What are we working for?!?!

reply to post by XLR8R


I have to agree completely with you there.

Perhaps I was fortunate enough to have gone to a public school where the emphasis was on critical thinking and reasoning skills over repetition and rote learning.

It's as if our education systems are regressing to the point where the hows and whys are no longer important, just follow the approved process to generate the expected result and move on.

reply to post by KyrieEleison


That's right. I have 2 kids now. My oldest is going to junior high next year. And every year I see it gets a little bit worst. If I had the means I would home school them. But unfortunately I'm a single father and the mullah or the lack there of won't permit it.

reply to post by darkbake


Your comment reminded me of the scene in The Shawshank Redemption where... well, here it is:

Originally posted by Gazrok
reply to post by jiggerj

Your wage has kept pace with inflation, plus 30 cents in the black. So, in essence, in 8 years, you've had a purchasing power raise of 30 cents. However, this is with overall inflation. Some of those items (such as fuel and smokes, and food) have risen much higher than the overall rate of inflation, so realistically, you're likely making less (purchase power-wise) when considering those items which have drastically increased in price.

edit on 15-5-2013 by Gazrok because: (no reason given)

Well, I take home $1,700 a month. When I started working there my insurance deductible was $500 a year. It is now $2,000. That's over a month's pay gone. So, I really am making a lot less than when I started.

reply to post by erwalker


Misunderstandings happen in forums all the time, so no worries. I wasn't losing any sleep over it or anything. But yeah, people do spend more than they should, and that was my point. ~$heopleNation

Originally posted by littled16

Originally posted by The X
reply to post by littled16

 

Just because you accepted that you were worth almost nothing in the eyes of the insane that run things, don't try and assuage others that they also should accept very little for the hours of their LIVES, THE most precious of all things.
The only reason OP exists on this earth at his moment in time, was to be made an indentured serf, a slave to a debt that can never be repaid, a slave to a life that could and should be very different, a wage slave in a slave society designed to maintain the # at the top of the pyramid by supporting it with your very lives.
not me.

Just because you (or the OP) are unhappy with your lives don't blame me. If you stay at the bottom of the heap it's because you didn't do your best to advance. Every job I or my spouse ever had we started out at the bottom and worked our way up to the top- all without any fancy college degree. Nobody helped us, we did it all on our own. We bought and paid off our house 11 years early on our own, our vehicles bought and paid for on our own, and our credit built up on our own. If you think everything should be handed to you on a silver platter just because you were born human you are in for a huge disappointment, and if you refuse to work hard and save to get somewhere better in life you will never have anything more than a bad attitude. If you believe you are a slave to a debt that can never be paid go into the wilderness and be self-sufficient and you will owe nobody anything- but I assure you that you won't have time or energy to whine and cry about how unfair life is to strangers on the internet!

i agree 100%. You cant blame anyone but yourself if you dont take steps to change your fortune. You have to play the long game to get ahead, thats what buying a house is all about, giving yourself somewhere to live thats comfortable and cheaper than you would otherwise had if you hadnt sacrificed some things and worked hard to get yourself a little comfortable so your not struggling your entire life.

Of course im not going to suggest that everyone has the capacity or ability to pull it off, but you cant complain about it if you've never taken steps to change your own circumstances. You have put the responsibility on yourself and dont blame others for your problems, or dont look to others to solve your problems for you anyway.

Originally posted by jiggerj

Originally posted by Gazrok
reply to post by jiggerj

Your wage has kept pace with inflation, plus 30 cents in the black. So, in essence, in 8 years, you've had a purchasing power raise of 30 cents. However, this is with overall inflation. Some of those items (such as fuel and smokes, and food) have risen much higher than the overall rate of inflation, so realistically, you're likely making less (purchase power-wise) when considering those items which have drastically increased in price.

edit on 15-5-2013 by Gazrok because: (no reason given)

Well, I take home $1,700 a month. When I started working there my insurance deductible was $500 a year. It is now $2,000. That's over a month's pay gone. So, I really am making a lot less than when I started.

Ouch... that could go up to $8,000...

Originally posted by darkbake
reply to post by XLR8R

 

I see, I see. Yes... that's pretty much how it goes. I'm worried about totalitarian officials locking down entertainment and leisure activities as well in the near future. especially things that are of a creative nature, or freeing nature.

That's an interesting view, as many think that 'the elite' enslaves their workforce by offering them entertainment and leisure, so it becomes more difficult for them to focus on education.

However, I don't think you're right. We came a long way in a very short time and amusement and leisure have never been so easy to acquire. And it was never easier to get information either.

Back in - say - the 1960's nobody had a computer, there was no Internet, there were no game consoles, we did not even have video on demand. For amusement, most of the working class had football, going to the pub or tinkering. To get information you had to go to a library or bookshop to read papers or books, or listen to a primitive form of audio-streaming, called 'radio'. We also had a primitive form of non-interactive YouTube, called 'television' with very low resolution, mono sound of mostly bad quality and no color, everything was in black and white and you had only 2 or 3 channels, which were programmed by the Government!

Now look at where we are today: almost everyone owns a computer or has access to it, can play games on it (on-line and off-line), can gather information with it quickly and targeted or put his own data on line for all to see. Even phones, cars, photocamera's and screens are routinely hooked up to the Internet and hence we have an unprecedented flow of information.

Also, Governments stimulate the use of the Internet and really try to keep it as free as they can - it's a tricky balancing act, as the people they represent expect them to act against childporn, computer crime and cyber-terrorism, whilst maintaining the greatest possible freedom. But all in all, we are far better off than say 50 years ago when it comes to the ability to gather information, play games or relax.

See what I'm getting at here? The elite want to keep us slaves with no way out. They want us to earn as much money for them as possible with as little reward as possible.

I don't know. But even if they want to, we're all here to stop them. The old recipe still works: unite and stand against those that try to enslave you. Alas, many people are scared to death by the thought of joining a Union or a political party, take a stand, take some risk. They simply go along and then log in here and complain. Yeah, as if that does us any good..

I don't mind a good rant, but when you want to change something, start by changing yourself. Unite, take a stand, be an active member of society and educate yourself. There are much more opportunities today than we ever had. Use them.

reply to post by jiggerj

Well, I take home $1,700 a month. When I started working there my insurance deductible was $500 a year. It is now $2,000. That's over a month's pay gone. So, I really am making a lot less than when I started.

It's only gone if you have that level of medical expenses (as it's a deductible, so not spent if you don't have things done).

reply to post by darkbake

Ouch... that could go up to $8,000...

Medical insurance is already at the point for many (myself included), where it simply is too much to be of benefit. For the minor amount I spend on medical each year for me, I'm better off paying out of pocket than my premiums and deductible. If it increases more (which is almost a certainty under Obama care), it will utterly collapse the whole system and be completely scrapped again, which is also almost a certainty, with a period of months where things are all in limbo. Sucks, but it is almost TOO obvious to deny.

reply to post by Gazrok


All right... reasonable health insurance information... this is a complicated subject, but I remember The Wall Street Journal had some accurate information.

In a private presentation to brokers late last month, UnitedHealth Group Inc., UNH +0.55% the nation's largest carrier, said premiums for some consumers buying their own plans could go up as much as 116%, and small-business rates as much as 25% to 50%. The company said the estimates were driven in part by growing medical costs not directly tied to the law. It also cited the law's requirements that health status not affect rates and that plans include certain minimum benefits and limits to out-of-pocket charges, among other things.

Source: WSJ

Q: How much will the “tax” penalty be for going without health insurance? A: The minimum assessment will be $695 per person (but no more than $2,085 per family) in 2016, when fully phased in. The amount can be higher depending on income. But there are exemptions for low-income persons and others.

Source: FactCheck.org

I think that about sums it up. I just wanted to be more accurate, and also mention the tax for not having health care. Also, a 100% increase means doubling the current cost.

reply to post by darkbake


Let's see...$695 per year tax or $350 per month premium (or more, with a $2000 deductible).

You see? This is why it is so damn crazy.

$695 or $4200 a year (and having to spend the first $2000 out of pocket anyhow!).

I think I'll take the damn tax penalty (I can make up for that in business expenses anyhow).

I have no qualms paying for health insurance to have it if needed, but this simply is NOT worth it to me. It makes zero financial sense.

So, let me get this straight....

1. The problem, lots of poor folks who can't afford healthcare need it. So, they can't afford the current insane rates with their current pay.

2. The solution, make it mandatory for everyone to have healthcare, for at least an increase of existing rates by 50%, and tax you if you choose not to have healthcare.

Oh yeah, problem solved! Right? What the hell???

Originally posted by BrokenCircles
reply to post by LastStarfighter

 

Originally posted by LastStarfighter

This is why I became nauseated watching your country celebrate the royal people who contribute nothing, murder diana, and laugh at you people

HuH?

My mistake, I was trying to talk to someone else, my apologies,sorry

reply to post by Gazrok


It doesn't make any sense! It seems to me that the poor people / especially struggling middle class are going to end up without health insurance and paying the tax. Based on what I know so far, at least.

Right Now we are working for ATS.


There are many topics posted on this site that bounce around in my imagination.
I love reading about Syria sinking an Isreali sub or about the death of Chavez before CNN posts a story about it.

However

I can only seem to read 3 stories at a time. My ATS page seems to have a mind of its own.

The main ATS page keeps reloading every 30 seconds.

I go to click on an article I think is interesting and it jumps over a few spaces making me click the fluffy bunny story instead.

Dear ATS, I know you have to eat and I have looked at the Ebay add and that one about how some lady makes $260 a day, but after 3 reads the home page does not load and am left staring at a dark blank ATS page.

I'm frustrated.

Posting this I had to wait waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy tooooooo loooooooonnnnnnnnnnng for the page to load.

Maybe I'll check out the black vault and see if they are add crazy.