patrick.net

So I take it none of you cheap bastards threw Patrick a bone?

Post the link here X. Lots of folks either have the blog page bookmarked directly, or (like me) they use a RSS aggregator and don't see anything but the blog entries.

But we all were tryiing to accomplish the common good. Just different ideas how to get there.

Very true.

Link to contribute a small amount to offset Patrick's costs.

It's only 10 bucks.

tinyurl.com/jg3nk

Bottom of page, right above the links portion, there is a "subscribe" button.

Thanks you all, it's been fun, but this has been taking me about 2 hours every night, so I can't justify taking the time anymore. If there are enough subscribers, I'll continue by sending subscribers links in email. If not, I'll refund your money. It's $5 for 25 days of news links, $10 for 50 days, etc. No charge on weekends or any other days when there is no news.

buff, fuck the zero point energy and water powered cars. lets start with baby steps here. how about using proven technology that reduces emmisions and drastically improves gas mileage. how about taxing SUVs to all high hell. if your brain cannot compute a world without gas lets start with the obvious.

Proven by what? Do not trust every so-called "scientific facts". There are environmental special interest groups out there that will stop at nothing to further their agenda, which may or may not work towards the common good.

Rick, you are delusional. Go back to your room and meditate. :)

Hoping to reassure him, I was able to do some research and found absolute, concrete evidence that much of what he thought was a conspiracy was really just random events he had strung together in way that made sense to him alone. But even with everything in black and white in front of him, he refused to believe it.

SQT, concrete evidence will just be seen as concrete deception. :)

It is better to light a candle and meditate about the metaphysical futility of uncovering "the conspiracy".

im going to outlaw the word ‘conspiracy theory’ and use ‘collusion theory’.

You mean "delusioned theory"? :)

Sir Surfer-X, Lord of Profanity Says:

"Remember these are the boomers kids and what do boomers enjoy most? Getting high and getting freaky."

"The doobie doesn’t fall far from the bong my friend."

_____

Ha, ha! Precious!

Surfer-X needs to write a book to pass down the wisdom of Gen-X to
Gen-Z. Just skip Gen-Y, the kids of the Boomers. They're too far gone!

What would be a good title for the book? How about: A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH SURFER-X: LIFE AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF BOOMER CIVILIZATION.

Chap. 1.

Your Parents the Boomer Whores: OK, They sold you a complete bill of shit and we all bought the line. What should you do now?

Chap. 1A. Practicum: Home Economics Revisited.

Chap. 2. The Greatest Sexually Transmitted Disease Vaccine Your Dissolute Boomer Parents Never Told You About: the zipper. Strategies to help keep yours shut in times of temptation, and ten strategies on how to keep your hands off your neighbor's zipper.

Chap 3. OK, So You Can't Afford a House, Condo, Apartment or Even a Chicken Coop: 15 real world strategies to help you survive the California Real Estate Castastrophe without having to live in your car!

Chap 3A. Practicum: OK, so your lazy Boomer mom never taught you to cook, but it's never too late to learn. 20 tasty recipes for eating under $3.99 a day that'll knock 'em dead and leave 'em wondering if the Frugal Gourmet was your dad. Also several tips on spicing up those 99-Cent Store ramen noodles to equal restaurant-quality soups, and which Togos large sammiches can be stretched to three meals a day for under $3.99.

Chap. 4. College Degrees and PhD's - BOHICA (Bend Over Here it Comes Again): 30 Helpful hints: Best positions for taking it without lube and still being able to make it to class on time for the next test; Knee pads? Hell no, this handy tip on how to utilize pillows will make getting that research grant for your PhD a cinch!

Chap 4. Practicum - Do Me Scooby Dooby, Scooby Dooby Do Me:
30 Illustrated positions sure to make your professor give you an A+, and CD ROM with real students gettin' busy and earning good grades.

Chap 5. My Parents Smoked My Inheritance: What you can do to try to make up for the fact that your Boomer parents spent YOUR inheritance on herbage, assorted paraphernalia, and that massive Led Zep record and Stones CD Collection.

Chap 6. The Man Lied to You: OK, so now you've got that BS, MS, MBA, or PhD: Sorry to break the news to you, but a college degree ain't what it used to be. How to work two service jobs at Hertz Rent-A-Car and McDonalds, pay your college loans off, and raise your girlfriend's kid.

Etc...

Surfer X,

So the deal is basically $5 a month? No big! Just go to the "subscribe" button?

Michael Holiday,

LOL! Good stuff, but not to far from the truth. Several posters here talked about trying to be normal in spite of their boomer parents. Could have potential!

Governor Conan Says:

> FAB, I am unfamiliar with BA. What’s Oakland Hills like?
> Isn’t Oakland a dump (compared with Atherton and
> Menlo Park)?

Oakland gets a bad rap (sure they deserve some of it for doing things like teaching "Ebonics" as a language in the schools), and has some nice parts of town (including the Oakland Hills with amazing SF views) with multi million dollar homes...

@DinOR So the deal is basically $5 a month?

Yup for the price of a cup O'starfucks you can watch the collapse in near realtime.

Surfahara X,

Cool, got it!

FAB, thanks.

So you are a sailor. Me, too, but not a pro one like you. Not yet.

Sir Rick of Bulldust said:

governer conan- been reading War and Peace, huh? too bad most of the people were the peon infantry. the enemy officers would often meet before battle and have a few drinks before they played thier little game of chess. btw- why would you have to make money to marry up, isnt that the whole point of marrying up? the whole thing is ridiculous anyway… i find our new ‘upper class’ are a bunch of fucking heathens.

1. Never read W&P. I stopped on the first page. Too many long names.

2. Officers having tea before (and during) the battles. There are some anecdotes. But not as pervasive as you suggested.

3. I saw a video snipet from a series on "Class in America." I believe it was made by PBS. In it, a guy from "down the hill" finally made enough money to marry a girl from "up the hill." She could not hide her disdain for his inferior background during the interview. They were just married.

4. Moneyed people married their daughters into the military caste precisely because the latter was where the power of the old society rested. It was a clear case of money marrying up power and status.

My question is, why isn’t the price dropping YET? I did see a lot more for sale signs up, I did see less and less people go to open houses. But the asking price of houses are still up there, what gives?

Sellers are probably still confused and are in denial. Many people are waiting for prices to fall, so if prices do go down, there will be some support. It is going to take some time and more frustration.

Remember, timing a purchase may save you money or it may not.

Red Whine Says:

"...I think we won’t see the last Boomers leave the workforce for another three decades. Sweet Jeebus."

God almighty! I hope you're wrong man, I hope you are wrong.

>>The youngest Boomers are about 50

According to the current working definition, the youngest are 42.

“…I think we won’t see the last Boomers leave the workforce for another three decades. Sweet Jeebus.”

Either that or they will just vote more income-tax for the working generation and more benefits for the retired generation. Which one is more likely? I wonder.

Red Whine,

A lot of Boomers will be forcibly retired as soon as enough Gen X-ers make their way into the boardroom. I know that in my profession, the senior partners used to become "of counsel" to the firm. They were given a retirement dinner with many speeches and accolades. They'd also be given a small office at the firm, just to make them feel like they were still a valued member of the profession. They no longer drew a full salary, and they no longer did any actual work, but the appearances were maintained. It was a classy way to let someone retire. A doddering old man could drop by the office for an hour once every other week to reminisce, chat with the other lawyers, and feel as if he were still at the height of his powers.

Naturally, the Boomers changed all that. They took the of counsels' offices away. Now when the older lawyers retire, their offices are given to the junior associates. Their names are pried off the door and removed from the letterhead. They are no longer considered members of the firm; they are just retired.

Something tells me that Gen-X'ers will take this one step farther. The Boomers won't just lose their offices -- security will escort them from their desks.

Once we are finally in charge, our duty will be to treat the next generation well. If we do, perhaps they won't treat us badly.

Once we are finally in charge, our duty will be to treat the next generation well. If we do, perhaps they won’t treat us badly.

And the prior generation badly, very badly. I say cane them. "oh did you say caine? I love caine"

Something tells me that Gen-X’ers will take this one step farther. The Boomers won’t just lose their offices — security will escort them from their desks.

Why stop there? Why not "escort" them to the welcoming firing squa-- er, "retirement party"?

Once we are finally in charge, our duty will be to treat the next generation well. If we do, perhaps they won’t treat us badly.

I afraid that power may skip a generation, from one boomer (baby) to another (echo). From father to son.

I wonder how many sellers are like this?

Too many. We will just have to wait for fear to reign. They are still greedy.

i think we should consider lethal injection.

Your hatred is misguided. Find peace and be happy.

Thanks for the correction — I’ve had a hard time getting consensus on what the exact cutoffs are. I would NEVER have guessed that a 42 year old qualifies.

42 - 46ish are cusp boomers. They are definitely more like boomers than Xers, but they also missed out on many of the "peak boomer timing" exploits.

Cusp Xers are probably in the 38-42 group (in which I admittedly fall). The inverse is true of cusp Xers: they tended to get a bit more good timing than the rest of X, but definitely still far worse than the average boomer.

(Just my opinion...no data to back any of this up)

Either that or they will just vote more income-tax for the working generation and more benefits for the retired generation. Which one is more likely? I wonder.

I afraid that power may skip a generation, from one boomer (baby) to another (echo). From father to son.

As cynical as I've become towards my generation's retirement and career prospects, I somehow doubt that Gen-Xers will put up with 70% income tax, permanent abject poverty, no retirement and zero advancement prospects, while we passively watch BBs & Gen-Yers consume everything we produce and live in luxury. Revolutions and civil wars have started over much less, though I doubt either is likely.

If something approaching this Gen-X perma-slavery scenario actually comes to pass, many of us "Slackers" will simply opt to drop-out of the system altogether (e.g., work under the table, leave the country, turn to crime, etc.). At that point, ceteris paribus, our gracious Boomer Overlords will have to come to the political compromise table or face some harsh choices themselves.

i think we should consider lethal injection.

Your hatred is misguided. Find peace and be happy.

Your hatred gives you focus... I can FEEL your anger... Give yourself to the Dark Side :twisted:

Your hatred is misguided. Find peace and be happy.

Peter P, I thought you were a foodie, turns out you're a hippie/foodie.

many of us “Slackers” will simply opt to drop-out of the system altogether

Fuck yeah, Class B RV and off to Mexico I go.

As cynical as I’ve become towards my generation’s retirement and career prospects, I somehow doubt that Gen-Xers will put up with 70% income tax, permanent abject poverty, no retirement and zero advancement prospects, while we passively watch BBs & Gen-Yers consume everything we produce and live in luxury.

Well I guess Gen-Xers will have marginally more power than illegal aliens.

I am Gen X myself.

I somehow doubt that Gen-Xers will put up with 70% income tax...

Tax increases are coming, no doubt. I found this article very interesting:

http://finance.yahoo.com/columnist/article/moneymatters/5160

Thus, in 2010, you get another shot to convert your IRAs to ROTHs. Do it and take the hit now rather than taking it at a higher tax rate later. Interestingly, this will require some disposable income or savings to pull off to handle the tax bill, thus FBs need not apply.

Peter P, I thought you were a foodie, turns out you’re a hippie/foodie.

Perhaps a New Age foodie. Hippie? Perhaps not.

peter, im not so sure peace and contentment are on the bill. people my age are being raped. we have no future. i would rather be living in a thrid world country( where things are reportadly so terrible ). At least in third world countries I dont have to spend %60 of my waking ours in a cubicle writing computer code and getting no where.

Rick, have you seen an astrologer lately? If not, go do it. Seriously.

FRIFY,

That Roth IRA conversion looks tempting for 2010 -thanks for the info. Right now, though, being a JBR (and no kids) I am relying on my conventional tax-deferred IRA to reduce my annual tax tab. This looks like an attractive opportunity for when I become a homedebtor and/or parent.

I wonder if the IRA-to-Roth also applies to noncontributory/rollover IRAs. People who have rolled old 401ks into noncontributory/rollover IRAs could make out like bandits if that’s the case.

I'm sure that's the case as I've heard that rollovers are legally the same as normal IRAs.

ROTH IRAs are obviously the bomb from a personal standpoint, but their effect on the national budget is not so nice. There will be nice windfall tax payments coming from people taking advantage of this conversion in 2010, but the long term consequences is that the future governments can't tax these dollars. Rich boomers can quit their jobs (or go part time) and qualify by the income standards that's obstensibly meant to prevent the program from being a sop to the rich.

Anyway, set your clocks...

I am relying on my conventional tax-deferred IRA to reduce my annual tax tab.

Unless you don't qualify because of your beaucoup de hahas, you've got to go ROTH over conventional IRA. It's a slam dunk. Taxes are crazy low right now, so pay the taxes now and get your dollars out of the clutches of the tax man.

ROTH IRAs also allow you to withdraw your original contribution (not the earnings) amount with NO PENALTY! Thus, if you're squeezing for that downpayment or find yourself in a nasty pinch, you can pull that out without the 10% + income tax penalty of a conventional IRA.

Hmmm... I wonder if that rule will apply to rollover amount after 2010?

Randy H Says:

"Cusp Xers are probably in the 38-42 group (in which I admittedly fall). The inverse is true of cusp Xers: they tended to get a bit more good timing than the rest of X, but definitely still far worse than the average boomer."

____

Randy, at age 39, I'm a "cusp" X'er. I have NOT had ANY good timing.

I've done nothing but play by the rules like they told me. I graduated high school. I joined the military and served my country. I joined the reserves when I got off active duty. I got a bachelors degree. I got an MBA.

for all of this work I have been nothing but RAPED by this fricken' economy. I don't own shit but school debt.

I just had TWO interviews with the same fortune 500 company in Tempe, AZ, last week, for TWO different positions. I worked there diligently for over seven months on a contract basis, have great references for my work, and I'm still not sure if I'll get hired.

I threw everything but the kitchen sink at them during the interview. I didn't bust out the knee pads, but it looked like thay might have been expecting it, since the four panelists that interviewed me (half women half men) were CLEARLY Boomers.

If anyone should be hired it's me. It should be a slam dunk, but knowing my luck I'm going to take it, sans lube, once again. I think they could sniff me out as a cusp X'er and will probably give the job to some fat, greedy Boomer from the East Coast that just rolled into town from NY.

I can't take this sh-t anymore. I'm serious!

can you recommend a good astrologer?

A good astrologer is someone who clicks with you and someone who is willing to help you learn. It is quite personal. Every person has different needs.

A good start is to download some free astrology software (e.g. Astro 123) and play around with it. A good astrologer is your guide in understanding all the symbolism, not a fortune teller.