Tully wrote
>Like we need to help the large corporations more than our taxes are
OUR taxes? YOU aren't paying a lick.
> I'm trying to do my part. Back in 87, we got our mortgage paid off in
> 7 years (mortgaged much less than we could afford),
So, did you do it the VS way? Or did you have two sizable incomes. With all that stuff, I'm guessing you must have quite an income at one point. Paid it off in seven years, huh?
and am now living
> on $5000 income a year doing part time teaching on contract at a
> community college,
You wanna talk personal ethics? Let's talk.
Guestimate: your house is worth $120k. If it's worth more, oh boy, thrilling! There is even more wealth to share so you can do your part to eliminate injustice!
Sell the house. I think this will effectively boot you off the EIC, but this is no biggie, not with your wealth!
Move into an efficiency. You don't use 4 rooms in a 1200 sf, then why stay in it? That'll cost you $600 a month, utilities included. And you would use even LESS energy!
That's $3600 a year. plus the $5000 you earn. From what you said, your income tax return will pay your medical insurance. That's what $4000? You need, rounding up, $13 k to live on. YOu need to take $8k out of your savings every year.
You can live off the $120K for 15 years. Well, with taxes, maybe not, but you only need seven more years worth of the income, then it's SS time! Yeehaw! You will do just dandy with your super skillz at living the simple life. 'sides, when the kid moves out, you won't need more than a closet. Why don't you move in with someone and share expenses to boot? I'll bet there are some homeless folks that would share with you.
That's another option: You can keep the house and invite 10 homeless folk to live with you. I'll bet you could house 10 homeless folks much more comfortably than they'd been living. And then you'd have all those homeless people to share the cleaning duties!
Now, about that community college bizzo. That's a pretty unethical place, that. The whole universtity system in this country is subsidized by the Military Industrial Perplex. Why we don't call it the Academic-Military-Industrial perplex is beyond me. If that's not enough for you, go read about the history of the CC system and ask yourself if the CC was intended as anything but a way of diverting people away from the life of the mind and into mindless vocational training.
Still not enough? How's about this: you are working for a aystem taht teachers people to consume, consume, consume and work, work, work.
I'd leave it if I were you. I don't know how you can stomach going to work everyday. That is three strikes against it. And I'll bet , if you dig around, there are some other pretty shading funding things going on. Like my local community college is Homeland Security Central. Their entire computer system is supported by megabuxks from HSD.
Good luck and thanks for reading the Snit Tips Newsletter> We know that, this month, you will do ever more to save the world through your personal politics each and ever day! It's fun the snit way!
OOP! Almost forgot: This newsletter is hosted at the LBO-talk discusssion list, home of Left LEFT LEFT LEFT Business Observer.
And Tully, I sure hope you will adopt the snit tips newsletter for the "Shop Your Way to Revolution" newsletter! Doncha think it's a marvelous way to educate people!?
Kelley
And yes, I can only be sarcastic and snarky in response to this stuff. There's NOTHING else to do with it -- except killfile it.
getting my son thru college as a single parent,
> still supporting my most important vices, such as internet and DSL,
> trying to muddle thru 12 more years til I can retire. I don't see
> where I've sacrificed or suffered at all, though I do want to get
> health insurance. I can smile as I fill out my 1040, watching my
> zero Federal withholdings turn into an Earned Income Credit refund
> that might just pay most of a medical insurance policy. I used to be
> proud to pay income tax. Not any more. "We live under the Confederacy. We're a podunk bunch of swaggering pious hicks."
--Bruce Sterling
"We live under the Confederacy. We're a podunk bunch of swaggering pious hicks."
--Bruce Sterling