Friday, June 24, 2005

Social Security Rant

OK people, listen up. We are all getting screwed under our current "social security" plan. Social security is the biggest pyramid scheme pulled off in history, and we have so many people to blame. Our parents and grand parents for not understanding math. Our elected representatives for taking advantage of it. Our selves for continuing to allow our 'representatives' to screw us over. Lets start from the top clearing up a few misconceptions.

Misconception #1 I have an account in my name that is just for me and my retirement.

BZZZ!!!!, wrong answer. Uncle Sugar is extracting 12 percent of your pay (6 from you and 6 from your employer, unless you are self employed, then its all on you) and putting it in a big pile of cash. From that pile they (well, we, really, remember, they = the US govt= us) take out money to pay people that are retired and people on disability and survivors. "Your money" is actually redistributed as it comes into the treasury. When you retire, you will get money from future taxpayers who also think they are saving for their retirement. I'm not makin it up... Take a look here by scrolling down to 'Social security's Assets'.

Misconception #1a The left over money is in a lock box getting interest or something
BZZZ!!!!, wrong answer. Wouldn't that be nice. Actually, every nickel is spent on other government programs like welfare, roads, military, space, whatever. But of course it wouldn't be right to just take it, so we write ourselves IOUs, (in the form of treasury notes) that will be paid back into the Social Security fund in the future, when the amount being paid in (by the new members of the pyramid) is less than the amount that was promised to the old members of the pyramid. Look at the link above.

Misconception #1a-1 Then it's all ok, cuz the treasury bills will collect interest and stuff and it will all be paid for in the future.
BZZZ!!!!, wrong answer. Pay attention skippy!! Who is the treasury? WE ARE! The Treasury doesn't make money, it collects it from all the citizens (thats you!) Or it borrows it from willing lenders, including you in the form of savings bonds, the Chinese, Japanese, Arabs, anyone that has money to lend, but thats an issue for another day.

Here is an experiment I want you to try. Take a $50 bill from your secret stash, and go spend it on a movie and dinner. Writer yourself an IOU for $55 (gotta get interest, right?) and stick the IOU in your stash. Good, now... wait a month, and put the $55 back in the stash. Where did that money come from? The air? No, it came from your work. You had to pay it back. The same thing is going on in the Treasury. The dollars they have to pay back to SS come from someplace, and that someplace is the taxpayers! (YOU!) Are you getting the picture yet?


All right, it's tomorrow now, I'll finish this rant later. I did a spreadsheet figuring out how much i'll have paid in and how much I'll likely collect. It was enlightening, and frightening. Hey, I'm a poet and don't know it! I also did some calculations about how much I could have if I had a private account with the money being taken at gunpoint each pay period.

Later!

Dave

Tornado Video link, like nothing you've seen

Here is the coolest video I've seen on the net, next to the exploding whale!

Cool tornado video!

Monday, June 20, 2005


sunset III
I loved these colors. They reminded me of a painting I saw in the National gallery of art many mooons ago. The painting was a lot redder though.. I'm looking forward to capturing a photo that looks like the painting!

sunset II

sunset

I'm not sure it pays to think a lot about whats going on here....

Wednesday, June 15, 2005


yep, reflections and a pretty bird

another cool layout

cool patterns on these birds

kingbird

cool pic

Catching Lunch

Egret and shorebirds

Close up of a living dinosaur

snapping turtle!

I like this one better than the other one, except for the spots on the petals

droplets

trying out the black and white focus of Picasa2

Wood Thrush. Looks fierce, yet song is beautiful

Sunrise cutting thru fog

Taking off

Tuesday, June 14, 2005


I love the hair caught in the wind!

Still more 'tude

How do you like my tude?

A still life concept

Ground Level attempt at a portrait

Running

Rounding a corner

William working out

Monday, June 13, 2005


cool light and dark, and water drops

this reminded me of 2 masks

more

water drops on the petals

Reminds me of a japanese kabuki mask

Row o' pansies

Pansy

Cool Silohuettes

Silver Lining

More on the water

Now we're moving!

had enough reflections yet?

Love this one too

Cool Reflections II

Evening Reflection

Check out the reflection... this is my favorite one of the goose

This guy started running when we went by...

Cool sunset reflections

Cool Reflections

It looks like this stand fell over, with a nest on it, the birds chose to fix the nest and keep going! Thats and opsrey on the nest

This fellow is having sushi for lunch! I got this pic racing by him at about 25 mph, never even knew he was eating till I dl'd the pic

Jake Airborne!

Always Mr. Serious!