I say destroy it completely, and rebuild it right.
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first Bionic Internet. Better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster.
China does not send direct Foreign Aid to the United States. China does buy US Government Bonds, to finance the US Government Debt. That is not the same as sending direct economic aid. Is financing the US Debt a bad thing for the US? That depends upon your point of view. If the US President was interested in the future of my country, he would simply raise taxes to pay for all of the expenses he is incurring. That would reduce the size of the Deficit and have the resulting impact of reducing the dependency upon Japan and China for financiing the deficit.
My original post was written to remind everyone that China is spending about $1 billion to launch this spaceship (see the end of this article), while it receives significant economic development aid from the World Bank. Where are China's priorities?
So while China doesn't have the US exactly by the proverbial economic balls, it has a big chunk of it
Uh, no. Don't forget that China has "pegged" the Yuan to the dollar at a very low rare. As China increases the value of the Yuan (it started to do this earlier this year), the cost of goods produced there will increase (in comparison to the US Dollar). The increase cost of goods, will undoubtedly result in some economic slow-down in China's economy. Too much of a slow down would probably put China in some serious economic (and political) trouble.
The bad news is that China's economy is now big enough that a slow down in China would probably impact every other country in the world.
Take a look at this. Remember, GW Bush just appointed Paul Wolfowitz (the man that is the considered the lead neo-conservative in the United States) to head the World Bank.
Don't forget, the Chinese have fixed the price of the yuan as compared to a dollar (there has been some movement over the past few months - but the fact is that the Yuan is much cheaper than it should be). That fixed price has resulted in a significant amount of economic displacement in the United States. The cost of manufacturing in China is much lower than it should be. This low cost is moving business from North America and putting it in Shanghai or other Chinese ciites.
One could argue that the loss of manufacturing jobs here in the US is helping to fund the Chinese space program.
I live in Pittsburgh, PA. For major metropolitan areas, Pittsburgh is considered to have a very low average cost for housing. But, due to various advantages that I have (such as, being lucky enough to count a land and housing developer as a relative and a friend), I decided to build a rather large house on 2 1/2 acres of land. The cost and size of the house is probably a bit more than I would normally consider given my economic situation. But, the cost was discounted and I figured a few years of "stretching" it would pay off handsomely when the value of the house increased (note that Pittsburgh is not part of the "housing bubble" talk you hear of in Florida and California -- so, given the regional average, the value of my home goes up 5 to 6% a year).
I'm glad to see the porn industry thriving. Although, even with a fair amount of time allotted to "browsing" per day, I simply don't see how I can be expected to visit all sixteen million sites.
Pornography?!?!.........On the Internet?..........You've got to be kidding!
As Enigma Man pointed out in another reply, an income of $44.5 K does not include the cost of benefits. You should remember that when a company pays you $44,500, it has additional costs of approximately 30% additional to pay for things like health care, Soc Sec taxes, unemployment taxes etc. I am not sure how things like SS and unemployment taxes would impact anyone living off of the interest of their $5 Million in lottery winnings, but I can tell you that you would most definitely have to pay for health and dental insurance (you would also be crazy to not purchase life and/or auto insurance).
Not everything in your home needs to have "LV" stenciled on it.
On one hand, you are right. 3% is really conservative. The 3% I used came from a figure that somebody else used in this string. I should have pointed out the source of the 3%.
However, so far this year, my 401K is averaging a 5.1% rate of return. I am being very agressive with my investments (I have about 20% invested in international stocks). Given the rises and falls of the stock and bond markets over the course of decades, I think 6% is kind of average. Take away a 2 to 3% average inflation rate, and you end up with about 3 to 4% return a year (disclaimer: IANA Financial Analyst -- take my numbers with a large grain of salt -- but I still think they are kind of reasonable).
You couldn't afford your lifestyle on $100k/year? I know that I could live on a salary much, much lower than that simply because I already do. It's a matter of living within your means and making your money as effective as possible. Eventually you'll pay off your debts and be able to live on even less.
As your salary increases, and as the size of your family icreases, you will find that your responsibility also increases.
My wife and I live in a very nice single-family house valued at about $350K (If I lived in some areas of the country, that house would instead by a closet). We have one car (a Ford Escape). While our house is nice, the cost is not outrageous in comparison to most areas of the country and we don't go crazy on other costs. However, we also have signifcant costs beyond the mortgage: both of us have graduate school loans to repay, a home equity loan (to remove former credit card costs), life insurance (for everyone in the family), auto insurance, utilities, gasoline expenses, a healthy toddler, food expenses, a dog, a cat, and the occasional bottle of nice wine (just try to tell my wife that the dog should die rather than dropping $1,000 at the vet -- and I'll be damned if I have to give up my wine).
While I have a very nice life, I don't think we are being outrageous.
I sooo hope the parent poster was being sarcastic.
I wasn't being sarcastic at all. I was being completely serious.
$5 Million in cash isn't much money at all. First of all, take 40% of it away in taxes (federal and, for most of us, state). Now, you have $3 Million left. That 3 Million, even if you invest it isn't enough. At 3% return, you are looking at $90,000 a year. Take 1/3 out for taxes, you are left with $60,000 per year.
Assuming you don't work, you have to pay for your own health insurance, life insurance, transportation (and related insurance), housing, property taxes and food. Could you do it for $60,000 a year? Probably yes. Would you and your three dependents be happy? Probably not. Don't forget that you still need to pay for college for two children (with $3 million in the bank, I doubt you'd get much financial aid).
If you took any of those fixed costs (housing & transportation) and spent for them out of your remaining $3 million, you'd be cutting into your annual salary. And, you need to replace your car every six or seven years. And, if you are like most couples, you need TWO vehicles.
Hell, if someone dropped just $100k in my lap, I'd never have to work again
You are dreaming. $100,000 isn't enough to buy (even a shitty) house, one car and live on forever. See my previous paragraph.
One Million? Not even close. If your father-in-law said five million, then I would tend to agree with him, but that depends upon your personal situation. For example, I am (two days away from being) 39 years old--sh*t, I might as well just throw in the towel, 39 is ancient. I have a wife and kid. Five million wouldn't be enough for me to quit my job.
Anybody else depressed that people make a lot of money doing stupid things?
I wouldn't get too depressed. Ever since I started my first high-school job (as a restaurant dishwasher over 20 years go), I have heard hundreds of stories about people that made alot of money doing stupid things. In spite of these stories, you just have to remind yourself that there are millions of people that lost their shirts, thinking that stupid things would make them rich, quick.
You are better off, in the long run, with an education. With a degree, if nothing else, you can always end up with a good job, when your latest get-rich-quick scheme fails.
Today's winner of the Roland Piquopalliehsasdflkj Honorary Blogger Self-Promotion award is: Mojo-Dog. Special kudos go to slashdot editors, who continue to accept slashvertising as real "submssions".
In honor of this award, we are now providing a special slashdot effect to Mojo-Dog's server. Guess sometimes that self-promotion backfires, doesn't it?
Slashdot Mirror
That article must have only run on Slashdot one time. I only read articles after they've been duped at least three times.
And Friday is Hawaiian shirt day....
If you buy me a beer, I'll even admit to sleeping with my sister.
Walk a mile in my shoes, buddy. You'll find out it ain't all peachs 'n cream.
Drinking isn't on that list. I guess I don't have any bad habits!
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first Bionic Internet. Better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster.
China does not send direct Foreign Aid to the United States. China does buy US Government Bonds, to finance the US Government Debt. That is not the same as sending direct economic aid. Is financing the US Debt a bad thing for the US? That depends upon your point of view. If the US President was interested in the future of my country, he would simply raise taxes to pay for all of the expenses he is incurring. That would reduce the size of the Deficit and have the resulting impact of reducing the dependency upon Japan and China for financiing the deficit.
My original post was written to remind everyone that China is spending about $1 billion to launch this spaceship (see the end of this article), while it receives significant economic development aid from the World Bank. Where are China's priorities?
Uh, no. Don't forget that China has "pegged" the Yuan to the dollar at a very low rare. As China increases the value of the Yuan (it started to do this earlier this year), the cost of goods produced there will increase (in comparison to the US Dollar). The increase cost of goods, will undoubtedly result in some economic slow-down in China's economy. Too much of a slow down would probably put China in some serious economic (and political) trouble.
The bad news is that China's economy is now big enough that a slow down in China would probably impact every other country in the world.
Take a look at this. Remember, GW Bush just appointed Paul Wolfowitz (the man that is the considered the lead neo-conservative in the United States) to head the World Bank.
Don't forget, the Chinese have fixed the price of the yuan as compared to a dollar (there has been some movement over the past few months - but the fact is that the Yuan is much cheaper than it should be). That fixed price has resulted in a significant amount of economic displacement in the United States. The cost of manufacturing in China is much lower than it should be. This low cost is moving business from North America and putting it in Shanghai or other Chinese ciites.
One could argue that the loss of manufacturing jobs here in the US is helping to fund the Chinese space program.
I believe you are confusing the "trade deficit" with "Foreign Aid". They are not the same thing.
I guess this means that since China can now afford to send (two) ships into space, it doesn't need any more Foreign Aid from the EU, Japan or the US.
Yet another person that doesn't understand the pure genius of Jar-Jar Binks.
I live in Pittsburgh, PA. For major metropolitan areas, Pittsburgh is considered to have a very low average cost for housing. But, due to various advantages that I have (such as, being lucky enough to count a land and housing developer as a relative and a friend), I decided to build a rather large house on 2 1/2 acres of land. The cost and size of the house is probably a bit more than I would normally consider given my economic situation. But, the cost was discounted and I figured a few years of "stretching" it would pay off handsomely when the value of the house increased (note that Pittsburgh is not part of the "housing bubble" talk you hear of in Florida and California -- so, given the regional average, the value of my home goes up 5 to 6% a year).
I'm glad to see the porn industry thriving. Although, even with a fair amount of time allotted to "browsing" per day, I simply don't see how I can be expected to visit all sixteen million sites.
Pornography?!?!.........On the Internet?..........You've got to be kidding!
As Enigma Man pointed out in another reply, an income of $44.5 K does not include the cost of benefits. You should remember that when a company pays you $44,500, it has additional costs of approximately 30% additional to pay for things like health care, Soc Sec taxes, unemployment taxes etc. I am not sure how things like SS and unemployment taxes would impact anyone living off of the interest of their $5 Million in lottery winnings, but I can tell you that you would most definitely have to pay for health and dental insurance (you would also be crazy to not purchase life and/or auto insurance).
Not everything in your home needs to have "LV" stenciled on it.I prefer to have "LB" on my shirts. :)
On one hand, you are right. 3% is really conservative. The 3% I used came from a figure that somebody else used in this string. I should have pointed out the source of the 3%.
However, so far this year, my 401K is averaging a 5.1% rate of return. I am being very agressive with my investments (I have about 20% invested in international stocks). Given the rises and falls of the stock and bond markets over the course of decades, I think 6% is kind of average. Take away a 2 to 3% average inflation rate, and you end up with about 3 to 4% return a year (disclaimer: IANA Financial Analyst -- take my numbers with a large grain of salt -- but I still think they are kind of reasonable).
As your salary increases, and as the size of your family icreases, you will find that your responsibility also increases.
My wife and I live in a very nice single-family house valued at about $350K (If I lived in some areas of the country, that house would instead by a closet). We have one car (a Ford Escape). While our house is nice, the cost is not outrageous in comparison to most areas of the country and we don't go crazy on other costs. However, we also have signifcant costs beyond the mortgage: both of us have graduate school loans to repay, a home equity loan (to remove former credit card costs), life insurance (for everyone in the family), auto insurance, utilities, gasoline expenses, a healthy toddler, food expenses, a dog, a cat, and the occasional bottle of nice wine (just try to tell my wife that the dog should die rather than dropping $1,000 at the vet -- and I'll be damned if I have to give up my wine).
While I have a very nice life, I don't think we are being outrageous.
Suppose you were offered $5 million dollarsOK, here is what I think that means.
See my reply here.
I wasn't being sarcastic at all. I was being completely serious.
$5 Million in cash isn't much money at all. First of all, take 40% of it away in taxes (federal and, for most of us, state). Now, you have $3 Million left. That 3 Million, even if you invest it isn't enough. At 3% return, you are looking at $90,000 a year. Take 1/3 out for taxes, you are left with $60,000 per year.
Assuming you don't work, you have to pay for your own health insurance, life insurance, transportation (and related insurance), housing, property taxes and food. Could you do it for $60,000 a year? Probably yes. Would you and your three dependents be happy? Probably not. Don't forget that you still need to pay for college for two children (with $3 million in the bank, I doubt you'd get much financial aid).
If you took any of those fixed costs (housing & transportation) and spent for them out of your remaining $3 million, you'd be cutting into your annual salary. And, you need to replace your car every six or seven years. And, if you are like most couples, you need TWO vehicles.
Hell, if someone dropped just $100k in my lap, I'd never have to work againYou are dreaming. $100,000 isn't enough to buy (even a shitty) house, one car and live on forever. See my previous paragraph.
I read somewhere (I don't recall where) that head auto mechanics at car dealerships easily clear $100,000 per year.
One Million? Not even close. If your father-in-law said five million, then I would tend to agree with him, but that depends upon your personal situation. For example, I am (two days away from being) 39 years old--sh*t, I might as well just throw in the towel, 39 is ancient. I have a wife and kid. Five million wouldn't be enough for me to quit my job.
I wouldn't get too depressed. Ever since I started my first high-school job (as a restaurant dishwasher over 20 years go), I have heard hundreds of stories about people that made alot of money doing stupid things. In spite of these stories, you just have to remind yourself that there are millions of people that lost their shirts, thinking that stupid things would make them rich, quick.
You are better off, in the long run, with an education. With a degree, if nothing else, you can always end up with a good job, when your latest get-rich-quick scheme fails.
Today's winner of the Roland Piquopalliehsasdflkj Honorary Blogger Self-Promotion award is: Mojo-Dog. Special kudos go to slashdot editors, who continue to accept slashvertising as real "submssions".
In honor of this award, we are now providing a special slashdot effect to Mojo-Dog's server. Guess sometimes that self-promotion backfires, doesn't it?
Didn't you see Animal House?