Cell Phones as an entitlment and other stupid things

[Harsh_77 718]

So one person doing something like this ruins it for everyone else? Is this how people behave in the UK?

One person you mean who is abusing the system?

It if was one person (s)he would be completely lost in this huge system and no one would bother about them.

Unfortunately it’s not one person who is abusing the system, there are whole communities who think its right and they should get things for free. No one should be able to question them and they are above law and can do whatever they want.

When you see similar stories you observe it yourself happening in not one state various state its not one person.

You see ppl in shopping in the store using the EBT card and then you see they are using $200 phone.,..expensive hair do.

Its not one single person….

If you wanna lookaway from the problem and say its one person that’s an option as well.

[Harsh_77 718]

Obviously you still need to pay a monthly fee for a decent internet connection.

They can pay that out of pocket and claim to be broken and don’t have money for food so tax payers should help them.

That’s the question argument in the topic that should ppl like that be buying their own food and tobacco and spending on things like cellphone .

[rocks 494]

Thankfully, most of my calls don't go this poorly! I'm a director of a senior center but our local agency on aging gives out the number of the centers as a place to make contact as the agency has 2 counties and many, many miles to cover. It gives a sense of security to call a "local" number....

I asked whether or not the landlord needed to pony up and was told that individual rented homes may or may not need to follow any ADA compliance rules. Some multifamily homes, apartment complexes, any homes that are HUD/Section 8, hotels, and college dorms can have compliance regulations to follow but not necessarily a free-standing, single family home that is being rented to the general public. Accommodations may be requested but may not be forced [due to cost or other issues]. The tenant may pay for changes in the rental [shower handles, etc] but that would have been out of this guy's pocket, not the landlord. So, the guy said it was a non-starter because the landlord refused to foot the bill and mentioned if the shower stall leaked over time he [the landlord] would charge the guy to have it fixed when he moved out.

I sent a counselor out to see this guy to show concern and see if he was mistaken about his SSDI - maybe we could work something out. The counselor came back stating what a nice guy he was and that we'd try to work something out to at least get him to the doctor. Ok. Great.

Three weeks later at a follow up, he was a hot mess again. The counselor got more of a med history and endured his verb abuse for a bit. The extreme mood swings coupled with the med history and the pill popping led her to come to the conclusion that he's fighting pain pill addiction. I truly feel bad for the guy. It's no way to live. But, come on, make some rational, mature decisions. Sell the SUV, move to the other apartment complex, get the help you need...

Sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees.

Pain pill addicts are another problem. I know someone on disability who is addicted to them, it really clouds their ability to see things clearly. Sadly we can't help people who don't want to be helped.

Sounds like you're doing a good job of trying to help people who need it. Keep up the good work!

One person you mean who is abusing the system?

It if was one person (s)he would be completely lost in this huge system and no one would bother about them.

Unfortunately it’s not one person who is abusing the system, there are whole communities who think its right and they should get things for free. No one should be able to question them and they are above law and can do whatever they want.

When you see similar stories you observe it yourself happening in not one state various state its not one person.

You see ppl in shopping in the store using the EBT card and then you see they are using $200 phone.,..expensive hair do.

Its not one single person….

If you wanna lookaway from the problem and say its one person that’s an option as well.

"whole communites"? Like who? Please elaborate and state facts.

Where in the UK did you live for this to happen all the time?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

So one person doing something like this ruins it for everyone else? Is this how people behave in the UK?

You want the UK then move to the UK. The USA is not the UK and hopefully it never will be. You know exactly what he meant by that post.

[웃 910]

Is $1.3 billion a lot in a $15 trillion economy with a government that collects about $2.5 trillion in taxes a year and spends $3.5 trill? Here are some recent headlines of private companies that seem to be unphased by multi-billion dollar losses:

Glaxo Agrees to Pay $3 Billion in Fraud Settlement

Barclays facing $1bn loss from BlackRock disposal

JPMorgan Trading Loss Reportedly May Reach $9 Billion

And a look at a few multi-billion dollar deals made in the last couple of days.

A billion dollars just isn't as much as it used to be.

Bristol-Myers Squibb To Buy Amylin Pharmaceuticals In $7 Bln Deal

Johnson & Johnson's $21.3 Billion Purchase Will Pay Off For Investors

Owing to a growing orthopedic sector, the corporation made a swift decision to offer a $21.3 billion takeover bid for Swiss company Synthes, which officially went through last Thursday - the biggest in Johnson & Johnson's history.

Shell readies to roll dice on multibillion-dollar bet in Arctic Alaska

Shell might be sitting atop of the mother lode. If not, the company will lose one of the costliest bets in oil exploration history.

Shell has invested nearly $5 billion in its quest to begin exploratory drilling in what is known as the Hamburger prospect in the Chukchi Sea and the Sivulliq prospect in the Beaufort.

Edited July 3, 2012 by ☠

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Is $1.3 billion in a $15 trillion economy with a government that collects about $2.5 trillion in taxes a year and spends $3.5 trill? Here are some recent headlines of private companies that seem to be unphased by multi-billion dollar losses:

Glaxo Agrees to Pay $3 Billion in Fraud Settlement

Barclays facing $1bn loss from BlackRock disposal

JPMorgan Trading Loss Reportedly May Reach $9 Billion

And a look at a few multi-billion dollar deals made in the last couple of days.

A billion dollars just isn't as much as it used to be.

Bristol-Myers Squibb To Buy Amylin Pharmaceuticals In $7 Bln Deal

Johnson & Johnson's $21.3 Billion Purchase Will Pay Off For Investors

Owing to a growing orthopedic sector, the corporation made a swift decision to offer a $21.3 billion takeover bid for Swiss company Synthes, which officially went through last Thursday - the biggest in Johnson & Johnson's history.

Shell readies to roll dice on multibillion-dollar bet in Arctic Alaska

Shell might be sitting atop of the mother lode. If not, the company will lose one of the costliest bets in oil exploration history.

Shell has invested nearly $5 billion in its quest to begin exploratory drilling in what is known as the Hamburger prospect in the Chukchi Sea and the Sivulliq prospect in the Beaufort.

What's that have to do with forking over $1.3 billion dollars in US tax payer money for cell phones? Some of these taxes should be volunteer only.

[rocks 494]

You want the UK then move to the UK. The USA is not the UK and hopefully it never will be. You know exactly what he meant by that post.

You are so defensive. Who said the USA is the UK?

No, I don't know what he meant in his random babble, that's why I asked him what he meant. I would like to know where he lived in the UK where this happened. They don't give you "free food". Medical care is paid for via taxes, houses are not given to you "free", education in USA is paid for the taxpayer, the same as it is in the UK.

Don't talk about things you have no clue about, it makes you look stupid.

Still waiting for an explanation of the "whole communities who think its right and they should get things for free" comment. Care to elaborate on what "whole communities" these are?

[웃 910]

What's that have to do with forking over $1.3 billion dollars in US tax payer money for cell phones? Some of these taxes should be volunteer only.

I agree that there is too much waste in that program (without looking at the details). As I posted you can get a landline now for $20 a year without needing a computer.

The point is you are the one who posted the funny face at $1.3 billion like it is a lot of money.

There are 1000 millions in a billion dollars.

There are 1000 billions in a trillion dollars.

Our government spent $3.6 trillion last year.

Long form is $3,600,000,000,000

Does $3,599,000,000,000 make you feel better?

It's like we spent $3600 for the year and about $1 was on this program.

When the Libertarians post about X million wasted here, X million on studying shrimp on treadmills, they are talking about a penny or two in a budget of over three-thousand six-hundred dollars.

Edited July 3, 2012 by ☠

[Karee 4,191]

I agree that there is too much waste in that program (without looking at the details). As I posted you can get a landline now for $20 a year without needing a computer.

The point is you are the one who posted the funny face at $1.3 billion like it is a lot of money.

There are 1000 millions in a billion dollars.

There are 1000 billions in a trillion dollars.

Our government spent $3.6 trillion last year.

Long form is $3,600,000,000,000

Does $3,599,000,000,000 make you feel better?

It's like we spent $3600 for the year and about $1 was on this program.

When the Libertarians post about X million wasted here, X million on studying shrimp on treadmills, they are talking about a penny or two in a budget of over three-thousand six-hundred dollars.

That mentality is the exact problem. All those pennies add up to dollars.

[Neonred 3,664]

That mentality is the exact problem. All those pennies add up to dollars.

And I was wrong about the 1.3 Billion. It is actually 1.6 Billion.......there goes some more "pennies"

Edited July 3, 2012 by Neonred

[Dan J 277]

That mentality is the exact problem. All those pennies add up to dollars.

When you are solving any problem, its best to go after the problems that will have the largest impact with the least amount of work. If the problem in this case is government spending, there are areas that can be addressed with much larger impact on government spending than this.

[Neonred 3,664]

When you are solving any problem, its best to go after the problems that will have the largest impact with the least amount of work. If the problem in this case is government spending, there are areas that can be addressed with much larger impact on government spending than this.

Trouble here is that our government is not interested in solving the problem at any level.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Is $1.3 billion a lot in a $15 trillion economy with a government that collects about $2.5 trillion in taxes a year and spends $3.5 trill? Here are some recent headlines of private companies that seem to be unphased by multi-billion dollar losses:

One does not have to look far to find the root of the problem. I'd love to see your bank account.

[kytwell 179]

What he actually said was 47% of people pay no tax. He cited a newspaper as a source, which is where my question about payroll tax is from.

Yes I should have said Income Tax.

and I explained I meant income taxes. Payroll taxes actually hit lower income families less because they pay at a much lower rate and many get the EIC, which means they get back more than they paid in.

You're playing semantics and you know it. His position has already been clarified that he was talking about federal income taxes and tax liability. You have yet to concede this point: that 47% pay no income tax and some of those actually get back more than they paid in("spreading the wealth around").

payroll taxes, which fund the big entitlement programs, hit low-income households harder than most since 100% of their income is subject to them. High-income filers pay a lower percentage of their income in payroll taxes since wages subject to the Social Security tax are capped at $110,100

In this instance, low-income households pay more than high-income households. I was wondering how he was going to justify this.

I can play semantics too. So let's say we both work at my kids local school district. You work as a janitor for $20,000 dollars a year and I work as a kindergarten teacher for $111,000 (over the $110,100 threshold)dollars a year. With social security withholding at 6.2% and medicare at 1.45%; You would pay in @ $1240 in SS and $290 in Medicare, I would by contrast pay in $6826 in SS and $1596.45 in Medicare. You are telling me that you would pay more in payroll taxes than I would? Oh and with those above figures, we didn't even do income tax liability...

These payroll taxes may impact those with a low income harder, but you have yet to realize or admit that there are people who pay nothing in terms of income tax and get freebies in addition, from those that do pay.

Being compassionate about those less fortunate is something that is a personal, moral thing; not for "compassionate" people to compel the gov't to tax others; so that the gov't can be compassionate with others money. If you think the poor should have access to cell phones, then give them one and pay for it yourself, don't compel the gov't to provide it to the poor, off the backs of those that actually pay taxes. My brother for example has a small business. In order to write off his cell phone bill, he had to go to the IRS and prove that he isn't using the phone for personal use, so that he could deduct it as a business expense, yet they'll give cell phones away to the "poor" for personal use.

Also, I'm not saying that people who make more shouldn't pay anything more, all I'm saying is that all should pay something. When certain politicians use slogans like pay their fair share(but has it directed at people who make over a certain $$$ amount) it creates animosity and envy, which leads to divisions. We're all in it together, so the poor should pay income tax too, not just those that a politician deems as "rich". We're killing the middle class in this country, with all this divisiveness.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Trouble here is that our government is not interested in solving the problem at any level.

That is true. Since Reagan signed this law back in the 80's, every president and congress had a chance to do away with it. Yet, here we are, and it is still trickling down...

Edited July 3, 2012 by Gegel