Who says I never let y’all have fun on the weekend?
For your weekend entertainment pleasure — at least if you’re a nerd like me — I present:
Feels like it needs a bit more, huh? How about:
That’s better.
All joking aside, this is a pretty neat interactive site created by Christine Ries, an economist at Georgia Tech and member of the special council on tax reform which the Legislature created three years ago to produce reform recommendations. Reform recommendations it largely went on to ignore, that is.
But, had those recommendations not largely been ignored, there would be no reason for Tax Reform: The Game. In it, Ries has included several of the recommendations the council made. Players can mix and match them — and see how their choices would affect state revenues.
Here’s a preview of what it looks like, though you’ll have to click through one of the links above to actually play the game:
And if fiscal fun isn’t your idea of a good time this weekend, feel free to use the thread below to discuss other topics.
(H/t to, and more information about the game available at the site of, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.)
– By Kyle Wingfield
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486 comments Add your comment
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
9:48 am
Lil Barry – If I ever say anything that is important to indigent, be sure to dial 911 and have emergency medical services come to the house to see if I’m alright. Thanks.
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
February 9th, 2013
9:48 am
Poll: Twice as many voters believe the country is weaker, rather than stronger, since Obama took office. In addition, by a 52-40 percent margin voters think the worst is yet to come on the economy. And more than eight in 10 disagree with the president’s notion that the government doesn’t have a spending problem.
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
February 9th, 2013
9:51 am
idigo: You two tools have long since made it clear that, no matter what Obama does, you will trash him relentlessly.
——————————
Nonsense. I fully agree with Obozo’s decision to fully adopt every last bit of Our President Bush’s anti-Islamofascist-terror programs. And I think it’s extremely cool to have a “president” with both a Nobel peace prize and a kill list.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
February 9th, 2013
9:51 am
“The CRA by itself did little. It may have been the initial catalyst, but nothing bad happened from 1977 through 2003 or so.”
Here’s my take on the CRA. Consider it analogous to building your house with cement that wasn’t allowed to cure properly, then adding another addition or two onto it through the years.
The foundation was never solid to begin with.
For over 30 years, bad paper has been in the system, with mortgages being bought and sold by every originating bank, that bad paper now becoming the basis for investment portfolios that should never have had mortgages in them to begin with (repeal of Glass-Steagall). Add in Fannie and Freddie buying up that bad paper, and you now get the government further involved in the mess.
It had no other direction to go but down.
Enter the greed of the investment community and the stupidity of the consumer, and you get the crash.
Many pieces contributed to this, but with a solid foundation that the CRA removed, we likely would never have gone through this.
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
February 9th, 2013
9:52 am
Aesop 9:48 am
————–
Seems odd that idigo so completely dismisses us, and yet cannot help but respond.
Jump, idigo!
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
February 9th, 2013
9:53 am
“nothing you say here is considered of any importance.”
Someone is speaking to the mirror this morning . . . .
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
February 9th, 2013
9:54 am
Tib: Enter the greed of the investment community and the stupidity of the consumer, and you get the crash.
——————-
Don’t forget the greed of the consumer, particularly the McMansion purchasers, the Keeping-up-with-the-Jones-ers, and the house flippers.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
February 9th, 2013
10:02 am
As I said, many things contributed to this debacle, including the government programs which tried to stimulate home buying and those that kept interest rates artificially lower than the market would eventually bear.
Liberal Pariah
February 9th, 2013
10:19 am
Dr Carson was talking Patriotism at the National Prayer Breakfast. Obama hadn’t a clue what he was talking about
indigo
February 9th, 2013
10:35 am
Barry
The only thing you’re good for here is a contemptuous laugh.
Go dig a hole somewhere and just jump in.
indigo
February 9th, 2013
10:37 am
Aesop – 9:48 “to see if I’m alright”
You have never been “alright”.
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
February 9th, 2013
10:40 am
I played a similar budget-balancing game where the player has to decide what spending to cut. When I was done, the game told me I needed to consider lowering taxes because the folks who work for a living were paying too much.
bluecoat
February 9th, 2013
10:59 am
Thulsie got to agree with Aesop,TD,CC,Rafe,and Chip Rogers.Birds of a feather—————–.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
11:17 am
indigo – obozo picked the moron hagel so that when we get smoked by china, obozo can hide behind him and blame Republicans. obozo is a moral coward same as hagel and that’s why he picked a “republican.”
md
February 9th, 2013
11:17 am
” And more than eight in 10 disagree with the president’s notion that the government doesn’t have a spending problem.”
Well, when one campaigns on “taxing the evil rich” and wins, then no, in his mind he does not have a spending problem if there is still revenue in the pockets of those evil rich. It’s an easy game to play one the masses become morally bankrupt…….
md
February 9th, 2013
11:24 am
As for the collapse……I was one of those buying a home during the run-up. It was NOT a difficult process. We sat down and added up our income, then we sat down and added up our expenses, then we did the math to come up with a figuree for a max mortgage payment based on those numbers.
Then we started shopping mortgage companies, and every single one of them told us we qualified for more than our max number……..we bought a house based on what we KNEW we could afford, taking into account the loans we had that were not on any books, etc.
Now, some of you want to point the finger at others for the choices made by the individuals…….which is basically nothing but excuses……..we CHOOSE everything we do, having no will power to buy what we know we can afford is a cop out and MAJOR excuse…….
NOBODY was forced to sign a contract, not a single soul in this country…….
CC
February 9th, 2013
11:44 am
“Now, some of you want to point the finger at others for the choices made by the individuals”
Obozo has resolved that problem. Individual responsibility to live with the consequences of decisions is no longer a factor . . . unless you are a gainfully employed, even marginally successful person, in which case Obozo wants to take what you have earned and give it to the non-producers of the country.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
11:49 am
md – It was the banking industry’s job to verify the ability to repay the loan and even require a 20% down payment, just as they had been doing since the stone ages. Then some wormy liberal in the government said “I have an idea,” which has been the beginning of many disasters all through world history. This idea was to coerce the banking industry to stop requiring buyers to verify income, provide down payments, etc. And if the banking industry did not comply they were publicly labeled racists and denied further business opportunities.
From the consumer side you really need to do some research on the “flipping” aspect of this whole thing. People all of a sudden had access to capital that they could use to acquire several properties, improve them and then make a profit on the resale. How on earth can anyone be blamed for taking an available opportunity and profiting from it? Especially when there is a legal market for the product? Anyway, this snowballed into unrealistic pricing and the snowball came back down the hill. Many people got caught in something they intended to make a profit on or never expected to see the prices drop like they did.
You’re basically saying that people should never strive to better their situation or pass on available legal opportunities.
But anyway, what set all this in motion?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
11:59 am
It looks like New England could use a little “climate change.”
md
February 9th, 2013
12:09 pm
I’m quite familiar with the flipping, and again, it was individuals making risky gambles……the problem as I see it is that these individuals were allowed to walk away and stick the rest of us with the bills.
One of the major problems I see in our society is the element of bankruptcy…..personal and business. It’s a pitiful concept based on the opposite of personal responsibility. If I had it my way, it would stay with an individual/business FOREVER…….all too often people and businesses go on after bankruptcy and actually do quite well for themselves yet rarely have to go back and make good on their debt they walked from…..that needs to be changed.
You borrow it, you pay it back…..end of story.
md
February 9th, 2013
12:13 pm
“How on earth can anyone be blamed for taking an available opportunity and profiting from it?”
And I have no problem with those that took the risk and made a profit……I have a problem with those that took the risk and shifted it to others…….
Hopeful
February 9th, 2013
12:18 pm
Truth I’ve looked for people to take care of my
mother they are so lazy I can run Circles around
them on things to do they have to be told everything to do
can’t they just see what needs to be done!!
MarkV
February 9th, 2013
12:49 pm
It looks like Kyle’s “let y’all have fun on the weekend” is being interpreted by many as a call for opening the gates to all those accumulated grievances against the liberals, “liberal government,” and the President and their imagined incompetence, lack of courage and whatever evil can be imagined by all those people who never get any benefit from the government, have achieved everything without any help, and know the right thing of doing everything. I hope their ignorance will keep making them happy.
Where is Dusty and her poetry when we need her?
bluecoat
February 9th, 2013
12:59 pm
Some could go to New England,spew their hot air,and help others.I suggested this,they refused,afraid he may stay.
getalife
February 9th, 2013
1:03 pm
President Obama’s second term starts off well and he is the most unappreciated President by you cons.
It is time to show him some respect for cleaning up your mess.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
1:17 pm
“As others have, Sen. Hagel has made a nice political living as a Republican trotted out by Democrats to criticize other Republicans. But this fell apart when his [Senate Armed Services Committee] hearing revealed that he’s just not very smart,” Tripplet told the Washington Free Beacon.
I didn’t think it was possible but this hagel stooge has a weaker mind than obozo.
He’s perfect for them.
indigo
February 9th, 2013
1:26 pm
getalife – 1:03
“show him some respect”
Here?
From these loser cons?
Unfortunately, that will never happen.
md
February 9th, 2013
1:27 pm
“have achieved everything without any help”
As if the gov’t is the one providing the assistance…….have to laugh at that notion. The gov’t takes it from businesses and then helps them silly, so yes, they are doing it on their own……you think it’s those that aren’t participating that are doing the helping??
getalife
February 9th, 2013
1:40 pm
After the w disaster, President Obama is the last chance before Americans give up on government.
He is competent in cleaning up w’s mess and setting a good example for future Presidents with no scandals, no collapses, no more occupations, etc….
You cons will never admit these facts but he saved our country and government after the w disaster.
w governed like he paints.
Horrible.
md
February 9th, 2013
1:53 pm
“He is competent in cleaning up w’s mess and setting a good example for future Presidents with no scandals”
And what are you drinking? According to testimony from Panetta and Dempsey the guy and his SS both disappear during the fiasco in Benghazi and some out there think there are no scandals??
The guy dropped the ball or just doesn’t care……any idea which?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
February 9th, 2013
1:58 pm
And what are you drinking?
Friends of Bill say, “What?”
getalife
February 9th, 2013
2:02 pm
After we are attacked , real Americans unite to show patriotism and resolve.
You cons failed to be real Americans and attacked our President like romney the next day.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
2:09 pm
The same people that went total freakazoid over the outing of a CIA agent who had posed in a lib magazine and was hiding in Washington DC. Tried to bring down the entire government, they did. Devoted every bit of their scrawny, mealy mouthed energy to it, as I recall.
Dead CIA agent? ho hum.
Such patriots. Don’t they make you want to sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic?
getalife
February 9th, 2013
2:13 pm
Outing a CIA agent for political purpose has nothing to do with the attack in Libya.
Your name fits because you spew fairy tales.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
2:16 pm
Clinton should be hung by her neck until dead for her malfeasance and treasonous acts against the Benghazi heroes but instead the libs parade her around on the goebbels broadcasting system like some sort of pagan high priestess, licking her chubby little feets, ew. An American loss always seems to be a liberal victory for some odd reason.
getalife
February 9th, 2013
2:19 pm
Unhinged fairy tale.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
2:20 pm
It was a lib that outed her, get, I wonder what his motives were? Maybe he was just stupid like all the rest of you pinkos? Y’all were out to draw and quarter Cheney over that. Ever wonder why the lib still walks free?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
2:22 pm
Really, though, clinton was rolling over both sides of that chair she was sitting in on the goebbels broadcasting system, it looks as though the michelle obama weight loss program has worked on her too.
getalife
February 9th, 2013
2:23 pm
Take your meds and take a nap con kook.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
February 9th, 2013
2:30 pm
It was a lib that outed her…
Robert Novak says, “What”?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
2:32 pm
As most of us have long suspected, the man who told Novak about Valerie Plame was Richard Armitage – Slate
Hopeful
February 9th, 2013
2:33 pm
The world is crazy you have to paper Shred everything
caused all those jail birds work at the dumped their aren’t to let you burn them
Once a week then it’s all up in smoked liked it would be faster and safe from crooks
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 9th, 2013
2:34 pm
Too bad bookman can’t come over here and protect you bubble dwellers from the truth. I know it must hurt.
press release writer
February 9th, 2013
2:37 pm
Tax reform is the idea … that never seems to move beyond the talking stage—perhaps because half the workforce pays no federal income taxes. See my blog later today for statistics on this: http://www.pressreleasewriter.info
CC
February 9th, 2013
3:01 pm
“It is time to show him some respect”
I know that this will be difficult for you to understand, but respect must be EARNED, and Hussein has done NOTHING to earn my respect. He is at best an incompetent idiot and at worst the agent for the destruction of America.
My total lack of respect for him is only surpassed by my loathing for him.
Now, you may return to looking for your next government check.
getalife
February 9th, 2013
3:11 pm
cc,
What have you done to compare so I can judge you and show you no respect to be fair and balanced.
indigo
February 9th, 2013
3:12 pm
CC – 3:01 “my loathing for him”
translation
“No matter how well Obama does, I will never accept a Black man in the White House. I will trash him every chance I get and pray that my Republicans idols in the House and Senate feel the same way. With luck, they will find some excuse to impeach him and then we can get back to normal with a white man in the White House”.
getalife
February 9th, 2013
3:13 pm
“the truth”
rw media is not credible.
Dusty
February 9th, 2013
3:15 pm
Now comes MarkV at twelve forty five,
Putting in a good word. kicking & alive.
He yearns for peace in the political world.
Where wild punches come in a crazy whirl.
Come now MarkV, don’cha know
There’s love mixed within the flow!
We’re all Americans and thankful for that
But we also love a rousing spat.
So rest your worries and then relax.
Everybody believes in their own facts.
I won’t even mention the mounting debt
So I can say “Cheers 2 U” without regret.
Have a good weekend, ever’body…
getalife
February 9th, 2013
3:17 pm
“Everybody believes in their own facts.”
Facts don’t matter to cons.
I said show him some respect or begone.