Compared to 2011, I expect that 2012 will be:
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paid off a car (Score:5, Interesting)
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Wish I could say mine was paid off... but when it is, it'll be a LOT more in to the savings account (paying off a 32000 euro car over 3 years (2 down, 1 to go)).
On the poll topic, I expect this year to be better in some ways and worse in others. Probably "overall about the same" financially. 2011 was expensive with moving apartment (including new carpeting, painting the walls, and some new furniture); getting married; my daughter being born; and an unexpected family emergency on the other side of the worl
Re:paid off a car (Score:5, Insightful)
If you're smart you'll put that into some sort of savings account so that you can pay cash when you need your next car. Even at 1% interest you're still better off than paying 5% or whatever the current interest rates are to borrow money for the next one.
Re:paid off a car (Score:4, Insightful)
Not to mention repairs not covered by warranty. When (not if) the first big repair is necessary, you'll be happy you put money aside.
For most cars, it's still going to be a plus game - I keep my senior car because even if I pay $3000-5000 a year in the never-ending race of fixing it, that's less than the car payments I'd have to make for a comparable car. Exceptions are cars like some hybrid or electric cars, where it can be prohibitively expensive to have the batteries replaced (and those of us who are laptop owners know just how long Li-Ion batteries last compared to what the manufacturers say), and rare cars where parts are not readily available, but if so, the rarity was likely part of the reason it was bought anyhow.
For most cars, keep it after it's paid off, save the money in a way it's immediately available, and keep it in good shape despite the costs. It's still going to be far cheaper than switching cars every 3-5 years. Then again, I'm talking to the generation who switches mobile phones every year, so the concept of "keeping" might fall on deaf ears.
Batteries (Score:2)
If you are really paying $3-5 000 to keep your car on the road, no, the batteries for hybrids are not prohibitively expensive. Toyota claim that the cost of replacing their batteries is in steady decline - not surprising since the nickel and cerium are just about 100% recyclable, so in effect you never need to replace them.
Re:Batteries (Score:4, Informative)
As far as I recall, the now more than a decade old Toyota Prius uses NiMh batteries, which cost far less to replace and last longer than Li-Ion.
So why do newer designs use Li-Ion then? The same reason as for laptops - the batteries are smaller and lighter with higher power, and not as much of a danger to the environment as heavy metal batteries.
A couple of the larger car companies offer 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty on the battery, but read the small print and you'll find that it does not cover gradual loss of capacity, and is void if the car has been subject to temperatures frequently encountered during summer or winter.
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Interesting. I mean, I have a contract right the fuck here that says no such thing about the batteries. But hey keep the ignorance alive!
Re:Batteries (Score:4)
It would help if you specified what vehicle you have a contract right the fuck there for. Can't be Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf, the only two I know of that has an 8yr/100,000 miles battery warranty.
The Volt warranty specifies:
"This Voltec(R) warranty covers repairs to correct any Voltec(R) component defect related to materials or workmanship occurring during the 8 year or 100,000 miles
[...]
Like all batteries, the amount of energy that the high voltage "propulsion" battery can store will decrease with time and miles driven. Depending on use, the battery may degrade as little as 10% to as much as 30% of capacity over the warranty period. A dealer service technician will determine if the battery energy capacity (kWh storage) is within the proper limit, given the age and mileage of the vehicle.
[...]
Under warranty, the high voltage battery will be replaced with either a new or factory reconditioned high voltage battery with an energy capacity (kWh storage) level at or above that of the original battery prior to the failure."
So, it only covers defects in materials and workmanship, and not wear and tear. They pretty much admits that it's not comprehensive:
"For Chevrolet Volt owners requiring more comprehensive coverage than that provided under this Voltec(R) warranty, a GM Protection Plan may be available. See your Chevrolet dealer for more details."
The Leaf coverage is even worse - here's what Nissan's director of product planning clarified:
"The warranty is not related to battery capacity. The warranty is related to motor output. So if the battery has degraded to a point where the motor can't get enough power from the battery, then it's a warrantable event. But if someone abuses the battery - parks it outside in 140 degrees and all that - and they have 60 percent capacity after eight years, that's on them. They abused it."
So which car is it you have where your contract says that reduced battery capacity is covered by warranty?
Don't pay cash if you have good credit... (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, given today's rock-bottom borrowing costs (barely 1% on many new car models over 3 years), you're a fool to pay cash for a car.
You forget to factor in inflation and opportunity costs. If the interest rate on your investment is below inflation, you actually lose purchasing power. Similarly, if the interest rate on the loan is below inflation, you gain purchasing power.
The numbers don't lie: if you're financial situation is stable, in the current environment, you should invest any savings in long-term accounts, and borrow for short-term expenses that can be paid off out of your ordinary budget.
Remember: short-term investment interest rates are well below inflation (2.5%), and car loans for people buying a new car with good (600+) credit history are likewise well below inflation.
The only reason to pay cash is if you don't have confidence in your current income remaining where it is over the life of the car loan AND you don't have a sufficient nest egg to weather some loss of income. Frankly, if you don't have that nest egg in place, you shouldn't be buying any car until after you've plumped up that nest egg. Plus, paying off a car loan is a BIG bump to your credit rating, which you don't get by paying in cash.
-Erik
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Depends on the interest rates... At a minimum, finance the car, make sure the loan has no early payment penalties, then pay it off the next month. That way you've got a successfully paid auto loan on your credit report.
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If he were smart, he wouldn't have wasted $25,000+ on a vehicle. There is a used market for a reason. Ridiculous debt seems to be a way of life for much of the world though, and it's dragging everyone down with it.
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Missing Option (Score:5, Funny)
Where's the, "I have no money, you insensitive clod!" option?
Re:Missing Option (Score:5, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Missing Option (Score:4, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)
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That's actually a good thing if you're in the market for selling your soul (or ones you may have acquired). Demand is at an all-time high and supply is down.
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"apparently a lot of people have no soul these days."
They got richer, Bernie Madoff excepted.
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Seems that those folks already sold theirs, and it's not like their Infernal Majesties are interested in trading them around or giving them back.
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"I don't keep track of things financial"
Anybody else doesn't use bitcoins.
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Salary worse: other things better (Score:5, Informative)
But some of the other things I am doing to make money I expect to get better this year, so on the whole I hope to be slightly positive.
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Re:Salary worse: other things better (Score:4, Insightful)
I can't know about the GP, but I live at Brazil, and since that is my 3rd year in a row without a raise, I'm 6,5% poorer this year than I was the last one.
But before that I was changing jobs frequently, with a series of near 100% increases in salary that got me from a very bad to a quite confortable situation, so I can't complain. Yet, I've already started to do something about it...
Re:Salary worse: other things better (Score:4, Informative)
inflation is compound not commulative. 100% in 12 years is about 6%
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Re:Salary worse: other things better (Score:4, Informative)
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First of all, the original poster a few levels up asked "Where is the cost of living going up 10-15%?" Someone responded that the cost of groceries has gone up 15%. That's only relevant if 100% of the cost of living formula is made up of "groceries". That isn't the case, since people typically spend money on things other than groceries. Like rent, etc. Depending on how the cost of those items has changed, it's unlikely that a 15% spike in the cost of groceries would increase overall cost of living by 1
Re:Salary worse: other things better (Score:4, Interesting)
SPOILER: It was the currency issued by the Yuan Dynasty in China, and it lasted for 70 years, with two reissuances and three bouts of hyperinflation (ie the last one killed it as the nation plunged into civil war). The US has stumbled along under a fiat regime for 40 years. Will this time be different? Yeah, they always say that.
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For a LONG time now, in the US at least, they only real way to get raises and stay ahead of the game...if you insist on staying a W2 employee...is to quit every few years and change jobs.
Personally, if you're good at what you do, I'd suggest you incorporate yourself (for tax write offs and substantial savings, look into "S" corpts)....and get on the contract circuit.
I feel that since the days of a job for life are long gone...if you're gonna have job insecurity,
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Many are long term..and no problems with bill rates.
Re:Salary worse: other things better (Score:4, Interesting)
Hmm, but (and this is something a lot of people don't "get") normally, you can expect to receive the same pay for the same job.
More specifically, you can expect annual cost-of-living increases to help combat inflation. Usually any job has a salary range, and as you gain experience (and if your supervisors think you do a good job), you should hopefully move towards the top of that range. Other than that, though, if you are basically doing the same job, you should expect to receive the same pay.
I have met people who don't understand this and say "But I have been here 10 years! I should make $150K like that guy!" I have to remind them "But he's a VP and you're a janitor. You don't automatically get a raise beyond inflation. You need to get into a new position."
My ex-boss too, he was getting the most his boss could give him, given his position - and not terribly a lot more than me. He was with the company for 35 years, but didn't really know anything about anything. His technical skills had eroded about 20 years before, and he had no management skills either.
At any rate, everyone here should figure out what what they are worth on the open market, compared to what they are making:
1. If you are being overpaid, be happy about it, but do everything you can to shore up your market value to match your paycheck ASAP. That way, if you have to look for a new job, you won't have to take a huge drop in pay.
2. If you are being underpaid, find out why, and try to find a new job ASAP. (Assuming that the low pay isn't counter-balanced by some other benefits).
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i fully agree with you - and personally i'm with you on the last line.. i know i'm under paid.. but i am willing to take that because i have job security - i could go work for another company starting more than i make now (at least 30%). where i'm at doesn't have much growth but it is stable - has a proven track record - and the management's #1 goal is to keep a roof over peoples heads and food on their plates. During the worst of the down turn in 2001-2002 time they chose to take pay cuts so that they
Can't get worse (Score:2)
When you're at the bottom, there's no where to go but up, so I have high hopes for 2012 :)
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I was thinking the same thing. What are they going to do, kick me out of my house that's worth less than what I owe on it? Take away my job that I hate? Take my car that's not worth anything?
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I still owe $200,000 on a house that's worth $90,000
So, uh, why did you buy it? I looked at the housing market a few years ago and decided that, with prices and interest rates being so high, I'd be better off renting somewhere cheap and saving up for a deposit on a house. After the bubble collapsed, I bought a nice house and am now paying in mortgage interest about a third of what I was paying in rent for somewhere less nice. The low interest rates have meant that I've spent the last 18 months paying off the capital a lot more than I've been paying intere
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Re:Can't get worse (Score:5, Insightful)
Bah. It's the luck of the draw.
My wife and I were both college educated and graduated in 98. In late 2001 we bought a house. At the time it was at the limit of our expenses and we became "house poor". (This is a conservative measure. We both maxing out 401k's and stock purchase, and after that we didn't have too much left over. But by my calculations at the time if one of us lost our job we could barely scrape by.) However, in a few years, we both had improved our income through raises and advancements and both agreed we made the right choice to stretch and buy a nicer house.
This is the way it works in many normal circumstances.
In addition, the housing value curve is wonky. People get priced out of the market so what you get for what you spend is often way off. Spend a little more and get a much nicer house. If you're shopping at the bottom of the market you can pay 75% of what you'd pay at the middle of the market but get a much shittier house in a much shittier school district. This is mainly true in places where the housing is saturated in big cities and the like. I'm sure it's much less true in the middle of nowhere, but I'm only familiar with buying houses in big cities in California.
Additionally a house has much to do with your quality of living. Your neighbors will be different, who your kids hang out with will be different, what school your kids will go to will be different, etc. Buy a dump of a car as long as it gets you from point A to point B because who cares? But a house... a house will affect your sanity and quality of life 10x more.
The 2001 house is still worth about 50% more than we paid for it because we got lucky. We didn't have anymore insight into the market in 2001 than other people here did in 2006. Yes, buy within your means when you can, but there are also times in life when you should stretch and accept the risk that comes along with that.
d
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When you're at the bottom, there's no where to go but up, so I have high hopes for 2012 :)
It can always get worse. Always. It also can always get better.
It doesn't depend on where you are, it depends on what you do.
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Tell me, do you get all your advice from motivational posers? do you occasional dispense actual advice?
Probably not much difference (Score:2)
My regular paycheck will probably be slightly higher in dollars, but lower in buying power. Judging by my first trip to the casino this year, I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon. :P
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Average (Score:5, Funny)
It'll be an average year. Worse than 2011 but better than 2013.
Too early (Score:5, Funny)
As November 8th approaches, I'll see whether I've got to move either my bank accounts or porn collection offshore.
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Main reasons it will be better for me (Score:2)
1. I'm still at the point where extra experience outweighs age discrimination.
2. No major financial obligations, like mortgages or kids.
About the same (Score:2)
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Well... my "cost of living" increase is not even half of the increase to the official "cost of living" index, which is definitely not up to the increase in the actual cost of living (who thought that fuel and utilities (which go up faster than anything else) should be excluded from that index???)
Additionally, while corporate taxes in my country just got another significant cut, personal taxes have gone up to compensate, property tax is also going up (6% hike this year... again...)
And then there's this whole
Can't wait until after 5.. (Score:5, Interesting)
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I work shift work you insensitive clod! ;)
Voted "about the same" (Score:2)
When you're dealing with the money from a modest wage and don't have anything invested, even things like the 2008 economic collapse won't affect the amount of money you have to any noticeable degree (as long as you don't get laid off, that is).
The biggest factor will be what stuff breaks on my cars and that's largely up to chance, although I know my Samurai needs some costly drivetrain work (new front-drive hubs, TC rebuild, possible tranny rebuild). Would like to get some suspension mods and an SU carb swa
I expect more money in my pocket (Score:4, Funny)
About the same, with a caveat... (Score:2)
I switched jobs in 2011, with a 12% raise.
So 2012 is going to be about the same, but with a better salary. Life is good.
Uncertainty (Score:2)
As a fixed term public servant in Victoria (where the Premier announced a 10% cut in personell over the next 2 years the week before Christmas), I have no idea whether my contract will be renewed in July.
My husband is still looking for a new job, having been laid off last year (I was too, but found a new job fairly quickly).
Given he spent half the year unemployed, it could go either way this year. If he finds something early and I get renewed, all good. If he doesn't find anything and my contract doesn't ge
re read thinking fast and slow (Score:2)
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That's interesting... I immediately reached for the "better" option, but before clicking I caught myself, and chose "worse" instead.
That said, worse is comparative to how I did last year, and is still a rather vague statement. I chose worse because my increase in net worth (accounting for the purchasing power of that money) will not be as high as it was last year (ever so slightly more money in, significantly more money out) However, if you chose instead to simply look at net-worth by itself, it would be qu
Healthcare Costs (Score:3, Insightful)
In most of the developed world, healthcare is considered a basic human right, just like free education. All are available to everyone without discrimination, but you still have teh choice to go to private schools or private hospitals (at your own cost). All this is paid for by a fixed tax percentage for everyone.
I don't understand what problem Americans have with such a simple concept.
So, to see people saying they might be worse off because of health insurance (not health problems) is a sad sad thing to hear.
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It's not a single-payer healthcare system that we don't understand or trust. It's that we don't trust our government to do it in a way that's cost effective or efficient. They don't exactly have a history of being either of those, and when you start talking about handing over one of the largest industries to the US government to manage, most people realize that it just won't end well. So... the broken system we have now is better than the alternative.
Can only go up! (Score:2)
I'm a college student, and I was unemployed for all of 2011 (I had a decent amount saved up, so I wasn't completely broke for the duration). Since I'll be graduating in April, I'll be able to actually work a job full-time, and even at minimum wage, that's more than I'm currently earning.
Worse (Score:2)
I lost my job during the summer and have been passed around like a cheap whore at the staffing agencies, all of which pay less, and even though they say temp to hire they never mean it so your going a month or 2 without income.
Worse (Score:5, Insightful)
Quite intentionally worse. I moved to a smaller town and it pays less, the lower property prices don't really make up for generally lower wages and less specialized job market. Totally worth it for all the other benefits though and completely voluntary. Money isn't everything, at least if you have "enough" already.
Unemployed Veteran here. (Score:5, Insightful)
Separated from active duty over a year ago - fucking tired of fighting. 4 OEF deployments in 5.5 years. I haven't been able to find a job to save my life. Unemployment benefits ran out some time ago, which was bad because those measly little checks just about covered my fixed expenses after I whittled everything down into "survival mode".
Between doling out my savings in $1000 legal retainer increments so my wife could take my daughter away, the medical treatment I had to pay out-of-pocket for because the VA is so unbelievably fucked (I expect to get reimbursed... some time in the next decade), and the growing realization that my military job has zero application in the civilian world, I'm not doing well. At this point, I don't think I can even afford to use my GI Bill, since the stipend payments got cut by a pretty large effective percentage to pay for guard and reserve benefits.
I'm now hitting the very dregs of my financial resources. I will be utterly insolvent in a little over three months, and unable to pay child support or rent. Hell, I can't even get hired working construction and manual labor because there are already far too many people, even those who want more money than I would be happy with, who have loads of experience and contacts, and are also out of work. I'm "overqualified" to work fast food, and even temp agencies have been 1 for 7 placing me.
At the temp agency, the one place they got me into had me doing human OCR. The pay was shit, but I was incredibly grateful to finally have a job. On my first day one of the senior VPs called me into his office to thank me for my service, tell me that if I needed anything to let him know personally, and proceeded to tell me all about how he was a "Special Forces SEAL Sniper" in Vietnam, went on sixteen missions to Laos and Cambodia, and was called up from retirement for the mission that got Osama bin Laden but refused, because he didn't think it was fair to "deny any of the new generation their fair share of operational experience".
He'd even had a plaque made with a preposterous set of medals on it, most of which were out of order.
I did get another promising-looking interview for a decent job as a manager-in-training at a branch of a very large bank, but unfortunately, I let my outrage and disbelief get the better of me. I made it through the HR interview and was talking to the branch manager and the regional manager.Their first question for me was "So did you get shot or anything? Did you get all blown up with the PTSD?" and the second question was "So uh, you ever kill any of them sand niggers?"
It was too much for me and I walked out. They never called back.
As bad as it is, I live in mortal terror of a recall. I don't regret my time in uniform, but four tours was enough, at the very least until I regain some faith in my country's government and its ability to live up to the promises it makes. I was blown up twice. Pulverized a mess of muscles in my neck, collapsed some sinus cavities, burned up a bunch of skin, lost hearing in one ear, and was diagnosed with severe depression and PTSD upon my VA enrollment survey.
Care to guess what a year of fighting with the VA has netted so far? Five minutes with a shrink who told me that if I didn't want Prozac I was "wasting (his) time" and a single fill of naproxen sodium.
My story is not at all unique. It breaks my heart watching kids volunteer to fight for their country, to be told that if they make those sacrifices they'll be taken care of, and to get spit out a few years later completely broken and with no recourse other than throwing themselves at an utterly opaque and fathomless bureaucracy that has a vested interest in nickle-and-dimeing them sometimes literally to death.
In the meantime, they're talking about cutting pay and benefits for military members and families because they're getting an "unfair" deal, and the other 99% of Americans are apparently starting to get resentful and angry about how "overpaid" military members are. Overpaid to be on
Re:Unemployed Veteran here. (Score:4, Interesting)
There are two problems with the military, one common to most countries and the other more unique to the US.
Firstly being a soldier is considered a low skill job. You don't need qualifications, they teach you what you need to know and the things you learn don't transfer well to the civilian world. I don't know about the US but in the UK people rarely join the army or navy to serve their country, they join because their job prospects are already very poor and service is slightly better than burger flipping or collecting the bins. Well, it seems to be until people start shooting at you and then you are told to go look for boobie trapped bombs because the intel from examining their construction is worth more than your life.
We actually treat our vets a bit better, but still not as well as we morally should. People are reluctant to say it but since the wars we are fighting are regarded as pointless and having little to do with our safety or freedom people don't want to spend a lot of money on them and would rather the troops were not there in the first place.
That brings me to the second problem: funding. The US spends a lot more than most countries on its military, but the spending is funnelled to contracts that benefit private industry rather than actually paying and looking after the guys going the fighting. The money is driven by politicians wanting to bring government funded business to their areas rather than actually caring about the soldiers or national defence. Again, the US is not really defending itself, just finding ways to spend money and keep the gravy train rolling. There is a separation between the politicians going for the contracts at a local level and then complaining that the federal government does not spend enough looking after vets, when one is actually directly connected to the other.
Start Budgeting (Score:2)
If you don't already keep track of your finances, then make it your New Year's resolution to do so.
I started using Mint.com [mint.com] last summer, and what an eye-opener that was. You wouldn't believe what you're spending your money on until it's all laid out in front of you. I went from vaguely knowing that my bank account balance was slightly less every month to putting away several hundred every month just from evaluating expenses and cutting costs.
Note: I'm not a paid shill for Intuit; I just really like this (
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Ugh, I wouldn't want to see where my money is going, with the expensive hobbies I have. If I knew that then I'd probably just sit at home with the lights off all the time, which financially might be the smart thing for me to do, but would be really bad for my quality of life. I just try to keep increasing my savings.
Lots of young people (Score:3)
You have to adjust for the fact that the average slashdotter is younger than the average person in the countries where Slashdot is popular. Younger people are more likely to increase their earnings than older people.
If not for that this poll would be an amazingly good sign. People's expectations are often a good indicator of where the economy will go in the short term.
Living in Mom's Basement (Score:2)
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Hey, what about those of us whose wives outearn us 5 to 1? Why the hell would I care about a small change one way or the other in my salary?
what'll they think of next (Score:2)
Much worse... (Score:2)
I'll be accumulating a ton of college debt next year, so my financial situation is not looking too great.
Worse financially and yet better (Score:2)
Wife isn't working and we're expecting a baby in May.
So much worse financially and yet I don't really mind.
Compared to 2011, I expect that 2012 will be: (Score:2)
about 8 days shorter.
Impossible to say (Score:2)
Yes, commuting to work is making me poorer (Score:4, Informative)
If you work in the UK & Commute on the rail network you're definitely worse off especially as most people didn't get a pay rise.
Saying that it's not always just the rail, for me just getting to the local train station has gone up almost 2x that of the rail into London!
Average European-25% > Average American (Score:5, Informative)
Maybe so. Even so... Based on 2010 statistics (p. 84 in Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook [credit-suisse.com]), median adult wealth is 48000 dollars in USA and 84000 dollars in Europe. (Of course, if you look at mean, USA beats Europe by a factor of 2.3 due to a lot larger differences in wealth distribution. I care more about median but YMMV).
So... I think we'll be OK. :)
Re:Average European-25% Average American (Score:2)
Re:Average European-25% Average American (Score:5, Interesting)
Want to know something really shocking? White Americans are better off than the average European. The average is pulled down by minorities.
All of the following are medians:
Europe: $84k
US, White, Non-Hispanic: $89k
US, Hispanic: $8k
US, Black: $6k
Those aren't typos. Minorities in America have less than 10% the wealth of white Americans. Keep that in mind next time you hear someone complain about affirmative action. The playing field is no where near level yet.
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While I'm not looking up the exact number atm 'black' makes up about 15% of the total pop and hispanic somewhere around 10%. So with a rough 70% of total population the 'white' part is going to mean a heck of a lot more to the total than the minority. That said I used to work in a predominately black area as a white person and made as much or less than the black people around me and less than half the 'average' for 'white' Americans. I don't know where your stats come from, but they certainly don't fit my e
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These are medians for each group. The relative number of members of each group is meaningless.
To address your other point: If you live in a poor area, then you are likely to be poor, regardless of skin color. Or, put a better way, poor people of all races live in poor neighborhoods. But as you yourself noted, the poor area where you lived was predominantly black even though black people make up only 10% of the national population. In other words, black people are overrepresented in poor neighborhoods.
Re:Average European-25% Average American (Score:5, Insightful)
I was shocked when I saw and heard this take place.
I don't believe in affirmative action...whomever is the most qualified, should get the job, period.
Until you can change the mindset, to have minorities try to fit in more with the majority...with regards to education values, general appearance and manner of conducting oneself (language, behavior), you're not going to get much movement of minorities into higher income jobs and lifestyles.
Heck, you often see blacks (what I'm exposed to more in my part of the country) once they succeed...they move far away as possible from poorer blacks, to get their kids away from that 'culture', so they will value an education, family values and not have their ultimate goal in life to *make it* to be becoming a rap or athletic star.
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"I don't believe in affirmative action...whomever is the most qualified, should get the job, period."
that's great, sadly to a lot of people the whiter you are the more qualified you are.
And , wow, shocking poor people move away from poor neighborhoods when they have a decent incomes. Wow, we will file that under 'No Shit Sherlock'.
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Page 38 of this report [lse.ac.uk] (PDF) has figures for the UK, but I don't understand what they mean. I'm not sure whether the medians given include unemployed people.
(I tried to find some good summary figures, but all I can find are detailed reports.)
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", and remove the incentive for them to work hard to improve their lot in life."
1970 called, they want there ignorant statement back.
"You know, teach a man to fish, and let him keep the fish he catches, and allowing him access to the water, rather than just giving him fish every day."
affirmative action IS access to the water.
Contrary to what morons like you think, affirmative action is working. But hey, you just keep spouting of trite saying as if the're they answer to all everyone's problems. I mean, other
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I couldn't find the racial breakout for the European numbers, and I doubt they'd make a difference anyway. White people make up the overwhelming majority of Europeans (e.g. the UK is 92% white), whereas in the US less than two thirds of the people are white.
Also, I clearly stated "Minorities in America have less than 10% the wealth of white Americans", and did so in reply to a post which stated "median adult wealth is 48000 dollars in USA and 84000 dollars in Europe". If you can't be bothered to read, don
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What on earth did your post have to do with the differences between medians and means? My numbers and yours were both medians. But since you seem to like learning differences between definitions, here's a pair of words for you to look up: "income" and "wealth". One is what you make every year, and is covered by the stats you posted. The other is the total value of everything you own, plus your cash and investments, minus your debts, and is what I was talking about. Moderate differences in income can le
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By and large yes, however if you go onto tribal land or parts of Appalachia the difference between the US and 3rd world standard of living gets surprisingly narrow in places.
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I bought 10 years ago (just before the last boom), and paid my only mortgage off completely a year and a half ago. Doesn't hurt that I didn't spend more than I could afford to spend at the time, (what I "qualified for" and what I knew I could pay, matched up)
Morals, yes, but common sense too. Don't spend more than you can afford.
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Yeah, you brought before the boom, so you are happy. The GP brought into the boom, so he is unhappy.
I'd say it is common sense to not buy into a boom, but that defeats any reasonable meaning you can attribute to the expression commom sense.
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You enlisted in the US military? Hope you come back alive...
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You enlisted in the US military? Hope you come back alive...
Who cares? If I'm rich I can live with anything. Oh wait...
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The tone of your post suggests your mind is made up, and facts will not bother you. Still, let me point out:
Both Bush2 and Obama cut taxes and increased spending. Some big ticket items were
Bush:
- War in Iraq (1 trillion + ~1 trillion "more")
- Medicare Part D (500 billion)
- Tax cuts (1 trillion)
- TARP (1 trillion)
Obama:
- Stimulus (1 trillion, half in tax cuts, half in spending)
- War in Afghanistan (500 billion)
Stuff like the Detroit Bailout was pretty cheap (60 billion). Obama didn't actually "tax and spend
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Moving spending from "emergency expenditures" into the normal line-item budget so that it actually shows up on the books is not the same thing as increasing spending.
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Geez, put a helment on that soldier...!!!
Either that or get the wife on the pill man...why have fucking kids if you can't afford them???
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Those are different options.
"Belong to a third world country" is right there, written as "Better for me finantially"
"Belong to Europe" is written as "Worse for me finantially"
But, of course, the general case may not apply.