Anyone else notice??? Or is it just Ohio?

[Flyboy500]

Well here we are in Ohio, loosing work and many people laid off! My wife and I have good jobs and a 6 year old home that we built new. We have been getting by with expenses but things are getting stupid! Electric&Gas bills and other living expenses are putting a major crunch on any extra spending.
I feel as if some uncontrolable force is holding us down and smashing us like a bug... No point in a second job because of my side work as an Electrician... Sick of all the blood sucking leaches who want my money! No matter what, we just can't get ahead and we are not even close to 200k in debt! Don't buy stupid things at Wal-Mart and my wife is really good with money. It's getting to the point I can't hardly afford to maintain my bike... No, not whinning just getting pissed off! Yeah I'm proud to be American! But we can all complain while the Govt. spends much needed money elsewhere in the world and we pay for it! Yeah, Yeah everyone pays fed. taxes on the pay check but just think where our economy would be if the US would keep some of their "mad" money they give away! Gas per gallon real high but guess how much is charged per gallon in tax.... Here .44/gal. House up for sale in April and moving to Arizona perhaps the sand is greener on the other side! Come on Uncle Sam stop beating on us! "We the People" :bang: Anyone else notice that things were much easier prior to 9/11? Thanks Gov. Taft for taking care of things in Ohio! :moon:

 

[Camstyn]

Try closer to a dollar per gallon for fuel tax in Canada. Try giving close to 50% of your yearly gross income to the government for income tax in Canada. Try paying 14.5% tax for the pirevlidge of buying absolutely anything in the province of British Columbia, Canada where I live. Compare this to your state tax...

Count your blessings, it can always get worse. Canada had all this long before 9/11.

 

[gwcrim]

The cost of living in Ohio is pretty reasonable compared to most of the "sunbelt" states. I did 8 years in Florida and I can say that the competition for jobs is tough, real estate prices are high, and wages are low in comparison to the Bugeye state. Maybe AZ is better. I'm sure the weather is. Good luck!

 

[James]

I guess since we can find states and countries that are worse, we shouldn't try and fix Ohio. Makes a lot of sense.

 

[soulmate33]

High Cost of Living

Heres worse......I pay $2.49 per gallon for Chevron Premium Unleaded, and thats at the cheaper Chevron.

Along with my full time Plumbing job, I still gotta do side jobs to get a few luxuries in life.......... :(

Aloha

 

[kuritaro9]

well,here,gas is 119 yen a liter.with the sorry exhange rate for the dollar,which is $1 = 100 yen. that means im paying $1.19 for 1 liter of gas. :bang:
and that is for regular.if you want the good stuff,its $1.29 a liter :bang: :bang: :bang:

 

[BSWIFT]

Can you say, "NAFTA"? I've been in your shoes and understand. There is much to be talked about with the inequities in our society but the politics get out of hand fast. Good luck selling your home and finding work else where. I've had several friends move for the same reasons.

 

[Oldschooldeathwish]

Everything costs a ton of money these days and people bitch about it constantly or even go as far as seeing their MP. Yes gas is expensive, Insurance is even worse I drive a base model 99 Chev 1500 with a 4.3L and an 8 ft bed I pay $3600.00 for insurance a year and have a perfect record, the taxes up here are insane as Camstyn allready said. The government allways says they will see what they can do about the high insurance/gas prices/cost of living some people are dumb enough to belive them But no one ever takes the time to think WHY WOULD THEY LOWER THE PRICE OF INSURANCE /GAS they are laughing all the way to the bank. Insurance companies posted a record 4 billion dollar profit last year, I have no idea how much tax dollars that generates but I know it is a lot. Im not sure how accurate this figure is but my friend who is really into pollitics and uncovering scams gave me a number like $400.00 was the actual cost to the insurance companies per driver per year in ontario the rest all profit. If the government says you must have insurance then they should regulate it. the only way to stop this is no one pay insurance This of course is not about to happen any time soon so ill contiinue paying about 2 months of my net income just so it is legal for my car to be on the road, ohh but wait i get my first insurance break when im 25 so thats in 3 more years, by then ill have been driving for 9 years and paying for my own insurance for 8 of them. Oh well what are you going to do.......................Bend over

 

[2stroke]

I live in Maryland. MY biggest gripe is health insurance. 10 years ago, when I started at where I work now, I payed about $35 a week for family coverage. That held steady for about 5 years, then we had some increases. Now, the last 3 years running we have had MAJOR increases and I now pay $125 a week! And the beneifts go down! A trip to the doctor now costs me $25 and if theres prescriptions involved thats another $25 - $75! (I have 5 children, I dont dare "not have coverage". We have had our share of major injuries and such.

I got 2 bad wisdom teeth I cant get taken out, cause even with my optional dental, they wanted $900 cash (up front I might add) to remove them since one of them was stuck into my jawbone, and the other has pierced my sinus cavity. Fun.

Crap. The housing market is another one. If you bought a house around here 8 years ago or so, your sitting pretty cause its now worth twice as much as you paid. (We barely managed to buy the house we were renting last year when the owner decieded to sell.) I have so many friends that refinanced and went out and bought brand new cars with cash and crap like that. Of course, then its another 30 years for them.

 

[zio]

The way I figure, no matter what happens it could always be worse. So I'm thankful for the good & the bad that gets dished my way.

 

[Flyboy500]

I just don't see things getting better for any of us! Just a sign of the times.... The rich keep getting richer and the middle class hard workers keep getting screwed. And of course everyone has their own opinion but those don't count to make any changes for the better. Really just take a look at how much you pay in taxes and think where you would be if you paid 1/2 of what is sucked out of you yearly! The govt. needs offed and perhaps ran but people who know how tough it is to "live the american dream"! I drove past Hailburton in Houston Texas and that got me thinking!

 

[tnrider]

The rich keep getting richer and the middle class hard workers keep getting screwed.

just curious - what is considered "rich" and what is considered "middle class" these days?

 

[XRpredator]

Things are tough all over. I'm gassed up, idling at the curb, ready to roll. :whiner:

There is nothing holding any of us back from any kind of riches. The only thing is the sacrifices one would have to make in the short term to realize the long term benefits. Do you want to eat top ramen and live in a unabomber shack for a couple years, with the bare minimum as far as transportation and clothing to get yourself where you want to be? No, everyone either likes the relative security in the job they have, or they want it NOW, and anyone else who busted their ass to get where they are must have had an unfair advantage. Maybe, but more of the "rich" got themselves there of their own accord rather than having it handed to them.

 

[gwcrim]

....but more of the "rich" got themselves there of their own accord rather than having it handed to them.

Pred, I'm with you on the sacrifices thing. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. But I wonder about the above quote. How many of the "rich" in the US are thay way because of inheritance vs their own personal sweat?

 

[Ol'89r]

I have so many friends that refinanced and went out and bought brand new cars with cash and crap like that. Of course, then its another 30 years for them.

This is one of the biggest problems that I see today. As soon a they get a little equity built up in their homes, they have to go out and buy more stuff. :coocoo:

Forget about the equity in your home. Don't be tempted to draw it out every time you want a new car or whatever. In most areas of the country, homes go up in value. They may go down for a while, but they always come back up and more. It's a cycle and it's pretty predictable.

Own your own home. Don't rent. Renting is a waste of money. A lot of the time you won't be paying that much more to own a home than you are paying to rent it. Sometimes less. Buy a fixer-upper or a piece of land and build your own home. Don't be tempted to buy a home that you can't really afford and then spend thousands in upgrades. That will just make things more difficult and will take longer to see equity. Here in California, homes have been appreciating from 20% up to 35% and are still going up. I can't think of another investment that is paying this kind of percentage.

Start your own home based business. Even a part time business is a great tax advantage. Our tax structure is set up to benifit businesses. If you own your own business and show even a little bit of a profit each year, you can write off many things that you use. Your car, gas, part of your electrical bill, part of your home, telephone bill, etc, etc. If it is a motorcycle type of business you can even write off your motorcycles, riding gear, gas, transportation and much more.
You do have to show a profit or they call it a hobby but, the write-offs far outweigh the extra tax liability.

Get a good tax guy to set all of this up for you. Work the system. :cool:

Take a good look at your pay stub. Look at how much money is being taken out for taxes. Most people don't do this. They just cash their checks and throw the stub into a drawer. You may be amazed at how much you are actually paying in taxes. When you have a business, what you pay in taxes is more in your control.

Just my $ .02

Ol'89r

 

[holeshot]

As soon a they get a little equity built up in their homes, they have to go out and buy more stuff. :coocoo:

I'll bet there will be a lot of "barely used" toy haulers on the market when the real estate bubble bursts, and cheap too.

 

[Patman]

There is a series of books out that are a good read and can chage your ideas on how wealth is made, managed, used and lost. Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

 

[Lissa]

What I find sad is how American jobs keep disappearing. What I mean is jobs being sent to low skill labor, low pay countries. Back in 1990, 57% of the clothes we wear were made abroad. Today, try 97% made over seas!!! More jobs, bye-bye. A so-called intelligent Harley rider had the b@lls to tell me a year ago that I'm non-american for selling Kawasaki, Suzuki, Polaris and Triumph products. That I would be 'American' if I sold Harley!? I just stared at him in his made in China shoes, made in Taiwan pants and shoes, etc. First off, I guess no one told him that Kawasaki's cruisers and ATV's are built in Nebraska or that Suzuki builds their ATV's and cruisers in Georgia. How about Polaris who is a American company in the first place. I guess he's a 'real' american with his assembled in the U.S. but parts made else where M/C.

Just Remember we dig our own grave when it comes to jobs. We vote everytime we make a purchase. Whether its socks made elseware or a computer. If you buy it from here, your keeping jobs here. I have no problems with any of the Japenese manufactures since they almost all have plants state side to produce products for Americans by Americans (it's actually cheaper for them to produce cruisers, for instance, here since Americans are the main buyer of them. Thats the motovation behind building them here).

I do my part, especially when purchasing clothes and such. I try to find items from here. Tough, but they are out there.

 

[XRpredator]

. . . I wonder about the above quote. How many of the "rich" in the US are thay way because of inheritance vs their own personal sweat?

Oh, I'm not saying that there aren't a bunch who inherited what they got, but a lot of them end up with less (unless they have someone smart and ambitious managing it for them).

I think we can agree, though, that every large company, at some point, started from nothing but the taking of a big risk with big sacrifice.

 

[KX02]

I agree with Lissa, at this point it's almost impossible to buy American for MOST items. I am one of the only people I know who does go out of my way to buy some American or even European things. I was thinking about getting some of the Pro Tapers SE bars for my bike because they are American, WRONG made in Taiwan! I happen to work for an electronics factory and you'd be amazed at how many people I got into it with when I started there because I drive a Ford. They all told me American cars are junk, well it's nine years later now my Ford still runs fine I have had NO major problems with it. I'm going to sell it to get a pick up later this year and it's going to be another Ford. These are the same stooges who blame Republicans for not "protecting our jobs", but they dont' practice what they preach when they pull out their wallet. Don't get me wrong if I was not happy with the last 3 Fords I have owned I would not still be buying them. But since they have been good to me and I know I"m doing what I can to help I continue to buy them. Now that even white collar jobs are going over seas maybe people will think twice, if it's not too late.

 

[moto2121]

Here in upstate NY things are getting real tough. I can't understand where all the jobs went around here, seems like all the jobs just up and disapeared overnight. The cost of any kind of fuel here is insane also. So don't feel bad you are not the only one feeling the crunch!

 

[Patman]

I think we can agree, though, that every large company, at some point, started from nothing but the taking of a big risk with big sacrifice.

EXACTLY Pred! There are opprutunities available to everyone. Sticking with "security" of working for somebody else has it's advantages but you will never make a fortune doing it. Sometimes it's takes a leap of faith to get things moving in the right direction.

 

[gwcrim]

It's a two edged sword. We want high paying jobs, but we buy the least expensive products that are made overseas.

Flyboy500 and I live in the middle of the Rust Belt. The landscape is dotted with empty factories that used to pay great wages to guys who slept through the midnight shift and stole as much as they could sneak out. Now those guys' pensions are taken over by the PBGC due to mismanagment and they're not able to afford that new bass boat and daily golf games because they have to pay for their health insurance. It's a cluster f--- with more than enough blame to go around.

But there are folks in Mexico, China, etc., who will make steel for $20 a month, not $20 an hour. It's not anyone's specific fault. The world is a small place now and we all have to learn to live with that. And in many cases, it ain't gonna be a happy situation.

 

[Flyboy500]

I work for one of the nations largest defense contractors in Ohio and our work force is falling apart! I'm a UAW Skilled Trades member and we are down below 80 members! That includes the production workers! Layoffs keep comming and production workers bump into Janitor Jobs and 20 years of service won't even hold a job... The "Big Shots" do very well and they say are labor rates are down so we will be getting more work... Well they were not refering to the $180/hour shop labor rate... No work for machine shop and electronics but just software... No overtime and things are getting worse! Beyond my workplace, local government are cutting jobs left and right. I even have heard the Ohio State Parks are thinking about charging for parking! So they need money tooooo! Pulled over by our nasty State Highway Patrol??? Don't count on a warning! Hey, yes it's all about money and Aldof Bush will continue to say things are getting better! Can it get worse??? Yes, much worse wait and see! Here is the direction the we are heading = :uh:

 

[Jaybird]

Adolf Bush.....hmmmmm.....

UAW Skilled Trades worker....Hmmmmm.... I know for a fact that the average yearly wage that the UAW Skilled Trades worker at a certain Ford plant was $130,000.00 last year. That is quite a nice wage for a guy who was making maybe $50-60k when he worked in the very same trade from the union hall. And most of these guys do very little actual work at all at the Ford plant.

Before you start laying blame on all the folks who you see as "holding you back", perhaps you should take a look at what's going on around you. Could it be that your union had priced and conditioned themselves out of the market? It's give and take, not take take take, and bich bich bich.

I can see why folks, who have been given a free ride, would be uset when the bill finally comes due.
Sit there with your thumb up your bumb and things will in fact get worse. But not for the reasons you and your democrat backing union buddy's think.