I am so happy that Congress passed Obama’s tax package. Taxes won’t be raised for the wealthy; taxes won’t be raised for the middle class; taxes won’t be raised for the poor.
The estate tax will remain the same; there will be new credits for families with children; the social security tax (FICA) that is usually taken out of your paycheck – assuming that you have a paycheck – will not be as much for the next year and you will have more money to spend, spend, spend. This “spending” will then help the economy grow.
And if you are unemployed you do not have to worry about your checks coming in from the government. The extension to the benefits has saved many from destitution.
So what’s my complaint? Read the above again. Do you see anything there for those of us that are retired, living on Social Security benefits? Did you know that Social Security recipients did not receive a COLA (cost of living allowance) this year – nor did we receive one last year. Do you think that prices have not gone up in the past two years? Do you pay your utilities? Have you seen what has happened to the cost of water? And the San Diego City Council is having yet another meeting to hear the residents talk about why the cost of water should not go up – AGAIN! Oh yeah, like it is going to make a difference when 500 people stand up and say that they cannot afford to have their water bills increased when only 2 people will stand up and say, “Oh Mayor Sanders. Of course it is ok to raise my water bill. I’ll willingly pay the increase. This is the best city in California and I will do my part. Maybe it will help build the new Charger Stadium.”
And the result will be that the City Council, in their infinite wisdom will raise the cost of water to the homeowner.
Bull Crappy! The legislature has a new caste system – SENIORS – and I don’t mean High School seniors. I mean OLD PEOPLE; people that worked for a living making much less money than people doing the same job are making today.
It is true that Social Security was not meant to be the sole source of support for retired people. It was not MEANT to be – but for many of us it is. Many of us were hurt drastically by the recession. I keep hearing that we are heading upwards, but I, for one, have not yet recouped all that I lost when my 401K tanked.
Here’s a little word of advice to you “children” out there. Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa do not have the income they had when you were growing up. Don’t think that when they pass on you will get the house they bought for $35,000 and is now worth $1.5 million. Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa will have to sell their house – ever hear of a “reverse mortgage” – just to get by until their time has come. There won’t be anything left for you and then, I ask you, what will YOU do? And believe me – none of us “oldsters” want to live with you youngsters. We want to be independent; we want to manage our own affairs; we want to feel productive, even if all we are capable of doing is sitting in our recliner with our memories.
Wake Up! The Asian culture reveres their elderly. We in America find the elderly a burden and a nuisance. How many times have you seen the “children” roll their eyes when the parent says something they disagree with? In a few more years the “baby boomers” will be in the same position we old people are in now.
Man! I hope they are prepared. If they think they are having trouble making ends meet now, see what reality is like and restrict your buying to two years ago with today’s prices.
To quote Sarah, “whatcha gonna do?” You are going to be mighty unhappy, “ . . . I betcha.”
Any secrets out there for retaining one’s sanity? And please don’t say “get a job.” I would if I could but it is a little hard to compete with new graduates looking for jobs too. You know what? The hell with the “sanity”. How does one recoup the monies lost by the big establishment? Happy Holidays!
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Stay fully invested in your retirement account. Sell your bond funds (bonds are going to get killed in the next few years with higher interest rates and inflation.). Buy a large stock fund. If your 401k has not done well this year, there is something wrong with your asset allocation (both stocks and bond had a good year). Money market and CD rates are too low to generating income, these are parking places not investments. Low current interest rates, low current inflation, gridlock in congress, and a slowly improving economy are good for stocks.
Good luck
I think Judy’s point was that, even with the 2010 rebound, the stock market has not come back to where it was pre-crash, meaning everyone depending on it is still a lot poorer. It’s not how well your 401k did this year that matters — it’s how much the damn thing is worth overall.
As for the future, RB, you seem confident in your good crystal ball, tossing out investment advice like that. Do you dismiss the notion that another collapse is on the way, this time driven by surrounding state and municipal debt? Did you know that insider selling (executives selling their own shares of the companies they work for) is as high now as it’s been since 2007?
Exactly right Shane, insider selling is accelerating, if anything one should be buying bonds now, since their price is low, and the goal is to buy low and sell high.
That is not to say that we will not have strong inflation in the near future, but most of the leading indicators are showing that we are headed for a deflationary period first.
Actually Judy, what I’ve heard is that those making under $20,000 actually will get a tax raise. WTF!!!???
“Do you dismiss the notion that another collapse is on the way, this time driven by surrounding state and municipal debt?”
There was a feature about this on 60 Minutes Sunday. A second and very huge crash pretty much seems inevitable. All I can say as someone living in San Diego and not making 6 figures a year, I am glad I never had kids. I just don’t think I could do the thing where I can make sure they have a better future than I ever had. Unless things really turn around soon with individual states I just don’t see a lot to be positive about for the future.
The positive thing is that the deflationary forces will be so strong that they will force a lot of the “Too Big To Fail” companies to fail, so that we can move on and rebuild an economy that isn’t based upon excessive government, and personal debt.
Another positive is that Keynesian economic theories will be put to rest, at least for a while, as their failure will be quite apparent.
The problem, Judi, is that it is not the government’s role to provide for you.
While it is true that they have created a situation that makes it hard to provide for yourself, it is pie in the sky to expect the government to care for you, and provide for your retirement.
The same government entitlements that you wish to expand are the reason that we will have strong inflationary forces in the mid term future. But that doesn’t mean that you should sell your bonds now and buy stocks. Don’t listen to RB, his advice is a recipe for disaster.
As interest rates increase, the value of bonds decreases. The longer the duration (maturity) of the bonds the greater the decrease in the value of the bonds. We will see how happy bond holders are when they are getting 4% on their gov. bonds and the market of new issued bonds is paying 6-7%. The Fed Chairman has said he is trying to inflate the economy to create jobs,,,so here comes inflation. Don’t fight the Fed. When bond holders are getting 4% on gov bonds bought now and the inflation rate is 4%, we will see how happy bondholders are with their investment.
If you think interest rates are going down or holding steady..keep your bonds, but when the Fed and treasury stop their support for the mortgage market, I expect interest rates to rise at least by 2%. Interest rates in the mortgage market have gone up by half a percent over the last 90 days.
Exactly… the right time to sell your bonds was 3 months ago (when I did), not now.
Don’t fight the Fed! That is right, but you must also read between the lines. The Fed is trying to support the market through their bond buying because they know that we are facing deflationary forces. Top corporate insiders know this, as Shane pointed out. If they thought we were in for an inflationary scenario then they would be raising interest rates, but they are not.
You are right that strong inflationary forces are on the horizon, I just think your time table is off. You are running with the heard (as is evident by the recent bond action), and I am running with the insiders who consistently make the right decision.
After the deflationary period completes there will be a huge rise in interest rates. I expect 30 year fixed mortgages to be in the teens.
Your problem, Ian – our resident libertarian – is your libertarian philosophy. Your philosophy allows rich and poor to stand alone by themselves. This was the situation before the Depression – no safety nets. And the current GOP philosophy – not yours Ian – wants to take us back to that state of thing. We learned – or I should say our grand-parents’ generation learned – that there are times when the “free market” is not free especially to and for the poor, so they / we do need some level of “protection” from the storms of unfettered capitalism. That’s why unions are important, why workers’ comp laws are important, and that’s why social security, unemployment insurance, safety laws, laws and agencies that protect our food supply, our medical supplies, safeguards for the environment, etc. are all important.
So, when the government acts as the will of the majority of the people, it acts to protect the citizenry – our fellow Americans. I know you’ve heard of the WPA – that was when government did provide jobs. And the problem with Obama is that he hasn’t instituted another modern WPA.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are equal, and governments are instituted to provide for common defense, and to ensure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Thank you, Frank, for making these statements that are right on.
He is absolutely wrong about libertarian philosophy. Educate yourself.
What the thinker thinks, the prover proves.
Do what the rich people do, take every single deduction you can. Give stuff to charity and write it off. Don’t do the EZ form, make the IRS work!
Yes my philosophy provides, and requires, an equal playing field for both rich and poor.
What it doesn’t mean, as you often infer, that a free market means a market free from laws. It means that the market is free from government price fixing and collusion with big business.
I do not discount the need for “safety nets”, or think that there shouldn’t be societal level of support for those who cannot take care of themselves. But what that doesn’t mean is that the government should support able bodied people for 2 years, because they cannot “find” a job. It doesn’t mean that our government should mortgage the stability and future of our currency to support people at the expense of those who really need it (what I mean here is that our expanding debt is going to require strong inflation and the devaluation of the dollar, which will have the effect of making our safety nets much weaker).
I wish you could see past the short term positives of providing broad sweeping support for the able bodied unemployed, and see the long term effects of debasing our currency through debt. In the long run the people who you righteously want to save will be those who suffer the most in the end.
Ian, why did you place the “find” in “find a job” in quotes? Do you think there are jobs out there that the unemployed are just simply not taking?
In may own case, I sent out job apps and letters for nearly two years. The number of interviews I received I could count on both hands over that period of time.
There are alot of people that simple are not looking for work. You might need to choose a different carrer or do what your dad would have get a lesser paying job. Why find work when obama will support you. If you have been out of work for two year you should be ashamed of your self.
Talk of stocks and bonds is fine and dandy, but the real story is whether Obama and the Dems will build an unassailable fence around Social Security and Medicare. FICA employee tax cuts are causing justifiable concern on the left. The President’s Deficit Commission has left open the possibility of deep cuts to Social Security, Medicare and other social programs.
“Is the Administration going to protect our retirement security or not?
We’ll be accused of rhetorical excess for saying that the New Deal itself is at stake. But the Republican hostage takers are relentless. The threats and demands won’t end with cuts to Social Security. Social Security and Medicare are immensely popular, but so are all the other elements of the New Deal and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. Voters across the political spectrum embrace a variety of positions that are stereotyped as “progressive” on topics that include tax policy, student loans, and fighting poverty. Social Security cuts would be the first step down a road that ends in political suicide and an end to 75 years of government achievements.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/obamas-enablers-obamas-ad_b_799433.html
Anna, the talk of stocks and bonds, and the actions of our Federal Reserve, is paramount to the discussion of our safety nets. If you don’t understand this then we are doomed.
Inflation is the mother of all cuts to Social Security. It won’t matter if they expand coverage if the payouts will not support the cost of living because everything is so much more expensive.
Ian, if we get the massive inflation you’re worried about, people’s wages will increase to keep up with inflation, which means their contributions to Social Security will increase, which means there will be more money to pay the higher payouts. So it’s not necessarily true that inflation would be bad for the Social Security system — or am I missing something?
In the long run that is true, but there will be a significant lag between the time prices rise and wages rise. In such a scenario, prices will be rising well ahead of wages. Also, the way the government calculates inflation (CPI – consumer price index), and how they subsequently adjust SS payouts, isn’t reflective, IMHO, of true inflation, and means that the SS payouts will be drastically insufficient.
I am not worried about people like you and me, who are half a life away from collecting SS (there will be other problems with SS for us to worry about), I am worried about our parents and Frank’s generation who are expecting their SS payments to support a certain standard of living, but will be very disappointed when the cost of living is skyrocketing.
Sorry Ian- I wasn’t clear. Obama and the Dems must build an unassailable fence around Social Security and Medicare.
Employees and employers provide the revenue source for Social Security through payroll taxes.
Wall Street is a casino for playing stocks & bonds & derivatives etc, with the Federal Reserve generally siding with the house. Wall Street has also wrapped its slimy fingers around our collective throats, so yes, they do indeed have an impact on the economy.
If you don’t understand this then we are doomed.
Don’t worry about saving for retirement, the death panels will get us first! :-)
Hi All, Didn’t know that I would spark such a debate while sitting here wondering what budget item I can eliminate for 2011. I do want to thank you, Frank, for letting me know that my taxes will go up on the measly under $20,000 I earn. Happy Holidays to you all too.
Before this writing, I did transfer my monies that I had in bonds to something else. I was losing money on them – as well as everything else. I just don’t have enough to invest to make it worthwhile. Took advice from many to buy those bonds. Six months of loss was enough. And I sure as hell don’t want to buy any bonds that has the State of California behind them.
Now that payroll tax is going down for the working few, can’t see where the economy is going to grow. People may spend the few extra pennies that they will be getting, but will it be enough for those of us unable to secure jobs?
Wonder if the new Congress will continue with the “macaroni spine” syndrome, or finally do what they were elected to do. Haven’t seen it yet – and I’ve only been able to vote for 53 years!
Judi- of course you spark debate! You go, girl! And I heard what you said about the lack of a COLA. We should pressure congress to come through with some relief to those who receive Social Security. I will.
That payroll tax reduction is Social Security sabotage in disguise.
Supposedly it is a temporary reduction. But Repubs are already planning to paint the expiration of it as a tax hike. So the the new lower level will become permanent. Then, with a permanently low payroll tax rate, projections for Social Security will be more dire than they are now. Leading to louder calls for more drastic cuts.
The people runnin’ things are masters of “starve the beast.” They’ve been at it 35 years.
Absolutely right Shane. Can you hear in the screamin’ in 2012 when it is time to talk eliminating tax cuts? What were the Dems thinking?
I totally agree wit you on the SS Sabotage.
If someone earns $500 a week, how much more are they going to see on their check? $10? BFD! I’d rather see it go into the social security system. My mother lives on SS and chances are that is all I will have when it comes my time to retire. They dismantle the system I will be living with my children. At least my mother has the option of living on her own.
Hey Judi, I believe the increase in taxes for some with less than $20K in income has to do with the elimination of the “Making Work Pay” credit that some people (people that had income from a job) got last year. The full credit was $400. With the 2% reduction in Social Security taxes one would have to earn $20K to recoup the whole $400 they might have gotten last year. That is my take on it anyway, and I ain’t no expert!
You know what I miss about today’s people? The protests. I was at Berkeley in 1965 with the start of Mario Savio and the “Peaceniks (or “Beatniks if you prefer..” The people that are being hurt the most today are those very same people that protested back in the 1960’s. I guess it would asking too much for those people to get out of their wheel chairs; gesture with their crutches and walkers, to have anyone take notice. The draft prepared us for protests. Nothing has prepared the younger generation to fight for something they believe in. Maybe there is nothing work fighting for anymore. Maybe there isn’t anything worth believing in any more – because the screwing we keep getting doesn’t produce anything!
Some protests are happening, Judi, though for whatever reason they don’t get much press.
For instance, students statewide let their anger about budget cuts be known back on October 7, as detailed in this story by an intrepid reporter I know:
I think we’re in for more and louder protests in the months and years ahead, as cutbacks keep getting more serious.
Young people are still protesting, they’ve just gone digital.
You know what I miss about today’s people Judi? Too many of them have twisted and subverted our basic childhood teachings that we should share and help others into an “unfair redistribution of wealth” screed. How the hell did that happen? Shame, shame. I feel a rant coming on…
Rant my sister.
Judi, I had a quick thought: why don’t all of us who were protesting back in those days convince our children to get out and protest today? They’re adults.
Another thought, you’re absolutely right. Our generation – or at least mine – and the half-generation on either side – went through a radicalization process that began with (you pick yours) Rosa Parks, Freedom Bus Rides, integrate lunch counters, murder of civil rights workers, Students for a Democratic Society, JFK’s murder, Free Speech Movement in ’64, LA riot 1965, King’s assassination, Malcolm X’s writings, Vietnam war, 100 body bags a week returning from there, intensification of the draft – a very big one, Stonewall riot, Chicago police riot of August 1968 – one of my all-time faves – , Tet Offensive Saigon ’68, the hippie movement, the Moratorium, the Black Panthers and their suppression, May 1970, May 1972, … I’m sure there’s some I didn’t mention.
The point is our “extreme liberalism”, radicalism, didn’t bloom all of a sudden over night. It developed with time but thrust way ahead at times in sharp bursts from crisis after crisis, until a critical mass had been reached.
Judi, just a note about Social Security not having a COLA last year and this year: there were some emails circulating that blamed the current Congress for the lack of a COLA and urging folks to vote out the incumbents. FactCheck.org has done some research on this issue [ http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/social-security-cola/ ] and points out that the the Social Security COLA is pegged to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) and not voted on yearly by the Congress. The CPI-W hit a peak in July of 2008, then fell back to the September 2007 level and even though it has been rising again since then, until it once again surpasses the July 2008 level, there won’t be a COLA. “So, why did the CPI-W rise so high, only to fall so far? In a word: oil”. The annual report of the Social Security Trustees [ http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TRSUM/index.html ] predicts that there may be a small COLA increase for December 2011, which would translate into perhaps a small increase in benefits for January 2012. I recommend reading the FactCheck.org article, there are some other interesting facts about the different Consumer Price indexes as well as some info on Medicare expenses.
A lot of retirees are taking their social security and moving to less expensive places to live like Costa Rica. That is money being taken out of our economy. Forgetting to include retirees during the recession is bad for everyone, not just for the retirees. I’d really prefer they help the aged and leave the rich people to fend for themselves instead of the other way round.
Hi All! Wish I could afford to go to Costa Rica. At this point in my life I can’t even afford to go to Ensenada! Frank, I could no more get my kids to protest anything today than I could get them to fly. Whenever I talk about “those days” I get the usual, “aw Mom. That was then.” (Of course, they rejected any type of liberalism a long time ago. Maybe it is because my daughters all married Republicans – where did I go wrong – and for a long time spouted the husband’s beliefs. I think they are growing up, and thinking things through for themselves now, but protest? Hah!
Rak, thanks for the info. I knew that there was no Cola raise because of the inflation rate, but I still think there should be some provision made in case there is a change, as there has been. If only medicare had gone down; or RX drugs had decreased, but it looks like my co-pay will be more than this year and the drugs have already increased. (At least the name brands.) But…I found it was cheaper not to use my insurance to purchase my meds, and I will probably do the same thing next year. At least it keeps me out of the donut hole.
Shane, I don’t know about the “protests.” Unless the person is directly affected by the injustice, people will not protest. My generation protested because things were not right. We cared about our fellow man. I don’t think that the philosophy is the same anymore. We would have done anything to make sure that if a homeless person wanted to be in a shelter during cold, wet weather, we would have made enough noise to make it happen. Those protesting now are in the minority, and others scoff at the efforts of those few. I hope you are right about more and more protests in the coming months.
You’d be surprized. I seem to about a lot of them, especially about raised tuitian rates these days.
I mean tuition. I are a great speller and has good grammar.
Judi – Frank….
You know I luv ya but hold on a sec! Permit me to be the devil’s advocate for a minute.
I don’t know where the generations divide, but I think I’d fit close to the generation of Judi’s kid(s) and I kind of resent the idea that we aren’t working hard enough at revolution to make y’all happy.
If all you say is true about your generation then you are saying that there were no homeless, hungry, cold, wet people and I know that isn’t exactly the way things were.
And is it really fair to chastise my generation for not protesting the way your generation did? Perhaps they (we?) look at the way your generation did things, examined the state our society today and determined that your way didn’t work, or if it did, it didn’t work for long.
Just ’cause you can’t see us doing it, doesn’t mean we aren’t here.
Hi Sarah, Perhaps I generalized too much. Yes, there were wet, and homeless, and hungry and cold people, but I think that my generation cared more about them then the current generation. We had communes – we had Haight -Ashbury,
we took people in and were not afraid of them. On the other hand, they were more “couth” than the people today. After all, every gas station had a restroom; every restaurant had a restroom, and if you had to go – you went. No such thing today.
Even the restrooms in the beach cities are closed. Maybe our society is the way it is today because of our compassion, but the JFK supporters would be the first to say that many of us tried our best to make the society a good one.
Is it fair to chastise your generation for not protesting the way ours did? Yeah, I think so. Somehow people got caught up in the materialistic ways of the world at the expense of others, and are happier doing the “me” thing then the “they” thing. That is not to say that there are not many of your generation that are not content; that fight for what they believe in. But there are not enough fighters out there to make a difference. The “right wing” has managed to infiltrate the people today using many scare tactics, and the sheep just follow along. In my generation – and Frank is not of my generation – people thought about what they wanted to do and then they did it. Things were thought out; planned in advance; and a little “you betcha” and a wink did not qualify the person to be a leader. I admire those of you still fighting for what is right; there just are not enough of you.
“Of course, they rejected any type of liberalism a long time ago. Maybe it is because my daughters all married Republicans – where did I go wrong”
I think that’s just the normal cycle of rebelling against parents. Chances your grandkids will go against the politics of your their mom (ur daughter) and their dad, and on and on. Not all kids do that of course, but I think most do.
In all fairness, it’s not realistic and never was to expect all members of the next generation to share all the same values as you or your own generation. There are many people out there in their 20’s and 30’s who truly in their hearts hold conservatve values and not because of “right wing infiltration”. I think there is a lot of apathy too, but also sincere disagreements .
The fastest growing portion of the voting public is Independent.
Young people are sick of the crap the get from both parties.
There is work out there. I looked and found several jobs within days. People are to busy sittin around smoking pot talking about it’s an OB lifestyle. I love my OB lifestyle thats why I pay for it. Get a job or clean the streets or something Newport smells like piss.
Hey James, what planet did you say you were from? Just askin.
You gotta be kidding, right? You think that Obama is paying people not to work? I don’t know what kind of jobs you found, but let me tell you that as an educator I cannot find a job in education, not even as a substitute teacher. And…companies do not want to hire me in another capacity because of my degrees and background. I suggest that you stop smelling the pot smoke from others – ’cause I know you aren’t smoking it – and look at unemployment situation realistically.
Judi, Something you might consider is a tutoring business. Many of the PLHS students get tutoring help outside of school. Parents are motivated to pay tutors to keep their freshman students from falling behind. And PLHS parents will pay tutors to improve their junior an senior students GPA for college applications. I have heard the rates are as high as $40/hr for freshman physics and geometry. Many freshman need organizational and study skills as well as homework help from tutors.
Also, their is a big opportunities for flexible employment with SAT/ACT review classes, both as a tutor and as teacher to run prep classes. I have heard of parents spending as much as $2000 to prepare their students for college testing.
Hi RB, thanks for the suggestion. However, my “expertise” in not in any of the current modes anymore. I could no more teach physics than I could teach Rugby. My step-son is a physics teacher and almost from the moment he opens his mouth – “hi” – I cannot understand him!
Tutors do make money, but it is not steady work. I suggest to the young teachers of today that they should tutor, because they get an appreciation for what the learners are going through today.
Again, great suggestion. Wish I still had the where-with-all.
James,
Seriously, I need one of those jobs you found and since I already spend a bit of time cleaning the streets around OB, can you possibly turn ME on to one of those several jobs you got?
Sincerley,
Sarah
Tough times are when thinking clearly hurts.
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