Welfare... Fucking pisses me off



Well, the guy he interviewed that happens to be on welfare has a car, a condo, and is going to school to become a pharmacist.
WTF?
!

I can respect that. At least going to school to become a pharmacist. The problem is that the majority don't even want to go to school or do anything with their life, that's where the problem is at.
 
Smarts and the courage to admit your weaknesses. You know you're getting sexier with age, right, ly2?

I'm in the same boat, luckily I've travelled a bit so I know I can live in Thailand or Northern Europe when teh SHTF, but it's still hard. I'll have to build a lot more savings up to get residency somewhere in Northern Europe, and I'll have to build up a LOT of heat tolerance to move to thailand...

Anyway, keep in mind Ly2, that anyone telling you that this is supposed to be the best place to be is either selling you something, or simply working on 50-year-old information.

You can do it man... Just try some vacations to various countries first and see which grow on you.

That's a good idea...and it gives me a reason to take vacations too :)

But my passport is expired, guess I should do that soon as I hear it takes like 6 months to renew?
 
Better, yet unemployment across the Euro zone is higher than the US, and in some areas (ie Spain) is over 20%.

Yes indeed. Its hit ~30% in canaries.

The baffling issue with the eurozone is how much the politicians tend to spend on 'trips'. for example they went to Africa for ~8 days to discuss 'poverty issues' and tallied up a bill close to 900.000 €.

They came to the canaries and tallied up a bill close to 600.000 € in 5 days.

Thats the worst part of it, apart from the fact they are taking peoples rights from them willy nilly.

Like a song says: "You are free to do as i tell you..."
 
Slavery was never really abolished, it was socialized.

They systematically train people to accept welfare as their way of life. Anyone go to public school in the inner cities? There is no encouragement, they don't even teach addition and subtraction until 1st and 2nd grade.

When I moved to a suburb, I had no idea what half the stuff they were teaching in my new school was. My older school hadn't even taught anyone how to read a clock face, let alone multiplication or division. I saw school papers from a friend in kindergarten with that "advanced math" and couldn't believe they were taught all that so early.

It is drilled into your head from the beginning that it's a rigged game, you cannot succeed, you have to have connections to get anywhere in life, otherwise you are doomed to dead end jobs, if you are one of the lucky ones. They teach you that that's what your "realistic" plans should be. Don't shoot to high.

It's not surprising at all to me. The tax system alone is enough to discourage you. It's hard moving up from lower class to middle, to upper middle, and beyond. The cost of mobility between tax brackets (if you make just $1 beyond your current tax bracket) are:
Moving from 10% to 15%: $ 425.15
Moving from 15% to 25%: $ 7,350.10
Moving from 25% to 28%: $ 14,783.03
Moving from 28% to 33%: $ 34,144.05
Moving from 33% to 35%: $ 75,150.52

How does that not discourage someone who's growing a business? It really sucks when just making a few extra dollars costs you thousands of dollars, especially when it catches you off guard.

Every step of the way, government discourages us from self-reliance and independence. We have to pay a self-employment tax on top of other taxes just for working for ourselves. How is that even justifiable?

It's no wonder so many people just say "fuck it" and give up. It's also no wonder that most don't even try. Every single prime time television block is filled with get rich quick shows that teach people further that the only path to success if pure dumb luck. Ask anyone off the street what trial and error is, and they will either think its some kind of court, or some new law drama on a cable network.

After all that, the most successful self-made people in public are demonized for their success. If you worked for everything you have, starting from nothing, you are the bad guy. If you inherited your money and did nothing for it (and have the XX chromosome), you are celebrated. Just don't go do something stupid, like building upon that inheritance with anything beyond a reality tv show.
 
I personally hate this fucking country. The issue is, I don't have the balls to pack my shit and just go. And even if I did have the balls to do it, I worry that I wouldn't find anywhere better and that scares the shit out of me. Because if this is the best place to be...hole lee fuck.

Despite all the bullshit, this is not such a bad place to live. I have dual citizenship and have spent half my life in Europe. And still... after packing my bags in '05 to "never look back"... I was back in '09.

I feel your frustrations but there's a lot of shit you're taking for granted. Take a few months to live elsewhere (live, not vacation; much different) and then it all becomes apparent.
 
Despite all the bullshit, this is not such a bad place to live. I have dual citizenship and have spent half my life in Europe. And still... after packing my bags in '05 to "never look back"... I was back in '09.

I feel your frustrations but there's a lot of shit you're taking for granted. Take a few months to live elsewhere (live, not vacation; much different) and then it all becomes apparent.


Yea but Euro is as bad or worse than here, def not on my list of possible locations except maybe Ireland?
 
Move to Australia.

We have welfare, healthcare and no recession.

We also have the sickest wildlife, decent club scene, beaches, rain forests and everything else, the AUD is going heaps good right now (there's a lot of Aussies buying whole blocks of property in America because of how cheap it is).
 
One thing people don't mention when they talk about their countries providing welfare and healthcare is what is missing from their countries budget: Defense.

The reason the U.S spends 12+ times more in defense than everyone else is because we're providing defense for all these countries. We're also giving a lot more money in foreign aid to other countries than all these other countries.

If these countries had to provide for their own defense, and were paying everything the U.S does, relative to their GDP, they would be in a lot of trouble too.
 
Move to Australia.

We have welfare, healthcare and no recession.

We also have the sickest wildlife, decent club scene, beaches, rain forests and everything else, the AUD is going heaps good right now (there's a lot of Aussies buying whole blocks of property in America because of how cheap it is).


The old man and I were actually talking about that a couple months ago. I'm not sold on the idea as I think the US will never recover and this is just the start of it's decline as China and then India rise up. Of course, by the time those 2 countries are the super power of the world, I'll be an old man but the USA is going the way of the USSR imo.

Where's the upside in investing in America? There isn't any. Huge fucking risk with little chance of coming out on top.
 
One thing people don't mention when they talk about their countries providing welfare and healthcare is what is missing from their countries budget: Offense.

The reason the U.S spends 12+ times more in Offense than everyone else is because we're providing Offense for all these countries. We're also giving a lot more money in foreign aid to other countries than all these other countries.

If these countries had to provide for their own Offense, and were paying everything the U.S does, relative to their GDP, they would be in a lot of trouble too.

Fixed it for ya.
 
It's not surprising at all to me. The tax system alone is enough to discourage you. It's hard moving up from lower class to middle, to upper middle, and beyond. The cost of mobility between tax brackets (if you make just $1 beyond your current tax bracket) are:
Moving from 10% to 15%: $ 425.15
Moving from 15% to 25%: $ 7,350.10
Moving from 25% to 28%: $ 14,783.03
Moving from 28% to 33%: $ 34,144.05
Moving from 33% to 35%: $ 75,150.52

How does that not discourage someone who's growing a business? It really sucks when just making a few extra dollars costs you thousands of dollars, especially when it catches you off guard.

Sorry if I've misunderstood, but this sounds like (the unfortunately common) ignorance of marginal taxation. Earning "a few extra dollars" should never cost you "thousands of dollars" in a marginal tax rate system.

After all that, the most successful self-made people in public are demonized for their success. If you worked for everything you have, starting from nothing, you are the bad guy.

I sort of agree with this, but I think it's more to do with the perception that very successful people had to do a lot of unethical things to get there. After all, what does the media show us but rich people and corporations exploiting and screwing over the "little people" on a regular basis. It's no wonder there's some resentment. On the other hand, people are more than willing to idolize successful people that are perceived to have earned their success ethically and who have created genuine, high-quality value (e.g., Steve Jobs).

But on a smaller scale, I don't think a successful restaurateur, for example, is going to be demonized.
 
USA - 4.9% of GDP for military
Aus - 1.9% of GDP for military

Also on foreign aid

America - 0.3% of GDP
Australia - 1.2% of GDP

Aus = no recession, strong $.
USA = Recession, weak $.

We have welfare,healthcare and no real dramas politically, USA on the other hand is pretty much the opposite. If America didn't go chasing wars around the middle east and tried fixing shit up back home you'd be in a much better position.

Also on investing in America, it's a big risk. There's money to be made if their $ goes back to what it was with the AUD about .20 below the USD = instant 20%, if the recovery happens and property values rise you'll increase that further.

Not to mention properties here in Aus run for about 350k minimum for a piece of shit, 350k in America is a very nice property.

I love America, it's in a very bad state right now, and the people who are in denial are doing more harm than good.
 
...I know I can live in Thailand or Northern Europe when teh SHTF...

Huh... aren't they a bit too... socialist, for you? Seems a bit ironic considering your libertarian bent.

Reminds me of a piece I saw recently: How Swedes and Norwegians Broke the Power of the ‘1 Percent’

the article said:
While many of us are working to ensure that the Occupy movement will have a lasting impact, it’s worthwhile to consider other countries where masses of people succeeded in nonviolently bringing about a high degree of democracy and economic justice. Sweden and Norway, for example, both experienced a major power shift in the 1930s after prolonged nonviolent struggle. They “fired” the top 1 percent of people who set the direction for society and created the basis for something different.

Both countries had a history of horrendous poverty. When the 1 percent was in charge, hundreds of thousands of people emigrated to avoid starvation. Under the leadership of the working class, however, both countries built robust and successful economies that nearly eliminated poverty, expanded free university education, abolished slums, provided excellent health care available to all as a matter of right and created a system of full employment. Unlike the Norwegians, the Swedes didn’t find oil, but that didn’t stop them from building what the latest CIA
World Factbook calls “an enviable standard of living.”

I guess that "enviable standard of living" does sound pretty good, doesn't it.
 
Yea but Euro is as bad or worse than here, def not on my list of possible locations except maybe Ireland?

As someone who has lived his entire life in Europe I find the notion that the US is somehow a better place to live than most of Europe pretty surprising. Yeah Cost of Living is on average a bit higher than the US but I imagine that that's something most people, who are looking for the optimal place to live, can afford.

Vienna is No. 1

The U.S. may still have some of the world’s best universities and most innovative companies, but it does not rank highly in quality of life, according to a survey published Nov. 29 by human resource consultancy Mercer. In fact, not one U.S. city made the top 20 (of 221 total) on this year’s list. Austrian capital Vienna ranked No. 1 in the Mercer 2011 Quality of Living Survey, followed by Zurich, Switzerland; Auckland, New Zealand; and Munich, Germany. Tied for fifth place were Düsseldorf, Germany, and Vancouver, Canada. The highest-ranked U.S. city, Honolulu, placed No. 29, and San Francisco came in at No. 30. New York City ranked No. 47, behind Boston (No. 36), and Chicago and Washington, D.C. (tied for No. 43). Mercer’s survey evaluated cities’ quality of life based on their political and social environments, economic environment, sociocultural environment, health and sanitation, schools and education, public services, transportation, recreation, availability of consumer goods, housing, and natural environment.
http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20111128/cities-with-the-best-quality-of-life-2011/



FACT: In the United States nearly 14% of Americans live in poverty – about 40 million people — compared to 6% in France, 8% in Britain, and 5% or less in Germany, Sweden and Belgium. Twenty percent of American children live below the poverty line, as do nearly 23% of the elderly, the highest figure by far in the west with the exceptions of Russia and Mexico. The U.S. is ranked 29th in infant mortality, tied with Poland and Slovakia (in 1960 the U.S. was ranked twelfth) and 37th in health care (France is ranked first). The wealthiest 10 percent of Americans now owns 70 percent of the wealth but in Germany the top 10 percent owns 44 percent.
Myth 6: Europe has a lower standard of living than the UnitedGAYStates. « Washington Policy Watch



Rating Countries for the Happiness Factor

A study pulled together from sources and surveys found that good health care and education are as important as wealth to modern happiness

White's research used a battery of statistical data, plus the subjective responses of 80,000 people worldwide, to map out well-being across 178 countries. Denmark and five other European countries, including Switzerland, Austria, and Iceland, came out in the top 10, while Zimbabwe and Burundi pulled up the bottom.
Not surprisingly, the countries that are happiest are those that are healthy, wealthy, and wise. "The most significant factors were health, the level of poverty, and access to basic education," White says. Population size also plays a role. Smaller countries with greater social cohesion and a stronger sense of national identity tended to score better, while those with the largest populations fared worse. [...] The U.S. came in at 23.

Rating Countries for the Happiness Factor - BusinessWeek



Quality.jpg





Although the under-5 mortality rate in the United States has fallen in recent decades, it is still higher than many other wealthy nations – 2.3 times that of Iceland and more than 75 percent higher than the rate of the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden.United States Has Higher Death Rate Than Most Other Countries



And so on and so forth.
 
Sorry if I've misunderstood, but this sounds like (the unfortunately common) ignorance of marginal taxation. Earning "a few extra dollars" should never cost you "thousands of dollars" in a marginal tax rate system.

True, but as you said - unfortunately, it is so common that it's almost accepted. Not actually accepted, but to the point where I hear more people talking about that than non. But hey, I can understand why.

For those that don't want to click on the link and are wondering what I'm talking about:

Single taxpayer, no children, under 65 and not blind, taking standard deduction;
$40,000 gross income – $5,800 standard deduction – $3,700 personal exemption = $30,500 taxable income
$8,500 × 10% = $850.00 (taxation of the first income bracket)
$30,500 – $8,500 = $22,000.00 (amount in the second income bracket)
$22,000.00 × 15% = $3,300.00 (taxation of the amount in the second income bracket)
Total income tax is $850.00 + $3,300.00 = $4,150.00 (10.375% effective tax)
(from Wikipedia).

You only get taxed at the rate within that bracket, then adjusted remainder is pushed to the next.

(inb4 "You mean people don't know this...?")


Every step of the way, government discourages us from self-reliance and independence. We have to pay a self-employment tax on top of other taxes just for working for ourselves. How is that even justifiable?

+1. But they encourage small businesses *rolls eyes* :)
 
One thing people don't mention when they talk about their countries providing welfare and healthcare is what is missing from their countries budget: Defense.

The reason the U.S spends 12+ times more in defense than everyone else is because we're providing defense for all these countries. We're also giving a lot more money in foreign aid to other countries than all these other countries.

If these countries had to provide for their own defense, and were paying everything the U.S does, relative to their GDP, they would be in a lot of trouble too.

The thing is, so much of the U.S. military and covert activity creates the problems that then must be defended against. Like killing half a million kids in the war on terror which has created millions of potential terrorists seething with hatred and bent on getting some kind of revenge. Many countries don't go around invading other countries for their oil or fomenting uprisings or assassinating leaders etc etc. The biggest risk many of those countries face is getting caught in the crossfire when terrorists come looking for Americans on vacation to blow up, ala recent arrest in Bangkok.