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Old 08-11-2008, 01:48 PM   #61
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If I were him I wouldn't retire either. What an easy, prestigious role to play. Go around being lionized and not having any real program responsibility.

If he wants to go to Europe, he can go with better contacts and more resources than most of us could. He can drive around Beverly Hills in his Mercedes convertible and everyone will know who he is.

Plus, in spite of looking like a frog, I imagine he gets all the feminine attention that he can execute on.

All in all not a bad gig.

Ha
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Old 08-11-2008, 02:02 PM   #62
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Stein is a sycophant who needs attention to complete himself. Because his sense of identity comes from external reinforcement, he has to work to remain complete. His condition can be treated. But first he has to acknowledge his many inadequacies.
He's also a creationist and thinks science is evil.
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Old 08-11-2008, 03:06 PM   #63
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Amusing thread, if anyone has already expressed this opinion, I agree with you: This topic is in the dryer's spin cycle. IMO, it is neither particularly patriotic nor unpatriotic to dry your laundry on an outside line; but I will fight to the death for your right to choose. Same goes for both continuing to work past 55 or ERing whenever you can, we can spin it either way or neither way.
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Old 08-11-2008, 03:16 PM   #64
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Came across a blog entry that addressed the same point as this thread:

There is NOTHING unpatriotic about retiring early | Mighty Bargain Hunter

This line resonated quite soundly:

The statement "You’re being selfish and unpatriotic" is more an admission of the un-sustainability of the federal programs for senior citizens: "If everyone does what you’re doing, the system will go bankrupt. So don’t enjoy your benefits, even though it’s clearly in your better interest to enjoy your benefits."
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Old 08-11-2008, 03:19 PM   #65
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This is a very amusing thread so far. For some people.... as long as they believe they are getting something for nothing, are all for it. And they are calling people that want to ER selfish? How exactly does the logic work on that one? Reminds me of people I used to know, who believed that if you did not lock up your bike with a strong enough lock, it was your own fault that it got stolen. Same thing with those who are always screaming to "tax the rich". It is because they believe they will get some of whatever they have for free. I would wager you if the poor were being taxed instead they would scream... "tax the poor", just as long as you do not consider ME "poor". Retiring early says that you are willing to take care of yourself, and do not need or want others to take care of you. Seems to be as anti-selfish as you can get to me.
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Old 08-11-2008, 05:20 PM   #66
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I enjoy reading Stein's columns in the NYT Sunday business section. That said, I think it's a little disingenuous when he makes statements like "you're not a whole person without work." Stein is a very smart, hard-working, well educated guy (degree in economics, law degree). He makes very good money writing, lecturing, appearing on TV, etc. - doing lots of things that make it easy to want to keep working. Does that mean the cubicle drone working for mega-corp isn't a "whole person" if s/he wants out to pursue more satisfying, non-employment, endeavors? I think not.
IIRC one of Stein's old acquaintances has posted about him on this board. His problems go much deeper than his work ethic and his reasoning abilities. And then there's the whole issue of his annuity shilling.

Now that George Carlin has gone to his great reward, I no longer expect comedians to be paragons of ethics or deep wells of critical-thinking analysis. I don't rely on their financial advice, either, any more than I depend on Bill Gross or Jim Cramer to help me pick stocks...
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Old 08-12-2008, 07:55 AM   #67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay_Gatsby View Post
Came across a blog entry that addressed the same point as this thread:

There is NOTHING unpatriotic about retiring early | Mighty Bargain Hunter

This line resonated quite soundly:

The statement "You’re being selfish and unpatriotic" is more an admission of the un-sustainability of the federal programs for senior citizens: "If everyone does what you’re doing, the system will go bankrupt. So don’t enjoy your benefits, even though it’s clearly in your better interest to enjoy your benefits."
This is the crux of the point of the argument. The benefits given out cannot be sustained by the revenues taken in... so let's keep the same faulty system and be sure to have others (YOU) foot the bill instead of trying to fix it, dump it, change it, get rid of it...
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Old 08-12-2008, 08:17 AM   #68
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Originally Posted by Jay_Gatsby View Post
The statement "You’re being selfish and unpatriotic" is more an admission of the un-sustainability of the federal programs for senior citizens: "If everyone does what you’re doing, the system will go bankrupt. So don’t enjoy your benefits, even though it’s clearly in your better interest to enjoy your benefits."
Precisely. Almost everyone wants to "fix" the three-headed entitlement monster of Social Security, Medicare and public pensions...but only if it screws impacts the generations after their own...
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Old 08-12-2008, 08:18 AM   #69
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IIRC one of Stein's old acquaintances has posted about him on this board. His problems go much deeper than his work ethic and his reasoning abilities. And then there's the whole issue of his annuity shilling.

Now that George Carlin has gone to his great reward, I no longer expect comedians to be paragons of ethics or deep wells of critical-thinking analysis. I don't rely on their financial advice, either, any more than I depend on Bill Gross or Jim Cramer to help me pick stocks...
George Carlin was one of the rare public figures that would say the emperor has no clothes. There probably isn't a celebrity or politician alive that would go anywhere near as far as Carlin did (though Eddie Murphy came close when he was in his "Raw" days back in the 80s). Stein is essentially a caricature of his own making, which makes him almost impossible to take seriously.

The problem with speaking your mind is that it requires you almost completely disregard what other people think of you. Once you have that mindset, you will be less interested in sharing your opinion, since you don't care what they think.
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Old 08-12-2008, 12:38 PM   #70
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I have a friend who has six children. He just had his last one at 50. He told me that he is going to be working until 70 when the last one gets out of college. I think that he is very patriotic for both having so many kids who will be supporting the trust fun as well as contributing for so long.
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Old 08-12-2008, 01:37 PM   #71
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I have a friend who has six children. He just had his last one at 50. He told me that he is going to be working until 70 when the last one gets out of college. I think that he is very patriotic for both having so many kids who will be supporting the trust fun as well as contributing for so long.
Wow. God bless!
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Old 08-12-2008, 01:39 PM   #72
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Originally Posted by bssc View Post
I have a friend who has six children. He just had his last one at 50. He told me that he is going to be working until 70 when the last one gets out of college. I think that he is very patriotic for both having so many kids who will be supporting the trust fun as well as contributing for so long.
And as someone with no children, I am very patriotic for paying a lot more in taxes and using a lot fewer services despite being taxed more.
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Old 08-12-2008, 02:15 PM   #73
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Yeah but nobody wakes you up at 5am and you've never had to deal with poopie diapers, so its a wash.
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Old 08-12-2008, 03:09 PM   #74
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I have a friend who has six children. He just had his last one at 50. He told me that he is going to be working until 70 when the last one gets out of college. I think that he is very patriotic for both having so many kids who will be supporting the trust fun as well as contributing for so long.
Six new consumers. He and his wife should get some sort of medal from American business.
Seriously, our system can only survive by continual expansion and that means an increasing number of consumer-units.

Whether this model is sustainable has been questioned.
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Old 08-12-2008, 04:37 PM   #75
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Hmmm - PacNW dude(natch) on PBS last night learned to sail from his Father - started with a beat up 25 foot sail boat at age 19 or so, NO NEST EGG!, found work wherever he landed, got a wife and they had three kids over the years raised on the boat and whenever they were ashore working/provisioning for the next leg.

Caught the last part of the program - the world is their oyster!

heh heh heh -

P.S. - technically they have been at it long enough that their pictures/mag. articles sell - soooo now they are er professional - which is good camouflage.
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Old 08-12-2008, 04:38 PM   #76
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Six new consumers. He and his wife should get some sort of medal from American business.
Seriously, our system can only survive by continual expansion and that means an increasing number of consumer-units.

Whether this model is sustainable has been questioned.
Who cares man. By the time we need to worry about it you and I will be dead. The whole thing will start over! Think positive guy!
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