Money Matters - Part 10

Yes, Goofy can sure use some dental care!

I'm sure there are a few princesses that could use breast reduction surgery too.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

What about Queen Dolly?

She's not Disney. She's Nashville.

She alread had one

Sounds uneven.

lol lol so bad

Forced sterilization, please!!

http://www.lohud.com/article/20120123/NEWS03/301230090?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I have to agree- buncha nuts

Waited outside the library this morning, as it opened delayed for some sort of weather. I heard a few people discussing getting some sort of health care by applying for asistance of some kind. "A lot of forms, a big hassle but they give you what you need." Well, hell-O, me and DH working and paying taxes, and our employers subsidizing the healthcare system with big insurance premiums, our entire adult life is 'somewhat of a hassle' too.
Yes, I know it stinks to not have private insurance.
Sorry, I am not in the mood to hear someone complain about the paperwork needed to get free healthcare.

Dumpster diving at government offices? Never thought of that. Sounds like you can get some good stuff. People are so wasteful.

People in government don't know anything, Jen. The right hand doesn't know what they left hand is doing, as they say.

Didn't hear about that explosion, Victor. Bummer.


Sherrie, good to hear that Jim is working more now.

Anyhow, I got that car I wanted, the 2012 Hyundai Accent. Got it in silver, not green like I wanted, but I'm still happy. Still want the green, though, but they wanted 1K more down to get it for me, as they said they don't make many automatics in that model in the green. Even the in the standards there aren't that many. Anyhow, payments are more than what I was making on the PT Loser, but I'm going to be getting about twice the gas mileage, and my mileage checks from work will more than cover the gas I will be spending on it. I'm thrilled. Here's a pic of me with my new car.

Karen

Congtats on the new car, Karen! You'll be traveling in style!

I find it hard to weigh in on government workers since that's who I see daily. I can tell you there's nothing easy about the social service jobs. Many of the people I end up seeing are too brain damaged, too mentally ill, too high or strung out on drugs to handle their healthcare paperwork. Problem is a portion of them commit terrible crimes and another portion of them just do really dumb things in public, so society ignores them at our own peril.

Looks good Karen...PT Loser LOL, I have a friend who has one. THey never did appeal to me.

Nice!

Wow - VP gave a whopping $370 to charity last year. Prez gave 1%. Pretty cheap. Have not done my taxes yet, but we gave much more than 1%.

Thanks, guys!

Victor, that's really cheap of our VP and Pres. Wow!

Rosemary, I would not want to do a social services job. I thought at one time I would, but that would be tough for me. I love working with the developmentally disabled, but I'd have trouble working with the mentally disturbed, drug and alcohol addicts, etc. It's tough to see people going through that.

Karen

Apple had blowout earnings as usual. Maybe the workers in their Chinese sweatshop will get a penny per hour raise, bringing them to 32 cents per hour.

Does Microsoft have their stuff made in China, too?

Karen

Yes - their hardware - X Box, etc.

Attended a seminar today for prevailing wage act today. Some guy asked if they paid an employee prevailing wage for a job and he didn't have to can he ask for that $ back? and the state guys mentioned an anonymus tip that there is a company paying the guys prevailing rate in the check but then asking for $ back in cash

DO you believe these people???????????

Guess everything's made in China now.

Crazy, Jen.

Sadly, even many American flags are, Karen.

That IS sad.

Karen

Apple is making a billion in profit PER WEEK. They have more cash in the bank than many S&P 500 companies ARE WORTH. Funny, no one talks about windfall profits and special taxes for them.

Charitable donation is one line on those famous tax returns that I am curious about too.

Can we find out how much some rich people spend per week on personal help, and how much personal help is taxpayer - paid for other certain rich people?

American made American flags sounds like a nice little niche business idea.

Check out Flag Makers Association of America.

http://www.fmaa-usa.com/

They are the group that certifies that a flag is made in America with 100% American materials and 100% American labor.

We should imo insist the same be true for US Passports, for instance.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/senator-charles-schumer-demands-end-foreign-components-us/story?id=10921949

Was glad to see that our troops' underwear is made in the US
http://www.camapp.com/

I agree, cole.

Victor, you have posted critical remarks about Google several times, and I haven't said anything because I don't know enough. However, their latest action against privacy (yesterday) makes me inclined to drop Google services like Gmail, Google search, Blogger, and YouTube.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/google-tracks-consumers-across-products-users-cant-opt-out/2012/01/24/gIQArgJHOQ_story.html?wpisrc=al_comboNE_b

Yes, darius. I posted that yesterday on the Coffee Break thread. They are the pits, along with FB.

And I am using Bing more and more.

Apparently my area has some of the lowest unemployment in the state. Not sure why.


http://www.lohud.com/article/20120125/NEWS02/301250021?source=twitter

maybe everyone without jobs moved

Interesting piece on Warren Buffet's poor little secretary we keep hearing about.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2012/01/25/warren-buffetts-secretary-likely-makes-between-200000-and-500000year/

And apparently she was able to buy a second home in AZ last year. My heart bleeds for her.

Re Google- etc-
I looked at downloading an app for a plant journal, but got stuck at the permissions. You had to agree it could record phone call locations, something like that. Is this the secret reason that they offer so many free and cheap apps- data they glean, (along with helping you run over your limit on data per month.)?
My account pays for 200 mb but I hardly use 50 in a typical month. The only time I got the warning for getting over (130mb in my case, or 65 percent) is when I called up lots of maps while christmas shopping; the maps were the only unusual thing in that period.


bing has fabulous daily pictures.
Some (other?) search I was using gave me such shopping-oriented returns that I had trouble doing 'research.' Going back to Google corrected that.

re the sec't'y- I hate getting half the story. Common media loves giving half the story.

from the story on low unemployment from victor-
"Educational and health services added 5,300 jobs during that period, an increase of 4.5 percent.

The financial sector added 1,100 jobs, an increase of 3.4 percent, and the leisure and hospitality sector added 1,400 jobs, an increase of 3.2 percent.

Nelson pointed out that not all sectors shared in the growth.

Manufacturing and construction in Putnam, Rockland and Westchester suffered job losses of 2,800 and 2,200, respectively, "

This makes me sad, thinking of the young man who wants to be the family wage earner. Losses in traditionally male jobs with gains in highly traditionally "female" jobs (except for financial).

Wonderful.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20120126/D9SGJK6G0.html

... and that's a surprise???