Ramblin Wreck

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re: How Many People Do You Know that Were Bitten by a Venomous Snake?

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 8/20/26 at 6:49 pm to AlwysATgr

A bunch around southeast Texas. Lots of swampy opportunities and woods for snakes. One of my kid’s high school friends was bitten by a dead copper head or moccasin. I don’t remember which, but he picked it up and the snake’s nerve reflexes kicked in.

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re: Underrated guitar players

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 8/16/26 at 6:34 pm to KingOfTheWorld

I’ll mention someone that most people have never heard of, Phil Keaggy. He was in a band called Glass Harp and has lots of solo albums, I believe about 55. A lot of his music is prog rock and he has released a bunch of Christian albums too. I accidentally stumbled upon him channel surfing about 30 years ago and saw him on a show on the Catholic Network. I was amazed and subsequently saw him live two times after that. He is the best nine fingered guitarist you’ll ever hear. He lost half a finger when he was four. His dad wanted to buy him a drum set later but he insisted on learning guitar, even with the extra challenge of a missing digit.

“We lived on a farm in Hubbard, Ohio which had a big water pump, and I was climbing up on it. As I was kneeling on top of the platform, it broke and the faucets came crashing down on my finger and cut it off. I can remember it very vividly—as if it happened yesterday, and I can see my dad running down the hill, rescuing me, and taking me to the hospital. I can recall having a white cast and bandage; it was gigantic! They tried to sew it on, but it didn't take, so I grew up with nine fingers. As a young kid, I was embarrassed about it a lot, especially when I was beginning to get into guitar.”

This song doesn’t show off his guitar skills, but I love the melody and it is very relaxing. Youtube Link

re: How do you rank the members of the Traveling Wilburys?

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 8/16/26 at 5:40 pm to weagle1999

Lynne - how many times will this be misspelled on this thread? LOL

I was a huge ELO fan in the 1980’s and was surprised to see Lynne included in the lineup at the time since most people didn’t know him by name. For those that only associate Lynne / ELO with their pop music days, you should check out their first four albums (No Answer, Electric Light Orchestra II, On the Third Day, and Eldorado) which more closely resemble progressive rock.

re: Trump Welcomes Iraq PM Ali al-Zaidi to the White House:

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/14/26 at 11:38 am to JasonDBlaha

quote:
It’s the same kind of thinking that led to Texas becoming ground zero for Muslims and H-1Bs.

I would rather us assist them with win-win trade deals and investments to make their country more livable than opening our doors for them to migrate here.

re: Groundbreaking set for Perkins Road Overpass project - starts Today

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/14/26 at 8:36 am to Handsome Pete

quote:
This image is ridiculous. Does anyone believe a green paradise like this will exist underneath the interstate? Imagine the smell, the trash, the noise. Probably be too nasty even for vagrants to give each other BJs for meth there.

Imagine the mosquitos from the standing water in that image.

re: Groundbreaking set for Perkins Road Overpass project - starts Today

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/14/26 at 2:32 am to Shexter

Does the graffiti painted on the columns depict a bunch of naked people arranged in various positions?

re: The Rolling Stones new album is out today

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/11/26 at 7:37 am to Lsut81

quote:
Saw them 22 years ago and was convinced that was their last tour. Damn, I was wrong

Saw them on campus in 1989 and figured it was my last chance. :lol:

re: I like TheEdge’s riff on the new U2…

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/11/26 at 7:34 am to deeprig9

It actually sounds a lot better than I expected, especially using the nostalgic guitar riff.

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re: New Mobile bridge to be completed by 2031

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/10/26 at 7:20 am to RohanGonzales

quote:
I support the idea but I don't like how they plan to paint everything white.

For the toll gate they will use a gray barn door that rolls to the side.

New Mobile bridge to be completed by 2031

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/10/26 at 4:06 am

The bridge will be six lanes and you can save the $7.70 toll if you opt to using the existing tunnel. That is a shorter duration than I expected.
Bridge Article

re: Social Security Summary

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/9/26 at 10:19 pm to La Place Mike

I said about $500K if that is what has you so upset and claiming I’m making up numbers. For sake of argument I pulled out and double checked my statement. I should have stated $450K, but my point is still valid. Here is what my google search shows -

1983: $3,855.60 / $7,219.85 (Cap was $35,700 at 10.8%)
1990: $6,352.00 / $12,704.00 (Cap was $51,300 at 12.4%)
2010: $6,621.60 / $13,243.20 (Cap was $106,800 at 12.4%)
2020: $8,537.40 / $17,074.80 (Cap was $137,700 at 12.4%)
2026: $11,439.00 / $22,878.00 (Cap is $184,500 at 12.4%)

I was making good money during college and paying the max very early after graduating from college based on that chart. Those numbers easily allow me to reach about $500K. I was fortunate to have a desirable degree, employment in a high paying industry, and a job in a crappy city (maybe not something fortunate for most) that demanded high wages for people to work there.

re: Social Security Summary

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/9/26 at 8:41 pm to La Place Mike

quote:
Has anyone realized the OP's claim is statistically unlikely?

I can verify it is true without doing the math. I just have to read it on my statement. :lol: I’ve worked since I was 16 and am 59 now.

re: Forget Canada, will Cuba be the 51st state?

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/9/26 at 7:08 pm to lake chuck fan

quote:
I've never been to either, but how is that a bad thing?

Casinos have notoriously gone bankrupt in Atlantic City. Ask Trump how well his fared. It is also the hood on steroids from what I remember. Casinos would do as much good as they have for Lake Charles and Shreveport.

re: Forget Canada, will Cuba be the 51st state?

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/9/26 at 4:44 pm to Indefatigable

That giant sucking sound you would hear would be all the inhabitants from Cuba moving to the mainland to invade your schools and hospitals. Just think about the great opportunity to allow actual communists with no money to move into your cities. They would all be in Section 8 apartments for the next 40 years. Sounds like a great plan. :lol:

re: Forget Canada, will Cuba be the 51st state?

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/9/26 at 4:30 pm to lake chuck fan

quote:
US. Developers would build beachside hotels and casino's

Wow, you mean we could turn it into another Atlantic City, New Jersey? What could go wrong?

re: Forget Canada, will Cuba be the 51st state?

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/9/26 at 4:24 pm to nicholastiger

This again? I guess this is the PT board’s version of SECRants topics on SEC expansion and conference realignment. :lol:

re: Social Security Summary

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/9/26 at 4:13 pm to dgnx6

quote:
People will say its not a ponzi scheme but one of the big troubles of us getting out of this is they need us to stay paying in to pay the current people on it.

That is the problem. I have not spent time researching alternatives but it would be nice if people younger in their career could divert half of what they are paying into a locked investment account. It would mean raising the withdraw age and cleaning up the social security recipient list in order that the whole system not crash if that was done. One of the many problems with increasing the withdraw age is that the average life expectancy is 79. It seems unfair to make people pay their entire working years and wait until, for example, 70 if on average they only benefit on 9 years of receiving it.

re: Social Security Summary

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/9/26 at 3:42 pm to rrboy

quote:
If you live to be 92 Social Security would have paid you 1,080,000.

Or if I was able to just be given the $500K now in exchange for not demanding any interest on 40 years of having my money held, the $500K would double in 10 years if the S&P 500 continued at historical rates.

Social Security Summary

Posted by Ramblin Wreck on 7/9/26 at 3:23 pm

I am not eligible to withdraw Social Security but just got my summary statement. I’m not sure what the frequency is supposed to be on these mailed out but it seems like I have received one about every 5 years. To date it looks like between my employer and I, about $500K has been paid in Social Security taxes over my lifetime. If I choose to withdraw at 62, I will receive less than $3K per month. What a bargain! :lol: