OT: Hurricanes Lounge XLV: Y2K Twenty-Four Years Later

[Svechhammer]

This is normal....

 

[Svechhammer]

Super Normal...

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

Super Normal...

Should have given Ukraine right to shoot into Russia with US weapons.

Russian uniform outside of Russia should equal death sentence under current regime.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

This is normal....

What is the plan there? He should know the certification isn’t until January. Was his plan to burn something now and accomplish very little? Or hide somewhere for 3 months and spring out later?

Remember when elections were easy? Everyone did their thing, most people avoided voting all together, and whoever lost the election conceded that same night so the transition was easy. Now we’ve got people threatening and assaulting poll workers, literal domestic and foreign terrorist threats, and even if someone wins tonight, there’s going to be legal battles afterwards.

 

[Joe McGrath]

What is the plan there? He should know the certification isn’t until January. Was his plan to burn something now and accomplish very little? Or hide somewhere for 3 months and spring out later?

Remember when elections were easy? Everyone did their thing, most people avoided voting all together, and whoever lost the election conceded that same night so the transition was easy. Now we’ve got people threatening and assaulting poll workers, literal domestic and foreign terrorist threats, and even if someone wins tonight, there’s going to be legal battles afterwards.

In most cases people preparing to set themselves on fire are a little off.

 

[Unsustainable]

Whatever the outcome. Can we agree to not buy up all of the toilet paper?

 

[Borsig]

Whatever the outcome. Can we agree to not buy up all of the toilet paper?

Can't promise - you're gonna be in for a LOT of bullshit either way.

 

[The Faulker 27]

....and nobody is talking about what I view as one of the most important issues facing the US....national debt, and, more specifically, reforming social security and medicare. We have something like 8 or 9 years before mandatory cuts to social security will have to kick in....assuming nothing is done by our chickenshit elected representatives.

The reality is, for me, a combination of spending cuts, raising additional revenues, and rethinking of entitlement programs is a must. And as somebody who feels the primary responsibility of the federal government is national defense, there's almost no way that I can envision a global scenario that won't require additional defense spending, perhaps significant increases given today's geopolitics.

So in the aggregate, tough choices will have to be made and made shortly or the "fixes" become even more drastic and likely painful.

I'm in my 40s. I just assume that the current quote they give me on future SS benefits will be half of that number at best. It sucks, but it's the reality I think unless (as you said) something is done and soon. I just have no faith in our government to fix it.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

....and nobody is talking about what I view as one of the most important issues facing the US....national debt, and, more specifically, reforming social security and medicare.

The mantra of "reforming Social Security and Medicare" falls on deaf ears when they cut taxes and keep spending like a drunken sailor, and when you consider how much you have contributed to SS and Medicare.

BTW....% National Debt increase by President ranked by percentage increase per 1 term (numbers below are for full term).

Reagan: 186% increase over 8 years
GHW Bush: 54% increase over 4 years
GW Bush: 105% increase over 8 years
Trump: 40% increase over 4 years
Obama: 70% increase over 8 years
Biden: 17% increase over 2.75 years
Clinton: 32% increase over 8 years

Granted, Trump's numbers went way up due to the Pandemic and Obama's when he inherited the 2008/9 bank/real estate/ financial crisis so there are some extenuating circumstances.

In hindsight, Clinton (who I never liked) was probably the most fiscally responsible president we've had in office in my voting lifetime. The only time since LBJ that the US has had a balanced budget and created a surplus.

The reality is, for me, a combination of spending cuts, raising additional revenues, and rethinking of entitlement programs is a must. And as somebody who feels the primary responsibility of the federal government is national defense, there's almost no way that I can envision a global scenario that won't require additional defense spending, perhaps significant increases given today's geopolitics.

EDIT: NVM, I read that bolded wrong as I missed the "no way" part.

I'm not sure why you call it "entitlements". Calculate how much money you (and your employer as that comes out of your pocket) have put into SS and Medicare in your lifetime. Then do a calculation as if you would have been able to keep that money and invest it like an IRA or 401K.

These aren't "entitlements", this is a 401K and an HSA that you contributed to at the gov't to manage (I know, they can't manage it).

You want real savings, do something about the healthcare system in the US. It's absurd how much things cost and the layers of "middle men" in between (cough, insurance companies).

 

[tarheelhockey]

Somewhat. There are some notable, and important exceptions.
1) Who leads the country also appoints judges, both Supreme Court and federal judges, which has a big impact on local governing as well. See Roe v. Wade. This is not insignificant.
2) As I said above, tax policy and economic policy affects us all eventually.
3) Immigration policy will affect us all (as I mentioned H-2B above).
4) Setting the tone. Look how many wannabes have sprung up on local politics to emulate a presidential candidates talking points (both parties) causing even more of a divide.

I'm not arguing for one party vs. the other, I'm only stating the the outcome of the presidential race does have a bigger impact on some people than others and can have wider ranging effects than might be obvious at first.

I would add, the winner of this election will become Commander in Chief, during a period when certain countries are busy creating a scenario where the CoC might make a generation-defining decision about where and when to engage the US military.

 

[Svechhammer]

So some of y'all might remember in a GDT last week that I have been unemployed since March this year.

Welp, as of this afternoon that era of my life is apparently behind me.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

So some of y'all might remember in a GDT last week that I have been unemployed since March this year.

Welp, as of this afternoon that era of my life is apparently behind me.

Congratulations

 

[Derailed75]

So some of y'all might remember in a GDT last week that I have been unemployed since March this year.

Welp, as of this afternoon that era of my life is apparently behind me.

Sweet hopefully you landed something that pays well enough and you enjoy enough for you enjoy.

 

[cptjeff]

Okay guys, we're not going to litigate campaign fights and candidates. I don't want to actually hand out warnings.

 

[Svechhammer]

Sweet hopefully you landed something that pays well enough and you enjoy enough for you enjoy.

Its basically exactly what I was making before, so I'm very happy. My severance just ran out a couple weeks ago, so the timing could not possibly have worked out any better.

My old company basically just paid me to spam my resume out in the market and completely catch up on my gaming backlog the last 7 months, and I am only going to have a momentary blip in pay between jobs. Not bad. Not bad at all considering the last time I was laid off it took 14 months to land something.

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

Its basically exactly what I was making before, so I'm very happy. My severance just ran out a couple weeks ago, so the timing could not possibly have worked out any better.

My old company basically just paid me to spam my resume out in the market and completely catch up on my gaming backlog the last 7 months, and I am only going to have a momentary blip in pay between jobs. Not bad. Not bad at all considering the last time I was laid off it took 14 months to land something.

Let's focus up on the important things.

What games have you played over the last 7 months?

 

[Svechhammer]

Let's focus up on the important things.

What games have you played over the last 7 months?

Ghost of Tsushima
Ronin
Dead Space Remake
Some Power Washer game that was strangely addicting
Assassins Creed Mirage
Cyberpunk 2077
Star Wars Outlaws
EA College Football 25
Currently replaying Red Dead Redemption II and trying to be as evil and f***ed up as possible (first playthrough I was a damn saint)

I also have a closet I've put a sim racing rig into, so there was a lot of GT7 and ACC in there as well.

 

[tarheelhockey]

So some of y'all might remember in a GDT last week that I have been unemployed since March this year.

Welp, as of this afternoon that era of my life is apparently behind me.

Ok, ok. I give in. Send me that OF link.

 

[Svechhammer]

Ok, ok. I give in. Send me that OF link.

 

[HisIceness]

So some of y'all might remember in a GDT last week that I have been unemployed since March this year.

Welp, as of this afternoon that era of my life is apparently behind me.

Willie Jones is proud of you

 

[hblueridgegal]

More progress! One lane on each side to start. I took Hwy 25 to Knoxville last week and it wasn't bad and the foliage was lovely. The truckers were burning brakes and inching along though.

Seeing the damage to Marshall and other towns, in person, along the wider sections of the French Broad was overwhelmingly heart-wrenching though. Feel so sad for the people there. It's so bad still.

 

[HisIceness]

Go vote if you haven't. 1 hour left!

More progress! One lane on each side to start. I took Hwy 25 to Knoxville last week and it wasn't bad and the foliage was lovely. The truckers were burning brakes and inching along though.

Seeing the damage to Marshall and other towns, in person, along the wider sections of the French Broad was overwhelmingly heart-wrenching though. Feel so sad for the people there. It's so bad still.

That's great news!

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

@NotOpie in relation to my last response to you about not calling them "entitlements", I did the following analysis last night based on my Social Security Statement.

Assumptions:
1) The SS taxes I paid and my employer paid since the start of my first full time job goes into my own account vs. being sent to the gov't. Call it a 401Ks. This is 12.4% of income up to the income limit.
2) 5% investment return, but for simplicity sake, only compounded annually.
3) Do not take money out until 67. Although my contributions have ceased, the account will still get 5% return. I'm still quite a few years from that age so it will continue to grow for many years.
4) At age 67, take the amount in the account and put into an annuity using a 3% return and running for 20 years (which is 10 years beyond the average life expectancy of a male in the US). I wouldn't take out an annuity, but it's easier for this analysis.
5) Compare that to my Social Security statement where at age 67, I take social securing and my wife takes it based off of mine at 50%.

The analysis? The annuity would be paying me 33% more than Social Security in year 1.

I realize it's more complicated because of taxes on investment earnings and taxes on Social Security, but it exemplifies that these aren't "entitlements". The fact that the gov't is inept at handling money is the real issue, not the people receiving the benefits for money we all paid into the system.

 

[Svechhammer]

Turns out, dropping your pants and taking a shit on the largest voting block in the country (straight whites) by consistently telling them that they're the root cause of all problems in the country is a great way to guarantee yourself a loss in every election.

 

[Derailed75]

Turns out, dropping your pants and taking a shit on the largest voting block in the country (straight whites) by consistently telling them that they're the root cause of all problems in the country is a great way to guarantee yourself a loss in every election.

Wasnt just white males. They pretty much pissed off black males with Obama basically calling them masochistic and scared if they didn't vote for Harris and Hispanics voted for Trump also.