RetireGreen's Comments (230)

“Johann:
You are absolutely correct as usual. Copenhagen, nicknamed Hopenhagen by wishful thinking environmentalists, turned into Farcenhagen. And, you are also correct that we should stop looking to leaders such as Obama, or events such as Copenhagen, to solve our climate crisis.

Your call for mass organized civil unrest to save the planet, which may produce some results a la London, is problematic and unlikely to occur in the United States. Environmental action, such as the type you suggest, will quickly get you labled as a terrorist and placed on the FBI's most wanted list.

In any case, in the face of determined corporations, politicians, and a complicit mainstream media, civil unrest will do little to change the course of events. Witness how massive protests in the run up to the Iraq War accomplished nothing.

The solution, therefore, is individual action. Individuals do not need to wait for politicians, treaties, or protests to stop climate change. Look up "Green Retirement", as one example of how to turn greed green, to see how individuals can save the planet, defeat Wall Street and save their retirement, without having to participate in one march.”

“How about job saving? The city of San Francisco has unnecessarily laid off thousands of well paid city, county, and school district workers. This program creates short-term federally funded low paying jobs. Replacing middle class government jobs with poverty paying retail jobs does not help the city.

Although JobsNowSF is a great program, and you should be commended for your efforts, your primary focus should be on preventing city worker job losses. One way to prevent city layoffs is to offer workers early retirement. From before you announced the first round of city layoffs, I tried contacting your office, as well as the Board of Supervisors and others, to inform everyone that their is a "Green" solution to preventing layoffs.
http://www.iplanretirement.com/retirementblog/sorry-san-francisco-layoffs/

In any case, it would be much better for the city of San Francisco, if the federal stimulus funds were used to keep good paying city jobs, instead of creating low paying retail jobs.”

“Where were you during the presidential campaign, when candidate Obama was constantly pledging to end the war in Iraq, and escalate the war in Afghanistan? President Obama by increasing troops in Afghanistan is simply fulfilling one of his campaign promises.”

“Mr. President: Plant a living Christmas Tree on the White House lawn, and string solar powered light bulbs on it once a year instead of chopping down a beautiful tree every year.

Show the American people through your leadership, that you are serious about protecting our natural resources, and stopping climate change”

“Huffingtonpost blogger and Author Dan Solin published a book titled "The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read". Follow his advice and you will invest properly.

Here is how to get $1 Million in 20 years.Invest $500 per month starting today, next year and every year after, increase the monthly amount by $100. So that next year you are investing $600, and the year after $700 per month. At a 9% average annual return - in twenty years you will have $1 Million.”

“For those of you who are "Green", and abhor our consumption culture, you can calculate how skipping Black Friday benefits you financially.
http://www.iplanretirement.com/retirementblog/green-friday/

For instance, if you usually spend $1,000 on Black Friday, saving and investing the money will give $55,000 after 20 years and allow you to retire with $25,000 less in retirement savings. Celebrate a Green Friday!”

“Thank you for so beautifully sharing what many of us feel when we are in the presence of nature. A humbling sense of awe and peace.”

“It already exists - The Green Party. I switched after '06. Smartest political decision I ever made.”

“Quit smoking and you can retire early. If you save and invest the money you spend on tobacco, after 20 years you could have an additional $100,000, and be able to retire with $45,000 less in retirement savings.

http://www.iplanretirement.com/retirementblog/smoking-retirement/

Add that to the list of reasons to quit smoking”

“Arianna:
Thank you for your constant effort, of bringing to the attention of the American people, the need for financial and political accountability in the aftermath of the economic collapse.

In regards to Warren Buffett, the reason he is cheerleading the U.S. economy is simple, the profitability of the companies he owns, is dependent on the confidence the American people have in their financial future. American capitalism is a confidence game. Share prices rise in value, when investors are confident, that the value of their share will be higher at some point in the future.

If Americans lose confidence that the economy will recover, and that American companies will become profitable, they will not invest in the stock market and Warren Buffett will lose money.”

“Robert:
From before he was inaugurated, Obama signaled that he was going to reduce budget deficits, by going after Social Security and Medicare.

http://www.iplanretirement.com/retirementblog/obama-wants-your-retirement/

Dean Baker wrote about it here on Huffpo back in February, so did William Grieder in the Nation, Progressives are fully aware of Obama's plans to loot Social Security and Medicare. The only people left fooling themselves, are liberal democrats, who call themselves progressives.”

“Fascinating article!
You are asking the American people to take another 20-40% loss of their net worth. Rising interest rates will cause another housing and stock market collapse that will send our economy into a double-dip recession.

On top of the losses to their net worths, you are also asking Americans to become poorer, as a collapsing dollar will reduce the amount of money they have after expenses. A collapsing dollar will cause the price of oil and gasoline to double, and America will suffer another oil shock, this time with gas lines. Massive price inflation of all goods, not only imports will occur, food will begin to hoarded.

I have a better idea. We can keep interest rates and inflation low, and the dollar strong, by reducing our budget deficits from ending our wars.

-- $100 billion Iraq and Afghanistan
-- $ 100 billion Closing our bases in ungrateful Europe
-- $ 40 billion War on Drugs
-- $ 40 billion Dept. of Boondoggles Homeland Security

That is a $280 billion reduction in the U.S. Budget. $280 billion less in U.S. Treasury Bonds that need to be sold. If we invest $100 billion per year into Green Manufacturing and Installation Jobs, we can create a total of 17 million new jobs in our economy, and further strengthen the dollar and the income of Americans, by reducing the amount of energy we import.”

“This is payback for Ken Lewis trying to get out of the Merrill deal after the Wall Street - Washington axis of evil put the gun to his head. Ken Lewis's exposing how he was bullied into the deal at the expense of his shareholders, can not be tolerated, and the recision of his salary and bonus is meant to serve as a warning to other C.E.O's.”

“I was once a Liberal Democrat who switched to the Green Party after Pelosi took impeachment off the table and have never looked back. The sooner Progressive Democrats stop fooling themselves into believing that Obama and the Democrats represent them, and switch to a Party that actually does represent their values, the sooner we can effect real meaningful change in our country.”

“Cash for Human Clunkers!”

“I have a better plan. Quit pouring $100 billion a year into Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead, pour the $100 billion per year into the U.S. economy, creating millions of Green Jobs. Bring our 200,000 soldiers home and put them to work in our unused manufacturing facilities creating solar panels and wind turbines.

My plan would create 3 million green jobs, cutting unemployment in half, reduce pollution, reduce our trade deficit, strengthen the dollar and our economy, without spending an extra dime of taxpayer money.”

“All the Fed's Charts, and all the Fed's Graphs, couldn't put the poor economy back together again! Layoffs produced the stock market rally, which suckered you and everyone else, into believing that their was an economic recovery taking place. Corporations will continue to layoff workers in an effort to help their bottom line and share price.

Next will come a wave of mergers and acquisitions - and more layoffs.”

“This is great news for the economy and the planet. I encourage everyone who is eligible for social security, and has been laid off, to stop looking for a job and begin taking their checks. Retirement is the single best action you can take to reduce climate change. And by retiring, you are reducing unemployment, helping the economy.

Delaying your retirement for 5 years is not going to make a big difference in your social security check or the amount of savings you will be able to accumulate. You can retire on social security, many people do it, you just have to adjust your lifestyle and expectations.”

“What does Obama think about Serena's outburst? To those of you cheering on Obama's reactions to Prof. Gates and Kanye, you have become unwitting partners in corporate media racism. Did anyone ask Bush for a reaction when a white person did something stupid? Why does the corporate media constantly feel compelled to get Obama's opinion on the actions of Black Americans? Enough is enough.”

“Hi Jason:
In an effort to help your readers, better understand the Sunday morning news shows, I propose changing their names to the following:

Face the Nation
"Fake the Nation"

Meet the Press
"Meet the Propagandists"

This Week with GS
"This is Weak with GS"

Fox News Sunday
"F*#K the News on Sunday"

I believe these new names better reflect the content of the shows and should help viewers make more sense of what they are watching.”

“I'm glad Van Jones lost his White House job. And let me be the first to welcome Van Jones back to the progressive green movement. It was obvious to me from the beginning, that putting Van Jones in the White House, was a cynical attempt to silence and co-opt a potential Obama critic.

Did anyone see or hear from Van Jones during his eight months in Washington? Obama's green energy and cap and trade boondogles, are nothing more than efforts to enrich Wall Street and venture capitalists, while not creating a meaningful number of green jobs. Being in the White House, Van Jones would have been forced to remain silent, while taxpayers and minorities got sold out once again.

Van Jones can be a lot more effective on the outside than he ever could be on the inside. Also, your article, fails to mention that Beck's crusade against Van Jones, was simple revenge for the successful boycott of his program led by a group that Van Jones had founded.”

“You are correct. Progressive Democrats did fool themselves into believing that Obama would be their savior. He did say that he wanted to escalate the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Anyone who even glanced at his positions and policies should have seen that he barely qualified as a liberal. Thirty years ago he would have been seen as a moderate Republican.

As far as your anti-progressive rant, if it wasn't for progressives, kids would still be working in Kentucky coal mines, slavery would still exist, women wouldn't have the vote, forget about Social Security and Medicare, and the list goes on. America is much more progressive than you believe.”

“Excellent article. My question is, when are progressive Democrats finally going to realize, that the Democratic Party does not represent their values? What is it going to take? After progressives voted Democrats back into power in 2006, Nancy Pelosi promptly took impeachment off the table, after progressive Democrats put Obama into power, he took the public option off the table. Are progressive Democrats masochists?

To say that their is no alternative, that the only option is to work harder and spend more money to reform the Democratic Party from within, is neither productive nor factually correct. Their is another party that represents the values of progressive Democrats - and it's Green!”

“Restricting Bankers pay is a red herring meant to please the sheep, while disguising the fact that nowhere in the communique, do they discuss re-regulating the financial system. Paging Arianna! Financial regulation is what is needed to create confidence and help avoid future bubbles. It's sad to see that even the red herring, was watered down by the U.S. and the U.K., in an effort to protect banker bonuses.

The only real news out of the communique is that the stock market bubble will continue to grow. As the finance ministers have all agreed to keep borrowing and pumping money into the financial system. Expect a big open on Wall Street when it re-opens after labor day weekend.”

“This is nothing more than another attempt by Wall Street to get their hands on American worker's retirements. As Huffingtonpost blogger Dan Solin points out, 401k's are the biggest scam going, charging higher fees and offering poorer performing funds.

After Wall Street failed to privatize Social Security during the Bush administration, Wall Street has obviously found another champion, and another method of looting Americans' retirements. Why does my opinion count? I am a professional retirement planner who predicted the global economic collapse, and who realized long before most of you, that President Obama is a corporate tool. The question Obama supporters need to start asking themselves is, for how long are they going to continue behaving like their tea bagging and birther cousins, how long are Obama supporter going to remain corporate fools?”