Politics

[Wheels]

 

[SaintPanzer]

1. Retire with a pension starting day one after retirement starts: at 39 - 49+ years of age.

You do know that's no longer possible, right?

 

[Newboomer]

Today I took my wife to the salon and while I was waiting I began thinking of the hiring of the 87k IRS agents. The director of the IRS said it was to look into those who make over $400k. So I decided to do some math (Scary concept).
The USA has a population of ~320M people. According to the IRS, about 1.8% of the population makes $400K+. (round it up to 2%). That is 6,400,000 people. That comes out to about 74 IRS agents for each member of this financial demographic. That doesn’t include those already working for the IRS. Those that think this will just impact the wealthy are naive. Couple that with the prodigious amount of guns and ammo they are buying, some serious crap is brewing.

I think they are buying guns and ammo to keep it off the market for us honest folk. Trying to dry up the supply and freeze us out of our future use of guns.

 

[Ridge Runner]

You do know that's no longer possible, right?

Since when? Every currently retired veteran I know who has served 20+ years is collecting 50%+ depending on number of years of service is receiving their retirement pay. And are filing for veterans compensation and pension for service connected injuries. There are a few stipulations, as to collecting both retirement pay and V.A. C & P, however a proposed bill is before congress to change change the rule there by allowing veterans to collect full military retirement pay and full V.A.C & P benefits without veterans having to choose which pay to offset the other.

Unlike active duty servicemen and women, National Guard and Reserve Military with 20+ years of military service collect their retirement at age 60, with retirement pay calculated based on number of retirement points.

 

[Ray B]

The ammo industry seems to be pre-occupied with filling govt orders, to the extent that some orders are overfilled. I base this conclusion of two things:1. Calls to bullet makers about their out-of-stock bullets. These are sizes different from the standard police/military sizes. .475" hasn't been available for years. 2. several sources now have over-runs of common police/military ammo: 5.56mm, 9mm Para, 40 S&W; 45 ACP. Appears the companies are funning 24/7 to fill these orders. Overstocks are beginning to appear in these sizes.

 

[Hogpatrol]

@Ray B, Was in a Cabela's yesterday, tens of thousands of rounds of .223/5.56 on the shelves, who knows how much is in the back room. They even had small rifle primers.

 

[jpr9954]

View attachment 482448

A slightly different version.

 

[cpr0312]

 

[Brent in Az]

 

[Brent in Az]

 

[steve white]

Since when? Every currently retired veteran I know who has served 20+ years is collecting 50%+ depending on number of years of service is receiving their retirement pay. And are filing for veterans compensation and pension for service connected injuries. There are a few stipulations, as to collecting both retirement pay and V.A. C & P, however a proposed bill is before congress to change change the rule there by allowing veterans to collect full military retirement pay and full V.A.C & P benefits without veterans having to choose which pay to offset the other.

Unlike active duty servicemen and women, National Guard and Reserve Military with 20+ years of military service collect their retirement at age 60, with retirement pay calculated based on number of retirement points.

I think the reference might be made to military plus Post Office double retirements...

 

[steve white]

I don't get this IQ crap. There are some super intelligent people and there are super manipulative people.

Who highest the highest IQ:

Those who think they are exceptionally brilliant because of their book smarts and mega letters following their name yet don't know a thing about where their food comes from OR the farmer that knows how to grow food and butcher animals, can feed his family off the land and water, yet cares less about how the stock market works or how to get a rocket to the moon?.

To insinuate that military personnel are stupid, yet responsible for protecting an entire nation, are less or require more protection from those they are protecting or are less productive is utterly ignorant.

Or perhaps military personnel are stupid because military personnel are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect those that look down on their choice of professionalism.

As for financial planning those who are dedicated to making the military a career, make the best long term financial plan:

1. Retire with a pension starting day one after retirement starts: at 39 - 49+ years of age.

2. Work a second career as a government civilian or a civilian job till age 60 - 65+ paying into social security and perhaps an IRA or 401K for their future retirement.

3. Those service members that qualify also have Veterans Administration benefits as compensation and pension for injuries sustained while in service. Is another factor to be added into their retirement income.

4. Finally Social Security Income, and possibly 401k/IRA income and / or other investment ie stock market.

Compared to the financial planning a person whose so retirement income is solely based on continued employment until their choice of age to retire between age 62 - 65+ then will only receive SSA and perhaps an income from a 401k/IRA and/or selling their investment stocks.

Then there is the fact that 401k/IRA and stocks are no guarantee to be a significant income.

As for charity contributions: money vs material things vs labor assistance.

A look into matter of (donor) convenience:

Easier to blow off a person collecting for a cause by saying no or giving money.

After doing a preverbial "house cleaning" easier to call a charity to come and pick up or take items, get the (inflated) charitable tax deduction receipt.

Last option is physically assisting, actually choosing to help in the education, clean-up, building, etc, doing something to improve a person's situation or quality of life.

Option 1 just saying

Americans excell above everyone else in ALL the above categories....there is no way you can credibly accuse Americans of just paying off people to not be further bothered. We are probably the most charitable people in the history of the planet.

no or giving money is the primary attitude Americans have adopted.

 

[Sabattiboy]

I think the reference might be made to military plus Post Office double retirements...

In the early/middle 1970's someone used the media of the day in an effort to stir an uproar over people drawing a military and Post Office pensions.
They put the time in both so were due both but those that had done nothing didn't think it was fair.

 

[Red Leg]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1540083271526236165

 

[Boyd Brooks]

 

[Hogpatrol]

Inflation Reduction Act should have been named "Congressperson's Enrichment Act". I'm sure they knew which companies would benefit and had their investments lined up to take advantage of it.
I have to question why someone who can afford a 80k electric vehicle needs a tax break to buy it. There are income limits and they are a joke.

 

[Ray B]

According to the empty head inflation has been reduced to 0- so Everyone can save a lot of money by cancelling the Inflation Reduction Act- Oh, that's right, the congress and relatives would lose a lot of money with all of those stock options they bought- so we can't have that- must proceed with the bill.

 

[cpr0312]

 

[PARA45]

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

All is well in these United States. No people in human history have enjoyed the freedom and prosperity that we have today. Many don’t know how good we have it, and that poses the greatest threat. Having convinced themselves that they are being screwed by “the man” people are open to radical changes to the very system that has given us the most fabulous standard of living any people have ever known. Ask yourself. Is there any place or time that you’d rather have been alive? The truth is that even the halcyon “good old days” …no matter when you think those times were…weren’t this good. Those on the lowest economic level in the US today live better than 99% of the people who have ever lived. I complain about a lot that goes on in DC and the other left-leaning metro areas, but I’m not blind to how good things are here. I’ve seen a lot of this big bad world and I wouldn’t trade my life here for anyplace else on this big blue rock.

The United States is the standard, the place in the sun. It looks wonderful from out here, but the degree of how wonderful you think it is is up to you who live there and own it. Our concern, or at least my concern from out here is how long it can hold together with so many of your people hell bent upon it's destruction? Why would people want to destroy their paradise? One can understand the greenies having concerns about carbon and energy use to ensure the future of mankind, but then the same liberals kill babies, tolerate filth, allow drugs to pour in, encourage violence and won't punish those who perpetrate it. There is no consistency in their actions at all, no sense. Perhaps living too well has created lunacy amongst them.