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Retirement Plan Primer
Retirement Planning
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Retirement plans play a crucial role in providing a source of income in our later years. We've all seen or heard about "the three-legged stool" that shows Social Security, our personal lifetime savings, and company retirement plans as the triad from which we will draw the funds to pay for our expenses after we retire.
These plans serve many purposes for employers and employees alike, and they come in many varieties. Yet few of us really understand the plans we have, despite the critical function they fulfill in our lives. To help increase that understanding, we offer this overview of those retirement plans that are most common. It also provides a few definitions along the way, too, to help clarify some of the terminology used in discussing these plans. (If you're having trouble deciding which retirement account is right for you, consider a 30-day free trial of Rule Your Retirement, which features skads of good advice, snazzy financial-planning tools, and a professionally staffed discussion board breathlessly waiting to help you. Check it out.)
Qualified Retirement Plan. A qualified retirement plan is one that meets the numerous requirements of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Plans meeting these requirements qualify for four important tax benefits.
First, employers may deduct allowable contributions in the year they were made on behalf of plan participants. Second, plan participants may exclude contributions and all earnings thereon from their taxable income until the year they are withdrawn. Third, earnings on the funds held by the plan's trust are not taxed to that trust. And fourth, many times participants and/or beneficiaries may further delay taxation on a plan's benefits by transferring those amounts into another tax-deferred vehicle such as an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA).
A qualified retirement plan falls into one of three general categories: A defined benefit plan, a defined contribution plan, or a hybrid plan. A hybrid plan is one that combines various attributes of the first two categories, which are discussed below.
Nonqualified Retirement Plan. A nonqualified retirement plan is one that does not meet the requirements of the IRC or ERISA. These plans may be discriminatory in their application and are typically used to provide deferred compensation to key personnel. Because these plans allow a broader flexibility to the employer, they do not receive the same favorable tax treatment as that permitted qualified plans. Employers receive no tax deduction until the employee receives proceeds from the plan. Except for a governmental 457 plan as discussed later, on receipt, the proceeds of a nonqualified plan are taxed to the employees and are ineligible for transfer to an IRA. In some situations the employee may face immediate taxation on the benefit even when the funds will not be received until much later in the future.
Defined Benefit Plan. A defined benefit plan is the traditional company pension plan. It is so called because the ultimate retirement benefit is definite and determinable as a dollar amount or as a percentage of wages. To determine these amounts, defined benefit plans usually base the benefit calculation on a combination of years of employment, wages, and/or age. These plans are funded entirely by the employer, and the responsibility for the payment of the benefit and all risk on monies invested to fund that benefit rests with the employer.
Benefits typically are not payable until normal retirement age and usually are paid in the form of a lifetime annuity. Nevertheless, a large minority of plans permits lump sum payments at retirement. Monies received as a lifetime annuity will be taxed at ordinary income tax rates and are ineligible for rollover to an IRA. Lump sum payments may be transferred to an IRA to defer immediate taxation. On transfer to an IRA, the proceeds are subject to IRA rules and regulations.
Five-year forward income averaging for lump sum payments was eliminated as of January 1, 2000. However, persons born December 31, 1936 or earlier retain the option to use 10-year forward averaging based on 1986 tax rates and to use the 20% long-term capital gains rate on benefits attributable to service prior to 1974.
Under normal circumstances you may not take money from a retirement plan free of an early withdrawal penalty unless you are age 59 1/2. But that's not always true. If you leave your job in the year you reach age 55, you may take your qualified retirement plan benefits from that job free of any early withdrawal penalty. You must, though, pay ordinary income taxes on any money not transferred to a traditional IRA.
People younger than 55 who receive qualified retirement plan benefits as income in a form other than a lifetime annuity are subject to an excise tax based on a premature distribution from that plan. The excise tax will continue until the retiree reaches age 59 1/2. If you're in this unfortunate camp, you'll be taxed on that benefit at ordinary rates and will be assessed an additional 10% of that sum as an early distribution penalty as well. Care to rethink that plan about retiring at age 50?
Defined Contribution Plan. A defined contribution plan is a qualified retirement plan in which the contribution is defined, but the ultimate benefit to be paid is not. In such plans, each participant has an individual account. The benefit at retirement depends on the amounts contributed and on the investment performance of that account through the years. In such plans, the investment risk may rest solely with the employee because of the opportunity to choose from a number of investment options. These plans take many forms and are known by various names such as money purchase, profit sharing, 401(k), or 403(b) plans.
In 2002, the maximum contribution to a defined contribution plan increased to the lesser of 100% of compensation or $40,000. The maximum dollar amount will be adjusted upward for inflation in later years by $1,000 increments whenever cumulative inflation causes the limit to exceed the next higher $1,000.
At retirement, defined contribution plan benefits are typically paid in installments or as a lump sum; however, they may also be paid as an annuity. Income tax ramifications and rollover options are the same as those described above for defined benefit plans. Installment payments for a period of less than 10 years are eligible for transfer to an IRA, while those lasting for a period of 10 years or more are not.
In 2002 and later, increased portability will exist between various types of contributory plans. That's because transfers will be allowed between IRAs, 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans.
Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA). An Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA), commonly called an Individual Retirement Account, is a personal retirement savings plan available to anyone, regardless of age, who receives taxable compensation during the year. For IRA contribution purposes, compensation includes wages, salaries, fees, tips, bonuses, commissions, taxable alimony, and separate maintenance payments.
Husbands and wives may each have an IRA, even if one person in that marriage is not working. A person's annual contribution, whether made to just one or to multiple IRAs, is limited to the lesser of total taxable compensation or to the normal yearly amount shown in the following table. Persons age 50 or older may make an additional catch-up contribution in the amount indicated for the year concerned.
|Normal Contribution
|Catch-up Contribution
|*Normal contribution limits will increase annually by $500 whenever cumulative inflation exceeds the next higher $500 increment
There is no minimum or required IRA contribution, and all earnings on the amounts in an IRA are untaxed until withdrawn. In the case of the Roth IRA, withdrawals may even be tax-free provided certain minimum rules discussed later are met.
Contributions to a Roth IRA are never tax-deductible. Contributions to a traditional IRA may or may not be deductible in the tax year made, depending on the owner's income tax filing status, Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), and eligibility to participate in a tax-qualified retirement plan through employment. If the traditional IRA owner participates in an employer's qualified retirement plan on any day in the tax year, the deductibility of contributions declines to zero between certain AGI ranges as shown in the following table.
|Single Filer
|Joint Filer
|$33,000 - $43,000
|$53,000 - $63,000
|$34,000 - $44,000
|$54,000 - $64,000
|$40,000 - $50,000
|$60,000 - $70,000
|$45,000 - $55,000
|$65,000 - $75,000
|$50,000 - $60,000
|$70,000 - $80,000
|$50,000 - $60,000
|$75,000 - $85,000
|$50,000 - $60,000
|$80,000 - $100,000
A working spouse not covered by a retirement plan through employment may make a tax-deductible contribution to an IRA despite the other spouse's coverage under an employer-provided retirement plan. When the couple's AGI reaches $150,000, deductibility for such contributions begins to decline, and it reaches zero at a joint AGI of $160,000.
Money may be withdrawn from an IRA at any time, but on withdrawal it may be taxed and/or penalized. Withdrawals from a traditional IRA will always be taxed, either in whole or in part, at ordinary income tax rates. Except as noted below, withdrawals from a traditional IRA prior to age 59 1/2 will result in a 10% excise tax as well as an ordinary income tax. The potential income taxes and early withdrawal penalties on Roth and Education IRAs (now known as Coverdell Education Savings Accounts) are discussed below.
If nondeductible contributions were made to a traditional IRA, part of any withdrawal from that IRA will not be taxed. The calculations for deriving the taxable and nontaxable part of the withdrawal are too complicated to cover here. For those who may face this problem, the IRS has a handy-dandy way to make that calculation. It's called Form 8606, a tax document that must be completed and filed with your income tax return to report both nondeductible traditional IRA contributions and withdrawals whenever they occur.
Mandatory distributions for traditional IRAs must begin no later than April 1 of the year following the year the IRA owner reaches age 70 1/2. Failure to take required minimum distributions at that age results in a 50% excise tax on the amounts not distributed. Roth IRAs have no mandatory distribution requirement, but Education IRAs do as discussed below.
There are eight exceptions to the 10% penalty for IRA withdrawals prior to age 59 1/2. The early withdrawal penalty does not apply to distributions that:
- Occur because of the IRA owner's disability.
- Occur because of the IRA owner's death.
- Are a series of "substantially equal periodic payments" made over the life expectancy of the IRA owner.
- Are used to pay for unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7 1/2% of adjusted gross income (AGI).
- Are used to pay medical insurance premiums after the IRA owner has received unemployment compensation for more than 12 weeks.
- Are used to pay the costs of a first-time home purchase (subject to a lifetime limit of $10,000).
- Are used to pay for the qualified expenses of higher education for the IRA owner and/or eligible family members.
- Are used to pay back taxes because of an Internal Revenue Service levy placed against the IRA.
Except as noted in the later discussions on Roth and Education IRA (Coverdell) distributions, ordinary income taxes are still due and payable on IRA withdrawals taken under any of the above exceptions.
There are 11 types of IRAs:
- An Individual Retirement Account Account is either a traditional or Roth IRA set up with a financial institution like a bank, broker, or mutual fund in which contributions may be invested in many types of securities such as stocks, bonds, money markets, CDs, etc.
- An Individual Retirement Annuity is either a traditional or Roth IRA set up with a life insurance company through the purchase of a special annuity contract.
- An Employer and Employee Association Trust Account, or Group IRA, is a traditional IRA set up by employers, unions, and other employee associations for employees or members.
- A Simplified Employee Pension (SEP-IRA) is a traditional IRA set up by an employer for a firm's employees. An employer may contribute up to $30,000 or 15% of an employee's compensation annually to each employee's IRA. (See SEP)
- A Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees IRA (SIMPLE-IRA) ) is a traditional IRA set up by a small employer for a firm's employees. In 2001, an employee may contribute up to $6,500 per year to these IRAs. This contribution limit increases each year through 2005, when it will reach $10,000. In 2006 and later years, the allowable contribution will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such a rise is needed. The employer sponsoring the SIMPLE will also make a matching contribution based on a percentage of the employee's pay. (See SIMPLE)
- A Spousal IRA is either a traditional or Roth IRA funded by a married taxpayer in the name of his or her spouse who has less than the maximum allowable annual contribution limit in annual compensation. The couple must file a joint tax return for the year of contribution. The working spouse may contribute up to the maximum allowable annual contribution limit per year to both the Spousal IRA and to his or her own IRA as well.
- A Rollover (Conduit) IRA is a traditional IRA set up by an individual to receive a distribution from a qualified retirement plan. Distributions transferred to a rollover IRA are not subject to any contribution limits. Additionally, the distribution may be eligible for subsequent transfer into a qualified retirement plan available through a new employer. To retain this eligibility through December 31, 2001, the IRA must be composed solely of the original distribution and earnings (i.e., no other contributions or rollovers may be added to or mingled with the IRA), and the new employer's plan must allow the rollover. After January 1, 2002, commingling of conduit IRA money with other IRA or qualified retirement plan money is permitted, and the mixing of such monies will have no impact on the ability to transfer those IRAs to a new employer's retirement plan.
- An Inherited IRA IRA is either a traditional or a Roth IRA acquired by a beneficiary who is not the spouse of a deceased IRA owner. Special rules apply to an inherited IRA. A tax deduction is not allowed for contributions to this IRA, a rollover to or from another IRA owned by the heir is not permitted, and the proceeds must be distributed and taxed within a specific period as established by the Internal Revenue Code. When the owner dies, the beneficiary must receive distribution of the inherited IRA by December 31 of the fifth year following the owner's death. Alternatively, the IRA may be paid as an annuity or in installments payable over a period not extending beyond the beneficiary's life expectancy. If the owner dies without naming an IRA beneficiary but before taking minimum required distributions (MRD) at age 70 1/2, then the IRA would have to be paid out to the deceased's estate by December 31 of the fifth year following the year of death. If the owner dies without naming a beneficiary but after MRDs have begun, then the account may be paid to the estate over time, based on the deceased's life expectancy as calculated in the year of death. That life expectancy would be reduced by one in each subsequent year to calculate that year's payout.
- An Education IRA (EIRA), now called the Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA), is an account established to provide funds that will allow a beneficiary to attend a program of higher education. There is no tax deduction allowed for the contribution, but all deposits and earnings may be withdrawn free of tax and penalties if used to pay for the costs of higher education. Beginning in 2002, Coverdell ESA proceeds may also be used free of tax and penalty to pay for the qualified expenses for kindergarten through 12th grade education in public, private, and/or religious schools. Before 2002, contributions had been limited to a maximum of $500 per year, but beginning in 2002, allowable contributions increased to $2,000 per year. Contributions may be made regardless of the beneficiary's income, but cannot be made on or after the beneficiary's age 18. If distributions exceed the education expenses, the earnings must be included ratably in gross income and are subject to the 10% excise tax to the extent of the excess. Contributions begin to phase out at $150K for joint filers and $95K for single filers. The EIRA, if unused on or before age 30, may be transferred to another qualifying family member as the new beneficiary for educational use. Such transfers must occur before the beneficiary reaches age 30.
- A Traditional IRA is the term for a regular IRA available to those under age 70 1/2 who have earned income (i.e., job compensation). Earnings within the traditional IRA grow tax-deferred until withdrawal. Withdrawals must begin, and will be taxed, when the owner reaches age 70 1/2. If required distributions are not taken at that age, a 50% penalty will be assessed on the amount not taken. When made, contributions may or may not be tax deductible. If a traditional IRA owner participates in an employer's qualified retirement plan on any day in the tax year, the deductibility of contributions declines to zero between certain AGI ranges as outlined in the deductibility table shown above. A working spouse not covered by a retirement plan through employment may make a tax-deductible contribution to a traditional IRA of up to the applicable annual limit shown in the above table despite the other spouse's coverage under an employer-provided retirement plan. When the couple's AGI reaches $150,000, deductibility for such contributions begins to decline, and it reaches zero at a joint AGI of $160,000.
- A Roth IRA is one in which:
- Contributions to the account are not deductible.
- "Qualified" distributions (i.e., withdrawals) from the account are not taxable; and
- Earnings on the account are taxable and subject to an early withdrawal penalty only when a withdrawal is not a "qualified" distribution.
A "qualified" distribution from a Roth IRA is a withdrawal that meets one or more of the following:
- Made after the taxpayer attains age 59 1/2.
- Made to a beneficiary after the taxpayer's death.
- Made because the taxpayer is disabled.
- Made by a first-time homebuyer to acquire a principal residence.
No withdrawal except those attributable to previously taxed contributions will be a qualified distribution unless it is made after the five-taxable-year period beginning with the tax year in which the taxpayer first contributed to a Roth IRA.
Annual contributions to a Roth IRA are subject to the contribution limits as shown in the above table, as reduced by any contribution made to a traditional IRA. Contributions to a Roth IRA may be made even after the owner reaches age 70 1/2. The annual contribution limit is phased out as AGI increases from $150,000 to $160,000 (married filing jointly) or $95,000 to $110,000 (single filer).
Amounts in traditional IRAs may be transferred to Roth IRAs provided the taxpayer's AGI (married or single) for the transfer year is $100,000 or less. Transferred amounts must be included in that year's income, but the money transferred will be exempt from the 10% excise tax for a withdrawal prior to age 59 1/2. No withdrawal allocable to earnings on the transferred amounts is considered to be a qualified distribution unless it is made more than five tax years after the transfer.
Further details on IRA provisions may be found in IRS Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements. This publication may be obtained at no cost by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM, or it may be downloaded online.
Profit-Sharing Plan. The most popular type of qualified defined contribution plan, in 2002 and thereafter annual contribution limits are 25% of pay or $40,000, respectively. The dollar limit will be adjusted for inflation in $1,000 increments beginning in 2003. Originally designed to encourage productivity and to reward employees with part of a firm's annual profits, today employers may make contributions even when the business earns no profits in the year; however, no contribution by the employer is required during a profitable year. These plans are often coupled with a 401(k) arrangement to allow voluntary pre-tax contributions by employees from their wages. Contributions and earnings accumulate tax free until withdrawn by the participant.
Money Purchase Plan. Also a qualified defined contribution plan, a money purchase plan is one in which the employer is required to make an annual contribution to each employee's account regardless of the firm's profitability for the year. Contributions are usually specified as a percentage of annual compensation, and in 2001 are capped at the lesser of $35,000 or 25% of an individual's annual salary. In 2002 and thereafter, these limits increase to 25% of pay or $40,000. The dollar limit will be adjusted for inflation in $1,000 increments beginning in 2003. Contributions and earnings accumulate tax-free until withdrawn by the participant.
Cash Balance Plan. While technically a defined benefit plan, a cash balance plan is actually a hybrid plan. In such plans, the employer credits the participant's account with a "pay credit" (such as 5% of compensation from his or her employer) and an "interest credit" (either a fixed rate or a variable rate that is linked to an index such as the one-year treasury bill rate). Increases and decreases in the value of the plan's investments do not directly affect the benefit amounts promised to participants. Thus, the investment risks and rewards on plan assets are borne solely by the employer.
When a participant becomes entitled to receive benefits under a cash balance plan, the benefits that are received are defined in terms of an account balance. For example, assume that a participant has an account balance of $100,000 when he or she reaches age 65. If the participant decides to retire at that time, he or she would have the right to an annuity. Such an annuity might be approximately $10,000 per year for life. In many cash balance plans, however, the participant could instead choose (with consent from his or her spouse) to take a lump sum benefit equal to the $100,000 account balance.
In addition to generally permitting participants to take their benefits as lump sum benefits at retirement, cash balance plans often permit vested participants to choose (with consent from their spouses) to receive their accrued benefits in lump sums if they terminate employment prior to retirement age.
Target Benefit Plan. While technically a defined contribution plan, a target benefit plan is actually a hybrid plan. In such plans, the employer sets a target benefit for employees. Each year contributions are made to the employee's account based on actuarial assumptions that project the annual funding needed to reach that benefit. In that sense, the target benefit plan mimics a defined benefit plan. However, the actual earnings on the individual accounts may differ from the estimated earnings used in the assumptions. Thus, because the benefit actually received cannot be determined in advance, the target benefit plan is like a defined contribution plan. Regardless, contributions and earnings accumulate tax free until withdrawn by the participant.
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). An ESOP is a qualified defined contribution plan in which the assets are invested mostly in qualifying employer stock. Usually, purchases of this stock are funded by employer contributions made to the plan based on total employee compensation. The plan may permit purchase of stock by employees as a plan option. When combined with a 401(k) plan, an ESOP is sometimes called a KSOP. On leaving the firm through separation or retirement, the participant will receive all vested interests in the form of the actual shares in the account. Alternatively, he or she may demand a cash distribution in lieu of the shares.
401(k) Plan. Also known as a cash or deferred arrangement (CODA) plan, a 401(k) is a qualified defined contribution plan that takes its name from the section of the Internal Revenue Code that prescribes the rules under which it operates. It is a retirement plan in which an employer permits an employee to defer receipt of part of his or her compensation by contributing that part to his or her account in the 401(k) plan. Deferred contributions are made on a pre-tax basis, and those contributions and all earnings remain untaxed until withdrawn from the plan. The 401(k) may permit voluntary, after-tax contributions by employees. Earnings on after-tax contributions accumulate tax free until withdrawn.
Many 401(k) plans include a matching contribution from the employer according to a set formula (e.g., 50% of the employee's contribution up to a maximum of 6% of compensation). Employers may also make contributions to an employee's account independent of the employee's contribution, and these contributions may be tied to a firm's profits as part of a profit sharing plan. In 2001, a participant's pre-tax contributions are limited to the lesser of 25% of pay or $10,500. Many plans impose a lower percentage limit on contributions. That percentage limitation varies from employer to employer depending on a number of factors, but generally ranges from 12% to 20% of annual compensation. In 2002, a plan participant may contribute up to the lesser of 100% of pay or the annual dollar limit shown for each of the following years:
2002: $11,000
2003: $12,000
2004: $13,000
2005: $14,000
2006: $15,000
In 2007 and thereafter, the $15,000 limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such a rise is needed.
In addition to the normal contribution limits outlined above, starting in 2002 those over the age of 50 may make an additional "catch-up" contribution in the following amounts:
2002: $1,000
2003: $2,000
2004: $3,000
2005: $4,000
2006: $5,000
In 2007 and thereafter, the $5,000 "catch-up" limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such a rise is needed.
Beginning in 2006, 401(k) plans may allow participants to make contributions through those plans to a Roth-401(k) account. Th e decision to offer this option is entirely up to the employer. Under this new arrangement, contributions to the Roth-401(k) account will be taxed in the year made, but future qualified distributions from that account will not be taxed. Contributions to a Roth-401(k) account may be made up to the $15,000 maximum yearly limit.
A 401(k) plan generally offers participants an opportunity to direct their account contributions to a broad range of investment options from conservative risk to aggressive risk. These options may include institutional or mutual funds investing in the money market, bond market, or stock market; annuities; guaranteed investment contracts (GICs); company stock; and self-directed brokerage accounts. A typical plan will offer a selection of a money market fund, a bond fund, and a stock fund.
In general, a 401(k) plan limits withdrawals of assets to five occasions: Termination from employment, disability, reaching the age of 59 1/2, retirement, and death. Additionally, the plan may optionally include provisions for loans and/or hardship withdrawals.
State and local governments are prohibited from offering 401(k) plans to their employees. This was once true of private, tax-exempt employers as well; however, as of January 1, 1997, the latter may now establish a 401(k) plan for their qualified employees.
403(b) Plan. A 403(b) plan is a defined contribution plan that takes its name from the section of the Internal Revenue Code that establishes the rules under which it operates. It is also known as and sometimes called a tax-sheltered or a tax-deferred annuity program. This plan is for educational, religious, and charitable (i.e. 501(c)(3)) organization employees. It operates under similar maximum contribution rules and withdrawal privileges as a 401(k) plan. Like the 401(k), pre-tax contributions and all earnings remain tax free until withdrawn.
A plan participant may contribute up to the lesser of 100% of pay or the annual dollar limit shown for each of the following years:
2002: $11,000
2003: $12,000
2004: $13,000
2005: $14,000
2006: $15,000
In 2007 and thereafter, the $15,000 limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such a rise is needed.
There are two principal differences between a 401(k) and 403(b) plan. First, unlike the 401(k) plan, investment options in the 403(b) plan are limited to annuities and mutual funds only. Second, the 403(b) plan permits additional contributions under certain conditions that would otherwise exceed the normal annual limit, as indexed. These additional contributions are to allow participants to "catch-up" contributions for years in which they didn't participate, a feature not found in a 401(k) plan. These "catch-up" rules, though, are repealed as of January 1, 2002. In 2002 and later, 403(b) plan participants who are age 50 or older may make an additional "catch-up" contribution each year in the following amounts:
2002: $1,000
2003: $2,000
2004: $3,000
2005: $4,000
2006: $5,000
In 2007 and thereafter, the $5,000 "catch-up" limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such a rise is needed.
Beginning in 2006, 403(b) plans may allow participants to make contributions through those plans to a Roth-403(b) account. The decision to offer such a plan is entirely up to the employer. Under this new arrangement, contributions to the Roth-403(b) account will be taxed currently, but future qualified distributions from that account will not be taxed. Contributions to a Roth-403(b) account may be made up to the $15,000 maximum yearly limit.
457 Plan. A 457 plan is a nonqualified retirement plan established for the benefit of state and local government employees or the employees of tax-exempt organizations. The contribution limits are as follows:
2002: $11,000
2003: $12,000
2004: $13,000
2005: $14,000
2006: $15,000
In 2007 and thereafter, the $15,000 limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such a rise is needed.
In addition to the normal contribution limits outlined above, starting in 2002 those over the age of 50 may make an additional "catch-up" contribution in the following amounts:
2002: $1,000
2003: $2,000
2004: $3,000
2005: $4,000
2006: $5,000
In 2007 and thereafter, the $5,000 "catch-up" limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such a rise is needed.
While governmental 457 plans have special catch-up provisions for those age 50 or older as noted above, they enjoy an even greater contribution amount in the three years before retirement. The catch-up provisions three years prior to retirement will amount to double the normal amount for allowable maximum contributions. This means that in 2006, if you're planning retirement in 2009 or earlier, your maximum contribution to a governmental 457 plan could total $30,000.
Until withdrawn, 457 plan contributions and all earnings remain untaxed. The 457 plan assets of tax-exempt employers are subject to the claims of the employer's creditors, but those of plans sponsored by governmental entities are not. Plan distributions may occur at retirement; on separation from employment; as the result of an unforeseeable emergency; and at death. Distributions may be taken as a lump sum, in annual installments, or as an annuity. In 2002 and later years, proceeds from a governmental 457 plan may be transferred to an IRA or a new employer's 401(k), 403(b) or 457 plan that accepts transfers from an old employer's plan. On withdrawal from an IRA or from the new plan, the distribution will be subject to immediate taxation at ordinary income tax rates.
Keogh (HR-10) Plan.A Keogh plan is a qualified retirement plan established by the Self Employed Individuals Tax Retirement Act of 1962, otherwise known as the Keogh Act, or HR-10. Keogh plans may be set up by self-employed persons, partnerships, and owners of unincorporated businesses as either a defined benefit or defined contribution plan. As defined contribution plans, they may be structured as a profit sharing, a money purchase, or a combined profit sharing/money purchase plan.
In 2001, contributions are limited to the smaller of $35,000 or 25% of taxable compensation per year for employees, and to the smaller of $35,000 or 20% of taxable compensation for owner-employees. In 2002 and later, the dollar limit increases to $40,000, with subsequent adjustments for inflation in $1,000 increments thereafter.
Keogh plans may not authorize loans. Contributions and all earnings accumulate free of tax until withdrawn, generally at retirement. In general, withdrawals prior to age 59 1/2 are subject to a 10% premature distribution penalty in addition to ordinary income tax; however, distributions are eligible for transfer to an IRA.
Simplified Employee Pension (SEP). A SEP is a retirement plan designed for self-employed persons, partnerships, sole proprietors, independent contractors, and owner-employees of an unincorporated trade or business; however, it may be set up by any type of business. A SEP is an easy method for a small employer to establish a retirement plan for employees without the complex administration and expense found in qualified retirement plans. In fact, an employer may establish a SEP only if that employer has no qualified retirement plan in effect.
Under a SEP, the employer may make a contribution of up to the lesser of 15% or $30,000 of compensation to IRAs established in each employee's name. Hence, such an arrangement is known as a SEP-IRA. When made, these contributions are owned in their entirety by the employee, and they may be withdrawn and/or transferred by the employee at any time. Contributions to a SEP by the employer are discretionary, but must be deposited into each eligible employee's IRA when made. Because these accounts are IRAs, the amounts therein are subject to all IRA rules regarding transfer, withdrawal and taxation.
Prior to January 1, 1997, a SEP-IRA could have included a salary reduction arrangement in which an employee may elect to defer taxation on part of his or her compensation by contributing that amount to the SEP. This type of salary reduction plan is known as a SARSEP, and could have been established by an employer who had fewer than 25 employees provided at least 50% of all employees agreed to participate in the arrangement. Annual maximum contribution limits, to include "catch-up" contribution limits, are identical to those shown above for 401(k) plans. As of January 1, 1997, no new SARSEP may be established; however, those in existence as of December 31, 1996, may continue to operate. The SARSEP has been replaced by the new SIMPLE arrangement discussed below.
Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE). Established by the Small Business Protection Act of 1996, a SIMPLE may be set up by employers who have no other retirement plan and who have 100 or fewer employees with at least $5,000 in compensation for the previous year. SIMPLE plans are the replacement for the SARSEP plans discussed above. They may be structured as an IRA or as a 401(k) plan. In 2001, employees may defer any percentage of compensation up to $6,500 per year to the SIMPLE, and the employer is required to make a matching contribution of up to 3% of the employee's pay based on that election. The employer may reduce the maximum matching percentage in any two years out of five. Alternatively, the employer may establish a uniform 2% of salary contribution per year for all eligible employees regardless of whether they contribute to the SIMPLE or not.
In 2002 and later, employees may make the following maximum contributions to their SIMPLE account:
2002: $7,000
2003: $8,000
2004: $9,000
2005: $10,000
In 2006 and thereafter, the $10,000 limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such a rise is needed.
In addition to the normal contribution limits outlined above, starting in 2002 those over the age of 50 may make an additional "catch-up" contribution in the following amounts:
2002: $500
2003: $1,000
2004: $1,500
2005: $2,000
2006: $2,500
In 2007 and thereafter, the $2,500 "catch-up" limit will increase in $500 increments whenever the cumulative effects of inflation indicate such a rise is needed.
Contributions are immediately vested with the employee, and deposits and earnings in the account will accumulate tax free until withdrawn. In general, distributions from a SIMPLE are taxed like those from an IRA. Withdrawals prior to age 59 1/2 are subject to the 10% early withdrawal excise tax in addition to ordinary income tax. Unlike an IRA or SEP, however, employees who withdraw money from a SIMPLE IRA within two years of their first participation in the plan will be assessed a 25% penalty tax on such withdrawals instead of 10%. This extra penalty does not apply to early withdrawals from a SIMPLE 401(k). Distributions from both types of SIMPLE may be transferred to another SIMPLE or to an IRA, but they are ineligible for transfer to a qualified retirement plan.
Not sure which retirement account is right for you? Let the team at Rule Your Retirement help you sort it out. A 30-day free trial is, well, free.
updated: February 20, 2002


text:
WASHINGTON -- For decades, conservative lobbyist Grover Norquist vowed to drive Republicans out of office if they didn't pledge to oppose tax increases. Many lawmakers signed on.
But now, several senior Republicans are breaking ranks, willing to consider raising more money through taxes as part of a deal with Democrats to avoid a catastrophic budget meltdown.
Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker says the only pledge he will keep is his oath of office. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says no one in his home state of Virginia is talking about what leaders in Washington refer to simply as "The Pledge," a Norquist invention that dates to 1986. Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss says he cares more about his country than sticking to Norquist's pledge.
It's an about-face for senior members of a party that has stood firmly against almost any notion of tax increases.
And while GOP leaders insist they still don't want to see taxes go up, the reality of a nation in a debt crisis is forcing some to moderate their opposition to any movement on how much Americans pay to fund their government.
Republican legislators and Democratic President Barack Obama's White House are haggling as they look for ways to reach agreement on tax adjustments and spending cuts before automatic, blunt-force changes occur at the new year.
"Oh, I signed it," Sen. Jeff Sessions said on Fox News about Norquist's pledge. "But we've got to deal with the crisis we face. We've got to deal with the political reality of the president's victory."
The naysaying about the pledge is raising the question of whether Norquist -- a little-known Republican outside of Washington -- is losing his position of power within the GOP. It's a notion that he calls ridiculous.
"The fantasy is that the Republicans would cave on marginal tax rates," Norquist said recently. "They're nonnegotiable."
At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that the shifting away from Norquist signaled an opportunity for Republicans to work with President Obama.
"They represent what we hope is a difference in tone and approach to these problems and a recognition that a balanced approach to deficit reduction is the right approach," Carney said.
Norquist, the head of the conservative Americans for Tax Reform, opposes tax increases of any kind, whether eliminating deductions or raising rates.
He has insisted on hard line positions from lawmakers and, for years, has held outsize sway in the party for someone who does not hold public office. His pledge doesn't allow any change to the tax code that adds a dollar to revenues.
Heading into the 2012 elections, 279 lawmakers had signed Norquist's' pledge, according to Americans for Tax Reform.
But some who have signed the pledge are having second thoughts. And when the new House is seated next year, no more than 212 of them consider themselves bound by the promise.
"I'm not obligated on the pledge," Corker told CBS News. "I was just elected. The only thing I'm honoring is the oath I take when I serve when I'm sworn in this January."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
i have never played with any of you before or in a league, if i show up tomorrow with 5 bucks will i get in on a round of league? or will you all just stand there and look at me funny and tell me to go back to Minnesota.
thank you.
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Thoreau Institute Library Building
The Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods is owned and managed by the Walden Woods Project. The Institute provides the most comprehensive body of Thoreau-related material available in one place. The Thoreau Institute library ("The Henley Library") holds more than 60,000 items that include books, manuscripts, periodicals, art, music, maps, pamphlets, correspondence, and personal histories. We are honored to be the designated repository for a number of important collections, including the extensive collections of the Thoreau Society. It is the mission of the library to collect, preserve and make available research materials relating to Thoreau, his historical context, and his contemporary relevance to human-rights and environmental issues. Our growing collection serves as a vital resource for Thoreau scholars from around the world, as well as for students and teachers locally.


text:
Fun Fearless Males 2010
Men want her; women want to be her. But it's not Megan's sick figure or flawless face that we dig most. It's her refusal to play nice just so people will like her. She admits her flaws (and farts) and is daringly honest about who she doesn't admire (Angelina Jolie). Her ink collection is further evidence of her blatant badness, but the jewel in her bad-girl crown has to be her lead role as a literal man-eater in Jennifer's Body.
Former-top-model-turned-recording artist Carla made a name for herself by bouncing from one famous dude to another. She once ditched Eric Clapton for Mick Jagger, who was in a serious (well, serious for him) relationship. A year before snagging her husband, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Carla declared, "I'm monogamous from time to time, but I prefer polygamy." Carla also dared to go bare for zillions of sexy photos.
The Most Insane Things Celebs Said This Year


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DARTMOUTH — The Dartmouth High Class of 2014 will be hosting a bonfire and pep rally at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, the night before the Thanksgiving Day football game between Dartmouth and Fairhaven High Schools.
The community-based event was organized by Austin Williams, the 2014 class president, and will be held at the DYAA baseball complex on Russells Mills Road. The event is a fund-raiser for the Class of 2014, and an admission fee of $2 per person will be charged.
The Dartmouth Youth Activities Association has graciously offered to host the rally, and will have their concession stand open for the event. Dartmouth Fire District 1 has volunteered both equipment and firefighters to start and monitor the bonfire. Stat Ambulance New England has also volunteered their services, and will have an ambulance on site.
Scheduled guest speakers include Dartmouth School Committee Chairman John Nunes, DHS Principal Kerry Lynch, Select Board Chair Lara Stone, and State Rep. Chris Markey, along with other guests.
The Class of 2014 officers are hoping to revive the tradition of a bonfire/pep rally prior to the Thanksgiving Day game, an annual event last celebrated over 20 years ago.
The organizers hope this will become an annual event where past Dartmouth High athletes, cheerleaders, band members and students can renew old acquaintances and meet current school students and Thanksgiving Day event participants.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
Posted by: Jeff Rhodes on November 21, 2011
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Connecting With Customers While Managing Branded Content and Channels
- Written on
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- Eric Courville
Twitter. Pinterest. Facebook. LinkedIn. These popular social media platforms are contributing to a new marketing approach that is focused more on digital and interactive, while becoming less traditional and less focused on single-channel marketing. Marketers can no longer rely on implementing a campaign only in traditional media channels such as ... more...
Watch Out! Digital Marketing Trends You Didn't See Coming
Michael Kahn, Chief Executive Officer, Performics Worldwide, looks at VR, wearables and robots, oh my! Adotas: What do you predict for ... more...
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Invite your little Umi fan on a cupcake decorating mission!
Weekdays on Nick Jr.
In a shallow bowl, tint 1 cup of the vanilla frosting with neon pink food coloring. Tint 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting bright yellow and spoon into a resealable bag. Tint 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting red and spoon into a resealable bag. Tint the remaining frosting pale pink--just add a bit of red food coloring.
Heat the neon pink frosting in the shallow bowl in the microwave for 10 seconds, stir well. Continue to microwave at 5-second intervals, stirring well, until the thickness is similar to that of slightly whipped cream.
Dip the top of a cupcake in the melted frosting up to the foil liner. Allow the excess frosting to drip off. Invert and place on a wire cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
Snip a small corner from the bag with the yellow frosting. Pipe an oval over the bottom third of cupcake as Milli's face. Fill in with some of the light pink frosting.
Add the black candies as the eyes. Snip a very small corner from the bag with the red frosting. Pipe hair and eyebrows. Pipe a brown mouth.
Trim the flat bottom of the spice drops with a small knife and discard. Press a 4-inch length of licorice into each rounded end of the spice drops. Press the cut end of spice drop on either side of the top of the cupcake as Milli's hair.
Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
Practice early math with cupcake decorations! Try counting and sorting the candy ingredients with your child. Help your child count out each of the candy ingredients and then sort them into separate piles by color and then by ingredient. When it's time to add these ingredients, read aloud how many pieces will be needed and ask your child to count out and retrieve the ingredients from their piles.
Kids will love counting and crunching on these delicious digits!
Here's a mighty healthy lunch idea--go on, take it for a spin!
On a mission for an umirrific cake? It's Bot to the rescue!
Bake a cake to look just like your kid's favorite pattern-powered Umi friend!
Shape a cake to look like Geo!
Your Umi fan will say 'Great Gigabytes' when you make this avocado & cheese sandwich
Make a mighty cute sandwich for your little Milli fan
Make a super cream cheese sandwich for your hungry Umi fan!
Pizza for dessert? It's umirrific!
Great gigabytes! Kids will love taking a bite out of this cookie!
Bake a batch of Umirrific sugar cookies with your Umi fan
Kids will love making a sweet treat that looks just like Milli!
Take your little Umizoomi fan for a sweet ride with this easy homemade cake
It's a-Bot time for these yummy cupcakes!
Shape up with these math-minded cupcakes from Geo!
Get on board and make these shipshape Geo cupcakes for your Halloween party!
Kids will want Bot's cupcake mummy in their tummy!
Your little bumblebee will buzz with anticipation for Milli's super special cupcakes!
Like magic, these yummy cupcakes will disappear into thin air!
Be like a brave bunny & bake this easy recipe with your little rabbit!
What's hiding under that sheet? One fin-tastic treat!
Little guppies will flip for this funny take on dessert!
These fetchin' cupcakes will stand out at your little guppy's next party!
Create bakery-worthy cupcakes that look like Max & Ruby
Try this tasty Kai-lan Halloween treat--it will never go extinct!
Charm loved ones with Dora's dainty cupcake rings on Valentine's Day!
Roll out the red carpet for the cutest cupcakes around!
Little dragons everywhere will love Rintoo's too cute Halloween cupcake!
Get your party started with Dino Dan & these delicious treats!
Count on your little baker to sort out the candies in this terrific Tolee treat!
A cupcake and a simple ice cream cone turn into an edible microphone!
It's a-Bot time for these yummy cupcakes!
Shape up with these math-minded cupcakes from Geo!
Follow these 5 simple steps to make a super sweet treat
The cutest Koala you've seen on a cupcake!
They're as sweet as Hoho, himself!
The tasty treat that's fit for a tiger!
Who knew Toodee would make such a blue-tiful cupcake?
PLEX the robot rocks out in cupcake form. Go Plex! Go Plex!
These treats are as easy as A-B-C
Treasure the smiles when you make these cupcakes for your little pirate!
These Oswald cupcakes with gummie hats will be a big hit!
Move over, ice cream!
What beats a cupcake? A cupcake topped with Austin!
Your favorite guinea pig makes for a wonder-ful cupcake!
Enjoy this "serious" treat together!
No Blue's Clues birthday party would be complete without this familiar face
Bake up Backyardigans by the dozen. Here's Uniqua!


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Gun owner wants details on Sandy Hook massacre
|Lt. J. Paul Vance, Connecticut State Police spokesman, addresses the media during a press conference in Newtown on the day after the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Republican-American archive
The West Hartford woman questioned how legislators could propose new gun laws, including requiring gun owners to obtain liability insurance, in response to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School without more facts.
"You as legislators should have that information in hand. A preliminary report should be made available, and I am hearing bits and pieces of this case are beginning to leak out," she said.
Aron referred to a column that appeared Sunday in the New York Daily News that provided fresh, morbid details of gunman Adam Lanza's research into other mass shootings.
State police and Danbury State's Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III continued Tuesday to decline to release information about the investigation, and would not confirm the information in the column.
Columnist Mike Lupica quoted an anonymous law enforcement source who attended a conference last week where the commander of the Connecticut State Police made a presentation on the Sandy Hook investigation.
According to the column, Col. Danny R. Stebbins revealed that Lanza had compiled a spreadsheet that measured 7 feet long and 4 feet wide charting mass murders of the past. The document required a special printer to produce. The list also included attempted murders.
During a public hearing Tuesday on legislation that would require gun owners obtain liability insurance, Aron questioned why police are not giving the legislature the same information.
"Clearly there is information being made available and you as legislators should be screaming at the top of your lungs as to why you don't have access to that information," she said.
The Lupica column said the list that Lanza compiled names of around 500 people and included the number of victims killed in each incident and the make and model of the weapons that were used.
The law enforcement source told Lupica that Stebbins said investigators believe Lanza picked up from video games techniques for reloading the .223 Bushmaster AR-15 that he used and for moving from room to room.
Stebbins made the revelations during a seminar for the mid-year meeting of the International Association of Police Chiefs and Colonels in New Orleans last week.
State police will not be releasing any information on the Sandy Hook massacre until the investigation is concluded, said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a department spokesman. He said the probe is still expected to take several months to complete.
State police will continue to provide regular updates on the investigation's progress to families of the Sandy Hook victims, Vance said.
Lanza shot down 20 first-graders and six staff members at Sandy Hook before he killed himself after law enforcement responded to the shooting. Before going to the school he murdered his mother at the home they shared .
Once state police conclude their investigation, Sedensky will then review the findings and issue a final report. It is unclear how long that might take.
Sedensky will determine if any criminal charges need to be filed based on the state police investigation. If there are any prosecutions, the final report could be held back until all the criminal cases are closed.
Vance said the leaking of the sensitive information that Stebbins shared with other law enforcement professionals last week was unfortunate.
"It is unfortunate that someone in attendance chose not to honor Col. Stebbins' request to respect the families' right to know specifics of the investigation first," he said.
Despite this, state police will continue to share lessons learned from the mass shooting in such exclusive settings, including issues surrounding officer safety and public safety, Vance said.
He said this is a customary practice in law enforcement after crimes involving mass murder are committed.
Follow Us
ratsmik wrote on Mar 19, 2013 11:04 PM:
Anybody told you to hide it for some P.C. reason?
Remember, we the tax payers are paying your salary.
You work for us.
I know one of the guns in question never been used. It was in
Lanza's car.. What was it ?
Answer please !
I don't want to see your picture again in the paper. "
Bob wrote on Mar 19, 2013 11:51 PM:
FREEPRESS wrote on Mar 20, 2013 4:08 AM:
You twits who put these idiots in office deserve what you get, the rest of us don't! "
GAS wrote on Mar 20, 2013 4:49 AM:
Concerned wrote on Mar 20, 2013 6:59 AM:
I agree that they need to release the truth about what happened at Sandy Hook. Regardless of what happened, no law will prevent gun violence. "
Stanley Castle wrote on Mar 20, 2013 7:03 AM:
Brian wrote on Mar 20, 2013 7:50 AM:
mr. blank wrote on Mar 20, 2013 8:29 AM:
linda wrote on Mar 20, 2013 9:28 AM:
Bob wrote on Mar 20, 2013 11:17 AM:
Reality Check wrote on Mar 20, 2013 12:33 PM:
You just have to look at the tragedy averted at a central FL university yesterday b/c the roomate called 911 before the 30 yr old student could fulfill his plan. Plus, imagine the pain in having the parents, families, residents and first responders relive the graphic horror all over again as it's splashed in the media. As it is, they need to get through every day with the unimaginable sense of loss of their loved ones. "
john jones wrote on Mar 20, 2013 12:45 PM:
Irony wrote on Mar 20, 2013 12:50 PM:
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 20, 2013 1:16 PM:
I guess it's more important for the National Institute of Health to award $2.7 million the University of Illinois to study why lesbians are at a higher "risk for hazardous drinking, than it is to protect our children in schools with armed guards. "
al.cap wrote on Mar 20, 2013 2:56 PM:
i don't subscribe to the 'inside job' or conspiracy theories. i did find it strange that just hours after the guy at ucf failed to commit his act, cnn released it's newest poll data, which shows a sharp decline in support for new gun restrictions nationwide.
there was a lively discussion on cnn.com about this guy being a hero for committing suicide, i.e. stopping himself, before the demons in his head took over. "
Irony wrote on Mar 20, 2013 3:32 PM:
blue star wrote on Mar 20, 2013 4:55 PM:
The other day there was a press release from a female Trooper, and it did look official. If so she would be the only person who has been allowed to do so. Just wondering if she might be under consideration as Lt. Vance's replacement
If not I sure wish they would issue Lt. Vance a new hat that fits. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 20, 2013 5:09 PM:
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 20, 2013 5:09 PM:
Avoiding the Issue wrote on Mar 20, 2013 5:32 PM:
conservative1 wrote on Mar 20, 2013 5:42 PM:
Irony wrote on Mar 20, 2013 5:44 PM:
Neither are you calling them "liberal gun grabbers", when if you notice the ban of automatic weapons was taken off the table by the DEMOCRAT who proposed it.
Turn off FOX News while you still can "
alan wrote on Mar 20, 2013 5:55 PM:
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 20, 2013 6:07 PM:
It's a matter of priorities...the $2.7 millon could have been better spent to study violent video games and their effects on the mental health of those who seek to kill 26 people for score points.
Reid's move was purely political to save his fellow Democrats from loosing re-election...I don't see anything coming off the table here in CT...buy a gun while you still can. "
GAS wrote on Mar 20, 2013 6:09 PM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 20, 2013 6:44 PM:
Below me wrote on Mar 20, 2013 7:16 PM:
roy wrote on Mar 20, 2013 7:48 PM:
I admire your demand that the state police release a detailed report of the Newtown killings.
In the old days, you believed half of what you saw and none of what you heard. Today, it's "don't believe anything of what you read, none of what you have heard, and nothing of what you see".
With today's photo technology and computers, they can display a photo of Lady Gaga alongside Lee Harvey Oswald in the Book Depository with a .50 Caliber Barrett sniper rifle killing JFK !!!
Therefore, I would NOT believe anything out of Connecticut Commie state police and definitely not a detailed report describing how many bullet holes each child sustained along with body parts spewed all over the classroom regardless of what type of ammo was used.
I'm sure someone will make a movie out of this AND, it will be more accurate and truthful than any state police report. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 20, 2013 8:58 PM:
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 20, 2013 9:01 PM:
Actually, we love Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness; go try out your cute quip on the criminals who don't. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 20, 2013 9:35 PM:
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 21, 2013 9:30 AM:
Nice going Moore, so this is your reaction when your gun control agenda doesn't go way; personal attacks on others and their family members?
This is a prime example of what happens when the Office of the Presidency embraces the radical left and turns the most sacred office of our country into the equivalent of a reality TV show, then doesn't tow the liberal line. "
al.cap wrote on Mar 21, 2013 1:20 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 5:44 PM:
blue star wrote on Mar 21, 2013 5:46 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 5:54 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 5:59 PM:
Howard Fielding rep-am.com wrote on Mar 21, 2013 6:10 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 6:14 PM:
hfielding wrote on Mar 21, 2013 6:24 PM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 21, 2013 6:40 PM:
@kitty- not to be critical, but the site experiences frequent technical issues. and vindication does not lie with the people who say exactly what they are told to say. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 6:46 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 6:48 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 6:54 PM:
hfielding wrote on Mar 21, 2013 6:57 PM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 21, 2013 7:06 PM:
Sami6 wrote on Mar 21, 2013 9:00 PM:
Assault weapons are already prohibited !
One must know the cause of a problem before one can propose a solution. To withhold the CSP report until after the legislative session ends allows Malloy to try to push through his agenda that is totally unrelated to the cause of this mess.
If what Mike Lupica wrote is at least 75% accurate, gun legislation isn't even an issue. The two issues are the extreme video games and the mental health issues.
The legislative brain trust has tabled the mental health issue and there has been no sincere discussion about video games.
These legislators at the urging of the libs are acting like a blind man trying to find a corner in a round room.
And if anyone doubts that Malloy or his lackies have directed the CSP to withhold the report, you are smoking crack.
We are most safe when the legislature is out of session and Kitty has to continually log in. "
Below me wrote on Mar 21, 2013 9:07 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 10:53 PM:
@SAMI...it will take gun regulation and better access to mental health.......look at the mass shooting that was just narrowly avoided in Orlando....because of the quick action of his roommate...
If I can no longer post in this forum......I will stop and then you can all just agree with each other.....how boring........ "
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 11:04 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 21, 2013 11:10 PM:
conservative1 wrote on Mar 21, 2013 11:45 PM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 22, 2013 5:17 AM:
wrong again about the sheriffs. they are not bound to uphold unconstitutional, or illegal orders. many states are passing resolutions protecting their citizens and leos from the feds. "
Sami6 wrote on Mar 22, 2013 8:23 AM:
Do you think the Columbine killers did not suffer from mental defect? If not for guns they would have found another way.
Do you think the AZ killer did not suffer from mental defect? If not for guns he could have run a car into the crown on that street corner.
Do you think the Theater killer did not suffer from mental defect? If not for guns he would have carried out his plan in some other fashion. He was intelligent, far more so than the Oklahoma City fertilizer bombers.
Do you think the Oslo killer did not suffer from mental defect? I guarantee you he was driven by his ideology to make a statement and he would have done it without a gun., as a matter of fact all of his killings in Oslo were by bomb. He did not use firearms until he went to the island.
Let's see, 2,900 killed by mostly Araib / Islamic whack jobs using just box cutters. They knew guns were of no value.
You just can't give up the ghost that guns don't kill people, people do !
I suggest if you look at the history of civilization you will find murder in multiples have existed in society since the beginning of time. Sad. This does not justify a Newtown or a Columbine. What we need to do is identify the CAUSE not the MEANS and address the CAUSE.
Now, some in the law enforcement community have stated they will not enforce certain gun laws that were passed through the legislative process. How about the laws that are being ignored by O"bama regarding the security of our borders? Me thinkith thy smell of Hypocricy. "
blue star wrote on Mar 22, 2013 10:01 AM:
Attacking the very forum that provides us public free speech. And in usual form, adding an insult to someone who is attempting to establish a dialogue.
As in previous threats to keep quiet, watch that door on the way out. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 22, 2013 10:17 AM:
@AL......where's your source on the sheriff's who have pubically stated they will not uphold laws passed by the legislature
@Conservative......wrong this conservation should gave taken place long ago to avoid a Newtown........don't need many more facts from Newtown.......and your prejudice is showing .....not only blacks collect unemployment and food stamps and heating assistance......in fact whites make up the majority of people on assistance programs.......helping people is not enslaving them.....we are for Pell grants so they can get an education and make a living wage......but all your republican heroes are against that.......
@AL......who has your store listing...know someone who might be interested "
KITTY wrote on Mar 22, 2013 10:57 AM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 22, 2013 11:06 AM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 22, 2013 11:52 AM:
http://cspoa.org/sheriffs-gun-rights/ "
Howard Fielding rep-am.com wrote on Mar 22, 2013 12:41 PM:
Sami6 wrote on Mar 22, 2013 12:41 PM:
If you view this link it is on Glenn Beck's web site. Disregard him and watch Mr. Robert Steed of Vernon,
CT who was intelligent, articulate and comprehensive.
There are other videos of Mr. Steed testifying in front of the Insurance Committee with equal professionalism.
http://www.glennbeck.com/2013/03/21/best-pro-gun-testimony-ever-a-connecticut-citizen-makes-an-epic-stand-for-liberty/?utm_source=Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2013-03-21_207808&utm_content=4624804&utm_term=_207808_207822 "
KITTY wrote on Mar 22, 2013 12:59 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 22, 2013 1:02 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 22, 2013 1:21 PM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 22, 2013 2:00 PM:
k- my store is listed. i do not wish to provide the info in this environment. in recent weeks, some vocal lefties have mentioned trying to identify me or my store. while i appreciate the interest, i would hate for my wife or son to be required to dispatch an unruly liberal. thank you.
there aren't an awful lot of liquor stores for sale in the area where mine is located. "
blue star wrote on Mar 22, 2013 2:25 PM:
States rights, friendly folks, no snow, open carry. There's more... "
KITTY wrote on Mar 22, 2013 6:21 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 22, 2013 6:24 PM:
citizen 4 fairness wrote on Mar 22, 2013 7:56 PM:
citizen 4 fairness wrote on Mar 22, 2013 8:28 PM:
Sami6 wrote on Mar 22, 2013 8:45 PM:
I you re-read my post I suggest the reader disregard Glen Beck. I never suggested anyone digest what Beck has to say. My clear point was about Mr Steed. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 22, 2013 10:23 PM:
conservative1 wrote on Mar 22, 2013 11:49 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 23, 2013 5:27 AM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 23, 2013 6:40 AM:
the details i expect are that numerous signs were missed. many of our current laws, if enforced, may have had a role in the outcome. the mental heath system failed. most importantly, we will come to understand that lanza would have done his deed regardless of the availability of firearms. the investigation will illustrate a young man bent on committing a horrendous act, not bent on using a specific tool to do the job. "
Below me wrote on Mar 23, 2013 7:09 AM:
conservative1 wrote on Mar 23, 2013 9:48 AM:
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 23, 2013 9:50 AM:
Bridgeport -- Three people were shot outside a Boston Avenue bar early Saturday morning, police said.
Waterbury -- Three men were arrested Thursday evening on charges related to two armed street robberies, police said "
Seamus wrote on Mar 23, 2013 11:24 AM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 23, 2013 11:34 AM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 23, 2013 11:45 AM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 23, 2013 11:58 AM:
va tech was handguns. gabby giffords was handguns. columbine's guns were the backup plan when the bombs failed. in oregon a pistol stopped an ar.
it's only about ar's because that's what dannell wants it to be about.
the problem is mental health, violence in society, anger management, problem solving skills, lack of enforcement of existing laws, and yes, the ease of availability of firearms. you won't solve any of them with a ban. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 23, 2013 12:57 PM:
citizen 4 fairness wrote on Mar 23, 2013 1:28 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 23, 2013 1:33 PM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 23, 2013 1:45 PM:
in a very long-winded piece, this is as close as they came to saying what you claim.
In 2008, we explored the issue of whether more gun ownership meant more or less gun violence. What we found, and it still holds true, was that some studies had shown a statistical relationship between those factors — areas with a higher prevalence of guns had higher prevalence of gun homicides and homicides in general. But studies haven't been able to show a causal relationship — that the mere presence of guns, as opposed to other factors, caused the higher rates of gun violence. It's doubtful, however, that a study could ever beyond-a-doubt prove a causal relationship.
in other words, we think something might be there, but, then again, it might not. "
citizen 4 fairness wrote on Mar 23, 2013 2:34 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 23, 2013 2:43 PM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 23, 2013 3:53 PM:
conservative1 wrote on Mar 23, 2013 9:22 PM:
Also by multi faceted did you mean crash the economy, create class warfare, disarm the citizens, and eliminate the Constitution? "
KITTY wrote on Mar 23, 2013 11:32 PM:
@AL....they are not talking about cities.....they are talking about state stats......most large cities have a lot of gang violence ......thus the higher numbers...... "
al.cap wrote on Mar 24, 2013 8:31 AM:
1. California – 1,220
2. Texas – 699
3. Pennsylvania – 470
4. New York – 445
5. Michigan – 450
6. Louisiana – 402
7. Illinois – 377
8. Georgia – 370
9. Ohio – 344
10. North Carolina – 335
note california, which had the strictest gun restrictions that year, was almost double everyone's favorite target. and illinois, which permitted no concealed carry, was in the top ten. this report did not specifically relate to laws. "gun deaths" includes suicides and self-defense killings. those numbers tend to skew results.
http://politic365.com/2012/12/18/gun-control-the-top-10-states-with-firearm-related-murders/ "
conservative1 wrote on Mar 24, 2013 1:11 PM:
Was that a shot at me? I watch Fox because I'm old? ouch. People watch fox because they report the truth, have better (not in the tank for Obama) personalities, and better programming.
Never heard a Fox reporter report "getting a tingle up his leg" for another man (Obama). Maybe if CNBC hired some beautiful young smart personalities rather than butch lesbians, people might watch. Oh Ya and reporting the truth wouldn't hurt either "
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 24, 2013 4:01 PM:
" And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"
Thanks c1....... "
KITTY wrote on Mar 24, 2013 11:03 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 24, 2013 11:15 PM:
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 25, 2013 9:25 AM:
He continued his outrageous attacks on law abiding gun owners today when he released a new satirical song/video Cold Dead Hand and then followed it up with a disgusting tweet that read, "'Cold Dead Hand' is abt u heartless m f-ers s unwilling 2 bend 4 the safety of our kids. Sorry if you're offended by the word safety":
Nice going Carrey, your despicable comments are right in line with the demagogic rhetoric coming from the liberal gun control crowd right here.
My guess is that, had Lanza survived to face trial, this guy, his Hollywood crew, the rabid liberal gun grabbers in this country, and probably some who post in these forums would donate to his defense fund; anything to further their anti-gun agenda. It's all about the guns and nothing else. …...Sorry if you're offended by the 2nd Amendment! "
Guns Dont Kill People Do wrote on Mar 25, 2013 2:25 PM:
Do you think if this kid didn't have access to his mother's legally owned guns that his plot would have been foiled? The answer is no. He had a plan and would have stopped at nothing to follow it through. He wasderanged and in need of serious help and he would have found a way to have a gun in his hand that tragic day.
Sandy Hook was a devastating tragedy that should have never happened. Parents send their kids to school assuming they are safe not that a deranged man is going to get into the school and wreak havoc, but at the end of the day it was not the gun that did damage it was him.
I would hate to see people who legally own guns not be able to protect their families and loved ones, while thugs can walk down the street and ilegally purchase any gun they want, whether it be automatic or semi-automatic. Reality is every gun owner I know has done so legally and are all law abiding citizens. Why is that they get reprimanded by the people who don't choose to follow the laws?
This state needs to focus on the real issues at hand and figure out how to really help the mentally ill, how to get illegal guns off the streets, and how to keep our children safe. It will be a sad day when this country loses the second amendment and people can no longer protect ourselves from the deranged people our government does not want to talk about or find out how to help them.
But here's a tip let's not glorify the acts of these people and allow them to become famous for their murders, there names should not be spoken and their photos should not be aired all over the news and newspapers. There are some crazy people who commit heinous acts to just be famous because in this country we allow that. "
al.cap wrote on Mar 25, 2013 8:03 PM:
msnbc? really? that explains everything. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 25, 2013 8:17 PM:
And oh yes msnbc....they are highly educated ....not like the bleached blonds on fox..... that conservative is so hot for ....lol.........and the college drop outs like sean on fox...... "
KITTY wrote on Mar 25, 2013 10:16 PM:
conservative1 wrote on Mar 25, 2013 11:17 PM:
drooling madman who gets a thrill up his leg for another man.Lets not forget the reverend al sharpton. The station is a joke. Don't equate what school someone attended with knowledge. After all Obama is an Ivy leaguer and we all know how "smart" he is.
We are a free society. With freedom comes responsibility. Some will abuse these freedoms. Some will die because of these abuses. The abusers are then punished. That's how it goes. We refuse to live in a bubble, that's is why we live in America.
Those who would give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Ben Franklin
Never truer than TODAY. "
al.cap wrote on Mar 26, 2013 5:07 AM:
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 26, 2013 9:46 AM:
A new CBS News poll was conducted by telephone from March 20-24, 2013 among 1,181 adults nationwide showing support for stricter gun control laws overall has dropped since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Currently, support for stricter gun control laws stands at 47 percent today, down from a high of 57 percent just after the shootings. Thirty-nine percent want those laws kept as they are, and another 11 percent want them made less strict.
Not surprisingly, women (55 percent) are more likely than men (39 percent) to want stricter laws, as are those living in the Northeast. Only 44 percent in the Midwest and South want stricter laws; 47 percent in the West.
.....and the next polls will show even lower numbers supporting gun control "
al.cap wrote on Mar 26, 2013 12:04 PM:
GeorgeK wrote on Mar 26, 2013 3:45 PM:
As for the story, one of the early posters said it best. Linda said, "We should ALL be demanding this, regardless of our position on guns and the proposed legislation. " Couldn't be closer to the truth. If you don't care to see all of the facts, or you believe the media got it all right on the 14th try, then you have an agenda to push.
I am sorry, but being scared by certain rights or qualifying them as unnecessary doesn't give anyone the reason to take them away. If that were the way it worked, we'd have already banned haunted houses, and scary movies. Surely they scare someone.
When someone is scared by a haunted house, they don't realize, at least fully, that it isn't real, and that nothing will hurt them. Generally, this is why children are clinging to their mothers and wailing in tears by the time its all over. A further look shows that this behavior eventually subsides as the child visits again and again realizing that nothing will hurt them. Over time, the lack of experience is filled with experience, and the 'scariness' wears off. It becomes familiar and the fear of danger or harm has been dissolved completely, and the experience becomes an enjoyable one. So if we take this example, and apply it to assault weapons, one would see that those who oppose guns, says nobody needs them, disqualifies their necessity in society are the same who fear them. They lack any cohesive experience with them. There are also pro-gunners who very much have experience with them and do not oppose their use in society very much if at all.
So at the end of the day, if we could only get the left to experience these guns close up, they may change their mind. The lack of experience would subside. The left would see that the gun is only an inanimate object, and it will only do what the user wants it to do. Nothing more and nothing less. The reason dialogue doesn't work with the leftists is that they don't believe us. They think we are trying to pull a quick one on them. Think back to the haunted house analogy, did they child still cry even after mom or dad said that everything would be OK?
The best we can do is extend the olive branch. Invite them to a day at the range, take them shooting, let them sit through a safety class. I am not belittling those on the left, but I want to see a real opportunity for real change.
Experience says it all. Leftists will fervently defend the 1st and 4th Amendment, because they have had experience with them since the day they were born. Everyone does. How many people would realize their 3rd Amendment protections were being violated if it actually happened? My guess? Not many.
'How can you compare guns to haunted houses?' A child screaming for dear life in a haunted house is fearful for life or from harm. This is no different than the argument that guns endanger the life and limb of the rest of society. A cohesive lack of experience coupled with the fear of harm.
'Yea, but guns kill people, haunted houses don't.' Google brought up a few stories in the past ten years where someone was killed in or died at a haunted house. Anything can kill something, a stray golfball, a meteorite, a bee swarm, getting stuck in storm drain, even playing a video game. You add up all the bee swarm deaths or golfing deaths around the world, and I guarantee you they outpace 'assault weapon' deaths threefold.
'I have been shooting before and I know my guns.' One time at the range doesn't qualify someone as an expert but merely cracks open the door to the world of gun ownership. If you took the weekend driving course at Skip Barber Racing School, they still aren't going to let you hop right into F1 without any further coaching. Having been shooting as a child and you are now 40 also doesn't qualify you as an expert. If you are 40, how many of you can divide complex fractions or perform division with exponents? Basic math skills most learn in high school, are lost when not used. Same applies with firearms.
'I don't need to shoot a gun to know what I am talking about.' Maybe you don't, but you will never be as capable as those in a debate who have shot a gun. Two people are aircraft aficionados. They can identify them by the sound of the engine and basic design elements, they know build numbers, service ceilings and top speed off the top of their head. One is a pilot and the other isn't. Who's word has more weight?
I challenge anyone who thought this was a poor analogy, to ante up a better one. "
al.cap wrote on Mar 26, 2013 5:55 PM:
my offer to sandy still stands. i'll be going soon. i know kitty and c4 want no part of it.
welcome back george. "
Sami6 wrote on Mar 26, 2013 8:37 PM:
The two "blonds" on Fox & Friends First are both attorneys. Most of the others are well educated also. You should watch the show, it certainly would be a step up from that illegal alien, Pierce Morgan.
It also sounds like you are adding a negative connotation to the word "blond". I am sure you are above that. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 26, 2013 8:52 PM:
Also if you are trying to compare drop outs with ivy league educated people ....wow
I have a friend who went to ivy league schools and taught at yale and harvard ...he recently developed a drug for stage 4 breast cancer.......i couldn't do that and neither could you.......
so don't tell me drop out sean is in the same league as oxford phd rachel........so you can see why i laugh when you compare the opinion of fox vs msnbc......not even in the same league.....it's like comparing myself to my brillant friend who develops cancer drugs......i enjoy listening to people smarter than myself and make the most out of it and use it as a learning experience..... "
KITTY wrote on Mar 26, 2013 8:57 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 26, 2013 9:13 PM:
conservative1 wrote on Mar 26, 2013 11:08 PM:
I would like to know how Obama. The poor kid from Hawaii who admittedly got lousy grades. Summered on the mainland, went to Occidental and Columbia. How does this happen??
Anyways the men who built this country were all self taught. Universities are nothing more than socialist factories for the most part. Socialist professors that live off the Universities that never actually made or ran anything teaching our kids that success is bad. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 27, 2013 12:51 AM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 27, 2013 12:54 AM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 27, 2013 5:28 AM:
GeorgeK wrote on Mar 27, 2013 9:17 AM:
What if I say the purpose of a gun is for self-defense, then perhaps just the sight of the gun may be enough to thwart a threat to me? Remember, the shooter went to a school knowing that is where the guns would NOT be, allowing him to carry out his will unopposed.
Aside from that, if I view guns as entertainment, which I do, then to me their purpose is different than what you view them as. Many Americans view a good day at the range as a great American past time. There are shooting competitions, and a multitude of ways that individuals can compete against each other without a drop of blood being shed.
It would seem to me that you don't have much hands-on time with guns or the culture. You don't know what a responsible gun owner looks like and how they operate. That's not your fault, but most likely the result of the media. You say you have been shooting a time or two, years ago, but as I said before, that is not enough to have just shot a gun. You don't know what the responsibly run range looks like. Not your fault, because the media only reports the accidents and mishaps but never the charity drives and do-good events range associations run.
Guns to you only mean killing, because that is all you ever hear them associated with. You aren't a gun person, you clearly don't go shooting often, and the only time you hear about guns is when somebody gets shot and the news reports it. I don't blame you for feeling that way, but I would urge you to truly see the other side through our point of view. I guarantee that when you see that a guns sole purpose is not for killing, you might even warm up to the idea.
The offer is on the table, Kitty, Sandy, TCinco, Ram, etc. I will take you to the range, political differences aside, and let you shoot until the cows come home, after of course providing you with some safety instruction. You choose the date and time, and I will provide the rest. At the end of the day, you will see that guns can be owned and operated responsibly, and it can even be fun yet completely harmless. I have nothing but time for the next 3 weeks. "
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 27, 2013 10:23 AM:
"It's not OK to me to take no action at the expense, or the risk, of the kids out there," said board member Kevin Fealy Jr.
Take heed Malloy, we're tired of you pussyfooting around by trying to pass laws that do nothing to protect our kids yet do everything to infringe on gun owners rights. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 27, 2013 1:34 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 27, 2013 1:42 PM:
al.cap wrote on Mar 27, 2013 2:25 PM:
say what you will. i don't watch fox, or any 'news channel'. i form my own opinions. like them or not, they're mine. "
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 27, 2013 2:43 PM:
My schedule's wide open until April 25th with the exception of Monday April 1st.. and Thursday April 4th.
Just let me know where and a date and time that works best for you, and I'm all set for equipment. "
conservative1 wrote on Mar 27, 2013 4:24 PM:
He traveled to countries we weren't allowed to as an African citizen. He then goes to college in the US as a Foreign Student. His grades and writings are all locked away. If he is actually a US born citizen, he lied back then.
Next on CNBC will be Tawanna Brawley, Alec Baldwin and Jim Carrey. Their 1st guest will be the HYPOCRITE astronaut Mark Kelly, To explain why he spoke out against assault riffles then was seen the VERY next day buying an................ ASSAULT riffle. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 27, 2013 6:59 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 27, 2013 7:09 PM:
ROY wrote on Mar 28, 2013 9:23 PM:
93 comments. Although I get deeply engrossed with ALL the comments and I wish the REPUBLICAN would do something good with this priceless information.
All this commentary stays within the dozen or two of us and has valuable overtones that our brain dead gun grabbing politicains and new media should read.
But, back to the original article regarding a detailed report on Sandy Hook.
Of course, the first thing was that it took Lanza 5 MINUTES TO FIRE 154 BULLETS. Well, that tells me he was an ameteur. If that's all he could do, then his warped, abnormal, crazed brain was insane. It took 2 seconds for his rotten brain to figure out to pull the trigger again. If his grey matter was partally intact, he could have wiped out the whole school in 5 minutes with a chain saw. Thank God, his faculties were all bent out of shape, otherwise whatever he used would be more devistaing than it was.
Again, believe nothing what you see or hear. It's all propaganda to confisate guns. "
GeorgeK wrote on Mar 29, 2013 2:26 PM:
Any particular venue of interest?
Just because he tested the waters of one state and one gun store in that state doesn't mean that all gun stores in all states operate the same. He clearly followed the laws, and it was unclear if he had a permit, but assuming that he did, I am not surprised it took him only 5 minutes. Not for nothing though, if we are going to apply the law to an equal degree here, he should be arrested and charged with purchasing with intent to be straw purchaser. He was heard saying he wanted to get a gun to see how easy it would be to give to someone else.
I know you don't have a pistol permit, so I challenge you to go out anywhere in the state of Connecticut and attempt to get a gun. You won't do it because you don't want to prove me right. If you could see beyond your political spectacles, you would see no matter what, you would be forced through the same litany of paperwork and 2 weeks waiting period as everyone else. The only exceptions to the 2 week waiting period are being a police officer, possessing valid military ID, or having a state of Connecticut permit to carry pistols or revolvers. Either way, you still must go through the litany of paperwork. "
GeorgeK wrote on Mar 29, 2013 3:00 PM:
Not sure if this has been mentioned anywhere at all, but I definitely have played my share of Call of Duty, and a good handful of the listed guns, are also guns that you can use in the game. I wonder if he was so deranged to think he was in a video game in real life?
A sad story, but I know for sure our legislators will continue to blame the gun and the video game. The problem here, overwhelmingly, is the lack of parenting, the lack of a father figure in his life, the lack of a lot of stuff. Between him and the mother there was enough disregard for personal responsibility to last a lifetime. More so, it is impossible to legislate personal responsibility, it is a value that is taught by the parents, to the child. Funny though, its the gun's fault. Not one mention of how neglectful the mother was, or how messed up the shooters childhood was, or any mention of those medications...
The gun here is innocent, I mean for christ's sake, after this nut job did his bidding, and the police were called, what did they bring with them... MORE GUNS!!! Which tells me that guns are OK in certain cases, and ultimately, the problem is not the GUN but the PERSON who possesses it. Now take those police, and switch out that pressed uniform and badge for a one-piece or suit and tie, you still have a capable janitor or principal, with a gun. It may not be their 'job' and it may not be the primary 'training' they have received, but the cops showed up because they have gun and they can put shots on paper. If your average non-cop can have a gun and put shots on paper until the police arrive, you have your best deterrent to this ever happening again.
Its funny too, that nobody wants to allow the teachers, janitors, principals, school psychologist or anyone else to be armed. But an armed guard is acceptable, a police officer is even better (when we are talking about putting shots on paper, there is no real difference). At the end of the day, what is the difference between all of these people? The uniform they wear. If there was one person in that school, who had a gun, even with no real training, the pistol permit class in CT will at least help you understand that the barrel is the long part of the gun that the bullet comes out of and that whatever you point it at will likely be hurt very bad or die. You are also required to shoot a real gun, and put rounds on paper. Just like the police. All of the training the police and some security gets is based on communicating with each other, and tactically evaluating a situation. If there is one of you, and at least one of them (the bad guy), the objective is clear. Eliminate the threat, put rounds on paper.
No, we just want to call the cops, and let them deal with it. (And then whine and groan about the high taxes but continuously vote against increasing the school budget to provide ample security to thing we value most.) "
Lock and Load wrote on Mar 29, 2013 3:31 PM:
roy wrote on Mar 29, 2013 4:16 PM:
The headlines must have sold a record number of papers.
I had to switch to the obituaries.. no sensationalism there. "
KITTY wrote on Mar 30, 2013 12:54 AM:
GeorgeK wrote on Mar 30, 2013 9:05 AM:
1. How did we get from what I wrote, to the above?
2. There is no such thing as an unlicensed dealer at a gun show in CT. Its a state-by-state basis.
3. Of all the gun show purchases I have observed, I have yet to see someone able to buy a firearm without a NICS check first. Not saying it doesn't happen, but I'm confident that its pretty infrequent. "
al.cap wrote on Mar 30, 2013 9:52 AM:
again, this far into the debate, and the lefties still have no idea what they are talking about, or asking for. but, by god, they must have their ban!!! "
KITTY wrote on Mar 30, 2013 1:44 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 30, 2013 2:23 PM:
ROY wrote on Mar 31, 2013 2:22 AM:
Injustice For All wrote on Mar 31, 2013 11:31 AM:
Injustice For All wrote on Mar 31, 2013 12:08 PM:
KITTY wrote on Mar 31, 2013 12:11 PM:
Injustice For All wrote on Mar 31, 2013 1:44 PM:
Injustice For All wrote on Mar 31, 2013 6:54 PM:
roy wrote on Mar 31, 2013 11:25 PM:
And Happy Easter to you as well.
Sorry if I misled you.
It's not a question of your family or mine. Both of our families are very important and loved by us.
If one of our children dies (God forbid) in a horrible situation, we eventually examine why it happened. You might question WHY and HOW. You have every right.....
I question WHY.
My point is that all these killings have a reason why. My reason is this American govenment will slowly enslave us and the "HOW" is confiscation of our guns.
So, you have every right to believe what you want and I respect that. I believe a conspiracy is in he works and innocent citizens are collateral damage.
In any event Kitty, what is coming is coming. I can't do much about it other than pray.
So Kitty, Peace Be With You. "
KITTY wrote on Apr 1, 2013 1:17 PM:
ROY wrote on Apr 1, 2013 6:26 PM:
Thanks for your understanding. I also understand more of your postion on gun confiscation.
Although we may be on opposite sides of the fence concerning gun confiscation, our middle ground is common because it's the "HOW" that you and I know is the crux of the matter.
Your point must be understood by all gun owners because it is up to us gun owners to figure how the government will pull this off without a slaughter.
I know you don't agree, but thanks for highlighting such an event. It will be a gun owners bottom line.
I'm sure your background and experience might suggest ways on how the government could/would pull this off. But I don't want to get you in trouble. "
conservative1 wrote on Apr 1, 2013 7:16 PM:
I've prayed for him and his child's soul, but when he tries to use his grief to take from me, the gloves come off. "
conservative1 wrote on Apr 1, 2013 7:19 PM:
Nice to know your downstairs neighbor hasn't cut the internet off on you. "
KITTY wrote on Apr 2, 2013 6:33 PM:
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text: you tightena plugpleading to be dislodged from a drain that drains frenzy into watery selfdistributes it evenly among every cellyour warm tributariesthey merrily swellas you warily spell some four letter wordin a blurred non-language that cannot be heardin a shiver that wagsawaiting a nameyou swaggering braggart of shagging and shameyou staggering Bogart, now drunken and lameyou're a dame in a lonely placestill, smoky frameshelled in a lightand darkand tameand lit by a spark, the dame takes a drag inhaling a worryand starting to gagthen starting to choke and joke and joke...until "come hither" flashes lightningin my strokeoh, bright and frighteningin my stroketo penetrate your flimsy yolk to venerate your clumsy cloakto sin with prideto touch your sideuselessly baroqueinside my stroke The end of semester is like the vaginal harvest. Capitalizing on all of that sexual tension is like a tribal ritual for me. I put on green paint, buy a 10 pack of Rough Riders and go to town. - Kev