I figured we could discuss the different types of government aid we are receiving or plan to receive now that we are laid off for the good of each other. As for me, I'm collecting unemployment benefits, of course. My family may also qualify for pregnancy and childcare Medicaid.
How do you all plan to live off the government?
The thread clearly states: Deadbeats and Parasites ONLY
It's for us to help each other get paid.
Self-righteous trolls can GTFO.
The government is my oyster. I hope 2016 is a better year than the last one. Since this is an election year, Obama should be doling out more help to those in need. Happy New Year.
As "-9vag" posted - Once a useless freeloading deadbeat parasite, Always a freeloading deadbeat parasite. Chevron has chosen wisely in this case. Happy New Year to everyone else!
Oh, I will sleep very comfortably on the king bed with Sealy pillowtop mattress set that Gallery Furniture gave (donated) to me for the Thanksgiving holiday. Mattress Mac is a real charitable guy. I was told he handed out 50 bedroom sets and I got one. Sweet.
Yes my dear wittle liberal worthless parasite sponge on society, you go and have a nice little happy new year that someone else has earned and provided for you. You didn't earn anything. You're not fooling anyone. People don't change overnight. You have been a mooch and a thug criminal getting away with any freebee that you can and doing the least amount of work your entire POS life. You go ahead and try to sleep at night now being a useless criminal POS and a burden to society like you have been your entire life.. ROTFLMMFAOBOY!!! .
So true, my friend with integrity. Those two things you mentioned are not legal. But, I see so many people getting away with it, that I deem it well enough for me. You see, when the law doesn't make good on its purpose and so many people abuse the law and get way with it, I feel like a fool. So, that's a rationalization I've come up with to not care either. It just seems the government coddles the underclass too much. Maybe it's to compensate for the screwing they get from society and the laws themselves. But, now that I'm retired and don't have to answer to my company or anyone. I'll do things my way and I'm enjoying myself already. Good luck to you in your retirement and as today is Dec 31, Happy New Year to you. I think we beat this conversation to death. We should leave this blog for everyone else to share.
The problem is that much of what you've described is not legal. Getting certified as blind (assuming you're not), getting a disabled parking placard if you don't really qualify, and getting money under-the-table and not disclosing it when asked about your income, these things are not legal. Just because you'll probably get away with it doesn't make it legal.
There was a time that I saw things your way, but not anymore. I explained why already. And yes, I do expect to endure harsh criticism when I post the things I admit. It's because this forum is open and anonymous, that I tell you the truth openly. Go ahead and criticize, as it won't bother me. I'm living quite well on "my" tax sheltered investments and generous subsidies afforded to me as a "destitute" American citizen. If it's legal, then take advantage of it. That's what I say.
@9ylu - "One day you will come around to seeing things my way." A bit arrogant aren't we? I guess any senior who isn't doing what you're doing is just a chump, right? I guess you think that we all wish we were as clever as you. Of course, you can live your life anyway you want, but I can't understand how anyone could post that they are going to commit fraud against the government, take advantage of charities, use disabled parking under false pretenses and yet not expect to endure harsh criticism. For your own sake I hope you're a troll, because otherwise you seem to be a borderline sociopath. (BTW - I'm not 9djf)
Got that rant off your chest, 9djf? You live your life your way and I'll live mine my way. I put a long career into Chevron and did quite well, thanks to no one but me. Now that I'm retired, it doesn't mean I'll burn through all the wealth I've accumulated. It wasn't easy, but I invested wisely and planned for my future 10 years out. I've seen a lot of injustices and taken a few of my own. I decided a few years ago not to allow anyone to tread on me anymore. I'll do all the taking I can from now on and give back the least possible. One day you will come around to seeing things my way.
Welfare and Foodstamp Fraud? I didn't know that Chevron hired criminals. They have been DESPERATELY needing to get rid of the dead wood before it brings the whole tree down. Good Riddance! They at least got one cut right!!!!Good thing that it was a liberal parasite sponge welfare & food-stamp abuser with the fake handicap plate. LOL!
@8qlt, I don't worry about you at all.
@7aoh - Don't worry about me, I will easily be able to afford to have a nice cup of coffee and keep my integrity. Why settle for just one?
I'll be the judge of my own moral compass, thank you. BRW, the planning effort I put into my retirement does not amount to a little money. It's way more than you understand. Enjoy your retirement with integrity. That and five cents will only buy you a cup of bad coffee.
@7dvr - You enjoy your retirement as well, especially the small amounts you'll be getting for SNAP, Lifeline smartphone, and the other benefits designed for people who really need them. For the amount of time your son probably spent setting it up, he probably could have billed an actual client for useful services and you both would have come out ahead. In any case when someone feels the need to brag about how much money they have and how clever they and their children are, I think it's time end the conversation. I could brag about my kids too, so what? Both my brothers are attorneys, but I would never ask them to do something like this, and not because I don't trust them. The insurance example was just to point out that morally, it could be considered similar. Deep down, I think you know that someone with over a million dollars in assets who arranges their assets to appear poor and gets money under-the-table to avoid detection just so they can collect welfare and charity has lost their moral compass. I'll keep my integrity and you can have that little extra money you bilk the government and charities out of.
Oh, @7rnp, you go ahead and do your own thing in retirement and I'll do mine. I did very well in my long Chevron career. My lump sum pension was cleverly invested under my brilliant son's advise. He is a master class tax attorney who knows the ins and outs of tax and estate planning. My 401k balance at retirement was $1.25 million and is being tax sheltered into trust funds and other legal accounts, everything being done to remove them as my own assets. It's too bad you don't have the knowledge and the trusted children to pull off what I have done. I won't or don't need to stoop to criminal acts like insurance fraud, as you suggest. I'm not a fool. So, let me congratulate you on your retirement. But, I know I will enjoy mine more than you will enjoy yours.
@6hse - LOL, what makes you think I'm young? I am recently retired, and I paid a bucketload of taxes over my career, but I wouldn't dream of doing what you're doing, nor would anyone else I know. You may think you're clever, but most people are aware of what you're calling "loopholes", but don't have the resentment that you seem to have, and don't feel the need to steal back the money that they've paid in taxes. It seems like you're really nothing but an uncreative con artist, and like most con men you justify your behavior by claiming that others just aren't as smart as you and that you somehow deserve the money. Maybe in your free time you can do some insurance fraud to get back all the money you've paid in premiums and haven't gotten back. Stage some fender benders and rake in the pain and suffering. Why not go for the gold and fake your own death because of all those expensive life insurance premiums you've paid and haven't been able to collect because you weren't fortune enough to die? For myself, I'll be happy living off what I've earned and saved working at Chevron along Chevron's generous pension and Social Security when I'm old enough. No regrets here. One hint for you, make sure you read extreme right-wing and anti-government websites and literature regularly, otherwise your conscience might start bothering you.
Yes, @6dup, I'm using the shortcomings of the government and the longcomings of my ingenuity to get ahead. I've been a pawn for too long and now I'm turning the tables. Believe me they don't care, else they would change the law or end the loop holes. When you get to my age and are retired, hopefully your lifelong experiences with taxes, insurance, the government, your employer, and all the other nuisances would have taught you a lot. You may indeed come around to my rationale.
@6gbf - Again, if you need to get money under-the-table, then what you're doing can't be legal. If your vision is better than the legal definition of blindness (20/200 in best eye I believe) then you're committing fraud, and so is your daughter if she knows it. Whether you're likely to get caught has nothing to do with it. And how anyone could think that it is ethical to take donated food from a Food Bank when they have access to plenty of money is a mystery to me. Talk to almost any criminal, and they can rationalize away what they do, that's human nature. I think that you are using the shortcomings of the government to justify actions that are clearly wrong to any person with a normal sense of morality.
I am the author of "I'm a free-loader and the government is my oyster". You may have your opinion of me and my tactics. That's fine, and it doesn't bother me. I maintain my self-respect in not allowing the government to tread on me ever again. I owe it to myself to take everything that is legally available to me and now and then "bend" the rules to make sure I come out ahead (no one will check). I know that claiming to be legally blind and ceding my assets to my trusted son to claim to be destitute within 5 years seems unethical, but it's a matter of perspective. It's called manipulation of the law, but it's within the bounds of being legal. I will get my allowance under-the-table and live in my own home while claiming rent expense. The Food Bank and other nice charities will deliver food to my door, SNAP will provide a subsidy for my steak dinners, a welfare check will pay for my cable and internet bill, I'll call my family and friends on my free Obama smartphone, and I'll visit the thrift shop to get my critic's good shirts and pants. My daughter, the Doctor will get me a handicap permit so I can get premium front-door parking at the mall, pharmacy, Best Buy, theater, or even in the building where you work. If I get Alzheimer's disease, Medicaid or the State will pick up the whole tab for my nursing home, as I would be considered destitute (not owning a home or assets for 5 or more years). Our government provides all these things for us. You just need to claim it. So don't be disrespectful to yourself and leave these things alone. Get back the money you've been paying all your life. It's yours.
True, true.
As the author of the "self-respect" comment, let me clarify what I meant. I was specifically referring to the "I'm a free-loader and the government is my oyster" attitude of a poster, along with the notion that he was going to dedicate his retirement to somehow getting back the taxes he paid. I have no problem with people receiving benefits to which they are entitled or taking advantage of tax breaks to which they are entitled. In the end, it's a judgement call (and in some cases a legal question) as to what you consider you are entitled to, but in my opinion getting yourself declared legally blind (assuming you're not), transferring your assets to a relative and getting payments under-the-table so you can get welfare and a free smartphone, going to food banks when you have access to plenty of money, etc., as was suggested, are way over the line.
Your fair share of taxes is the minimum amount of taxes you are required to pay by law. Your fair share of government benefits is the maximum amount amount benefits you are able to receive by law.
Any extra tax or reduced benefits you receive is good for you. You did a nice thing for your government. Too bad, the money will go to paying me benefits I don't need and reducing my taxes. Don't you wish you just kept your money and donated it to a cause you support instead of the gov't?
This is hilarious, people. Get out of the politics. There is no lack of self respect for using something you qualify for. If it feels unethical, it means the government isn't functioning efficiently. Exploiting an efficiency is patriotic (because you are essentially being an activist telling the gov't to get their act together). Case and point 1: gov't makes backdoor Roth IRA legal, CPA's expose, taxpayers exploit, gov't realizes, politicians tried to get rid of them-we'll see. Case and point 2: gov't gets rid of asset test to Medicaid, political interests expose, people with variable pay exploit, gov't is now aware and will inevitably act.
Do you think Chevron pays more tax just to be ethical? Hell no. They minimize the bill and they probably have all kinds of accounting errors that work in their favor for DD&A. Just look at your benefits that are, mostly, untaxed. Do you think it's fair that making six figures I paid a lower rate than many making less? Hell no. Does that mean I should increase my taxes on purpose? Hell no. Is there any difference between Chevron trying to minimize their tax bill and me trying to maximize gov't benefits? Hell no.
Every time someone gets angry with me for my tax and aid tricks, I usually see that they are just jealous that they didn't think of that. Then, they either say to themselves "he is just a free-loader" or "he probably is going to have negative consequences" or start doing it themselves.
If you don't like the inefficiencies of the government, vote with them in mind. Do not attack those who expose them-if it weren't for the free-loaders, no one would ever fix the problem.
My dear @6trg, but it is self-respect I have, don't you understand? By continuing to pay my fair share of taxes, pull my own weight, make sacrifices for the benefit of the less fortunate, to donate my hard earned money to charitiy, etc, I only continue to lose my self-respect. These traits have been conditioned into us from very young. I've learned to break through and realize that I can keep what I sowed in life and get back what I so foolishly gave away. I paid way much in taxes all my working life. I didn't have a choice, the government would have taken away my home, my assets, would have jailed me. Now that I'm retired, I need to protect my assets and make up for the taxes that were stripped from me. I'm taking back as much as possible. I'm using the laws on the books and every means I have to get everything for free or as cheap as possible. So when you talk about self-respect, my friend, I'm doing just that. I'm not continuing to fall victim to being ripped off any more. And I have lots of self-respect telling you this.
@6ikq - Or you could have some self-respect.
@6ikq - Or you can have some self-respect.
You see, my friend... you have to get your own if you want to get ahead. Ever since George H. W. Bush (Senior) left office, I stopped allowing the Republicans and the Democrats to rile me up. These two political parties are just members of the same country club of the United States of America. They pretend to hate one another, but they really are friends playing a tennis match, they win some and lose some, but tomorrow is another day. If you want to win, you need to play them off each other. Take advantage of every freebie you can grab, even if it means you need to cheat a little. Learn to be bold-faced when asking for something for free. You'll be surprised how good it makes them feel to give things away. After all, it's their job to give things away. You keep paying your taxes if it makes you feel proud. I'm a free-loader and the government is my oyster.
As Jed Clampett would say; pitiful, jess pitiful....
My dear @6poy, my new found joy is sponging off the government and anywhere I can get something for free or real cheap. It's exhilarating. I've paid taxes through my nose for over 40 years of working jobs (the last 25 with Chevron), and boy did I pay taxes. Now it's my time to take back. If I live another 30 years, I will try damn hard to break even. I will drop by the thrift shop next week to pick up some your old clothes for free. I hope you wear my size and share my fine taste for good clothing. I don't mind gently used clothes, so long as it tends to state "smart dresser" and not "tight ass". I'm surfing the government websites for new give-aways and spending an hour each week and the downtown soup kitchen, just yapping it up with the other deadbeats and parasites to see what goodies Uncle Sam and the Great State of Texas are doling out. Besides cutting discount coupons and buying store brand food at HEB, my cousin, the Police Officer, and I subsidize our income by faking car accidents and injuries twice a year in Floriida. Yes, I have a small property down near Tampa where we go fishing for 2 months in the summer. He witnesses the accidents and the insurance companies just pay without question. Dumb asses. It's amazing how much free money there is out there. Like taking candy from a baby. I feel like 30 years old all over again.
@5mnv - So giving free landlines or cell phones is OK, but if it's a smartphone then it's socialist? I get it. In any case, the phones are funded from the Universal Service Fund on cell phones, not from income taxes. In any case, if you want fool people to get free stuff that's really intended for people who need it there's plenty of charities you can fool to get a free food, meals and other free stuff. Most will give you stuff no questions asked. Me, I'd rather use the money I earned at Chevron to donate to charities that help those in need rather than get benefits from the government in a morally and legally questionable way. Also, if your son has to give you the money "under the table", then what you're doing can't quite be legal (if it were, why would he have to make the payments secretly?) Can you get away with it? Probably yes. But there are lots of crimes you could commit and probably get away with. So what?
No, Im not kidding @5ybj. I'm talking about a new Obama smartphone, not that Reagan-Bush crap. If I'm sponging off the government and your taxpayer Dollars, I'm going for the latest stuff. And as far as my daughter, the Doctor, and my son, the Attorney, yes I'm dead serious I can get away with "legally blind" and "legally destitute". And like I said, if Hillary becomes our next President, that will open the flood gates to becoming a real Deadbeat and Parasite. When I worked for Chevron, I worked smart and squeezed every drop for the benefit of the company. Now that I'm retired, I will be as equally dedicated to squeezing every drop of government candy for the benefit of Me. Now it's time for you to get back to work to pay those taxes I need so much to top-off my Obama phone for January.
@4rhi - By "Obama phone" don't you mean Reagan-Bush phone? Reagan started the program in 1984 with landlines and Bush II expanded it to cell phones in 2008. Let's give credit where it's due. See http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/cellphone.asp. Good luck with your plan. If you're really willing to do all that, including risking your daughter's medical license and the possibility of you and your children prosecuted for fraud, just to pull one over on the government and collect a few bucks, you deserve whatever you get, be it money or jail time. Hopefully you were just kidding.
Back on track people. This is not about politics, it is about the exploitation of government programs for those who can not find or do not want to find work immediately.
Maranatha
If things in the economy get a little worse and Clinton wins the election, I will cede my home and all my assets over to my son. Yes, I trust him with my life. Once without assets for 5 years, I can claim to be destitute. I will take advantage of all government welfare benefits, including food stamps, free Obama phone, low rent assistance, low or no-cost medical, etc. I will live in my own home and claim that I'm paying rent. My son will provide me an "allowance" under the table with my own money. My daughter, who is a Doctor, will certify that I'm legally blind so I can get an extra credit on my Federal 1040 tax return and any other government benefits. As our Socialist government invents more subsidies and credits for the deadbeats and parasites, I will find ways to take advantage of all of them.
That's correct, 4udh. That is the path we are on. Barry has started us on the road to Socialism and if another 8 years of that is allowed to continue, we will be ruled under Communism.
from freedom to capitalism to socialism to communism
Absolutely correct @4clp. The best government is one that intrudes the least on our lives. It's a shame how our politicians over the years have taken OUR country down to the depths we are now in, starting with George W. Bush to the last 7 years under Barack Obama. I hope the next President is able to begin reversing the tide, else this country will be doomed forever.
The vast majority of our tax money just goes to pay interest on our national debt. I don't want the government controlling my healthcare. We are losing our freedoms. I'm with Henry David Thoreau who said that government is best that governs least.