Warren J. Dew

One of the major accomplishments of the Reagan administration (1980-1988) was delaying the bankruptcy of the Social Security system by a few decades. In case you missed it, here are some of the changes that were made:

- retirement age was increased by several years for younger people; for example, it was increased from 65 to 67 for me.

- benefits were changed from being calculated based on one's "high three" years of contribution to high 28 or something like that. For people with variable incomes like me, who only occasionally reach the Social Security cap, that cuts our benefits significantly.

- the Social Security tax rate was increased.

- the income cap on Medicare (I think, maybe Medicaid) taxes was removed.

It was a major accomplishment, it was much more farsighted than the typical president who didn't look beyond the next term, but it was still only a patch. Bush's proposal has a chance of fixing the system permanently. I'd like to see him do it.

dean

They didn't beat me up, but I was in here all by myself. What's up with that?
My money is on Bush following the usual course of second termers and falling on his face. I don't suppose there's any chance that we could fix him up with Monica is there?

If we have to have a National tax, what's wrong with a flat tax or better yet, a National sales tax?
Please keep in mind that I suffer from a severe allergy to the discussion of economics. I've been known to slip into a coma whenever Martha tries to explain to me the finer details of her job. (Martha says that I am by far the least capitalistic person she has ever known.).

dean

It was flts that brought that up (if you'll pardon the expression), not me. I attribute his behavior to that shameful Dionysian lifestyle he leads down there in Naples.

paS2K

Take note....this is a 'record' number of emoticons from ralper!

fltsfshr

I was talking about your root chakra . You reduced it to your root.




om mane padme om

valentine

Dictionary:

root1 (rūt, rʊt)
n.
The usually underground portion of a plant that lacks buds, leaves, or nodes and serves as support, draws minerals and water from the surrounding soil, and sometimes stores food.
Any of various other underground plant parts, especially an underground stem such as a rhizome, corm, or tuber.

The embedded part of an organ or structure such as a hair, tooth, or nerve, that serves as a base or support.
A base or support: We snipped the wires at the roots.
An essential part or element; the basic core: I finally got to the root of the problem.
A primary source; an origin. See synonyms at origin.
A progenitor or ancestor from which a person or family is descended.

The condition of being settled and of belonging to a particular place or society. Often used in the plural: Our roots in this town go back a long way.
roots The state of having or establishing an indigenous relationship with or a personal affinity for a particular culture, society, or environment: music with unmistakable African roots.
Linguistics.
The element that carries the main component of meaning in a word and provides the basis from which a word is derived by adding affixes or inflectional endings or by phonetic change.
Such an element reconstructed for a protolanguage. Also called radical.
Mathematics.
A number that when multiplied by itself an indicated number of times forms a product equal to a specified number. For example, a fourth root of 4 is √2. Also called nth root.
A number that reduces a polynomial equation in one variable to an identity when it is substituted for the variable.
A number at which a polynomial has the value zero.
Music.
The note from which a chord is built.
Such a note occurring as the lowest note of a triad or other chord.

v., root

ralper

Sorry to leave you all by yourself during the day, but it's tax season and we're working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. Somebody has to help the government to collect the money to fund all of Rummys new weapon systems. I hope he doesn't have anymore nightmares, I don't want to work longer hours.

fltsfshr

so which part of that definition did "rootin tootin" come from?


rob we didn't hurt Dean. Honest A couple times he even made sense till he got lost thinking about his root.

May your tax season be financially productive, unfettered with future audits and full of praise for the money you saved your clients.



fltsfshr

cordycord

I feel your pain, Rob. Apparently the French do to. They're demonstrating to keep their 35 hour work week.

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story....0&w=RTR&coview=

dean

I didn't mean you, Rob. I know that you're busy. I was talking about your Democrat/liberal cohorts who frequent this forum.
I'm none the worse for wear. I've been shot at, stabbed, blown up, beat up, and locked up. There isn't much this motley crew could come up with to affect me to any great degree.