Hmmm, average disabled vet is also working a full-time job or is a permanent resident of a VA home. Steve, when I retire from the military, I'll probably have a VA disability of 20-40%
Where was I being uncivil to you, Steve?
[This message has been edited by aceman (edited 12-15-2007).]
IP: Logged
10:20 AM
84fiero123 Member
Posts: 29950 From: farmington, maine usa Registered: Oct 2004
You could be entitled to receive payments from one, or both, of two Social Security programs: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSI is for persons who are disabled, poor, and unable to work. SSDI is for persons who are disabled and unable to work, but who have worked in the past, or whose parents have worked and paid into the social security trust fund. The most SSI will pay for 2007 is $623 a month for an individual. About half the states supplement SSI, which increases cash benefits. The amount you may be entitled to from SSDI can be much larger, depending on work history, but the average payment is about $900 per month.
It's becoming more and more apparent that the gubment is out of touch with fixed income retirees. Food & clothing now being a factor in the CPI seems to be acting as an offset to make the overall CPI seem to be lower... In other words it changed the overall average of the CPI making the jump seem smaller.
[This message has been edited by 84Bill (edited 12-15-2007).]
IP: Logged
10:24 AM
84fiero123 Member
Posts: 29950 From: farmington, maine usa Registered: Oct 2004
I's becoming more and more apparent that the gubment is out of touch with fixed income retirees. Food & clothing now being a factor in the CPI seems to be acting as an offset to make the overall CPI see to be lower... In other words it changed the overall average of the CPI making the jump seem smaller.
Maybe the gubment is trying to tell you that your should have been supplementing your SSN with a retirement plan or savings.
Originally posted by aceman: Maybe the gubment is trying to tell you that your should have been supplementing your SSN with a retirement plan or savings.
Yes... thereby continuing to IGNORE the cries of the people. It's much like blaming the rape victim for being raped.
IP: Logged
10:38 AM
84fiero123 Member
Posts: 29950 From: farmington, maine usa Registered: Oct 2004
Just curious when it became the government's responsibility to pay for a person when they quit working?
I'm not counting on getting anything from them. Nobody else should either.
John Stricker
quote
Originally posted by 84Bill:
It's becoming more and more apparent that the gubment is out of touch with fixed income retirees. Food & clothing now being a factor in the CPI seems to be acting as an offset to make the overall CPI seem to be lower... In other words it changed the overall average of the CPI making the jump seem smaller.
Yes... thereby continuing to IGNORE the cries of the people. It's much like blaming the rape victim for being raped.
Its nothing like that.
Since when is it the feds job to make sure you save your money for your future? SS is not a retirement plan. It is a supplemental. The cries are from people who didn't plan. They should be ignored.
[This message has been edited by Phranc (edited 12-15-2007).]
Originally posted by Phranc: Its nothing like that.
Since when is it the feds job to make sure you save your money for your future? SS is not a retirement plan. It is a supplemental. The cries are from people who didn't plan. They should be ignored.
Since the feds started taxing my income and doing that job for me. Which BTW pretty much backs up my previous statement that they are "thereby continuing to IGNORE the cries of the people." and "It's much like blaming the rape victim for being raped." I feel the feds have a "responsibility" to ensure that the people are taken care of.
There wouldn't be any complaints if the feds did their self appointed "job" of managing "the peoples" money in a more "responsible" manner.
In any case, I dont recall ever being "asked" if I wanted the government to manage my "retirement" money. They passed a law before I was born stating that I as an American citizen having been born in the U.S. have the right to pay taxes even if I dont want to and they will give it back to me if they feel I deserve it and in whatever amount they feel like regardless of it being enough to live on..
So I seem to have this ongoing trust issue with our governments very frugal money management skills.
[This message has been edited by 84Bill (edited 12-15-2007).]
IP: Logged
01:09 PM
aceman Member
Posts: 4899 From: Brooklyn Center, MN Registered: Feb 2003
SILLY me. I thought the big fuss about GM canola being approved was all about whether Australia would allow genetically modified plants into the region. It turns out they've been growing genetically modified cotton in NSW for the past five years.
The latest chapter in the GM debate has dominated coverage of the food sector. In fact it's a compelling debate because neither side can deliver a knock-out punch. Stripped to its economic essentials, it looks like GM technology may add 10% productivity to the canola crop - that's all. "No wonder it's difficult to pick a winner," says Marcus Elgin of the Australian Agribusiness Group.
But while the GM debate rages, the smart money sees skyrocketing food prices. In the past month some of the nation's most powerful business leaders have made big moves to exploit what's becoming known as the "soft commodities boom" - a boom based on an extended increase in food prices as Asian consumers import more meat and dairy products and the US diverts more grain into biofuel.
National Australia Bank has made its bravest move in years re-entering the US market with a $900 million deal to buy Great Western, an "agri-banking" specialist. Similarly, Roger Corbett - the investment legend behind the revival of Woolworths - has been busy putting together the world's first listed soft commodities company. Corbett and business partner Peter Corish are planning a $300 million float of PrimeAg Ltd, a package of big farms (and water entitlements) into a new company set to list on December 14.
At the same time the Futuris conglomerate has put its 43% stake in the Australian Agricultural Company - the biggest beef farm in Australia - up for sale. The Top End pastoral holding is expected to attract bids from all over the globe, including sovereign funds linked with China.
These three deals are not coincidental. Though independently driven, they constitute what you might call the first wave of Australia's role in the global soft commodities boom.
This boom has been slow to start for two reasons. First, there is very little to invest in - there have been two attempts at "breadbasket for Asia"-style empires but neither fulfilled its promise. Second, there have been distractions such as the GM debate. Megan Lynch of Green Capital says food export contracts are now in jeopardy. In addition, the drought has preoccupied farmers and investors.
At AWB, for example, the price of wheat doubled over the past year but since the drought ravaged the wheat crop, yields were decimated and the enormous price rises did not compensate.
And still, even if China went into recession next year, the increasing wealth in that country means the accelerating consumption of meat and dairy products is not going to be reversed. The soft commodities boom is on, whether it's a GM boom or not.
[This message has been edited by 84Bill (edited 12-16-2007).]
IP: Logged
12:02 AM
FriendGregory Member
Posts: 4833 From: Palo Alto, CA, USA Registered: Jan 2004
Well, I plan to stay on topic. Work like a slave, buy property and plant food to supplement what you have to buy. My wife picked late tomatoes today to add to a simple soup today. I also have guavas, onions, garlic, and beans growing in a 6X8 greenhouse. I have a beehive that I put a wild hive in and will be getting some free honey in spring. Oatmeal, beans, or rice can be behind most meals, are cheap per the volume and fill a stomach well. Eggs bought 5 dozen at a time are silly cheap at the local market compared to 6 or a dozen at a time. Boiled eggs store well, travel well, and make a great high protein lunch. Buy only plant food that is in season and you should be able to save a little.
Living does not have to break the bank but, nothing but speech is free.
Food prices soar in America Higher food prices, led by milk, are hitting consumers where it hurts - in the stomach.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- John Norris' family is drinking a lot less milk these days. He said he considers the higher prices and has cut back on his kids' milk consumption. But between work and family obligations, he still drives almost as much as he used to.
"That's the reason I cut down on milk consumption - so I can drive my car," said Norris.
And Norris should know. He's the director of wealth management for Oakworth Capital Bank and a food price expert.
The Norrises aren't the only family getting pinched at the grocery store. Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 4.7 percent since the beginning of the year through November, outpacing the 4.3 percent increase in the overall cost-of-living, according to the federal government's Consumer Price Index.
Everyday foods like fruits and vegetables, beef, poultry and cereals are on the rise. The price of milk is the biggest culprit, with a staggering increase of 23.2 percent through November. And with basic foods like dairy and wheat driving up the cost of other groceries, almost everyone is feeling the squeeze.
Families with children, who typically go through a couple gallons of milk per week and spend hundreds of dollars on other groceries, are especially vulnerable.
"Kids need a lot more food than we do," said John Mulhern, a grandfather and one of several shoppers who spoke to CNNMoney.com outside a Key Food grocery in Brooklyn. "So your hearts go out to young families, especially [those who] have multiple children. They're the ones who are hurting the most with the rising prices."
Marie Thompson, a mother from Brooklyn with a couple of kids in tow at the grocery store, said she spends hundreds of dollars a week on groceries, including two gallons of milk.
Wheat prices soar above $10 a bushel "It seems to me that I spend more and more every week on food," said Thompson. "It's hard, because I have three children at home so there are five of us to feed. Beef is very expensive. The milk is very expensive. Even the butter has gone up."
Even with gasoline prices soaring, milk still tops gas prices. The nationwide average for a gallon of whole milk is $3.80, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That dwarfs the nationwide average of $2.99 for a gallon of unleaded, according to AAA.
"A lot of basic foodstuffs seem to be going up and dairy products are going through the roof," said Norris of Oakworth Capital.
It's not just milk-drinking kids - coffee drinkers are taking a hit from higher dairy prices as well. Back in August, Starbucks Corp. (SBUX, Fortune 500) chief executive Jim Donald blamed "rising expenses, particularly higher dairy costs" for a 9-cent rise in the price of coffee drinks. For the first time in three years, Starbucks reported a 1 percent drop in customer visits to their stores, even as the value per transaction increased 5 percent.
Grain price hikes squeeze food chain Many retailers, including industry leaders like Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500), absorb the initial cost increases for basic food items to stay competitive, said Charles Cerankosky, food marketing analyst for FTN Midwest Securities Corp.
"For things that are purchased day after day like milk, retailers take a more judicious view about passing it on," said Cerankosky. "You don't want to be looked at as the guy who started raising prices."
At first, retailers keep down prices for "high visibility" items like milk and make up for it by increasing the price of other items, like apples, said Cerankosky. But this is just a temporary measure, and eventually the price of milk will go up anyway, he said.
Of the Brooklyn shoppers interviewed for this story, none of them said that they were eating less, but a couple of them said there will be fewer Christmas presents under the tree this year. Santa's tightening his belt, so the kids don't have to.
But if price increases continue into 2008, families will have an even harder time stocking their pantries.
"I do expect food prices to keep going up," said Norris of Oakworth Capital Bank. "Let's just keep our fingers crossed that we're not going to have another year like this year."
IP: Logged
12:32 PM
Pyrthian Member
Posts: 29569 From: Detroit, MI Registered: Jul 2002
you're making it up! the change is insignificant! well, at least to me it is. why arent you me?
sorry - I dont do the grocery shopping - so - I couldnt tell ya either way.....but, I fully beleive the post.
why not switch the generic brands? um, did that last year..... clip some coupons. been doing that all along stop buying junk & pre-prepared stuff. yup...had to do that long ago also....
the problem is - many poeple had to tighten up already last year. while I am glad those who invested in companies that sold off the americans are doing so well - the actual americans that were traded in for fresh new asians are left with min wage jobs ringing up the cash registers & stocking the shelves.
but - I am seeing the same thing happening in europe - so I myself am gonna start selling off my few european investments, before the euro starts its plummet.
