It's time for you to be stimulated........

Here's where we keep the polls, and anyone can start a poll!

How do you feel about the Stimulus?

Heck yeah!! Show me the money baby! Smartest thing ever!
5
9%
Hell no, another doggone Albatross around our necks.
45
82%
Just about right........
5
9%
 
Total votes : 55

Postby jdarkoregon » Sat Feb 28, 2009 12:42 am

SmokyBob hit it on the head!!!
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The world can be better
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Postby martha24 » Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:20 am

SmokeyBob wrote:
Now you know why we work and they don't. And most of us aren't going to see one dime of this stimulus package and if you do get anything thing, it won't amount to diddly squat.


It's worse than that! Not only won't we see one dime out of the stimulus package, we get to pay for it. :( Or our children or grandchildren.

Too much of the money is going to people or groups that were irresponsible or made bad decisions and now someone else is paying the piper. Plus a good amount of the stimulus money will go will go to politician's pet projects. No earmarks indeed! :roll:

If we ran our budgets the way politicians do we would either have gone bankrupt or ended up in jail long ago. :thumbdown:
Martha ;)

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Postby bobhenry » Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:41 am

SmokeyBob wrote: And most of us aren't going to see one dime of this stimulus package and if you do get anything thing, it won't amount to diddly squat.


I got another $25.00 more on my unemployment check :P

And when the wife gets cut loose Monday from her job of 15 years that disolved and the Ol' Bomber is gonna cover 60 percent of the cobraed medical coverage so we can cover our butts 6 or 7 monts instead of 3 or 4 with her severance $$$. :BE

The upside we don't have to put in for vacation to go camping :campfire:

I am gettin' too old to get stimulated anyway :fb
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Postby Elumia » Sat Feb 28, 2009 4:20 am

Smokey's math is a bit off. If 300 million citizens each get $3,000, it is closer to the stimulus. (900 Billion)

Another way to look at it is, the 787 billion stimulus divided by 300 million Americans, will cost each of us about $2600 each. I know I'll never get my share back because we are putting this on a credit card and once the interest is added over time.... YIKES

Our government can't keep promising us all free ice cream if we vote for them. At some point, someone has to say, we need to look at EVERY program on the books and start from scratch. When a state has a commission on commissions, something is just wrong!

The spreading of the wealth in this country needs to be done by the businessmen, not the government - that being said, I think our legislators need to use the carrot that if our companies take care of their employees, they will not use the stick when the government has to step in and do what they are unwilling to do. No CEO is worth a lottery check every year. If companies spread some of the executive income amongst the workers, the total payroll dollars could still be the same and not affect the shareholders one bit.

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Postby SmokeyBob » Sat Feb 28, 2009 12:26 pm

Mark
Your right, A million for every person was a bit of a stretch. :lol:

Why not $500,000 for every adult, 18 or 21, what ever the law says. :twisted:

And they don't have to give it out all at once. Say $50,000 a year, heck I'm not greedy, $25,000, that's way more than what I get on social security, I think I could live off of that. I could still pay off my bills, buy a modest home, a new Pickup with a camper. I might even afford some medical insurance for Judith who at this time under our current laws doesn't qualify for anything. And the rest would go in the bank.

Some one wake me up, I must be dreaming. :cry:
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Postby Elumia » Sat Feb 28, 2009 1:14 pm

Hey Bob, who is the "they" you want your Stimulus (50K of free money) from? If it is the government, well that includes me and sorry to say, I have trouble enough paying my own way. I get it, we'll just tax all the rich people and corporations....

How about we elect folks who will let us keep more of what we EARN and stop worrying about how to covet someone else's fortune and pray we don't suffer another's misfortune. The government could do more good using the bully pulpit to force employers to take a hard look at how the labor force is compensated rather than trying to redistribute wealth by taxing and spending. Our taxes should support infrastructure that we all use, protect us, and provide a saftety net for those who are UNABLE to provide for themselves.

Like I said before, anther way to look at the stimulus package is that the 787 billion packaga has to be paid for by the 300 million US residents (not all pay taxes either) gives all of us an average bill of $2600 (which is only the principal!).

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Postby SmokeyBob » Sat Feb 28, 2009 5:23 pm

Mark
Your not getting the idea here. Under my plan the goverment is not giving this money to big business. Your getting $500,000 like every boddy else. You don't have to pay back anything. All you have to do is go out and spend that money. You might pay some sales tax but that's about it.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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Postby caseydog » Sat Feb 28, 2009 6:14 pm

These posts seem to be about three different things, and only one is the "Stimulus Plan."

The bank bailout was last fall. It was a necessary evil, and would have been more effective, had the previous administration put some guidelines and restrictions on how the money was to be used -- and how it was NOT to be used.

The Automaker bailout is a separate plan altogether, and I have very mixed feelings about it. Mostly, I have a feeling it won't work, I'm afraid to say.

The stimulus Plan itself is pretty good, IMO, although I don't like all of it. But, I don't expect to like all of any legislation, as most Americans seem to expect.

My opinion, which won't be popular, is that the Government from 2001 until 2008 made an enormous mess that now has to be cleaned up, and cleaning it up isn't going to be quick, easy or cheap.

I am optimistic that it can be cleaned up, but not by doing what we did from 2001 through 2006. I like about 80 percent of the decisions being made right now, which is as close as I expect to ever get to "my way." I can live with the other 20 percent, because that's what you gotta do to live in a democracy and not go crazy or turn into a Rush Limbaugh or Randi Rhodes (liberal version of Rush), who can't do anything but bitch and stir up anger and resentment.

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Postby caseydog » Sat Feb 28, 2009 6:16 pm

bg wrote:If it comes to that Mike, I know of a quality hosting company based out of Detroit (Southfield, MI).

As far as the stimulus goes, I'll never see a penny of it. Most everyone I work with think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Me - I'm starting to think that the Mayans may be right.

I used last years $300 check to pay for summer classes - Couldn't think of a better use for it.


This year's version does not come in a one time check. You will have less money taken out of your paycheck for taxes starting in a couple of months -- unless you make more than $250,000 per year.
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Postby starleen2 » Sat Feb 28, 2009 6:22 pm

caseydog wrote:
This year's version does not come in a one time check. You will have less money taken out of your paycheck for taxes starting in a couple of months -- unless you make more than $250,000 per year.


I'm a long way from that - but could use a tax break, waiting till the last minute to see if any additional breaks come in
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Postby caseydog » Sat Feb 28, 2009 6:31 pm

martha24 wrote:If we ran our budgets the way politicians do we would either have gone bankrupt or ended up in jail long ago. :thumbdown:


We do. American individual debt (not including the Government debt) is currently equal to the nation's GDP.

The last time debt was equal the GDP was in 1929.

Americans DO spend like the government does, and we DO run up debt like the government does.

One of the biggest reasons that we are in a deep recession right now is because the well has gone dry. We have been using easy credit and the equity in our homes to consume like there's no tomorrow.

Whether people want to admit it or not, the US Government is a lot like the American people.

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Notice how consumer debt AND the federal deficit surge starting in 2001. The government did what we did.
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Postby caseydog » Sat Feb 28, 2009 6:41 pm

Elumia wrote:Smokey's math is a bit off. If 300 million citizens each get $3,000, it is closer to the stimulus. (900 Billion)

Another way to look at it is, the 787 billion stimulus divided by 300 million Americans, will cost each of us about $2600 each. I know I'll never get my share back because we are putting this on a credit card and once the interest is added over time.... YIKES

Our government can't keep promising us all free ice cream if we vote for them. At some point, someone has to say, we need to look at EVERY program on the books and start from scratch. When a state has a commission on commissions, something is just wrong!

The spreading of the wealth in this country needs to be done by the businessmen, not the government - that being said, I think our legislators need to use the carrot that if our companies take care of their employees, they will not use the stick when the government has to step in and do what they are unwilling to do. No CEO is worth a lottery check every year. If companies spread some of the executive income amongst the workers, the total payroll dollars could still be the same and not affect the shareholders one bit.

Mark


I agree 100-percent that the free market SHOULD do the job of creating jobs and growing wealth. And the free market often does. But, the free market can mess things up every bit as much -- and maybe better -- than government, if too much money and power fall into too few hands, AND WE THE PEOPLE LET THAT HAPPEN.

Millions of citizens are bitching and moaning about government "excesses", but I'm not hearing millions of stockholders raising hell about corporate "excesses."

Conservatives always say that government should not tell businesses what to do. Well, I say, government shouldn't HAVE to tell businesses what to do. Businesses should just do it.

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Postby Elumia » Sat Feb 28, 2009 7:17 pm

CD, you are railing against the Bush administration for spending like drunken sailors, but it's ok for the next administration to do the same? I really don't see much difference. The only difference is that the current administration is willing to raise taxes on high incomes and to give more free ice cream to lower incomes. Of course you can get elected when you offer more free stuff to the larger population. Higher taxes on the rich will not solve the significant problem of unequal wealth distribution in the country. Maybe in addition to a minimum wage we need a maximum wage (not just salary include stock options etc) that is linked as percentage of the minimum wage that particular employer pays. More equal distribution of wages will put more taxes in the government coffers at lower rates on all taxpayers. It is a big talking point of how the rich pay 50% of the taxes - well that may be true because they make 80% of the wages!

It is a shame that people in this country can be so greedy to take a lottery jackpot size salary while paying people in their company minimum wage. I've sat in too many sales meetings hearing how wonderful the policies the CEO is implementing are making everyone successful, while he has no clue that without the hard work of the minions his decisons are meaningless.
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Postby Elumia » Sat Feb 28, 2009 7:21 pm

Yes the stockholders should rail against corporate excess as it is eating away at the profits of their investment. Unfortunately, the large stockholders are the same ones feeding at the trough of excess and don't want to end their gravy train. The government should regulate as a carrot and stick without creating loopholes.

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Postby tinksdad » Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:35 pm

I am probably split 50/50 on the stimulus plan. I believe the intent is right; but from a personal standpoint, it's not going to impact my "quality of life" quick enough to help. I will say though, that the current economic situation has made me a lot more aware of what's going on around me than I have been in the past. Waiting for the "government" to get me out of the position I am in is not going to work. I now know that I have to look at the way I spend and look for options to alleviate my own issues.

The following may be "off topic"; but after reading this thread and a couple others on this forum, I am just throwing this out here on the off-chance that it may help somebody else get over the "rough times". The last 5 months have seen me cash in a couple of CD's that were supposed to be a hedge against my retirement. My 403 (deferred comp plan) has just about been wiped out. One of the things I was looking at was re-financing my home to lower the monthly payments. Unfortunately it takes fluid cash that I no longer have to re-finance the traditional way. I was steered to the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA.com) by someone who is aware of my situation. They are a non-profit advocacy group that will work work with lenders to make your mortgage affordable. No closing costs, no fees. There are some qualifying criteria; but it wouldn't hurt to check them out if you are looking to make your $$$ stretch.

That's my 2 cents worth.
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