OT: My job's being eliminated

[Rube]

Where should we send donations, pardner?

How 'bout it guys? One of us needs a hand.

 

[elevmike]

Rod,

What kind of software? Anything usefull for the trade? Or do you do contract programming?

 

[Rod]

I am working with a tax CPA (pro bono - thank you Mr. Hobbs). It WILL be resolved.

Rube,
Donations are not welcome. I don't mean to be rude dude, I just want to earn my own, ya know?

Mike,
It is 'Punch Wizard' for turret presses including plasma cutters. Do a google and find PC Controls.
A PC based system using my graphical HMI created in VB. You 'draw' the part to be punched and watch the sheet as all the holes are hit in real time.

As far as the 'trade' I've only created a few DL06 new installs, no HMI on them, alas I'm ignorant on PLC HMIs. Nothing like PStephens cool machine

I have a fresh DL06dr, a used DL205 with 8 I/Os and a PICO 1760 on my bench. All with software and cables, just no job to apply them to.

Sure, I would gladly tackle a contract, IF it is within my scope.
I'm good for 5 hours a day of lucid programming - dang pain killers can make me loopy if I'm not careful.

Thanks,
Rod - the old CNC field tech

Now back to your regular program

 

[Papa Francisco]

Brucechase, You probably know Jake Peters and Mike Seneker than.

 

[rsdoran]

Rod that does not sound right at all. Depending on what is on your SSA-1099 or RRB-1099 and using maximum SS type payments, which is very rare to recieve, the SS payments should not be taxable.

This is just a quick run thru but my basic calculations come up with a max tax on about $2000 just using standard deductions. with no dependents. This would be a tax of $200.

If the pro bono tax pro can not help then let me know I may be able too, I have been doing taxes on the side for years. I am not in a position to help financially but I would gladly assist you on the tax problem.

 

[Terry Woods]

Hmmm... seems like this thread should have, at least, a slightly different name? Ya think?

 

[brucechase]

Brucechase, You probably know Jake Peters and Mike Seneker than.

Oh so very well. They were the corporate EE and ME for the area I was hired for. Don't keep me in suspense, how do you know them? How long have you known them and do you keep in touch? If you want to PM all this, it would not be a problem, I'm not sure everyone (or is that anyone) would be interested in all this anyway.

Amazing who you "meet" on boards like this.

"It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it" - Steven Wright

 

[cntrlfrk]

Apparently a small world for all the rubber guys out there. Spent a summer in 'Rotten Lawton' Oklahoma building a power line to a rubber plant outside of town in the late 80's working my way through college. I thought I was the one who coined the phrase because there seemed to be a huge lack of pretty women (no offense to anyone who may have found one) and once won an arm wrestling tournament at the Mad Dog bar on the outskirts of town. Unfortunately (or fortunately)the keypad doesn't do much for the arms as much as diggin' ditches did back then.

 

[allscott]

Sorry to Hijack this thread but I don't think I'm the first.

First of all to ROD, all the best to you, your physicians, and your CPA. Our bickerings about taxes and the price of gas are trivial compared to what you are going through.

The only reason I am responding is that I think I am one of the few that people here that have lived in both the U.S and Canada. I see a lot of fellow "canucks" here and see that the majority of forum members are from the U.S.

I had the pleasure (and I say that only slightly sarcastically) of living in Arkansas for 3.5 years. It was definately the most enlightening experience of my life.

First of all, you would think, that two countries within such close geography and similar terrain, natural resources etc.... would have a similar tax obligations. They do not!! I laughed when I moved to AR. My property taxes were 1/4 what they were in Canada on a similar house (even though I got the same services)? Federal and state incometaxes totaled about 28% in AR as opposed to approx 45% in Canada.

In addition Canada has the GST. Officially known as the Governtment Services Tax and more commonly known here as the gouge and screw tax totaling 7% on everything purchased except groceries and medicine. The province I moved from had a provincial sales tax as well. The total was 14% on top of my already taxed income.

When my accountant in the U.S told me that I could write off the interest on my mortgage I was rollling on the floor with my good fortune (not too mention the cheap gas, Americans listen up!! you don't need too complain about gas prices!). I happended to live about 6 miles from the Missouri border so I could get a carton of ciggaretes for $26.00, and a case of 24 cheap beer for $11.00. GOD BLESS AMERICA. In Canada because of "sin" taxes a carton of cigarretes is $90.00 and 24 beer is $40.00.

So what's the difference between the two countries? In a nutshell two things, population density, and health care.

1. We have a lot! more land to look after per person than the U.S. We have 3X the land and 1/10 the population, that costs money. It costs a lot to build roads that are seldom travelled, save seals from clubbing etc.....

2. Health care. In Canada health care is basically free. It doesn't matter if you haven't had a job in 20 years or if you are the president of Bombardier, you receive the same care. Is this good? yes, no, maybe? I will share a couple of experiences.

My first child was born in Canada under the socialist system. We were in a hospital room with two other sets of birthing parents. It looked like an episode of MASH. One doctor was trying to deliver 3 babies. At one point our sons heart monitor flat lined, A "technician" was called that hammered the top of the monitor with his fist to show it beating again (I'm not joking). Needless to say as first time parents it was a shocking experience.

My second two children were born in Arkansas. I was told when we moved that the hospital in the town we were living in was not good and we should consider travelling elsewhere. We toured the hospital a couple of time and to us it seemed good, so we gambled and decided to have our second child there. Compared to our first experience it seemed like the taj ma hal. We had our third child there as well, what a pleasent experience.

My other experience with the U.S health care system involved my Kidney stones. Those of you that have had them know what I am talking about. Those of you that don't, picture someone kicking you in the groin every two minutes for hours on end, it ain't fun.

Anyway the first time I had trouble I was in Arkansas. Not knowing what was wrong with me at 2:00AM at work, I went to the emergency room. The nurse on staff looked at me and my uniform, knew I was well insured and said "You have kidney stones, do you have your insurance card with you?" Shortly thereafter I was well medicated had a CAT Scan and was pleasently enjoying a morphine enduced sleep.

Back in Canada the same thing happened in the middle of the night. I had my wife drive me to the hospital. This time I knew what was wrong. I sat at the waiting room at ER for 1.5hrs in tears, I finally passed the stone in the waiting room restroom. I would have hoped the years of paying 10's of thousands of dollars in tax would have bought me a bed and a hit of morphine, I guess not.

So to conclude about health care, both systems suck. The U.S system soakes as much money as they can from people who are insured, the Canadian system sucks for everybody. There is a system somewhere in the middle that is right.

I went on about health care because it is the only real difference I see between our two systems. And quite frankly despite it's problems, yours is better.

SO A CALL TO ALL THE OTHER CANUCKS, WHAT AM I MISSING, WHY ARE OUR TAXES SO HIGH?

 

[elevmike]

allscott,

If your ever in Detroit just take a stroll through one of the local hospitals parking lots & you'll be sure to run across a dozen or so Ontairo license plates....

 

[allscott]

Never had the pleasure of being in Michigan, but I know of more than a few "wealthy" Canadians that have ventured south of the border for treatment. I know of one of my former employers
"VP'S" who went to the mayo clinic for treatment of a rare disease. He spent a large part of his fortune for a cure. He told friends of mine "it's better to be alive and poor than rich and dead".

If he had waited for treatment in Canada he'd be dead.......

Makes you wonder about our socialist health care system?

 

[allscott]

allscott,

If your ever in Detroit just take a stroll through one of the local hospitals parking lots & you'll be sure to run across a dozen or so Ontairo license plates....

The really sad part is that these people who are travelling to Michigan from Ontario are doing so because they are on waiting lists in Canada.

When you are 75 years old and you wake up in constant pain you are willing to spend everything you have for a new hip or a new knee. It is illegal in most provinces in Canada to pay for health care. These "patients" are the founding fathers of our country, we should be able to do better.

Those who can afford travel south for treatment, those who can't suffer and die in misery. The treatment in Canada might take years, the treatment in the U.S will bankrupt you.

This is not what Tommy Douglas had envisioned. There has to be a better way.

 

[MarkTTU]

...not too mention the cheap gas, Americans listen up!! you don't need too complain about gas prices!

If you look at inflation over the last 20 years or so and look at the gas prices over that same time they didn't keep up with inflation; if they had kept up with inflation then the current gas price isn't out of line with what basic inflation says it should have become anyway. (I'm speaking of the US inflation and gas prices). I have no problem with the oil companies making serious $$$, they exist to make as much money as possible and if you want in on some of that profit then buy their stock and let them pay you a dividend.

That said I do have a problem with any necessary good/service nearly doubling in price over the course of 12 months. This goes to the overall economy and it doesn't matter if its the cost of a gallon of gas, electricity rates, water rates, etc, these are things that you must have to live in our society; yes you can be smart and reduce how much you use and how efficiently use use them, but the economy as a whole can't absorb massive price increases in these items over a short period of time.

[rant]

At any rate, for all my complaining, and that of my fellow Texans and Americans, I believe we live in the best place on the planet when you look at the big picture. Our taxes are too high, but they're better than most other places, our government is wasteful, but not to the point where we're bankrupt (yet), our health care system is costs too much, but you can actually get treatment, etc, etc, etc. At the end of the day this country has a lot of problems and issues that need to get fixed and dealt with, but we're still ahead of the rest of the world on the grand scale.

[/rant]

 

[geniusintraining]

I believe we live in the best place on the planet when you look at the big picture. Our taxes are too high, but they're better than most other places, our government is wasteful, but not to the point where we're bankrupt (yet), our health care system is costs too much, but you can actually get treatment, etc, etc, etc. At the end of the day this country has a lot of problems and issues that need to get fixed and dealt with, but we're still ahead of the rest of the world on the grand scale.

I could not of said it any better...but I still like to B_I_T_C_H

 

[OkiePC]

Wow, I never thought this thread would generate so much discussion.

UPDATE: I still have not heard from the company in Texas, but yesterday I interviewed via phone for a steel mill job in Ohio. It's a temp contract (scab) job, but pays well, although very far from home. I plan to start actually looking for work next week in the OKC area. I have been basically just farting around catching up on my housework and Jeep hobby.

I hope to hear from my contact in Texas first, but I may have to accept the Ohio job just to make some quick money. On the other hand I may just go get a min. wage job nearby and get out of controls altogether until I get my kid$ raised.

I really can just sit back and wait for 6 months or longer if necessary. I have worked since I was 14 and this being unemployed thing is kinda nice! I take my dog swimming in Medicine Creek nearly every day, and now I even have time to chase women around.

Apparently a small world for all the rubber guys out there. Spent a summer in 'Rotten Lawton' Oklahoma building a power line to a rubber plant outside of town in the late 80's working my way through college. I thought I was the one who coined the phrase because there seemed to be a huge lack of pretty women (no offense to anyone who may have found one) and once won an arm wrestling tournament at the Mad Dog bar on the outskirts of town. Unfortunately (or fortunately)the keypad doesn't do much for the arms as much as diggin' ditches did back then.

Yeah, there aren't many worth chasing here with the 80000 extra GIs from Fort Sill clogging up the works. And I remember the Mad Dog Saloon and those arm wrestling contests. I was never a contender, but some of my friends did quite well (mid 80s)
Rotten Lawton is not near as much fun anymore. Just big enough to have the problems of a large city with none of the advantages. Anyway, I have enjoyed the flat tax discussion, and believe that it could work without punishing the poor, but would probably just end up as complex as it is already to do so.

Why don't we just make a law that all future laws must result in the simplification and/or reduction in the number of existing laws?

Maybe then the tax code can evolve back into a more fair and manageable system.

JMHO
Paul