The All Things Political Topic - As a Bright Lord bears Beacons of flame.

[Amentep]

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2 hours ago, Gfted1 said:

Like Ive been typing myself blue in the fingers, the essential basics of life should be provided at no cost to every single citizen and any immigrant, legal or otherwise. GET IN MY POCKET!

 

1 hour ago, Pidesco said:

Your posts read as sarcastic more than half the time.

 

1 hour ago, Gfted1 said:

Then dont add your personal bias' to them.  

 

1 hour ago, Guard Dog said:

LOL! Can’t sneak anything past you!

 

54 minutes ago, Pidesco said:

I'm not unaware that your whole deal with UBI and the like is written maybe-really-actually-obviously-sarcasm, and plausible deniability in order to avoid actual discussion and defuse debates.

I'm a regular genius sleuth. I am so good I even infer things

 

44 minutes ago, Gfted1 said:

No, I really really really want UBI, UHC and UFH. True story. Scouts honor. Also, water is wet.

 

27 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

Pidesco please dont start acting like a socialist, Gfted1 is not being sarcastic. You know I never lie to you, all he is saying is we cant all become like Sweden because most countries dont have your government funding success and citizen buy in to support the system 

People in most countries cant just expect handouts with no productivity ....these things need to balanced

 

 

 

26 minutes ago, Malcador said:

Make sure you wear body armour. 

 

11 minutes ago, Gfted1 said:

For those of you in the cheap seats.

 

[Pidesco]

 

See, positively slathered in thick sarcasm.

[Gfted1]

Ah well, I guess thats just your burden to bear.

[Sarex]

Seems that facebook has been hacked and that 1.5 billion accounts are being sold on the web right now.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I am glad I got off Facebook a decade ago.

[Sarex]

2 minutes ago, KP the meanie zucchini said:

I am glad I got off Facebook a decade ago.

I think I got off it in 2007. The whole thing was way too weird for me.

[HoonDing]

I never even got on MSN after ICQ

[Malcador]

19 minutes ago, Sarex said:

Seems that facebook has been hacked and that 1.5 billion accounts are being sold on the web right now.

Seems data all scraped.   I keep Facebook around mainly as a glorified RSS reader and to show off my dogs.

[Zoraptor]

Objectively FB getting hacked would be bad news for everyone given their Orwellian tendencies and propensity for making dummy accounts on non users. Subjectively, getting hacked couldn't happen to a nicer company and maybe, just maybe, someone might decide that deliberately adding security holes to everything so employees of TLAs can do a bit of virtual panty sniffing on the side is idiotic. Don't think it's anywhere near confirmed though, and it's pretty easy to fake having hacked FB since a lot of the account data is fundamentally public (and of course they'll happily sell it themselves to pretty much anyone, so you could get genuine FB data by hacking multiple 3rd parties).

Thought and prayers to Raithe though, without fbcdn half the meme content of the internet is down.

[ComradeYellow]

Zuckerberg Loses $6 Billion in Hours as Facebook Plunges (msn.com)

teehee

[Guard Dog]

Yeah they can have my Facebook account. All I’ve ever done with it let’s trade jokes and occasionally keep up with my brother and his family. I only signed up so I could play chess on chess.net for free.

[Raithe]

Telegraph - European political parties "forced to take more extreme positions" by Facebook algorithm tweak, says whistleblower

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-misinformation-public-60-minutes-2021-10-03/

 

 

[Malcador]

Facebook is root of everyone's sins, it seems.  Convenient

[BruceVC]

https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/best-and-worst-states-for-retirement/

I was looking at some state information between Tennessee and Wisconsin and Tennessee is considered the better place to live

[rjshae]

They increase their ratings by focusing on issues that generate a strong emotional response. *gasp*

I'm talking about the evening news, of course.

[BruceVC]

7 hours ago, BruceVC said:

https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/best-and-worst-states-for-retirement/

I was looking at some state information between Tennessee and Wisconsin and Tennessee is considered the better place to live

This may  be for retirement but look at the metrics they used and they almost apply to normal factors that anyone would consider when looking at what state to live in

@rjshae shame you  guys are on 40th....I feel bad because everyone likes you but your cold weather cant be ignored ?

@Gromnir and @Hurlsnot I thought California would be higher...37 !!!

@Gfted1 Interesting, you on 38? I think this low score  is due to factors like the view people have on crime in a city Chicago, so for example would you move to Chicago to live ?

But I was most surprised how high both Tennessee and Wisconsin are on the list, Tennessee is 3. That is higher than I ever thought. I would have assumed 9-12 

And Wisconsin was a huge surprise, its on 14 but  because of the cold weather I would have thought 35-37

[Guard Dog]

2 hours ago, BruceVC said:

This may  be for retirement but look at the metrics they used and they almost apply to normal factors that anyone would consider when looking at what state to live in

@rjshae shame you  guys are on 40th....I feel bad because everyone likes you but your cold weather cant be ignored ?

@Gromnir and @Hurlsnot I thought California would be higher...37 !!!

@Gfted1 Interesting, you on 38? I think this low score  is due to factors like the view people have on crime in a city Chicago, so for example would you move to Chicago to live ?

But I was most surprised how high both Tennessee and Wisconsin are on the list, Tennessee is 3. That is higher than I ever thought. I would have assumed 9-12 

And Wisconsin was a huge surprise, its on 14 but  because of the cold weather I would have thought 35-37

It's hard to generalize living conditions in most states because, with some exceptions, they are large and diverse places. State tax is, of course, applied the same all over that state. Municipalities and counties might tack on a half percent or more but generally the tax burden for each state is uniform. How taxes are collected is also a factor. Some states tax income, others tax property, all tax sales to one extent or another. Your lifestyle preferences have a big impact on your tax burden. 

For most states (2/3 give or take) weather and geography is more or less the same. But this kind of fails on the bigger states. California is a good example. The Sacramento/Bay area, the LA/San Diego (everything south of Ventura & San Bernardino and west of Palm Springs), north of Sacramento, and everything in the high desert (Barstow, Mojave, Tahoe. Modoc, etc. are so radically different you'd think you were in a different country. Cost of living varies wildly in these places. Climate and weather varies quite a bit. Florida is another example. South Florida, Central Florida, and North Florida are VERY different economically and culturally. South Florida is VERY expensive just to maintain a middle class lifestyle. North Florida it's very easy to do that on the exact same money. 

It's hard to quantify one state having more crime than another because once you get out of the big metro areas crime rates plummet everywhere. Memphis is the closest big city to me but it's not that close. Where I live crime is practically non existent. Fifty miles south and it's the highest in the state and 18th highest in the USA. 

Real estate and housing prices also fluctuate wildly inside a state.  That is something I know too well. In Tennessee lots with houses are much more expensive east of Nashville than they are west of Nashville. The reason is geography. West of Nashville is flat, spacious, redevelopment is constant and dynamic. East of Nashville is mountainous so fewer homes, more demand for existing homes, less construction of new homes drives up the value of what's there. 

Articles like that make for interesting reading but there are good retirement options in pretty much every state where you can live comfortably on a fixed income. 

[Guard Dog]

11 hours ago, BruceVC said:

https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/best-and-worst-states-for-retirement/

I was looking at some state information between Tennessee and Wisconsin and Tennessee is considered the better place to live

I've been up for hours looking on Realtor.com  at houses/real estate around La Crosse. Real estate there is seriously underpriced compared to here. BIG difference. 

[BruceVC]

23 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

It's hard to generalize living conditions in most states because, with some exceptions, they are large and diverse places. State tax is, of course, applied the same all over that state. Municipalities and counties might tack on a half percent or more but generally the tax burden for each state is uniform. How taxes are collected is also a factor. Some states tax income, others tax property, all tax sales to one extent or another. Your lifestyle preferences have a big impact on your tax burden. 

For most states (2/3 give or take) weather and geography is more or less the same. But this kind of fails on the bigger states. California is a good example. The Sacramento/Bay area, the LA/San Diego (everything south of Ventura & San Bernardino and west of Palm Springs), north of Sacramento, and everything in the high desert (Barstow, Mojave, Tahoe. Modoc, etc. are so radically different you'd think you were in a different country. Cost of living varies wildly in these places. Climate and weather varies quite a bit. Florida is another example. South Florida, Central Florida, and North Florida are VERY different economically and culturally. South Florida is VERY expensive just to maintain a middle class lifestyle. North Florida it's very easy to do that on the exact same money. 

It's hard to quantify one state having more crime than another because once you get out of the big metro areas crime rates plummet everywhere. Memphis is the closest big city to me but it's not that close. Where I live crime is practically non existent. Fifty miles south and it's the highest in the state and 18th highest in the USA. 

Real estate and housing prices also fluctuate wildly inside a state.  That is something I know too well. In Tennessee lots with houses are much more expensive east of Nashville than they are west of Nashville. The reason is geography. West of Nashville is flat, spacious, redevelopment is constant and dynamic. East of Nashville is mountainous so fewer homes, more demand for existing homes, less construction of new homes drives up the value of what's there. 

Articles like that make for interesting reading but there are good retirement options in pretty much every state where you can live comfortably on a fixed income. 

This is such an interesting post because it raises the  real considerations and systemic complexities of moving between  states in the USA

Many of these  points you mention  are ostensibly US considerations and I doubt are so prevalent and  trenchant in most countries and they can change or influence which US state you decide to live in and must be because of the Federal nature of your states where each state can have very different laws and social realities that create the reason you must choose 

Take SA, any move between our provinces is very rarely about anything but the direct financial incentive. We have lifestyle differences because living in any coastal  region just offers more choices for family fun and outdoor healthy activities. And of course we all understand property prices in cities differ but taxes, laws and climate is not much different 

So then you must have a view on what are the real differences if you move to Wisconsin, how do you personally feel about the state to live in outside of your relationship. So I looked at the weather patterns in Wisconsin and they do seem to have  long periods of rain and cold weather  ....is this the same in Tennessee and would this matter to you?

[BruceVC]

28 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

I've been up for hours looking on Realtor.com  at houses/real estate around La Crosse. Real estate there is seriously underpriced compared to here. BIG difference. 

Okay that really could be a big plus to move their .....and its one that can directly impact  any outcome about changes to your investment and how you would manage your revenue stream

Question, do you still owe anything on a home loan or similar   on your Tennessee property?

 

[Guard Dog]

5 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

Okay that really could be a big plus to move their .....and its one that can directly impact  any outcome about changes to your investment and how you would manage your revenue stream

Question, do you still owe anything on a home loan or similar   on your Tennessee property?

 

No, my home, in fact all my properties I own outright. 90% of my $ are in real estate. When we sold our business back in 2014 I had a 1/7th share of the sale and paid off my mortgage and invested 90% of the rest in various real estate properties. The nice thing about real estate is you generally don't lose money on it. It's hard to make a lot of money in the short term but in the long term it is the way to go IMO. 

Most of what I have is large acre tracts that are leased to different agri-businesses around West TN. But I had a townhouse I renovated and rented for a few years and then sold, some vacant lots I'm selling now. I bought some timber land at an auction a few years back and sold it earlier this year. The big properties are all leased for 3 years and I can't sell them while in contract. Most are in their 2nd year now. But if the lessee wants to renew I'm going to do that. The long term plan for those properties is future expansion of nearby municipalities and eventual rezoning from agricultural to industrial or (hopefully) residential. THAT is when they will pay off. It will only take one. 

[Guard Dog]

32 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

 

So then you must have a view on what are the real differences if you move to Wisconsin, how do you personally feel about the state to live in outside of your relationship. So I looked at the weather patterns in Wisconsin and they do seem to have  long periods of rain and cold weather  ....is this the same in Tennessee and would this matter to you?

Don't know much about WI to tell you the truth. 30 days ago I'd never even been there. But I don't worry much about weather. Or access to any particular city or natural wonders. There is cool stuff to enjoy literally everywhere you go. Except maybe New Jersey. I expect I'll be full time employed once again (finally) pretty soon but it's a job I can do from anywhere. But to tell you the truth a move to WI or anywhere is down the road a ways. Not ruling it out but, we're not tat the point of, as she said, making big life decisions. 

[Gfted1]

4 hours ago, BruceVC said:

@Gfted1 Interesting, you on 38? I think this low score  is due to factors like the view people have on crime in a city Chicago, so for example would you move to Chicago to live ?

No, I wouldnt move here again, I hate the weather. If I live long enough Im retiring somewhere that never sees a single inch of snow.

Crime...I mean youll definitely catch a cap in the ass if you go certain places, but I dont go there. And Im not one to curl into the fetal position every time I read on the internet that some randos died, but I know others are profoundly affected so I can understand why it would be an influence.

Weve got cool sights to see downtown though! My personal favorite is the Museum of Science and Industry, closely followed by the Art Institute of Chicago. Still havent made it over to see The Bean (Cloud Gate).

[BruceVC]

2 minutes ago, Gfted1 said:

No, I wouldnt move here again, I hate the weather. If I live long enough Im retiring somewhere that never sees a single inch of snow.

Crime...I mean youll definitely catch a cap in the ass if you go certain places, but I dont go there. And Im not one to curl into the fetal position every time I read on the internet that some randos died, but I know others are profoundly affected so I can understand why it would be an influence.

Weve got cool sights to see downtown though! My personal favorite is the Museum of Science and Industry, closely followed by the Art Institute of Chicago. Still havent made it over to see The Bean (Cloud Gate).

Sorry but for some reason I assumed you lived outside Chicago but your signature has always said Chicago 

But you have confirmed my point even more now from a lived experience and I understand what you mean by the reality of crime in Chicago and how its influences you. Because correct me if I am wrong but lets  say their is a gang related shooting where 20 civilians are killed in crossfire this occurs in certain areas in Chicago where gangs operate and not in most suburbs or where you live?

 

[rjshae]

6 hours ago, BruceVC said:

@rjshae shame you  guys are on 40th....I feel bad because everyone likes you but your cold weather cant be ignored ?

The bitter cold is mainly east of the Cascade mountains. To the west in the maritime zone we get a ton of cloudy weather, but that helps moderate the temperature. There is a coastal retirement community in WA called Sequim that lives in the rain shadow of the Olympics. They only get 15 inches of rain annually and have their own native cacti. (Compare to the Hoh Rain Forest which gets over 200 inches per year.)