The GOP War on Social Security is Back!

So after a lull, the GOP has resumed their war on social security. I have paid into Social Security for the last 25 years. If the GOP had their way, I'd lose everything I put in. Every one that has ever held a job would lose what they put in. Where is the outrage?

It's clear what the Republicans want. Social Security is a huge bank account that they want to tap. It's not enough that they borrowed heavily from it during the Bush Administration. They want direct access. Privatizing Social Security will allow selected administrators (i.e. Republican donors) to charge hefty administration fees and allow funneling that money in select corporations (i.e. Republican donors). It's really not that complicated or difficult to see. Where is the outrage?

September Plus Dividend

I'm a couple of days late on grabbing the numbers from my various accounts so the total includes a few days of October and an extra paycheck. Total savings is up 3% from last month and up 9% from the end of June. The September dividend is down $50 to $1385. Over the last 4 months, the average dividend is $1375 totaling $16,500 per year. Not bad.

Only six months more to heave-ho time!

Playing God

One of the responsibilities of being a pet owner that I don't relish is deciding when to put them down. Three times I have made the decision and I'm dawdling right now. My 10 year-old American Bulldog is in bad shape. All year he's been having difficulty digesting food and is now down from a thin 102 pounds to an emaciated 89 pounds. I have tried a couple of digestive enzymes and several different easy-to-digest foods. He's still hanging in there but, as you would expect, is low in energy. Really all he does now is sleep. He perks up for walks, but I have to be careful not to tire him out to much. One night he was so exhausted after an easy walk that he didn't even have the energy to eat. I gave him some cheese and water, let him sleep for a couple of hours, and then he ate his supper. The next morning he was still exhausted but was much better when I came home from work.

With his old age and previous health problems, I am reluctant to have the vet find out what the problem is. I did mention the problems to the vet when I was there for a laser treatment. He prescribed some anti-diarrhea medicine and some very expensive dog food. None of it helped.

I keep watching him closely looking for a sign that it is time. I think we're very close and I might just call up the vet on Tuesday and make an appointment for the 13th. That way I'll be forced to do it and take my mind off it, though I can call it off at the last minute.

Here's a recent shot of him with the fine young German Shepherd:

August Dividend

August's dividend was $1435; only $31 less than July's. Total savings is up 1.8%. Not as good as the 4% last month, but still looking good.

Now that I don't have a mortgage, I have to stay on top of my checking account to prevent it from growing too large. I have $8000 sitting in there right now. Next week, I'll transfer another $5000 to my portfolio so I can earn at least 3% on it as opposed to .01% or whatever BS rate the bank pays. I try to keep at least $2000 in there so there is no chance of getting an insufficient funds charge. Just one of those wipes all of the little bit of gain I would get by keeping the balance lower.

Looking at my 401(k) the other day, I noticed some unexpected payments from my employer for the last two months. I accidentally max'd out my contributions for the year already, so I expected my employer to stop matching payments, but they haven't. It's about $250 per paycheck. I have no ethics; I'll take it and keep my mouth shut. My employer is also paying for my parking but, given my lowly title, I don't deserve it. Parking is about $250 - $300 a month. I'm keeping my mouth shut there too.

The always truthful fingers tell me it's only seven more months to kiss off time.

Magic Cloak of Warmth

Arthur C. Clarke wrote "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." When our hairless ancestors first discovered that wrapping themselves in a dead animals hide, did they consider it magic. Did they think it was something from the dead animal that was keeping them warm?

I wonder how this discovery was first made. I could imagine somebody working on the carcass with it draped over their lap noticing how hot they were getting. But prior to stripping the hide from the animal for a wrap, why would somebody being working on the carcass?

I wonder too when this discovery was made. Did our hairless ancestors first move north and then figure out how to stay warm? Or did they move north and then start to lose their hair?

July Dividend

July's dividends are a nice surprise: $1664. I'm not sure why last months was so much less; maybe I didn't include all of my accounts. My entire portfolio increased 4% in the last six weeks and I zoomed past the $500k level. Counting on my fingers, March, the month I'm giving the corporate job the heave-ho, is 8 long months away. That number seems too high, but the fingers don't lie. By then, it's possible I could hit $600k. All I can control is my spending and except for Christmas presents (god damn consumer society!) and a winter-time splurge, I don't have any intended or expected large expenses. Crap, I just remembered I have a big nearly dead tree in my backyard that needs cutting down. I can't risk going through another stormy winter with it so close to the house. It'll cost around $2500 to have cut down. I'd like to do it myself except for it's too close to the house and I have no experience cutting down big trees.

Remington 870 Mods

A couple of years ago I bought a 12 gauge Remington 870 home defense shotgun. It has a 18" or so barrel, a magazine extension to hold 7 shells, a synthetic stock, and it's all black. I wanted to see the pellet pattern of some 00-buck shells I have so I took it to the range and shot at a flattened cardboard box. The harsh recoil on the first shot took me completely by surprise. I managed to shoot about six more rounds at varying distances, but I was trembling on the last couple. My shoulder was sore for a couple of days.

Maybe I'm a pussy, but I did shoot trap with a Remington 870 when I was a skinny teenager. I don't remember flinching. I still have that old hunting shotgun and put the two side by side. The first thing I noticed was how much heavier the old shotgun with its wood stock and 24" barrel was. Also, the hollow plastic stock of the HD shotgun does not absorb shock like the wood stock.

A defense shotgun that makes the shooter cringe is no defense at all. Something had to be fixed. I bought a couple of the Limbsaver recoil pads, but the plastic stock was an odd size so the slip-on one didn't really fit. The screw-in pad required some funky screws for the plastic stock and I was unable to find matching screws.

I decided to go old school and bought a used wood stock. It has a couple small scratches but looks good. I like the contrast between the black receiver and barrel and the wood stock. The slip-on recoil pad fits this wood stock fine and adds nearly an inch to the reach which, being a big guy with long arms, makes the gun more comfortable. The shotgun is considerably heavier, but for home defense, it's not an issue.

Now the recoil is much more manageable. Before there is no way I could have fired a quick follow up shot; I'd still be recovering from the first. Now I will have no problem.

I have a sling for the shotgun and a butt stock shell holder. Next I need to change the front sight so I can easily see it at night. I might add a tactical light but it's a low priority.

Made In the Shade

Well, I recently totaled up my various accounts and I will easily hit the $500k number. I'd already be there if it weren't for a $15k loan made to a certain family member that promised to start paying it off last January but hasn't paid me one cent. Family is too important to let a bad loan get in the way, so I'm willing to ignore it.

Most of that moola is now in bond funds so each month I get some dividends. For June, I was expecting about $1k in dividends, but one of the funds yielded $300 less than it did for May. WTF, I say! I have no idea why it was so much lower but that's why I use multiple bond funds. Diversify!

I'm going to treat June as an aberration until further data comes in, so I'm sticking with my $12k per year anticipated dividend income. That's not bad. $20k a year should easily cover real estate taxes, utilities, food, car and house insurance, catastrophic only health insurance, etc, etc. My plan when I retire is to get a job during the winter. Earning $8k more shouldn't be problem.

I'm still on track to leave the cubicle behind in March.

Two Beautiful Weekends

Well after me bitching about the weather on long weekends, God finally realized he'd been too hard on us cubicle dwellers and has given us two beautiful weekends in a row. On both weekends it's been up into the 60's. The yellow orb in the sky that hurts our eyes and burns our skin has been out a lot too. Yea, though it shines bright in the valley of Douglas Firs, I fear not because in 15 minutes the weather will change. Verily.

I have planted some cherry trees in my "orchard" and surrounded them with large piles of brush cuttings to deter the hooved locusts known as deer. I really need to build a 6' high deer fence. Unfortunately with the clear skies, I will have to water the new trees every weekend. I timed it and it takes me nearly 5 minutes to walk from where I park my van to the orchard. I'm building a cart with a couple of bicycle wheels to aid in humping the water, dirt, shovels, etc.

Surprisingly, it's incredibly nice to be out of doors with the sunshine, breezes, bird song, fir scent, etc. It feels as if being outdoors is normal and natural. I don't understand how that can be as I was born indoors and have spent most of my life indoors. The outdoor air, though, must be tainted or something because at the end of the day I am very tired and my body experiences minor pain the next day. It's not just me; the dogs are affected too. Maybe if I spend more time outdoors I can build up an immunity to this toxic outdoor air.