Are you just tired?

[JMT]

I fixed it for you it's not thousands it's billions.

I just had to send thousands of dollars to the feds for taxes. Plus I had to spend a lot of money on an accountant to do those taxes.

I also had to pay a chunk of change to the town in Maine for property taxes on the same day.

So I feel your pain.

On property taxes, John Locke wrote “life, liberty and property…” The third one was changed to “pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration, but that was a synonym for property since one’s property is where he pursues happiness. Property taxes are contrary to the declaration’s original intent. So is eminent domain. Property should be free and clear once the original purchase price is paid. Then we wouldn’t be so tired. This concept of the framers was built on Israel’s property ownership in the Old Testament. No property taxes. No inheritance taxes either for that matter.

 

[Bobohunter1776]

I thought my dad was weird for saying he was born too late.now i say it and feel old!

I was just thinking the same. If I randomly got teleported into the late 1800s in Colorado, I'd be more than fine with that. There's a reason my Winchester 94 is my favorite gun.

 

[JMT]

Life is good. I guess I’m an outlier here. The Media and Internet only spout the bad for their own profit.
I left my abusive family situation at 17 and never looked back.
I married well and have 2 great kids. We worked hard, saved and invested our money. I have no pension. The wife just started SS and I will in 18 months also. The wife and I are in good financial shape due to our long term planning. I’ve traveled the world and have yet to find a country better than this one. Ask people from other countries what they pay in taxes. Stop worrying about what you can not change and focus on the good. Life has always been a struggle.
To you people in your 30s, at 32 I went back to school full time and worked full time with 2 kids. Let me tell you it sucked big time but I had a long term goal. Financial success takes planning and hard work in this country as it always has.

You’re right. There’s no better place to live than America. I have students on four continents. Those in Australia and Canada and Russia usually tell me what is going on there and also tell me that America is the world’s last hope for freedom. They want us to stand up because they see the direction America is going is the same direction their countries went, some a long time ago, and now they are crap (to one degree or another). We can always try to be positive, and every age has had issues and none were by any means perfect, but we can’t close our eyes to the direction things are going.

 

[Bobohunter1776]

Life is good. I guess I’m an outlier here. The Media and Internet only spout the bad for their own profit.
I left my abusive family situation at 17 and never looked back.
I married well and have 2 great kids. We worked hard, saved and invested our money. I have no pension. The wife just started SS and I will in 18 months also. The wife and I are in good financial shape due to our long term planning. I’ve traveled the world and have yet to find a country better than this one. Ask people from other countries what they pay in taxes. Stop worrying about what you can not change and focus on the good. Life has always been a struggle.
To you people in your 30s, at 32 I went back to school full time and worked full time with 2 kids. Let me tell you it sucked big time but I had a long term goal. Financial success takes planning and hard work in this country as it always has.

That's how I feel as well. I feel blessed to even be in a situation to complain about taxes to strangers on the internet without any fear of repercussions. Sometimes I just have to remind myself that things could be a hell of a lot worse. As long as they leave me alone in the mountains to do what I want, Congress and everyone else can do whatever the hell they want.

 

[Zorba]

This country left our Judeo-Christian roots and that’s the source of all our problems. Morality can’t exist without absolutes. Everything gets relativized and trends downward toward a cesspool.

You are correct, "Morality can't exist without absolutes." Which is why I reject both (so-called) morality as well as absolutes. EVERYTHING is relative. What matters is ethics. Not "morality", laws, rules, or regulations; which are all the same thing, really - ineffective attempts to codify the uncodifiable, that is to say ETHICS!

 

[Bobohunter1776]

You are correct, "Morality can't exist without absolutes." Which is why I reject both (so-called) morality as well as absolutes. EVERYTHING is relative. What matters is ethics. Not "morality", laws, rules, or regulations; which are all the same thing, really - ineffective attempts to codify the uncodifiable, that is to say ETHICS!

I disagree that everything is relative, but morality and politics sure as hell aren't the same thing. My morals aren't gonna be the same as yours, or Bob down the road and that's OK. You leave me alone and I'll leave you alone.

 

[Zorba]

I disagree that everything is relative, but morality and politics sure as hell aren't the same thing. My morals aren't gonna be the same as yours, or Bob down the road and that's OK. You leave me alone and I'll leave you alone.

Which sounds pretty relative to me! But your comments are indeed "as it should be".

 

[Bobohunter1776]

Which sounds pretty relative to me! But your comments are indeed "as it should be".

Fair enough. I think too scientifically for philosophy and always end up trying to find some objective truth that might be out there but might not be out there. Who knows though. I'll just leave the philosophy to someone who's better at making stuff up than me.

 

[Head Lice]

If I randomly got teleported into the late 1800s in Colorado, I'd be more than fine with that. There's a reason my Winchester 94 is my favorite gun.

We have a Liberal federal government that is intent to dis-arm the Canadian citizens. I've hunted my whole life, provide the finest moose and elk venison for family and friends, and will not comply with 'new' gun laws in my country. Also have a '94 . . . . 1956 vintage.

 

[Bobohunter1776]

We have a Liberal federal government that is intent to dis-arm the Canadian citizens. I've hunted my whole life, provide the finest moose and elk venison for family and friends, and will not comply with 'new' gun laws in my country. Also have a '94 . . . . 1956 vintage.

You're probably gonna get a visit from the Mounties after that post. Y'all are pretty f---ed up there. Wish there was something we could do about it, but hopefully y'all will get it sorted it eventually. Don't forget that 3D printers are your friend...

 

[PNW_LJ]

I gotta say, as the son of parents who emigrated to the US from the former Soviet Union, there is nothing more terrifying to us than what is currently being preached in the media, schools, and society.

My parents came here in the late 90s, with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and literally pulled themselves by their bootstraps to provide the best for our family. And they never complained about no white privilege, no discrimination, no nothing. Just regular people working their asses off in one of the greatest countries ever to exist, to achieve their American Dream.

My dad often talks about how free he felt when he first came here, freedom of speech, right to bear arms... You were treated like a human being, not a mindless slave. Not so much anymore... the world is hellbent on turning things upside down and destroying what made this country so great in the first place.

As I'm going through my sophomore year in college, I'm uncertain of what the future holds for me and my family. I find that just going on with life and giving everything to the Lord is the way to go. And turning off the news helps

 

[PCO6]

We have a Liberal federal government that is intent to dis-arm the Canadian citizens. I've hunted my whole life, provide the finest moose and elk venison for family and friends, and will not comply with 'new' gun laws in my country. Also have a '94 . . . . 1956 vintage.

The Trudeau Liberals are catering to mostly urbanites who never have or will own guns. The urban / rural split in Canada is about 82/18 so it’s an uphill battle. It’s illogical to me that anyone would think that taking guns away from hunters, sportsmen, farmers, etc. will lead to less gun violence, most of which is occurring in urban areas. Unlicenced owners of mostly illegal smuggled guns are the problem. I have no personal interest in guns. I have never owned or even held one but I stand by those who are licenced and use them properly. Like many, if it gets to the point where only the criminals are armed my position will change.

 

[Zorba]

Fair enough. I think too scientifically for philosophy and always end up trying to find some objective truth that might be out there but might not be out there. Who knows though. I'll just leave the philosophy to someone who's better at making stuff up than me.

I consider myself an "armchair philosopher" of mediocre (at best) level. I have been searching my entire life for an absolute. One could nit pick semantics (which Liberals LOVE to do), but I have yet to find anything that's absolute - at least on this plane of existence. BOOK worshipers will tell you their BOOK is absolute, which is complete folly, yet they make a big deal out of being a "religion of the BOOK" and worshiping the darn thing rather than their God(s). "The source of all truth" - hardly. Its a damn BOOK with all the shortcomings of any other. Whatever, that's their business as long as they don't attempt to project it onto me - which they do all too often as they tend to be "True Believers" which is the most dangerous type of people of them all. These types continuously decry "relativism" in a world where EVERYTHING is relative to something else. The very foundation of our physics is the "Theory of Relativity". Thus I've come to the realization that absolutes aren't to be found here - unless perhaps one could call love an absolute.

But I tend to ramble on...

 

[jeepguy03]

If you and your wife are in a stable relationship, I suggest you go for it, they're worth all the pain, but you really need a decent partner in this fight. I had several people tell me, "if you wait until you’re ready, you'll never be ready". I understand that now, they were right.

100%

I have several friends with kids and things are going well for them, but they are in a stable relationship. Anyone who is single these days will tell you dating is a mess. Instant validation from social media has made many women my age pretty much undatable if you want anything substantial. With the way the courts are incentivizing divorce for women, it is also a big risk to get married these days if you have anything to lose. With that said I'm still hopeful for our world.

With all the crazy stuff glorified by social media and the news, remember that those are soap boxes and platforms for the minority of weirdos to have a voice and spread their influence. Talk to the every day people around you, and you will quickly find out how most people are not okay with these ideas, but are afraid to resist as long as their lives remain relatively unchanged. The greatest violence has always come from individuals who just wanted to be left alone.

 

[Alex05]

I'm getting tired of everything around me.

I finished taxes and they added $300 for medicare to others. Ukraine gets thousands. I get up at 5 am to work and our debt goes up to 30 T in a heart beat.

Yet everyone blames me. If I could find a couple productive acres on a place where nobody could touch me, I'd take it over the lottery. Which would take 3/4ths of it in taxes.

Tune out and screw the world.

Sorry, I'm in a good mood today.

Hey man, certainly the past few years (or more) have been a roller coaster. I find that if I just focus on the areas of my life that directly affect my day to day that things seem more manageable. Ultimately, the national debt is not something that affects yours or I's day to day.
re: "Ukraine gets thousands"
Their 'get' is in exchange for handling some of the most incredible human devastation since WW2. Pictures of what's left of some cities in the eastern part of the country only can compare to the destruction after something like an earthquake, or a volcano, in my opinion. Getting up at 5am for work sounds preferable compared to getting up at 5am because the air raid siren is going off again.

 

[Shank]

Hey man, certainly the past few years (or more) have been a roller coaster. I find that if I just focus on the areas of my life that directly affect my day to day that things seem more manageable. Ultimately, the national debt is not something that affects yours or I's day to day.
re: "Ukraine gets thousands"
Their 'get' is in exchange for handling some of the most incredible human devastation since WW2. Pictures of what's left of some cities in the eastern part of the country only can compare to the destruction after something like an earthquake, or a volcano, in my opinion. Getting up at 5am for work sounds preferable compared to getting up at 5am because the air raid siren is going off again.

I think most of our point isn't to downplay what they are going through, it is that we shouldn't be using our money for their support. It may not sound nice but the reality is we are wasting money we do not have on something we should not be involved in.

 

[Alex05]

I think most of our point isn't to downplay what they are going through, it is that we shouldn't be using our money for their support. It may not sound nice but the reality is we are wasting money we do not have on something we should not be involved in.

I think many western countries have weighed the cost of direct conflict (because global security is important) vs. pay another country to deal with the conflict (because global security is important, but also expensive).
The western countries chose to pay another country; A wise long-term decision.

 

[Shank]

I think many western countries have weighed the cost of direct conflict (because global security is important) vs. pay another country to deal with the conflict (because global security is important, but also expensive).
The western countries chose to pay another country; A wise long-term decision.

Perhaps, until they lose.

 

[MaximusLJR06]

I think most of our point isn't to downplay what they are going through, it is that we shouldn't be using our money for their support. It may not sound nice but the reality is we are wasting money we do not have on something we should not be involved in.

It's not wasting our money........ Its called money laundering hahaha

 

[Bobohunter1776]

I consider myself an "armchair philosopher" of mediocre (at best) level. I have been searching my entire life for an absolute. One could nit pick semantics (which Liberals LOVE to do), but I have yet to find anything that's absolute - at least on this plane of existence. BOOK worshipers will tell you their BOOK is absolute, which is complete folly, yet they make a big deal out of being a "religion of the BOOK" and worshiping the darn thing rather than their God(s). "The source of all truth" - hardly. Its a damn BOOK with all the shortcomings of any other. Whatever, that's their business as long as they don't attempt to project it onto me - which they do all too often as they tend to be "True Believers" which is the most dangerous type of people of them all. These types continuously decry "relativism" in a world where EVERYTHING is relative to something else. The very foundation of our physics is the "Theory of Relativity". Thus I've come to the realization that absolutes aren't to be found here - unless perhaps one could call love an absolute.

But I tend to ramble on...

Ha, most of my "philosophizing" happens in the middle of the woods or river, so I know what you mean. I agree though, modern religion is very flawed and that's coming from a Christian. Like you said, I really couldn't care less what you believe in as long as you don't force it on me. Hell, I barely know what I believe in half the time. This all just reminds me of a song called "Turtles All The Way Down".