^^ I followed it fing02.gif What you said is right on, the only potential recession is caused solely due to FEARS of a recession, not to any big financial shortcoming, or some attack on the country. Day after day I look at the stock market and the headlines next to it, and it usually says something like "market falls to to fears of ______". There's nothing actually happening, just the fears of something.
Reminds me of a Bible verse, goes something like this: "Do not call conspiracy what these people call conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it." Applicable words for a time like this...

 

I think so... basically, the government is paying for my new set of rims?

 

lmao.gif haha.gif

ill believe it when i see the check in my mailbox. hopefully it really happens.. will mean a bit of money to do some mods to the srt when i get it fing02.gif

 

I hope we really do get some money back, i'm in a real tight spot right now and that would really help, but i think it'll be comming in by June or July, if it even comes... tongue1.gif

 

This kind of thing just pisses me off. Its like putting a band aid on a friggin gunshot wound. Yeah, we'll all rejoice at the government's willingness to give us a small check to passify our debt and financial burdens. I'l be honest, it'll be nice to have an extra 600 bucks to help get buy for a month or two. But when thats gone, the real problem is still far from being solved. Its only gonna get worse. Sorry to be the pessimist, but someone has to be I guess.

DTN - I totally agree man! most of these checks will not go towards paying debts off, it'll be for those new set of rims, or new TV, or new computer.

The fact that that will temporarily fix the economy due to more spending is simply a mirage on the financial horizon of our future economic crisis. Whoever said that businesses selling more products will raise wages and pay more to their employee's obviously doesnt have a clue. Sorry man, but you need to grow up. The Fear is real. People are spending less money because they simply dont have it any more and they are finally starting to run out of credit TO buy stuff. Hence, less spending. No money, no more credit cause you used it all up, Priceless. Literally!

A persons financial well being ultimately starts with the question: "how much do you make an hour?" Our minimum wage in 1990 was 3.80. Now its 5.85. Thats a 64% increase in 17 years! Now ask yourself how much it cost to go see a movie in 1990? How much was a gallon of gas in 1990? How much was your typical car in 1990? How much was your average home in 1990? most of these things have inflated more than 200% in the last 17 years. The idea of minimum wage is that a person can afford the basic necessities of life. 5.85 at 40 hours a week is 936 a month BEFORE taxes. Ask yourself if that would be enough money for one person to afford food, housing, health and medical necessities, and transportation, LET ALONE if you have a family to try to raise!

Although, this is not our largest problem. Our biggest problem is the problem we are ALL guilty of. And that is our ability to accumulate absurd amounts of debt through the process of buying with credit. And be that, uneducated use of buying with credit. We as Americans have given way to wanting to buy stuff for nothing. The idea of getting something for less work, less money, for not really working hard for it sounds appealing. This is why late night infomercials still air. because we want to become a millionaire overnight! We are greedy. Come on, admit it! And we LOVE IT! Thats one of the main reasons our housing market is in such a mess right now. People where told that they could buy something they really couldn't afford. They hadnt saved up enough money, they hadn't "earned" it in the right sense. BUT.... they could buy it with one stipulation. After 5 years, their soul belonged to the mortgage company. Sounds like a deal with the devil to me!

But, thanks to Bush, we can put this behind us. Open new doors. I can buy groceries for almost 2 months now.

Wow, I feel better now that thats off my chest. Hmm, I'm starting to forget everything I just stated.....Hmmm.....what did I just say.....oh, yeah, i forgot, I got 600 coming in the mail sometime this summer.....hmmm......I could use the money to pay off some bills or credit card debt, or I could blow it on somethin for the car, hmmmmmmmm...............

 

uhm... wow. I agree with about 20% of your post.

(the rest of this thread isn't targetted towards any one person - just random thoughts flying from between my ears to my fingers)
I agree that it is the ignorance of the population that causes the financial burdens on families. Not always - some just have horrible luck - but greed and ignorance are a huge factor. My father in law falls into the realm of "Whatever I can do to become a millionaire, without working hard" ...

Minimum wage sucks, but raising it won't accomplish anything. I personally don't know anybody who's making minimum wage. Americans are lazy, greedy, and want what they don't have. They aren't willing to put in the hard effort to make things happen. Those are the people I don't have much compassion for. There are others who just get one problem compounded on top of another, and really have bad luck. I feel horrible for them, but regardless of the cause of their problems, the government can't help them. Welfare is a huge crisis in our country... a huge percentage abuse it, a small percentage needs it and doesn't get enough. We could discuss thousands of scenarios and government programs that could be fixed, eliminated, or put into place... but at the end of the day, we need to educate ourselves, humble ourselves, and work for what we want to achieve. Don't rely on the government to bail you out because you were greedy and tried to save 1% on your mortgage with an ARM. (I understand some don't have a choice - those aren't the people I'm referring to).

Lack of education, Greed, and dozens of other things have caused burden on the American families. I question myself as I write 'burden' ... even the "poor" in America live better than most of the world. You can be 'poor' in American while still earning $20,000 annually, driving a car, living in a warm house, and listening to your iPod while you post on your computer with high speed internet. I wonder how poor the 2nd and 3rd world countries think you are.

 

Well, I agree with about 90% of your post! fing02.gif I'm just stating the obvious, because it seems that it hasnt been posted on this thread yet. Raising minimum raise is not the solution. Its another "band aid", but it would be a much LARGER band aid then the govenrment throwing coins on the ground for us to scramble to get. You're totally right. We are ALL rich who live in this country compared to 2nd and 3rd world countries, but I dont live in one. If we all thought that, then this thread would have never been posted and people would not be supporting or venting about their beef with our government and our financial situation. I live here, in the USA, so why not argue and fight for what I think is best for me and my fellow citizens.

Totally, fully agree with the lack of education. Most high school grads cant even balance a check book. Some have a hard time finding their own state on a map. You're totally right, the roots of this problem run so much deeper than tax laws or government relief.

 

i know exactly what i am going to spend mine on. the new headers that kfxperformance is making for us. the only thing is i dont know how much i am going to get i only made about 6500. last year since i am still in college full time. so i at least getting 300right? i also got to returns last year one from state and one from fed. so does that that mean that i will get 600 since i did a fed. last year?

 

I think they plan on people spending the extra money. Thats why they are giving it. I don't know anyone that doesn't go out and blow at least some of the tax refund they get its almost like an american tradition. Now if everyone put it in the bank and made interest off of it for themselves I don't think the gov would be so willing to give us the extra cash.

I know we will probably spend some of it on some kind of junk we don't need. So after that and maybe paying on some bills in a month or two we will be right back to where we were before the refund. Its not like we are winning the lottery and are getting thousands of dollars. With todays prices and credit debt that money won't last long at all.

It is sad and you are right that the lack of education and poor financial responsibility gets people where they are. Sure I appreciate the extra couple bucks but it could go to something better like our schools to teach kids aboout money and things they need to have a better life. Instead its gonna pay off part of my plasma tv.

Really its just like ok we won't fix the problem we will just throw some money at it and people will be happy for a little while.

Oh and yes I said plasma tv, while typing on my computer with cable internet in a warm house. Even though i'm considered "poor" by todays standard. (In America anyway) While some dude in another country sits in his hut on his dirt floor.
Hmmm... maybe us "poor" people arent so poor.

Its not about living in the 3rd world country that really doesn't have anything to do with us as everyday people or our tax refund. If anything it should remind us how good we have it even when we think we are "poor".

 

Yah dumb shit, i do have a clue, and if you would pull your head out of your own ass for a damn second you might just learn to comprehend what you read. I didn't say that it would magically fix everything and everyone would make more money. I said places that sell things may just have a (albeit temporary) increase in business, which means they CAN pay their employees more, meaning they have the ABILITY to pay their employees more. They point is that they wont be forced to pay their employees less or lay them off

Stay with me here or this will fly right over your sorry head... What happens when you work for a store that isn't quite pulling in enough business, they need to save money somehow. What happens is you may get asked to cut your hours from 40 to 32, or that raise you've been anticipating might suddenly become a "maybe next time", or hell they may just get laid off or fired

I've been here, so i can tell you what the employees, who suddenly have $50-150+ less per week to spend, do; They cut back spending, just the essentials, bills food and gas. So the places that may have been counting on the business of these people have to do the same thing that the other place did. And even worse for the people with NO pay check, they will now have to subside on a paltry unemployment check suckling off someone elses hard work where the problem compounds because these guys will spend even less.

NOW, what the government is doing is a tried and tested attempt at reversing the above scenario. Instead of getting your hours cut down your getting overtime, instead of missing that raise you get it. So you reward your hard work by buying that plasma tv, and the guy who sold that T.V. to you (and 10 other people like you) uses the commission to put a down payment on a car, and the guy who sold that car uses his extra commish to put a down payment on a house. so on and so on.

whether it will work is up in the air, but i was merely explaining what they're trying to do, and how its not just "throwing money at the situation" or "free money"

Now do you get it? Do YOU have a clue now?

blowup.gif