2012 Campaign Ads

[guido911]

This one is going to make someone's donkey hurt:

[Gaspar]

What they don't say is that patric saved several teens who were on spring break by drinking all of the Vodka and RedBull preventing at least a dozen of them from suffering alcohol poisoning.  THATS SACRIFICE!

The cop he punched was probably going for his gun, or worse, his pepper spray to assault some group of innocent protesters.



Dude's a freekin hero!

[Teatownclown]

Gweedo, where did you get your propensity  for mean and violent? Mom and Dad   ?

[erfalf]

So in four years when Obama runs again, can he just reuse this add and dub over a few things?

[nathanm]

NSFW:

[guido911]

[heironymouspasparagus]

Yeah, yeah, yeah,...and I invested my private money in Walmart, Texaco, and Intel.  Doesn't mean I know how to run the business' or had a hand in creating jobs any more than Mitt did.  Same thing.  Different scale.  I didn't start out with Daddy's millions to play with.  I started out with my own hundreds that I earned myself.

[Red Arrow]

I didn't start out with Daddy's millions to play with.  I started out with my own hundreds that I earned myself.

So your parents were a couple of inconsiderate, cheap, slackers.

[heironymouspasparagus]

So your parents were a couple of inconsiderate, cheap, slackers.

47%ers.


At least until late in life.  Finally, after more than 45 + years each of working like dogs, they got to retire - with real pensions!!!  Something NONE of their kids will ever experience.  But hey, the 1%ers will benefit, so that's what's really important anyway...  always glad to do my part to support their idea of society.

[Red Arrow]

At least until late in life.  Finally, after more than 45 + years each of working like dogs, they got to retire - with real pensions!!!  Something NONE of their kids will ever experience. 

Judging from your posts, you don't deserve it.

Seriously, when our parents' pensions were formulated, most people were expected to die within a few years. Dad cooperated somewhat by dieing at age 75.  Mom is coming up fast on 86.  What is it that American Airlines found? Something like an average of death within 6 months of retiring. The concept of a "real pension" is an economic thing of the past.  Unfortunate but that's the way it is.

[nathanm]

Seriously, when our parents' pensions were formulated, most people were expected to die within a few years.

You should take a look at life expectancy by income and race. The differences are larger than I expected.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Judging from your posts, you don't deserve it.

Seriously, when our parents' pensions were formulated, most people were expected to die within a few years. Dad cooperated somewhat by dieing at age 75.  Mom is coming up fast on 86.  What is it that American Airlines found? Something like an average of death within 6 months of retiring. The concept of a "real pension" is an economic thing of the past.  Unfortunate but that's the way it is.

I know it has likely been a while since you were involved in a pension plan, but the funding was based on actuarial tables and based on exactly that - life expectancy.  And since it was rising for most of the last century, that was well known, factored in and accounted for.  They were not static, but moved around, somewhat related to the investments.  If a company chose the right pension manager, they reduced their contributions.  If not, then the expense went up.  So it was in their best interest to have the best professional investment firms involved.

What was NOT accounted for was that Reagan's time in office would see companies be allowed to reach into the pensions and make them their own private play grounds - taking out the money that was there and putting in company stock as a substitute.  Taking real financial investment professionals out of the equation.  And then along came the 401k, which if it had been done properly, would truly have been a boon to the other 99%.  But instead it was treated much like the school funding from lotteries has been done in this country.  It was made to be a replacement instead of an enhancement.  And every single person is now their own "investment professional".  

And then the incentive was reversed from finding the best to "it doesn't matter - we're gonna put company stock in it no matter what".  You can see the potential for abuse with this.


 

[Red Arrow]

I know it has likely been a while since you were involved in a pension plan, but the funding was based on actuarial tables and based on exactly that - life expectancy.  And since it was rising for most of the last century, that was well known, factored in and accounted for.  They were not static, but moved around, somewhat related to the investments.  If a company chose the right pension manager, they reduced their contributions.  If not, then the expense went up.  So it was in their best interest to have the best professional investment firms involved.

As life expectancies rose, the cost of fully funding those pensions also rose.  At least it had better have risen. 

What was NOT accounted for was that Reagan's time in office would see companies be allowed to reach into the pensions and make them their own private play grounds - taking out the money that was there and putting in company stock as a substitute.

I agree, that was a bad move.

And then along came the 401k, which if it had been done properly, would truly have been a boon to the other 99%.

It was still better than losing any company contributions due to vesting.  My father worked for the same company for 35 years.  That was his generation.  Our (and younger) generations have been more mobile, sometimes by choice, sometimes not.  One of the biggest problems with the pensions you are so fond of is that they are/were not portable from one employer to another.

And then the incentive was reversed from finding the best to "it doesn't matter - we're gonna put company stock in it no matter what".  You can see the potential for abuse with this.

My employer's contribution to my 401K is in company stock.  I am able to transfer that "money" to another investment.  I believe I can do that immediately but I haven't moved any lately.  I'm hoping for the economy to recover so the value of the stock will go up a bit to its 2008 levels.

[Red Arrow]

You should take a look at life expectancy by income and race. The differences are larger than I expected.

I expect you would fix the income part of that discrimination by giving money to the poor.  How would you equalize life expectancy due to race alone?

[guido911]