Quote:
Originally posted by Rob67
Sparky, I LMAO when I read your reply....
I knew I would be entertained by this thread....
Rob
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Well, Rob67, I am thrilled you were amused by my post.
After talking to a friend of mine this evening, I am realizing my political views are far more serious than I ever realized.
More than a few people I know are currently in the process of losing their entire retirement funds. Their companies, in spite of Union rules, are deciding that the retirement funds need to be "absorbed" to remain competitive.
Imagine. 34 years of service to a company. The belief that the company was setting aside money for you. An agreement. A belief. A contract. And guess what ? The rug pulled out from under you a few months before retirement. And a Washington environment that is conspicuously Anti Union and Anti Labor. An entire lifetime of work, and the prize at the end of the road snatched away by CEOS and executives who wanted....a Chalet...a vacation in the Bahamas...no matter. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. This is the environment fostered by and sanctioned by this current administration.
This is not about entitilement or laziness. It is about honor and character. It is about contracts, beliefs, and human decency. It is about the American values I was raised with and which do not seem to matter anymore in the Bush world. Who is punished for this ? Evidently, Martha Stewart, for a 40k stock transaction.
IMO, the American middle calss is a vanishing breed. The "haves" take all they can grab, the "have nots" are increasing exponentially as I speak. While the "haves" are purchasing condos, islands, and stocks on the backs of people who worked all their lives for a pittance of a retirement. Said retirement is now being used for vacation homes and golden parachutes for crooked executives.
This is America ? I think not. The same people who would see me gutted in a ditch (Pat Robertson, John Ashcroft, and Reverend Phelps among them) are all for this. They are in good company, financing the Republican coffers. As for the middle class, you'll soon find them in the ditch in which they would like to see me rotting.
For the record, I am a miser and invest my money wisely. I'll be fine.
If you make 150k a year or more - vote Republican. They give a damn about you. If you don't, have fun in the in the ditch ! You'll have plenty of company.