are y'all better off than you were 4 years ago ?

[jbirds2012]

Yes and these stupid talk shows and soap operas and "reality" shows like survivor and these stupid desperate house wives and Jersey shore shows require a person to be stupid or grow stupid watching them, where are their priorities in life???? they think springer guests are normal, they may becoming more normal but I refuse to become a dumbed down person! I know I am far from the brightest person and I need every brain cell I have and I won't waste my time on that trash.

thank you, i couldn't agree more. i never could stomach those shows.

 

[RunningRabbit]

I gotta say, the past four years have been brutal for many big and small scale farmers. Can't sell or gift raw milk from your own animals, can't raise rabbits, and even selling chicken eggs can get you in hot water with the FDA. I can understand the need for laws that are in place to truly protect consumers...but raiding farms for selling fresh milk and such is horrid. Nobody benefits when our basic rights are violated in the name of "protection". I mean, lets think about this logically. Would you rather drink milk that came from a well-loved and well cared for cow, that isn't hooked up to machines its entire life, who gets to graze on grass in the sunshine, and isn't constantly impregnated to keep the milk flowing, or one that is just a number on a bovine conveyor belt, hooked up to machines darn near 24 hours a day, fed feed laced with all kinds of terrible things, and whose ultimate fate is the butcher shop when they begin to fail?

How is that industrialized kind of milk better for you, than from the cow that is actually treated humanely? I was told not long ago, that the milk you buy at stores has pus and blood in it from the cows abused teats, but the pasteurization process kills the germs and effectively makes it "safe" to drink. I just don't understand how that kind of milk is better for you. The blood and pus aren't even present in milk from animals raised right.

In some aspects, we've moved forward as a country, but in many others, we have taken some monumental steps back.

 

[rufus]

The FDA does a much better job running down raw milk producers than the DEA does with drug trafficing. Thinking about it, drug dealing is probably the only trade that isn't heavily regulated. And, it is much more lucrative than farming. I wonder when the Mexican cartels will move into the milk business?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

The FDA does a much better job running down raw milk producers than the DEA does with drug trafficing. Thinking about it, drug dealing is probably the only trade that isn't heavily regulated. And, it is much more lucrative than farming. I wonder when the Mexican cartels will move into the milk business?

The DEA an the drug laws are just there to provide a market for a product that the CIA can provide so it can fund covert ops.

 

[james hill]

Definitely not better off than 4 years ago. I have been a nurse at our rural hospital for 21 years, my husband is a retired police officer. Forget the fact that I haven't had a raise in four years...my paycheck has been reduced by 25% through our company's change in shift schedule and "zero overtime" policy. Gas to get to work more than doubled. A 50 pound sack of corn has gone from $3 to $10, hay from $3 per square bail to $8.50. Health insurance went from $180 a month and $500 deductable to $340 a month and $1800 deductable. Food prices through the roof. No pension in my future...our company (at that time) dropped our pension program in favor of a 401K plan about 10 years ago. I was paid less than $6000 for my 11 year participation in a 25 year retirement pension plan. Our belts are tightened pretty snuggly, and our fingers are crossed that nothing significant breaks down or requires replacing anytime soon.

I wonder whats to come in the next 4 years, regardless of who gets in the White House. Neither political party (or corporate America either) has acted very admirably lately. Waste and corruption run rampant, the national debt is out of control, and the assault on personal freedoms marches on unchecked. Can't get a straight reporting of the facts on ANY news program. Most of the wealth, power and influence in our nation is held in the hands of a few, and the common man cannot make himself heard over the clammer even when he tries. Sometimes I hardly recognize my own country.

Sorry...this is starting to sound like a rant. Just stating facts from my view of the world.

 

[hemet dennis]

You're absolutely right, Socialism is NOT the fix! The big problem here is that socialism is a theoretical form of government, or "political system of communal ownership in which the means of production and distribution are controlled by the people, and operated according to equity and fairness rather than market principles." -Encarta World Dictionary We are a capitalist democracy, nothing and no-one will change that.

We've been discussing socialized medicine, or nationalized healthcare if that sounds better. We already have it in Medicare and Medicaid. Congress has their own special, bang-up type!

Nobody hoots or hollers over having 'socialized' police and fire protection, do they? The fire chief doesn't show up when your house is on fire and ask " Will this be Visa or Mastercharge?" The police don't verify your income and turn you down because "Unless you can pay us in cash up front we just can't check out that prowler."

Rebelcowboy, I commend you on your 13 years of volunteering in emergency response. That shows real dedication! Volunteers are truly needed to serve in many areas that wouldn't have any coverage otherwise. Just this morning we heard on the radio that in our own county, a womans son fell off of his horse and was severely injured. When she called a nearby town for an ambulance, she was told ther were none available. She pressed them, "Until when?" The response was "No ambulances available to the western half of the county." Apparently she was an EMT with some volunteer fire dept. so she called a Life Flight chopper in herself! The radio said she knew how to prepare the scene for them, etc.

As I have said, I surely don't claim to have the answers, but I think the way this system works stinks! Why should a millionaire get better medical care than an elderly grandmother on Social Security? Do we assign value to a person by their humanity or their wealth? Is one just as much a person as the other? There's nothing wrong with money, but without our humanity, we're nothing more than pigs in the mud.

Oh, and about Pfizer. According to Fortune 500, just so far this year they have made a profit of over 10 BILLION DOLLARS ! That's up 21.2% over 2010, and the year isn't even over yet. Some research showed that Pfizer made $180 billion on just 4 drugs, but settled fraud charges with the Dept. of Justice over them for $2.3 billion. Still a tidy profit for something that they were pushing fraudulantly!

So obviously, this is a complex issue, and we won't settle it here. It is good to discuss various viewpoints. For myself, I will not lose sleep over whether Big Pharma makes another billion or not. I do lose sleep worrying about those that some call "the less fortunate" among us. I was brought up to care for the poor and downtrodden. There seems to be more and more rhetoric these days to make them a little 'less than human'. History has taught us the dangers of thinking like that, I hope.

~S

So how much do you think that Pfizer should make ?
The owners have $193 billion invested. There's also the chance they could lose money. They're getting a return of 88cents for an over $25 investment. And who owns Pfizer ?

Major Direct Holders (Forms 3 & 4)
Holder​

Shares​

Reported​

1,265,131​

Jan 31, 2011​

READ IAN C

878,697​

Feb 24, 2012​

DAMELIO FRANK A

525,205​

Feb 24, 2012​

RICCIARDI NATALE S

394,778​

Feb 28, 2011​

DOLSTEN MIKAEL

263,633​

Feb 23, 2012​

​

Top Institutional Holders
Holder​

Shares​

% Out​

Value*​

Reported​

VANGUARD GROUP, INC. (THE)

320,508,705​

4.29​

7,371,700,215​

Jun 30, 2012​

WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLP

183,583,645​

2.46​

4,222,423,835​

Jun 30, 2012​

Bank of New York Mellon Corporation

144,199,592​

1.93​

3,316,590,616​

Jun 30, 2012​

FMR LLC

134,344,048​

1.80​

3,089,913,104​

Jun 30, 2012​

PRICE (T.ROWE) ASSOCIATES INC

129,514,936​

1.73​

2,978,843,528​

Jun 30, 2012​

FRANKLIN RESOURCES, INC

128,195,412​

1.72​

2,948,494,476​

Jun 30, 2012​

JP MORGAN CHASE & COMPANY

111,069,716​

1.49​

2,554,603,468​

Jun 30, 2012​

NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION

101,761,713​

1.36​

2,340,519,399​

Jun 30, 2012​

Capital World Investors

83,851,000​

1.12​

1,928,573,000​

Jun 30, 2012​

STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE CO

79,999,525​

1.07​

1,839,989,075​

Jun 30, 2012​

Top Mutual Fund Holders
Holder​

Shares​

% Out​

Value*​

Reported
VANGUARD TOTAL STOCK MARKET INDEX FUND​

93,988,698​

1.26​

2,128,844,009​

Mar 31, 2012
VANGUARD 500 INDEX FUND​

67,345,959​

0.90​

1,525,385,971​

Mar 31, 2012
VANGUARD INSTITUTIONAL INDEX FUND-INSTITUTIONAL INDEX FD​

65,380,495​

0.88​

1,480,868,211​

Mar 31, 2012
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust​

61,690,630​

0.83​

1,349,174,078​

May 31, 2012
VANGUARD/WINDSOR II​

51,692,168​

0.69​

1,183,750,647​

Apr 30, 2012
COLLEGE RETIREMENT EQUITIES FUND-STOCK ACCOUNT​

47,763,937​

0.64​

1,081,853,173​

Mar 31, 2012
VANGUARD/WELLINGTON FUND INC.​

46,134,241​

0.62​

974,816,512​

Feb 29, 2012
DODGE & COX STOCK FUND​

43,362,464​

0.58​

997,336,672​

Jun 30, 2012
VANGUARD SPECIALIZED-HEALTH CARE FUND​

38,083,888​

0.51​

872,121,035​

Apr 30, 2012
GMO Quality Fund​

35,549,848​

0.48​

777,475,175​

May 31, 2012​

The government justice dept. is full of lawyers and lawyers file lawsuits. Not just ones they can win but ones that they can get someone to settle because it will cost more to fight then to pay a settlement.

So how much should they be making ?

 

[chickened]

So how much do you think that Pfizer should make ?
The owners have $193 billion invested. There's also the chance they could lose money. They're getting a return of 88cents for an over $25 investment. And who owns Pfizer ?

Major Direct Holders (Forms 3 & 4)
Holder​

Shares​

Reported​

1,265,131​

Jan 31, 2011​

READ IAN C

878,697​

Feb 24, 2012​

DAMELIO FRANK A

525,205​

Feb 24, 2012​

RICCIARDI NATALE S

394,778​

Feb 28, 2011​

DOLSTEN MIKAEL

263,633​

Feb 23, 2012​

​

Top Institutional Holders
Holder​

Shares​

% Out​

Value*​

Reported​

VANGUARD GROUP, INC. (THE)

320,508,705​

4.29​

7,371,700,215​

Jun 30, 2012​

WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLP

183,583,645​

2.46​

4,222,423,835​

Jun 30, 2012​

Bank of New York Mellon Corporation

144,199,592​

1.93​

3,316,590,616​

Jun 30, 2012​

FMR LLC

134,344,048​

1.80​

3,089,913,104​

Jun 30, 2012​

PRICE (T.ROWE) ASSOCIATES INC

129,514,936​

1.73​

2,978,843,528​

Jun 30, 2012​

FRANKLIN RESOURCES, INC

128,195,412​

1.72​

2,948,494,476​

Jun 30, 2012​

JP MORGAN CHASE & COMPANY

111,069,716​

1.49​

2,554,603,468​

Jun 30, 2012​

NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION

101,761,713​

1.36​

2,340,519,399​

Jun 30, 2012​

Capital World Investors

83,851,000​

1.12​

1,928,573,000​

Jun 30, 2012​

STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE CO

79,999,525​

1.07​

1,839,989,075​

Jun 30, 2012​

Top Mutual Fund Holders
Holder​

Shares​

% Out​

Value*​

Reported
VANGUARD TOTAL STOCK MARKET INDEX FUND​

93,988,698​

1.26​

2,128,844,009​

Mar 31, 2012
VANGUARD 500 INDEX FUND​

67,345,959​

0.90​

1,525,385,971​

Mar 31, 2012
VANGUARD INSTITUTIONAL INDEX FUND-INSTITUTIONAL INDEX FD​

65,380,495​

0.88​

1,480,868,211​

Mar 31, 2012
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust​

61,690,630​

0.83​

1,349,174,078​

May 31, 2012
VANGUARD/WINDSOR II​

51,692,168​

0.69​

1,183,750,647​

Apr 30, 2012
COLLEGE RETIREMENT EQUITIES FUND-STOCK ACCOUNT​

47,763,937​

0.64​

1,081,853,173​

Mar 31, 2012
VANGUARD/WELLINGTON FUND INC.​

46,134,241​

0.62​

974,816,512​

Feb 29, 2012
DODGE & COX STOCK FUND​

43,362,464​

0.58​

997,336,672​

Jun 30, 2012
VANGUARD SPECIALIZED-HEALTH CARE FUND​

38,083,888​

0.51​

872,121,035​

Apr 30, 2012
GMO Quality Fund​

35,549,848​

0.48​

777,475,175​

May 31, 2012​

The government justice dept. is full of lawyers and lawyers file lawsuits. Not just ones they can win but ones that they can get someone to settle because it will cost more to fight then to pay a settlement.

So how much should they be making ?

Anyone with a pension is funding drug companies and any other corporation turning a profit for that matter.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Low pay, reduced benefits, and strictly mantained time? Up high James Hill! We recently had a no overtime policy put in place as well. If you are 15 minutes over, you get a write up followed by firing. If you are 15 minutes under (the clock rounds up and down by 15), you get a write up followed by firing. This is in the area of animal care. Yours is in the area of human care...two very bad areas to implement such a policy in. Granted, this is still better than my last job.

This apparently has not prevented the higher ups from making the absolutely worst string of financial decisions (no worker input mind you) I have ever had the opportunity to witness. Truly, it has been magnificent to watch.

Things look like they'll improve for me with a move, job change, and not much time invested. For you...that as payment for 25 years of your life? Sure do hope things get better for you and yours!

 

[rufus]

I think the solution to our economic problems is to move away from the income tax as our nation's primary source of revenue. We need to eliminate the double taxation of dividends. Make interest earned on savings tax free. Eliminate the death tax and capital gains tax. This will allow us to rebuild our investment capital and re industrialize our nation.

We need to go back to tariffs to support our government. Free trade is a great idea, but a bad reality. The good news is that we found you a job; the bad news is that it is in a rice paddy in Thailand.

Nations like China cheat and dump goods at low prices on our market until they have destroyed our native industry.

A twenty per cent tariff on all imported goods would do the trick. If someone wants to buy a fancy imported car, let then pay for it. But if they can settle for a US made car, they can save the difference.

We need to build things here and employ our own people. If this sets off a trade war, well so be it. Just what do the Chinese buy from us anyway? They bought into Chesapeake and Devon, so now they have a say so in how we develop our newly discovered shale gas.

 

[RunningRabbit]

So now I am officially on the path of rebuilding my life. I can proudly say that I am employed again as of today. It may be part time, it may have no benefits, but I WILL get back to how my life was four years ago.

I absolutely refuse to be another statistic in what has become a very dreary time for the American people. $9.50 an hour is a great starting point. Plus, my not yet hatched serama chickens will help fund it all giving me some lovely chicks and hatching eggs.