Getting by on $565. An article from the LA Times.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIREdreamer If I shared the guy's trust in divine healing powers and the government's willingness to pay for my hospital bills when divine intervention fails, it would make retiring on a shoestring a lot easier!

That's exactly it. I sense a growing call for redistribution -- higher taxes and means testing on the ants and more goodies for the grasshoppers.

When a critical mass of people realizes that the incremental value of w*rking and taking calculated risks with your capital is approaching zero, because it will be taken from you and given to others not producing, we are in big trouble as a society.

"National health care" is a perfect example. There may be no better way to encourage a lot of upper-middle class folks in their 50s (who pay a lot of taxes) to leave the work force (since they no longer need to work for health insurance) and become net tax *consumers* instead of tax *payers*.

[CitricAcid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 That's exactly it. I sense a growing call for redistribution -- higher taxes and means testing on the ants and more goodies for the grasshoppers. When a critical mass of people realizes that the incremental value of w*rking and taking calculated risks with your capital is approaching zero, because it will be taken from you and given to others not producing, we are in big trouble as a society. "National health care" is a perfect example. There may be no better way to encourage a lot of upper-middle class folks in their 50s (who pay a lot of taxes) to leave the work force (since they no longer need to work for health insurance) and become net tax *consumers* instead of tax *payers*.

Exactly. Someone needs to foot the bill. If enough people make the same mistake, it encourages more people to do it. Then, everyone realizes they can vote in leaders who will just bail them out and the wheel keeps on turning...