the state and local governments and to private charitable organizations.  Like many other things provided by the Federal government these days, welfare is not a right and they don't do it well.

 

Immediately remove all US Forces from all places outside the continental United States:

They'd be better used securing our own borders.  This would also allow major cuts in defense spending, which would spur more efficient procurement and reduction in waste.   So how do we defend ourselves form external attacks you ask?   Nukes!!   If someone knows that any attack, or sponsoring attacks by others, will end up with their capital city as a smoking whole in the ground, well...  You figure it out.    

I went to both Afghanistan and Iraq twice between 2001 and 2007.   I would have much rather stayed home or just bombed the hell out of them.    My nephew is getting ready to go to Afghanistan for his second time in 18 months.   I'd rather see him down on the southern border.

 

Resign our memberships in NATO, SEATO, the United Nations, et al:

Immediately stop all financial support to these organizations and repeal all treaties signed while involved in them.   Some of the treaties signed as part of the United Nation directly impinge on US Sovereignty and the rights of US Citizens.   The UN is so totally corrupt, not one penny should come from US coffers to support it.  If countries like France and England can't whip a third world douche bag like Daffy Kaddafhi, why should we get involved.  I don't have any friends who are Lybians and it sure as hell wasn't in the US national interest trying to help install god knows who in his place.

 

Get Ride of the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Income Tax:

Go to a National Sales tax of 6.5%.  Repeal the income tax with all it's loop holes.    Couple this with a Constitutional Amendment that limits any raises in the Sales tax to .25%.  Raises could only be passed by a super majority vote in two successive terms of Congress.  It would also mean that the 50% of people that pay NO taxes at all had a little skin in the game for a change. Maybe then they'd vote a little more wisely instead of for the politicos who promise them the most programs.   

 

Alexis De Tocqueville warned in "Democracy In America" against the proliferation of politicians who bribe the citizens with their own taxes.   That is exactly what has occurred.  Except today, they are being bribed with the taxes of others.  (Redistribution)   This action should be included in a Constitutional Amendment REQUIRING a Balanced Federal Budget.   It's time they learned to live within their means just like the rest of us and the majority of states.

 

Political Reform:

Eliminate the "Elite Professional Ruling Class"  with another constitutional Amendment that:

Bans anyone holding any Federal Elected Office from succeeding themselves in office, or running for another elected office while holding a Federal Elected Office. 

It's stupid to pay someone to run for office instead of staying put and doing the job they're being paid to do.  Return the appointment of Senators to the states as it originally existed.

Bans ANY Pension for Senators, Congressmen, Presidents, Vice Presidents or Cabinet Members.  If you want a pension, apply for a Civil Service Job.  And it was never intended that there be a Ruling Class.

Bans any elected officials, Cabinet members, or their staffs from having ANY contact with Lobbyist or Special Interest Groups.   The ONLY Special Interest group that exists is the Citizens of The United States of America, as a whole.

 

Mine, Drill and Refine:

We have enough oil, coal and natural gas to make the US completely energy self sufficient.   Our big hang up is that we've let the tree huggers dictate policies that harms the US a hell of a lot more than they help.   Little things such as the pressure not to allow the building of any new refinery facilities since the 1970s.  

"Dirty Bill" Clinton signed a Presidential Degree which keeps us from taking advantage of the largest Low Sulfur Coal deposits in THE WORLD!!  This cut us off from a usable source of energy, as so many enviro driven policies have.   

And before anyone starts whining about "BIG OIL", their massive profits and "Government Subsidies......   They actually get no "subsidies", they simply get the same tax breaks that every other US Corporation gets.  

They operate on a profit margin of 12.6%.   This is slightly higher than would be considered marginal under stable economic conditions.  They do, however, sell more of their product than the next half dozen of the largest industries in the world.  But to placate some of you,  the tax breaks for ALL corporations would be eliminated by a National Sales Tax.  

And 'don't start whining about "Global Warming", "Global Cooling" or "Global Climate Change" either.   Weather changes as do weather cycles.   Global (pick one) is disputed by as many credible and qualified scientist as support the unproven theories ascribing to it.  And a large number of the staunchest supporter of the theory have NO scientific background what-so-ever.    Does Al Gore ring a bell?  

Helping keep the planet clean is one thing, destroying the world's economy on the "Yes, but what if it's true" argument is idiotic beyond belief.   In places Like Spain, each "Green" job created was at the expense of the loss of two other jobs.   Elsewhere the statistic is slightly lower, but not by much. 

"Environmentalism" is the new Communism. It accomplishes nothing more than putting more power in the hands of government and non-elected bureaucrats   Green on the outside, Red on the inside.....

 

Immigration Reform:  

Those here illegally would have 90 days to register or leave the country.  Those who register would be given the status of "Guest Workers".    In 10 years they would be allowed to apply for a Green Card and, if approved, granted Resident Alien status.   Eight years afterward they would be eligible to apply and be considered for Citizenship.   

While a Guest Worker, they would not be eligible for any of the social services available to Resident Aliens or Citizens. 

Anyone either falling to register, failing to leave, or committing a Class One Misdemeanor or Felony while either a Guest Worker or Resident Alien would be deported upon conviction and ineligible to return to the US for 20 years and never eligible for anything other than Temporary Guest Worker status for the remainder of their life.

Now, before anyone starts the whole, "but they have children born in the US, would you break up families?" schlub, no I wouldn't.   They are free top take their progeny with them if they go.  And before anyone broaches the whole 14th Amendment argument, a little honest research on your part would show you that was meant to protect the children of slaves born in the US from being deported after the War of Northern Aggression. (Civil War for you Yankees)  It was never intended as a catch all for any woman that slips over the border to drop her litter, then use that and an excuse to stay here and bring 64 relatives over to live off the public dole.

 

Entitlement Reforms:  

Set a cut off age for Social Security and Medicare benefits.  Everyone below that age would be responsible for planning for their own retirement needs through the use of Investments, IRAs, etc.  (But, but.....  Hey, invest in gold and Oil Company Stocks.   Remember those MASSIVE Profits?)   

The National Sales tax would eliminate double and triple taxation on the investments and the future returns form those investments. (and once and for all kill the death tax) 

Medicare and Medic-aid for anyone under the cut-off age would be handled by the STATES establishing Insurance Pools that guaranteed coverage for everyone and paid for by the individuals from their investments.  

Medical Insurance, Medication, Medical Appliances, Medical Treatment, Hospitalization and Home Healthcare would be the only things exempt from the National Sales Tax.   The system could be made even more efficient by knocking down the regulations that prohibit individuals from buying Insurance across state lines.

 

Tort Reform:   

Costs in many areas can be lowered by Tort Reform.   Stop Plaintiff Attorneys from "Court Shopping", limit attorney fees in class action suits and institute "Loser Pays".  And the losing attorney would be responsible for the same percentage of this payment as they expected to recover if the suit had succeeded.    

The latter will cut down on the number of nuisance lawsuits and clear court dockets for more legitimate suits.    Also limit punitive damages to 25 times actual damages.  

Attorneys would be responsible for screening law suits and fined if they filed suits that were later determined by the Trial court to be frivolous.   (yeah, I don't like lawyers, even though my GF is one and I'm related to a couple.)

 

Judicial Reform:

Another amendment but, a necessary one.    Federal Jurists are appointed for life, I'd change that in two ways.   First, by subjecting them to re-confirmation every ten years and secondly, by subjecting them to the same mandatory retirement standards that apply to all Federal Employees.   This would keep some senile, doddering old fool from staying beyond their ability to render fair and impartial decisions.  Reconfirmation would also cut down on Activist Judges legislating from the bench.

 

Legislative Reform:

Last but not least.  First, enfolded in the Amendment regarding Tax Reform and a Balanced Budget would be a provision which would require that, in budgetary matters, no session of Congress may pass laws extending more than six months passed the end of their current term.  

This would force Congress to pass a budget each term dealing with the operation of government during that term, but would allow them six months to accomplish it.  

Second, ALL bills submitted to the President for his signature into law would have to be "Stand Alone" legislation.  It would be required to be posted for no less than 14 days prior to a vote for public perusal and comment.   This would almost completely eliminate add ons and riders (PORK) and ensure that each piece of legislation is capable of standing on it's own merit.

 

A return to the principles of the US Constitution being the Supreme Laws of the Land, and the principles of a small, limited central government with the bulk of the power residing with the states and the people would reverse the decline of government that has occurred over the past 120 years.   

The rights of the Individual are clearly defined in such documents as the Declaration of Independence, The US Constitution and discussed in other places such as the Federalist Papers. And "shall NOT be infringed", period.

Many of the things people consider "Rights" today, are no such thing.   No one is guaranteed a living, a college education, welfare, unemployment, health insurance, retirement benefits and all the myriad of things taken for granted as "Rights".  The progressive catch all of "the Public Good" just doesn't wash.

We are guaranteed no more and no less that those right specifically enumerated in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.  

Each of us has the right to Life, Liberty and "The Pursuit" of happiness.  And as Ben Franklin once said,  "It up to each of it to catch it...",   not the job of the government to provide it.....   

These are, of course, my opinions.   They are influenced by my personal beliefs, along with open discussions with others, extensive research and much frank consideration.    I know there are many that will disagree, and some that will disagree vehemently or get down right torqued.   Sorry about that **bleep**!

But if everyone, as a nation, doesn't get their heads out of....  the sand, there's a good chance it's going to be a hell of a lot worse than any of you can imagine. And I wouldn't pin my hopes of a politician doing what right for anyone but himself.

So everyone do what you want, be partisan, be a slacker and wait for the G to bail you out.  But if we don't start thinking as a nation of citizens and no a lot of special interest groups, and stop being a bunch of greedy bastards wanting the government to take care of our every need....  

If you don't start being responsible for yourself and your family and community.  And don't start requiring your elected representatives to start doing their job, and thinking of the country and not their re-election, then it's going to fall apart.  Then it will be every man/woman for themselves.

As for me, I have a house that's paid for, a good deep well, a solar power system, a stock pile of food, land to grow more, game near by, some monetary preparations and plenty of weapons and ammunition.  

So if the effluvia collides with the wind propulsion unit,  I know my family and I will survive.   And I'll get by quite nicely without SL too. :matte-motes-sunglasses-1:

 

[Ceka Cianci]

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Anaiya Arnold wrote:

You are misidentifying the problem when it comes to credit.  Without all that borrowing the crisis would simply have happened sooner.  

 

 

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because spending would have stopped sooner?

[Dresden Ceriano]

Wow, I was gonna stop reading at "Uncle Sam's Plantation" but, in a way, I'm glad I didn't. All I can say is wow.

...Dres

[Celestiall Nightfire]

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Dresden Ceriano wrote:

If you want to equate governmental finances with personal finances a more accurate statement would go something like this:

You take out a loan to put yourself through school... thereby, not only bettering yourself, but making it possible to get a better job where you'll make more money to eventually get yourself out of debt and be in a better financial position in the long run. Stupid, right?

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Well, your analogy stops short of the total scenario. To more accurately equate, government and personal finances, it would go something like this:

You take out a loan to put yourself through school... thereby, not only bettering yourself, but making it possible to get a better job where you'll make more money to eventually *attempt to* get yourself out of debt and be in a better financial position in the long run.  

Then you find out you're not in a better financial position, so you again borrow money and create a bigger debt for yourself.  Hmm, still not achieving a better financial position.  What could be wrong?  Hey, maybe borrowing *more* money will solve it!  So, you borrow, and borrow, and borrow.  Next thing you know...you are trillions in debt, and can't even begin to pay the interest, let alone the actual debt.   

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

Now what do you do?  Do you continue to borrow money? 

[Celestiall Nightfire]

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Jacki Silverfall wrote:

Alls I gotta say is they better not mess with the older folks. If my Momma has to go hungry because of greedy politicians there's gonna be hell to pay. AARP is already after them.:smileymad:

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You said, "they better not mess with the older folks".  Who is "they"? 

Also, what do politicans have to do with your mother's acquisition of food?   

Who would this retribution of "hell to pay" fall upon?   And why? 

 

 

[Celestiall Nightfire]

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Ishtara Rothschild wrote:

Instead of raising the taxes on corporations, the USA could follow the example of Western European countries and force employers to pay higher wages as well as half of the social insurance fees of their employees, and give more paid vacation days to boot. That indirectly levies money from corporations and leaves the wage earning consumers more time and money to buy things they don't really need. Basically trickle up instead of trickle down economics

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Yes, but you forgot to add that it creates high unemployment.  Which has plagued Western European countries for decades. Resulting in many more people on the dole, people being subsidized, and the smaller percentage that are working, being squeezed to keep everything afloat. 

[Dresden Ceriano]

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Celestiall Nightfire wrote:

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Jacki Silverfall wrote:

Alls I gotta say is they better not mess with the older folks. If my Momma has to go hungry because of greedy politicians there's gonna be hell to pay. AARP is already after them.:smileymad:

---

You said, "

they

better not mess with the older folks".  Who is "they"? 

Also, what do politicans have to do with your mother's acquisition of food?   

Who would this retribution of "hell to pay" fall upon?   And why? 

---

The hell would be paid by the majority of voters that don't want to see their security net, which they've paid into all their lives, dismantled and turned over to corporate entities that are only concerned with making a profit instead of what's in the best interest of the people that can no longer look after themselves.

@Jacki: Since I haven't yet answered the question in your OP, I will take the opportunity to do so now.

Yes... only because of the creation of this post and the direction it has turned. Something told me not to get involved when I realized where it was going, but I didn't listen to my inner voice and, once again, I regret not doing so.

I follow politics very closely in RL and I come to SL, and correspondingly this forum, to get away from all of that mess. I have a strong aversion to discussing politics or religion with people who's opinions I normally respect on any other topic. Therefore I will stop following this thread and will see all of you in another thread that will better suit my purpose for being here in the first place.

Have fun... Dres 

[Anaiya Arnold]

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Ceka Cianci wrote:

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Anaiya Arnold wrote:

You are misidentifying the problem when it comes to credit.  Without all that borrowing the crisis would simply have happened sooner.  

 

 

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because spending would have stopped sooner?

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Yes