IRS Rebate Thread Offshoot

[mtnbikerfred]

DUDE!!! They believe in HUCKONOMICS!! That's where you evaluate how much THISISGONNAHURT you have to invest vs. the amount of DUDETHATWASSOAWSOME you get paid in the future.

I'm voting for him

[ohyeah89]

Originally Posted by drclark

Personally I would love to opt out of social-security; if I could only invest half the $$ I am currently paying into the system.

Then become a civil servent (ie a government/city employee)! If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, HA! One of the major perks of working for the city for me is NOT having to pay social security (I think it will become completely outdated by the time I can collect anyway). We just pay a (albeit mandatory) 6% to our own pension plans. It's great. Then any extra money I get goes towards my deferred comp account (my choice).

As for the tax brackets, they SUCK! I just recently got a promotion/pay raise and I BARELY see a difference in my paychecks since it bumped me up to the next tax bracket...

Economy-wise, something has to change, what that is, I have no idea but something has to give...

[PacMan]

Originally Posted by ShinKen

Sad indeed and to this day I have run into people that still think GB to be a great president and that we had to be out there for some reason!! They always seem to fail to justify or explain why!! You try talking to people and they get all feelings or plain out stop talking about it!! How lame is that ehh? Even now people don’t really know who was responsible for 911!! dood is out there running free. But everyone knows who made the cut on the American idol joint correct? freaking sad!!!!

Ignorance is one sick poison for sure!!

Every word is spelled "normally" here??!!!

Who is this and does Jose know you hacked into his account?


Not jumping into the political discussion here (I never debate religion or politics), but I saw a bumper sticker that said: Monica Lewinsky's Ex-Boyfriend's Wife For President. I thought that was funny.

[jonathan_sykes81]

Let me just start off by saying,"I did not read this entire thread". So, I can continue without hurting anyone's feelings, or maybe I will, who knows. My opinions are not normally taken very well. Alright, as much as I would like to vote for Huckabee, and as much as I like some of his "conservative" views, he was a governor of the high-taxing, high-spending, government can make the world better liberal way. No experience on foreign policy either by the way. Just want to put that out there for all the Huckabee lovers. And please don't get me started on McCain, just take a look at the McCain-Kennedy "Amnesty" Bill which was supported by Obama and Clinton. Do you want to know the truth about amnesty? Well, let me drop some knowledge on that a$$, If anyone who supports amnesty is voted into office, you can guarantee they will do two terms because look at the voter base they built with all the illegal immigrants that will automatically become citizens. So, everyone out there, I am not telling you who to vote for, but please take a look at your current front runners and look to the future and envision what could happen. Also, please take a look at this non-biased, non-subjective video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7WJeqxuOfQ
America needs to change its immigration policies, like yesterday. My name is jonathan_sykes81 and I support this message.

[MTBMaven]

Originally Posted by jonathan_sykes81

Let me just start off by saying,"I did not read this entire thread". So, I can continue without hurting anyone's feelings, or maybe I will, who knows. My opinions are not normally taken very well. Alright, as much as I would like to vote for Huckabee, and as much as I like some of his "conservative" views, he was a governor of the high-taxing, high-spending, government can make the world better liberal way. No experience on foreign policy either by the way. Just want to put that out there for all the Huckabee lovers. And please don't get me started on McCain, just take a look at the McCain-Kennedy "Amnesty" Bill which was supported by Obama and Clinton. Do you want to know the truth about amnesty? Well, let me drop some knowledge on that a$$, If anyone who supports amnesty is voted into office, you can guarantee they will do two terms because look at the voter base they built with all the illegal immigrants that will automatically become citizens. So, everyone out there, I am not telling you who to vote for, but please take a look at your current front runners and look to the future and envision what could happen. Also, please take a look at this non-biased, non-subjective video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7WJeqxuOfQ
America needs to change its immigration policies, like yesterday. My name is jonathan_sykes81 and I support this message.

I have no issues with illegal immigrants. Well actually I do. I think they should no longer be illegal and they should be legal. Yeah that's right I said it...who gives a flying leap? They are a vital sector of the American economy. They pay taxes, they work. Many are the American dream.

In high school I washed cars at a dealership in Cerriots. Everyone I worked with was a recent immigrant. Granted they were documented but their story is the same. They were hard working, they were concerned about their kids education...come to think about it they were just like you and me.

If you are worrying about their "drain" on the economy let's look elsewhere for other drains. Let's look to Iraq, support for Israel, corporate welfare, farm subsidies. Think of all the things we could be doing with the billions of dollars here in THIS country.

[Abui]

Originally Posted by MTBMaven

I have no issues with illegal immigrants. Well actually I do. I think they should no longer be illegal and they should be legal. Yeah that's right I said it...who gives a flying leap? They are a vital sector of the American economy. They pay taxes, they work. Many are the American dream.

In high school I washed cars at a dealership in Cerriots. Everyone I worked with was a recent immigrant. Granted they were documented but their story is the same. They were hard working, they were concerned about their kids education...come to think about it they were just like you and me.

If you are worrying about their "drain" on the economy let's look elsewhere for other drains. Let's look to Iraq, support for Israel, corporate welfare, farm subsidies. Think of all the things we could be doing with the billions of dollars here in THIS country.

Welfare is already the biggest part of the budget. It's disguised as mandatory spending. The budget that the President and Congress fight over is just 38% of all federal spending.

Look at the pie chart. Defense seem is small compared to the giveaway (buy votes) programs.

Closed emergency rooms, crowded prisons, illegal immigration is a huge drain on the economy. Free housing, free lunches, the list is endless.

Our local paper was profiled an immigrant who was given amnesty in the Reagan era. Instead of being sympathetic I saw a man who still didn't speak English, was still unskilled, and the best he could say about America waas that it had great unemployment benefits.

[MTBMaven]

Originally Posted by Caveman

Closed emergency rooms, crowded prisons, illegal immigration is a huge drain on the economy. Free housing, free lunches, the list is endless.

Our local paper was profiled an immigrant who was given amnesty in the Reagan era. Instead of being sympathetic I saw a man who still didn't speak English, was still unskilled, and the best he could say about America waas that it had great unemployment benefits.

Crowded prisons, we can thank the "drug war" for that too. Another miss-guided policy that doesn't work. I just don't see how illegal immigration is the cause of crowded prisons.

The problem is not immigration for these folks, it their inability to become a functioning members of society here in America. And their inability to find gainful employment in their homeland. It is the whole "push/pull", cause/and effect principle of migration. Given the choice I would bet most illegal immigrants would rather live in their homeland with their family if they could. But there are few quality jobs or opportunity to raise a family.

What would you do if you lived in Nicaragua, El Salvador, etc.? If there were few jobs and you had a family. I know I would work by butt off doing whatever it took to put food on the table for my family and I would image most of us would.

One reason for this lack of opportunities in their homeland is America's foreign policy. Read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man it's a real eye opener (YouTube Interview). It is FAR too narrow to say 'we need to tighten the border', 'we need to kick these illegals out'. Right and how to you propose to do that when the push it too great and the pull is to strong.

Who care if someone speaks English? There are plenty of people throughout American history who don't speak English. There are plenty Asian-American who don't speak English. I don't hear people complaining about them.

More
So what makes illegals more likely to use welfare? Why are they THE drain on the American economy and the cause for emergency rooms to shut down? Take a look at the ethnic breakdown of those on "welfare" or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) African-American 38.3%, White 31.6%, Hispanic 24%. Looks like 69.9% of those on welfare are African-Aamerican and White.

And what about crowded prisons? Let's look at the ethnic breakdown of those in prison. Statistic from the US Bureau of Justice

Sorry my graph didn't copy well.

White 1990 169,400 2006 336,600 Percent 45.00% Change 1990 - 2006 (%) 99.00%
African-American 1990 172,300 2006 296,000 Percent 39.00% Change 1990 - 2006 (%) 72.00%
Hispanic 1990 58,000 2006 119,200 Percent Change 1990 - 2006 (%) 106.00%
Total 1990 399,700 2006 751,800 Percent 16.00% Change 1990 - 2006 (%) 88.00%

The numbers will not lie and neither will I. In 2006 the total number of Hispanics was far fewer than either Whites or African-Americans at only 16% of those in prison; however, as a percentage of change between 1990 and 2006 there was a higher percentage increase between 1990 and 2006.

It is far too easy to scapegoat illegal immigrants for all the wrongs commonly attributed to them when in fact Whites and African-Americans account for far more (in raw number and percent) of those in prison and on welfare. To say that illegals are the cause of the problem is a red hearing. Yes crowded prison and closing emergency rooms are a problem but the numbers I am finding do not support the argument. I am no political science major. I just did simple searches on Google to find these numbers.

[Roadstar_Rider]

Originally Posted by MTBMaven

Who care if someone speaks English? There are plenty of people throughout American history who don't speak English. There are plenty Asian-American who don't speak English. I don't hear people complaining about them.

More
So what makes illegals more likely to use welfare? Why are they THE drain on the American economy and the cause for emergency rooms to shut down? Take a look at the ethnic breakdown of those on "welfare" or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) African-American 38.3%, White 31.6%, Hispanic 24%. Looks like 69.9% of those on welfare are African-Aamerican and White.

As for speaking English, thats not so big of a deal. Although I think if you are going to make your home in another country, you should do your best to learn the language to a point you can converse and function in that society. Living here for 10 years, and not being able to speak a lick of the language is piss poor. This goes for people from any other country, not just mexico.

What makes illeagles more likely to be on welfare? JOB SKILLS. If you have no job skills how are you going to get a job? Granted, there are simple things you can do that dont require job skills, but these jobs are often mediocre at best, probably provide little to no health insurance, and poor wages. So what happens when Joe Illeagle breaks a leg and cant work any more. Bam. Welfare. What happens when he looses his job. Bam Welfare. Besides, 24% is a huge number, regardless if blacks and whites are higher.

And lastly Why would you let someone who came here illeagly and broke our laws become leagle? What does that say to them. It shows them they can come to this country, break our laws, get away with it, and be rewarded. I dont know about you, but I'm not for rewarding law breakers. If we are going to do that, lets start letting drunk drivers who kill someone off the hook once and give them a second chance. It just doesn't work that way.

[emejay]

Originally Posted by drclark

I'm completely lost on who to vote for this comming primary/election cycle.
drc

Me too........whoever the two candidates will be, it will be like choosing between syphylis or gonorhea! None of them come close to representing my views on the war, taxation or immigration.

[Pain Freak]

Why are we in Iraq?

It's very simple and all the rheortic is worthless.

It was to save the American/world economy. Think about it. If you have a source of oil that they can't take away from you, you are now somewhat safe. It's truly for one reason only, to keep the supply line open and nothing else. Do you really believe we are paying for the oil coming out of Iraq? Do you really believe we had the Iraqi's welfare in mind? It was Muslims killing Muslims.

Illegal immigration

Again it's all about the almighty dollar. What do you think would happen to the economy if we didn't have a source of cheap labor?

Weather it's Dem's or Rep's in office makes very little difference in what happens with our foriegn policies.

I still vote, but very rarely do I ever get what I want. I tried voting for the lesser of two evils, but I don't believe in the outcomes. I don't think they'll ever let another party make it into a true power I'll go with the Libertarians....again.

[MTBMaven]

Originally Posted by Roadstar_Rider

What makes illeagles more likely to be on welfare? JOB SKILLS. If you have no job skills how are you going to get a job? Granted, there are simple things you can do that dont require job skills, but these jobs are often mediocre at best, probably provide little to no health insurance, and poor wages. So what happens when Joe Illeagle breaks a leg and cant work any more. Bam. Welfare. What happens when he looses his job. Bam Welfare. Besides, 24% is a huge number, regardless if blacks and whites are higher.

So you are saying the illegals somehow have no job skills? It seems that many of them find jobs quite well.