Pay Our Bills

The debt ceiling. they promised they would not touch Social Security....they apparently lied. Why? I am 74 and I live off of my retirement money. It isn't much but I manage.

I do have some savings...but that goes for rent, what about my other bills? Many seniors live as I do....I am clean and sober, no cigerettes either. I do not go out to restaurants or clubs etc...no movies either, or theatre, symphony, ballet etc.

I stay home and amuse myself with writing, singing playing cards etc.

Our government needs to grow up and quit over-spending, what is wrong with them?

I worked, I paid my taxes.

originally posted by: alexandrae

Our government needs to grow up and quit over-spending, what is wrong with them?

They don't care about you or I. We live in a plutocracy controlled by corporations and the military industrial complex. The sooner people see the culture war is a class war in disguise the better.

I worked, I paid my taxes.

Not good enough. Governments need overthrowing and proxy wars need funding.

Don't feel so bad. My generations retirement plan is waiting for the American empire to collapse then starving to death. That and bitcoin...

originally posted by: JAY1980

originally posted by: alexandrae

Our government needs to grow up and quit over-spending, what is wrong with them?

They don't care about you or I. We live in a plutocracy controlled by corporations and the military industrial complex. The sooner people see the culture war is a class war in disguise the better.

I worked, I paid my taxes.

Not good enough. Governments need overthrowing and proxy wars need funding.

Don't feel so bad. My generations retirement plan is waiting for the American empire to collapse then starving to death. That and bitcoin...

Solution - Take All the Rich Peoples Money by Force then Distribute it Equally Among All the People . Oh , Wait...

a reply to: alexandrae

Well, you're fortunate in that there's probably another generation or so of SS and that's about it, so at least you can say you saw some.

The paradigm has been exposed for the fallacy it all adds up to be. Folks are extremely jaded over the 9-5 lifestyle. Most likely one of the main reasons people aren't pursuing traditional employment, because for some, what's the fkn use?!

That puts a further strain on future benefit payouts as there is less and less SS taxes coming in.

Maybe all these illegals will do their part and save our retirement plans...🙄 /s

P.S. - More money for Ukraine though because you know, ... priorities and stuff.

a reply to: JAY1980

The sooner people see the culture war is a class war in disguise the better.

That'll never happen. Most people are too busy being triggered by what the other side is doing.

a reply to: alexandrae

They are completely corrupt to the core. That's what's wrong with them. Much of it is planned to , they know what they are doing, and they continue to do so on purpose.

I try to live within my means. Sure we go out occasionally and eat, but when the wife and I go out it's to a restaurant where the total bill for the two of us is under thirty bucks including tax and tip. A fish fry runs thirty bucks, the all you can eat chinese buffet lunch with senior discount runs about twenty four with a tip. We do one eat out event a month.

We can have a full turkey dinner or ham dinner for fifteen people or a ham dinner at home for about thirty five bucks....if you do it right it does not cost much.

We are planning to have a cookout on our firepit this week for about fifteen of us. sixteen ears of corn costs about 8.00 with butter. Two pounds of good quality hot dogs costs 10.00, and I will make the buns which will cost another 3.00 for the dogs. two packages of brats for those who like them costs 8.00. Coffee costs about 2.00. Sodas for the kids cost about 5.00. Condiments cost another 2.00. Six pounds of baby reds cost 7.00 with the butter and onions and some garlic. That ends up less than three bucks a person and everyone will be stuffed. BYOB applies. It is the same price as eating at home.

Entertainment and socializing is important, a family dinner is good for the spirit. But it does not have to be expensive to be good. It is time consuming though, I have already collected some of the firewood from the dead trees in the woods.

We have not had to use much of our savings yet, except when we put in the new Furnace two years ago. I probably could have put it in myself and saved three grand, but I am getting a little old to do that kind of stuff by myself already.

House is paid off, so are the credit cards, we owe around five grand or so on the 2020 subaru yet, but it will be paid off by the end of the year hopefully.

We spend money on our needs...being careful to make sure what we think we need is actually not a want. We occasionally treat ourselves to a want we can afford, but not very often.

By eating real food we do not spend much on doctors or medicines which is why I returned back to studying medicine and pharmacology and food chemistry about a decade or more ago. We did not want to give all our savings to doctors and pharma companies. The wife's yearly meds usually run under a hundred bucks and I may need an occasional antibiotic which runs about thirty. Our total medical bills and medicines run less than six hundred a year out of pocket. and our extra coverage from insurance costs about twelve hundred a year for our part, the wife's old employer pays the rest. Now our part of the cost of the insurance premiums have cost more than our total medicines and medical care that medicare does not pay...but the insurance is a safety net, someday we may need it. Eating eighty percent healthy food like our ancestors did keeps us fairly healthy...knocking on wood. And although making good healthy food does take lots more time, it is not actually that much more expensive overall. It is important to note that we strive to average less than twenty percent highly processed junk food average. We do not want to be healthfood nuts.

The government is wasting too much money, politicians are giving way too much money to do things that are not needed to gain political backing and to get people receiving this money to donate to their parties...pork barrel spending is out of control and that is what is happening with the climate change money. Yes, we need to be better environmental stewards but that is not where that money is going they are giving to businesses...it is not just carbon and they are not addressing the proper issues that is causing the problems. Over two thirds of the pandemic money was not well spent.

Our government is really screwed up in America, the irrational political figures seem to suppress the elected officials who have the ability to reason properly in government.

a reply to: alexandrae

Sorry. But you have to understand that our economy has been one big Ponzi scheme since 1913. And like any Ponzi scheme, it will cannibalize itself before it implodes. Unlike most Ponzi schemes, the perpetrators will not go to jail, because this one is "legal."

Also, unlike most Ponzi schemes, the goal of this one is not to make "money", since they already create the "money." The goal is enslavement; convincing people they must pay for debts they never owed and forcing people to sacrifice what they have to pay those debts.

a reply to: VictorVonDoom

Kinda hope it crashes and burns, then people will stop paying the government.. Honestly there's no need to pay ANY taxes when the taxes aren't being used appropriately, to maintain support our country.. which was the entire reason why we started 'taxing' the people to begin with. To pay for services like military, police, fire, school, while making it easier for those in these professions to survive. It should be against the law to give our money(government) FREELY to another country, it should be straight up treason by any official caught doing it. You want funding for a cause, it's called FUND RAISING. Not handing out money that doesn't belong to you..

a reply to: EternalShadow
The last 5 years before I retired, I often had the same thought. Work 45 years, pay and pay and pay taxes and when you're done you're so damned worn out you get to live a few more years and then die. So what is the point other than providing a government money that they spend like a drunken sailor until they have destroyed the economy.

And for bonus points that social security also goes to people that have never paid into it.

a reply to: billxam

Dude this chaps my ass too and I'm only 23! I won't even get the SS but I'm paying for it for other people what the hell? It'll be long gone by the time i retire and they'll have us all living in 10x10 rooms sharing one bathroom eating cockroaches and its because of all the people who came before me who didn't do crap about it and all the people bitching right now who don't do anything about it and just let these Richie rich #s walk all over them and take all their money.

a reply to: alexandrae

It sure would have been nice if the arseholes in DC would have kept their hands out of the cookie jar.

Now they use it as a political tool against the people it robbed to begin with.

Pay the bills then negotiate on next budget. That's how it is supposed to work unless you just want to hurt the economy to make your side look like a better choice come election time.

WIth an act of congress, they can simply forgive the national debt, create a debt holiday and everyone’s debts are forgiven. The Babylonians called it The Jubilee, where every 7 years, all debts were forgiven. If we did that, the economy would rebound in ways you cannot believe, after about 6 months of people screeching. a reply to: alexandrae

a reply to: BlackArrow

Most of us pay taxes as protection money.
If you don't pay it, they break your legs.
Err, they put you in a re-education camp, after taking away everything you've ever had.

a reply to: alexandrae

Of course they stole it.

Hey pay me a percent every week and I'll take care of you in the after life

Oh wait that's the church...


Hey pay me a percent every week and I'll take care of you in the after years.


Sucker.

originally posted by: lordcomac
a reply to: BlackArrow

Most of us pay taxes as protection money.
If you don't pay it, they break your legs.
Err, they put you in a re-education camp, after taking away everything you've ever had.

That's why you own nothing and nothing owns you.

Not a damn thing wrong with the elimination of liabilities and the discipline not to take on anymore than absolutely necessary.

Simple life.

originally posted by: JAY1980

originally posted by: alexandrae

Our government needs to grow up and quit over-spending, what is wrong with them?

They don't care about you or I. We live in a plutocracy controlled by corporations and the military industrial complex. The sooner people see the culture war is a class war in disguise the better.

I worked, I paid my taxes.

Not good enough. Governments need overthrowing and proxy wars need funding.

Don't feel so bad. My generations retirement plan is waiting for the American empire to collapse then starving to death. That and bitcoin...

Speak for yourself. I’ve worked my arse off to make sure I can support my family in retirement. Guess I’ll be defending my stash from looters like you who’d rather spend your money on garbage and drugs.

I thank you all for your responses. You've expressed I know what so many of us are thinking.

originally posted by: EternalShadow

originally posted by: lordcomac
a reply to: BlackArrow

Most of us pay taxes as protection money.
If you don't pay it, they break your legs.
Err, they put you in a re-education camp, after taking away everything you've ever had.

That's why you own nothing and nothing owns you.

Not a damn thing wrong with the elimination of liabilities and the discipline not to take on anymore than absolutely necessary.

Simple life.

There is nothing simple about owning nothing.
I want to own my home, and the means to manage enough livestock to feed my family.

Owning nothing sounds like working just to pay rent and working more just to eat.