#theyre holding my paycheck over my head | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

shhh-no-ones-home · 4 years ago

Text

saving graces marcus moreno x reader

+++++++++

Prompt: “You dont strike me as a professional criminal.” “thats what makes me so good at it.”

song: knife under my pillow by maggie lindemann

tag list: @cynic-spirit

+++++++++

"im starting to get worried about her. she just sits in her room all day, shutting everyone out. and before you ask, yes i have invited her to all of our outings but she always tells me no... i dont know what to do at this point. shes gonna have to leave for work eventually; im not paying rent by myself."

i heard my roommate say from her room. i stood with my back against my bedroom door and sighed. i didnt need to read her mind to know what she thought of me, it was pretty apparent. not that i could control it anyway. it kind of came and went.

"Bradly its a problem!"

she said loudly and i closed my eyes, shoving my hands deep in my hoodie pockets. 'maybe shes depressed again.' i heard him say and i snapped my eyes back open. nope i definitely didnt want to be in his head right now. i just shook it off, pulling my bedroom door open and crossing the hall. i knocked on her doorframe lightly and she paused, staring at me with wide eyes.

"im going out, i probably wont be back for a while."

i said in a soft voice and she nodded, mouth hung slightly open. i didnt wait for her to say anything back, i just made my way through the apartment and to the front door. when i swung it open the cool breeze hit me in the face immediately. it was late autumn but it was only just beginning to feel like it; we did live in a pretty warm city after all. i hummed at the thought as i pressed my way down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. town was only a ten minute walk and usually i could make it without running into anyone.

i guess that wasnt going to happen today though. as i saw a woman about my age walk towards me i ducked my head down, lifting the hood of my jacket over my head. 'oh thats cute, i should get one, wonder where she got it.' i heard and i shook my head. 'maybe i could google the motif, what was it again? oh well.' she thought and i rolled my eyes, quickening my pace to get away from her.

as i came to the stop light at the end of the street i was met with a few other people waiting to cross like me. 'did i put my grocery list back in my bag?' came from the old woman. 'i wonder what would happen if i crossed the street before the light turned green.' came from the the teen in the blue hoodie, standing away from his mom. i just looked to him and drew my brows. 'i really need to stop wearing my good heels to work, theyre starting to scuff and i dont have money to get them fixed.' came from his mom. i just rolled my eyes at her and looked back to the stop light.

as soon as it turned white i walked across the street with the group, nodding to a man walking his dog in the opposite direction. he nodded back but didnt think anything, or not that i could hear. that was a relief. i bit my tongue as i got closer to the corner store. usually i could get away with stealing a few things here and there, tucking them into my hoodie. it was usually small but pricey stuff i knew i could sell online. lord knows i need the money, i haven't told my roommate that i got laid off about a month ago and this was my only source of income currently. the only good thing about it was that i could sometimes read the minds of the people around me to know if they suspected anything. but i always made sure to buy something just in case.

i stepped inside of the store and smiled at the clerk as she waved at me. i had been coming in long enough that they all kind of knew me by now, something to keep me on their positive side and not think anything bad about me. they knew i liked to walk around for a little bit before checking out, a new energy drink flavor and snack chip bag in hand.

i made my way down a few aisles, picking a few things up and looking over them before putting them back. i knew the store like the back of my hand and knew just where the security camera blind spots where. i looked up to one and stepped around the shelf to be in front of the endcap. in front of me was a new shipment set of headphones, each twenty five dollars a piece. jackpot. i picked two off the shelf, closing my eyes to see if anyone was around. nothing. i looked too before slipping them into my pocket.

when i rounded the corner again to the next aisle i froze. there was a man standing there but he didnt look away from the product he was reading the back of. i just stepped slowly down the aisle, looking at a few items, pushing them around the shelf. when i felt his eyes on me i tensed. 'interesting choice of attire.' i heard and i rolled my eyes. i turned and faced him to walk further down the aisle but he looked away quickly. 'oh shes cute though.' i heard and i could feel my heartbeat quicken. then a few others thoughts made their way into my brain.

"shut up."

i whispered to myself, rubbing the side of my head and closing my eyes tightly.

'thats a lot of shit.' 'maybe i could get this with my next paycheck.' 'damn i needed that but theyre all gone.' All the patrons thoughts flooded into my brain at once and i couldn't focus anymore. i moved my other hand up and held my head in place, swaying back and forth. 'damn, is she alright? maybe i should help.' i heard him again, singled out as the others moved around. it was like i could pluck them out of the air with my bare hands. i just shook my head, falling into the shelf to my right and knocking a few things off of it.

"excuse me, are you alright?"

he asked and i snapped my eyes open. he was stood in front of me with a concerned look on his face but leaned back when i looked at him. 'she did not have purple eyes a minute ago.' he thought and i drew my brows, shaking my head and sliding to the ground. then i felt his hand on my shoulder.

"do you need some help? can i call someone?"

he asked but it was hard to hear. everyone was so loud all of a sudden. i just dug my nails into my hood.

"make it stop."

i cried out.

"make what stop?"

"the voices."

i said, looking back to him. he tried to study my face for a moment and i couldn't pick his voice out of the crowd anymore.

"do you have powers?"

he asked quietly as a tear slipped down my cheek. i swallowed hard, looking over his face.

"i dont know."

i said, my lip trembling. he sent me a soft smile.

"im marcus, im the leader of the heroics. and ive seen enough new powers to know when someone has them. you said you heard voices... are you a telepath?"

he asked and i shrugged.

"i think so but i cant control it. i hear them sometimes but not always, and i can never tell when im just gonna invade someone's brain."

i confessed and the voices stopped.

"let me help you."

he said, taking my arm and helping me to my feet. i wiped the tears away and tucked my hands into my pocket. my eyes got wide when i felt it was empty.

"shit."

i mumbled under my breath, looking to the floor and seeing both sets of headphones on the floor amongst a few of the items that had fallen when i did.

"oh, was some of that yours?"

he asked innocently and i shook my head no, squatting down and picking up my wallet.

"nope, just missing this."

i said, stuffing it back in my pocket and placing the stuff back on the shelf, holding the headphones up for him to see.

"i dont think these go here, ill go put them back."

he nodded and i turned my back to him, rounding the corner and shoving them back in my pocket. i grumbled to myself as i stepped forward towards the food part of the store.

"going so soon?"

i heard him say behind me and i slowly turned to face him.

"uh i came for something, i might as well get it."

i said and he nodded, walking to me.

"mind if i join? i really did mean i wanted to help. i know someone you could talk to."

i scoffed at him as he followed me down the chip aisle.

"yeah and by help you mean people who will experiment on me to figure out how my powers work."

"thats not it at all."

he said a little hurt, holding the basket he had loosely in his hand as i plucked some hot chips off the shelf.

"yeah, sure."

i said and he sighed, following me to the other end of the aisle and raising his brow at me as i plucked an energy drink off the shelf too.

"if you come with me we can figure out how they work, together, and we can train you-"

"to be a heroic? i dont think so."

i said with a short laugh, walking quickly to the register.

"why not?"

he asked and i snorted, paying for my goods and taking the bag from the woman with a small thank you. he just placed the basket he was holding on the counter and followed me out of the store, abandoning it.

"look, i dont want to be a superhero. i can barely handle life as it is and know i wouldnt be able to save anyone, now will you please just leave me alone."

i said and i heard him stop following me.

“when i first saw you You didnt strike me as a professional criminal.”

he said and i froze in my tracks. i was almost on the other side of the parking lot already. i should just keep going. but damnit i cant. i looked down and shook my head before turning around. i pulled the headphones out of my pocket and waved them in the air.

“thats what makes me so good at it.”

i said snarkily before moving to walk away from him, tucking them back in my pocket and keeping on my way. i continued back on the path i had taken to get to the store, stopping at the light as it turned red. when a car pulled up beside me on the wrong side of the road i looked to him like he was crazy.

"what the hell are you doing?!"

i asked and he nodded towards the passenger side.

"please, at least let me drive you home, we can talk."

he said and i shook my head in disbelief.

"why would i get in a car with you? you drive on the wrong side of the road."

i acknowledged, walking when the light turned white. he just pulled his car in front of me and parked it, getting out and standing tall over me.

"please."

he said and i rolled my eyes.

"look, marcus, i think youre cute too but this is not how to get a date."

i said, side stepping him but he caught my arm.

"why did you steal that stuff?"

he asked and i looked from his arm to his face.

"i dont owe you my life story."

"and i dont need to be a telepath to know you need this."

he said, letting me go. i just looked over his face before he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a business card.

"please, just think about it. i do want to help you. just think about it."

i took the card and scanned it, shoving it into my pocket after.

"fine."

#wattpad #x reader #310 #imagines #one shots #marcus moreno #we can be heroes #netflix

7 notes · View notes

patriotsnet · 3 years ago

Text

What Republicans Are Running For Governor In Nevada

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-republicans-are-running-for-governor-in-nevada/

What Republicans Are Running For Governor In Nevada

Adam Laxalt Trump Ally Who Filed Suits To Overturn Nevada Election Running For Senate

Donald Trump

Adam Laxalt, an ally of former President Donald Trump who filed lawsuits to overturn 2020 election results in Nevada, is running for the U.S. , the Associated Press reported.

Laxalt, a 42-year-old Republican, seeks to replace Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. The attorney and Navy veteran made a run for governor in 2018 but lost by four percentage points to Steve Sisolak. Two years later, he worked as Trump’s campaign co-chair in the state and filed lawsuits, that failed, against Nevada’s mail-in voting. Laxalt also tried to stop the counting of votes in Clark County.

In 2014, Laxalt became America’s youngest state attorney general at 35.

Andy Orellana, a spokesperson for the Nevada Democratic Victory group that supports Cortez Masto’s reelection campaign, said Laxalt as an attorney general “used his office to benefit his special interest donors.”

“He became Donald Trump’s main lackey in Nevada by orchestrating bogus lawsuits to prop up the Big Lie and overturn the 2020 election,” Orellana added.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

Laxalt filed late Sunday to run, setting the stage for what could be a decisive battle as both parties fight for control of .

He is part of a Nevada political dynasty. Cortez Masto succeeded U.S. Senator Harry Reid in 2016 and became the first Latina elected to the U.S. Senate.

“While Senator Cortez Masto is putting Nevadans first, Laxalt is only ever looking out for himself,” he said.

Nevada Gubernatorial Election 2018

: No

: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Filing deadline:Last day of candidate filing Primary: June 12, 2018

defeated and three other candidates in the 2018 general election for of .

Democrats won a in Nevada by capturing the governor’s office and maintaining control of the state legislature. Heading into the election, Nevada had been under since 2016 when Democrats won control of the and the .

The winner of this election stood to influence the state’s . Under Nevada state law, the is responsible for drawing new maps for and state legislative seats following the completion of the census. The has the power to veto these district map proposals. Click for more information on redistricting procedures.

Incumbent , who was term-limited, was first elected in by 11.8 percentage points and re-elected in by 46.7 percentage points. The last Democrat to win Nevada’s governorship was Bob Miller in 1990 and 1994. won in the by 3 percentage points, making it one of eight states holding gubernatorial elections in 2018 that Clinton won despite having a governor. As of October 24, tracked by Ballotpedia called the race a toss-up and one said it slightly favored Democrats.

The third party and independent candidates who ran were , , and .

For more information about the Democratic primary, .For more information about the Republican primary, .

Biden Administration Quietly Allowing Silent Amnesty Of Migrants

Eric Wright

The Biden administration is quietly allowing a silent amnesty by suspending or dismissing thousands of deportation cases pending in immigration courts, The Washington Times reported on Monday.

Terminating or dismissing a case removes it from the active docket, granting migrants de facto permission to stay in the country even though they do not hold legal status.

Deportation orders, as a percentage of decided cases, have decreased to 35% from January to June, which is about half the rate of the last two years of the Trump administration.

The number of case terminations has also gone up sharply even though immigration judges are deciding fewer cases.

Theyre dismissing these cases out of hand, and then ICE is releasing these people from custody, one Justice Department source told the Times.

Jeremy McKinney, the president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association said that implementation of the current adminstrations common-sense immigration enforcement priorities are shifting those cases away from prolonged litigation and towards resolution through established paths of legal immigration.

Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and currently a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, pointed to a May memo from John Trasvina, the principal legal adviser at ICE, who urged the agencys attorneys to use prosecutorial discretion to curtail deportations.

Eric WrightEric Wright

Republican Adam Laxalt Is Running For The United States Senate In Nevada

CARSON CITY, Nevada Republican Adam Laxalt ran Sunday night to run for the U.S. Senate in Nevada, setting the stage for what could be a decisive battle as both parties battle for control of Congress. .

Laxalt, who is part of a Nevada political dynasty and an ally of former President Donald Trump, aims to overthrow Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, who succeeded US Senator Harry Reid in 2016 and became the first Latina elected to the Senate. from United States.

Laxalt, a 42-year-old Reno-based attorney and Navy veteran, is the son of former US Senator Pete Domenici and the grandson of the former governor of Nevada. and US Senator Paul Laxalt. Adam Laxalt rose to fame in 2014 after becoming the nations youngest attorney general at age 35 and clashed with the Republican governor during his tenure. Brian Sandoval and his moderate allies in the state party.

He unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018, losing to the current governor. Steve Sisolak by four percentage points.

Democrats have won the last two Senate elections in Nevada by less than five points, but they fear a low turnout similar to 2014, the last midterm race held with a Democrat in the White House. That year, Republicans won nine seats to regain control of the Senate, and Laxalt rode the Republican wave to victory in the state attorney general race. Historically, the opposition party has won seats in midterm elections during a presidents first term.

___

See also:

Of the seven state executive offices on the ballot in 2021, four of them are represented by incumbents who are subject to term limits. One of those incumbents is ineligible to run for re-election in 2021 due to term limits. This represents 14.2 percent of the total seats up for election in 2021.

Republican Venture Capitalist Announces 2022 Bid For Nevada Governor

Republican candidate for governor Guy Nohra.

LAS VEGAS Republican venture capitalist Guy Nohra announced Tuesday that he is running for Nevada governor next year.

Nohra joins a GOP primary race that includes Las Vegas-area sheriff Joe Lombardo, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee and Reno attorney Joey Gilbert.

I Switched To The Republican Party Heres Why

Watch The Video

Like every Nevadan, I grew up in awe of the American experiment.Â As children, we looked up to the flag and were proud of what it symbolized and what it stood for – freedom, opportunity, and promise.Â Back then, we knew both parties – despite their political differences – shared the same values. Today that is no longer the case.âTodayâs Democratic Party has embraced a socialist, extremist agenda that hurts working class families, restricts freedom, and extinguishes opportunity for millions of Americans – particularly working class minorities who deserve the chance to give their families a better life. Thatâs why I voted for President Trump twice.Â Thatâs why I had an A+ rating from the NRA and their endorsement in my time in the state senate.Â I refused to compromise my pro-life, pro-2nd amendment values, even though it meant losing my state senate seat.Though Iâve been a registered Democrat on paper my entire life, I made the switch to the Republican Party â because on some things, thereâs simply no compromise.

Sheriff Joe Lombardo Kicks Off Campaign For Nevada Governor

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo speaks with journalists at a news conference announcing his candidacy for governor of Nevada, Monday, June 28, 2021, in Las Vegas.

John Locher

Former Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison with Joe Lombardo as seen in Las Vegas on June 28, 2021.

Joe Lombardo speaks with members of the media after announcing his campaign for Nevada Governor. Las Vegas, Nevada. June 28, 2021.

LAS VEGAS — Sheriff Joe Lombardo has officially announced his run for governor of Nevada as a Republican candidate.

Lombardo on Monday made the announcement at Rancho High School, where he was once a student.

Sheriff Joe Lombardo has officially announced his run for Nevada governor as a Republican candidate.

Hes running in a Republican primary thats attracted North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, who recently left the Democratic Party to become a Republican, and Joey Gilbert, a northern Nevada attorney who has questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election. Former U.S. Sen. Dean Heller also is considering a run and has been making recent appearances before rural GOP groups ahead of any official decision.

Lombardos announcement speech previewed his platform and the talking points that Republicans plan to use in the 2022 midterms. The two-term sheriff, who has never run in a partisan race, said he would block teaching critical race theory in schools, establish an election integrity commission and defend the Second Amendment.

North Las Vegas Mayor Announces Republican Run For Nevada Governor

LAS VEGAS — North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee on Monday will launch his gubernatorial campaign for 2022 as a Republican, challenging Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak.

Lee, 65, will be running as a Republican following a party switch in April. The campaign will officially be announced on Monday morning with a video.

FILE – This May 23, 2011 file photo shows, former Nevada Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, at work on the Senate floor at the Legislature in Carson City, Nev.

Im proud to kick off my campaign for Governor of Nevada, because Nevadans deserve a leader who will put Nevada values first, not the liberal, radical agenda we see today from Steve Sisolak, said Lee in a statement to media on Sunday night. I will stand up for the constitutional rights of Nevadans everywhere, and will focus on embracing small government, defending free speech, protecting unborn life, and supporting the right to bear arms.

Lee’s statement said he left the Democratic party because it “embraced socialism, adopted radical policies, and turned its back on Nevadas middle class and working families.” He said Nevada’s leadership is “nonexistent” and that Sisolak has “mismanaged” Nevada’s economy.

Gov. Sisolak’s re-election campaign didn’t directly address Lee’s candidacy in a statement.

Lee was first elected mayor of North Las Vegas in 2013 and was reelected in 2017. His term ends in 2022. Lee also previously served on the Nevada Legislature.

Gaming Commission Of Nevada

In 1998, Sandoval was appointed to serve as a member of the Gaming Commission of Nevada, which oversees the state’s gaming industry. The following year, at the age of 35, Sandoval became the youngest person ever to serve as chairman of the gaming commission. During his time on the commission, Sandoval fought national efforts to block gambling on college sports events, worked on regulations limiting neighborhood gaming and worked for regulations prohibiting slot machines with themes attractive to children.

Sizing Up The Gop Field For Nevada Governor

KSNV Las Vegas

Sheriff Joe Lombardo may be the latest Republican to jump in. He may not be the last.

Northern Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei is also mulling a run.

Amodei tells me he’s in no rush to make a decision. He says he’ll probably decide this fall, for a primary that’s still a year away. He says he’s doing his homework because he says beating Democrat Steve Sisolak, especially in his home base of Clark County, will not be easy. His message to his fellow Republicans:

Its like, what is your plan for not losing Clark County by 100,000 votes? And you know what – I know it’s early on but if you want to get people excited I’m sure waiting for some of those folks to start talking about that, the Congressman told me by phone Tuesday from Washington.

I got to tell you I feel no vulnerability in terms of sitting down and evaluating my stuff, Amodei told me, adding, at this point in time I feel no vulnerability because Im all around my district in person, in Vegas.

RELATED | Support group urges Nevadans to be mindful of those with PTSD on July 4th

To win, Republicans would need to win as much of Clark as possible, and run up the score in the rurals, and Washoe.

That said, the GOP field now stands at three: Lombardo; North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee and Reno attorney Joey Gilbert.

Because no party benefits from a large primary. It sucks up a lot of money that could be used in the fall campaign, Lokken says.

Capitol Rioter Running For Governor In Nevada

10 weeksEd Scarce

“I’m not a politician, I don’t ever want to be a politician.” said Gilbert. Hmm…where have we heard that before? Apparently, Gilbert was on something called The Contender, a reality tv show centered around boxing, as he was a former professional boxer, the show also made by Mark Burnett of Survivor fame.

Gilbert was present at the riot. He hasn’t been charged with any crimes, nor is there any evidence that he was ever inside the Capitol. He does, however, have ties to several people now arrested.

A northern Nevada attorney who has questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election and was outside the U.S. Capitol the day it was violently stormed is running for governor.

A video posted on Facebook shows Republican Joey Gilbert told an applauding audience in Las Vegas over the weekend that he planned to challenge Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in Nevadas 2022 gubernatorial race.

“I have a PhD in success,” Gilbert said in his announcement video. “I’m not a politician, I don’t ever want to be a politician. Let me tell you something that I am probably going to be doing here shortly. And that’s called running for governor.” Gilbert’s announcement was met with a standing ovation and loud cheers, the video shows.

According to the Associated Press. Gilbert is something of a fixture among loopy, rightwing causes in Nevada.

We’ve reached out to Gilbert for a comment but have not heard back yet.

North Las Vegas Mayor

On April 2, 2013, Lee was elected Mayor of North Las Vegas defeating incumbent Mayor Shari Buck. Lee assumed office on July 1, 2013. At the time of his election, North Las Vegas was facing large monetary challenges including a deficit of more than $150 million. Because of employee concessions and a strong management team, he was able to balance the budget without tax increases or layoffs in less than a year.

Lee has made the expansion and enhancement of North Las Vegas Libraries and parks two of his biggest priorities. In addition, his administration has streamlined business licensing procedures, attracting new businesses to the city. Lee also initiated an innovative plan to use state tax credits as an incentive to jumpstart development at the Apex Industrial Park, an effort that could eventually result in the creation of 116,000 jobs to the area.

Lee was re-elected in 2017.

On April 6, 2021, Lee announced he would switch political affiliation from the to the Republican Party, citing what he called the “socialist takeover of the Nevada Democratic Party”.

Former Sen Heller Preps Comeback Run For Nevada Governor

Heller has been meeting with GOP governors, donors and other party leaders during the Republican Governors Association conference.

Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller talks to supporters before a joint appearance with Ivanka Trump, at the GOP field office in Reno, Nev., Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Ivanka Trump praised Heller for his role in passing the tax bill and the doubling of the child tax credit that came with it. She says she’s confident he’ll win his battle for re-election against Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen. | Scott Sonner/AP Photo

05/26/2021 01:49 PM EDT

Link Copied

Former Nevada Sen. Dean Heller is preparing to run for governor in 2022, giving Republicans a high-profile entrant into one of the key contests of the midterm elections.

Heller has meetings with GOP governors, party leaders and major donors at the Republican Governors Association conference this week in Nashville, Tenn., according to three people familiar with the conversations.

It would represent a dramatic comeback for Heller, who lost reelection in 2018 as part of a nationwide repudiation of former President Donald Trump. Heller, who spent more than two decades in state and federal office, has begun talking with potential consultants and has conducted an initial round of polling.

I think hes really committed to this campaign, said Barbour. He would be awfully hard to beat in a primary.

Filed Under:

Nevada Attorney Who Was At Us Capitol On Day Of Riot Now Running For Governor

They are vying to take on incumbent Democrat Steve Sisolak, who will be making his first reelection bid in 2022.

A U.S. News & World Report analysis identifies Sisolak among eight governors who are vulnerable this election cycle especially since he is the first Democrat to win the governors seat this century in Nevada. The states three previous governors were all Republicans.

Nohra is a 61-year-old who was born in Lebanon and moved to the U.S. when he was a teenager.

He cofounded Alta Partners, a venture capital firm, and moved to Nevada six years ago. He lives in Reno.

0 notes

themoneybuff-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Questions About Tax Brackets, Compound Interest, Warehouse Clubs, Stamps, and More!

Whats inside? Here are the questions answered in todays reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Losing faith 2. Thoughts on simple investment strategy 3. Tax bracket question 4. Compound interest question 5. Costco versus Sams Club 6. Question about forever stamps 7. Investing for near term 8. VA disability and property taxes 9. KitchenAid 10. Where should I retire? 11. Credit cards for specific purposes 12. Saving old journals On the wall in my office are three framed pictures that my children drew for me when they were younger using finger paints. In the corner of each, my wife typed out a brief description of what the painting was supposed to be, transcribing what the children told her about them. They are among my favorite possessions. I look at them at least a few times a day and they provide a constant reminder to me about what Im doing, what Ive done right, and what I might do better. Theyre older now. My daughter is a fantastic artist at this point, drawing still life far better than I ever dreamed of being able to do. My oldest son is developing into a skilled problem solver and is likely headed for some sort of engineering career. My youngest has a superb wit and the most insatiably curious mind Ive ever come across. Those pictures captured them at a moment in their lives thats already past, yet when I look at the pictures, I dont think of my children as they were, but as they are. Its pretty impressive what three pieces of paper and a few cents worth of finger paint can do. Q1: Losing faith I have worked for the DoE for 18 years and been through a few shutdowns, but this is the first time Ive simply not received my paycheck. Part of the reason I have chosen to work for the government rather than an energy company is due to the stability of the job and now that feels like it is eroding. I dont know when Im getting paid next which is the very type of thing I wanted to avoid in private industry and took a somewhat lower paying job. I am losing faith in the government as reliable. Not sure what to do. Dan After last weeks mailbag focused so heavily on the shutdown, I wanted to dial it back a little this week, so this is the only shutdown-related question. Again, Im not interested in the politics of the situation, just how it affects the daily life of those affected by it. In your shoes, Dan, I would probably start polishing up the resume. I get the impression that your finances are generally pretty stable and you can handle a short period without pay. I would also use this as inspiration to remind yourself that the best kind of financial reliability is when youre relying solely on your own savings, not the reliability of an employer. When things do return to normal, kick up your retirement savings a bit and get yourself into a place of financial independence just a little faster. Q2: Thoughts on simple investment strategy I wanted to get your thoughts on the investment strategy my great uncle told me about. Hes in his mid 60s and has been basically retired for about a decade. He ran a bakery but sold it to the manager about a decade ago and sometimes consults with them but thats about it. He said that what he did was starting in the early 1980s when he was just starting out, he put a minimum of $100 a month into a savings account and then put in any windfalls he got. The minimum grew as his income did. Whenever the stock market dropped 10% from its peak, he would take half of his savings and put it in the stock market and then not watch again for another six months. He said he blew away the market doing this and its why he retired so early. I am skeptical because he sometimes tells tall tales and I think he is mostly retired on bakery money. Your thoughts? Alex So, lets break this down. He puts $100 a month into savings and then puts half of his savings into stocks every time the stock market is 10% or more lower than its peak, but he only does this every six months at most. I tried my best to match this strategy in a spreadsheet to figure out whether this would actually beat the market. As best as I can figure, over the period of January 1, 1982 to January 1, 2019, this strategy would beat the market but not overwhelmingly, and it didnt beat the market for long stretches in there. I assumed a 3% return over that entire period on money in the savings account, and I only checked the stock market on the 1st of every month. I used the S&P 500 as the number for the stock market and assumed he was investing in the Vanguard 500, which basically matches the S&P 500. Now, having said that, its worth noting that sitting on stocks over that period is simply a great investment. On January 1, 1982, the S&P 500 was at 117.30. On January 1, 2019, its at 2,584.62. That money he invested back in the early eighties utterly exploded in value. Heck, even as late as January 1, 2009, it was at 865.58 it has basically tripled since then. If your great uncle sold his bakery ten years ago and put a lot of that money into stocks, and hed been doing this investment strategy as you described all along, he probably is sitting on a pretty penny right now. As for whether you should do it, I dont think its strictly better or worse than just investing that $100 directly every month. It really depends on how the market fluctuates, as all of these strategies do. Your great uncle got rich because he made a 40 year investment in stocks, not because he had a great timing strategy. Anyone with just about any strategy starting in the early 1980s would be doing very good today if they just left the money in the market. In other words, I think youd be in great shape if you used your uncles strategy. I also think youd be in great shape if you just put $100 or $200 a month into a broad based index fund and sat on it for the next 40 years. The thing those two strategies have in common is that theyre both riding the long term stock market growth, and thats where the real money is over the long term. Q3: Tax bracket question You wrote: Lets say youre a single taxpayer who earns $35,000 per year. The first $9,275 of your income is taxed at 10%, and the remaining $25,725 is taxed at 15%. What? While $35,000 falls into the 15% tax bracket, your effective tax rate is actually 13.7%. The higher your income, the more tax brackets you pass through to arrive at your effective tax rate. There is no listed 15% tax bracket for single taxpayers.. That sentence is thoroughly confusing! Please explain where you came up with that! Tammy The article in question was written by Simple Dollar contributor Frank Addessi, not by me. Ill do my best to explain this specific point more clearly. First of all, Frank seems to have been using the 2017 tax brackets rather than the 2018 ones to explain the principle. His numbers perfectly line up with the 2017 tax brackets, which did include a 15% rate. The current 2018 tax brackets for single filers look like this: 10% Up to $9,525 12% $9,526 to $38,700 22% $38,701 to $82,500 24% $82,501 to $157,500 32% $157,501 to $200,000 35% $200,001 to $500,000 37% over $500,000 The easiest way to think of tax brackets is to imagine a big water fountain, one that has a bunch of progressively larger pools. When the little pool at the top overflows, the overflow runs down into the next pool which is a little bigger, and when that one overflows, that overflow runs down into the next pool, and so on. Heres a picture if you want a visual aid. So, in Franks example, hes looking at someone who made $35,000 in taxable income this year. You start dumping that income into the 10% bracket until it fills up at $9,525. At that point, you still have $25,475 to put into the fountain, so we move down to the next bracket. It can hold all remaining income up to $38,700, and so it holds the remainder. So, that first $9,525 is taxed at 10%, which means $952.50 in taxes, and the remaining $25,475 is taxed at 12%, which means $3,057 in taxes. Your total tax bill is $4,009.50, which is 11.5% of your income. This person is in the 12% tax bracket and their effective tax rate is 11.5%. Remember, because some of your income always ends up in those smaller bowls with a lower rate, your overall effective tax rate is always lower than your tax bracket. Hopefully this clears things up! Q4: Compound interest question I recently read a blog post about compound interest, which Ive primarily associated with bank accounts. But the article also seems to associate compound interest with retirement accounts and I was wondering if you could provide some clarity. One example early on says Lets say you have $5,000 in a retirement account, earning 7% interest each year. The first year you earn $350 in interest, which brings your total to $5,350. The following year, interest is calculated based on that $5,350 total Even if you never deposit anything but the original $5,000, youll have $38,061.28 in 30 years. I know the average stock market return is 7%, but is it accurate to call that interest? If not, is there some other type of retirement account that genuinely offers 7% interest on your principle every year (as this article seems to suggest)? Another example: toward the end it says If youre saving for retirement, invest in low-fee index funds. Fees of 1% or more will drag down your profit and cut into your compound interest. Index funds will follow the markets course and provide a solid rate of return. Avoid picking individual stocks, as their volatility can be problematic. Im on board with the ideas of low-fee index funds, but not for fear of high fees cut[ting] into your compound interest. Index funds are liable to lose value some years too, arent they? I wouldnt be giving this as much thought if it came from a smaller blog but this is Mint. It makes me wonder if I fully understand how my retirement accounts are working, or if Im missing an opportunity elsewhere. Is the article conflating two topics that dont really connect to one another? Or is there a way to leverage compound interest to this big of a degree for retirement? Max Mint is using the terms investment returns and interest interchangeably here in order to reduce the number of different terms being thrown at the reader. I do this myself its a way of making similar concepts seem familiar and not overwhelm people with new terms, especially when theyre asking an introductory question. They are distinct ideas, but they both have the same effect if you let them sit for a long time, the growth they provide is powerful. Your retirement account, assuming its invested mostly in stocks, doesnt return interest. Rather, what happens is that you usually own shares in a mutual fund. Each time you put money into your retirement account, its used to buy more shares. Over time, those shares grow in value maybe not each and every year, but most years. They also regularly produce dividends, which are small cash payments for each of those shares, issued to you. Almost always, dividends are just used to buy more shares of that same investment. So, shares grow in value over time and youre also rolling dividends in to buy even more shares. The end effect of that is much like compound interest in a savings account it builds and builds. Although theyre not the same thing, the exponential growth curve of interest in a savings account and investments in a retirement account are similar. The growth curve of the savings account isnt as steep, but its very steady and always upwards. The growth curve of the stock market investment is really bumpy, but overall trends upward much more strongly than the growth curve of the savings account. Q5: Costco versus Sams Club I dont know anything about sams club because we joined it when it first came to town years ago and hated it. When Costco came to town, we heard such positive things we decided to give it a chance and have liked it much better. Reasons are several, including those you wrote about esp. the gas prices as we pass the store every day. Further, they treat their employees really well. most importantly, they guarantee that if the credit card rewards (on their visa card) do not equal the membership fee, they will refund the membership fee. We have only one visa card and its theirs as we get a great deal of rewards based on gas alone. Jaden My experience has been that different chain stores have different degrees of quality in different areas of the country. Where I live, the two closest warehouse clubs to my door are both Sams Club and theyre both clean and well stocked and well staffed, and both feature gas prices that are consistently about $0.07 per gallon cheaper than any of the stations near them. There is a Costco in Des Moines (the closest Costco to me) and I found the experience there to be very similar when Ive visited with friends with Costco memberships. However, having said that, I didnt see anything that made it worth the substantial additional drive for me. My experience is that theyre both fine, at least at the locations Ive visited, and you should check out both in your area if theyre both available (along with BJs, another warehouse club chain popular in some regions of the United States). Q6: Question about forever stamps As you likely know, the largest increase in the cost of a stamp will occur on Sunday, January 27, 2019, as the price of a first class Forever Stamp goes from $0.50 to $0.55 (a 10% increase). While the best way to save money on stamps is to call/TXT/email rather than mail a letter, sometimes mailing a letter presents a very good value (sending someone a note of appreciation, etc.). Due to how significant this increase is, I would recommended that anyone with no high interest debt who already has an emergency fund try to purchase 2-4 years worth of stamps, while anyone else try to acquire at least a 1-year supply of stamps (as long as they can do so without paying interest on the purchase). Im curious how much of a supply of stamps you would recommend people acquire prior to this price increase? Stephen Personally, we estimated how many stamps well likely use over the course of 2019 (mostly personal letters and holiday cards) and bought them all already. This added up to 200 stamps, so the cost was $100, as compared to the $110 we would have spent had we bought those stamps at the end of January or later. With a longer timeframe than that, the cost benefit of buying those stamps really starts to shrink. Your annual return starts to sag and you have the stamps for longer, which means theres a greater risk of some sort of damage to the stamps (the longer you have them, the more likely they are to be lost, burnt, misused, and so on). This is basically what weve done each time theres been a bump in the cost of forever stamps. Weve bought an entire years worth just before the bump in price. Its not a big savings, but it saves us $5-$10 over the course of a year. Q7: Investing for near term You recommend fully investing in the Roth/529 even though they are less than 10 years out from likely needing the capital? I was thinking of them putting 10 or 20% aside for long term, although they are a bit depressed by the .1% interest our local bank returns to them. Any back of the envelope math as to what $2,000, invested at age 16, is worth at age 70? Annie Yes, I recommend putting money into tax-advantaged education and retirement accounts, even if youre less than ten years from your expected use. The difference is that when youre looking at that short of a timeframe, you choose investments that are intended for short and medium term investments, like safe bonds or money markets. They have a smaller average annual return than stocks, but they certainly beat savings accounts and have very little risk of losing money and youre still able to pull out the gains tax free. As for your other question, if you put in $2,000 into, say, a Roth IRA at age 16, put it aggressively into stocks, and let it ride until age 70, you should see an average annual return of 7% on that money. So, 54 years of a 7% average annual return on $2,000 gives you are you ready for this $77,224.30. Now, its worth noting that $77K wont go as far in 54 years as it goes now, but itll still be a very healthy chunk of money. If you withdraw 3% of it annually (which is a safe bet), thats $2,317 a year. Yep, if he puts that $2,000 away now and starts withdrawing it every year at age 70, hell be able to pull out more than $2,000 a year basically forever and still hand down a big chunk of it to his kids/grandkids. Q8: VA disability and property taxes Can a veteran who is on total VA disability with no other income receive a tax refund on his home owners taxes? Jim Property taxes are a deduction from ones income tax bill. Since, as a person on total disability from the VA, youre already paying no income taxes, you have nothing from which to deduct. I dont know the specifics of your financial state, but if you were to earn a small income, its likely that the deduction from the property taxes would take care of the income taxes on that small income. However, if your income is solely from the VA due to total disability, property tax payments wont help your income tax bill since you dont have an income tax bill. Q9: KitchenAid it is my understanding that [KitchenAid] was bought out by a foreign company some time ago surely since 50 years ago and that the new company has been making them with some parts being plastic that were metal originally. I have seen reviewers saying that the old ones really do last forever if one takes good care of them, whereas some of the newer models plastic parts tend to wear out. I dont remember seeing any mention of whether those plastic parts can be replaced. I think I found this information on consumer information web sites. Annie Whirlpool purchased KitchenAid in 1986. At some point in the late 1990s, it seems that KitchenAid replaced the gearbox in some of their stand mixers with one made of nylon rather than the original one made of metal. The issue isnt that the nylon ones wear out under normal use, but that people tend to stress them. For example, the instructions for the manual state to only use the dough hook attachment on speed setting 1 or 2, but people often turn it to 3 or higher. This causes the gearbox to get overworked and cause breakdown issues. Today, KitchenAid makes two lines of stand mixers the Artisan and the Pro line. The Artisan has a nylon gear box where the Pro line seems to have the old-style metal gear box but the Pro line is substantially more expensive. One note: the reason many people believe that old things are more reliable is due to selective bias. People remember the things that worked well in the past and forget the things that do not, and then they compare those things that worked well to everything now, where some things work well and some things do not. Thats always been true. Q10: Where should I retire? My husband I are targeting early retirement within 10 years but well be figuring out a location in 3-5 years. We want to spend the next few years visiting a variety of possible locations, narrow it down to a shorter list and then try out a few, staying 6 months to a year. Where would you start? What criteria would you consider? What resources are available, particularly those geared towards retirees (we dont really care about the quality of local schools these days). Thanks for any suggestions. Margaret If I were you, Id start by figuring out what you want to do in retirement. What do you want your typical day to look like? Does it involve regular time with family? With friends? Does it involve a lot of time outside in warm weather? Do you guys like cold weather? How do you want to spend your time? Questions like that should narrow down your target locations pretty quickly. Once youve addressed those kinds of quality of life issues, I would focus on cost of living and aim for areas that have a low cost of living while still meeting your other quality of life goals. I like using this cost of living calculator. Since youre retiring early, I wouldnt prioritize access to services too much at this point. Instead, focus on what will give you the aspects of life you want with a low cost of living. Q11: Credit cards for specific purposes I have not used credit cards until a few years ago and wondering if the following expenses qualify as recurring payment for which the card gives a cash-back: 1. Monthly rent paid to the apartment landlord (not sure if the landlord would accept credit card though but rent is the single largest toll on my modest purse); 2. Life insurance premiums. These do accept credit card payments and I am about to apply for two. Sasha I think that using credit cards for very tight specific purposes like this is a good choice, as it raises your credit score and likely provides some sort of reward bonus or cash back bonus for the card. The key, of course, is paying off the balance in full each month. Youll have to check with the credit card in terms of whether or not such payments qualify for the cash back reward. It depends on the specific offer and probably on how you go about the payment. If I were you, the next step Id take is talking to my landlord about credit card payments. My guess is that a small business might not accept credit cards, but a large one will. You may want to consider other strict uses for it as well, such as gas purchases or other regular bills. Q12: Saving old journals I loved to learn that you also use the three morning pages idea! I have been doing this for years and years, since 2000 at least. Question: what do you do with the old journals? I have a box of them in the garage. I realize I dont really look at them but it feels wrong to just burn them or throw them away but I also dont really want my kids to read them because theyre really personal and I sometimes work through hard feelings about motherhood. Jenny Personally, I digitize all of my old journal entries and then destroy the originals. (The exception is journals that Im hand-writing for each of my kids to give to them when theyre adults that contains a summary of the life advice I have for them along with things like family histories and recollections.) My process is that when I finish a journal, I put it aside for a while until I realize Im no longer looking back on it (usually six months or so), then I cut all of the pages out of the binding and scan them all (I use Scanner Pro). Then, I burn the original pages. That way, I can easily browse through them when I want, search through them using text searching, and theyll basically go away when I die (I suppose one of my kids might find them if they trawl through lots of my digital detritus, but most likely theyll just toss out old computer equipment without a second thought). Most of the stuff Ive written is simply me working through personal problems, and I really have no interest in rereading that stuff. The valuable stuff, for me, is when Im working through an intellectual idea, because I often want to revisit the earlier thoughts. Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. Ill attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours. https://www.thesimpledollar.com/questions-about-tax-brackets-compound-interest-warehouse-clubs-stamps-and-more/

0 notes

viralhottopics · 8 years ago

Text

Im A Millennial Republican And Im Sick Of All The Crying

Let me start by asking: do you remember a time when ones political leanings were a topic kept wholly and unequivocally private? I do. I remember when it was uncouth, improper, and just plain rude to ask someone who they voted for and why outside of intimate family and loved ones. Do you want to know why that was such an excellent practice? Because it didnt drive a stake between you, me, and everyone else. At the end of the day, your take on abortion, on the death penalty, on civil rights these are the innermost things about you. They are very personal opinions. This is part of the reason I am so against the liberal attitude. I dont feel the need to scream my opinions from every abstract rooftop I can find, gathering people to my cause. I also dont feel the need to cast people from my proverbial Olympus when they have (the audacity) to disagree with me or my causes. This past year has been a media circus and a shitshow. Ive long gone quiet as members of my party are painted as racists, bigots, and terrible people. It wasnt enough that the silent majority showed up on Election Day and blew your minds to say were here, were relevant, the Republican personality is still constantly under fire.

I am a young, female Republican that has voted for candidates from both major political parties. And I didnt make that decision blanketed in the ignorance of privilege. Privilege, especially racial privilege, is part of my life certainly. But I have suffered personally the way everyone suffers. And that is an important piece of knowledge to remember. Everyone comes from struggle. No one has a perfect life. Since when did the national currency become sympathy and pity? I have zero let me reiterate ZERO interest in playing the who had the worse life game with people my age. Because, believe me, I could play hardball if I wanted to about individual suffering. But I enjoy my privacy, and my dirty laundry is, unfortunately, none of your business. My struggle is not why people should notice me and remember my life. My sad story doesnt chalk up my measure of relevance. How about my sense of humor? My undying loyalty? My work ethic? Those are the things I want celebrated. Not the fact that Ive survived what Ive survived. And because Ive lived through real trauma, I want that to be the thing that defines me least. Todays democrat seems to be a card carrying member in the belief of youre only as good as what youve overcome, when theyre also championing the hope that one day, no one will have to overcome anything.

I voted for Donald Trump. Not out of choice, but out of necessity. Thats who my party chose as its representative. And, sorry to say it DNC, your party didnt bring a valuable player to the table. Im not going to be star-spangled thrilled for Hillary just because we share the common biological fact of both owning uteruses. Do I LIKE Donald Trump? No, I think hes a big mouth who says stupid things and isnt representative character of what I believe a president should be. But neither was Hillary Clinton. And neither was Barack Obama. In the light of no choice, I made one in the voting booth rather than being inactive.And maybe this is hard for whoever holds the position of POTUS, but I swear to God, there needs to be a stop on the current Commander in Chief rolling over like a pig in shit over the celebrity of the position. Youre not a celebrity you are much, much more than that. Youre our face to the rest of the world. Not a fucking actor or someone who shakes their shit on stage for my amusement. Youre not a star, youre a country. Thats the job you signed up for. Not appearing on fucking Between Two Ferns. Not creating photo ops of you shooting hoops with Steph Curry. Youre more than a meme and more than a dad joke. Act like it. Do you know why I didnt vote for Hillary Clinton? Because she was so goddamn condescending. What, because Im in my twenties, and youre parading Jay-Z and Beyonces endorsement in my face, thats it? Vote won? I dont fucking think so. The absolute last thing I am concerned about when it comes to a president is who star-studded, ZERO political acumen Los-fucking-Angeles is voting for. If the 1% of people who are so removed from financial burden, from prejudice, from hardship of any kind, thinks youre the end all be all of White House potential thats a major red flag for me. The American public and the American millennial is so much more than our likes on Facebook and what we read on Buzzfeed. And if thats not obvious to you, then youre not my candidate. Stop bumping tits with Katy Perry go to fucking Wisconsin.

Socially, Im a liberal person. I love the LGBT and queer community, and they should have every opportunity and every right to be happy in this world, whatever that may be. I believe in racial equality. Just because your ancestors were born closer to the equator than mine (because thats exactly what difference in skin color is) is a non-fucking-entity and should be treated as such. As a professional woman fighting to find a place in corporate America, Im definitely a feminist. I believe women of any and all races are capable, smart, better than the female stereotype, and a million other wonderful things. And you can keep your abortions, too, because I think theyre a necessity for people in special cases. But that doesnt mean abortions are for me. Were literally arguing a matter of life or death here, and just in case the sign-slinging left is wrong when we all meet our maker, Id rather not fall on that side of the line. Our welfare system is a broken, shell of a thing that doesnt find the people that need it and allows itself to be taken advantage of by far too many. I believe in a right to bear arms, because as a survivor of rape and someone who lives in a big city, theres no way Im going through that shit a second time. I believe in a capitalist country where the ceiling is only as high as you settle for, for individual instances of prosperity. The economy is a balancing act, and the more Obama poured his efforts into urban centers (his voters shocker), the more the working class in Middle America suffered.

To me, the prime segregator between a millennial voter of opposing parties boils down to one thing attitude. Far too many people today have their hands out for what they can get for as little effort as possible. Far too many people are bleeding hearts for every sob story. The modern democrat isnt waging a war against Donald Trump, theyre waging a war against a persons choice to be an asshole. If I want to be selfish with the money Ive earned and see as much of it possible in my paycheck, I have that right. If I choose to be uncaring about whatever cause and its GoFundMe than youve posted, thats okay, too. And you can turn your nose up at it as much as you want, but it doesnt stop it from being true. Newsflash, enlightened NYC hipster you are not the only people that exist. Just because you majored in philosophy at Fordham doesnt mean youre some renaissance man. Its fucking disgusting to paint a Republican as uneducated. I have a Masters Degree, and you can suck on it. In their efforts to be a social media vigilante for every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a struggle, the democrats have become the bullies. Theyll shame, troll, and shit on anyone who doesnt think Bernie Sanders is the fucking Messiah. In their efforts to encircle everyone in their warm, squishy embrace, theyve fleshed out an entire stereotype against 304 electoral districts worth of voters. The tables have turned youre the assholes, now. Youre no better than the Duck Dynasty backwater racists you paint most Republicans to be. Ripping down blue ribbons for law enforcement, Facebook status making, weeping on the picket line, crying on each others shoulders in the auditorium, straight up assholes. My struggle doesnt define me. My shortcomings are not my identifiers. I dont need your pity. And when I need your support, Ill ask for it.In the modern Democrats mission for extreme tolerance, theyve become the alienators. So pull your head out of your ass, young blowhard. Take a look around. Its never going to be Kumbaya for the masses. There is no safe space.