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Post by whoswho on Jun 23, 2009 10:27:28 GMT -6
Well.... give me a hug. I just bought a 2009 Chevy Impala, and I totally love it. I named her Miss Buttercream Frosting, she's so smooth and sweet Got my survey from GM, too... and gave the dealer a perfect score. Just doing my bit to help!
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Post by whoswho on Jun 12, 2009 13:05:04 GMT -6
I've heard that the newer TV's can "level out" the volume, so you won't have to put up with being blasted out of your chair anymore. I might buy one just for that reason, LOL.
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Retire?
May 29, 2009 12:49:33 GMT -6
Post by whoswho on May 29, 2009 12:49:33 GMT -6
And working for the rest of ones life is the fast track for chronic illnesses and then early death once you hit your early 60's and continue to work unless you have some cushy government job where you don't actually do work. Amen, and amen. Why did we conceive of retirement in the first place? Wasn't it because there was a need for it? I'm sick of all the propaganda constantly being shoved in my face, implying that I should WANT to work til I'm in my seventies. I'm 56 and I feel like hell already. Enough of this "die with your boots on" mentality, pi$$ on heroism, I should have been gone a year ago. I'm tired of being shanghaied into something that I don't want, and having no other choice.
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Retire?
May 26, 2009 8:04:45 GMT -6
Post by whoswho on May 26, 2009 8:04:45 GMT -6
Not so much young and inexperienced as apathetic. The needs of others just really do not concern me. My reaction is "sucks to be you". I figure most people suck anyway. And their crappy lives are just the biproduct of being alive, and they probably had it coming anyway. Sure everyone has a right to live, and pursue the means to live a less crappy life. But to imagine that I somehow owe my sympathy, my labor, or my earnings to help them or even validate their existence is kind of ridiculous. Come back in twenty or thirty years and talk to me. Life will teach you more than I could ever tell you.
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Retire?
May 21, 2009 8:30:17 GMT -6
Post by whoswho on May 21, 2009 8:30:17 GMT -6
The problem is, it is not always that clear cut.
I know an older lady who was widowed... and put her house in her children's name. At first, they moved her into the garage at the back of the house. Then they told her to figure out her own problems. She ended up in government housing, by the grace of God. Her kids don't even want to drive her to her appointments.
Just having kids isn't the solution to everything.
We have five children in our family. When my dad died and they didn't instantly get his money, three of them got their panties in a bunch and never came back. So that leaves only two children to help our elderly mother. We never intended to put her in a rest home, but that's where she is now. Sometimes there's many a slip between the cup and the lip.
You sound young and inexperienced.
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Post by whoswho on May 8, 2009 6:25:50 GMT -6
Also, what I am learning is that if our pension does get turned over to the PBGC, which it's looking like it will, I may be on the losing end again. According to their website you have to be at least 45 to get covered and I am not there yet. Interesting how all the "rules" work in *their* favor, and at the same time, work to screw us, isn't it? I always said, if we were all held to the same standards, there would be some changes made in a hurry.
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Post by whoswho on May 8, 2009 6:22:22 GMT -6
That reminds me of the famous Bill Mauldin cartoon from WWII: I think the caption was, "Beautiful view! Is there one for the enlisted men?"
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Post by whoswho on May 7, 2009 10:23:28 GMT -6
Oh by the way, even in the thrift plan? There is a small, but MANDATORY amount of company stock. I can't sell it, I have to have it. These weasels never quit.
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Post by whoswho on May 7, 2009 9:41:16 GMT -6
Hope this explanation isn't too confusing to you, because it was VERY confusing to me, but here goes.
The majority of my ESOP (which was formerly a defined benefit plan) existed as company stock when I was downsized, and yes, THAT part I rolled over 100%, into a "new" 401k at a local bank.
But! There is STILL a very SMALL portion of my retirement money that the company retained, and I won't get that until I'm 65, but it doesn't amount to much. It's with Met Life as an annuity. I wasn't given the choice to do anything with it. Since I chose to roll over 100% (of the ESOP part), I will only get a teensy check of $169/ month from the MetLife part. That is, unless the company goes bankrupt before the year 2018, which is looking possible. I guess the Pension Benefit Guaranty folks would maybe help me if that happened? I'm afraid to count on it.
Then, to make it even more confusing, in addition to the above, I ALSO had something like a thrift plan with the company. We were never blocked from accessing that the way you guys were. It is with Fidelity, and I didn't do anything with it, so the company still pays to maintain it, I guess. I just can't contribute to it. If I wanted to roll it over, I could. I just didn't do it.
I did what you did, sort of. I didn't save aggressively early in my career, but I certainly didn't waste money, I was paying off cars and the house, etc.
Nineteen years is a long time (I was 23 years)! Does the PBGC back up what you lost in your pension? Maybe all is not lost?
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Post by whoswho on May 6, 2009 7:19:41 GMT -6
Judes, how many years do you have in with your company?
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Post by whoswho on May 6, 2009 7:17:24 GMT -6
Losing my job was a mixed blessing because they had taken our traditional pension plan and converted it to an ESOP. It was ALL company stock, 100%. Everything I had worked for for 23 years existed as THEIR stock. As long as I was an employee, I couldn't touch it.
When they booted me out, I rolled the ESOP over to a local bank into a 401K. I sold ALL of the company stock when it reached a peak price. I put half of it into government securities and half of it into mutual funds that had done well for me in the past. That 401K has always has always held its own pretty well, although it has had losses. Just think, I was going to KEEP all my company stock! A friend told me I should sell it. "It can become worthless overnight," he says. "That's what happened to my wife's retirement."
There was another small portion of the "old" retirement money which was not included in the ESOP, I believe it was in a Met Life insurance annuity.
When I was downsized, I was given the option of taking 50% of my ESOP.... and "getting" $969/month in retirement.... or taking 100%, and only "getting" $169/month in retirement. We got a bunch of papers explaining how it was calculated, but it never made a lot of sense to me. I figured if they were evil enough to do this to me, I didn't want to trust them to do the right thing.
I was glad I followed my instincts (or maybe I should say, the leading of the Holy Spirit), because their stock has been all over the place ever since.
It was just recently six dollars a share (down from $70). I feel so sorry for those still working there. Everything they've worked for all their lives is literally on a Las Vegas gambling table. It must be horrible not to know if you're going to have money to retire on or not.
Ironically, when I was very young, I didn't save aggressively... because I worked for such a great company, and THEY were going to take care of all that, so I didn't really have to.
Companies are liars. And sadly that's the assumption we have to operate under, if we don't want to be utterly screwed.
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Post by whoswho on May 5, 2009 9:14:12 GMT -6
One thing about it, they will ONLY learn the hard way.
Don't look to them for any kind of human empathy or kindness, because they don't have any. They will only pay attention when what they are doing doesn't work.
For some reason, they have absolutely no common sense whatsoever. When they make their plans, they don't use a realistic planning model. They don't seem to know any real people with real problems and real limitations. They screw us, and then think that we'll continue to perform as expected. I've often thought there must be a lot of dope smokers among them, because they don't have the judgement of a five year old.
Gonna have to learn the hard way, I guess.
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Post by whoswho on Apr 29, 2009 8:33:38 GMT -6
Kind of like the Year 2000 scare? Which turned out to be no big deal.
I think they over-emphasize certain news items because most of our news is "sanitized". We can't be told the plain truth on so many things, that it leaves very little to report.
Bored reporters end up beating certain stories to death. For example, the Octomom story. I think they've wrung the last drop of blood out of that one.
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Post by whoswho on Apr 17, 2009 14:12:11 GMT -6
Wow, judes.... what an eye opener. Pretty scary stuff.
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Post by whoswho on Apr 10, 2009 7:53:23 GMT -6
Wow, what a party. Here we have millions of Americans losing their jobs and houses and the Democrats are sticking a knife in the back of us all. If you want to find out what true loneliness is, lose your job. The only time there will ever be any concern or empathy for the unemployed, is when we're ALL broke. Not a minute before.
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Post by whoswho on Apr 10, 2009 7:48:38 GMT -6
When I was a kid, there were almost no restaurants. My mom cooked three meals a day. I almost never ate in a restaurant. Junior high school was the first time I ate in a school cafeteria.
None of us five kids were fat. I didn't get overweight until I left home and and had too many irons in the fire to cook at home.
Restaurant food will fatten you up in a hurry.
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Post by whoswho on Mar 27, 2009 14:04:19 GMT -6
She hasn't posted in a while. I miss her great posts! What a gal.
Reckon she got laid off from her job?
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Post by whoswho on Mar 27, 2009 14:01:13 GMT -6
It's time we got back to healthy eating anyway. People have so overcomplicated food in this country. After buying loads of prepackaged stuff like boxed mac and cheese, and canned soups, I've come to the conclusion that most of it really is overcooked, dead crap. I've quit buying a lot of convenience foods.
A friend of mine was amazed that I never buy canned chicken. Stop and think: how hard is it, really, to put a chicken in water, and put it on the stove? It takes a very short time to boil it, and it tastes significantly better.
I think they have us WAY oversold on "conveniences".
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Post by whoswho on Mar 27, 2009 13:52:40 GMT -6
I believe that growing up without a father is a severe disadvantage economically and culturally. I'm with you 100% on that. I wonder what it would take to get this turned around? It seems there is no stigma any more to have babies out of wedlock. I think it will be a disaster for the nation by the next generation.
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Post by whoswho on Mar 27, 2009 13:50:36 GMT -6
;D Hey, Octomom is doing her patriotic duty!
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Retire?
Mar 27, 2009 9:24:51 GMT -6
Post by whoswho on Mar 27, 2009 9:24:51 GMT -6
I think some of us will retire, albeit very poor. I haven't given up yet, even though my 401k's were horribly reamed this time around. If I EVER recover, I will NEVER invest in the stock market, ever again. Don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet, but the current setup for "retirees" sucks shit eggs, and I want out of it.
Probably the best thing you can do for yourself is to have a paid off home, save what you can, and stay out of debt.
Hey, maybe if we're ALL poor, they'll have to bring the economy to meet US. ;D
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Post by whoswho on Mar 26, 2009 13:48:26 GMT -6
Everybody and his brother is trying to buy your "scrap" gold now. I think I'll hang onto what little I have.
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Post by whoswho on Mar 26, 2009 8:57:50 GMT -6
Check out BARF as a means of feeding your pets. I switched my ferrets to raw/whole prey, and their coats are better, teeth are cleaner, poop stinks less, they smell less, they drink less due to the water content in the meat and they are more energetic. Commercial pet foods put in more stuff than the animals need. Take my ferrets, for example, obligate carnivores. When they eat whole prey, they ignore the gut, yet commercial foods put in vegetation because in the wild they'd eat it from prey animal's gut? My ferrets say NO to that! Pet food has that filler because it's cheaper. Always check the bag's ingredients, if you're uncomfortable with raw and prefer dry commercial. The first four listed should be meat (and not 'meat product' or 'meat byproduct' which is really defeating the purpose). Only one of my cats will eat raw meat, my oldest cat, a sixteen pound male. I've offered it to all of them, but they haven't developed a taste for it. The only raw meat they eat is their own catches, that is mice, groundmoles and birds. I just do as I'm told, LOL What do *I* know??
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Post by whoswho on Mar 26, 2009 8:48:41 GMT -6
I think everybody wants brand new homes, and have never learned to appreciate beautiful old historic homes.
A lot of older houses have been torn down around here, and it's kind of a tragedy. Some of them were in beautiful condition, just no one to buy them or take an interest in them.
Anyone who's got more money, (like Rite Aid, or a big church) just tears them down without a thought. They become parking lots for the church or the business. It's really sad, because some of them were built very strong. We will never duplicate them. And it probably wouldn't take that much to make a home sweet home out of them.
Too much ignorant expansion.
There are a lot of them that get burned down too. I imagine they had some help, like teenage arsonists with time on their hands. Also, people in old houses try to use auxilliary heating, and through carelessness destroy them. And, poor people don't have the money to replace old wiring. That's another reason we need to bring back good jobs to this country. Home repairs are not free, it takes a decent income to keep a house in good repair. I see it as part of the "infrastructure" that is going to hell in handbasket.
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Post by whoswho on Mar 19, 2009 6:31:18 GMT -6
;D You're pimping on on economics site?? weird.
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Post by whoswho on Mar 18, 2009 12:58:25 GMT -6
Canine Health Concern was formed in 1994 by Catherine O'Driscoll, after two of her beautiful young Golden Retrievers - Oliver and Prudence - tragically died. She asked, 'why?', and the answers that came back were sufficiently disturbing to make her feel that independent research was necessary - free from commercial bias. Catherine was sent scientific papers which told her that commercial pet food was nutritionally inadequate, and that many deficiency diseases are the direct result of poor feeding. She also learnt that the annual shots we give to our pets each year, in the belief that we are protecting them from disease, are actually the largest cause of ill health in our pets today. My cats won't eat a lot of commercial pet foods. They do like Iams dry food, so that's kind of a staple at our house. Chicken legs are cheap, so I put a big package in the crock pot and cook that for them. Aldi's has a cheap frozen salmon that I microwave with a little water and oil. I don't think it's that much more expensive than buying Nine Lives. Most of 9 lives offerings (except for the tuna) they totally refuse to eat. Thanks xtra, for the info on the vaccines! Sometimes I think it is a blessing from God that I am too poor to do what's popular. It forces me to stick to the basics.
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Post by whoswho on Mar 18, 2009 8:13:26 GMT -6
Tell me, does this look like an abused animal?? ;D
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Post by whoswho on Mar 18, 2009 8:08:27 GMT -6
I tried to play it cool with them, and stay calm and levelheaded. I figure if they want to come and get my cats, let them. They don't really want the expense of feeding, housing, defleaing, worming, etc. And they know that in the present economic climate, they'd play hell finding my cats a home. So they keep trying to bluff me. They send me emails, phone messages, color brochures trying to force appointments. Very high pressure salesmen. And really, a cat doesn't normally require that much medical attention.
I have to say, they walk a very fine line between coercing me to do what they want, and out-and-out pissing me off enough to drop them. I am never going to be honest with them and tell them I've taken the cats elsewhere. I may need them for something, and basically they ARE competent vets.
Even after explaining to them that my mother is now in a rest home and I'm having to pay all her utilities, taxes, etc., it just flew over the tops of their heads. They don't give a damn. They just want you to turn your bank account over to them.
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Post by whoswho on Mar 17, 2009 13:34:55 GMT -6
Are totally ridiculous nowadays. I spend more on my cats than I do for my own health care.
I'm beginning to think it's all a crock.
A dose of flea meds used to last my cat all summer. Now you have to buy them monthly, and it's $16 for a tiny dose of chemical. Got more than one pet? It gets frighteningly costly.
Used to be, once a cat had his kitten shots, he was pretty well fixed for life. Now, they not only expect you to REPEAT those immunities YEARLY, they send you nagging guilt trip letters if you don't do it. This even includes rabies shots, which should be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, or at least it used to be.
I think veterinary medicine has become a blackmail setup. They KNOW we love our animals and wouldn't deny them care.
Since I haven't gotten blackmailed into the new setup, my vet has gotten very bitchy with me. Now they don't want to even give me worm pills unless I bring my cat in, or a stool sample. It's ridiculous. I've had cats for 30+ years, I know tapeworms when I see them.
So I switched vets-- to an old fashioned vet, God bless him. Got my worm pills, no questions asked. He's going to be getting a lot more business, I have four cats, LOL
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Post by whoswho on Mar 13, 2009 8:32:40 GMT -6
Curious. As a female in the "male dominated" engineering field dont you feel immune to any downsizing? Isnt that the case in any field that in good times agressivly recruit based primarily upon gender/race, that in sour times these same companies will be reluctant to sacrifice these "gains"? . Before I was downsized, one of the engineers claimed that I was a "protected species". Turns out that that was the farthest thing from the truth. In fact, I think if you're not exactly conforming to their lines of thinking, downsizing is a golden opportunity to route you out, without being accused of gender bias. When I got my federal job, my boss told me that being a female helped me get hired, but in a RIF, it would not help me keep my job.
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