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Reagan1k

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by Reagan1k

  1. Pretty sure the motto of Protect and Serve got left out of the handbook this go around. Protecting whom? Serving whom?
  2. Beg to differ - They aren't morons. They know exactly what they are doing - death by a thousand paper cuts sowing seeds of fear through the media with no regard for solving real problems. They're currying favor with those well meaning folks who want "common sense" laws but don't advocate for banning all firearms. Those gullible enough to side with these folks thinking they are helping enact reasonable legislation are just pawns. The masses are playing checkers and these nuts are playing chess.
  3. Are you talking about going without liability coverage - not just dropping comprehensive? I wouldn't ever own a vehicle (ranch / farm truck included) without liability coverage. Even if you aren't at fault you need the insurance company to be on the hook and provide you legal cover. You can and will be sued even if you aren't at fault in an accident. Errrrbody's lawyer will cast a wide net and just the cost to defend yourself against a frivolous countersuit far outweighs the cost of liability coverage. Someone rear ends you and you read end the car in front of you and you'll have legal bills out the ass. Kid runs out in front of you- you're bankrupt. Please don't do that. What happens if someone else needs to drive your car in an emergency, or you have a medical event while driving. This idea is terrible.
  4. So this saga has been going on for months....... And, you basically paid someone for the privilege of helping them move and load their shit. That's a new one. Please tell me you rented the Uhaul for him as well.
  5. This is the only way I can see how what was described to me could happen. Original material, identical packaging down to the branded tissue paper, real boxes, etc. (which evidently have a value unto themselves). Shell office, bogus receptionist, buzzed in with an appointment - ushered into a back room that's masquerading as a store room. Have to go with a known customer on 1st visit. Must bring a backpack or rolling suitcase to haul out purchases incognito. Very different from the .com stuff or the guy with a pop-up tent selling crap with the logo slightly altered. Not cheap, but not retail. Side note on the boxes - Evidently there is a robust online resale market for authentic boxes and bags sans merchandise. It's purchased by posers and influencers to stage their instagram photos as if they've been on a shopping spree.
  6. We've done that. Olive oil wasn't my favorite but still plenty good. Could have been the choice/grade of oil. Our variation I like better is to use melted butter, then grill offset from the flame until almost done. We have a second pot of melted butter with Zestful or knock-off stirred in. Put that in the fridge for a few minutes and let it start to congeal. Finishing touch is to brush that thickened mixture on and throw them directly over flame for a short time and let it flare up- same as char-grilled oysters. Delicious. (Then again, I'd probably like a cow chip doused in butter and char-grilled).
  7. My go to crawfish clothes are an old, faded old 3-button shirt and golf shorts fraying at them hems. Looks good from afar but far from good. Up close its evident I'm there to eat but the neighbors don't think I'm homeless when they see me walking up the drive.
  8. 100% this - But, there is something quaint about a patio full of drunk rednecks armed with with icepicks and live crabs climbing out of buckets, pinching bare feet that sort of sets the mood! Waking up with a shriveled up, cured mouth from the salt/spice and having the grease coming out of your pores is proof of a good night
  9. Touche' A shirt was a bit much for SP, but on Friday nights you gotta try for the ladies' sake. How else would you make them smile and show off that (one) pearly white.
  10. I was taught to wear a throw-away shirt to Sabine Pass. The grease stains and the aroma never fully washed out.
  11. There are so many varying degrees of these things.....from gas station copies to the real thing but smuggled out/in. I may know of a few women who might have come to be in possession of a couple of items that for all intents and purposes are legit, but did not make it over here through the normal channels. Those would be sold in major cities where you have to get a personal referral to even be let in to see the inventory. No phones/ cameras allowed...appointment only and buzzed into a locked, generic looking office. I like to imagine those workers overseas are pulling a Johnny Cash One Piece at a Time racket and are individually profiting above their meager wages, but in reality they are probably boosted at the border during customs work.
  12. Hightower is a nut - and I mean that in a wonderful way. I think he's great, especially for some newcomers whose skin is peeling off and can't stand to listen to some serene, calm oldtimer talk about wearing the world like a loose garment. That doesn't resonate when you are vibrating. Earl has the energy and delivery get get right where that person is and grab what attention span they have and make a connection. On the flip side, he's also good at energizing someone with some time who is a tad complacent. I immediately identify with him when he talks about always wanting to change the way I feel. Any time I find myself wandering in the wreckage of my future, I try and remember Earl taking about staying in between the claps - just be right here right now. and @BearSchlong I have vision that runs in my head of him punching "Tiny" and then proceeding to get his ass kicked after being told he had a lot of guts. Priceless story!
  13. Cilantro and chlorella are naturally chelating and help to flush metals from your system. Eat more tacos and salsa.
  14. I need to get into this. I hunt on some property north of Fredericksburg and know they have to be around there. I'd be more inclined to hunt harder for these than four legged critters these days. Need to watch that video and look for some guides specific to the Edwards Plateau.
  15. Gun control is emotional on both sides. There is a tendency for proponents and opponents alike to be knee jerk in their actions and opinions. If we don't address things like this and have an open discussion with intellectual honesty about what could and will happen, then we do disservice to the cause of making the country more safe. @Bozo_Casanova My point is, to completely dismiss this idea could lead to bad legislation and innocent people being hurt. Your calling it non-existent in my opinion is a bit naive and could lead to a bad law without certain safeguards if the drafters of the legislation think the same way, or don't think through it at all. I'm not opposed rational laws. Don't jump to conclusions in the same way you think I'm jumping to conclusions. Edit- maybe I’m just old and cynical, but there are people in this country who want to ban all firearms and others who want zero regulation. They’re vying for the votes from all of the rest of us and attempting to influence legislation toward their end goals. I don’t trust either side to ever act in 100% good faith.
  16. I know the term. I was saying swatting is a term used for a certain type of bogus claim, and I wonder what the term will be for this when someone thinks its funny or seeks revenge by calling in a Red Flag claim. I wasn't suggesting it will be called swatting as if that was original to me.
  17. The point is that it can be and will be done, and the secret to gain real support and make it beneficial is to craft the legislation in such a way that there is relief and due process in the event of such a thing. We have due process for things, and need to have due process for Red Flag laws as well - Just blindly saying I support this because it is good in theory isn't something I'm willing to do until I see the specifics. If at that point they seem fair, reasonable, and just with adequate safeguards from abuse, I'll be in support.
  18. I'm not opposed to certain measures being taken to help stop criminal activity. That doesn't mean I also can't foresee that this law will be abused in certain situations, just like the weaponization of other laws. IMO, that's simply good policy, to look at the worst case scenario for any legislative proposal and try to create checks and balances to prohibit abuse. I can be for Red Flag laws, still wonder what we are going to call it when someone twists it in an act of vengeance, and hope for something to balance the scales in that event to make the "price of freedom" something we can afford.
  19. We'll need a new slang term like "swatting" to describe bogus calls resulting in Red Flag seizures.
  20. Or maybe he was vetted quite well and exactly who they wanted.
  21. My concern with all of these lending consortiums catering to underserved business is that there is a reason these borrowers are underserved. They'd be the 1st to crater during a downturn in the economy and principal would appear to be at risk. If I'm taking a risk on principal at that level, I want returns far greater than these promoted as higher yielding fixed income. Just my hunch hearing and seeing the adds. To me, this reeks of junk bond risk without junk bond returns.
  22. Here is where I think the confusion lies on both of our ends. The verbiage and explanations are a bit convoluted. From your article - For IRA distribution purposes, all IRAs (except Roth IRAs) are considered one big giant IRA. It doesn’t matter if you have one IRA that was rolled over from a former employer, and one SEP IRA with your current employer, and one contributory IRA where you put annual contributions, and one after-tax IRA where you put contributions for which you do not take a deduction. All four IRAs will be considered one IRA any time you take a distribution. (***Note he does not include Roth accounts in this last two sentences in that paragraph setting the stage for the rest of the article***) What this says to me and what my understanding has always been - When you take any distribution - conversion or otherwise - the Pro-Rata rule applies to all IRAs except the Roths as they are a different animal. (Whether you have both pre and post tax IRA, or 100% in either - Pro-Rata is applied) If you take income for spending or a distribution to do a conversion - the Pro-Rata rules apply so if you have pre-tax and post tax dollars in various IRA's then you must take distributions in the same proportion, regardless of which account the funds reside. If you only have type of funds then the Pro-Rata application is 100% either way. The Roth stands separate and alone from that discussion. In thinking through practical applications - In your case you did a Roth Conversion under the special provision for a 4-year tax spread. If I think through that - many people who only had pre-tax IRA's took advantage of that.....meaning 100% of the distributions turned into a Roth conversion would be taxable now (or over 4 years under that special provision). No one would have done that if the outcome would be that they converted 100% pre-tax funds to a Roth (with Pro-Rata rules requiring taxes on 100%) - when the outcome would be that down the road then those same Roth dollars are taxed at the 100% Pro-Rata level as well. It would defeat the purpose of any pre-tax Roth conversions and cause double taxation. I think there are a lot of poorly worded illustrations on the Pro-Rata rules - and they do not properly address that Roth accounts stand unique and separate from the Pro-Rata rule. Pro-Rata is for tax computations, and as designed, the Roth allows for tax free withdrawals after 59 1/2 / 5 years so that calculation doesn't even come into the discussion. I'm always interested in being corrected if one of our CPA's will chime in.
  23. Making regular investments as you are doing, and keeping fees / transaction costs low gives you the keys to the kingdom. Not sexy but virtually foolproof. No argument here. Get in the market, stay in the market, and add to the market!!!!
  24. What you could do is roll your rollover IRA into your current employers 401k if their plan allows it, leaving you without any pretax IRA dollars. May or may not be be wise depending on the plan’s fee structure and investment options.
  25. I could be wrong but I don’t think that’s correct. Roth money comes out tax free because it is considered after-tax. You’d have paid taxes on the back door portion of the conversion as well as the pro rated portion the IRS assumes comes from your traditional. Something could have changed but that amounts to double taxation and would render any conversion or back door strategy useless. Point being, the back door is really the same as a straight Roth conversion, just using the new deductible contribution as the funds.
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