Posted on 10/08/2011 5:51:10 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
I often look to see where people come from—it sometimes gives one a bit of insight into their thinking. Besides, I love to see how far flung Freepers are.
In cases of posts about Texas or Rick Perry, I always check to see where people are from.
We can choose to disagree about our Pointy Boots governor (as he is known on a talk radio program in Austin). That’s why we have elections......
May the best person win in all of these elections next year!
Well, I just related the incident to my husband and he sided with YOU.
That’s just mean.
So I went and changed my location to ‘no location.’
He also said that I’m crazy to be so annoyed at the constant Texas posts, but ...
As far as the Trans Texas Corridor goes, it was an ambitious project, maybe over ambitious, but it’s main enemies were environmentalists and liberals.
There will be something similar built someday.
They call him pointy boots in Austin? AKA governor Good Hair.
But you know what they say about Austin, and it’s all true.
The Trans TX Corridor was opposed by conservatives across the state!
They may double deck I-35 some day, but I think that will be about it. I never take Interstates—I love driving the backroads and seeing the country, but I have the time to do that, as I’m retired.
I don’t know what TX posts have bothered you—I’m okay with most of the ones I have read.
Looks to me like you married a smart guy!
Some of Austin is weird, due to the University being there. Most of it is not, and certainly the suburbs aren’t. I do wonder about people wanting to “keep Austin weird” though. I figure those are the libs in our midst.
Anywhere you have both a large University and a huge music involved population is bound to have some out of the mainstream folks hanging around. At the moment, I am more worried about black and Mexican gangs hanging out there. I seldom go into Austin these days, as everything we need has moved out my way.
Then we already have that; it's called a 401K and/or IRA. It's entirely voluntary and a way to save for your retirement. And if you don't do it then tough luck. The other option is a government tax to fund your retirement. And if that is what you're proposing the how will the Cain 9-9-9 plan fund it? It doesn't say. And if it is to be funded by taxes in addition to the income and sales tax then there goes Cain's claim that his scheme is a tax cut because the FICA tax is eliminated. Apparently it isn't eliminated, it's just called something different.,/blockquote>
FICA does not entirely fund Social Security, it is intended to, but it does not. A tremendous amount is diverted from general revenues to make up for the "trust fund" that does not exist.
401k's are an elective source to save privately for your retirement, this is true; however, they are not available to the general population unless offered through your employer. In the event that you part ways with that employer, your contributions to your 401k cease until either rolled over to a new employer (assuming your new employer offers one), or diverted to an IRA. If you contribute adequately to your own retirement, either through a 401k or an IRA, you still are forced to pay FICA. Why? Is it not reasonable to choose either to fund contributions to an individual account OR a paltry sum from Social Security? Today, you don't have the choice - you pay both if you have a 401k.
SS moved from a fully funded system to a pay as you go system in 1939. The ever increasing number of citizens who are deemed to qualify for benefits, regardless of contributions, has and will collapse the system. So, can we agree on the fact that Social Security is not an adequate system?
The Chilean system, or what would be our version thereof, is not funded by general revenues (much like Social Security was never intended to be funded by general revenues). Now, according to Jose Pinera, a former Chilean secretary of labor and social security, the South American country has "ended the illusion that both the employer and the worker contribute to retirement" by creating a system which "allowed current workers to opt out of the government-run pension system financed by a payroll tax and instead contribute to a personal retirement account." he continued, "What determines those workers' retirement benefit is the amount of money accumulated in their personal account during their working years. Neither the workers nor the employers pay a payroll tax. Nor do these workers collect a government-financed benefit," So, essentially you choose either a Social Security style system or an individual account that you own outright.
The impact of pension reform in Chile has gone beyond impressive economic indicators. Pension privatization led to a radical redistribution of power from the state to civil society and, by converting workers into individual owners of the country’s capital, has created a political and cultural atmosphere more consis- tent with free markets and a free society. The average real rates of return on retirement accounts has averaged more than 10 percent since their inception in 1981, and pension assets under management have grown to be around 50 percent of GDP.
However coverage of employees – that comprise both active contributors and non- active members – is very different from coverage of contributors and people moving in and out of the labor force. A case in point is Chile where 100% of the labor force is affiliated with the second pillar but only 56.2% are active contributors. In this country most of the difference is due to independent and informal-sector workers, as the ratio of active second-pillar contributors to dependent workers is close to 90%. (Source: World Bank DEC84797)
If you wish to call contributions to your own retirement a tax, then you are free to do so. I adamantly disagree. Contributions to our retirement are a monthly expense that should be budgeted for during all of our working years.
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