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Seniors join Occupy Chicago rally to protest cuts

Some of the responses in this thread are based on naive kids who are clueless...some of you act like most seniors are rich and doing swell...WRONG many seniors cant possibly pay their bills and buy food...the AVERAGE SS monthly check is 1100.00 and you pay fed taxs...and AVERAGE means theres half that make less than 1100.
 
lpast said:
Thats bs...theres millions of boomers raised in the 60s that were in nam and and most of them did ALOT with their lives...the boomers are the RICH today and all the CEOs...
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reading comprehension issues? I said it was the young ones (not the boomers raised in the 60s) who had done nothing with their lives :shrug:
 
lpast said:
...and AVERAGE means theres half that make less than 1100.
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wrong again. average means simply that "average". it does not mean that half make less than 1100. could be a small % make much less than 1100 and bring the avg down.

how averages work:

8 kids take a test

6 kids score 60% and 2 kids score 20%

the average score is ( (60x6) + (20x2) ) / 8 = 50%

6 kids scored higher than the average and 2 scored lower than the average.
 
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OscarB63 said:
reading comprehension issues? I said it was the young ones (not the boomers raised in the 60s) who had done nothing with their lives :shrug:
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My sincere apologies oscar I did misread your post...thanks for pointing it out...
 
lpast said:
Some of the responses in this thread are based on naive kids who are clueless...some of you act like most seniors are rich and doing swell...WRONG many seniors cant possibly pay their bills and buy food...the AVERAGE SS monthly check is 1100.00 and you pay fed taxs...and AVERAGE means theres half that make less than 1100.
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take a tour thru WalMart, the old people working there aren't doing it for fun.
They didn't prepare, and most likely they stock market hit didn't impact them much. SS was never meant to be anything more than a minimum, a safety net. SS is INSURANCE, it is there always and cannot run out. Savings is savings, and you have to have a lot for it to never run out.
 
UtahBill said:
take a tour thru WalMart, the old people working there aren't doing it for fun.
They didn't prepare, and most likely they stock market hit didn't impact them much. SS was never meant to be anything more than a minimum, a safety net. SS is INSURANCE, it is there always and cannot run out. Savings is savings, and you have to have a lot for it to never run out.
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Theres also alot of seniors that had to drop out of school and help support their families that cant write a decent paragraph that never earned enough money to save for their old age...they just about earned enough to survive...I dont understand for the life of me how some of the freakin kids cant get that in their brain...its like they believe everyone that doesnt have money is a scumbag leech and did it intentionally to get something for free...
 
UtahBill said:
take a tour thru WalMart, the old people working there aren't doing it for fun.
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every time we go to walmart I joke with the wife that after I retire I am going to get a job at walmart just for fun, "Diet food is on aisle 5, bitch. and welcome to walmart"
 
lpast said:
Thats bs...theres millions of boomers raised in the 60s that were in nam and and most of them did ALOT with their lives...the boomers are the RICH today and all the CEOs...
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I am "first wave" boomer, and many consider me rich. Equity in 2 houses plus some savings, all that adds up to about $700K. We also have a barely 6 figure retirement income (after taxes).
I let a rich uncle pay for my technical education, but I paid him back in full, plus. Same Uncle paid for my college education.
My wife got 2 years of college at her parents expense, the rest we paid for.
But, we started out with just her 2 years of college, and my 2 years of technical training. Then we BUILT on that, adding to it, earning as much as we could, spending as little as we could. When the youngest child started school, she went to work, we continued living on my income and save ALL of hers. That was in 1979....now we are retired and living well.
What is the point? It is still possible to accomplish financial security. Nothing has changed that much. It takes a LONG time to get there, but it is still doable. Anybody who wants the great American dream in a short time period is very naiive...
 
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lpast said:
Theres also alot of seniors that had to drop out of school and help support their families that cant write a decent paragraph that never earned enough money to save for their old age...they just about earned enough to survive...I dont understand for the life of me how some of the freakin kids cant get that in their brain...its like they believe everyone that doesnt have money is a scumbag leech and did it intentionally to get something for free...
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True....if you want to see a scumbag leach, don't look to the very poor student, the slow to learn, the poor readers, etc. They have an excuse for not learning much. Look to the smart who game the system... They take what they don't need, which makes it more expensive to care for those who DO need help.
 
UtahBill said:
True....if you want to see a scumbag leach, don't look to the very poor student, the slow to learn, the poor readers, etc. They have an excuse for not learning much. Look to the smart who game the system... They take what they don't need, which makes it more expensive to care for those who DO need help.
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There ya go...like when we had the draft...all the rich privledged kids got deferments and "EXCUSED" from combat if they could "AFFORD" college...there was not the assistance for college there is today or the guaranteed student loans either...it came down to you had the cash or not...so the poor kids got to die because the rich politicians sent them to war...and had all their kids excused ...nice huh ? I could go on but you already know bill
 
lpast said:
There ya go...like when we had the draft...all the rich privledged kids got deferments and "EXCUSED" from combat if they could "AFFORD" college...there was not the assistance for college there is today or the guaranteed student loans either...it came down to you had the cash or not...so the poor kids got to die because the rich politicians sent them to war...and had all their kids excused ...nice huh ? I could go on but you already know bill
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yeppers, I joined the navy in 64 to avoid being drafted into the army, didn't want to be sent to vietnam.....GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? Who knew the damn Navy had sailors in-country?
 
MaggieD said:
First, it's probably procedure that when one is arrested in the street and put in a wagon, one is handcuffed. Next, these people delighted in being handcuffed. That's what true civil disobedience is all about. Peaceful demonstration violating private space followed by arrest. Grams and Gramps get it. The others? Notsomuch.
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I remember back when I was just a young'n and we'd go to a civil rights march in the mornin' and get hosed by the cops, then we would dry off and go to an anti-war demonstration and get clubbed and beaten by the cops, and in the evening we would be happy to get arrested at a womens rights rally just to be able to find a warm bed for the night.

Like Archie and Edith used to sing every week "Those were the days". ;)
 
lpast said:
There ya go...like when we had the draft...all the rich privledged kids got deferments and "EXCUSED" from combat if they could "AFFORD" college...there was not the assistance for college there is today or the guaranteed student loans either...it came down to you had the cash or not...so the poor kids got to die because the rich politicians sent them to war...and had all their kids excused ...nice huh ? I could go on but you already know bill
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How horrible. So people going to college didn't have to go to war? Oh the humanity! Wait..they offered a benefit to the society. Wouldn't that be supported by libs? Nah..because war is involved. All of a sudden the collective mindset goes out the window.

On a sidenote, you do realize that the value of college is connected to its availability, yes? The reason college is becoming more useless in the job market is because far to many are going. These college loan assistance programs you speak of have actually hurt college and people far more than they have helped.
 
Henrin said:
How horrible. So people going to college didn't have to go to war? Oh the humanity! Wait..they offered a benefit to the society. Wouldn't that be supported by libs? Nah..because war is involved. All of a sudden the collective mindset goes out the window.

On a sidenote, you do realize that the value of college is connected to its availability, yes? The reason college is becoming more useless in the job market is because far to many are going. These college loan assistance programs you speak of have actually hurt college and people far more than they have helped.
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a bachelor's degree is pretty much useless these days because everybody and their brother has one. I remember back in the day when, if you had a BS degree you could write your own ticket. And then it got to where you had to have a BS degree and if you had a MS degree you were golden.

education is subject to supply and demand, just like everything else.

That's why my son dropped out of college and got a technical certificate. he is one of only 3 guys in our entire state that has this particular certification. he landed a contracting/consulting job with a company that contracts with the US Embassies around the globe. he is making nearly triple what I do and I have BS degrees in Chemistry and Physics and a MS degree in Chemical Engineering.
 
Henrin said:
How horrible. So people going to college didn't have to go to war? Oh the humanity! Wait..they offered a benefit to the society. Wouldn't that be supported by libs? Nah..because war is involved. All of a sudden the collective mindset goes out the window.

On a sidenote, you do realize that the value of college is connected to its availability, yes? The reason college is becoming more useless in the job market is because far to many are going. These college loan assistance programs you speak of have actually hurt college and people far more than they have helped.
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I have no response for crap like this thats civil...so ill just pass
 
Henrin said:
How horrible. So people going to college didn't have to go to war? Oh the humanity! Wait..they offered a benefit to the society. Wouldn't that be supported by libs? Nah..because war is involved. All of a sudden the collective mindset goes out the window.

On a sidenote, you do realize that the value of college is connected to its availability, yes? The reason college is becoming more useless in the job market is because far to many are going. These college loan assistance programs you speak of have actually hurt college and people far more than they have helped.
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people who are not willing to serve their country should not be allowed to vote....according to Robt. Heinlein....and I agree.
Getting an education and paying taxes is NOT serving...
 
UtahBill said:
people who are not willing to serve their country should not be allowed to vote....according to Robt. Heinlein....and I agree.
Getting an education and paying taxes is NOT serving...
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will you adopt me?
 
UtahBill said:
people who are not willing to serve their country should not be allowed to vote....according to Robt. Heinlein....and I agree.
Getting an education and paying taxes is NOT serving...
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Not even close...I couldnt even respond to it..
 
I thought the protest was pretty good. It was peaceful, and the police seemed to treat them with respect as they arrested them. They didn't resist - they didn't get rowdy with anyone. And, they protested in a public place in a way designed to get maximum attention. They also had a specific issue to raise.

Reminds me of valid protesting - a stark contrast to most of what I've seen from OWS.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
The old people are the proverbial 1% that the young people are protesting.
Sorta irony.

The Rising Age Gap in Economic Well-Being - Pew Research Center
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I find this disturbing.....but it isn't news to me. My parents did nothing to help thier kids, it was 18 and out. Couldn't live at home unless you paid room and board. Except for the last born, he was mom's precious, the one who could do no wrong. She really messed him up...

Come my turn, the wife and I insisted our kids go to college, and we paid their way, and gave them their first cars (used). I picked what they drove, but that didn't happen until they were juniors in college. Once they graduated, they got $5K each to buy whatever car they wanted, using the car I picked as trade. We even gave each of them $30K each for down payment on their first houses.

I know people who have a LOT MORE than we do, and they did nothing to help their kids get started. That is a sure fire way to never get to see your grandchildren....

We have enough assets to help our grandchildren with their college expense. Each generation should be better than the last. IF they aren't, we are doing something wrong....

No Oscar, I will not adopt you.....conservatives scare me...:2razz:
 
mattillac said:
This news sure grabs my attention and it sort makes me wonder, if seniors often need others to help with simple daily chores like going to the store or taking out the trash, maybe that's part of the reason why there isn't a heavier senior presence on a daily basis at these protests, surely it could be very hard on a senior to even attend a protest let alone occupy or live at one.

What are your thoughts or comments ?
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I applaud them. It had to be difficult for some of them to make it there (I saw some in wheel chairs). Good on them for making the effort to be seen and heard.
 
UtahBill said:
people who are not willing to serve their country should not be allowed to vote....according to Robt. Heinlein....and I agree.
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Assuming you mean joining the military by "willing to serve", why do you believe this?
 
theplaydrive said:
Assuming you mean joining the military by "willing to serve", why do you believe this?
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Not limiiting to military....therer are lots of ways to serve, and even some physically handicapped can serve. it is a gratitude thing, be grateful for how good we have it here in the USA...
 
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