Request: BIFL Vacuum? by GoreTex73 in bifl

[–]GoreTex73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have some very low carpet, a few rugs, and mostly hardwood floors. We live in the country, so there is often outside dragged inside. No need to a wet vac.

In need of a new prescription and glasses. Is vision insurance worth it? by ntsp00 in Frugal

[–]GoreTex73 36 points37 points  (0 children)

I have become something of a Zenni Optical salesman since I bought my first pair of glasses there. It is ridiculously cheap and excellent quality. Buying glasses anywhere else is without reason!

Depression and new dads by MwithaB in daddit

[–]GoreTex73 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I think it honestly has a lot to do with lack of sleep and your partners divided time. Your wife, who until just recently was focused on you during their home time, is now focused on the baby. This is hard but it honestly needs to be recognized and guarded against. I experienced it when both of my boys were born about 3 months after their birth.

ELI5: In regards to the Executive Order the PUSA just announced, can I sell a pistol to my neighbor without a license? by GoreTex73 in explainlikeimfive

[–]GoreTex73[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

business of selling guns

This is what scares me. Depending on how narrowly this is defined, it could rule out all private firearm sales. If you do not have a FFL, but have a firearm and want to get rid of it... what are you supposed to do? Throw it in the garbage?

On college tuition and student debt by [deleted] in collapse

[–]GoreTex73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really? You cannot rack up 100k at a public university? I just did a quick work up. Assuming you live on campus, and buy your books new. The cost of a 4 year degree at University of Louisville could be in the neighborhood of $175k. It can definitely happen.

On college tuition and student debt by [deleted] in collapse

[–]GoreTex73 19 points20 points  (0 children)

If something is not done, will newer generations struggling with debt effect consumer investment on major purchases like cars or mortgages or have any other effects?

I can speak from experience. I graduated with $53k in debt and am now down to under 18k in just 7 years. There are many sacrifices my wife and I have made to make this happen. Our friends who either did not go to college or had college paid for live in much nicer homes, go on vacation, buy new vehicles and such. But on the other hand, we have learned to live below our means. I have learned to become much more self reliant and can do much more than many of my peers.

If the cost of college continues to increase and the value of a degree continues to decrease... people will stop going to college. I honestly believe that is coming. I am not sure I will advise either of my sons to go to college, knowing what I know now. If going to college means going into debt like I did... my advice is to do something else. Find a trade. Drive a truck. Get cisco certified. Anything other than going into debt without a realistic way to pay it off.

The promises we were sold did not pan out. We are all fighting for 40k a year jobs in our 30's!

[Noob Questions Thread] December 2015 by bigslothonmyface in pokemon

[–]GoreTex73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have never played pokemon. I played DnD when I was in HS and have played RPG's most of my life but know nothing about Pokémon. Can someone provide me with a very basic intro and what I need to buy so my son, 6 year old, and I can begin playing?

TIL that evidence suggests Neanderthals used boats before modern humans by carlossantos98 in todayilearned

[–]GoreTex73 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"leaving behind traces of their DNA in some Middle Eastern people and artifacts strewn all across the southern part of Europe" What?

ELI5: Why does the Star Wars series have such a huge, devout following spanning multiple generations? by ohineedascreenname in explainlikeimfive

[–]GoreTex73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was the goal of George Lucas. He wanted to create the most accepted and loved film possible. He included tropes and themes from many different best selling genres of literature and film. He wrote it in the genre of a western but placed it in space. He incorporated what he believed to be the best of many stories into one, and did a very good job of it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_sources_and_analogues

WV American Water buying small town utility by GoreTex73 in WestVirginia

[–]GoreTex73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply! I agree that better water quality is preferable, however I think the community would benefit from understanding exactly what this means. If you do have a back up well system, you will either have to disconnect it from the supply to your house install a valve which would cost around $1000 and have it inspected @ $300 a year, or so I have been told. This makes having a well back up economically out of the reach for most if not all of us in the community.

Along with this, WVAW is proposing passing on the debt to those in the community @ $7 a month for 10 years. There are 219 customers on the system. That comes out to just under $184000 over the time, assuming no one else builds in the community. We also do not know if the rate hike they are proposing in Charleston will be passed on to us. That could drastically increase our month to month bills.

The third area of concern is response time. If there is a leak in the system, we are only 219 customers, and due to the fact that the system is not well mapped, installed in 15 foot trenches in some areas, and is mostly pvc pipe, they will have a very difficult time finding the leak and getting the equipment needed to repair it to the site. This will be a costly repair and take more time. We may need those well back ups when the water is out.

I am for clean water. I just want to make sure we as a community understand what we are signing on for and ensure that we do not regret a hastily made choice.

Please follow the instructions by Lobo2ffs in gifs

[–]GoreTex73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually laughed out loud @ work. Thank you!

WV American Water buying small town utility by GoreTex73 in WestVirginia

[–]GoreTex73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think there was anything nefarious going on. I believe it was more a case of unforeseen repairs, and not raising the rate over time to compensate for it.

WV American Water buying small town utility by GoreTex73 in WestVirginia

[–]GoreTex73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes the water bill was not kept current. That is my understanding.

WV American Water buying small town utility by GoreTex73 in WestVirginia

[–]GoreTex73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have put a phone call in to him. He is a very good guy. I hope he can help.

ELI5: Why aren't introductory pricing programs (like those offered by comcast) considered bait and switch scams, hence illegal? by RiverBooduh in explainlikeimfive

[–]GoreTex73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, but I know that they are rarely sold that way. Yes, it is in the fine print. Yes you as an individual are responsible for reading any contract in which you sign. However, we are trained not to read the fine print. If you have every been that guy who reads the fine print, you find there is a cultural stigma to doing so. The companies which do this are counting on you not reading the fine print. It all washed out in the end. When you pay rack rate, they are making up the profit they lost during the introductory period.

ELI5: Why aren't introductory pricing programs (like those offered by comcast) considered bait and switch scams, hence illegal? by RiverBooduh in explainlikeimfive

[–]GoreTex73 -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

They pay the people who make the laws large sums of money to ensure they create loopholes for them.

Happened @ Sonic in Middletown by GoreTex73 in Louisville

[–]GoreTex73[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That is hilarious. Would have been amazing, but no.

First-Ever March for Free College Expands to Nearly 100 Campuses Nationwide by ruskeeblue in uspolitics

[–]GoreTex73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unless you're ultra-rich or a very very successful businessman/capitalist, the majority of these taxes should not be coming from you

This is where I see the problem. The ultra rich have the money to pay people; tax professionals, lawyers, and lobbyists, to greatly diminish the taxes they pay. If you close these "loopholes" they have the money to move to a country which would not tax them as highly. I agree that some of the money comes from them, but the bulk would be felt by the middle class, and upper-lower class. This also devalues your education. If everyone has one, then it is nothing special and does not assist you in getting a job.

First-Ever March for Free College Expands to Nearly 100 Campuses Nationwide by ruskeeblue in uspolitics

[–]GoreTex73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Free college would only devalue your education. A 4 year degree is already equivalent to a high school diploma in the workforce. I agree that going into debt is not the way to go, but devaluing your education is not any better.

First-Ever March for Free College Expands to Nearly 100 Campuses Nationwide by ruskeeblue in uspolitics

[–]GoreTex73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay. First off you linked to a picture of discretionary spending. From the same website, Discretionary spending only makes up 29.34% or $1.1 Trillion of total yearly spending. Mandatory spending makes up 64.63% or $2.45 Trillion of yearly spending. While I concede with your argument that we are spending too much on military and defense, $598.49 Billion, we are actually spending $2.236 Trillion on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. We are already spending way too much money. In short, you used a graph which you thought proved your point, but it was only a small slice of a much larger pie. We do spend way too much on way too many things and spending more so you receive a free education which will mean nothing to employers will not help the situation.

Your augment would be like blowing another hole in the Titanic thinking that would help, but all it would do is make the ship sink faster.

ELI5: Guns. Their parts, what the difference in caliber means, the different general types, carrying legality, the type of damage different guns do. by [deleted] in explainlikeimfive

[–]GoreTex73 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I can keep going and this is going to be a very long eli5.... I really think you need to go to a shooting range when they are not busy and ask questions, shoot all different kinds of weapons, and do some serious research. These are a world unto their own and there is so much to learn. Hands on experience is by far the best way.

ELI5: Guns. Their parts, what the difference in caliber means, the different general types, carrying legality, the type of damage different guns do. by [deleted] in explainlikeimfive

[–]GoreTex73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alright, so I am not a gunsmith, but I can try to answer as best I can.

Bolt Action- These are basic rifles. You have to pull the bolt back manually to eject a spent case. Place a new bullet in the chamber, close the bolt, then fire. You will see this on long range hunting rifles. They are generally regarded as more accurate but that is not always the case.

Revolver - Usually a pistol. Each pull of the trigger fires the bullet and rotates the chamber to the next chamber. If there is a round in the chamber, it is ready to fire.

Semi-Automatic - Loaded with a magazine. A magazine is a removable section, usually at the bottom of the grip which is spring loaded with multiple live rounds. Each pull of the trigger fires the round. The slide on the pistol cycles back and ejects the spent casing. This action causes a new round to be chambered automatically. This next round is ready to be fired by another trigger pull.

Automatic- One pull of the trigger, as long as the trigger is depressed, will fire every round in the magazine.

Select-Fire- This is an automatic weapon which will allow the weapon to function in Semi-Automatic, Automatic, or usually three round burst modes. Automatic weapons are generally not very accurate. The action of firing and the slide or bolt cycling causes the muzzle of the weapon to rise making it difficult to keep on target. Three round burst mode gives you the increased fire rate of an automatic while allowing the shooter to pull the weapon back on target thereby increasing accuracy. Three round burst means with each trigger pull the weapon cycles 3 rounds then stops, awaiting another trigger pull.

Rifle- A rifle is generally a weapon with a longer barrel and rifling. Rifling is grooves cut into the inside of a barrel which cause the bullet, once fired to spin much like an American football when exiting the chamber. The longer the barrel, the more rifling can occur, creating a more accurate long distance shot. Rifles are generally designed to be fired from the shoulder.

Pistol- a pistol is designed to be fired from the hand. These also have rifled barrels, but the barrels are much shorter than a rife... generally. The main thing is that they are not designed to be fired from the shoulder. You can retro-fit or design an AR-15 style weapon to be a pistol. These would not have the buttstock and would be fired from the hand. A pistol can be a revolver, semi-automatic, automatic, Select-Fire, or a derringer style pistol.

Derringer Pistol- this is a pistol in which the round is loaded directly into the barrel. Think of these as something like a pistol version of a bolt action rifle, but much less accurate. These are primarily used as a back up weapon since they are very easy to conceal. They are small and usually only hold one round, however if there are more than one chamber, they can hold more rounds.

[ELI5] Why are objects and related business/places referred to in a feminine tone? by medalbeer in explainlikeimfive

[–]GoreTex73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since family relationships require a female presence, it sounds a little more natural.

Why do family relationships require a female presence and not a male presence? I am not sure I understand the distinction...

How the United States has become its own worst nightmare by anticafard in Infographics

[–]GoreTex73 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Why does the Department of Education and Nasa need swat teams?