Posted on 05/04/2010 7:43:39 AM PDT by ConjunctionJunction
Once upon a time, I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with the President. I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for computers and portable electronics. There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it no mind. I live in a free country. There’s nothing that the government can do to me if I’ve broken no laws. My wealth was earned honestly, and an invitation to dinner with an American President is an honor I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the President in a yellow dining room.
We sat across from each other at a table draped in white linen. The Great Seal was embossed on the china. Uniformed staff served our dinner. The meal was served, and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached out, plucked a dinner roll off my plate, and began nibbling it as he walked back to the kitchen. “Sorry about that,” said the President. “Andrew is very hungry.” “I don’t appreciate...” I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty. It was just a dinner roll. “Of course,” I concluded, and reached for my glass. Before I could, however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away and swallowed the wine in a single gulp. “And his brother Eric is very thirsty.” said the President.
The President is testing my compassion, I thought. I will play along. I don’t want to seem unkind. My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite. “Eric’s children are also quite hungry.” With a lurch, I crashed to the floor. My chair had been pulled out from under me. I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was carried from the room. “And their grandmother can’t stand for long.” I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool. Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game.
I reached for my coat, to find that it had been taken. I turned back to the President.”Their grandfather doesn’t like the cold.” I wanted to shout- that was my coat! But again, I looked at the placid smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport. I spread my hands helplessly and chuckled. Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my wallet was gone. I excused myself and walked to a phone on an elegant side table. I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank accounts emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my wife had been thrown out of our home. Apparently, the waiters and their families were moving in.
The President hadn’t moved or spoken as I learned all this, but finally I lowered the phone into its cradle and turned to face him. “Andrew’s whole family has made bad financial decisions. They haven’t planned for retirement, and they need a house. They recently defaulted on a subprime mortgage. I told them they could have your home. They need it more than you do.” My hands were shaking. I felt faint. I stumbled back to the table and knelt on the floor.
The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak and drank his wine. I lowered my eyes and stared at the small grey circles on the tablecloth that were water drops.”By the way,” He added, “I have just signed an Executive Order nationalizing your factories. I’m firing you as head of your business. I’ll be operating the firm now for the benefit of all mankind. There’s a whole bunch of Erics and Andrews out there and they can’t come to you for jobs groveling like beggars.” I looked up. The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which had been his creme brulee. He drained the last drops of his wine. As the table was cleared, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. He stared at me. I clung to the edge of the table as if were a ledge and I were a man hanging over an abyss.
I thought of the years behind me, of the life I had lived. The life I had earned with a lifetime of work, risk and struggle. Why was I punished? How had I allowed it to be taken? What game had I played and lost? I looked across the table and noticed with some surprise that there was no game board between us. What had I done wrong? As if answering the unspoken thought, the President suddenly cocked his head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling wryly as he folded his hands he said:”You should have stopped me at the dinner roll”
Great idea, an investment as solid as the social security trust fund.
This confiscation will be swallowed...with only a few screaming...and those screams will fade just like in the health care
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I sure hate to agree with you, but I do.
Once they monitor all financial transactions, they will have the ability to simply transfer or freeze our accounts at will.......so....
Sure, there are exceptions.
But I doubt disabled vets make up 1% of the population.
Ding ding ding. We have a winner. They don't even need to pass this to get a huge tax bump. They just have to threaten. This is called a loose - loose. The perfect con for a government that wants more of your money.
The point remains the same, the number of free riders is far less than the 47% touted as not paying taxes, which implies they are free loaders. Thomas Sowell puts the percentage of free riders well below the 23% I estimated, but I could not find stats to verify his numbers.
I would agree if you can show that those who work for the endowment for the arts or NPR pay no taxes on their salaries. Lefties pay taxes and they enjoy doing it. Free riders pay no taxes and offer nothing to society. To many people on this site take the 47% who pay no taxes and accuse them directly or indirectly of being free riders. Some are, there is no deny that, but not all.
The single largest block of money on Earth is the $9 trillion invested in private retirement plans in the United States. The temptation is simply too overwhelming for liberals. It’s like trying to throw a porkchop past a coyote. They’ll snatch it right up.
Btt
Yes, and one more thing:
“Some people believe that armed citizens don’t stand a chance against an army, especially one as powerful as USA. This is the BS lie all governments around the world want you to believe, but the reality is very different.
If every block in the country, USA for example, has a dozen men with fire arms, the one that doesn’t stand a chance is the military force. It’s the perfect guerrilla setup, and a general’s worst nightmare.
You can’t nuke or level every block. You can’t arrest the entire country. The “fighters” are already armed, fed, spread out, integrated and infiltrated into the military and government branches. It’s impossible to win.”
- SURVIVING THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE (Fernando Ferfal Aguirre)
Can you take a “loan” out on it? At my co., we are allowed to take a loan up to 1/2 the value of our pension balance but no more than $50K and no less than $1K. you could sock the money somewhere else (mattress, lol) or pay your mortgage down like previous FReeper suggested. Of course you have to start paying your loan back - stretch it out to the longest term possible and the smallest amount possible.
If you know a democrat, you have a target.
If they take everything away from you, and you have no hope of improving your life, and at least in prison you'll be fed, then what's to stop you from going postal on the people who did this to you?
If you know a democrat politician they score extra points.
It's very easy to throw everything you have away in a hopeless act of violence when everything you have has already been taken away.
It’s not entirely a lose-lose. At least with cashing out, I would get to keep some of my money for myself. With allowing confiscation, the government effectively owns all my money, and can use it to pay down debt, engage in corporate welfare, squander on the poor, women, and minorities (rich in Dem votes), or whatever. Or did you think they would actually keep the money for you eventual retirement???
Miss ya, Connie.
Perhaps. However, my son's NYC friends who are expressing regret about Obama are mostly college educated thirty somethings. Maybe they are beginning to overcome the endoctrination they got in college and from their families and the group-think that seems prevalent among that class of young New Yorkers.
I don't see the large mass of NY Democratic voters changing their minds yet. Obama still has over 50% approval in Ransmussen's NY poll, but his approval has been trending downward ever since he got in office.
Thanks for the links, Bob! bttt
“I did not say that, 1% of the population is made up of veterans.”
I did not say you said that.
My point is the opposite, in fact. To rephrase, you are the exception to the rule that the bulk of the 47% are free-riding.
(Keep in mind, I am not a native English speaker. I am sorry if I am confusing.)
Can’t say that I do - but wait - let’s withdrawal our pensions and start a company called “Rope a Dope”. We could be busy for years...........
BTTT :)
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