From this day forward....I pledge

**noonwitch** · 11-07-2012, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by MountainMan

Nope, just a realist. I will never give anymore of my money to a charity that doesn't demand something in return. I will give to the Salvation Army because they are a christian charity and when I give locally, for the most part, the money stays local. However, I will never again look past party affiliation. With the exception for family members, if you are a liberal, don't ask me for help. Call someone else on your Obama phone.

If you like seeing the results of your charitable donations, the Salvation Army is the way to go. I'm a liberal, but I'm honest. I see the good the SA does in Detroit on a daily basis-by their own terms, without government money. They provide food to the poor and they don't give up on drug addicts, unlike a lot of secular programs.

If you were in Michigan, I'd also suggest donating to Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac, another faith-based program to help the homeless, the hungry and the addicted. They also take no government money, so they create their own rules and policies.

**Molon Labe** · 11-07-2012, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Novaheart

I think that everyone needs to maintain perspective. I really don't think that most of our posters here and elsewhere would really like for Paul Ryan to get his way and let Ayn Rand design our future. We need a certain amount of gridlock in this country, regardless of who controls two out of three.

Paul Ryan is no philosophical Randian. You're being duped. There are very few of those who actually exist in public office.
Ayn Rand would have never bailed out anyone.

**Molon Labe** · 11-07-2012, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by noonwitch

If you like seeing the results of your charitable donations, the Salvation Army is the way to go. I'm a liberal, but I'm honest. I see the good the SA does in Detroit on a daily basis-by their own terms, without government money. They provide food to the poor and they don't give up on drug addicts, unlike a lot of secular programs.

If you were in Michigan, I'd also suggest donating to Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac, another faith-based program to help the homeless, the hungry and the addicted. .

yes. I'm not speaking specifically of the Salvation Army per se..... but you have show the left that public charity is not greater than the private ones. That's the way you force socialism to it's knees, by showing how inferior it is to taking care of social issues.

**NJCardFan** · 11-07-2012, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by Molon Labe

When did you actually go try to persuade someone there to stick to conservative principles?

Every day. I live in NJ. A state that is turning dark blue. I am also a state employee so I work with a shitload of liberals and a whole lot of my fellow CO's are lousy with the entitlement mentality. I stopped trying to convince this bunch a while ago. As was said by Rock in another thread, I'd have a better chance trying to convince my dogs except the difference is that eventually my dogs will understand. When you have a bunch of people who flat out said that the only reason they support Obama is because he's black, no amount of conservative preaching is going to work.

**Molon Labe** · 11-07-2012, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by NJCardFan

Every day. I live in NJ. A state that is turning dark blue. I am also a state employee so I work with a shitload of liberals and a whole lot of my fellow CO's are lousy with the entitlement mentality. I stopped trying to convince this bunch a while ago. As was said by Rock in another thread, I'd have a better chance trying to convince my dogs except the difference is that eventually my dogs will understand. When you have a bunch of people who flat out said that the only reason they support Obama is because he's black, no amount of conservative preaching is going to work.

There has to be a complete paradigm shift. There are 90 million eligible people who don't vote. Some are registered others not. The message has to be brought to those people. They are either apathetic to the politcal process, don't care, or believe that the system is rigged. Somehow you have to reach those persons. You are spinning your wheels if you are trying to convince the 98 million who did cast ballots yesterday. Many of them are hopeless. Already made up their mind and vote left or right based on the product their pushing. And yes many because of the color of someone's skin.

**Rockntractor** · 11-07-2012, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by Molon Labe

. That's the way you force socialism to it's knees, by showing how inferior it is to taking care of social issues.

Give me a list of countries where socialism has been thrown off in this manner, what I have seen in my life is socialism turn to communism gain complete control and rule with tyranny. Sometimes is fought off and the people freed at the point of a gun or pushed out of existence by the once great US through our once more stable economics.
What country will save us, we were the only game in town, the last hope of many an oppressed people.
Who will slow the tyrants now Molon?

**Zeus** · 11-07-2012, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by Novaheart

I could be wrong on this one, but it's my understanding that this is not a good strategy. It's better to buy stuff now and pay it off over time with increasingly worthless money. Of course, I think this presumes a constant which is not guaranteed.

Come January, I will owe a grand total of $4000 which means I should be debt free shortly thereafter. I am looking forward to that, seriously. It will be the first time I have been totally debt free since 1984. Of course, this falls into the category of best laid plans. With a kid about to graduate high school, I could be looking at unexpected expenses or seriously compelling, "Uncle Nova can I have.......?" requests. To date, "No" isn't my strong point when it comes to my girls.

It depends.

let's say you have $20,000 to effect a cash purchase and also the monthly means to support financing. Let's suppose you could invest that $20,000 at an annual ROI of 10% and attain financing for your purchase at 7%. The smart money would finance. now on the other hand if the ROI on the investment was 5% and the finance option still 7% then cash out. naturally in the second option other variables to consider are appreciating asset vs depreciating asset etc.

When I was 30 yrs old I was over a half million dollars in debt with little to no assets to back that debt. When I was 45 I was comfortable enough to scale back into essentially semi-retirement. I got bored, some fast talking people who knew the right buttons to push sucked me back in and today 7 years later my networth has a little over doubled. Up until 6 yrs ago I did have a wife with a reasonable income to help things along.

I say this not to brag but as evidence that the American dream is still alive for now for those that are willing to put forth the effort and sacrifice neccesary. I wasn't born rich & I am no genius. I just know you can make things happen for you or let things happen for/to you.