More on topic...can this chip be disabled, or even better, removed or not added as an option?
I do NOT want anything like this capability on my phone that I carry everywhere....
I'm trying to go more cash as it is...keep CC spending down...and really, one good hack on this thing, or a stolen phone...how much money could you potentially lose if this thing acts like a debit card and takes it straight out of your checking??? I don't have a debit card for reasons like that....that your funds are gone, and don't come back until your prove it wasn't you as opposed to CC's where at least you don't have the money taken out immediately.
I don't make $200K...less than that, but hell...I"m already paying about 33% in taxes...I don't need to pay more.
I make well above median....
I don't see it as bad as you do no. Should a day laborer make near as much as I do? No.
If you didn't go to school to learn, or work hard, well it sucks to be you...but you still shouldn't get a free ride on the tax train either.
I still say..get rid of the current tax system...put in some kind of national sales tax on the Fair Tax model. Wealthy people buy more things...more expensive things..and in doing that, you WILL get the money you want from them. You'll discover tax money from those that deal under the table on a cash basis...everyone has to buy stuff, hence you'll get their taxes.
I think the Fair Tax has provisions for people that make under a certain level to get refunds, etc for the basics of life, so it isn't quite so regressive...
But screw it...if you make $1M, you should not have to pay half of it in fucking taxes...that just kills incentive to make money. Look back on what soaking the rich have done, like in England when the Stones had to leave as tax exiles...sure they made a fortune, but not enough to cover what the taxes would have been at the draconian levels that some people are wanting to re-instate.
I know people that make in the $200K range.Sure, they have more than me, but not THAT much more where you want to soak them for tax money. Hell, I am trying to make more and more and get to that level or higher, but shit...if I get to that level, and start having to pay half of it in...why would I want to get to that level?
You and so many other people for some reason thing it is wrong, almost sinful to make a lot of money and enjoy their means.
The US was built for equal opportunities to be out there...not that everyone would have equal access or a level playing field to start, nor a right to getting a piece of it if they were stupid, lazy, unsuccessful, unlucky..etc.
"Obama proposed renewing the tax cuts for everyone making less than $200K a year"
$200K a year is NOT wealthy. In some cities...you can't get a dump of an apt on that salary (NYC for instance...SF another).
Certainly not that or $250K for families....and they were trying to lower even that threshold on the definition of what is 'wealthy'.
Talk to me when they start looking at the people making over $500K or $800K - $1M a year...then maybe we can talk.
If you're talking about hitting everyone..well, then lets hit EVERYONE. Lets throw some federal tax on those 49% or so that currently pay no taxes. I'm not talking milk them dry, but they should pay something...
"Honestly, I don't think that the cost of buying the car is the biggest killer in whether you can afford it or not. The insurance is."
How much is your insurance?
I live in one of the MOST expensive areas for car insurance (New Orleans)...I have a good car, 2005...and combined renters insurance and car insurance is only like $150 or so a month...?
"Never heard of the military eh? It's these guys in camouflage... well you can look it up."
I'll give you this one example. And mainly, because defense IS one of the few enumerated powers/responsibilities that the federal govt. is responsible for via the Constitution.
"You can begin to get an idea if you look at a family's accounts. So mom and junior have high credit card debt, but at the same time grandpa is a multimillionaire. Does it then make sense as a family to stop spending on things like bus fare to get to work and thus stop working? Shouldn't we stop spending until the credit cards are paid off? Or you know, grandpa could pay off the credit cards at the same time as we continue spending bus fare to get to work, keep paying for young Suzie's education and keep paying for brother Tim's antibiotics until he's well enough to go back to work."
Well, first, if you example is using Grandpa as the US federal govt...not valid. He's not a multi-millionaire if he's trillions of dollars in debt to Mr. Ginsing who lives down the road. He might have a million in the bank right now, but it is borrowed and can be called in. I'd not call that wealth that Grandpa really has to give away to Mom and Jr.
And in a family situation...if Mom and Junior have run the family so far into debt, yes..sacrifices need to be made to get out of it. Happens all the time in the real world...yes, Suzie might have to drop outta college if the family made such poor decisions. Sad but fact of life. Also, they may need to sell a car...move to a smaller house, and generally live below their income till they can become fiscally responsible.
"The problem isn't that the US is lacking in wealth. It's that the wealth has all moved into the hands of a few people who pay a smaller percentage of their wealth as taxes than they used to and don't reinvest it in the US anymore,"
Ok..well, raising taxes, as many call for...income taxes from working people, never really ever touches those extremely wealthy people you talk about. Guess what? They don't work, they don't earn a paycheck to tax. Maybe you go for their investments? Well, you'd think that targets them, but again...you hit the working class. They're all in the market too invested in 401K's and the like...so, again, you aren't just hitting the wealthy you are targeting.
If you can figure a way to just hit them....let me know, and I'll reconsider my position. In a free country like this, I honestly can't think of a way to just target the extreme wealthy who are the ones who have the disproportionate amount of the wealth in the US.
I'd be cool with it IF they raised them slightly..on EVERYONE, including the nearly 50% of people that don't pay federal taxes in the US. I'm sorry, if you earn anything..at least pay a little tax. No one should get a free ride, if they use public services.
Hell, wish they'd just go to some kind of Fair Tax type thing...that way, no one has to bother figuring out deductions...you just basically either pay your taxes with a national sales tax type thing...or do something broadly like a flat 15%-20% or so tax...
I don't mind if you drop the percentage a little on the lowest of income, but c'mon...fucking pay something like everyone else.
Seriously, I've NEVER understood this thinking. Regardless of the taxes..people will fuck and have kids.
I seriously doubt that this conversation has happened..."Oooh...babe, I love you let's do it....here let me put a condom on. What? Well...we don't want any more kids right? OH..really? You mean if we have another mouth to feed, I can write a bit more off on my taxes?!?!?" [rips rubber off and starts fucking bareback for rest of marriage]
Sorry...I don't buy it. It isn't fair either...people no kids or less kids are subsidizing people with more kids? How is that fair. People should take full responsibility for their actions, you want kids..be prepared to pay for them yourself, and make whatever sacrifices you have...don't take money out of my pocket.
Heck if nothing else...if we tax based on good things...tax parents MORE for each kid, as that they end up using more resources that people with less kids (schools, etc)
Err...what planet are you looking at? Have you seen the massive spending and deficit run up the current administration has done the pass 2x years??!?!
In this short time...they've almost doubled what Bush and Clinton did combined....
And in the Obama state of the union,what did he propose? MORE spending (called it investment this time). No...
While I'm against the amounts Bush II put in place during his reign...Obama and Dems have taken to all new highs.
Also, what subsidies are you talking about with reference to gas prices? I hear this all the time, and I dunno what you're on about. I mean, the reason prices are so high in the EU for example, is due to the huge amount of over taxation they put on fuel over there.
"Nationalized healthcare works fine in nations I have lived in that used it. "
Well, many of those nations, guessing EU...can afford to spend money on that nationalized health care because they don't have to spend on defense..since the US pretty much covers everyone's ass on that one.
Frankly, I think we should close many of our bases out there, and let other countries start spending and fending for themselves. Then...lets see if they can afford all the freebies for their folks. Even at this level now....many countries in the EU are having to start austerity programs. If they had to spend on defense, likely they'd not be offering either.
My first questions is...what grocery store delivers?!?!?!
Second of all....I'd not have found the marked down special if "I" had not been in the store that day shopping. Personally, I like to pick out my own food...I look and feel the veggies to make sure of ripeness and quality..etc. Even if there were such a thing as a grocery store that delivered, I'd not want to trust someone else to take the care I do in picking out my fresh ingredients to cook with...and most everything I cook is from scratch, I don't buy prepacked, heavily processed food.
That and having to tip out one more person? No thanks.
"What makes you think cutting spending will lower the debt? Putting millions of people out of work crushes the economy, reduces consumer spending, and means lower tax revenues."
Stop the massive govt. spending, let people and companies keep and reinvest THEIR money according to their own decisions...and they will create jobs, that can hire the former govt. workers (sure, they might have to start actually working then), and this will increase tax revenues the smaller govt can use to pay off debt.
"Cutting government spending basically means punching the economy in the nose. It needs to be done, but not right now. We need to spend smarter in ways that will bring the economy back first. "
Yeah, that worked out SO well the first two years of the current administration, eh?
Government does not create jobs...not sustainable ones. We need to govt to get the hell OUT of the attempted job creation market. Let the citizens keep more of their OWN money to spend it on businesses and jobs...the private sector creates the jobs that pay the taxes to keep the govt afloat, not the other way around.
I mean, what logical person looks and sees they are heavily in debt from spending $10K a year on CC's with only minimal payments, and thinks to themselves..."Hey...I need to control this and get outta debt...I'll promise myself not to spend any more than $10K next year, and I'll make sure to spend less on booze and more on food in this next year too...yeah, that'll do it...that's the ticket..."
Trouble is...when exactly did taxes evolve to become a method for the government to influence citizen behavior??
Rather than keep progressing down this road, lets take away all incentive via tax.
Taxes should be for nothing more than funding the common govt functionality, and most of it should reside a the state level, since the state is closer to its citizens and can more efficiently fill their needs in a more targeted way.
But lets take ALL tax breaks away that try to iinfluence behavior. Stop child credits. Stop house deductions...get rid of all deductiions really...lets get to more a a fair or flat type (type, I'm game for some mods, not the strict definition) of tax where everyone just pays their fair share. We'd have more tax income coming in, and everyone would likely end up paying less in total taxes.
Lets to to where we use taxation ONLY to fund the govt, and lets get the govt out of the business of trying to tell me how to live and run my life!
"If fuel taxes were raised, it would greatly encourage people to drive less and it provides economic subsidy for other forms of transportation instead of cheap oil. But that would make us exactly like Europe and our states would be declaring bankruptcy."
Trouble is...raise those fuel taxes..and virtually everything we have would go up on price on a huge scale. I'm talking basic necessities like FOOD, clothing and housing. How do you think all that stuff gets transported around. People bitch about taxation hitting the poor, well this one alone would target them more than any other tax raise.
And they way the infrastructure is in the US as it exists today...in most of the cities in the US, you can NOT function properly without a car. You need to drive for basic needs...to get to/from work. To shop for food and anything else you and/or your family needs. There is no such thing as public transport for the most part that the whole populace can easily use. How the fuck am I going to get my weekly groceries home? I'm single and I usually buy for the week and have to make multiple trips from the car to inside my house to get all the food and stuff in. I mean, a couple weeks ago, a whole 22lb ham was on sale for $0.99/lb...I sure don't see myself schlepping that on a bus that doesn't go from door to door...especially on a rainy day?
And please, don't start spouting that shit about moving closer to work...etc. That would take decades and the upheaval would be unbearable for the country and the economy. Not to mention..many places you were are NOT places you want to live (schools, crime, etc) even if there were enough proper housing for people. Oh...you're supposed to fucking MOVE every time you change jobs? I mean, this is common...the one job for life is a thing of the past, to move up in position and salary, you have to change jobs every few years (2-4). Sell your house and move every time? What if you're married and you spouse keeps her job but you change yours...she has to move too and quit her job and try to find a new one closer to the new home?
People like to think that raising fuel taxes would solve SO much...but the repercussions are far reaching.
Nationalized healthcare? Well, that's a whole new rant, but I'll leave it at this. The other day, I had to go to the DMV to get my license renewed. New address, so not available to do online. Seriously, if I had to deal with my healthcare with a govt. run option that runs as...*ahem* efficiently as the DMV, well, we'd see more dead people all over the place.
"Sorry sir...yes I can see you are hemorrhaging blood, but you don't seem to have the proper forms...and they aren't notarized either. "
Trouble is...even shifting money around is not what we need to be doing right now. We need to CUT spending...and drastically!! Cut things and use that to pay down the debt.
I just heard on the news in the break room, that while the US still just barely has the top credit rating...they tell us that if we don't get the deficit under control pronto, they're gonna drop our credit rating.
Man, you think things are bad now...wait till THAT shoe drops.
"I suspect Sony will learn the lesson and the PS4 will see the introduction of a subscription based PSN."
Hmm. Well, this past xmas, I bought my first gaming console in ages...the PS3. The determining factor for this was the fact that the network WAS free/included with the purchase.
"Really??? I've never been any place in the US where drivers moved faster than 90 (actual speed limit was 85)."
I've regularly been passed up driving between New Orleans and Baton Rouge while I was going 85-90mph.
In the year or two just following Katrina...it was faster than that. Kinda nice too...sure made that trip a lot quicker.
Maybe it is just mostly in the south and southeast of the US, but most of the time when I'm doing serious hwy driving...I keep it between 85-90mph...and I'm certainly not blowing past everyone....
Slashdot Mirror
What if you're a visitor with an out of state car, or a rental car?
I do NOT want anything like this capability on my phone that I carry everywhere....
I'm trying to go more cash as it is...keep CC spending down...and really, one good hack on this thing, or a stolen phone...how much money could you potentially lose if this thing acts like a debit card and takes it straight out of your checking??? I don't have a debit card for reasons like that....that your funds are gone, and don't come back until your prove it wasn't you as opposed to CC's where at least you don't have the money taken out immediately.
I make well above median....
I don't see it as bad as you do no. Should a day laborer make near as much as I do? No.
If you didn't go to school to learn, or work hard, well it sucks to be you...but you still shouldn't get a free ride on the tax train either.
I still say..get rid of the current tax system...put in some kind of national sales tax on the Fair Tax model. Wealthy people buy more things...more expensive things..and in doing that, you WILL get the money you want from them. You'll discover tax money from those that deal under the table on a cash basis...everyone has to buy stuff, hence you'll get their taxes.
I think the Fair Tax has provisions for people that make under a certain level to get refunds, etc for the basics of life, so it isn't quite so regressive...
But screw it...if you make $1M, you should not have to pay half of it in fucking taxes...that just kills incentive to make money. Look back on what soaking the rich have done, like in England when the Stones had to leave as tax exiles...sure they made a fortune, but not enough to cover what the taxes would have been at the draconian levels that some people are wanting to re-instate.
I know people that make in the $200K range.Sure, they have more than me, but not THAT much more where you want to soak them for tax money. Hell, I am trying to make more and more and get to that level or higher, but shit...if I get to that level, and start having to pay half of it in...why would I want to get to that level?
You and so many other people for some reason thing it is wrong, almost sinful to make a lot of money and enjoy their means.
The US was built for equal opportunities to be out there...not that everyone would have equal access or a level playing field to start, nor a right to getting a piece of it if they were stupid, lazy, unsuccessful, unlucky..etc.
Trouble is...we don't have the MONEY to do this right now...you want to borrow even MORE money from China?
We need to make due with what we have, cut things to the bone...and work our way out of this mess.
We tried spending our way out of it already in the 1st two years of the current administration...and look how well THAT has worked for us so far?
$200K a year is NOT wealthy. In some cities...you can't get a dump of an apt on that salary (NYC for instance...SF another).
Certainly not that or $250K for families....and they were trying to lower even that threshold on the definition of what is 'wealthy'.
Talk to me when they start looking at the people making over $500K or $800K - $1M a year...then maybe we can talk.
If you're talking about hitting everyone..well, then lets hit EVERYONE. Lets throw some federal tax on those 49% or so that currently pay no taxes. I'm not talking milk them dry, but they should pay something...
How much is your insurance?
I live in one of the MOST expensive areas for car insurance (New Orleans)...I have a good car, 2005...and combined renters insurance and car insurance is only like $150 or so a month...?
I'll give you this one example. And mainly, because defense IS one of the few enumerated powers/responsibilities that the federal govt. is responsible for via the Constitution.
"You can begin to get an idea if you look at a family's accounts. So mom and junior have high credit card debt, but at the same time grandpa is a multimillionaire. Does it then make sense as a family to stop spending on things like bus fare to get to work and thus stop working? Shouldn't we stop spending until the credit cards are paid off? Or you know, grandpa could pay off the credit cards at the same time as we continue spending bus fare to get to work, keep paying for young Suzie's education and keep paying for brother Tim's antibiotics until he's well enough to go back to work."
Well, first, if you example is using Grandpa as the US federal govt...not valid. He's not a multi-millionaire if he's trillions of dollars in debt to Mr. Ginsing who lives down the road. He might have a million in the bank right now, but it is borrowed and can be called in. I'd not call that wealth that Grandpa really has to give away to Mom and Jr.
And in a family situation...if Mom and Junior have run the family so far into debt, yes..sacrifices need to be made to get out of it. Happens all the time in the real world...yes, Suzie might have to drop outta college if the family made such poor decisions. Sad but fact of life. Also, they may need to sell a car...move to a smaller house, and generally live below their income till they can become fiscally responsible.
"The problem isn't that the US is lacking in wealth. It's that the wealth has all moved into the hands of a few people who pay a smaller percentage of their wealth as taxes than they used to and don't reinvest it in the US anymore,"
Ok..well, raising taxes, as many call for...income taxes from working people, never really ever touches those extremely wealthy people you talk about. Guess what? They don't work, they don't earn a paycheck to tax. Maybe you go for their investments? Well, you'd think that targets them, but again...you hit the working class. They're all in the market too invested in 401K's and the like...so, again, you aren't just hitting the wealthy you are targeting.
If you can figure a way to just hit them....let me know, and I'll reconsider my position. In a free country like this, I honestly can't think of a way to just target the extreme wealthy who are the ones who have the disproportionate amount of the wealth in the US.
We can only cut so much"
I'd be cool with it IF they raised them slightly..on EVERYONE, including the nearly 50% of people that don't pay federal taxes in the US. I'm sorry, if you earn anything..at least pay a little tax. No one should get a free ride, if they use public services.
Hell, wish they'd just go to some kind of Fair Tax type thing...that way, no one has to bother figuring out deductions...you just basically either pay your taxes with a national sales tax type thing...or do something broadly like a flat 15%-20% or so tax...
I don't mind if you drop the percentage a little on the lowest of income, but c'mon...fucking pay something like everyone else.
Seriously, I've NEVER understood this thinking. Regardless of the taxes..people will fuck and have kids.
I seriously doubt that this conversation has happened..."Oooh...babe, I love you let's do it....here let me put a condom on. What? Well...we don't want any more kids right? OH..really? You mean if we have another mouth to feed, I can write a bit more off on my taxes?!?!?" [rips rubber off and starts fucking bareback for rest of marriage]
Sorry...I don't buy it. It isn't fair either...people no kids or less kids are subsidizing people with more kids? How is that fair. People should take full responsibility for their actions, you want kids..be prepared to pay for them yourself, and make whatever sacrifices you have...don't take money out of my pocket.
Heck if nothing else...if we tax based on good things...tax parents MORE for each kid, as that they end up using more resources that people with less kids (schools, etc)
Err...what planet are you looking at? Have you seen the massive spending and deficit run up the current administration has done the pass 2x years??!?!
In this short time...they've almost doubled what Bush and Clinton did combined....
And in the Obama state of the union,what did he propose? MORE spending (called it investment this time). No...
While I'm against the amounts Bush II put in place during his reign...Obama and Dems have taken to all new highs.
Also, what subsidies are you talking about with reference to gas prices? I hear this all the time, and I dunno what you're on about. I mean, the reason prices are so high in the EU for example, is due to the huge amount of over taxation they put on fuel over there.
Well, many of those nations, guessing EU...can afford to spend money on that nationalized health care because they don't have to spend on defense..since the US pretty much covers everyone's ass on that one.
Frankly, I think we should close many of our bases out there, and let other countries start spending and fending for themselves. Then...lets see if they can afford all the freebies for their folks. Even at this level now....many countries in the EU are having to start austerity programs. If they had to spend on defense, likely they'd not be offering either.
My first questions is...what grocery store delivers?!?!?!
Second of all....I'd not have found the marked down special if "I" had not been in the store that day shopping. Personally, I like to pick out my own food...I look and feel the veggies to make sure of ripeness and quality..etc. Even if there were such a thing as a grocery store that delivered, I'd not want to trust someone else to take the care I do in picking out my fresh ingredients to cook with...and most everything I cook is from scratch, I don't buy prepacked, heavily processed food.
That and having to tip out one more person? No thanks.
I think you replied to the wrong person, I was ranting against people having to live near their place of employment.
Stop the massive govt. spending, let people and companies keep and reinvest THEIR money according to their own decisions...and they will create jobs, that can hire the former govt. workers (sure, they might have to start actually working then), and this will increase tax revenues the smaller govt can use to pay off debt.
Yeah, that worked out SO well the first two years of the current administration, eh?
Government does not create jobs...not sustainable ones. We need to govt to get the hell OUT of the attempted job creation market. Let the citizens keep more of their OWN money to spend it on businesses and jobs...the private sector creates the jobs that pay the taxes to keep the govt afloat, not the other way around.
I mean, what logical person looks and sees they are heavily in debt from spending $10K a year on CC's with only minimal payments, and thinks to themselves..."Hey...I need to control this and get outta debt...I'll promise myself not to spend any more than $10K next year, and I'll make sure to spend less on booze and more on food in this next year too...yeah, that'll do it...that's the ticket..."
I don't wanna risk that in MY lifetime...
NASA == Need Another Seven Astronauts"
Flamebait?
Wow...some people have no sense of humor...either that, or they weren't around then to hear all the jokes...
Rather than keep progressing down this road, lets take away all incentive via tax.
Taxes should be for nothing more than funding the common govt functionality, and most of it should reside a the state level, since the state is closer to its citizens and can more efficiently fill their needs in a more targeted way.
But lets take ALL tax breaks away that try to iinfluence behavior. Stop child credits. Stop house deductions...get rid of all deductiions really...lets get to more a a fair or flat type (type, I'm game for some mods, not the strict definition) of tax where everyone just pays their fair share. We'd have more tax income coming in, and everyone would likely end up paying less in total taxes.
Lets to to where we use taxation ONLY to fund the govt, and lets get the govt out of the business of trying to tell me how to live and run my life!
Trouble is...raise those fuel taxes..and virtually everything we have would go up on price on a huge scale. I'm talking basic necessities like FOOD, clothing and housing. How do you think all that stuff gets transported around. People bitch about taxation hitting the poor, well this one alone would target them more than any other tax raise.
And they way the infrastructure is in the US as it exists today...in most of the cities in the US, you can NOT function properly without a car. You need to drive for basic needs...to get to/from work. To shop for food and anything else you and/or your family needs. There is no such thing as public transport for the most part that the whole populace can easily use. How the fuck am I going to get my weekly groceries home? I'm single and I usually buy for the week and have to make multiple trips from the car to inside my house to get all the food and stuff in. I mean, a couple weeks ago, a whole 22lb ham was on sale for $0.99/lb...I sure don't see myself schlepping that on a bus that doesn't go from door to door...especially on a rainy day?
And please, don't start spouting that shit about moving closer to work...etc. That would take decades and the upheaval would be unbearable for the country and the economy. Not to mention..many places you were are NOT places you want to live (schools, crime, etc) even if there were enough proper housing for people. Oh...you're supposed to fucking MOVE every time you change jobs? I mean, this is common...the one job for life is a thing of the past, to move up in position and salary, you have to change jobs every few years (2-4). Sell your house and move every time? What if you're married and you spouse keeps her job but you change yours...she has to move too and quit her job and try to find a new one closer to the new home?
People like to think that raising fuel taxes would solve SO much...but the repercussions are far reaching.
Nationalized healthcare? Well, that's a whole new rant, but I'll leave it at this. The other day, I had to go to the DMV to get my license renewed. New address, so not available to do online. Seriously, if I had to deal with my healthcare with a govt. run option that runs as...*ahem* efficiently as the DMV, well, we'd see more dead people all over the place.
"Sorry sir...yes I can see you are hemorrhaging blood, but you don't seem to have the proper forms...and they aren't notarized either. "
I just heard on the news in the break room, that while the US still just barely has the top credit rating...they tell us that if we don't get the deficit under control pronto, they're gonna drop our credit rating.
Man, you think things are bad now...wait till THAT shoe drops.
Hmm. Well, this past xmas, I bought my first gaming console in ages...the PS3. The determining factor for this was the fact that the network WAS free/included with the purchase.
NASA == Need Another Seven Astronauts
That's what radar detectors are for.
Not really, as far as Iraq and Afghanistan...we're still there as legal 'guests' so to speak.
The governments there have yet to tell us to leave.
That makes a difference.
I've regularly been passed up driving between New Orleans and Baton Rouge while I was going 85-90mph.
In the year or two just following Katrina...it was faster than that. Kinda nice too...sure made that trip a lot quicker.
Maybe it is just mostly in the south and southeast of the US, but most of the time when I'm doing serious hwy driving...I keep it between 85-90mph...and I'm certainly not blowing past everyone....