PrairieDog Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 11 hours ago, sparquelito said: Two complete meals of chicken/mushroom ramen, plus scrambled eggs for breakfast the next day. 😐 I suppose if you like it, but if the goal is frugality, that is actually the very most expensive way to prepare those dishes… You are paying over 7.00 a pound for that chicken. You can buy 3 pounds in rotisserie bird at the grocery for a couple dollars more and get 6-8-10 meals out of it. Costco, if you have one, sells giant birds for 5 bucks. You can easily freeze what you can’t use right away into pre-measured packets for future meals. With what you are saving you can buy fresh, healthier button mushrooms for about the same price. The ramen price is hard to beat, but there are better and more nutritious versions of plain ramen in the spaghetti aisle in 1-2 pound packages that aren’t that much more. And you can control the salt, and switch up the flavors. Might be a little more standing at the stove, and using a knife to cut things up but cave men were doing that in caves. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 10 minutes ago, Larsongs said: We still have a Real Estate business.. Tax wise there’s no advantage for my wife & I to be completely debt free.. I believe we’re set up to be as debt free as we can be taking Taxes into account. If it weren’t for Taxes we would be.. I, like you, pay a heavy toll in taxes. It's just the cost of living in California. Our son was thinking of moving to Austin....and if he went, we would have to have considered it to be near the grandkids....but I'm glad they're staying here. With no 'earned income' coming in, we just wanted to pay off the house so we could spend our "golden years" right here.... I want to leave this house feet-first. We had rentals....but once they were fully depreciated, (at that time it was 18 years), we sold them....mainly because I HATED getting the maintenance calls.... on Saturday night or Sunday morning! We, at one time, had 55 rental units....not 55 properties.... one property was an 18-unit apartment complex.... a couple of 6-plexes, a couple of 5-plexes, some duplexes and some houses....ALL got sold off 30 years ago! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) 46 minutes ago, Larsongs said: We still have a Real Estate business.. Tax wise there’s no advantage for my wife & I to be completely debt free.. I believe we’re set up to be as debt free as we can be taking Taxes into account. If it weren’t for Taxes we would be.. Taxes are not debts… You are buying things and services with your taxes. Besides things like police and fire protection, and roads that go places, in your case you get the County property records office that makes it possible to run your real estate business. Imagine if there wasn’t a recorder, building permit clerk, or inspector at those desks in the courthouse. It would be kinda hard to know if you can legally sell or buy that house, or if that shopping mall is up to code and the roof won’t collapse once you close on it. Your taxes are paying for those services. God forbid those services were privatized, and your competitor was in charge and the goal is to make a profit doing it. You think they’d clear your deals, or would they just use the opportunity to sweep up all the cherries and stymie your business. Not to mention how much fees would get jacked up, or services cut, even if they were legit to make sure the investors get their money off your work. Besides the actual services, paying the government to do these chores means having a system that ensures everyone is playing by the same rules and treated fairly so they can do business efficiently. Edited May 23 by PrairieDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 59 minutes ago, PrairieDog said: Taxes are not debts… You are buying things and services with your taxes. Besides things like police and fire protection, and roads that go places, in your case you get the County property records office that makes it possible to run your real estate business. Imagine if there wasn’t a recorder, building permit clerk, or inspector at those desks in the courthouse. It would be kinda hard to know if you can legally sell or buy that house, or if that shopping mall is up to code and the roof won’t collapse once you close on it. Your taxes are paying for those services. God forbid those services were privatized, and your competitor was in charge and the goal is to make a profit doing it. You think they’d clear your deals, or would they just use the opportunity to sweep up all the cherries and stymie your business. Not to mention how much fees would get jacked up, or services cut, even if they were legit to make sure the investors get their money off your work. Besides the actual services, paying the government to do these chores means having a system that ensures everyone is playing by the same rules and treated fairly so they can do business efficiently. We’ve paid our fair share.. And then some over the course of our lifetime of working our asses off.. We have provided plenty to help do all the things you mention.. Right, Taxes aren’t debts.. They are fees imposed by Gov’t. The Gov’t makes the laws.. No one should pay more than they owe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) 2 hours ago, PrairieDog said: Taxes are not debts… You are buying things and services with your taxes. Besides things like police and fire protection, and roads that go places, in your case you get the County property records office that makes it possible to run your real estate business. Imagine if there wasn’t a recorder, building permit clerk, or inspector at those desks in the courthouse. It would be kinda hard to know if you can legally sell or buy that house, or if that shopping mall is up to code and the roof won’t collapse once you close on it. Your taxes are paying for those services. God forbid those services were privatized, and your competitor was in charge and the goal is to make a profit doing it. You think they’d clear your deals, or would they just use the opportunity to sweep up all the cherries and stymie your business. Not to mention how much fees would get jacked up, or services cut, even if they were legit to make sure the investors get their money off your work. Besides the actual services, paying the government to do these chores means having a system that ensures everyone is playing by the same rules and treated fairly so they can do business efficiently. My only complaint about property taxes is that a big chuck goes towards the public school system. I never had kids and when I was younger, my parents paid for Catholic Schools for me and my siblings. Edited May 23 by gearbasher 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 15 minutes ago, gearbasher said: My only complaint about property taxes is that a big chuck goes towards the public school system. I never had kids and when I was younger, my parents paid for Catholic Schools for me and my siblings. That's pretty "mild" of a complaint considering what they do with our tax dollars...... The local school district just floated a bond measure to "ensure a good education" for the kids..... they never consider having offices furnished with anything less than "the BEST" furniture....and cutting out the "ＣRAP" they teach...etc....etc...etc.... As Lars said, We pay MORE than our "Fair Share"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 I know what people are saying about schools and taxes… I am complaining about paying taxes for fire and police because I haven’t had to use them ever. Maybe roads too… Why should I pay for that? It should be free (sarcasm hopefully detected) what right do kids have to be educated that aren’t religious or have even a little money to go to say Catholic school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) 22 minutes ago, NighthawkChris said: I know what people are saying about schools and taxes… I am complaining about paying taxes for fire and police because I haven’t had to use them ever. Maybe roads too… Why should I pay for that? It should be free (sarcasm hopefully detected) what right do kids have to be educated that aren’t religious or have even a little money to go to say Catholic school? We were far from "having money". My father busted his butt 12 hours a day , 7 days a week and we were still just above the poverty level. We had no car, never went on vacation and lived in a place that was to small for all of us. But, my parents used what little they had to give us all a better education. And, it paid off. I'm one of seven and we all have/had good jobs and are living comfortably. If only I realized the sacrifices they made when I was younger. Edited May 23 by gearbasher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 (edited) 1 hour ago, gearbasher said: My only complaint about property taxes is that a big chuck goes towards the public school system. I never had kids and when I was younger, my parents paid for Catholic Schools for me and my siblings. Yeah but, Catholic School was a choice, and $ your parents decided to spend. They didn’t have to. I’m pretty sure there was a public school that you could have attended. So at Catholic School did you learn different stuff the idiot public school kids didn’t. Other than the religious stuff? I’m sure knowing the Stations Of The Cross and learning about the Holy Sacraments came in handy on job interviews. You correctly answered Station Nine was Jesus falls a third time. Based on that answer- your hired. Edited May 23 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 10 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said: Yeah but, Catholic School was a choice, and $ your parents decided to spend. They didn’t have to. I’m pretty sure there was a public school that you could have attended. So at Catholic School did you learn different stuff the idiot public school kids didn’t. Other than the religious stuff? I’m sure knowing the Stations Of The Cross and learning about the Holy Sacraments came in handy on job interviews. See my post right before the one you wrote. If you saw what the public school system was like in Brooklyn during the '60s and '70s (it probably isn't better, now), the answer to your question would be, yes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 (edited) 23 minutes ago, gearbasher said: See my post right before the one you wrote. If you saw what the public school system was like in Brooklyn during the '60s and '70s (it probably isn't better, now), the answer to your question would be, yes. Man you could have been a Sweat Hog. And your dreams could have been your ticket out. I’m the product of a San Jose, California High School education. Pioneer High School - The Mustangs. All the rich kids that lived by the golf course went to Leland High School. Probably not much better than Brooklyn, NY. I remember this like it was yesterday. My 11th grade teacher’s name was Mrs. Stacy, and it was third period US history. She said to the entire class, everything in the Bible happened and was real. I thought to myself wow you’re making this statement in public school. Does the Principal know you have gone rogue? Edited May 23 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) 1 hour ago, gearbasher said: We were far from "having money". My father busted his butt 12 hours a day , 7 days a week and we were still just above the poverty level. We had no car, never went on vacation and lived in a place that was to small for all of us. But, my parents used what little they had to give us all a better education. And, it paid off. I'm one of seven and we all have/had good jobs and are living comfortably. If only I realized the sacrifices they made when I was younger. I went to Catholic school for all years until HS. I know it’s not for only rich. But some people don’t even have that… I would worry about a generation of kids that can’t even get sub-par education given public schooling is not available. But not trying to get into a bicker about this. I just see no justification for paying what little of taxes that actually DO go towards public education and moaning about it. Can anyone explicitly say without a doubt how much of their mandatory taxes they pay go towards schooling? Let’s put numbers on this if we want to debate this and then start firing back. I’m going out on a limb and saying it’s nearly insignificant. Most who go on the internet to rant about this probably don’t do their research and figure out quantitative results, but want to make it a talking point for hysteria. Like them damn teachers who complain about pay they get and get 3 months of the year off… bunch of slackers… Edited May 23 by NighthawkChris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 3 minutes ago, NighthawkChris said: I went to Catholic school for all years until HS. I know it’s not for only rich. But some people don’t even have that… I would worry about a generation of kids that can’t even get sub-par education given public schooling is not available. But not trying to get into a bicker about this. I just see no justification for paying what little of taxes that actually DO go towards public education and moaning about it. Can anyone explicitly say without a doubt how much of their mandatory taxes they pay go towards schooling? Let’s put numbers on this if we want to debate this and then. I’m going out on a limb and saying it’s nearly insignificant. Most who go on the internet to rant about this probably don’t do their research and figure out quantitative results, but want to make it a talking point if hysteria. Like then damn teachers who complain about pay they get and get 3 months of the year off… bunch of slackers… Unless you deal with that as a Gobment Employee all we can do is look it up on the net that is always accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 3 hours ago, Larsongs said: We’ve paid our fair share.. And then some over the course of our lifetime of working our asses off.. We have provided plenty to help do all the things you mention.. Right, Taxes aren’t debts.. They are fees imposed by Gov’t. The Gov’t makes the laws.. No one should pay more than they owe. Uh, so by that logic, you feel because paid for groceries last week, you shouldn’t have to pay for them this week? How does that work? Just because you “feel” like you paid enough doesn’t mean anything to the cost of running the system. You are still using and benefitting from the services that tax dollars provide. It’s the cost of doing business. What if your clients just decided they paid you enough, but expected you to keep working for them? Would that be reasonable? You couldn’t keep your doors open very long, could you? Yes, government sets the taxes, but the “government” is just the people we voted in exactly to set the taxes. That is their main job. Congress and legislatures make the budgets to run things, and that means setting the tax rates that will pay for it all. It’s not some shadowy force beyond our control. And seriously, dude, if you are paying more than you owe, you really need a new accountant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 15 minutes ago, NighthawkChris said: I went to Catholic school for all years until HS. I know it’s not for only rich. But some people don’t even have that… I would worry about a generation of kids that can’t even get sub-par education given public schooling is not available. But not trying to get into a bicker about this. I just see no justification for paying what little of taxes that actually DO go towards public education and moaning about it. Can anyone explicitly say without a doubt how much of their mandatory taxes they pay go towards schooling? Let’s put numbers on this if we want to debate this and then start firing back. I’m going out on a limb and saying it’s nearly insignificant. Most who go on the internet to rant about this probably don’t do their research and figure out quantitative results, but want to make it a talking point for hysteria. Like them damn teachers who complain about pay they get and get 3 months of the year off… bunch of slackers… I couldn't find NYC, but this is from NYS Dept. Of Finance. That's a big chunk for schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) 3 hours ago, gearbasher said: My only complaint about property taxes is that a big chuck goes towards the public school system. I never had kids and when I was younger, my parents paid for Catholic Schools for me and my siblings. The Founding Fathers who mandated public school be available, understood that a well educated population would benefit everyone, whether they have children or not. They understood the role of public school was to create citizens who would know at least basic math and reading so that they could take care of themselves through work and be able to manage their finances and households, without being a burden on other citizens, or the government. And finally, they reasoned an educated population would be able to understand the issues related to government and taxation, and so make wise choices for their representatives. They recognized that it was in the best interest of the nation to make sure children were educated. Edited May 23 by PrairieDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 Just now, PrairieDog said: The Founding Fathers who mandated public school be available, understood that a well educated population would benefit everyone, whether they have children or not. They understood the role of public school was to create citizens who would knew at least basic math and reading so that they could take care of themselves through work and be able to manage their finances and households, without being a burden on other citizens, or the government. And finally, they reasoned an educated population would be able to understand the issues related to government and taxation, and so make wise choices for their representatives. They recognized that it was in the best interest of the nation to make sure children were educated. Thank you. Even if we do spend a lot for it, these are benefits we don’t bring up enough. Others can agree to disagree. Wasn’t attempting to bring universal resolution to the topic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 15 minutes ago, gearbasher said: I couldn't find NYC, but this is from NYS Dept. Of Finance. That's a big chunk for schools. Agree it’s a significant chunk of tax dollars based on this. Not going to continue to make these kind of points though here myself because I don’t want this to devolve into other “badness”. I don’t come here to tick others off. If people want to take issue with school spending, then so be it. I am just one that takes issue with NOT investing in education even if it is for others’ children. Don’t people buying homes look if they are in good school districts? Sort of symbolizes a good neighborhood or something like that… just a point I am making by my own thought. Don’t know if it helps or hurts the idea to fund or defund public ed…. Seems like it should bolster it, no? People like living in places that are safe and accommodating for families. Schools seem like a good measure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 1 hour ago, PrairieDog said: Uh, so by that logic, you feel because paid for groceries last week, you shouldn’t have to pay for them this week? How does that work? Just because you “feel” like you paid enough doesn’t mean anything to the cost of running the system. You are still using and benefitting from the services that tax dollars provide. It’s the cost of doing business. What if your clients just decided they paid you enough, but expected you to keep working for them? Would that be reasonable? You couldn’t keep your doors open very long, could you? Yes, government sets the taxes, but the “government” is just the people we voted in exactly to set the taxes. That is their main job. Congress and legislatures make the budgets to run things, and that means setting the tax rates that will pay for it all. It’s not some shadowy force beyond our control. And seriously, dude, if you are paying more than you owe, you really need a new accountant. By that logic I’m not FORCED to buy groceries……at a price determined by how much I make, under penalty of law. Maybe I plan to fast…..can’t “fast” on taxes……you’ll end up in jail! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) 3 hours ago, DanvillRob said: By that logic I’m not FORCED to buy groceries……at a price determined by how much I make, under penalty of law. Maybe I plan to fast…..can’t “fast” on taxes……you’ll end up in jail! Not exactly, you are in fact biologically forced to eat. If you fast completely, you end up dead. I think perhaps you missed the analogy he is implying he should *never* have to pay for groceries again because he paid enough for them before. And you do have some self-determination over taxes too. Work less, pay less. You only pay income tax on what your earn. If you don’t want to pay any tax, quit your job, and go off-grid camping and eat off the land. (Just make sure you aren’t somewhere you’d get shot for trespassing or poaching.) No one is really forcing you to have a job (slavery was outlawed sometime ago), or live in a house, or pay rent, or buy stuff. And you can draw your cash out of the bank so it doesn’t earn any taxable interest, and give away all your investments to charity so you have zero taxable capital gains. Or, hey, maybe you could become wealthy and arrange enough write-offs that you net out to zero, like the uber-rich do. Oh, but you’d have to pay the wealth management firm that gets you there, and I think that service might be taxable… so yeah, there you might be caught. Edited May 23 by PrairieDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 There’s a poll each year that tracks the % of Americans who do not have even $1000 in savings. It is always 55-65%…so I guess that means a lot of services and stuff needs to be made available free of charge or at low cost even in an age of credit cards and so forth, and that probably can only be provided by taxation - after all, Governments ultimate job is to stop the populace from imploding and killing one another en masse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Our school tax potion of our property tax is about half. So, fire, police, city code inspectors and the city government all run at the same cost of just the schools. That’s carp. Suggesting that it’s ok because an educated voting citizenry will result in better government is also. Implement vouchers and put competition into the equation and see how fast the government monopoly implodes. If competency scores weren’t dropping, if , for example in Chicago, “16% of middle school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 12% tested at or above that level for math.” I’d be happy paying. It’s not like we have dumber kids, or the schools have been “de-funded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 5 hours ago, PrairieDog said: Uh, so by that logic, you feel because paid for groceries last week, you shouldn’t have to pay for them this week? How does that work? Just because you “feel” like you paid enough doesn’t mean anything to the cost of running the system. You are still using and benefitting from the services that tax dollars provide. It’s the cost of doing business. What if your clients just decided they paid you enough, but expected you to keep working for them? Would that be reasonable? You couldn’t keep your doors open very long, could you? Yes, government sets the taxes, but the “government” is just the people we voted in exactly to set the taxes. That is their main job. Congress and legislatures make the budgets to run things, and that means setting the tax rates that will pay for it all. It’s not some shadowy force beyond our control. And seriously, dude, if you are paying more than you owe, you really need a new accountant. You’re talking about Logic? LOL!!! You know, we got audited this year.. After a lot of BS from the IRS my Accountant, who is excellent, provided all the proof that they were wrong. After months the IRS sent us a snide sideways apology for their screw up. Kind of like the same attitude as you. Dude, you got issues… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 (edited) 8 hours ago, fortyearspickn said: Our school tax potion of our property tax is about half. So, fire, police, city code inspectors and the city government all run at the same cost of just the schools. That’s carp. Suggesting that it’s ok because an educated voting citizenry will result in better government is also. Implement vouchers and put competition into the equation and see how fast the government monopoly implodes. If competency scores weren’t dropping, if , for example in Chicago, “16% of middle school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 12% tested at or above that level for math.” I’d be happy paying. It’s not like we have dumber kids, or the schools have been “de-funded. I just don’t understand why we have such issues investing in our country’s children and cherry pick places that are highly populated and say - told you so - kind of crap. It’s a big flipping country and not all school districts are NYC or Chicago… disingenuous if you ask me. Your argument and others are unjustifiable. Even if I pay half my taxes for education, I’d be happy to pay more with the hope it would be used to prepare the next generation for the future. Are we arguing that all public education is crap? Quite a claim to make… I wonder if older generations needed more funding when they make assertions like this and demonize education - and even teachers I’ve heard personally. Maybe we need more prayer in the classroom because this is another argument too… Well doesn’t matter. This country is full of science-denying, religiously misguided individuals who believe in things like sky wizards and miracles that have yet to be proven for thousands of years. One party wants private education and persuades this by mentioning cherry picked facts of how public ed is horrible. I don’t buy it. We live in a country that does not care about environment, education, what happens to you if you lose a job, healthcare, affordability, etc. Ironic for a country as religious as the one we have that kicks you down further when you’re already down. The system sucks… and we are mad about trying to help a kid get an education… then have to cherry pick a few bad groups of this 330M population to say told you so. Disingenuous. Sorry you don’t personally approve of how the public ed serves the community. Maybe the money you pay for Chicago schools all the way down in TX is a load. Children that don’t perform in school are also victims of poor influence - I.e. think about the home, parents, etc. parents need to be involved with their children’s development I feel and you know what, that helps them make the best of whatever education they are provided with. Not the school’s fault kids can’t do homework just as it isn’t the doctor’s fault that someone with a medical condition doesn’t do what they are medically advised to do. I read with my kids every night and check their homework. Know what… they actually learn things this way. Go figure. Edited May 24 by NighthawkChris 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 On 5/22/2024 at 3:07 PM, NighthawkChris said: There’s a rumor going around that Gibson is letting cracked nuts get by their QC. Inspect your NGD present carefully. How many times have people come on here and say their nut is cracked when the edge of their nut has a line across it where the lacquer stops? How many times? Over and over... A bunch of big experts on here told me how there's no edge of the lacquer there. There's a line across every nut of every Gibson I've ever seen where the edge of the lacquer is. No lacquer on the top of the nut and yes lacquer on the side of the nut. But there's supposedly no line between the lacquered and unlacquered parts of the nut. 🤌 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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