Inflation?

[jmjj215]

Re: Inflation?

Of course, FICA is not a tax.

:P

UM, if you add up the percentages from the seven categories, they add up to 100%, so by default it could not be the gross.

#

Perhaps I should've said it a bit different. In my budget, for the tax category I include FICA (which on my stub is social security and medicare (or medicaid, I can never remember which)).

By gross I was asking if the percentages are based on the take-home or gross salary of the consumer.

[jmjj215]

Re: Inflation?

He has brought nothing but bad news since he arrived

It must be his 'karma' - sheesh.

[cercis]

Re: Inflation?

I guess it is human nature to place the blame on someone so I guess Bush is as good as anyone. I'm sure he invited those terrorists to fly planes into our buildings just so that he could take our country to war. I'm also sure that he got on his cosmic telephone and asked God to send all the hurricanes we've been forced to deal with. Let's get real and stop looking for a scapegoat. Life happens and some of it stinks but somehow we manage to find a way to go on.

I expect my gov't to heed warnings about terrorists using airplanes and, oh, I don't know, maybe put some stronger airport security - maybe on the level of European standards. (which we still aren't at).

I expect my president to heed the warnings of the outgoing president about major terrorist threats and to follow-up with the task force he put in place - even one meeting would have been nice.

I expect my president to see that 1) war rarely affects the person we want it to and is more likely to affect the innocents of the country, 2) Iraq was not involved, 3) Saudi arabia was and 4) you need an exit strategy beyond "we'll be welcomed with open arms".

I expect my president to listen to scientists say global warming is a reality and not say it's "fuzzy science" while allowing industry to continue to do things that increase the effects of global warming. Could he prevent global warming? Not completely, no, but he could at least take it seriously.

I expect my gov't to be prepared for a natural disaster and to mobilize. He was asked for help by the governor, but refused to provide it unless she would submit to martial law (which wouldn't have been necessary if help had gotten there sooner). She asked for help before the hurricane hit.

I expect my president to live in reality and not say "you're doing a heck of a job" to someone who is clearly not.

Now those may seem unreasonable to you. To me, those are the bare minimum and what we came to expect from the Clinton administration. Remember those days, when we had time to worry about the definition of "sex"?

[Snoopy2645]

Re: Inflation?

wHAT I find odd is gas is 3 times what it was when I first started driving it was $1 a gallon then now its hovering around $3 a gallon housing costs have went up alot & everything else is going up but wages they are still the same something strange about that picture??

[VJW]

Re: Inflation?

By gross I was asking if the percentages are based on the take-home or gross salary of the consumer.

Well, as I previously posted, the categories add up to 100% and there are no taxes in any category, so by default it could not be the gross. The listed categories reference net income.

#

[VJW]

Re: Inflation?

Construction Costs Soaring

Despite abundant evidence that the costs of precious metals, heath care insurance, industrial metals, medical care, housing costs, education, and other commodities are all rising at runaway rates, we are still being told that the inflation in the national economy is primarily confined to Food & Energy, and if you just refrain from eating or driving or heating your home, everything is just peachy.

Well, add another broad category to the list:

Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America, issued an analysis this week that compared construction costs over a four-year period from 2001 to 2005:

* Gypsum products were up 21 percent
* Asphalt had climbed 12 percent
* Insulation materials rose 11 percent
* Lumber up 12 percent
* Steel and copper construction products up 62 percent
* PVC plastic up "almost" 100%
* Gypsum -- double-digit increase
* Concrete prices up more than 12 percent
* Diesel fuel up more than 50 percent

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[jmjj215]

Re: Inflation?

Seriously VJW, I mean, come on - why should we worry about the cost of building things? I mean...really...

:P