MrJohnRoss' Account Talk

[nasa1974]

Let's compare apples to apples. As federal employees we get health insurance and a pension, 401 whatever. Are we comparing those benifits? How many in the private sector even have health insurance and a 401. We do so that makes us the bad guys.

 

[Mapper]

It's easier to tear someone else down than try rebuilding from within. Sadly I see that play out in life all the time.

 

[jkenjohnson]

We should have bought back into stvf, when it dropped to $1.52. It is now up to $1.92. Shoulda, coulda woulda, dang it.

 

[MrJohnRoss]

Let's compare apples to apples. As federal employees we get health insurance and a pension, 401 whatever. Are we comparing those benifits? How many in the private sector even have health insurance and a 401. We do so that makes us the bad guys.

Yeah, since American corporate greed shipped most of our manufacturing jobs overseas, we don't make anything anymore. Talk about unintended consequences. Yeah, we get cheaper gadgets to use and throw in the trash dumpster. But now getting a colleg degree means working at Starbucks or the mall, and paying down your $50,000 student loans. Most of those jobs won't offer 401k's. Pensions went the way of the dinosaurs, except for state and Fed employees.

It always comes down to the "have" and the "have not's". Unfortunately, it's become popular in this country to take from the "have's" and give to the "have not's". Welcome to the Robin Hood great welfare society. Just my opinion, but this is the way certain politicians want it. The more people dependent on gubment handouts, the more they will vote to keep those people in power.

Isn't it amazing to think that the smartest, most powerful people on our planet have gotten us into this mess?

 

[MrJohnRoss]

We should have bought back into stvf, when it dropped to $1.52. It is now up to $1.92. Shoulda, coulda woulda, dang it.

Isn't that the truth!

 

[Warrenlm]

Isn't it amazing to think that the smartest, most powerful people on our planet have gotten us into this mess?

The ones who got us into this mess were and still are looking out for themselves. They're working collectively to make sure the masses stay calm. Whether it's working awhile on the Hill to collect $500k (staff) to multi million dollar (chiefs of staff) lobbying jobs, or working Wall Street for commissions from trading paper asserted to lessen the cost of capital, or just part of the ruling elite, they are not in a mess at all. And they know the electorate well.

 

[MrJohnRoss]

Headline: The Great Student Loan Debt Default - Over $270 Billion in Student Loans are 30 Days or More Past Due

Like the housing bubble, which was predicated on easy money and rising prices, student loan lending has increased to unprecedented levels over the last decade.

There is some $1 Trillion in outstanding student loan debt in the United States, the majority of it borrowed by individuals who were sold the idea that they could go to college, party with their buddies at fraternity and sorority houses for four years, get a piece of paper that says they’ve received higher education, and then land a job paying $100,000 a year right out of school.

Somewhere along the way, however, things changed. When these highly educated young adults finally received their degrees, it turned out that all of those hundred thousand dollar jobs they were promised were either exported to countries where laborers are paid a fraction of the cost to do the same work, or they simply evaporated as demand for goods and services in America and around the world collapsed....

 

[jkenjohnson]

Headline: The Great Student Loan Debt Default - Over $270 Billion in Student Loans are 30 Days or More Past Due

Like the housing bubble, which was predicated on easy money and rising prices, student loan lending has increased to unprecedented levels over the last decade.

There is some $1 Trillion in outstanding student loan debt in the United States, the majority of it borrowed by individuals who were sold the idea that they could go to college, party with their buddies at fraternity and sorority houses for four years, get a piece of paper that says they’ve received higher education, and then land a job paying $100,000 a year right out of school.

Somewhere along the way, however, things changed. When these highly educated young adults finally received their degrees, it turned out that all of those hundred thousand dollar jobs they were promised were either exported to countries where laborers are paid a fraction of the cost to do the same work, or they simply evaporated as demand for goods and services in America and around the world collapsed....

Wow. This is the first I have heard of this. I guess they'll garnish federal workers pay to pay it off.

 

[Mapper]

You CANNOT default on gov't student loans. Not even if you declare bankruptcy. This is one debt you absolutely cannot get out of until you pay it off or die. You can ask for reduced or halted payments for a period but if the borrower is employed the gov't will eventually begin garnishing the borrowers salary.

Private loans may be different, I'm not sure. As far as I know private lenders negotiate their own policies and they are usually VERY unfavorable to student borrowers. I wouldn't touch a private student loan with a 10 ft pole. Certainly many others have though...and it frequently turns into horror stories, especially if you wasted your time in college and can't find a job.

Many good jobs now require a good college GPA. I have one advertisement in front of me requiring a MINIMUM 3.5 GPA for an entry level position. Partying with Frats and Sororities and just scraping by to get a piece of paper is stupid. People who do that usually have to go back for some BullS$%@# MBA

 

[MrJohnRoss]

You CANNOT default on gov't student loans. Not even if you declare bankruptcy. This is one debt you absolutely cannot get out of until you pay it off or die. You can ask for reduced or halted payments for a period but if the borrower is employed the gov't will eventually begin garnishing the borrowers salary.

Private loans may be different, I'm not sure.

Private loans? No problem! Call 1-800-BANKRUPTCY! Operators are standing by!

 

[MrJohnRoss]

Uh oh, here we go...

Headline: Two Black Teens Beat Man In The Head With Hammer Near Sanford, FL

... The victim, a 50-year-old Winter Springs man whose name has not been released, is on life-support at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Deputies were called to the area of Lincoln Street and Beardall Avenue about 6:30 p.m. March 26 to investigate a report of a man being beaten, Seminole County Sheriff's spokeswoman Heather Smith said.
They found the victim in the woods on the north side of Lincoln Street.

According to arrest affidavits:
A witness told deputies he heard someone screaming for help and saw two men pull the victim from his vehicle. He said he watched as one man held the victim and the other beat him in the head with a hammer....

*Commentary: Ummm... what was it that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton said to do???

 

[Mapper]

Regarding student loan debt.

Also, the article comments on the high unemployment rate among that "age group".

"There are simply no jobs out there for college graduates, as evidenced by the 46% unemployment rate among that age group."

That's the first I've seen such a high number. Regardless the unemployment rate among college grads is much lower. The official number is something like 4.5%.

Certainly the cost of college and loan debt is an issue. And if private lenders screwed themselves again it could be a market issue to be wary of. I, unfortunately, have student loans. But I can say one thing with absolute 100% certainty...I WOULD NOT want to be a young employee looking for a job in this market without a college degree. In 2009 after completing an advanced degree it took me nearly 6mos to find a job I wanted, yes I was being picky. I literally applied for hundreds of jobs. Since getting hired I've had ample opportunity. It's a much different market than 5-10 years ago.

No way, no how would I want to be in a situation where I didn't have those diplomas (I can't emphasize that enough).

 

[Mapper]

They shouldn't have let Zimmerman walk w/out a thorough investigation. If the police had done their job this would be just another everyday killing. Because of those damn slackers we now have to have a damn national discussion about "stand your ground laws" and, inappropriately in my opinion, but now unavoidably, race.

 

[MrJohnRoss]

They shouldn't have let Zimmerman walk w/out a thorough investigation. If the police had done their job this would be just another everyday killing. Because of those damn slackers we now have to have a damn national discussion about "stand your ground laws" and, inappropriately in my opinion, but now unavoidably, race.

I agree Mapper. Even if I was sitting in my house, minding my own business, and a crook came busting through my front door, and I feared for my life and shot him dead, I cannot fathom not being taken down to the police station to at least make an official statement.

They may evenutally exonerate Zimmerman, but the chief of police and the lead investigator should be forced to resign, IMHO.

Too bad POTUS had to stir the pot by making that asinine statement. I fully expected Jackson and Sharpton to call for civil disobedience, but I didn't think the commander in chief would want to get in the middle of it. Shameful.

 

[FAB1]

Uh oh, here we go...

Headline: Two Black Teens Beat Man In The Head With Hammer Near Sanford, FL

... The victim, a 50-year-old Winter Springs man whose name has not been released, is on life-support at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Deputies were called to the area of Lincoln Street and Beardall Avenue about 6:30 p.m. March 26 to investigate a report of a man being beaten, Seminole County Sheriff's spokeswoman Heather Smith said.
They found the victim in the woods on the north side of Lincoln Street.

According to arrest affidavits:
A witness told deputies he heard someone screaming for help and saw two men pull the victim from his vehicle. He said he watched as one man held the victim and the other beat him in the head with a hammer....

*Commentary: Ummm... what was it that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton said to do???

IS this what they mean by the "school of hard knocks". ??

 

[MrJohnRoss]

I'm trying to walk the line carefully with my commentaries, or else I'll be forced to join BT at the tiki bar all afternoon sipping Mai-Tai's.

 

[MrJohnRoss]

Ok, Let's get back on task...

Headline: The Single Worst Reason to Buy Stocks Today

... the single stupidest reason to buy stocks...
"Buy stocks because it's time for portfolio window dressing!"

"Window dressing" describes what happens on Wall Street every quarter. Basically, institutional money managers attempt to spruce up their portfolios and make them bright and shiny for any customers who may want to have a look inside.

They do this by selling off all the underperforming positions and buying all the stocks that have been the biggest winners. So when a customer looks at the fund's holdings, the money manager can say, "Look at all the wonderful stocks we own." It doesn't matter if they bought them yesterday at their 52-week highs. All that matters is that the fund can show it owns the quarter's best performers.

It's a terrible reason for you to buy stocks....

* Commentary: Not only do I agree with the author, but this is one of the reasons I don't use mutual funds much. They typically charge ~ 0.5 - 1.0% fees, and they do very little for that money. Most can't even beat the S&P 500. Why bother? I'll do it myself, and get much better returns.

 

[Mapper]

I don't know what statement you are referring to. If it's the one about how if the POTUS had a son it would look like Trayvon?...I'd call it a real stretch to suggest that statement is inciting racial violence. Accurate or not, the way the story played out it was pretty clear race played a role in the initial act. And yes, Obama's son would look like that. Regardless, looks alone are not grounds for the use of deadly force but the cold, hard reality, as evidenced by the way this situation (and many others) played out, is that they do. Many of us don't like it, but that's the reality we live with and President Obama is well aware of that fact. It should not be an excuse for criminal acts by anyone on either side.

Whether or not Zimmerman had additional grounds to legally justify his action is the real issue. AND is the issue that should have been addressed by the Police.

 

[MrJohnRoss]

And there goes Solyndra #2...

Another $2.1 Billion wasted on "green energy"...

Solar Company Bankrupt Despite "Win-Win" DOE Loan

 

[jpcavin]

I'll be forced to join BT at the tiki bar all afternoon sipping Mai-Tai's.

Ahhhh, Mai-Tais at the Tiki Bar don't sound bad at all...