social security and medicare/medicaid needs to be both put on a sane fiscal base.  A 3 year forward looking cash in/cash out basis.  if we have not learned our lession by now..being that these phoney trust funds (there is no trust and certainly no funds) are nothing but a shoe box full of iou's from one federal agency...more

Wealth is mobile.  Just take a look at California.  The wealthy are fleeing, as this is the group that is most mobile and able to pack up and move to low tax states.  And they are, big time.  Florida, Texas, Washington and a host of other states have zero state income taxes..and just as good or better services and infr...more

Reorganization will not solve it.  You can not compete with a bricks and mortor business plan being any part of video rentals today.  not with $1/day rentals at the kiosks and netflix.  by the way, netflix has turned the video market on its head.  Excellent, excellent customer service.

what i hear precious little of is, why don't people when they do have a job save 10-20% of what they earn for that inevitable layoff or rough financial time in their life? of course the answer is that most people who get a hiccup in their financial lives are already living hand to mouth.  financial disipline certainly...more

well let's see. blockbuster charges $6 for one rental which i can return whenever (2 roundtrips to their store).  But I have to spend gas and the time to stand in line with some snot-nosed 16 year old checkout person who can barely speak a coherant sentence Or, Or, Or I can pay netflix $5.40 a month total for 2 rentals...more

I doubt a family making $50k total a year pays $25k in total taxes in texas.  texas has no state income tax, the federal tax on a family of 4 with that income maybe has a $1 tax liability (after the $1k/child tax credit).  Add in  $4k in ss/mc taxes and maybe the $1k federal liability and assuming 25% of your income is...more

your retirement should be a 3 legged stool and attained in this order:   1.  pension and/or social security income for life 2.  a fully paid for main home 3.  stocks/bonds/mutual funds and/or rental properties   a 3 legged stool is very solid.  ever try to make it wobble?  impossible.

only a financial moron borrows money (carries a balance on a credit card) when the bank can change the interest rate or other terms and conditions at their whim.   would you buy a house or car with those one-sided terms and conditions on the loan? of course not!!  so why do you do it on a credit card loan?   so fo...more