Census form

[Diane Amberg]

Why not do what I did? I assumed SS wouldn't exist by now and didn't count on it. I saved and invested all along during my working life, made good solid diversified investments, survived the other down turns as they came along and by doing some shifting have already made back what I had lost in the last mess. We just finished our taxes. We overpaid Fed.by $900.00. That will go toward my first estimated payment on April 15. I'll be paying Del. about $150.00 since my income was a little more than I thought. I really can't complain. As to those who think they have all the answers on how to manage money...Why ain't ya rich? 

[srkruzich]

As to those who think they have all the answers on how to manage money...Why ain't ya rich?  

Might be because they took like 67% in taxes.  Ooops that doesn't count the other 8% in sales tax, and God only knows how much in fuel tax ect ect ect

[Wilma]

Don't you think Diane had just as much taxes taken from her income as you did?  We all had taxes withheld and have paid other kinds of taxes from the time we were able to work.  Yet we aren't complaining about what we don't have.  I seem to be better off now than I was while we were working.

[larryJ]

You are correct, Wilma, we all paid the taxes, etc. 

A few months before I retired, I wasn't even thinking about retirement.  My wife and I went to dinner with our son and his soon-to-be wife.  The conversation was the normal chit-chat and then my son, who is a CPA, looked at me dead serious and said, "If you retired now, you would be making more money that you are working.  In other words, you are working for free."  I didn't pay too much attention to that because like I said, I wasn't even thinking about it.  That was in September. 

In the beginning of December, the company announced the closing of one of our satellite printing facilities and the transfer of those pressmen to our facility and our other one in Orange County.  While we were not unionized at that time, we still had seniority numbers to be able to choose our work hours and vacations every year --- higher number, better selection.  At that time, my number was 2, out of about 200+ employees.  I was also a specialist and was also on a different seniority list and my number was 1.  Then the company announced that in order to accommodate this move, 43 employees had to go.  I didn't like the changes coming.  So I called my wife and discussed it with her and walked down to HR and put in my papers.

Nice story, but the point is, my son was correct.  What with my pension, social security, etc., I am bringing home slightly more money than when I was working.  I can sleep in when I want (but I don't), I can sit on my butt all day and watch TV or read the forum (Which I do), and I have all the time in the world with my family.  When you figure in the money saved from not buying lunches, gasoline, or other expenses related to work, there is quite a savings.  AND, I have free brokerage, investment, tax service from my CPA son, bless his heart!  And the extra family time is priceless!

So, for 43 years, in various jobs, I have paid those taxes, and paid into my pension and now is the time when I am getting paid back.

Larryj

[Varmit]

I'm sorry, Varmit, the fear on 9/11 was nothing compared to the fear that pervaded the nation on Dec. 7, 1941..... 
You can't know the fear that we felt December 7, 1941.  You had to be there.

Wilma, on 9/11 I was sitting with bag and baggage behind our Company area waiting on trucks to take us to the flightline.  I was wondering if I was going to see my wife and kids again.  So, YES I can know the same fear as on Dec. 7. 

[srkruzich]

Don't you think Diane had just as much taxes taken from her income as you did?

I have no idea what she paid.  But i know what was stolen from me.  I resent the hell out of that.  I gave up far too much of my life in slavery to the government.   There is no way you can paint a rosey picture out of theft. 

We all had taxes withheld and have paid other kinds of taxes from the time we were able to work.  Yet we aren't complaining about what we don't have.  I seem to be better off now than I was while we were working.

I'm not.  I am by far worse off than i was. 

[Wilma]

Varmit, the fear you felt and you had every right to feel it was not the same.  The fear we felt had been building up for several years and the adults at that time were still fresh from WWI.  It was more a feeling that the bomb that had been screeching on it's way down had finally hit. 

I don't know if I had been your shoes, ready to board a plane, if anything could have gotten me on board that day.  In any case, when it comes right down to it, whether in the long ago past or sometime in the future, Americans do what they have to do.  They take care of it.

Incidentally, the first plane ride I took was in an open cockpit single engine with a friend's just returned veteran brother at the controls.

[jarhead]

Y'all have been having a go at Social Security---today the news said this year is the first time ever that more will be paid out than will be paid in, to the tune of 29 billion dollars. Not a problem though because Uncle Sam has been keeping IOU's of what they have "borrowed"from Soc Sec over the years. It's ONLY 2.5 TRILLION dollars that the Govt. has milked from Soc Sec to pay for things like NASA. Sweet, real damn sweet !!!! Maybe we can borrow another 2.5 trillion dollars from China---or ol Hugo Chevez wants a piece of the action.

[Diane Amberg]

That has been one of my gripes for a long time. If previous administrations hadn't raided SS it would be in much better shape. Up until now, SS being "broke" has just been a tale. Kazillions are put in every year.

[greatguns]

I would love for the economy to get better again so I could go back to a full 40 hours and pay more into SS.