Business Goods & Services

I'm so tired of constant budget cuts in public services and education, et al, every time the market hiccups. How should they be funded so as to have a guaranteed constant income?
Bsherman: Until you see your neighbor selling apples on the street corner, it's a hiccup. This may be the biggest downturn since the Great Depression, but it's no where near that bad (they didn't have unemployment insurance then, remember, among other differences).

Have the government act like responsible people.

During the upticks, don't spend every penny of extra revenue.

Save it, and dip into that fund during downturns.

I’m curious what the real impact would be if the income tax is eliminated. Please reply in an objective manner! What services would go? How would these eliminated services be paid for? Why, as a 24-year old, should I WANT to pay income tax for many services that do not benefit me in any way?

I pay school taxes and I haven’t had a kid in school in forty two years.
No country is going to let you pick and choose your tax menu.
If you don’t benefit from them now you may in the future.
Or some other old lady will be paying for your little one to go to school years from now.

I've looked around their website and they don't have any information as to how much their services cost. It seems that you won't know until you've already set it up to make a money transfer. I don't want to know after that point, I want to know up front.

How much does it cost to transfer money on Western Union between the two locations listed?

The Western Union fee depends on how much money you are sending and how quickly you want it to arrive. For example, to send $500 within the United States, like you're doing, the fee is:

$29.99 if you want the money to arrive the next day

$43.99 if you want it to arrive in minutes.

You can go to the Web page below. Fill out the information, and they will tell you how much you will have to pay to send money.

http://www.westernunion.com/WUCOMWEB/priceShopperRedirectAction.do?method=load

For many people, there are much cheaper alternatives to Western Union. For example, if the person has a debit card, you can make a deposit in his account, and he can take it out at any ATM in Minnesota. I did that last year for my daughter at college (in Minnesota, as it happens). Or, if he has a credit card, he can get a "cash advance." There is a charge for that (typically $5 or $10), plus interest until he pays his statement, but the total is still going to be less than a Moneygram.

Good luck, and I hope this helps!!

What support services are provided to people who are mentally handicapped today and how is the service today compared with the service they recieved in the 1930's?

It depends on what the person with a mental disability needs.

A vocational rehabilitation counselor will provide available services from their office based on individual assessment of the client's capabilities versus the office resources.

But cumulatively, services are much better than in 1930's America. First, people with disabilities are not automatically institutionalized away–out of sight, out of mind.

Secondly, they are legally entitled to obtain a free appropriate and quality public education (aka special education) in their local school district. This was unknown in the 1930's. You did not educate people with disabilities because they were not expected to be productive in the public sphere doing anything.

I recently got my oil changed and they were offering many other services, such as cleaning the fuel injectors, etc. I would like to know which services do I actually need to get and how frequently do they need to be preformed? Also, if you happen to know approximately how much these services should cost, that would be great too. My car is only 2006, if that matters. Thank you!

Inside your glove box is a owners manual. All the necessary services are outlined in that book to keep your car maintained and warranty in effect. One must look at a modern engine as a giant air pump. so lubrication is key to keeping parts from wearing out to fast. Oil changes air filters quality gasoline and manufactures recommended service items like transmission drain and fills differential oil changes (timing belts) if equip. Most modern cars not have non serviceable wheel bearings but the brake pads wear down and rotors need resurfacing or replacing when worn thin. Tires on modern cars last 30,000 to 60,000 miles. However performance of a quality tire made for speed and handling may diminish after as few as 10,000 miles but the tread still look ok. The tire just does not stick to the road as well. Other parts of cars are so improved these days owners just don't need to think about them. Used to be shock absorbers every 30,000 miles. Any more they may never need replacing as long as the owner owns the car. Tune ups now last 100,000 miles To bad the spark plug wires won't last that long. Some cars do not have wires just individual coils. Fan belts can easily last 60,000 miles. So if you think the mechanice are getting rich these days think again.
Wallet Flushes (Yes Wallet Flushes) flushes 150 dollars from your wallet into the shop owners wallet. Most the time are not part of your owners manual list of periodic servicing and and in some cases may cause damage to insulation of the internal wires of the fuel injectors and may damage plastic parts of the fuel system. Actually chemical cleaners may not actually clean pistons valves and combustion chambers any better than "Top Cly Cleaners" Like Marvel Mystery Oil. Used from 1920 and still sold today.
Now the rub cars are computerized and so complex that in order to get the correct servicing you must return to the Manufactures authorized dealership to get the correct soft-ware, recalls and service bullitens performed. The best you can do is ask questions and talk to other car owners of your brand of car and join a web ring of owners with the same interests. Keep the oil clean perform the owners manual services. And drive the car like you paid for it! I can tell you maintence sure is expensive. But lack of maintence is even more costly and kills the reliability of the car or truck no matter who built it. Get to know a quality mechanic you can talk to eye to eye who has your interests at heart.
Racing or driving hard? I change my fluids all of them before and after the track day. That way I can see any metal worn off in the oils. Tear that part down and repair it before it blows up.