**Patriotic Retirement**

[VCrossfan]

Dear Mr. President,

Patriotic retirement:

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force - Pay them
$1 million apiece severance with the following stipulations:

1. They retire immediately. Forty million job openings - Unemployment
fixed.

2. They buy NEW American cars. Forty million cars ordered - Auto
Industry fixed.

3. They either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis
fixed.

It can't get any easier than that!

P. S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress and their
constituents pay their taxes.

[Solitude]

Amen

[Osteomata]

OK, another wild hair idea, ease our economic/houing crisis, and an interestig take on immigration at the same time:

Free citizenship to anyone who buys a home in forclosure at market value, pending standard security checks.

- Os

[Gussie2000]

Vcrossfan for president

[don moore]

wait till sept. lol i turn 50 then

[snowtrooper1966]

Simply.......
















Brilliant!
Best,

[Marlin]

Here is the problem with that idea, for the most part, the >50 age group are the only demographic left that is actually willing to do any work for their money!! If you pay them all off, nothing would ever get done again
That was my dad's response (cause he doesn't turn 50 till next year).

A better idea, we could solve the problem with the poor, give them all 1 million dollars each, then tax the piss out of them, and see how much they whine that it isn't fair that they are getting taxed more than anyone else. That would be irony.

[tomdietrying]

The irony is the super wealthy right now are getting taxed less per capita than you and I. The irony is the super wealthy can steal billions of dollars from thousands of people with now real consequences. The irony is hard work does pay off, but who you know pays off much better.
Peace.
Tom

[johnnyapollo]

The Fair Tax would level the playing field for everyone.

-- John

[Marlin]

The Fair Tax would level the playing field for everyone.

-- John

True, true, if everyone paid 12.5%, regardless if you make $6/hr or $1000, it would be fair.
As far as the wealthy being wealthy, you are right, there is not a person in the world worth 10 million dollars a year or anything ridiculous like that unless they own the business. But before the outrage against corporate personnel, lets look at our sports teams. Notice they have kept their mouths shut the whole time. They are being paid mostly by the lower/middle class America, kind of makes me wonder where our priorities are, yet no one complains about them.
As for hard work paying off, you are 100% correct, unfortunately, most Americans think they are owed something for being American. I did not drink,do drugs, knock up my girlfriend, skip school and so on and that is why I am successful. My wife lived at home and worked her way through college and got her bachelors in about 2.5 years. Hard work does pay off.
Voting your tax dollars into your own pocket is a bad idea. So is giving it to retards who already failed. Any company accepting government funding should be required to fire all staff in tenure more than 5 years.
And one more thing, the wealthy generally become wealthy for a reason...hard work, sacrifice and being smarter than those around them. Can't get wealthy and stay wealthy by being dumb, or lazy.

"A fool and his money are soon parted."

[tomdietrying]

The wealthy get wealthy for a reason. Yes, the wealthy who made the initial money. Let's talk about the offspring of the wealthy individual who doesn't work hard. There are a lot of people who fall into that catorgory. I can promise you they make more money than you and put together, and it's not because of their work ethic. Why do you think that is?

I know you worked hard to get where you are, but you seem angry at people who are poorer than you. You do realize there are hard working people who come from loving families who are going to stay poor. There is no moving up for some people. Is that called laziness or something else?

Peace.
Tom

[Marlin]

The wealthy get wealthy for a reason. Yes, the wealthy who made the initial money. Let's talk about the offspring of the wealthy individual who doesn't work hard. There are a lot of people who fall into that catorgory. I can promise you they make more money than you and put together, and it's not because of their work ethic. Why do you think that is?

I know you worked hard to get where you are, but you seem angry at people who are poorer than you. You do realize there are hard working people who come from loving families who are going to stay poor. There is no moving up for some people. Is that called laziness or something else?

Peace.
Tom

I seriously doubt that any significant percentage of the "wealthy" inherited their wealth. Matter of fact, I would venture that a huge majority of them have college degrees, and did not have children till they were at least 25. As I said, "A fool and his money are soon parted." Look at all the "poor" people who have won the lottery and file bankruptcy a few years later. Dumb.
As far as being angry at the poor, yes, for the most part I am. They voted for someone with no idea why, only cause of skin color and advertising, they had no idea what the issues were or who they even were, which the electoral college is supposed to prevent that problem.
Most of the poor are not willing to work hard!! The Mcds by my house is hiring, as well as most of the other fast food places, because no one will work there because they do not pay enough, yet we have record high unemployment rates!!! That makes me furious. I work over 70 hours a week, and I am fine. It will not kill someone to work two jobs, and God forbid...............weekends!!!!! Want to really blame someone, start at the unions. Fighting for people to get paid more than they deserve as unskilled workers for decades, and the consumer has to pay for it.(Enter failed American car industry)
Remember, there will always be poor people, tis the nature of the beast, and although I was not poor as a kid, we certainly were not rich, I got waivers to pay for after school activites based on grades and behavior, discount lunches and so on. As I said, I made tough choices, didn't do stupid *****, and voila, here I am, doin alright.
Everyone has that chance, and if you cannot give that chance to your child, then you have no business having children, having a child is not a right, it is a responsibility.

PS-Tom, I enjoy our bantering and look forward to meeting you at Moab. All the guys I work with (who also work 70 hours a week and weekends, feel the same way I do, so no good arguments to be had there) I already packed up your shocks too so I will not forget them!

[circmand]

Sure you have a few Bill Gates who invented something great but most of his wealth is in his own stock. Most of the wealthy inherited such as Trump and the Hiltons their grand parents were robber barons in the past an dhanded down their wealth sure the kids went to college and graduated after their were endowments and buildings paid for by their rich parents. At a tax rate of over 50% hard work and a job can keep you well off but not wealthy. Now with stocks and all being made worthless by corrupt people who do not only not go to prison but get billions in tax dollars to continue their corruption or at least their incompetence from the tax paying citizens (that are not the poor who do not pay taxes). It is the middle class paying all the bills.

28% Fed tax + 8% state tax + 7% sales tax + 2% city tax + 28% capital gains tax + property tax + school tax (of course some of these are only on doallars spent but add up to over 50% tax on all of the middle tax

[Osteomata]

I seriously doubt that any significant percentage of the "wealthy" inherited their wealth.

You are mistaken, this is pretty fundamental financial demographics: The overwhelming majority of the wealthy come from a welathy background. This is not to say that poor or middle class can not also rise to economic wealth, but it is enormously more likely when you start there, when you are given the benfit of the best education, connections, and a little starter loan from Mom and Dad.

Look at all the "poor" people who have won the lottery and file bankruptcy a few years later. Dumb.

Yes, that is dumb, but it is also an anecdote, and anecdote is not evidence. Sounds like you are really looking for a reason to not like "the poor" as a whole.

As far as being angry at the poor, yes, for the most part I am.

Then you have serious issues, my friend.

They voted for someone with no idea why, only cause of skin color and advertising, they had no idea what the issues were or who they even were, which the electoral college is supposed to prevent that problem.

This is rather insulting, in that broad, massive generalization, paint everyone with on brush kinda of way.

Most of the poor are not willing to work hard!! .

Really insulting. You don't appear to know many poor, other than the ones presented on Fox.

Want to really blame someone, start at the unions. Fighting for people to get paid more than they deserve as unskilled workers for decades, and the consumer has to pay for it.(Enter failed American car industry).

While I can agree that unions have and will abuse the system and cause detriment to industries and endanger the ability of some industries to employ people who need jobs, I can also admit that without any sort of organized labor or collective bargaining, then corporate abuses, as frequently endorsed by successful rent-seeking legislation, has also been responsible for horrific abuses from the corporatist side as well. A balance is necessary, and simply crying "its all the unions fault" is incredibly simplisitic and one sided. The current auto industry crisis is hardly the responsibility of the unions, the marginal union rate increase to production costs is rather limited. The problem has more to do with a massive down turn in the overall economic environment, including singificantly tightend lending policies, along with legacy costs and questionable marketing strategies.

Remember, there will always be poor people,

And there will always be people who are angry at them and decice to blame them for a lot, apparently.

Everyone has that chance, and if you cannot give that chance to your child, then you have no business having children, having a child is not a right, it is a responsibility.

Ahh great, lets let the government decide child bearing rights.

- Os

[tomdietrying]

Marlin,
I look forward to meeting you too! I'm getting you a case of your favorite cervesa. What kind do you like?

I see you don't understand my point "who you know is better than what you know" We'll discuss it in camp.

Last quick point, you said "They voted for someone with no idea why, only cause of skin color and advertising" First, I was not aware being a black minority gave you an advantage in America. It couldn't be because he was the more intellegent canidate could it? Wasn't it MaCain who said....the economy wasn't his strong point? And if I'm not mistaking didn't he also say.........the economy is strong......right before it collased. Second, I'm taking a wild guess, but I'm guessing you voted for Mr. Bush twice.

We'll continue the discussion under the stars of Utah. BTW - I appreciate your service to our country.

Peace.
Tom