Sandy asks…

What line from the song “(Everybodys free to wear) Sunscreen”….?

stands out the most to you???

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Simon Smith answers:

Wow.i’m in awe.I’ve never heard that song,but it sounds amazing…I think i’ll google it later. =) the line that stands out the most is…

Don’t waste your time on jealousy.Sometimes you’re ahead and sometimes you’re behind.

So true!!!

Michael asks…

Do you like these lyrics?

Fave song atm: “The Sunscreen Song” My anthem for ’09 lol

The lyrics to Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen, by Mary Schmich:

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Simon Smith answers:

That’s nice.

Charles asks…

Sunscreen Song….?

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.
just wanted to post this. heard this song for the first time today, it made me cry…& made me happy. it inspired me & made me think about somethings. neways, thought i‘d share this with you all…hope it inspires someone else or says some words that someone needed to hear…thanx…

Simon Smith answers:

This is absolutly stunning. I have it on a cd at home, listen 2 it every now and then. But this is something that every person can use.

Mark asks…

Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen…translate into Spanish?

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own..

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will
look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

Simon Smith answers:

Yeah i read this before =P i was thinking its wasy too long but i’ll do it cause i like the speech =)

Damas y caballeros de la clase de 1999
si pudiera ofrecerles un consejo para el futuro seria protector solar. Los beneficios a largo plazo ddel protector solar han sido comprobados cientificamente mientras que el resto de mi consejo no tiene base alguna mas que mi serpenteante experiencia, les daré mi consejo ahora.
Disfruten del poder y la belleza de su juventud; oh descuiden no entenderán el poder y belleza de su juventud hasta que se haya desvanecido.
Pero creanme, en 20 años miraran las fotos de su pasado y recordaran en una manera que no pueden captar que tantas posibilidades descanzan delante de ustedes y lo fabuloso que ustedes se veian ….No estas tan gordo como crees.

No se preocupen acerca del futuro; o preocupense, pero sepan que preocuparse es tán efectivo como resolver una ecuación algebraica masticando goma de mascar. Los verdaderos problemas en su vida seguramente serán cosas que nunca cruzaron por su preocupada mente: del tipo de las que te cegan a las 4 de la mañana en un jueves aburrido cualquiera.

Haz algo que te aterre todos los dias

canta

No rehuyas del corazon de otras personas, no te acerques a personas que rehuyen a tu corazón.
Usa hilo dental
No gastes tu tiempo en celos; a veces tu estas adelantado, a veces estas atras… La carrera es larga, y al final, compites solo contigo mismo.
Recuerda los cumplidos que recibes, olvida los insultos; si tienes exito haciendo esto, dime cómo.
Guarda tus viejas cartas de amor, tira tus viejos estados de cuenta.
Estirate
No te sientas culpable si no sabes que es loq ue quieres hacer con tu vida… La gente mas interesante que conozco no sabía a los 22 años lo que querian hacer con sus vidas, algunas de las mas personas de 40 años mas interesantes aún no lo saben.
Consume mucho calcio.
Se amable con tus rodillas, las vas a extrañar cuando se hayan ido.
Quizas te cases, quizas no, quizas tengas hijos, quizas no, quizas te divorcies a los 40, quizas bailes cosas alocadas en tu aniversario 75 de bodas, lo que sea que hagas no celebres o te sientas muy agrandado, tus elecciones son la mitad de las probabilidades, igual que todo el mundo. Disfruta tu cuerpo, úsalo en cada manera posible… No tengas miedo de ello, o de lo que otra gente piense al respecto es el instrumento mas grandioso que jamás tendrás..
Baila aunque no tengas en donde hacerlo mas que tu propia sala.
Lee las instrucciones, aunque no las sigas
No leas revistas de belleza, solo lograrán hacerte sentir feo.
Conoce a tus padres, nunca sabes cuando se habran ido para siempre.
Se bueno con tus hermanos; ellos son la mejor conección con tu pasado y la gente que mas probablemente seguira a tu lado en el futuro.
Entiende que los amigos van y vienen pero hay pocos invaluables que deberias mantener. Trabaja duro para crear puentes en los distancimientos geográficos y en tu estilo de vida por que mientras mas envejezcas, mas necesitarás a la gente que conociste cuando eras joven.
Vive en New York city alguna vez, pero vete antes de que te endurezca, vive en el norte de California alguna vez, pero vete antes de que te ablande.
Viaja.
Acepta ciertas verdades indiscutibles, los precios subirán , los politicos se corromperán, tu te harás viejo, y caundo lo hagas, fantasearas acerca de cuano los precios eran razonables, los politicos eran nobles, y los chicos respetaban a sus mayores.

Respeta a tus mayores
No esperes que nadie te apoyé. Quizas tengas una cuenta de retiro, quizas tengas una pareja con dinero: pero nunca se sabe cuando alguna de las dos pueda desaparecer.
No maltrates mucho tu cabello, o para cuando tengas 40, parecerá que tienes 85.
Ten cuidado lo que te recomiende comprar, pero, se paciente con quienes te lo proporcionen. Un consejo es una forma de la nostalgia, dar es una manera de lavar el pasado hacia su depósito, limpiarlo, pintarlo en las partes mas maltratadas, y reciclarlo por mas de lo que vale.
Pero creeme usa protector solar.

Helen asks…

How do I know if he’s looking at porn…again!?

Ok, Me and my fiancee have been together 2 years and are getting married in November. About 3 weeks ago it was about 5am and he was up getting ready for work and he had shut the door ( I noticed he’d been shutting the door a lot lately as he would walk out of the room) Anyways, I was thirsty and decided to walk to the kitchen (which is on the other side of the house and through the computer room) Well, I was quiet and when I got to the computer room I saw him on the computer jacking off to naked girls on the screen! I had NO idea what to do but he got out of it SUPER fast like he did NOT want me to know about it and got onto his bank statement stuff :/ ..I just kept walking and acted like I didn’t see anything until after he left I text him…long story short…he FINALLY freakin admited to it, and said the reason was because I “leave him hangin” sometimes…UNDERSTANDABLE..anyways…so I‘ve TOTALLY changed…we’ve been doing it a lot and i NEVER leave him hanging! Now, just today I‘ve realized I think Hes doing it again…!!!…because I went to the “cookies” under documents and settings and he had deleted everything which is what he does when he looks at porn. Also our main screen starts actin funny when he does this. Can’t totally explain all this. Sorry so long, but HOW can I check to see what sites hes been on today other than the “history” on the toolbar and the “cookies” under documents and settings…I REALLY need to know..because if he’s still doing it, we have some real problems we need to talk about BEFORE we get married. Its just scary…If I don’t please him enough then I need to know :(

Simon Smith answers:

Install Net Nanny. Google it.

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 Mail this post

Thomas asks…

Federal tax return went to my ex for back support….problem…I don’t owe any? Now what can I do?

Ok I am freaking out. My ex and I have been in and out of court for years for our 2 children. At one point I owed him money and they put an offset on my taxes, a lien on my car, and garnished my wages. The judge ordered that it stop because while I did owe him for a short period, my kids live with me and he pays nothing. We go back to court 2/17/10 because he owes me over 5000.00 for last year alone. My state return is on hold and my federal went to pay back TANF that he collected when my kids were with him and he lost his job, even though the attorneys have determined that it is his job to pay this since he owes me so much and was collecting support from my paychecks for 15mths because the IV-D people wouldn’t answer the calls from me or my attorney to see why they had not enforced the court order to stop all of this. I got the lien removed in June, 2009, the wage garnishment they finally took care of in September, 2009 but they obviously forgot to inform the IRS because they just took every cent of my return. I can not survive without this money…I am raising our kids with no help from him, he doesn’t even see them anymore; I am a single parent and have twins that are younger than the 2 I have with him (their father pays but he doesn’t make much so its like 50 a week); I am in school full time and just lost my job 3weeks ago because I could no longer afford the child care. Oh btw the ex I am referring to works for the Railroad and makes approx 4000.00 a month… He has shown that he could care less what the court or the lawyers say as he never returned a penny of the support he collected when he didn’t have them, and I am terrified that he will spend the money before anyone opens on Monday and then they will say “oops, our mistake” and order him to pay restitution at 15.00 per week on top of his current support (which he never paid or pays so I have to wait till March to start receiving it thru the wage garnishment. I have never heard of so many court people being involved in a case and then making so many mistakes. My child support modification was pushed back because the IV-D office found 5 or more mail tubs of mail in their basement from March-April of 2009 unopened and made everyone refile like nothing ever happened. I lost money there, lost money when he kept the cs payments he wasn’t supposed to, lost when the judge told him he better pay the support to the clerk until the garnishment took effect, and now they took this. My car is broken, my bills are due, my kids need things and I am a step away from having a breakdown. There should be someone I can call or fax the court order to so that they can reverse the transaction but every number I called is a recording and no one is open….Anyone who has a law degree or a real legal know how PLEASE HELP ME!! Its not fair that they can mess up my life like this and I am expected to … “I don’t even know what they could possibly expect me to do“….Oh and of course, I live in indiana…..
Ok thank you so much…I did get that number and left a message and will definitely call them again Monday (and again and again till they answer and help me…lol) I was so freaked out about them saying it was already direct deposited and figured it meant to him….whew….THANKS SO MUCH!!!
Ok thank you so much…I did get that number and left a message and will definitely call them again Monday (and again and again till they answer and help me…lol) I was so freaked out about them saying it was already direct deposited and figured it meant to him….whew….THANKS SO MUCH!!!

Simon Smith answers:

I understand your pain I went through a nasty divorce that lasted for 2 years over three kids and an ex who doesn’t make as much as I do and wanted me to pay child support and have the kids in his full custody and on and on and on. Believe me there is a light at the end of this long dark tunnel, be prepared when you go to court and DOCUMENT DOCUMENT DOCUMENT every single thing that happens with dates/times etc. That stands up in a court more than anything thats going to come out of anyones mouth keep a journal and document every single thing that occurs concerning your ex. As far as your tax refund goes, its the department of child support services for your state that has intercepted your refund, you need to let the judge know at your next court date so that he can order them to give it back to you or order your ex to pay it back if he received it. If he is not paying his child support that needs to be documented and submitted to the child support dept as well yes it takes time for them to enforce the order on his employer but it will happen and then if he doesn’t pay welcome to arrears, and he will pay either through his drivers license being suspended or his tax refund next year. I hope everything works out and if you have an attorney make sure you are noting this all to submit to him/her. Good luck

Donald asks…

Why should we sympathize with the wealthy?

Why should we sympathize with the wealthy when they’re the ones who created our economic mess in the first place? Why should the poor and middle class be expected to bear the burden of the current economy that the wealthy pushed us into with their laissez-faire policies?

I‘ve noticed how conservatives keep crying, hoping to rally sympathy from the general public, about how liberals want to tax the hell out of the rich to give money to hobos who don’t earn their own money. First of all, it’s not true; most leftists only want to make it easier for hard-working Americans who have jobs to be able to afford healthcare and stay in their homes and raise their familes. Second, when you really think about what they’ve done TO, not FOR, the not-so-wealthy, I think it’s time they pay their dues.

Now, for the record, I don’t believe in punishing the rich just for being rich per se, but the reality is TOO MANY of them have gotten away with murder for TOO LONG making it harder for the little guy to have any speck of success. When you’ve worked TWO FULL-TIME JOBS and still get health benefits that are more of a joke than insurance, you know something’s gotta turn around.

So to all you whiny capitalist cons who are crying over Obama’s programs that are going to cost the wealthy some of their tax dollars, I have no sympathy for you. Go ahead and cry me a river. It’s just karma at work.
What good is the “they provide jobs” argument if they keep hiring Pedro Gonzalez fresh from Mexico or outsourcing to Amardeep Kumar in India? That statement doesn’t hold a lot of water these days.

Simon Smith answers:

Well we all saw how well tickle down economics worked.
According to Time magazine the wealth of the super rich went up 900% from 2000 to 2008, while the middle class was decimated.
55 cents of every Bush tax cut dollar went to feed the greed of the already obscenely wealthy.
Did the ultra wealthy use their tax breaks and deregulation windfalls to provide more jobs or raise salaries? No! They outsourced our jobs and cut salaries and bought themselves bigger yachts, more vacation houses, and increased the size of their fleet of Ferrari’s.
The people who cry that they are against a Redistribution of wealth saw the biggest redistribution of wealth ever under Bush/Cheney. As Warren Buffet said “There is a class warfare, and my class won!”
The richest 14,583 people in America have more wealth than 150,000,000 Americans combined. Not just MORE wealth… Almost three times more wealth than the combined bottom 50%.
If there were ten thousand Americans on an island and one eight slice pizza, one guy would get would get seven of the slices and some of the pepperoni off the eight slice and the other 9,999 people would scramble for the remaining pieces of the last slice.

So why do 27% of Americans firmly and completely support this tremendously lopsided greed of a small fraction of their dominators? Read about the Stockholm Syndrome. Victims feel subordinated to dominators they see, subconsciously as their “Mother” and “Father”. They feel protective of “Mom” and “Dad” who will “protect” them.
To take from Mom and Dad isn’t right. It will somehow hurt them. They don’t feel that the deserve the $$$$$. They are just not as worthy of a share of the wealth as mom and dad.

I’ve found that telling these victims that they are right helps. I say to them that “It is true that the children of the obscenely wealthy are much smarter, much better looking and much more moral and ethical than their kids, and therefore these rich kids are so much more deserving than their own kids are ” some of them start to see the picture a little differently.

In WWll the poor gave their lives. The middle class gave their sons and husbands and the super rich gave some of their money. The tax rate for those few ultra rich people was over 90%. That means someone who gets two million a week, would have to learn to get by on $200,000.00 a week. I do not feel one bit sorry for someone who would have to scrape by on almost thirty thousand a day.
Yahoo’s headline a oouple weeks back was about the richest guy in the world who somehow managed to make eighteen billion five hundred million dollars last year.
That about sixty million a day. If his income were cut to only six million a day I would not cry for him.
But we don’t have to worry. The Super rich have bought enough Senators and Congressmen that they will never have to worry.

Robert asks…

Problem involving ex and money (read on)?

I‘m so upset right now and I‘m trying to think of possible things to do. I‘d been with my ex for three and a half years, and we broke up last October. We’d had a flat together for six months (Nov 08-May 09) and although we’d agreed before we’d moved in to pay half and half of everything, in the end I paid the whole £600 a month for the rent, as well as gas and electricity, and mostly, food. This was mostly due to the fact that he lost his job in December 08, and so had no means of paying anything… I think back to that time and realise that the planning and execution of moving out was dumb. I didn’t even have a job, but I had a lot of money coming in from a uni loan and money that had been given as a gift from a relative, but this was put under massive strain once he lost his job. However, he’d always stood by the fact that he’d pay me back someday.

Fast forward to today, and his debt to me (including his half of the council tax and water rate, excluding gas, electric and food because I didn’t keep a record of this) stood at over £2200. He has paid £1450 roughly, but still owes £1800. Because there is no hard and fast proof however, he is now claiming he no longer owes anything. My mother drafted in to help with the collection of his payments because him and I cannot have a civil conversation any more, but he still tries to wind me up through her. He tried to imply yesterday that I had in fact received money towards rent while we were in the flat… This is simply not true and I am seething. Why would he try to get my mother on his “side”? I could understand if it was a child maintenance issue or an alimony problem, where criteria and entitlement is more relative and vague, but this is literally a question of a definite amount owed to someone he essentially borrowed from. Once he’s finished off paying, I want nothing to do with him. I keep having to be reminded of just how stupid/naive I was to be so “helpful” with such a large amount of money… I can’t even take out legal action because the amounts that could have been proved, i.e. water rates and council tax, have been paid off, so now it is just a case of his word against mine. I literally went to bed angry and woke up angry. I try my hardest not to hate someone but this is getting out of hand, mainly because I feel so powerless. What options are there for me? I refuse to let this go, because he is denying a further £800!! I was even considering letting him off paying £100-200 towards the end because I just wanted this to be over.

Simon Smith answers:

Hey Julie,

I also broke up with my ex whilst we were living together and I lost money and possessions too. Like the first poster said, without any hard evidence you will not be able to get anywhere legally.

It really is worth cutting your losses and moving on, otherwise you’re going to get so stressed out believe me.

Helen asks…

Am I still liable for an old business debt ?

This is quite a story !!

Back in July 2007 I was working for a small heating business. The owner at that time also had a large profitable business and I had been led to believe that he purposefully made it look like the smaller business hadnt made a profit – for tax reasons I believe.

Now this chap had become a friend after working for him for a few years and he asked i I would like to take the business on so that he could follow other avenues. He showed my figures and made be believe that the company was profitable (I was young and naive) so I took on a £25000 loan.

To cut a long story short he said to me that I did not need to pay him until the company made a profit and to keep the £25,000 as working capital. The trouble is the overheads were so high that it never made a profit. I tried moving premises to work from home and also made the office girl (his daughter) redundant but copped for paying her redundancy (3/4 yrs worth) even though I‘d only ran the company for around 8 months. Also to give you an idea she was on £16,500 for part time hours (one of the many overheads !)

Any way after just over a year the business had swallowed my £25,000 and I‘d spent my savings (circa £7,000) on wages for myself, so I shut it down and sold the assets (4 vehicles, computor, small amount of stock)

I‘m still paying the original loan as I refused to go bankrupt (like an idiot !) and still have 5 years left.

I recieved communication last year from the bloke in question saying that the time to pay had arrived and that I owed him £20,000. I emailed him about the trouble I‘d had, the verbal agreement about paying him when the company made a profit and the fact that we had no written contract. He never replied.

He has now contacted me again, apologising for the 14 month delay in coming back to me and stated that I owe him £18,000 unless I want to settle the debt privately, in which case it would be £16,000.

The thought of taking another huge loan scares the crap out of me ! I‘m now 29 and only just getting myself straight. I have no mortgage and a car on HP.

Do you think I‘d have a case if this went to court ? I‘m going to see the Citizens advice bureau as soon as I can as I dont know where to turn or what to do next ?

It has crossed my mind that he’s waited this long so that some of the records are now no longer ‘available’ although I dont know the ins and outs. How long can he chase me for ? I fear that I could be taken for theft as I sold the assets (although the vehicles were transferred to me) ?

I guess I may just have to take the loan ?

Any advice appreciated as always

Simon Smith answers:

Did you sign any purchase agreement or bill of sale when you bought the business from him? Was anything made in writing whatsoever? It sounds like you have a good case, so long as there is nothing written on file that contradicts your verbal agreement.

Richard asks…

Cost-Basis For Shares Purchased by Re-Invested Dividends? Help Please.?

In 2010, I sold a number of stock shares that were purchased monthly by re-invested dividends over many years. For all of those years, I have the records showing how many shares I got each month at a specified price. I now need to figure the cost-basis for tax purposes so I can declare a gain or loss. I know I need to keep short-term and long-term separate and need to arrange my sells in first-in first-out. But how do I calculate cost-basis?

Do I plow through the records and figure a gain or loss for each month over those years?

Thank you for the help.

Simon Smith answers:

Well, hopefully you have sold all of the stock, if not, it is a little more involved.

Unless you have made any elections otherwise (by letting your broker know BEFORE you sell), you will sell the stock that you purchased first, then the next investment, then the reinvested dividends, etc. In the order you purchased it.

You will determine how many of the shares you sold (assuming it is not all of them), and then start to determine your gain.

You will figure the cost basis for the shares according to each purchase, and will then net the short term sales together and then the long term sales together. You then compare the short term basis to the short term sales proceeds to determine the short term gain or loss, and report it on the top section of Sch. D.

You do the same with the long term basis and sales, and report them on the bottom section of the Sch. D.

You DO NOT net the short term and long term together UNTIL you get to the last line of the first page of Sch. D (along with some other items on the Sch. D), so make sure you keep them seperate.

For example:

Bought 1 share @ $2 2 years ago
Reinvested dividend and got 0.5 shares for $2 in dividends 18 months ago
Bought 1 share @ $3 6 months ago
Sold it all today for $4 per share.

You have a short term cost basis of $3, and a long term cost basis of $4.

Your short term gain is $1. ($4/share – $3 basis/share sold)
Your long term gain is $2. (($4/share * 1.5 shares) – $4 basis/shares sold)

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John asks…

how long do police stations keep records??

Do you think they would have any information still about a murder or a suicide that happened in 1982?
Would records that I could access still exist?

Simon Smith answers:

Yes i do. Yes they will still exist.

William asks…

How long do they have to keep your employment records?

I have been a homemaker for two years. I am looking for a job, and I‘m worried when they check my employment history they won’t be able to verify the records…does it vary by state and where can I find this info? Thanks..

Simon Smith answers:

Some employment agencies use Social Security records for verifying employment history. SS keeps your employment record on file unitll you start drawing ss benefits.
If they ask you for verification present pay-stubs or contracts you may have regarding employment.
Credit reports usualy only list the last employment of record.
Hope this helps

James asks…

How long do companies keep website statistics?

Let’s say I go to Target.com and download a picture. Target would then have my IP for the visit and especially since I downloaded a pic, right? How long does Target keep this record for? Would they ever release it?

Simon Smith answers:

It really all depends on the website. Some only keep them for a few days – some years. It all depends on how many hits they get a day.

Most will not sell or give away your IP address.

Sandy asks…

How long does verizon wireless keep old text messages?

I know courts can request transcripts of text messages and phone records..but how long are they kept? Is it possible they have been destroyed forever?

Simon Smith answers:

The actual content of text messages are only saved on the verizon servers for 3-5 days and then the information is purged, unable to be recovered. It takes a subpoena to release the content of the text messages. Once the information is purged, it’s impossible to recover the content. The only records that are saved, is the date/time/number the text was sent to and received from, for the fact the information is stored online under your acct information.

Mandy asks…

How long do auto dealers keep record information?

Hey,

I applied for a 2009 dodge 1500 4×4 3 months ago, but got denied, for the fact that I put my income was only $20,000 a year. I really make around $80,000 a year. So I was planning to go reapply for a loan, but I am unsure if I can reapply? Any help is appreciated.

Simon Smith answers:

How long the records are kept varies, must companies however do not discard of information less than five years old. I would advise you to go ahead and reapply, do not worry about the records. Just ensure that the information you supply is true this time around. Ensure that all the information required to process your loan is proved to the loans officer. What you could do it to go online to the banks website or the organization you are seeking the loan from and find out the requirements and procedures for the loan. All the best

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