JayS, AWD, Political Crew: Why do we cap SS tax?

They wouldn’t be paying more, they’d be paying the same % as someone who makes $50,000 / yr

No one lives with no cell, no cable and a apartment for $250.

Really? I’ll introduce you to my brother in law next time I see you on my street and he’s over at the house. That’s just what he pays for his part of the rent on the apartment he shares with another guy over in Buffalo. No cell, no cable, but they do have basic high speed internet. He lived like that for a couple years while in school and working part time.

But but but. That involves hard work and sacrifice! We’re Americans goddammit! We’re above that! Our parents and grandparents built this country through hard work and sacrifice! Oh.

Aw fuck it. I’m out. Joe sorry for fanning the OT flames in your SS thread.

at 250/mo rent, say $100 for all utilities including internet. $60/mo for insurance, you are left with ~ $400/mo to buy food and gas to get from the hood where you are paying $250/mo to school.

Lets say you spend $40 a week on gas and $40 on food.

That leaves you with about $100/mo or $25/wk to pay your tuition, buy books, a computer, fix your pos car, etc.

Fry: I am not sure I get your point. Because “all men (people) are created equal” that implies what? If you mean that they should be treated equally, I agree. Graduated income taxes, taxing the “rich”, sin taxes, affirmative action, etc. are all examples of treating people UNequally. In that case I garee. Just looking for clarification.

I understand that.

I still feel that they should not be taxed.

If they have to be taxed for it, it should be at a flat rate, which means they’d be paying the same % as those who make $50k.

:steps back in just to clarify:

Yup.

I take it to mean that nobody is superior to me or inferior to me, and anyone can achieve what I am achieving and way more. Nobody needs to be given a free ride through college for fucking off for the first 25 years of their life. Nobody should pay a stiffer penalty for not fucking off for the first 25 years of their life.

14600 income + 2000 loans = 16600 budget.

250 rent on a $500 apartment with utilities included that you share with someone, + $30/month internet that you share = 3180.
10k for college.
40/week food (grocery shop, not eating out)= 2080/yr
15260 spent so far, leaving 1340/yr.

6000 miles a year @ 25 mpg = $720 in gas
-600 for insurance
$20 left over.

So you better take 3k in loans\yr, work more than 25 hours/wk. The point is the options are there.

Why do you need a car, when a bus pass is cheaper then $60/mo + gas & repairs?

Why do you need a car when most of the major campuses (in this area) are within a 10 minute walk of $250/mo housing (excluding roommates)?

UB South, Canisius, & BuffState are all within a 10 minute walk of ridiculously cheap housing. You can call it ‘hood’ if you want, but there are alot of extra patrols in place because of it.

UB South & North, Buffstate, Canisius, ECC, Medaille, & Daeman are all easily accessible by a whole lot of bus routes.

Not too mention that the NFTA allows for unlimited usage in some cases when showing a current student ID. http://www.nfta.com/metro/Unlimited/canisius.asp

If you’re serious enough about wanting to do something, you will find a way to do it. And these are pretty “well-off” scenarios compared to many cases.

.

Personal responsibility, where did it go?

^ and you get your car for free, you don’t drive hardly anywhere despite the fact that you’re commuting to school, you never have incidental expenses, you never leave your house socially, you steal all of your books, and you have liquidity to cover all of the taxes they withhold from you at your part time job all year. You don’t have a computer. You never buy clothes. Your apartment has no furniture in it. Not to mention you still do well in school while working at said job because all you do is sleep, go to class, and work.

School is overrated…

Would you like personal examples of people that have managed to accomplish this apparently unpossible task? I have a few.

In some cases, yes. Ask Jack.

Nice.
I am old enough to run.:slight_smile:

I just had lunch with my father and I asked him about SS.
It really has changed quite a bit in his lifetime as far as the additional benefits, benefactors, the govt “borrowing” money from, etc.
There has been so much added to it that it sounds like it has been doomed for decades.
It really is simple math and it just doesn’t add up.

The bottom line is that he is getting double taxed on the money he is now receiving.
He has paid the max for pretty much his entire life.
He will probably have to live to 120(guessing) years old to see the money he has paid into it.
The point is why should he have paid more if he will never see it?
SS originally was just a retirement account for individuals.
Now it is more like the govt going into your bank account(not literally) and taking your money because they spent more than they budgeted for.
It wasn’t originally a “tax” to help everyone but now it seems to be.
Infact when it started it was only for people in manufacturing.(I think)
Not everyone paid into it.

I can see it now…
“you have a large 401K we are going to take your money a nd give it to people that need it more than you.”

Most 3rd world countries have better standards of living than that.

Most 3rd world countries have a lower rate of infant mortality then the US.

Whats your point?

FWIW, the three people that I know that struggled through are now making between 35 & 70 /yr., ages 23, 30, and 55.

This is why Oprah started a school somewhere other then the US. I have to agree with her on that point …and I hate oprah with the fire of a thousand suns.

I worked like a fucking dog getting through school and borrowed a fortune, which I had to work like a fucking dog to pay back. To all freeloaders - get a fucking job and stop legally robbing me to pay for your kids, college, Viagra, and every other goddamn thing including pet monkeys.

My point is, you shouldnt have to spend the best years of your life as a mindless drone to have standard of living equal to someone in sub-saharan africa in order to not starve later in life. Clearly you and JayS feel differently. I’m 22 and within 5k of that 70 mark. I have worked full time for 3 summers and one month post-graduation. I have worked part time for 2 internships, one of which adversely impacted my grades.
If you need to go through that much hell to end up below where I am at, something is not right with the system.

I’m out. This is going nowhere.

The best years? Yea, thats objective.

Mindless drone? How so? You are exercising your mind & determination, and maybe even growing a little charactor or appreciation.

It has nothing to do with starving later. Its pretty apparent that you can earn a livable wage without a college degree of anykind. What percentage of WNY has collegiate experience? What percentage is “starving”? Quality of life is relative, as is the contentment.

As for your edit:

How so?

If you (not YOU persay) would’ve made the effort in grade / high school, you prolly would’ve had a free ride to some school… no?
What about people that take the basic credits @ ECC and then xfer to a “higher end” school after a year or so? I know a kid who spent 2 years worth of nights at ECC in some chemistry path, while working FT w/me. He recently xferred to UB to finish out his specialized course work in a “stronger” cirriculum @ a more recognizable school & switched to PT. He was able to stash enough cash that he can afford it quite easily now.

If You want to be competitive, You do what You have to do.

Your coursework suffered when you worked outside of school, so let me ask who’s fault was that? The school? The employer? The federal government?

Congrats on getting through school Joe. You got a 4 yr @ Canisius (iirc)… and prolly spent a helluva lot more on college then I did, and You gross 2k/yr more then I do - is that Canisius’ fault? or the Feds? Or was it NYS this time?