This is probably about average for us Americans:
http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp...s-on-map-1.jpg
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This is probably about average for us Americans:
http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp...s-on-map-1.jpg
@Scott P. Your map is spot on, only most would not know France for Spain. Italy might be the only given, but Greece, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, and all the other European or Baltic countries would be huge unknowns.
Yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldno7
Although, even though I read a smattering about economics, etc, I'm reasonably ignorant to some (maybe most) of its nuances.
Really?Quote:
Originally Posted by oldno7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2y8Sx4B2Sk
Chavez was very vocally against globalization.
I was speaking to liberalism(but you knew that)
United Socialist Party of Venezuela
chavez wasn't a capitalist:roflol:
socialism only works until you run out of everyone else's money, despite what bernie told you.
Ahh. Actually, I didn't know that. But I wouldn't hold up the fall of Venezuela as a failure of "liberalism" per se.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldno7
And, I'd think Chavez more a Marxist than a proponent of "liberalism".
Venezuela was interesting to visit, especially coming into contact with the different economic classes of peoples. The poor loved Chavez. The rich hated him.
Interesting how much oil we import from Venezuela...low oil prices would kill any economy depending on it. I bought auto gas at a gas station for my camp stove for a backpacking trip across their Sierra Nevada. I couldn't believe the price. 10 cents a gallon. And a long taxi ride of 30 or 40 miles, one way, was something like 15 bucks. In an old, American car. Crazy.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
Libtards...ha ha.
Well, Bernie didn't tell me that.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldno7
You're getting close to Social Security (and Medicare/Medicaid)...going to turn it down on principal?
Unless you're incredibly lucky to be born into privilege (like Shane...ha ha), then pure capitalism hasn't worked for the common man either.
I think a blended approach makes sense. Too bad the pendulum has to swing so wide each direction all the time...
I have no complaints how capitalism has worked for my family, but my family started with nothing and built a strong company. The entire family contributed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian in SLC
And I'll give you the same advise my father gave me "if you want to have money you need to own a business. If you work for someone else you'll never get rich, but only make someone else rich as you are just trading dollars for hours".
Good advice. Your dad's a character...Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
Possibly so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob L
Voted out over bananas and cukes. Too funny.
And, we're still on your damn English system of measure. Didn't "they" promise us in the 70's we were moving to metric?
Here's an acquaintance's (and friend of a friend) POV:
http://steviehaston.blogspot.com/
A bit harsh, but, milder than his FB rants...(!)
I work with a few ex-pats, climb and socialize with a few more. And have climbed and canyoned with UK folk in Europe. Yeah, all in the 48%.
Interesting. We'll see...
Thanks.
Carter put us on the metric system and Reagan took us back off, which is to bad because we were well on our way to converting.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian in SLC
It was actually Ford that signed the Metric Conversion Law into effect. Reagan killed it though. I agree that it is too bad. The metric system is no much easier mathematically and scientifically.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
In the long run, converting to the metric system would save billions, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. Too bad there are so many old farts around that are resistant to change.
We have been living under a "blended" approach.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian in SLC
The US has many "Social" policies(socialism)--All are un sustainable.
"Social" security, which you mention, is a huge part of this nations growing debt.
When I was young, it was honorable to get a job and contribute to society, an actual source of pride, in most who did such.
Social security, like obamacare, are legalized pyramid schemes.
Social security would only work if there was a workforce equal to or exceeding retiree's benefits.
As we all have seen at bernie rallies, a very high percentage of youth, those who would pay into SS, if they were employed, are voting for a country of handouts.
The young workforce does not equal the aging, retiring baby boomers SS benefit, so, we, as a country, borrow, often from ourselves by printing more money.
As to o-care, it demands every American sign up. We then run into a very similar problem.
0-care can only work if the young and healthy, pay in to support the old and aging, who generally require more medical treatment.
But most all youth are healthy and cannot see paying for something they will likely not need.
So 0-care creates a shortfall, which is easily remedied, we borrow, often from ourselves and pay the shortfall
We borrow from ourselves by having the fed(a private entity) print money but every dollar they print, is backed by the US government.
We, as a country, don't have money to pay off the fed, so we go deeper in debt.
And--as an added benefit, whenever the fed, distributes more money, that is backed by nothing, it causes the value of all goods to increase(inflation),
soon to be followed by hyper inflation, which is what we see in Venezuela.
Socialism, by it's very nature, can only survive for a short time.(historically)
To answer your question as to if I will turn down ss, when the time comes to collect:
I've been paying into ss for 42 years, I helped our fathers and grandfathers have a retirement benefit.
I never expected to have to rely on ss, so I have situated myself were I would not rely on it but rely on myself and investments I've personally made, to this end.
So, to date, I've paid in a lot of money and received none. Will I want to recoup some or all of my investment, I paid into others retirement? Sure, will I depend on it? No.
As far as stocks are concerned turn around Tuesday looks like it's going to roll into winning Wednesday.
There was really no logical reason for stocks to tank so badly with the Brexit vote. It now looks like clam is replacing panic.
Oldno7, I agree with much of what you said, but here are some comments.
It still is honorable. No one should ever say otherwise.Quote:
When I was young, it was honorable to get a job and contribute to society, an actual source of pride, in most who did such.
On the flip side, the non-insured cost the insured a great deal of money.Quote:
As to o-care, it demands every American sign up.
Medical coverage is a tough subject (regardless of political affiliation). Should everyone who has a medical problem through no fault of their own, and who are working full time and have health coverage, be forced to file bankruptcy and lose everything every time they have a medical issue? I don't know, but I do know that my perspective has changed somewhat after my wife had some heart problems.
Even without the surgery, the out of pocket expense was $30K a year, just for a few test. Since we were smart with our money, the only debt we had was our house at the time. Two years back to back was $60K, so we did get a loan for that. I plan on paying back all of it. However, I was in the engineering field, which is high paying. Obviously, it hurt the pocketbook, but I can pay it off. I couldn’t pay 30K every single year though, so I got another job (which I hated, but it was what I felt was right at the time).
What if I didn’t work in engineering though? A lot of people can’t afford to fork out $30K every year.
What if children were involved and it was their parents who couldn't afford the care?
Pure capitalism says that the person must pay 100% of it or die regardless, while pure socialism says that society should help out. As for me, I don’t know. It’s a tough subject. I just know that I plan on doing everything I can to support my own family and that I would (without government intervention) help someone else out if I could and if they needed it.
I don't see anyone solving the medical coverage problem anytime soon.
I agree. I wouldn’t blame it all on Obama care or whatever though. Most of the Federal Budget is due to Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, and National “Defense”.Quote:
We, as a country, don't have money to pay off the fed, so we go deeper in debt.
A lot of the wars we fought really have little to do with our own nation’s defense. Don’t get me wrong, we can help defend countries that share our own values, but we really have no business in fighting wars for countries that don’t share our values.
The true cost of the Iraq War has been in the trillions and we aren’t any safer for it. We spent billions over decades arming and supporting militant Islamic groups and look where it has gotten us.
Many politicians are still screaming for us to arm groups with a long history of terrorism (and look what side of the political spectrum many are on:
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...%20the%20kurds
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...port+the+kurds
Like arming the predecessors of al Qaeda and the Taliban (Carter, Reagan [especially), and Bush Sr.), this could easily bite us back in the *ss.
Despite all the praise given to the Kurds, they have a long history of terrorism.
Here is a post I made a few years ago on another forum:
Attachment 84376
Lets see what has happened since then:
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...ish%20bombings
We keep arming all this brutal factions and it always ends up costing us in the end.
Look at the Syrian Refugee situation right now. It was the Iraq war that spilled over into Syria and caused the crisis in the first place. Russia and the United States (and to a lesser extent some European nations) are the ones arming both sides. Both sides are evil and either way this will come back and bite us. We need to protect our country and those who are our true allies, but we don't need to get involved in every single war and arm and support those that don't share our values.
Although both have gotten us involved where they shouldn't have, Republicans are probably at least as guilty for the national debt as Democrats.
I agree with you that social programs can cause people to rely on them and causes a government dependency. You are right in this regard. I believe that there should be some welfare programs, but that the welfare should be worked for (unless someone has a truly valid reason for not working, i.e. and extreme medical condition).
The CCC was a great welfare program during the depression. The CCC provided jobs for those who needed them to feed their needy families, but they were expected to work for their support. The jobs paid enough to keep a family from going without food and shelter, yet paid less than jobs in the private industry, so there was incentive to get off the program as soon as possible. The CCC is much more ideal than what we have today.
As for Government spending, we need to keep our country safe, but we need to spend much less on military conflicts for those that don't share our values. The welfare programs we need are such that they give the maximum motivation possible to get off them. To compete in the world (and like it or not, the economy is global), we need an educated population. Spending on education is necessary. College should not be free, but it should not be so expensive that only a few can afford it. We need a strong infrastructure and public transportation. National Parks and Public Lands are still an asset in my opinion and should be supported. Health care is a mess either way. At the very least, those who live a healthy lifestyle should pay less than those who don't.
I agree with the above 100% and that is exactly how I feel.Quote:
To answer your question as to if I will turn down ss, when the time comes to collect:
I've been paying into ss for 42 years, I helped our fathers and grandfathers have a retirement benefit.
I never expected to have to rely on ss, so I have situated myself were I would not rely on it but rely on myself and investments I've personally made, to this end.
So, to date, I've paid in a lot of money and received none. Will I want to recoup some or all of my investment, I paid into others retirement? Sure, will I depend on it? No.
The only original English measure still used internationally is 1/4" Whitworth. It's the thread form on all cameras for mounting to a tripod, or similar.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian in SLC
The start of Engineering Standards came about during the American Civil War when ammunition from one supplier would not fit in the gun with the same bore. WWI saw similar problems with shells, and that is why small pockets of the French countryside are still covered in unexploded WW1 ammunition. National and then International Standards (of a lot of things) came about as a result.
As ScottP suggests, the metric system is the international language of scientists. It is logical and sensible, but it should not be forced upon the populace, as it has been here in the UK in terms of weight & measures and other mindless EU regulations.
Brian: my reference to bananas, cucumbers & French butchers chopping boards was a very small example, and all those regulations were created (at vast expense) and then overturned (at vast expense) years ago . And it's not "too funny", believe me when it comes out of my tax £.
Rob
Scott, nice post. Good info all around without the usual Bog-ley-down.
Might agree about the WWI affect, but, I'd guess not the Civil War. Most common rifle was a musket that fired a "Minnie ball" (Minié bullet). Huge difference in bullet sizes would fit and fire in any rifle. Pistols were cap and ball and swaged slightly different size lead balls leaving a ring of lead behind (I have a martially marked Colt 1860...that I'm tempted to shoot...).Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob L
Do recall Custer and company got a bit hosed by not being able to jack the spent rounds out of their rifles...but, that's a different issue...
Literally humor (humour for you, Rob) at your expense. Sorry about that. Did conjure up visions of soccer fans tossing straight bananas onto the field...ha ha.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob L
Cheers!
The Dow is near a record high today. It may break the record this week if things go well.
...and the GBP saw it's lowest against the USD for 30 years.
Fortunately, I bought some dollars the week before Brexit which should see me going for my normal USA trips, until the status quo is brought back.
Interesting times ahead for us Europeans; I don't see stability for perhaps 5 years in Europe, when we will all see the longer-term result of our referendum, and how quickly some others will follow.
Rob
My charting shows a high on 7-21-16Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott P
I will not be long, 2 days prior to that date.
Im thinking investing in the pound right now might be a good idea. Buy low and sell high...
And--I could get slammed anytime before if more drop out of the EU or??Quote:
Originally Posted by oldno7
Not a bad idea (that's what I'm sure any self-respecting US Banker is doing now). Or at least book a holiday. The USD buys a lot of GBP at the moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
When £1 bought $2 (about 10 years ago) I purchased £10,000 worth (all I had! but it gave me $20,000). That paid for many years of USA trips I did, because it dropped to 1.5 in 2008, and hovered between 1.4 and 1.6 since then.
The week before Brexit, I put all my spare cash (about £2500...all I had...) into dollars at £1=$1.46 just on the off-chance that we went out. I'm glad I did. I have two USA trips planned this year; I am hoping that the exchange rate will improve for me next year, when I will need to buy more dollars.
Check out transatlantic airfares; they have dropped through the floor, because no one is travelling due to the financial uncertainty. If you are American and are cash rich, now is a good time to book a vacation to the UK.
So in summary: If I lived in the USA with a chunk of cash in the bank earning very little interest, I would buy Sterling.
Disclaimer: I am a tourist, not a financial adviser. The advice you see is worth what you have paid for it.
Rob
subscribed, this seems like a very interesting threadhttp://juragan.club/3/g.png
Yeah, crazy. Jumped on Delta's fares to Europe. 733 round trip to Croatia. Non-stop SLC to AMS then to Zagreb. Awesome!Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob L
A friend just booked a trip to Greece through London. 600 bucks. SLC has nonstop service now.
Fares have jumped back up again...but...wow. SLC nonstop to Paris was 630. Nuts.
They dropped everywhere, not only to Europe. I snagged me four tickets to Jamacia (for Spring Break) for $400 round trip out of Hayden Airport, a small airport in Colorado (usually it cost close to that much to fly to Denver from here!). The airfare to Kathmandu dropped to $900 round trip, but I don't have enough time off.Quote:
Yeah, crazy. Jumped on Delta's fares to Europe. 733 round trip to Croatia. Non-stop SLC to AMS then to Zagreb. Awesome!
A friend just booked a trip to Greece through London. 600 bucks. SLC has nonstop service now.
Fares have jumped back up again...but...wow. SLC nonstop to Paris was 630. Nuts.
With the recovery in the dow so fast, I pulled all my long positions today.
My charting still says the 21st, but I've made a good gain in a short time frame and am happy with my ytd returns.
hmmmmQuote:
Originally Posted by oldno7
A close above yesterdays high, would indicate considerably more upside.
And as well, a close below yesterdays lows, should indicate a downtrend.
I'm already positioned for the downside and as such, would lose a chance to make money if market rises.
It's possible for another high after a pullback, here.
I don't try to play exact highs and lows, rather I prefer taking the safer, chunk out of the middle.
Warning--following what I do could cause serious financial harm!:nono:
I trade, I don't buy and hold.
British Prime Minister Theresa May suffers devastating defeat on key Brexit vote
https://www.foxnews.com/world/britis...ey-brexit-vote
Climb-Utah.com
It's bloody awful. Democracy...what democracy? I'm embarassed.
So, Rob.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob L
As a citizen of the UK, what is it you see needs to transpire in regards to Brexit?
Also, don't you have a hard exit date March 29th, with or without a UE deal?
Climb-Utah.com
The entire EU financial structure is ripe for melt down, starting with Germany, France and then the UK.
Yeah it sucks for you guys over there in Merry Old England, eh? We've got a friggin' coup going on.
Stop taking instructions from Brussels. The UK joined the EEC by referendum in 1972, but there was never a popular vote to join the EU who are run by un-democratically elected politicians..Quote:
Originally Posted by oldno7
As regards Brexit, we in the UK should blow the explosives in the Chunnel, cut all telephone lines across the Channel, and make our own destiny (like we should have done ages ago).
Someone here on Bogley once made an excellent comparison: Let the Canadians run the US government and all US taxes go to Ottawa (or words to that effect).
I'm embarrassed to my international friends and colleagues that our UK government (and the opposition...in fact the whole UK political establishment) have been acting like petty children in their squabbles for personal gain, when they seem to have lost the bigger picture of what will form the future of my country (and indeed Europe) for the next 100 years or more.
I will add that despite Theresa May being a "remainer", she has stayed true to delivering what the UK democratically voted for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob L
If there is no deal in place doesn't the hard exit at the end of March pretty much accomplish just that?
So like some of us here in the US, taking care of oneself FIRST is a prudent step.(Nationalism)
I do think if the US and Great Britain achieve a level of nationalism, it will change the world.
Such as destroying the un and likely nato, although I think nato has value, the un, not so much.
Concur. Not much else need be stated.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldno7