Y2HH Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 08:31 AM) But that also means that there is a skew in who can really make use of that cut. Of course there is...you can't take advantage of something you...um...don't take advantage of. The point is, they CAN take advantage of it. I know a lot of people that are absolutely terrified to invest in the stock market, but without actual reason...so instead they open usless savings accounts that can't even begin keep up with inflation. Before this era of almost NO interest rates on savings/money market accounts, there were readily available investment opportunities for regular people, standard savings accounts paid upwards of 8%, etc...but these investment opportunities no longer exist. This long term incentive was meant to be a means to make it more affordable to invest -- long term -- in instruments that actually pay a return in times of 0.1% interest rates. Of couse the rich jumped on the bandwagon and took full advantage of it...since they didn't bother to build in a glass ceiling. I'd have only one issue with what Obama wants to do with the tax cuts right now...and that's his removal of the long term cap gains tax on everyone. I think he should do with that what he's doing with the dividend rate/income tax rate and only make it affect the top 2%. But leave it for the rest of us to take advantage of...at least, those of that choose to take advantage of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Again, as we get into typical filibuster circular debate of switching topics to suit the argument of the moment, the data is skewed to say something, while ignoring something vital. That is the point here. All you have to do is look at how the data presentation changed as soon as a different topic was presented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:38 AM) Of course there is...you can't take advantage of something you...um...don't take advantage of. The point is, they CAN take advantage of it. I'm terrified to because of the gigantic, systemic corruption, fraud, and lawbreaking. Of course, I can say the same thing about my savings account (at least that has FDIC backing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 08:40 AM) I'm terrified to because of the gigantic, systemic corruption, fraud, and lawbreaking. Of course, I can say the same thing about my savings account (at least that has FDIC backing). Or anything related to government... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2HH Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 08:40 AM) I'm terrified to because of the gigantic, systemic corruption, fraud, and lawbreaking. Of course, I can say the same thing about my savings account (at least that has FDIC backing). Stocks/bonds in brokerage accounts also have FDIC backing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 (edited) QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 08:40 AM) Again, as we get into typical filibuster circular debate of switching topics to suit the argument of the moment, the data is skewed to say something, while ignoring something vital. That is the point here. All you have to do is look at how the data presentation changed as soon as a different topic was presented. I honestly don't know what you're talking about here. Reddy said most of the working poor walk to work, which isn't true. They have significant transportation cost burdens. I wasn't switching topics to make a point, I was responding directly to one thing Reddy said. edit: can you explain what you find false, misleading or incomplete about this statement: With cap gains and dividends reductions, 0.1% capture 42% of the benefits. benefits here refers to "total amount of tax revenues not collected due to the tax cuts." If that total was $100B, then 299.7M Americans got $58B total and 300k Americans got $42B total. Edited July 11, 2012 by StrangeSox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:41 AM) Or anything related to government... Especially since the FDIC has nothing to do with the government . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2HH Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 08:42 AM) Especially since the FDIC has nothing to do with the government . Correction...they are not backed by the FDIC, they are backed by SIPC Protection Example: E*TRADE Securities LLC and E*TRADE Clearing LLC are members of SIPC, which protects securities customers of its members up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash). Explanatory brochure available upon request or at www.sipc.org. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:42 AM) Stocks/bonds in brokerage accounts also have FDIC backing. This doesn't seem accurate to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:43 AM) Correction...they are not backed by the FDIC, they are backed by SIPC Protection Example: E*TRADE Securities LLC and E*TRADE Clearing LLC are members of SIPC, which protects securities customers of its members up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash). Explanatory brochure available upon request or at www.sipc.org. Ok, I was checking through my FDIC law there because it didn't sound accurate at all to me. the SIPC is a different beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2HH Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 08:45 AM) Ok, I was checking through my FDIC law there because it didn't sound accurate at all to me. the SIPC is a different beast. I honestly have almost no faith in either the FDIC or the SIPC if things really fell apart...I'm sure I could put in a claim for the money...and I'm sure I'd get it back... In 35 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:47 AM) I honestly have almost no faith in either the FDIC or the SIPC if things really fell apart...I'm sure I could put in a claim for the money...and I'm sure I'd get it back... In 35 years. The FDIC has done an exceptional job through the crisis. Their only real blemish was Washington Mutual falling, which hit them before they'd figured out how to deal with a closing bank from the mortgage crisis, and even then they still held up their end of the bargain for most people within a period of a couple weeks. At the time they weren't covering up to $250k so a lot of people lost money past the $100k limit, but that part can't be blamed on the FDIC, that's how the law was at the time. Aside from that one, their "sell off the bank, take the losses onto the FDIC, and no one loses a cent from deposits" has worked exceptionally well, with the exception of the too big to fail banks which it can't cover. The SIPC...well, it's not designed to do what the FDIC does, it's not designed to be deposit insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:35 AM) And even your numbers generated by the American Public Transportation Association, show it is a primarily middle class or better activity. Here's the graph I was trying to track down. There's also a decent discussion there of how New York City offsets the transit use quite heavily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:00 AM) Here's the graph I was trying to track down. There's also a decent discussion there of how New York City offsets the transit use quite heavily. You do realize that NYC isn't the whole country, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2HH Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:02 AM) You do realize that NYC isn't the whole country, right? NYC is also a one-off...in they use public transportation more than most because they somewhat are forced too...there is no where to park, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 10:02 AM) You do realize that NYC isn't the whole country, right? But it is an enormous distortion, both because of the availability of transit options and the concentration of the extremely wealthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:16 AM) But it is an enormous distortion, both because of the availability of transit options and the concentration of the extremely wealthy. Which the vast majority of the country doesn't have access to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 How much mass transit funding is federal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_genius Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 09:00 AM) Here's the graph I was trying to track down. There's also a decent discussion there of how New York City offsets the transit use quite heavily. "Walk to work" man that would be sweet. well, if it was a short walk that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 10:02 AM) You do realize that NYC isn't the whole country, right? The New York subways alone host 1.6 billion trips annually. That doesn't account for any commuters on Metro North, Long Island Rail Road, Staten Island Railroad, New Jersey Transit, PATH train, or MTA buses, Long Island buses, Bee-Line buses, NJ Transit express buses, Academy express buses or CT Trans buses into the city - or Amtrak commute from Philadelphia and Outstate Connecticut metro areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) Health plan competition improves quality, right? Right??? Edited August 21, 2012 by StrangeSox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2HH Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 04:47 PM) Health plan competition improves quality, right? Right??? How can a health plan improve quality? I'm not saying you posed this question, but the people that do are either stupid, or disconnected from reality. A health plan is merely insurance benefits/payments. The only person/persons that can improve quality are the doctors/nurses/hospitals. Insurance companies CANNOT improve quality for a product they don't provide...they merely pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 The study measured 11 different types of quality, some of them being economic-oriented. If you can't afford the care, then it doesn't matter what quality it is, right? The key conclusion: CONCLUSIONS: Among persons aged 65 years or older, the VA health-care system significantly outperformed private-sector MA plans and delivered care that was less variable by site, geographic region, and socioeconomic status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 08:30 AM) The study measured 11 different types of quality, some of them being economic-oriented. If you can't afford the care, then it doesn't matter what quality it is, right? The key conclusion: The VA outperformed? Holy s*** that is funny. Next time I am up at the VFW, I'll have to tell the guys that for a nice laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 09:42 AM) The VA outperformed? Holy s*** that is funny. Next time I am up at the VFW, I'll have to tell the guys that for a nice laugh. The logical conclusion from your disbelief about the VA's performance is; My God, private insurance must be jaw droppingly horrible. And yeah, I pretty much agree with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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