Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

Originally Posted by James Brown

Rod, while I have you on the line, I was reading a piece on 538 about Boebert's still uncalled race and why it was so close.  This picture (credit the Denver Post) was at the top, and made me think of you.  Lauren is after all, along with MTG, one of your favorite gals!

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-lauren-boeberts-race-is-so-close/ 

It's too bad she didn't lose. She did lose the lease on her restaurant, though. Boebert, and her Jewish space laser spouting sidekick, the despicable MTG, typifies the MAGAt's of her party and that doesn't say much for the folks in their districts who voted for them now does it?...

Originally Posted by James Brown

I realize that W floated that idea, but the R's backed off big time in view of the push-back from seniors. 

I do not recall the details of "privatization" but if you and I had been able to invest our contributions in an S& 500 index fund starting in '08, our shares would have grown by something like 230% between then and now, including the recent crash.   I am not in favor of this for retirees or near retirees, but it might be an option for young people.  That would of course cut the legs out from under the whole Ponzi scheme though...

Which ponzi scheme are you referring to?

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

SS and Medicare are both a retirement plan and welfare. Almost nobody in the US could afford the medical care Medicare provides and is more welfare than paid benefit. The costs for it far outstrip the lifetime contributions individuals make, and it isn't even close.

SS on the other hand is a bad benefit for those that have paid fully into it over their work life and welfare assistance (or whatever you want to call it) for those that have not. The returns are horrible if you look at it as a paid-in retirement plan. A 401k would provide far more benefit on contributions made over ones lifetime.

Congress likes to conflate the two as a benefit "we paid for", which is just not true. Separating subsidy from  benefit would at least be intellectually be honest and maybe cause real reform at some point. 

We all are socialists when we hit 65 and receive a medicare card.

"We all are socialists when we hit 65 and receive a medicare card."
But we're all happy capitalists,  like our employers or ourselves, who pay through the nose for our healthcare, right?...

Originally Posted by James Brown

SS of course.  There is no real trust fund, if I understand the system correctly.  The young workers of today fund the retirement payments made today.  If we get to the point where the economy shrinks dramatically, the whole thing fails.

The economy has tanked before, like it did in '08 and SS and medicare hasn't failed, has it? Maybe, just maybe, it's funded better than you or Russ or some other GOPer thinks it is...

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

Well, capitalism isn't the problem, it's the provider of wealth. Attacking it means less money for safety net programs. The cost of medical care is another story all together.

I don't see anybody attacking it. But supplementing it, particularly when one is retired, with the SS/medicare safety net only makes sense...

Originally Posted by James Brown

I'm no expert.  But I think the following is true:  There is no trust fund or "lock box" where money or gold bullion or anything else is set aside for SS.  On the contrary SS proceeds go into the general fund.  The funds get spent, and the Government owes the money back.  Just like the money I have in the bank gets spent, and the bank owes it to me, when I ask.  (I think, not sure) that a big chunk of the Governments total debt is unfunded SS and MC obligations.  

I don't have a problem with the above, it is the way macro-economic nation-scale finance works.  Right?  (I'm no expert, correct me if I am wrong)

'08 and other recessions stress the system, but the government increases the debt limit to avoid default.  Right? (I'm no expert, correct me if I am wrong)

If the shit really hits the fan, then the Government will have no choice but to default.  A 1930s type depression maybe.  Or actually losing WW3.  Short of that I am a big believer in the system, as you know.  That does not mean that I think the government can get away with increasing SS benefits at a whim.  People live longer than they did in 1930.  Some adjustments from time to time make sense.   

"People live longer than they did in 1930.  Some adjustments from time to time make sense. "
Well, in red states, that may not be a problem. Because, unless voters in such a state vote to expand medicaid/medicare access as they just did in one or two states, the general population succumbs earlier than their blue state counterparts...
And maybe, just maybe, corporate welfare, in forms of subsidies and tax breaks for big oil for example, need to be curtailed so the government can continue to fund the programs in question in conjunction with what those in the labor force already provide prior to their retirement...

I was fearful of the same thing. Sorry to hear it. Perhaps there's a chance it's not him but it seems that it is...

I had some PM's with him as well. Seemed like he had the need to be social...

Originally Posted by Maurice Clark

Hi James,

Sorry to hear the news. Although I never had any PM's with Mel, it is sad to see someone that young die. (He was the same age as me!)

One thing that concerns me, we are all getting on in years, and where are the young amateur astronomers? Most clubs, star parties, and conferences that I have attended have almost totally been occupied by grey hair! :-(

Enjoy the sky and your family while you can. One day it will be too late.

Maurice

I'm not James but I'll add that I share your concerns about the future of amateur astronomy. However, I think there's some hope in that Celestron's relatively new and thus far patented starsense technology on their dobs seems to be invigorating renewed interest in the hobby. Their device that's attached on their 10" and 8" starsense dobs has a holder for a cell phone that couples it with their on-board sensor, plate solves the areas the sky the scope is pointing at, and then enables the observer to use their phone to guide them to any object they wish to look at. They seem to be selling like hotcakes, especially among beginners. This could literally revolutionize a new direction of our hobby and create new enthusiasts. I've been following some of the sales of these scopes on amazon and if the numbers are accurate, we'll hopefully see some new observers in the universe! 
Experienced observers also seem to be getting into the act by buying less expensive Celestron scopes equipped with the starsense docking port for phones, cannibalize it off the scope and mount them on their own dobs. These could very well replace the DSC's that are commonly in use these days...

So what'll we get from the GOP, another MAGAt by the name of DeSantis? He's no better than Trump...