By any rational measure, House Republicans were on the verge of a major accomplishment a couple of weeks ago.
Even though they held control of only one legislative chamber, they had backed President Obama into proposing a $4 trillion deficit-reduction package, including more than $3 trillion in spending reductions over the next decade. Enacted into law, it would have easily been the largest budget-cutting package in U.S. history. All they had to do was say yes.
But they could not bring themselves to utter that word.
Their victory, you see, must be absolute and total or it is not victory at all. A “win-win” outcome — fine for liberals and RINO pansies — is insufficiently decisive to those who feel morally obligated to turn politics into scorched-earth warfare. They are Harry Truman demanding unconditional surrender from Imperial Japan.
And they have the Bomb.
As a result, a historically significant reduction in the federal deficit and in once-untouchable entitlement programs had to be rejected, because in their minds its purity was tainted by an increase in taxes on the wealthiest of Americans.
In his latest column, David Brooks assesses the messianic radicals of the GOP with brutal clarity:
“They do not see politics as the art of the possible. They do not believe in seizing opportunities to make steady, messy progress toward conservative goals. They believe that politics is a cataclysmic struggle. They believe that if they can remain pure in their faith then someday their party will win a total and permanent victory over its foes. They believe they are Gods of the New Dawn.”
Well, they’re not.
– Jay Bookman
621 comments Add your comment
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
12:41 pm
Yes ………….. Obama by his MERE PRESENCE AS PRESIDENT causes many business men to hold back on investing as they could. They don’t trust him and don’t want to risk their investments in that manner.
You libs. fail to see (or acknowledge) this about your messiah. He can do no wrong in your eyes.
What blind hypocrisy.
Joe Mama
July 19th, 2011
12:41 pm
SKH — “(when all the liberals jumped me for not “reporting” them)”
To be honest, we jumped on you because your rents-to-them friend was complaining about their alleged illegal habits and supposed welfare fraud, BUT HADN’T TURNED THEM IN, possibly because he was making money by renting to them.
I’m pretty sure that by knowingly renting to people who were engaging in welfare fraud, your friend might be to some degree culpable. Tell us, has he turned any of them in yet?
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
12:44 pm
Shhhhhh ……………. whispering ………………
Hey conservative friends:
Check out Jay’s 12:01 post. He has been ignoring me for weeks (I really nailed him hard on something awhile back) and he didn’t mention me by name but he did respond to one of my posts about Steve Wynn. I guess he just couldn’t stand it.
shhhhhhhhh ……………………………
WOODSTOCK MIKE
July 19th, 2011
12:45 pm
@Joe
I always respect your point of view. With this welfare issue though you seem to have no point of view. Here is my clarification, sorry I don’t have a study done showing the work ethic of someone on welfare, I was merely saying I didn’t THINK that people on welfare would be considered the hardest working Americans. I am grateful there is a program out there that can support these people. That shows how great America is, our welfare program gives more than any nation on the planet and people who have trouble making a living truly need it and it’s a fantastic program.
Fred
July 19th, 2011
12:46 pm
UsinUK: considering the physical attributes of most bimbos, wouldn’t flotation device be more appropriate???
Not in the particular case under discussion. In Mrs. Murdochs case we can safely assume she has NEVER had implants……….
Shovel Ready Jobs and other Tales
July 19th, 2011
12:47 pm
“And how many tvs, cell phones, computers and game systems do the people you know making less than $15K own?”
Well, probably all if they’re living at home…
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
12:47 pm
Leg Lamp
are you seriously saying that because someone can afford a $20 microwave, their rich? or a refrigerator? or a VCR/DVD player (have you checked their prices, lately??) Same with a mobile phone – before a had a quad-band, I bought a Virgin pay as you go for $25 for my visits to the states. and color TV /= 50″ flat screen.
internet access? dishwasher?
dude.
seriously.
and I love how you gloss over “For example, over a quarter of poor households have cell phones and telephone answering machines, but, at the other extreme, approximately onetenth have no phone at all. While the majority of poor households do not experience significant material problems, roughly a third do experience at least one problem such as overcrowding, temporary hunger, or difficulty getting medical care.”
and to think that all poor people should live in Victorian conditions is inhuman “By contrast, social reformer Jacob Riis, writing on tenement living conditions around 1890 in New York City, described crowded families living with four or five persons per room and some 20 square feet of living space per person”
wow. so people aren’t living in tenemant buildings with no running water … that means they’re RICH!!!
good flippin’ grief.
josef
July 19th, 2011
12:48 pm
Leg lamp…
It depends on where they put their priorities…of course, I’ve never bothered to count them. Thinking about it for a minute here…those with kids? Most have at least one computer (school work, that kind of thing), usually the parent and the children have cell phones to keep in contact, and the game systems? That I couldn’t say. The ones with kids probably do…you know, birthday, Christmas presents and what have you…Funny, though, thinking about it, one of my over $250,000 friends has yet to enter the computer age at all and still keeps in touch with the land line…
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
12:48 pm
Headline: “RUPERT MURDOCH ATTACKED AT HEARING”
…………….. so much for British security.
Fly-on-the-wall
July 19th, 2011
12:48 pm
OFF TOPIC!! OFF TOPIC!!
With the heat wave that much of the nation is now going through I wonder if/when the flat-earthers/climate change denying crowd will forget about this and crow loudly when it snows this coming winter?
Fred
July 19th, 2011
12:49 pm
They are grilling Ms. Brooks now if anyone is interested in listening in as they blog:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14193124
BTW: Is BBC liberal or conservative or (God Forbid) neutral?
larry
July 19th, 2011
12:50 pm
Steve Wynn……………doesnt he own a gambling palor in Las Vegas? Is that the same Steve Wynn all of these people are quoting ?
I think i would find someone else to quote from , there is no telling what else he is involved in.
RB from Gwinnett
July 19th, 2011
12:51 pm
“sorry I don’t have a study done showing the work ethic of someone on welfare,”
Jay got a pretty good earfull about the work ethic of our “less fortunate” from the restaurant owner he talked to about his employment of illegals, but he won’t print the man’s opinions here becuase he doesn’t want anybody to know the truth about why these people never progress beyond minimum wage. If any of you have ever tried to employ this class of people, you also know exactly what I’m talking about. You’d have to hire 4 people to get a full weeks work from one person. You’ve never seen so many dead grandmothers in your life!!
Fly-on-the-wall
July 19th, 2011
12:52 pm
1811/1801 – 0311/0317,
You now answer the question posed earlier in this thread as to why do people come here over and over when no real changes seem to take place. You somehow believe that you are better than others and love to toot your own horn. How childish!
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
12:52 pm
“I call ‘em like I see ‘em:
Hummmmmm …………. if this is true, there goes any chance at a presidency ! You can’t have the “president” in the hospital for headaches every couple of weeks !
THE END.
HEADLINE: “GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann suffers from migraines that have landed her in the hospital, according to a report in The Daily Caller.
The story, quoting unnamed “witnesses,” says Bachmann’s migraines are stress-induced, occur about once a week and can “incapacitate” the Minnesota congresswoman. Bachmann campaign spokesw0man Alice Stewart says that characterization is “incorrect.”
Of course she would say that.
RedEye
July 19th, 2011
12:53 pm
OMG, a heat wave during the middle of summer? It has to be caused by man!…give me a freakin break
Brosephus
July 19th, 2011
12:53 pm
USinner
Not that it would require a response, but I addressed one of the quotes in the Heritage study addressing that at 12:29, and got nothing but crickets…
The Leg Lamp is a “major award”….
July 19th, 2011
12:53 pm
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
12:47 pm
Wow, just wow. And to think you accused me of “projection”.
Fred
July 19th, 2011
12:53 pm
Headline: Scout is WAY behind on the “headlines”
LOL Scout we talked about that for 2 or three pages. Also i posted a link for the video.
stands for decibels
July 19th, 2011
12:53 pm
1656: Rupert Murdoch’s wife Wendi stood up and appeared to strike somebody in defence of her husband.
Dang. I knew the guy was old, but I didn’t know he was THAT old…
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
12:54 pm
Fly-on-the-wall :
I’m sorry you feel that way. This is the only blog I debate on and I find it entertaining.
Is there something you wish to debate or are you just into name calling of other posters ?
Jefferson
July 19th, 2011
12:54 pm
Income taxes are based on the ability to pay, that said what you pay you can afford to pay, the point if there is one is just because you can afford it don’t mean you want to pay it, but you can still afford it. Progressive Income taxes don’t put people in the poor house, It what you have left that counts, for those with a half of a brain, surly no one here.
SKH
July 19th, 2011
12:54 pm
“I’m pretty sure that by knowingly renting to people who were engaging in welfare fraud, your friend might ”
What is the matter, JM – you can’t read? There IS no fraud. There is nothing illegal about sitting around drinking and smoking and collecting up to 30 grand a year. And drug use (the only thing that I could “report” and that to the police – not agency itself) only disqualifies you in some states. Now, instead of chasing some red herring, why don’t YOU tell all of us if it is okay in your book for possibly millions of people to receive that kind of money without working. We are not talking about the elderly, the disabled or infirm here.
Joe Mama
July 19th, 2011
12:55 pm
Mike — “I always respect your point of view. With this welfare issue though you seem to have no point of view.”
I appreciate our conversations and your willingness to present your point of view politely. But on this topic, you seem to be leaping to an unwarranted conclusion, and I’m disturbed that you seem to be trying to put words in my mouth. I’m not saying you’re right and I’m not saying you’re wrong — I’m saying that I need more information in order to be able to make an informed judgment either way, and I don’t think it’s wrong of me to say that. There’s no end of uninformed opinion on these boards day in and day out, so I thought you’d recognize my question for what it was — an honest request for more information on the matter which you posted.
“Here is my clarification, sorry I don’t have a study done showing the work ethic of someone on welfare”
And I didn’t ask for one, either.
It seemed to me that we might be able to draw some conclusions if we knew how many welfare recipients were long-term and were able-bodied, were long-term and were unable to work, and how many were recently unemployed (and would presumably be able and willing to go back to work). We don’t necessarily need to know their motivation level if we can get that kind of information. I’d presume that at least *some* of the long-term, able-bodied welfare recipients were lazy bums, but if only 10-15 pct of welfare recipients fall into that category, I don’t see how we could say “most.” OTOH, if 85-90 pct of recipients were like that, then your claim starts to take on a greater likelihood of being right.
Am I being clearer? Does that make sense?
“I was merely saying I didn’t THINK that people on welfare would be considered the hardest working Americans.”
I try not to judge people who are so unfortunate as to be on welfare. Something about not judging a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes, I think.
“I am grateful there is a program out there that can support these people. That shows how great America is, our welfare program gives more than any nation on the planet”
I’m pretty sure that about a dozen nations in Europe are more generous than we are. And though it is poor, Cuba makes pretty free with the social benefits.
“and people who have trouble making a living truly need it and it’s a fantastic program.”
Agreed on that point, sir.
stands for decibels
July 19th, 2011
12:55 pm
he won’t print the man’s opinions here becuase he doesn’t want anybody to know the truth
RB, how much do you charge for your mind-reading services? Because I think that’d come in handy for a little business project of mine.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
12:55 pm
Fred:
I ain’t got time to read EVERYTHING. I jump in when I can.
By the way …………… check out 12:52 above.
RedEye
July 19th, 2011
12:56 pm
“Income taxes are based on the ability to pay, that said what you pay you can afford to pay, the point if there is one is just because you can afford it don’t mean you want to pay it, but you can still afford it.”
Then why don’t we get rid of the Progressive Income Tax, and just tax based off of consumption…like the fair tax idea
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
12:57 pm
Leg Lamp –
hey, I’m quoting the Heritage report about how great the poor have it.
The Leg Lamp is a “major award”….
July 19th, 2011
12:58 pm
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
12:57 pm
Riiiight. Nice try at projection.
Off for the day. Take care everyone.
Top School
July 19th, 2011
12:58 pm
Obama could solve the NATIONAL DEBT CRISIS by asking former Atlanta Public School Superintendent, Beverly Hall to return her bonuses.
http://www.TopPublicSchoolCorruptionAtlanta.com
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=185554781504131
AmVet
July 19th, 2011
12:59 pm
Please tell me that you rabid Republicans are STILL not waiting to be trickled-on!
Is that why you so slavishly and spinelessly grovel before the super-rich?
In the desperate hope they’ll send a few pieces of silver your way?
Wake up guppies. They ain’t remotely interested in you or your family or your neighborhood. The plutocracy grows stronger and more emboldened every day. Every fact confirms it. And though you are paying for it and getting nothing much in return, you grin, thinking these are the good guys who are gonna give you a handup. You adore their status and enable their hyper-corruption.
Hysterical.
Three decades of this crappola and unfortunately it will be three more until you rubes die off. Only then can the hundreds of millions of disaffected Americans begin fully fighting back in the War on the Middle Class…
Fred
July 19th, 2011
12:59 pm
Scout; Scroll back and watch the video. Ms. Murdoch is up and at the guy before the security guard lol, which supports my only half jokingly proposed idea that she is a Chinese spy……….
MPercy
July 19th, 2011
1:01 pm
Neon Frog @11:15 am “If only those 1% paid 35%, then maybe we could make a dent in the debt.”
According to the CBO [www.cbo.gov/publications/collections/taxdistribution.cfm], the top 1% pay over 30% for their “Total Effective Federal Tax Rate” (31.2% in 2006, the last year for which data is available). This includes all income, payroll, corporate, and excise taxes. Their effective income tax rate is 19.0% (again 2006).
The CBO puts out a nice paper every year. It starts with data from 1979 and runs up to 2006 (the last year for which I have data, 2005 for the top 0.01%).
Total Effective Federal Tax Rate (income+payroll+excise+corporate)
* the lowest quintile rate was 8.0% in 1979 and 4.3% in 2006
* percentile 96-99 rate was 27.7% in 1979 and 25.7% in 2006
* top 1% percentile rate was 37.0% in 1979 and 31.2% in 2006
* top 0.01% percentile rate was 42.9% in 1979 and 31.5% in 2005
Effective Income Tax Rate
* the lowest quintile rate was 0.0% in 1979 and -6.6% (negative 6.6 percent) in 2006
* the second quintile rate was 4.1% in 1979 and -1.0% (negative 1.0 percent) in 2006
* percentile 96-99 rate was 16.7% in 1979 and 15.2% in 2006
* top 1% rate was 21.8% in 1979 and 19.0% in 2006
* top 0.01% percentile rate was 21.0% in 1979 and 17.0% in 2005
Share of Total Federal Tax Liabilities
* the lowest quintile paid 2.1% of all taxes collected in 1979 and 0.8% in 2006
* percentile 96-99 paid 14.2% of all taxes collected in 1979 and 16.3% in 2006
* top 1 percentile paid 15.4% of all taxes collected in 1979 and 27.6% in 2006
* top 0.01% percentile paid 2.7% of all taxes collected in 1979 and 6.5% in 2005
Share of Pre-Tax Income
* the lowest quintile earned 5.8% in 1979 and 3.9% in 2006
* percentile 96-99 earned 11.4% in 1979 and 13.1% in 2006
* top 1 percentile earned 9.3% in 1979 and 18.8% in 2006
* top 0.01 percentile earned 1.4% in 1979 and 4.2% in 2006
In 1979, the 96-99 percentile was 3.408M households earning an average of $162,400.
In 2006, the 96-99 percentile was 4.672M households earning an average of $269,800.
In 1979, the top 0.01% was 9,000 households, earning an average pretax income of $7.33M.
In 2006, the top 0.01% was 11,000 households earning an average of pretax income $35.47M.
The top 5% may be rich, but they are not in the same ballpark as the uber-rich (top 0.01%).
In 2006, the total income of the uber-rich was $390B. Even if you taxed them at 100%, you still don’t come close to covering the deficit.
Joe Mama
July 19th, 2011
1:01 pm
SKH — ” There IS no fraud. There is nothing illegal about sitting around drinking and smoking and collecting up to 30 grand a year.”
As I recall, you posited that your friend was collecting Section 8 funds from tenants while complaining that some of them were engaging in welfare fraud. You objected above to people coming down on you, but my recollection is that we were mostly upset at your friend for collecting welfare funds from people he thought weren’t entitled to them.
It *appeared* that your friend’s objection was silenced, and his hand stayed in reporting them, simply because he was admittedly making money off them. THAT is what people here were ‘coming down on you’ for.
“And drug use (the only thing that I could “report” and that to the police – not agency itself) only disqualifies you in some states. Now, instead of chasing some red herring, why don’t YOU tell all of us if it is okay in your book for possibly millions of people to receive that kind of money without working.”
Please show me where I claimed such a situation was “okay.”
“We are not talking about the elderly, the disabled or infirm here.”
In that case, please substantiate that the elderly, disabled and/or infirm cannot qualify for those benefits.
Fred
July 19th, 2011
1:01 pm
From listening to this “hearing” i think they are going to draw and quarter Rebekah Brooks. She’s not holding up very well……….
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
1:01 pm
Fred :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwg033Ze3Lk !!!
Dave R.
July 19th, 2011
1:02 pm
“Even though they held control of only one legislative chamber, they had backed President Obama into proposing a $4 trillion deficit-reduction package, including more than $3 trillion in spending reductions over the next decade. Enacted into law, it would have easily been the largest budget-cutting package in U.S. history. All they had to do was say yes.”
And if it were a serious proposal submitted months ago, they might have.
As it was, it was neither serious, nor timely, rendering the above analysis moot.
@@
July 19th, 2011
1:02 pm
DAMN! 39 years ago the majority of people preferred an indirect tax over a direct tax. 39 YEARS AGO!!??!!
As the level of taxation rises, says Dr. Tanzi, conflicts arise between the kind of taxes prescribed by experts and those taxes taxpayers themselves prefer. In a recent poll asking which tax was the least fair or the worst, 45 percent named the property tax. Answering another poll asking what tax was preferred if the Federal government had to raise taxes, “substantially,” a similar percentage voted for a value added tax; 30 percent for raising the individual income tax. “There is little doubt,” says Tanzi, “that, given the choice, the majority would prefer indirect over direct taxes, regardless of the opinion of the tax experts.”
Indirect? Kinda like eliminating loopholes and tax credits?
Do away with all BUT the consumption tax. Neither party likes the idea…all the more reason to do it.
JUST DO IT already! If not, we’ll continue to be the pawns on their chess board. It’s all about class warfare with them.
SKH
July 19th, 2011
1:02 pm
Well, well – hopefully all the hand wringing we’ve been doing will be for naught:
Gang of Six Back Together – Trying to Score Debt Reduction Deal
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/07/19/gang-six-back-together-trying-score-debt-reduction-deal
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
1:03 pm
Fred:
or …………………….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4iE7PuPslA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cCFn55Zxkc&feature=related
Mr Right
July 19th, 2011
1:03 pm
Ya’ll aint seen poor till you’ve been to Haiti !
Jefferson
July 19th, 2011
1:03 pm
Red eye – the progressive tax structure has been deemed more “fair”. The gov’t has to be funded for the bills they incure. They have NEVER not spent money. The way it is.
Fred
July 19th, 2011
1:03 pm
Jay, I need some “trade” information.
Listening to this grilling of Ms. Brooks they are discussing the use of PI’s. Is it customary for media to use PI’s? I thought that’s what reporters did, did out the info needed………….
Keep Up the Good Fight!
July 19th, 2011
1:03 pm
SKH: Now, instead of chasing [that]
somered herring, why don’t YOU tell all of us if it is okay in your book for possibly millions of people to receive that kind of money without workingSo you want us to chase your red herring without any evidence? You have generalized some undocumented claim made by your “friend” as evidence of “possibly millions”. I seem to remember some rants about how one racist sign at a Tea Party event was not “evidence” that all tea partiers were racists. Seems to be a disconnect in the logic loopy.
Fred
July 19th, 2011
1:03 pm
dig out the info I mean
SKH
July 19th, 2011
1:05 pm
“Now, instead of chasing some red herring, why don’t YOU tell all of us if it is okay in your book for possibly millions of people to receive that kind of money without working. We are not talking about the elderly, the disabled or infirm here.”
I ask you a simple question and you divert attention from it and then ask more questions. Were did you learn to do that – here on this forum or elsewhere?
RB from Gwinnett
July 19th, 2011
1:06 pm
“RB, how much do you charge for your mind-reading services? Because I think that’d come in handy for a little business project of mine.”
I’ve pushed Jay on that issue several times. If it weren’t true, in Jay’s usual form, he would have said so.
And everybody who’s hired minimum wage adults knows it.
BTW, my business is growing. I’ve added 5 full time employees in the last 3 weeks. God forbid I should actually make some money for you leechees to get your hands on for all the work going into it.
josef
July 19th, 2011
1:06 pm
Funny thing…I was asked about the living conditions, etc. of my under $15,000 friends, not the over $250,000…shouldn’t we be just as interested in them?
So for the record, I’ll tell you about the one who has yet to enter the computer age and still uses a land line. She’s old as Methuseleh and rich enough to buy G-d, never had to work a day in her life for pay. Lives modestly in a place with lots of section 8 folks about. She never was “blessed with children.” And know what? Very quietly and with no fanfare, she’s always buying computers, school clothes, little presents, paying utility bills, maybe a microwave, etc. for those struggling to get by. So, really, who knows where those little extras came from?
She’s not alone…
Does anybody remember the anonymous Buckhead Housewife who once a month would “set up” a homeless family, paying their first and last months rent, deposits, stock a modest kitchen (don’t know if she put microwaves on her list or not), basic furniture, linens, etc…?
I know the first I mentioned wouldn’t mind paying more taxes, she’s said so, I don’t know who the other one was (is), but somehow I don’t think she’d be too bent out of shape…
@@
July 19th, 2011
1:06 pm
Oops! Lingering slanties.
Neon Frog
July 19th, 2011
1:07 pm
Anyone watch Meet the Press Sunday? It was interesting with Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) and Honeywell CEO David Cote. Kasich was going on, and on about taxes and uncertainty in regulation as being the major obstacle against job growth. David Cote it was uncertainty in demand and lack of investment in infrastructure, education, and energy policy – not just taxes, taxes, taxes. From the transcript:
DAVID COTE:
It’s the sort of thing that scares me is. We’re– I’m– Honeywell’s a global company with $37 billion in sales. Got 130,000 people. Half our sales in people outside the U.S. I’ve traveled the world a lot and the world has changed. We went from a billion participants in the global economy to four billion over the last 20 years. Yet we still act like we did 20 years ago. And we need– an American competitiveness agenda that– gets our finances right, gets our energy policy, math and science education, infrastructure. And we can’t even do something like this. It’s very scary as a businessman.
GOV. JOHN KASICH:
When a business– and I’ve been in business for 10 years– before I got this governor’s job. When a business is uncertain about the future they sit on the sidelines. We have more– we have so much money on the sidelines waiting to be invested, but they’re uncertain about where we’re going to go. The answer, get this god darned deficit under control, do not raise taxes on capital gains risk takings, provide incentives for investment. Real changes in education to connect our kids with real job opportunities. And, you know, if you begin to– and– and lay down some– some– certainty on regulatory reform, he’ll be investing.
MALE VOICE:
But, you know, I hear this uncertainty about regulation. And, frankly, I think a lot of CEOs say it because why not. Why not get some regulatory relief if you can or tax relief? But at the end of the day your first answer, demand– –would seem to me is the case.
DAVID COTE:
It’s uncertainty and demand.
WOODSTOCK MIKE
July 19th, 2011
1:07 pm
@AmVet
Taxing the rich is a economic decision. This has nothing to do with loving the super rich. That statement is so unrealistic. Do you actually think that Republicans sit around and think about the super rich all day long? LOL
Let me ask you this, how will taxing the rich more kick start this economy? Taxing more or less is a topic that is discussed to see which way is better for the overall economy. You can whine and moan all you want about the rich, but please help me understand how taxing the rich more is better for our economy and will help produce more jobs and fix housing for that matter?
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
1:07 pm
Mr Right –
so, now the poor have to live like people whose entire country has been leveled by an earthquake to be considered “poor”???
or, how about the slums of Mumbai!
or maybe the refugees in Africa!
yep. that should be our measure. forget about the standard of living in the country where our poor actually, you know, LIVE.
Where's My Party?
July 19th, 2011
1:07 pm
“And I’m saying it bluntly, that this administration is the greatest wet blanket to business, and progress and job creation in my lifetime.”
I deal with small businesses owners every day and this statement is absolutely true. 99 out of every 100 I talk to feel this way.
Right or wrong…….it’s reality.
Mighty Righty
July 19th, 2011
1:07 pm
For anyone who would like to know why business is afraid to invest at this time:
http://www.businessinsider.com/wynn-ceo-steve-wynn-conference-call-transcript-obama-2011-7
stands for decibels
July 19th, 2011
1:09 pm
About Michelle Bachmann’s allegedly debilitating migraines, and pardon me if it’s been asked upthread already, but a hypothetical question:
if she found that electroshock therapy cured these headaches, would she be able to acknowledge having had such therapy and remain a viable candidate?
I’m just thinking about what poor Thomas Eagleton had to go through, back in the day…
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
1:09 pm
josef – 1:06 –
and, don’t forget, there are a number of charities that take used appliances off people’s hands (for a tax deduction) and give them to the poor.
DebbieDoRight
July 19th, 2011
1:09 pm
This guy speaks the truth. This economy will not recover until this European socialist is out of the White House.
Ooooooo This was verrry close – however he said “European” socialist instead of “Kenyan” Socialist so no points for that. Great try though!
RB: Most likely with the help of Section 8 funds. But they’re entitled to it aren’t they DDR??? I mean, isn’t everybody who finishes 6th grade and goes to work 27 days per year entitled to a house with all those amenities at the expense of all those people who work 14 hour days?
RB I honestly think you are either (a) crazy or (b) going through male menopause! You make the most asinine and ridiculous statements, even more ridiculous than K71, Scout and Numbers (and that’s saying something).
RB have you ever considered that in today’s America, mostly 90% of ALL rentals comes with a refrigerator, a stove, A/C etc? And to say that most poor renting are getting Section 8 is not only disingenious but dishonest too! If that were the case, then there wouldn’t be slums in America — only beautifully maintained Section 8 domiciles!
And that ” I mean, isn’t everybody who finishes 6th grade and goes to work 27 days per year entitled to a house” statement puts you at the top of the list for “Most Bizarre Statement On A Blog EVAH!”. Have you ever considered if it wasn’t for Section 8, a lot of Home Owners who couldn’t sell their houses would be stuck with two or three mortgages or even worse FORECLOSURE? By renting to Section 8 recipients, they are in a win-win situation. They can meet their obligations AND give someone adequate rental housing to boot.
RB: You’re a communitst, Debbie. You and freedom can’t co-exist.
Dude, honestly, go see the doctor, your minister, a movie or a h##ker – you are in desperate need of some attention.
@@
July 19th, 2011
1:09 pm
For those obsessed with Murdoch, there’s a thread, three stories down. It’s still open for comments.
schnirt
stands for decibels
July 19th, 2011
1:10 pm
I deal with small businesses owners every day and this statement is absolutely true. 99 out of every 100 I talk to feel this way.
Right or wrong…….it’s reality.
surrrre it is.
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
1:10 pm
Mighty Righty – the rich are afraid to invest because Steve Wynn had a tanty???
who knew.
Joe Mama
July 19th, 2011
1:12 pm
SKH — “I ask you a simple question and you divert attention from it”
You ask me a “have you stopped beating your wife” question and you expect me to take you *seriously?* (pointing, laughing)
“and then ask more questions.”
Actually, I asked you to show me where I had claimed such a thing was okay.
“Were did you learn to do that – here on this forum or elsewhere?”
I am pretty sure I recall your recounting of your friend’s ‘dilemma,’ and I think you’re being dishonest in your description of your treatment in the wake of it. Several people here made it quite clear that they thought your friend was being a dirtbag for taking money that he believed to have been fraudulently obtained, but I can’t recally anyone excoriating YOU. Yet you describe the situation as lefties ‘coming down on’ you.
Please.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
1:12 pm
This is about as laughable as it gets:
Headline: “Ga. execution drug unsafe, attorneys say”
“In an appeal filed in federal court, the lawyers referenced the execution last month of Roy Blankenship and reports that the Savannah murderer moved and appeared to mutter as the drugs were going into his veins.”
MPercy
July 19th, 2011
1:13 pm
kayaker 71 @11:27 am “Many of the very wealthy in this country pay so little in taxes because their earnings are so small. You only pay federal income tax on earnings, not total assets. ”
Because that’s the way the Constitution was amended to provide for non-apportioned taxes.
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”
If you want to tax assets, pass a new amendment.
Dave R.
July 19th, 2011
1:13 pm
I ask you a simple question and you divert attention from it and then ask more questions. Were did you learn to do that – here on this forum or elsewhere?”
Modus operandi for that poster, SKH. You’re wasting your time trying to reason with them.
Fred
July 19th, 2011
1:16 pm
WOODSTOCK MIKE:
You can whine and moan all you want about the rich, but please help me understand how taxing the rich more is better for our economy and will help produce more jobs and fix housing for that matter?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Well we did the cut their taxes thing and that didn’t work and didn’t get more revenue. SO let’s try something else eh?
You keep focusing on ONE of the two steps needed. We have to cut spending also. The plan Jay referenced both significantly cut spending as well as raised taxes.
What’s so hard to understand about that?
Dave R.
July 19th, 2011
1:17 pm
“About Michelle Bachmann’s allegedly debilitating migraines,”
Can she be banned from running if she gives ME migraines?
SKH
July 19th, 2011
1:17 pm
“You ask me a “have you stopped beating your wife” question and you expect me to take you *seriously?* (pointing, laughing)”
I would like to here you say unequivocally that you do NOT think it is right that hundreds of thousands or possible millions of able bodied people are receiving up to $30,000 a year without having to work (unless, of course, you think that is quite alright). Is that a wife-beating question to you? I honestly don’t know where you (or a number of other posters here) stand on this question. It would be good to hear.
jt
July 19th, 2011
1:17 pm
I have two words for you, Mr. Speaker. Stop it. That’s right, just stop it. For too long our government has spent beyond its means and in our names, sinking us and generations as yet unborn into deeper and deeper debt. And you, Mr. Speaker, can stop it. The President stands with the big-business, big-banks, big-government complex, and against the American people. He’s even prepared to defy the laws of economics. But the American people are not ignorant as he thinks they are, and you know that.
Mr. Speaker, you have the opportunity to do something that no standard bearer of small government has ever been able to do in our modern era; get the government to live within its means. You can do it by standing firm with your colleagues in the Congress who are leading the call for change. You can stop it. You can force the Federal Government to make the difficult decisions to bring itself within its means and begin to loosen the chains of debt that have been foisted on our country by a centuries worth of progressive big-government architects. End it this summer, Mr. Speaker. Stop it. Tell the President, “not a penny more.” Stand up for the American people, bring government within its means, and begin the restoration of our republic.
If you do this Mr. Speaker, if you restrain the federal beast, you will become one of history’s great champions and heroes of freedom. If you don’t, we’ll all go through this again the next time a president wants to spend beyond the government’s means and chain us all down to more debt.
Mr. Speaker, don’t let us down.
-Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Paul
July 19th, 2011
1:19 pm
sfd
“if she found that electroshock therapy cured these headaches, would she be able to acknowledge having had such therapy and remain a viable candidate?”
Probably not. This country views diseases that arise in the mind much differently than diseases that arise in the body. Strange, but that’s the way it is.
stands for decibels
July 19th, 2011
1:19 pm
I would like to here you say unequivocally that you do NOT think it is right that hundreds of thousands or possible millions of able bodied people are receiving up to $30,000 a year without having to work
Also, are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?
Jay
July 19th, 2011
1:19 pm
Fred, hiring PIs in this country would be considered very very unusual, largely for the reasons exposed in this scandal.
If you send your own reporters to do the work, you have at least some expectation of control over how they go about their business. They are bound by the ethics of the profession and the specific instructions of their editor.
If you hire PIs to do the work, that control evaporates, and you leave yourself open to all kinds of trouble.
Thomas
July 19th, 2011
1:19 pm
If you want to tax assets, pass a new amendment.
MPercy- it is coming in the next 5-10 years or sooner. Here is the prediction. As you know all employees and employers pay into the beloved social security system. The SS system is under the loving moniker of a paygo system. Over the past decades those with more income pay more and also get less as one can now be taxed on the benefits.
Fast forward 5-10 years. There will be a form to receive benefits called your Balance Sheet or Net Worth Statement. If that person has a net worth over a certain amount they will get a “thanks for paying (playing) you lose.
getalife
July 19th, 2011
1:19 pm
“About Michelle Bachmann’s allegedly debilitating migraines,”
Ah, I bet she is on Topomax.
It slowing down the brain process and makes you dumber.
Fact.
stands for decibels
July 19th, 2011
1:20 pm
Probably not. This country views diseases that arise in the mind much differently than diseases that arise in the body.
You’re probably right, and it’s a shame that we haven’t really made any progress on that front in, jeez, 39 years.
Mighty Righty
July 19th, 2011
1:20 pm
1811/1801 – 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
1:12 pm
This is about as laughable as it gets:
Headline: “Ga. execution drug unsafe, attorneys say”
“In an appeal filed in federal court, the lawyers referenced the execution last month of Roy Blankenship and reports that the Savannah murderer moved and appeared to mutter as the drugs were going into his veins.”
I say reverse it and give hime a new trial!
Paul
July 19th, 2011
1:21 pm
sfd
But hey, Bachmann owns that treatment clinic, doesn’t she? Maybe she should enroll and choose to not have migraines any more? I mean, she really can’t say she was born with this condition, can she? It’s all about choice. So if she has migraines she must have chosen that for herself, right?
Fred
July 19th, 2011
1:21 pm
db: Also, are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LOL I’ll bet that goes completely over his head.
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
1:22 pm
Dave – 1:17 –
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
1:22 pm
stands for decibles:
I like Bauchmann a lot and support about 90% of her policies.
However, if that is true ……. she is done and should be done. The American Disabilities Act does not apply to the FBI, the NFL or the President of the United States. You must be avaiable 27/4 !
If you are incapacitated by migraines (the drugs used to treat it are also are a problem), have a heart problem or are a man and cry during the campaing ………………. well ………………….. find another job !
Dave R.
July 19th, 2011
1:22 pm
btw, simply SHOCKED
to see Fox News carrying the Murdoch grillings live right now.
Good thing they’re ignoring / not covering / covering up / minimizing this issue.
Oh, and Lord save me from politicians trying to get some sort of “Perry Mason” moment at a government hearing.
josef
July 19th, 2011
1:22 pm
USinUK
Those donations…! We get a slough of computers, etc, every year some from the business community, some from private individuals “for y’all’s kids..” There’s even a “committee” of parents who get them ready to pass on…ever so often we get a microwave or two…
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
1:23 pm
Excuse me: 24/7
AmVet
July 19th, 2011
1:23 pm
“Do you actually think that Republicans sit around and think about the super rich all day long?”
On this blog, they certainly do.
And your entire second paragraph is nonsense, and for several reasons.
The first is that I have never posited the notion that taxing the rich more will “…help produce more jobs and fix housing…” I have no clue where you guys even come up with that drivel.
I advocate for economic JUSTICE. How can Warren Buffett pay a SMALLER effective tax rate than his secretary? Even though he “makes” 767 times the annual money she does.
How can 485,000 Americans who “make” between $100,000 and $500,000 per year pay no federal income tax?
How can 18,000 Americans who “make” more than $500,000 per year pay NO federal income tax?
This is a travesty and unacceptable.
And you plutocrat-enablers don’t find that problematic, whatsoever do you? You don’t find that anathema to economic justice at all.
Yet you complain endlessly about the poor slobs who make next to nothing in that very same boat.
Absurd with a capital A.
As for the subject of individual welfare, every president since Reagan has worked to pare the roles. Yet at the same time every one of those men worked relentlessly to INCREASE corporate welfare.
Which now dwarfs all individual welfare.
Those are the facts. And I have posted a plethora of incontrovertible other facts to prove their is a War on the Middle Class.
And while it rolls merrily along, you whistle Dixie…
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
1:23 pm
Excuse me:
Bachmann
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
1:25 pm
AmVet:
Why does a lady on welfare with six kids pay a 7% tax on a hamburger and so does a millionaire ………….. 7% on the same burger?
Neon Frog
July 19th, 2011
1:25 pm
RB from Gwinnett
July 19th, 2011
12:22 pm
With you liberals, it’s always this game of growing government, raising taxes, new entitlements in exchange for something. It’s never ending. And even a complete idiot can see this method dragging us into the same cesspool as most of Europe….
Yeah those European countries like Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden are sure cesspools. Their economies are just awful. Perhaps if you traveled outside of Gwinnett County than you could open your eyes and mind.
josef
July 19th, 2011
1:26 pm
Okay, look at that $30,000 in “hand outs.” How much of it goes back into the free enterprise economy…you know, to the property owner, to the grocery store, to Dr. Jones,’ etc. At the end of the day, aren’t THEY the ones getting the welfare you speak of?
Fred
July 19th, 2011
1:27 pm
Jay: Thanks, that’s what I thought and pretty much for the reasons you described. I somehow didn’t think Woodward and Bernstein hired Columbo to tie up a few loose ends.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 19th, 2011
1:27 pm
AmVet:
Ansewer:
Because he (or or she) contributes to society in hundreds of other massive ways including but not limited to (sales tax on yachts, property taxes, estate taxes, charity giving, etc., etc., etc.)
Those same people who “pay no income taxes” (per the laws passed by the U.S. Congress) contribute in similar ways.
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
1:27 pm
josef – well, that makes the recipients RICH!!! RICH, I tell you!!!
Paris Hilton looks on with envy in her heart.
USinUK
July 19th, 2011
1:28 pm
heading home.
night all
@@
July 19th, 2011
1:28 pm
But hey, Bachmann owns that treatment clinic, doesn’t she? Maybe she should enroll and choose to not have migraines any more? I mean, she really can’t say she was born with this condition, can she? It’s all about choice. So if she has migraines she must have chosen that for herself, right?
Has Paul been namejacked or joined the pitifully petty?
WOODSTOCK MIKE
July 19th, 2011
1:30 pm
“What’s so hard to understand about that?”
Listen, it’s understood that cutting spending is the larger piece of this puzzle. We all know that right? My point is simple, the whole argument of raising taxes on the rich is nothing less than political grandstanding by the Democrats. Raising taxes by 3-5% on the rich does virtually nothing, yeah it generates a few more bucks for the govt, but in the big picture it doesn’t do hardly anything. So I am asking why is it playing such a big role in the discussions? Easy answer, the Dems just want to save some kind of face after agreeing to all the spending cuts.
Paul
July 19th, 2011
1:30 pm
Scout
“or are a man and cry during the campaing ………………. well ………………….. find another job !”
Does that include Speaker of the House? Or any job in Congress?
Are you going to start singing “Macho, macho man, I want to be, a macho man”?
MPercy
July 19th, 2011
1:30 pm
Left wing management @11:30 am “Tax receipts are at all time lows while corporate profits are at all-time highs, with CEO pay spiraling at stratospheric levels.”
One untrue statement and one non sequitur.
Tax receipts are not at all-time historic lows [www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=200] In absolute terms, the revenues are comparable to the monies taken in in 2004 and 2005, for example. As a percentage of GDP, they are low compared to more recent levels, but are not at *all-time* lows (1949 and 1950, for example, had lower levels, as did 1940-1943). On the other hand spending levels are at an all-time high in absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP are higher than any spending levels since WW II spending consumed more than 40%.
As an aside, Collections were low in 1950 were quite low–as percentage of GDP only 14.4%–despite having a 91% marginal tax rate on incomes over $200,000. Of course, that was accompanied by a 20% tax on incomes between $0 and $2000.
The pay for CEOs is matter for the shareholders and customers. But force a pay cut on them, and you will certainly reduce the taxes collected from them (as evidenced by the lower taxes collected from TARP-controlled bank CEOs).
Fred
July 19th, 2011
1:31 pm
Raising taxes by 3-5% on the rich does virtually nothing
How do you know that? It’s never been tried………..
WOODSTOCK MIKE
July 19th, 2011
1:32 pm
“How can 485,000 Americans who “make” between $100,000 and $500,000 per year pay no federal income tax?
How can 18,000 Americans who “make” more than $500,000 per year pay NO federal income tax?”
Answer – Simple, they go by the laws that were created by both Democrats and Republicans.
josef
July 19th, 2011
1:32 pm
PAUL
@ 1:21
Are you intimating that I’m a headache?
Thomas
July 19th, 2011
1:32 pm
advocate for economic JUSTICE. How can Warren Buffett pay a SMALLER effective tax rate than his secretary? Even though he “makes” 767 times the annual money she does.
How can 485,000 Americans who “make” between $100,000 and $500,000 per year pay no federal income tax?
How can 18,000 Americans who “make” more than $500,000 per year pay NO federal income tax?
Uh- because it is not true- kind of like me saying how can donkey’s fly?
You may want to tone down the outrage and understand that if I (or you for that matter) go create a company that sells stuff- it may “make” 500k but have employees and other expenses that cost 520k. This happens more than the far left would like to believe. In this very common scenario the taxpayer actually has a net loss for that particular year.
As to our wonderful friend Warren Buffett he may own a gazillion $’s of Berskhire. Berkshire may go up in value 40% and Buffett not sale any shares. Guess what- no tax.
The far left will then love when he and other gazillionaires donate half their net worth to charity. Guess what- billions of estate tax just went poof and the net worth can now grow fully tax free under the auspices of a chairtable trust or a private foundation.
Anyway- why bother with the facts- just be mad.
Thomas
July 19th, 2011
1:32 pm
advocate for economic JUSTICE. How can Warren Buffett pay a SMALLER effective tax rate than his secretary? Even though he “makes” 767 times the annual money she does.
How can 485,000 Americans who “make” between $100,000 and $500,000 per year pay no federal income tax?
How can 18,000 Americans who “make” more than $500,000 per year pay NO federal income tax?
Uh- because it is not true- kind of like me saying how can donkey’s fly?
You may want to tone down the outrage and understand that if I (or you for that matter) go create a company that sells stuff- it may “make” 500k but have employees and other expenses that cost 520k. This happens more than the far left would like to believe. In this very common scenario the taxpayer actually has a net loss for that particular year.
As to our wonderful friend Warren Buffett he may own a gazillion $’s of Berskhire. Berkshire may go up in value 40% and Buffett not sale any shares. Guess what- no tax.
The far left will then love when he and other gazillionaires donate half their net worth to charity. Guess what- billions of estate tax just went poof and the net worth can now grow fully tax free under the auspices of a chairtable trust or a private foundation.
Anyway- why bother with the facts- just be mad.