What would you do to revive the US economy?

northern said:
In Canada the goverment has a tax on all goods and services (GST) except food and health care. It was reduced 2% and the estimated loss of tax was 10 billion a year. Based on this and the US has a population 10 times Canada a 5% GST it would generate 250 billion. The president who introduces this will probably not get reelected, but will create a balanced budget and pay down debt.
I would not want to be in goverment as there seen to be no way to fix things and remain in power.
Click to expand...

In our country the politicians would feed at the trough like even bigger pigs than they are now. MM
 
jason78 said:
Take a drive through your local "bad neighborhood" sometime and you will see what I mean. I am confident you will see there is no shortage of new cars, many of them luxury cars (or junkers with $10K worth of wheels on them), most people in sight are standing around in designer clothing talking on Droid and IPhones. I have a feeling if you walked in to some of these section 8 houses, you would find plenty of flat screen TVs, gaming systems, high end electronics, etc.
Click to expand...

My sister owns a duplex and has a section 8 renter. She get's paid directly from HUD. A good portion of that bling is probably stolen goods or bought with illegal drug money.
 
It's suddenly big news that organized labor supports the Democratic Party? Wow. I'm not sure what your rant was really intended to say. The first sentence is interesting though. Are you trying to say that Obama and his cronies have stolen union pensions? Why, if you were a union member is your pension in trouble? I want to understand your point. :huh:
 
wetpaint said:
If I was a UNION Worker........My Pension is in trouble!!!!!

Leading Union Political Campaign Contributors

Just in case anyone wonders why Obama and his cronies are so hot to support labor unions particularly government employee unions check out the contributions. Leading Union Political Campaign Contributors
1990-2010

American Fed. of State, County, & Municipal Employees
$ 40,281,900 Democrats
$ 547,700 Republicans


and so on and so on and so on......
Click to expand...

Now we know where the money went...

I have pondered if part of union support of Obamacare was because they do not have enough money in many of the union ran funds to cover the promises made to their members. They can make a show of contributing $30 million to the new government health and pension funds while the taxpayers take on the $30 billion (sorry $165 Billion) obligation while our socialist media fail to report and the uneducated publics eyes glaze over at the difference millions and billions.

http://www.hsafinder.com/Union-Pension-Healthcare-Funding

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2010/05/24/lawmaker-introduces-b-union-pension-bailout/

http://www.redstate.com/laborunionr...s-for-ceo-prosecutions-union-pension-bailout/

That pension union members were counting on may not be there soon...
 
Last edited:
This site has all the data for who's giving and who's receiving.

http://www.opensecrets.org/index.php

"OpenSecrets.org is the nation's premier website tracking the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives".
 
Woody said:
Looks like the Unions are just enjoying their right to free speech and communicate with their representatives....right?:huh:
Click to expand...

No problem with that. Just don't ask for $165 BILLION as a starter for bailouts from me. MM

P.S. The same goes for Wall St, auto industry, banks. Do it right or let somone else have the assests to produce with.
 
I have just the prescripton to revive the economy:

Give the State of California to China with the following stipulations:

1. Debt forgiveness of the entire $1.2 Trillion
2. China has to run the country just like California with Nancy Pelosi as the new Prime Minister and Barbara Boxer as her next in charge.

Benefits to US:
1. Obama cannot get re-lelected without California's 55 Electoral votes
2. We are rid of Pelosi and Boxer
3. Under Nancy and Babs watch China will be backrupted by all the new entitlements and social programs
4. There will be no electricity since coal burning will be banned, all nukes shut down and no wood to burn since all the trees will have a former Californian hugging them.
5. China's labor costs will skyrocket due to the requirement that all workers belong to unions with all the new benefits created so the protectionists here need not worry about competing and manufacturing will come back to the US due to high Chinese labor costs and no energy to run their factories.
6. The % of the US population claiming to be bleeding-heart liberals will drop from 30% to below 10%.
7. The 2 million legal and illegal Chinese in CA will be reunited with their homeland.
8. Undocumented aliens in the US will drop by 10 million.
9. Iphones and Ipads will now be made in South Dakota!
 
320Bob said:
I have just the prescripton to revive the economy:

Give the State of California to China with the following stipulations:

1. Debt forgiveness of the entire $1.2 Trillion
2. China has to run the country just like California with Nancy Pelosi as the new Prime Minister and Barbara Boxer as her next in charge.

Benefits to US:
1. Obama cannot get re-lelected without California's 55 Electoral votes
2. We are rid of Pelosi and Boxer
3. Under Nancy and Babs watch China will be backrupted by all the new entitlements and social programs
4. There will be no electricity since coal burning will be banned, all nukes shut down and no wood to burn since all the trees will have a former Californian hugging them.
5. China's labor costs will skyrocket due to the requirement that all workers belong to unions with all the new benefits created so the protectionists here need not worry about competing and manufacturing will come back to the US due to high Chinese labor costs and no energy to run their factories.
6. The % of the US population claiming to be bleeding-heart liberals will drop from 30% to below 10%.
7. The 2 million legal and illegal Chinese in CA will be reunited with their homeland.
8. Undocumented aliens in the US will drop by 10 million.
9. Iphones and Ipads will now be made in South Dakota!
Click to expand...

Hell yeah!! I can live with that..lol
 
Does anyone know how many new, and, what models, Sea Ray sells every year? Who buys, and, how many, in each price range? What does Sea Ray "have to do" to keep the "doors" open?
 
jason78 said:
Woody, I do agree with the last part of your statement however I am inclined to believe, based in no small part by personal observations, that many of these people could stand on their own if they really tried to live within their means.

Take a drive through your local "bad neighborhood" sometime and you will see what I mean. I am confident you will see there is no shortage of new cars, many of them luxury cars (or junkers with $10K worth of wheels on them), most people in sight are standing around in designer clothing talking on Droid and IPhones. I have a feeling if you walked in to some of these section 8 houses, you would find plenty of flat screen TVs, gaming systems, high end electronics, etc. I have posted here before about the countless times I have been in the grocery store and seen folks buy $200 or $300 worth of meat and other items, making no secret it was for a neighborhood get together. Then after they pay for all that with Food Stamps, they use $150 of their cash to buy a few cartons of cigarrettes and several cases of beer and wine. These are some of the same people that just can not seem to make it on their own.

My thought on the matter is that poverty is in large part caused by lack of personal responsibility. Why should one be driving a $50,000 Lexus if you are making $10/hr part time and on food stamps? Something tells me that if you took a random sampling of people in "poverty" currently either without a job or say at a $25,000/yr salary; then take them and cut off all benefits after which give them a $70,000/yr salary, I think you would see no change in all in the living conditions of more than half that group.
Click to expand...
We saw a lot of what Jason's talking about when we were looking for a home in AZ. Our search criteria included only homes that were in repo status or short sale. Most of the homes we went through that were still occupied had flat screen TV's in almost every room, designer furniture, an Escalade or Navigator in the driveway (or two of them), designer dogs, etc. In one of the homes there was a VISA statement lying on the kitchen counter that showed a $30,000 balance and was several months past due at that time.

Living within their means is not something that this generation of 20's and 30's has learned. They're part of an "I want it, and I want it now, and I want it given to me" generation. They're used to instant gratification and don't want to have to work for it or wait for it.

That attitude, coupled with the banks' willingness to loan money to anyone with a pulse, got us into the mortgage mess we're now in.

If I were the king of this country......
 
For those that can't read... here's a video:

[video=youtube;BXRjmyJFzrU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXRjmyJFzrU[/video]
 
More truth than fiction..........that's good.......
 
As a small business owner, here is how I feel!

To: Employees

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job.

What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, race, creed, religion, etc. P...lease vote for who you think will serve your interests the best.

Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You saw my big home at last years Christmas party and boat and vacations.

I started this company 22 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business with hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 PM, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day old baby.

The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 100 people good paying jobs.

Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand .. to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.

You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the back story: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.

If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, Your boss,
 
wetpaint said:
As a small business owner, here is how I feel!

To: Employees

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job.

What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, race, creed, religion, etc. P...lease vote for who you think will serve your interests the best.

Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You saw my big home at last years Christmas party and boat and vacations.

I started this company 22 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business with hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 PM, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day old baby.

The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 100 people good paying jobs.

Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand .. to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.

You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the back story: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.

If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, Your boss,
Click to expand...
The sad part is over half of my customer base is in this category and I have been watching them down size and lay off people who have been working for them for over 20 years. These customers have been telling me this for the last 3 years. I have been telling my friends and family to watch this closely, yet no one sees it! The other sad part is Hong Kong is really going after these people for their business :( This is going to get a whole lot uglier before (if) it gets better...IMHO
 
wetpaint said:
As a small business owner, here is how I feel!

To: Employees

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job.

What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, race, creed, religion, etc. P...lease vote for who you think will serve your interests the best.

Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You saw my big home at last years Christmas party and boat and vacations.

I started this company 22 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business with hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 PM, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day old baby.

The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 100 people good paying jobs.

Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand .. to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.

You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the back story: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.

If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, Your boss,
Click to expand...

I remember having similar thoughts every time I wrote out a "quarterly", or, the "accountant's" check........and the hottest topic in a presidential debate was "gay rights" or some other subject that seemed to me to be coming from the moon.........like, does anyone care about these insane tax codes and needless paperwork?????
 
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