Posts by Samuel Sanders6

mellowraven8 said:Fair point. I manage. I do what I have to do and I'm not about to sit here and whine about it.

And I'm being straight with you. My current income in dollars feels like what I was making back in 2007; in terms of actual purchasing power, it’s basically a third of what it used to be.

Well, you must be quite the strategist if we're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It’s either organized crime or high-end tourism. Pick one.

Because if that's the case, those margins must have been damn good.

Sam Martinez9 said:I honestly don't understand why those of you working for private companies aren't asking for raises. I assume you're valued employees, especially given the labor shortage we're seeing across America right now—so why not demand higher pay? If an employer isn't proactively offering more, you really ought to be the one bringing it up.

So, let me guess—you asked for a huge raise and actually got one?

mellowraven8 said:My baseline was set back in 2016 when my paycheck got slashed by 40% overnight. Now, my actual take-home pay feels like it's stuck in 2007, except everything costs two or three times more than it did back then.

Honestly, who cares? Just adapt and go build something for yourself. Complaining isn't going to change a thing.

From what I've seen on other threads, you're tossing around some pretty high numbers, so I fail to see where the struggle is.

Tourism dominates the economy here, and right now, everyone seems obsessed with chasing that same quick buck. It’s easy to feel smug when you inherit a property or a slice of the pie, allowing you to casually charge $150 a night just to let someone sleep in a tiny studio.

But looking at the broader trends over the last couple of years—and I haven't even bothered to dig through the data because frankly, I lack the motivation—it makes me wonder: how much more miserable are we going to get?

Here is a snapshot of what I see happening in my own city and across the country.

1.) Real estate. In the decent neighborhoods, in those solid, older buildings, rent used to top out around $1,100. We’re talking about a mid-sized American city, not some rural outpost in the Midwest or somewhere near Lake.

Today? You might find a mediocre apartment for $1,400 if you're lucky. A better one? That'll run you $1,600. New construction? You're looking at $2,000 minimum. And this isn't even a tourist hub where prices are artificially inflated.

2.) Cars. I was looking at the car I bought over seven years ago. Back then, I paid a realistic market price for a small, sensible vehicle.

Fast forward to now. That same car is now 15 to 20 years old, yet it’s selling for essentially the same price, or maybe even 10% less than what I paid back then.

3.) Equipment. I’ve been checking the market for small mini-excavators lately for some side work. A year or two ago, you could pick up a decent entry-level machine for maybe $12,000 or $15,000.

Now? Those exact same machines are 50% to 100% more expensive.

4.) Utilities and groceries.

The absolute essentials—bread, flour, oil, milk, dairy, toilet paper, basic hygiene products.

On top of all that, looking at the average net salaries for private sector workers compared to 2022 levels, they are lagging behind the public sector by nearly $1,000.$500

https://tinypic.host/i/prosjek-privatnik.nzhMd

What kind of future is that?🙄
I don't even need to spell it out; we all see it.

And once everything fully transitions to the new currency standard, I dread to think what happens next.

Then there's the income distribution: roughly 1 million out of 1.6 million people are scraping by on $1,100.

https://tinypic.host/i/place1.nzWfq

Well, thanks to everyone for the assist.

lonefalcon41 said:Have you actually seen a surgeon yet? Where exactly is this pain hitting you? Maybe draw me a quick sketch. Honestly, just Google "inguinal hernia" or look up general info on hernias... we have plenty of threads on this forum, not to mention all the medical articles online. Try comparing your symptoms to what you find.

I ran into that surgeon at the ER, and then again a few days later when I went to his private practice. He wanted to go straight to surgery, but I wanted to wait for an ultrasound first. We hit a stalemate there, which is why my impression of him isn't exactly glowing.

That "lipoma" is about 2 inches to the right of my belly button—diagonal, toward my right hand. That’s where the pain is centered. Hopefully, that makes sense.

Everyone jumped to the conclusion that it's a hernia... but from what I've read online, a lipoma shouldn't really be causing this much pain.

I don't want to clutter things up by starting a whole new thread...

About a year ago, I started getting this pain in my lower right abdomen. My primary care physician wasn't exactly empathetic about it; she just put me on a massive waiting list for a specialist. When I finally sat down with him—honestly, let's not even go there—it was a total letdown. I guess exceptions really do prove the rule when it comes to quality care.

The one silver lining, though it’s probably a bad sign, was that the pain eventually stopped, so I just pushed it out of my mind.

Then, about a month later, the pain came back with a vengeance. I ended up in the ER, where the doctor told me to follow up after an ultrasound (which, predictably, was still months away). Eventually, I got an ultrasound done, but they found nothing. Fast forward two or three months to the next scan, and the radiologist actually noted a lipoma—small, but palpable from the start.

The ER doc wanted to surgically remove it even before we had the actual test results in hand, so my trust in the whole system is...🙄
well, non-existent.

Now, the pain has become constant over the last few months. Look, I know I haven't been the most proactive or organized about managing this; I've mostly just felt lost in the shuffle.
🙄 According to Google, a lipoma shouldn't really be painful. I've noticed it seems to flare up more during the colder months—maybe the temperature change triggers it? It isn't an agonizing pain, but it's almost always there, feeling more like a persistent itch or some kind of inflammation.

If I were to pay out-of-pocket for a comprehensive ultrasound at a private clinic, would that actually show anything useful? If anyone has experience with this, feel free to shoot me a DM.

Thanks.

I gave that a shot too, but I’m hitting the exact same wall.

I mean, I can't be 100% certain I followed their setup guide to the letter—they throw a whole mountain of extra software at you during the process—but I grabbed the free version straight from their website.

Hey everyone,

I'm running into a bit of a headache while trying to install some software.

The installation folder contains three virtual discs.

It’s basically cd1, CD2, and cd3 all bundled within an ISO file.

Once I finished installing WinZip, I opened up cd1, located the setup.exe, and kicked off the process. Everything seems to be cruising along smoothly until it hits the 20% mark, at which point it starts demanding CD2.

I try to follow the exact same steps I used for cd1, but the installer just throws an error at me, claiming I haven't "ejected" cd1 yet.

Does anyone have any idea how to bypass this loop?

Thanks in advance,

Fair enough.

Thanks to everyone for the input and for taking a moment out of your day to weigh in. 🙂

Donna White50 said:At the end of the day, it really just boils down to whether you actually have the income to support kids or not...
Look, most of us nowadays—basically because we're constantly being fed all this nonsense by the media and everything else the West pushes—are putting off having kids... We just want to focus on our careers first, find ourselves, actually enjoy life, or wait until we have enough money saved up to support a kid...
Look, you know the type—the ones who just find a way to make it work, somehow scraping by or pivoting when things get tight. It’s true, nobody’s saying it’s a walk in the park if you can't even swing enough cash to hit up the local grocery store... but hey, we don't exactly live on a desert island. We've got parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, extended family... all that. It’s funny, though—you see people who, in our skewed logic, probably shouldn't be having kids because they're struggling financially (or wouldn't choose to be in their shoes if they were being realistic), yet they have kids and somehow manage to pull it off perfectly fine. Of course, it's stressful and demanding, but people step up. Everyone lends a hand because they know families need support—parents ask for help, they find it, and in the end, everything usually works out okay...

Basically, the main thing is just keeping our heads straight—you know, staying mentally sound... because if our health goes south, our bank accounts won't matter much anyway. Health is easily the most important thing we've got, but let's be real, there's zero guarantee you'll stay healthy whether you're rolling in cash or struggling to pay the bills. We're all pretty much in the same boat...

Look, here’s how I see it—you just need a job, some steady income, and a decent little place to crash... and then you can have kids without overthinking the whole thing. Trust me, you eventually figure out the money for diapers, strollers, cute little outfits, and everything else a kid needs. In theory, you’d probably want something like $50,000 or $60,000 a year to support a family, but in reality? People make it work with way less. You pick up extra shifts, maybe a side hustle, someone helps you out with a gift or a hand here and there... it all works itself out in the end...

Anyway, I won't argue or respond anymore; everyone is entitled to their own perspective.

Speaking of that "help"—any kind of support—it makes me think of my own parents, and honestly, I'm an even more extreme example of their struggle.

They were lucky enough to have jobs where they could grind away at home like maniacs and actually build something back then. Sure, they sacrificed a lot, but looking at them now? They have nothing to show for it. Once you hit 40, you start feeling the weight of those months where you worked 15-hour days or dragged yourself out of bed at 3:00 AM...

And despite how many people will try to deny it—and they have every right to—things are even worse now. I wouldn't wish that kind of struggle, just trying to keep my kids and myself afloat, on anyone.

Enough!

analogviper9 said:Look, the world is a tough place right now, but let's be real: there is never going to be a "perfect" time to have kids.
If you want them, just do it now—because if you wait, making that decision later on will feel ten times harder.

I know things feel incredibly unstable today, but honestly, people have always found a way to raise their children—even if it meant breaking their backs working manual labor.
Once you have kids, you somehow tap into this superhuman strength to do whatever it takes just to keep them fed.

Sure, someone will feed them. They won't starve. We can agree on that.

But there's a difference between mere survival and actually building something meaningful. I've spent my own life just trying to stay afloat, and if I'm sticking around, my primary goal should be leaving things better than I found them for the next generation.

And frankly? That's an incredibly tall order. It might even be impossible.

Donna White50 said:It always felt better back then. But let's be real, the average person today lives better than the wealthy did 50 years ago—that's just progress from technology and civilization, so you'd think our kids will enjoy a better future too.

But yeah, this technological race for a "better tomorrow" comes with a price. We're working harder instead of smarter, machines are taking over jobs, we have to be more educated and skilled, and we pay more because we own more.
The issue is our own selfishness, irresponsibility, and greed—it's catching up to us. We can't seem to fix these socio-economic issues, so we're suffering for it. We don't have time to actually raise kids because we're too busy working to pay for the house, the car, the new iPhone, the kitchen, the washer, the chandelier... everything. And the worst part? We want our kids to follow these same stupid ideas, so we basically pass our nonsense down to them.
My kid will have a decent life. If it turns out a bit worse, well, that's just reality—some people have it way tougher, and hey, maybe things will get better. If not here, then somewhere else in the world. I'm not worried about people here; nobody is starving, and if we all just pull together and treat each other right, we'll be fine. Nobody's claiming the gap between the rich and the poor will vanish forever, but even if it stays, you can make it work even if you're broke. It's not like we were all born with silver spoons, so we don't *have* to be rich. Is a poor person's life worth less? Are they less happy just because they don't have a designer sofa and have a basic one instead? You might be surprised by how relative happiness actually is...

Personally, I’m not even chasing wealth—what does that term even mean in this economy?—but the widening chasm between the elite and everyone else is undeniable. The middle class is essentially being hollowed out.

I’ve never been much for these technological marvels anyway. Watching my parents struggle through it all, I don't see any reason to force that same cycle onto the next generation.

Happiness—call it whatever helps you sleep at night—is a reality for plenty of people, often across entire generations. Sure, there are fools who manage to ruin their own lives, but many people find genuine contentment simply through good fortune. Every family deals with its own set of headaches, obviously, but the scale varies. Some people just happen to catch a lucky break.

Donna White50 said:The point is that we have to create new life—that's biological, it's natural, it's just what happens.
It isn't "normal" to claim we shouldn't have kids just because the world is harsh...
The world has always been harsh and always will be—war, famine, economic crashes, sickness—through all of that, people have lived for ages and they always will.
Life is a gift, and without new life, there is no future, there is no us...
The West, with its megalomaniacal selfishness and its high-end lifestyle compared to the rest of the world, has totally lost its way. Today's generations don't want to create and raise children because they're selfish—they want to enjoy life, they want the best for themselves, they don't want responsibilities, and they ask totally stupid questions just like the author of this thread did. Basically, people will find a thousand excuses to justify their selfish need to indulge and secure a comfortable existence. By definition, life isn't comfortable; it's brutal, and only the toughest survive that brutality. The West has become soft, weak, and pampered by its own ego compared to the rest of the world, and it's paying the price—it's declining and it's going to keep declining. Around here, slowly but surely, space is being taken over by those who create life regardless of fears and challenges, proving they are stronger, more resourceful, and more adaptable... and as such, they will survive...
Life is tough and incredibly resilient; we should never fear for our children—they'll survive any hardship because we are living proof of that. Any family that can't manage to raise an average of 2-3 kids hasn't paid back the world for what previous generations left them. They're living on borrowed time and stealing resources from the world. There are no guarantees of a smooth ride—war, famine, a crash, or an epidemic could turn paradise into hell overnight—but even in that hell, people live and will continue to live, usually with even more passion and vitality, which is just biologically normal... a person who has nothing wants to work and build, to pull themselves out of a bad situation, while a person who has everything is asleep at the wheel, just trying to hold onto their current status and power...

Look, in my twenty-five years, I've been fairly selfless, and looking at the people around me, I've lived quite modestly—if not outright poor.

And honestly, I would gladly sacrifice even more just to see my children have an easier path than I did. But those are just dreams.

As for everyone else—and I'm not just talking about the old US—I watched a documentary on England where they noted that forty or fifty years ago, previous generations found it much easier to acquire property and had better living conditions.

I'm not saying things were always better, but despite the massive horrors of the last half-century (like the two World Wars), I think there was more optimism back then, and the lower-middle class definitely had a better quality of life.

Nowadays, you're either broke or you're loaded; the middle ground is shrinking, and that's a global reality.

In the end, this is a topic for Psychology. Maybe having kids would be better, but right now, even considering my age, I have zero desire, zero motivation, and zero courage to fight for it, because, at least in my case, every single day is already a fight for survival.

I’ll try to keep this brief, and hopefully, I won't wander too far off track. I’m avoiding the Parenting subforum because I’m more interested in hearing from the younger crowd—those of you who might actually be considering starting a family in a few years.

This is a global question, though I suspect my own perspective is heavily colored by what we're seeing here in the States.

So, here it is: The big one. Do you actually want to bring one, two, three, or more children into this increasingly brutal world?

Now, don't get me wrong—I'm not claiming things were perfect in the past and everything is falling apart now. But if you look at the macro trends, we seem to be heading in a downward direction. Human connection is fraying, and the gap between the boss and the worker is widening; projections suggest we'll see even more billionaires and even more people living paycheck to paycheck.

We move from the grueling grind of modern education and those empty promises of upward mobility straight into a daily struggle just to stay afloat. Eventually, you find yourself asking why you're even working in the first place. Is it just to survive?

I think I’ve made my point. :P

The principle of non-aggression😁

coastallynx30 said:I cleaned up your post. You're talking about being "normal," or just average. 😁
True success should be much more than that: a great house plus a vacation home, two cars, traveling the world when you take time off, all without debt. You have the cash and don't worry too much about spending because you earn well and your job is secure.

Personally, I don't know anyone who opened something and moved beyond a basic American middle-class level; small shops or local businesses didn't really help them move up.

It's sad that what you're describing is considered "success" by so many people....🤣

To start, those things are just foundations where you build capital, and depending on how ambitious someone is, they might actually launch something bigger.

Take this one guy, for example. He's young, and he had help from his parents—specifically his wife's side of the family (they supported her, which indirectly helped him).

They have plenty of resources; they provided the gear, bought him some heavy machinery, and even a truck since he trained as a driver and didn't have many other options. He's working now, building up capital, and slowly upgrading his setup.

In the beginning, he had both financial and moral support. Now, he also has the right connections, so he's going to try to break into a much larger market.....

Defining success is pretty subjective. For me, it’s about hitting those tangible milestones: steady financial growth, owning a decent home, upgrading to a reliable mid-range car every few years, and maybe catching a summer breeze on the Gulf Coast.

Lately, I see everyone trying to measure their own progress by comparing themselves to other countries or entire continents.

Personally, I think that’s a losing game. It’s especially useless for young people to constantly draw comparisons between life here in the States, Western Europe, or—heaven forbid—some idealized version of America.

In this part of the world, success isn't just about what you know; it's about who you know. You need that specific connection, someone in your inner circle, just to get a little nudge when you're trying to make a move.

If you look at the 99% of people who actually launched a small business or landed a high-level career, they almost always had someone pulling strings behind the scenes.

Is it just my skewed perspective, or am I onto something?😁

Don't get me wrong, things might be fantastic elsewhere, but even then, I still feel like the playing field is tilted differently depending on where you stand.

rowdyviper42 said:I actually really like my family; everyone’s incredibly easygoing about inheritance matters, too. They’re all such nice people, which is rare because usually, those are the first ones to start fighting once there's money on the table. I’m an only child, but everything I’ve inherited so far came from my grandmother—not out of favoritism, just as thanks for looking after her. My aunt had some initial issues with it, but after sulking for about five years, she finally came around. It wasn't like I was going out of my way to do anything special. Luckily, there was a clear will in place that specified exactly who gets what.

On a completely different note, if there's one thing I've learned about human nature, it's this: people almost always say the exact opposite of what they actually think. In my experience, the ones loudest about "integrity" and spitting on "crooks" are usually the biggest crooks of them all.

silverhawk9 said:Honestly, there is nothing more distasteful to me than people who just sit around waiting for their parents to pass away so they can move into the family estate with their spouse and kids.😵 Look, if you’re single, fine—maybe it makes sense. But once you’ve started a family and gotten married, then just hovering around waiting for your folks to kick the bucket so you can take over the house?🙄 It’s completely baffling to me, and frankly, it feels incredibly irresponsible. After all, parents have every right to sell everything and leave nothing behind; they aren't obligated to pass the torch to you. And don't even get me started on the absolute gutter behavior of dragging families through the courts, contesting wills, and fighting over assets. If I ever found myself in a position where I was suing my own kin over an inheritance, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face in public. If they wanted to leave you something, they would have. Personally, I’m an only child, but I don't spend my time dwelling on it or expecting a windfall. I’m focused on building my own life and acquiring my own things from scratch.

First off, you're an only child, which makes you somewhat irrelevant here; you can't really judge the dynamics of a household with two or more siblings.

2. As for this "waiting for someone to die" thing—you remind me of most people on this forum. Nobody actually votes for a Republican Party/Democratic Party split, yet those two somehow walk away with two-thirds of the vote every time.
It certainly isn't ideal to have two generations crammed into one house, but in your early years, it's actually a smart move. It's much easier to take out a larger mortgage when you can use that shared living situation to pay down the principal instead of burning it all on interest.

3. You aren't expecting anything? Did you mention that in the poll? If so, there are only two possibilities: either you have nothing, so you don't care, or everything is being donated to charity. Send me a DM; I can help you out with the data.😛

4. Accept the will as it is? Why on earth would anyone do that? If we are following the law, the law mandates a certain portion for the children. Or, put another way, why should I or my father (who went through this, and God help me, I fear I will too) settle for less than a brother who walks away with 98% of the estate while everyone else gets the leftovers? This isn't just about the money; it's about basic fairness, something that should at least exist among family. But again, you're an only child, so it's hard to grasp that perspective.

Honestly, nobody expects anything from me. I guess I’ve just been living in some alternate reality.🙄