Re: Problems with American Society

Wittmann never disappoints.

I’m sorry - was there someone else in the room that tied the rope around her neck? No. She wanted everyone to feel sorry for her, and now they all do - as she murdered herself.

Yes - I blame her for how she chose to end her own tragedy - She is soley responsible for what she did to herself

NO, she was undeveloped emotionally. [edited by GG] No matter what tragedy sets in, you always blame the victims or [say] …. “that’s nothing did you know how many people die from choking on chewing gum?” [edited by GG]

Coincidentally, here’s a news story on the V-22 Osprey which appeared just today:

1 October 2012

US Osprey military aircraft begin Okinawa base move

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19782283

Since the depression is global, then I do believe it is hitting China as well as it is us.

The difference, IMHO, is that China has been building up a manufacturing infrastructure while America has been disassembling ours and replacing it with a service industry infrastructure.

It is my personal opinion that a country with a manufacturing base can grow it’s GDP.  In fact, the P in GDP stands for PRODUCT, it does not stand for SERVICE.  I also, personally, determine wealth by not only money, but products owned - but in any case, it is not services received that creates wealth.  I can hire an attorney all day long, but that attorney did not give me wealth, it may have given me knowledge, but not wealth.  If I were to take that knowledge and change raw materials into some PRODUCT then that PRODUCT would give me wealth.

It’s a fine line, and I’m sure some of you will attempt to disagree with me (some because they legitimately don’t understand what I am trying to say, some because they honestly think I am wrong, and some out of pure habit.)

That said, a nation with a manufacturing basis will be able to recover from depression and experience less impact from a depression than a nation who relies on services for it’s economy.

To put it into perspective:

If Nation A makes tanks then they have tanks.
If Nation B cleans Nation A’s tanks, then they have nothing.

Like, totally, OMG Stuka! (Sorry, I don’t do Valley Girl well enough….<sob>)  Seriously it would be great if we could require the elderly to take the train, taxi, limo or bus instead of letting them drive!

As for Social Security (and like programs)  i think they should be need based, not age based if you want my honest opinion.  If you are 65 with five different kinds of cancer and a missing leg, sure, you can get Social Security!  if you are 65, in great health, physically and mentally fit and employed full time, I don’t think you should qualify.

However, I could see just an elevated age requirement.  I think we would need to look at the statistical ages people die now versus how they were in the 1940s when the program was established.  If, and this is a hypothetical because I am using IF, men typically died at 45 years of age in 1941 and the age you were allowed to collect on Social Security was 56, then we should look at the actuarial tables to determine the odds of someone living to 56 when the life expectancy was 45.  Then we should look at the tables for today and find the odds that are closest to those of the 1940s and that should be the age.

for instance.  If you had a 3% chance to live to age 56 in 1941 and you have a 3% chance to live to 93 today, then you should not be able to collect on Social Security until you reach the age of 93.

That is purely a hypothetical example with every number pulled out of my little, “bubble-butt” to demonstrate my point.  Those numbers are not to be held as cast in stone, nor are they researched.  I just grabbed numbers that seemed somewhat realistic in my mind.</sob>

@Jennifer:

God pitched a tent

That is the coolest thing I’ve heard in a while.  That almost makes me feel like going to church… no it’s gone…

@Janus1:

i meant no disrespect to you, and sorry if i somehow offended you, but you know what, F*** off. you want to be offended by it, fine, go ahead

Boy Janus, you sure picked the right name (i.e. the two faced god of Graeco-Roman mythology). Are you bi-polar or what? “Sorry if I offended you, but f*** you!”. Double your dosage buddy, and don’t bust a blood-vessel being so FED-UP! :lol:

Now if you and your moronic buddy will excuse me, I’ve got to get back to hitting the bottle and shooting craps at my casino on your tax dollar. :wink:

Agent_Smith - Its a small college, but I won’t get into which one. Too many psychos on the internet! :roll: Sorry I didn’t specify, but I thought that “college” was implicit in my statement about the summer semester. And yes, I’m in the abd phase of the Phd. You are correct that I was taking an absolutist position, but I thought that this simplistic and addle-brained poll/thread lent itself to such. My first instinct was to steer clear of it, but at least some intelligent discourse was generated.

[while eatting a mouthful of BLT]: Mmmph Wha-? Mmmph Okay.