Middle class squeeze

[Alfred]

Good morning to you to Vegas and to all the others as well. I also did not want to post yesterday. I thought the members would start to post as well and I didn’t want to give the impression we were hogging the thread. Although I must admit I was beginning to think you didn’t love me any more. LOL. Any and everyone is welcome here. I’m surprised Scott hasn’t made an appearance. Maybe he will now. As far as the coincidences, I find them amazing. In my family, my father my father in-law, and myself share Alfred as our first name. When our first son was born we gave him Alfred as his middle name. We just didn’t want him having to grow up with it as his first name. Not to easy to go to school with that first name. That’s why I even use Al most of the time. The “51” thing is beginning to scare me a little. I played it yesterday, it didn’t come out but I’m playing it again today.
About the DNA testing it has been around for a few years and it continues to grow. I used one of the most popular. it is on the internet the website is http://www.familytreedna.com and they will answer all of your questions about participating in the program. The test is a simple mouth swab and the results are done by the University of Arizona. It takes about 7 weeks for your results. You have an option of 12, 25 ,37 or more DNA markers to test. You can start with the lowest, although 25 is a good start. At the time I took it it was about $170. You get access for ever and its fun to check back and see if you get matches. Right now about 87,000 people have done it. Like I said before, don’t do it unless you are confident that you can deal with the results. Some people find out they are related to a whole different group of people and get upset. For me finding out our name may have started in Spain and then the family emmigrate to Sicily and then a little further north in Italy was fine. At least thats where we think they came from based on this and other research I have done. If you decide to do it good luck, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Some other similarities in families. My grandfather was one of 12 I believe, and the reason he came here was his family could no longer afford to keep him. My grandmother was sent to live with her aunt after her father died because her mother could not afford to keep her. And she was born in the USA. Apparently this was quite common in the old days. I guess the really good old days were not all that good. My grandmother had a hard life groing up. She was almost treated like an indentured servant to her aunt. In fact whenever she would refer to her she only would address her as “the Aunt,” We never would ask her what her aunt’s first name was and to this day I still don’t know. We seem to have benefitted from their hard life and were able to live the American Dream. You and I both know that dream is becomming more elusive for our kids. maybe its just the normal evolution of society and maybe its just cyclical. We all want our kids to have it better than we had and possibly we spoiled them a little and gave them more than we ever had. I’m sure we were only trying to do the right thing. But at least we know we tried.
About divorce, yeah that never entered my family until recently also. I had a cousin who was the first to divorce in the 70s. Now my eldest is going through one. Life just seems more difficult now then ever. Too many stresses about money, too much working, no time to really spend working on relationships. It’s sad in a way things just couldn’t stay the way they were. At least as much as we would like to remember them.
Let your son know we think he is doing a fantastic service to his country. I know a lot of kids today don’t have that sense of duty and commitment. Even though this is an unpopular war, it it the character you imparted to him that helped him come to his decision to join the Marines.
I can only imagine the concerns you have for him. I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers.

I’ve got to get going now and play “5151” for the midday numbers, but I’m off today so maybe I’ll be back on.

I really wish some of you other guys would get in on this. The catharcic benfits alone are wonderful. Just think of all the money you will save on therapists….

[vegasknite]

Hi Alfred:

I hope you are enjoying you day off. I wanted to share my email address with you, you can find it a little down on this board under the title “Help is the Political Climate Changing in CR” I think it will be cool keeping in touch off the board too. Our lives are so similiar. Thanks for you good wishes for my son. Anyway I am going to wait and see if we get some more input from other members before I write my next post here.

[grb1063]

This subject certainly precipitated some lively discussion. As I have mentinoned before on this site, I operate under the premise that at least 50% of Americans lack sufficient intelligence to even vote. 50% of the remaining 50% don’t give a care becuase they are corporate slaves and have it good…for now. I have seen the writing on the wall for some time and have made some drastic changes in the last two years, like quiting my job and starting a highly successful constrcution business as a corporation, deferring as much income as possible not to be taxed to death, paying health insurance and getting reimbursed via an expense chack (Bush wants to tax health insurance benefits too), eliminating all credit debt including cars, refinancing to a fixed 15 year mortgage, etc. It is time to be as liquid and as invisible as possible. My property taxes went up 23% last year since we have one of the healthiest and most stable real estate markets in the country in the Seattle area, but that will also change eventually. All the people who could not really afford to buy a house have mortaged themselves into bankruptcy with those slick adjustable rate or interest only loans. We will see a crash within the next two years and defaults are at an all time high.

The bottom line is, we have a generation of younger folks (30 or less) that lack basic, fundamental education, lack work ethic, spend everyhting they have on consumer goods (toys) and were never taught the simple principle of compounded interest, like what $5K saved would be in 20 years @ 10%. Ben Bernenke the Fed chairman has publicly stated that the gov’t should have addressed the obvious fact that 78 million baby boomers will retire into a system unable to support them and the people that will supposedly provide that support DO NOT WANT TO WORK! Anyone with a remedial understanding of accounting principles would have known this decades ago. The current situation in the US has prompted myself and my wife to vacate this country as soon as we are financial able. Fortunately, my education in architecture and construction, my natural fluency in Spanish (Argentine mother), both of us being foreign born (residency status simplified if born in Spain and a Spanish citizen) and my love for Costa Rica will be an invaluable asset. If the government continues to spend $8,000 per second as they are now, I believe the doom will be accelerated and eventually the US will simply collapse which will impact the entire world and create an ideal environment for extremists. China alone has a $1.06 trillion US dollar reserve and could single handedly create another stock market crash in an instant. What I cannot understand is how so many of my fellow Americans can be so flagrantly ignorant.

[Alfred]

grb1063, That was a highly intelligent and very interesting post. It practically scared the pants off me! While I agree with you on many points and I hope most of what you are saying never comes to pass, I must take exception with you assessment of American intelligence. I think it is not the lack of intelligence in 50% of the population that makes them unable to vote rationally. The electorate has been misled by popularity contest winning politicians, a skewed media, and a lack of “common sense.” The intelligence is there. It has been clouded by too many diversions and I’ll worry about myself first and only attitudes. As far as the other 50% you may be correct. Corporate workers are under the assumption their corporation is their family. Just ask any IBM worker from the old country club days. Small business was the US’s largest employer up until a year or so ago. Now big business has that distinction. Yes, most of them have it good and in the near future it still looks rosy for them. For small and medium business, it will be tough times ahead. On this I speak from experience. I have seen small business be leased, taxed and regulated out of business.
You’re right about many of the young people lacking the initiative to move in their own positive direction. A breakdown of the family and our education system can be partly to blame for that.
Baby Boomer retirement will be a huge burden on those still working, pushing their social security contributions into the stratosphere. If the Interest rates stay high and the dollar is still well supported, the Chinese holding of US dollars should remain stable. But any collapse in the dollar and it may be head for the hills time.
Some people are ignorant because they cannot help themselves, some choose ignorance as a way not to deal with the realities around us.
There are very few things in this life which are guaranteed. Death and taxes being the only two things I’ve ever heard. I honestly think and hope the worst will not come to pass, as you have suggested. I rather see a slower, “death by a thousand cuts” scenario unfolding in the coming decades.
The advice you have given is what most prudent people should be doing at this time. But how many of us are that prudent or disciplined?

Edited on Jan 24, 2007 15:34

[linlsd1]

This is our idea too. As soon as we retire, 5 yrs, CR here we come. The prices here in south FL are ridiculous! I want out!

[Alfred]

linlsd1, Good luck as you plan to retire. Don’t worry the 5 years will go by quickly. I remember when Florida was a haven for all us northerners. Now we have to look further south to live the life we dreamed about.

[vegasknite]

Hi Grb: I took a little break from this string to see what others may say and I am glad to read your post. I agree with a lot of what you state like how 25% of US voters have 1/2 a clue what politics are about. I have found that hispanics have a much greater knowledge of politics and a greater commitment to it as well. I spoke with many Cuban Americans Mexican Americans Puerto Ricans and others all who were very dedicated to change through voting the value of their vote and just a general knowledge of the election process. I have known some hispanic activist also they formed their own block of voters to have clout with elected officials to make changes for their people. There is strength in numbers and the middle class has lost touch with that we can make the changes needed in our country if we elect the right people but that is difficult with only the 25% you mention. I have said in other posts that our voters don’t have a clue about who they vote for or why they support their canidate. I have heard people vote for a canidate because they liked their looks or their name scary isn’t it. Hopefully that will change through education I see the MTV generation trying to teach the importance in voting so I have hope.

As far as taxation as you brought it up I agree we are over taxed especially the middle income family units because they don’t know how to take advantage of the system. You can read about the top 1% of earners and the amount of tax revenue they contribute by working the system. A 100 million dollar annual income can get away with paying less than a 50,000 annual family income pays in percentages and even in real dollars in some cases. There are some people that believe that they should pay their fair share of taxes and don’t avoid them but they are few and far between. If it weren’t for the middle class our country would be in real trouble we do the work and pay the taxes. I can add a lot more to this but will stop here I may continue on this subject later.

As far as our youth is concerned I agree this is real scary the past generation and this generation of under educated lazy people with an entitelement mentallity that has been created by their parents may be in very big trouble. They sure as I am sitting here won’t be able to carry the burden of supporting our social security system never mind them selves unless something drastic occurs. That is why we have so many technical jobs being outsourced. Even our teachers are under educated and can’t use the english language properly never mind teaching it. We have pictures on the cash registers at cash registers so people working them can ring up a sale. Math and science learning is at an all time low but what scares me the most is our children don’t have a clue what analytical thinking is. Their brains have never been expanded to free think. They have excellent hand eye control from the video game lifestyle they exist in. Even our manual labor force is dwindling due to the lazyness of this generation. We have people full of rage that complain about the condition of our country but they forget they caused it. On the bright side it is all repairable we have a great foundation to build from if we ever decide to get back to the basics and start educating our most valuable asset (our youth) we will turn it all around. Once we stop the attitude that we are owed things and go back to earning them. When we realize while we were asleep the rest of the world cuaght up and we live in a global economy that we are not the leader we once were we can get back on top. It won’t be easy but it is doable as long as we don’t quit. Parents need to parent teachers need to teach and government needs to govern as we did for 200+ years. Complaining doesn’t do it actions do. My children who are adults today are capable earners with a knowledge of our political system because I didn’t rely on our schools alone. I put in the time and effort I wasn’t at a country club playing golf or traveling or out drinking I was home parenting. That’s my contribution to the future I’m not asking for a pat on the back or recognition I’m just explaining what I did that worked for me maybe someone will learn from it and pass it on so our recovery can happen. Either way I will be in Costa Rica living out the twilight of my life.

Edited on Jan 26, 2007 22:16

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