124 responses to “Oh, those damn Republicans! (updated 15aug13)”

1. 

   Ben Emery

   10 August 2013

   Republicans are unabashed defenders of big business/ industry. That is their problem and increasingly the Democrats are falling into that camp due to the diminished numbers of labor unions and the increase cost of campaigns and party politics.
   Republicans sell the people on the idea that back in the day or good old days America was much better off. Back in the day or good old days being around 1870’s before those pesky women had the right to vote, worker rights were a pipe dream, banks had no regulations, Anti Trust/ Competition laws didn’t exist, whites were the only people allowed at higher education institutions, and through Jim Crow laws undeserving people of color didn’t have a say in our government despite their guarantee rights through the 14th amendment.
   Subjects to citizens and participatory form of government is what the radical founders put into motion with their Declaration Of Independence and the US Constitution. It took over 150 years for full voting equality. Since the shift to a corporatist party in the 1970’s the Republican Party has been trying to return us to my version of good old days. Voter suppression has been front and center the last decade pushed by ALEC and Republican Party.

   LikeLike

2. 

   Ben Emery

   10 August 2013

   “my version of good old day”
   Should be
   “my republican version of the good old days”

   LikeLike

3. 

   fish

   10 August 2013

   Republicans are unabashed defenders of big business/ industry. That is their problem and increasingly the Democrats are falling into that camp due to the diminished numbers of labor unions and the increase cost of campaigns and party politics.
   Republicans sell the people on the idea that back in the day or good old days America was much better off. Back in the day or good old days being around 1870’s before those pesky women had the right to vote, worker rights were a pipe dream, banks had no regulations, Anti Trust/ Competition laws didn’t exist, whites were the only people allowed at higher education institutions, and through Jim Crow laws undeserving people of color didn’t have a say in our government despite their guarantee rights through the 14th amendment.
   Subjects to citizens and participatory form of government is what the radical founders put into motion with their Declaration Of Independence and the US Constitution. It took over 150 years for full voting equality. Since the shift to a corporatist party in the 1970’s the Republican Party has been trying to return us to my version of good old days. Voter suppression has been front and center the last decade pushed by ALEC and Republican Party.
   Ben the New Republic called…they want you to stop posting their stuff without attribution.

   LikeLike

4. 

   Todd Juvinall

   10 August 2013

   BenE, where do you think the money comes from to run the country? Half of the people pay zip fed taxes so where does it come from?

   LikeLike

5. 

   Todd Juvinall

   10 August 2013

   On the topic I am with Will Rogers and Mark Twain. I recall when the legislature here in the Golden State tried to pass a rule a legislator could only offer one or two bills a session. It went nowhere of course.

   LikeLike

6. 

   Ben Emery

   10 August 2013

   George,
   Spam filter once again. Todd your answer is will be revealed when George releases my comment. My battery is about dead so I will give you a Woodie Guthrie send off for the day.
   So long, it’s been good to know yuh;
   So long, it’s been good to know yuh;
   So long, it’s been good to know yuh.
   This dusty old dust is a-gettin’ my home,
   And I got to be driftin’ along.

   LikeLike

7. 

   George Rebane

   10 August 2013

   BenE 1219pm – could find nothing of yours in the spam filter. Please post it again.

   LikeLike

8. 

   Ben Emery

   10 August 2013

   Todd,
   “Half of the people pay zip fed taxes”
   Wrong! Anyone who receives a paycheck pays federal taxes into FICA.
   Taxes are to maintain or improve infrastructure or the commons that our predecessors built or maintained so we would have a functional nation. What the Republican Party has done since the 70’s is to abandon or work against funding of public infrastructure or the commons, which has led us to where we are today. Where we privatize public services and infrastructure at 10 times the cost to the taxpayers. I put at least half if not more of the blame on the Democratic Party for leaving the average people of America behind to pursue big dollars instead of trying to win votes by good governance. Average people of America are Republican, Democratic, Independents, or people who don’t vote at all by choice or not. The Democratic Party for about 40-50 years represented the best interests of all of these people and that is why in the time frame we saw the largest strongest middle class emerge in world history. That is why in that time from the D’s controlled the Executive branch and the house of representatives for decades with the exception of Eisenhower administration. Eisenhower administrations were more liberal/ progressive than any administration since Nixon.
   $0.00 is what people who receive their unearned income through capital gains/ dividends pay into FICA.
   So your statement that 50% pay zip in federal taxes isn’t just wrong it is ignorant of how our nation works. It is weird how talking points start replacing critical thinking and we regurgitate them without a second thought.

   LikeLike

9. 

   George Rebane

   10 August 2013

   BenE 0135pm – Have no idea how long you’ve labored under this progressive belief, but FICA has nothing to do with maintaining or improving infrastructure. Its funds go into the underfunded ponzi schemes known as Social Security and the designated benefits program called Medicare. 47% of Americans paid no federal income tax, and 14% paid neither income nor payroll taxes, thus sayeth the Brookings Institute –
   http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxtopics/federal-taxes-households.cfm
   Time to update the ol’ knowledge base.

   LikeLike

10. 

    Ben Emery

    10 August 2013

    George,
    As you might suspect I reduced my comment when I recreated it, which made it considerably shorter. I worked it down the tax I voluntarily pay when asked what type of animal are you feeding this hay? Most people will say some sort of livestock to avoid the tax but I say horses if it is for horses because I want a functional local/ state government.
    We were talking federal taxes not income taxes. That is a typical talking point pushed by those who are paid by the establishment/ powers that be. They like to conflate income taxes with all taxes. The only tax the wealthy care about keeping reduced is the income tax since all other taxes they are already exempt or constitute such a small fraction of their income it doesn’t matter, less than 1%.
    Now on the federal income tax statement. That might be true but in that category are many extremely wealthy people, which in your world view includes corporations. Lets take a look shall we at who really is the freeloaders. 80% of those who don’t pay federal income taxes are households that earn less than $30,000 annually. When 50,000 factories shut down and take over 7,000,000 decent paying manufacturing jobs withe them leaving a huge chunk of the blue collar middle class out on a limb I would have to say transnational corporations are to blame more than the workers themselves.
    Here are the top ten “people”/ corporations who avoided paying federal income taxes. Now take a look at their profits and calculate how many people at $100k who would pay income tax it would take to match the top ten tax dodgers. Here is the title and excerpt of the article
    Corporate Tax Dodgers: 10 Companies and Their Tax Loopholes
    April 17, 2013
    Bank of America
    Had $17.2 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. Reported it would owe $4.3 billion in U.S. taxes if profits are brought home.
    Citigroup
    Had $42.6 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. Reported it would owe $11.5 billion in U.S. taxes if profits are brought home.
    ExxonMobil
    Paid just a 15% federal income tax rate from 2010-2012, less than half the official 35% corporate tax rate – a tax subsidy of $6.2 billion. Had $43 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes.
    FedEx
    Made $5.7 billion from 2010-2012 and didn’t pay a dime in federal income taxes. Got a tax subsidy of $2.1 billion. Received $10.3 billion in federal contracts from 2006-2012.
    General Electric
    Made $88 billion from 2002-2012 and paid just 2.4% in taxes for a tax subsidy of $29 billion. Paid no taxes in 4 years. Had $108 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. Received $21.8 billion in federal contracts from 2006-2012.
    Honeywell
    Made $5 billion from 2009-2012 and paid just $50 million in federal income taxes – a tax subsidy of $1.7 billion. Had $11.6 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. Received $16.7 billion in federal contracts from 2006-2012.
    Merck
    Made $13.6 billion and paid $2.5 billion in federal income taxes from 2009-2012. Paid an 18.4% federal income tax rate, half the official 35% rate – a tax subsidy of $2.2 billion. Had $53.4 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. Received $8.7 billion in federal contracts from 2006-2012.
    Microsoft
    Saved $4.5 billion in federal income taxes from 2009-2011 by transferring profits to a subsidiary in the tax haven of Puerto Rico. Had $60.8 billion in profits stashed offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes; reported it would owe $19.4 billion if profits are brought home.
    Pfizer
    Received $2.2 billion in federal tax refunds from 2010-2012 while earning $43 billion worldwide even though 40% of its sales are in America. Had $73 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. income taxes. Received $3.4 billion in federal contracts from 2010-2012.
    Verizon
    Made $19.3 billion in U.S. pretax profits from 2008-2012 but paid no federal income taxes during the period; instead got $535 million in tax rebates. Total tax subsidy: $7.3 billion. Received up to $6 billion in federal contracts from 2011 through 2023.

    LikeLike

11. 

    George Rebane

    11 August 2013

    BenE 758pm – You’re making it sound as if these corporations were a criminal enterprise. What laws did they break? For what infraction would you indict them?

    LikeLike

12. 

    Ben Emery

    11 August 2013

    George,
    Once again we are talking about federal income taxes. They broke no law despite making billions and receiving billions in subsides and paying nothing in federal income taxes. How can this be legal? How can you be alright with billion dollar enterprises not paying back into the system in which allowed them to make those kind of profits?
    Here is where corporatists don’t get progressives. Just because it is legal doesn’t mean it is ethical or what is best for the United States of America. This where the difference between liberals and progressives becomes very evident. Liberals will load more and more programs helping those who no longer can afford to live in this corrupt system that benefits the wealthy and large corporations. Progressives want to correct the system to make what these corporations are doing illegal creating a system where people can afford to live. Thus reducing the size and scope of social programs. The wealthy and large corporations may take a hit on their bottom line but as a whole it is better for the entire United States of America.
    We have a two party system in place where liberal democrats and corporatist republicans run the two largest institutions in the US. Those two institutions control our government and are beholden to the wealthy and large corporations who fund their institutions and candidates. With this funding are favors in return. The institution has become more important than the good of the nation.
    Exxon was subsidized to the tune of $6 billion and that is one company. The entire 2008 federal election spending was around $5 billion. One company with basically tax payer money could have bought off all federal candidates to side with their companies interests. We are basically seeing this take place right before our eyes and with citizens united decision we will actually see less lobbying and more straight up corporate or billionaire sponsored candidates.
    I am taking the http:// out of the link so the comment will post.
    40 Behind-The-Scenes Billionaires Funding The 2012 Election
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2012/03/22/40-behind-the-scenes-billionaires-funding-the-2012-election/
    Despite the overwhelming amount of this money going to the republican side because they are unabashed corporatist the democrats still control the executive branch, senate, and received 1.5 million more votes for the house. So what is the problem you are probably asking yourself. The democratic leadership is just as corporatist as the republican party but they like to give the illusion of choice so the rhetoric is much different but the policies are very similar when boiled down.
    Only in a fascist corporatist state could a company like GE have a year of $108 billion in profits and it be legal for them to pay zero in federal income tax. If this isn’t bad enough GE received $22 billion in government contracts.
    You might say those who invested into the republican party 2012 lost huge sums of money.
    Off the top of my head I believe
    If I have a $100 dollars and I lose a dime is equivalent to having $1 billion dollars and losing $100 million. Is losing a dime out of $100 dollars really significant?

    LikeLike

13. 

    Bonnie McGuire

    11 August 2013

    I can’t believe how blind some people are. Businesses take risks financially and pay taxes. They also provide the jobs for employees who pay taxes. They’re the money tree for all those in government. Those in government pay taxes from the taxes collected from the businesses and employees in the private sector. When government gets bigger it has to raise taxes on the businesses and employees in the private sector to pay for the increase of government employees. It can’t keep up with the excessive demands of government labor unions. The Feds can print more paper, but cities and states can’t, so the Fed baits the hook with grant goodies that require more concessions on the private sector. It’s another form of racketeering. Disgusting.

    LikeLike

14. 

    Bill Tozer

    11 August 2013

    Bonnie, where have you been?? When the women folk join the forum they show their stanch unabashed solid meddle. They are some of the best commentators on the planet. No nonsense.
    As far as the do nothing Congress theme, I see that some of the states who meet just 30 days a year are in pretty good shape. Less chance to mess things up. Opps, that is Stand Your Ground Congress. Was Mr. Crabb referring to Florida and the 30 states that have some form of Stand Your Ground laws? No, can’t be. It said Congress, not states.
    Mr. Crabb is a fine gentleman, but in this case I feel he is misguided. Who needs Congress to do anything when we have the Executive Order trump card. Lawmakers? Executive Orders don’t need no stinkin’ laws or lawmakers.
    If I was King of the World or Boss of The Planet of the Apes or the Duke of Earl, I would have drawn an elephant with a banner naming it The Fed Government (instead of just that antiquated insignificance thing called Congress). My picture would have this big fat elephant called the Federal Government with the half the masses shoveling food into the Elephant’s input and the other half of the unwashed masses shoveling up the dung coming out of its output.

    LikeLike

15. 

    Bill Tozer

    11 August 2013

    “I can’t believe how blind some people are.”
    Believe it Bonnie. And there is a lot more where that came from. Fact is stranger than fiction.

    LikeLike

16. 

    George Rebane

    11 August 2013

    BenE 115am – “If I have a $100 dollars and I lose a dime is equivalent to having $1 billion dollars and losing $100 million. Is losing a dime out of $100 dollars really significant?”
    I think you may be exhibiting some progressive math here Ben. What you meant to say is “equivalent to having $1B and losing $1M”. And losing $100M or 10% of $1B is very significant. But then, what’s being off 9,900% when we’re talking about government finances?
    BonnieM 509am – What I’m sure you’ve noticed in these pages is the almost complete disregard for the notion of risk in the progressive mind. They view risk mainly in terms of what if the government won’t/can’t pay for that. That risk is somehow connected to profits is a non-starter for them – after all, did not the company’s trucks use highways paid for by government? They don’t even understand who paid for the roads. And it was all paid out of taxes on profits. Were it up to them, taxes would be paid on revenues (top line), not profits (bottom line). But that is all part of the grand disconnect in the country.
    BTW, welcome back.

    LikeLike

17. 

    Gregory

    11 August 2013

    Let’s see… the corporation income tax is akin to the skimming the Mob did in the back room of the casino. The feds getting a piece off the top before the profits go to the owners of the corporations, be they a 1% of the 1% like a Heinz-Kerry, my 401K or CalSTRS, where taxes would be paid, sometimes soon, sometimes later. But they would be paid.
    By my understanding there are a couple things here that Ben is ignoring: one is that the corporate federal tax rate of the US is the highest in the world, so the world’s corporations have the biggest incentives here to work the tax laws. Second, we’re the only country that, when a corporation makes money from a foreign operation, that paid the taxes of that foreign country where the profit was made, taxes that profit a second time if the corporation tries to bring it home to invest here or disburse to the owners, be they a Heinz-Kerry or the poor widow McGullicuddy and her six kids.
    So companies leave the money outside the borders rather than trigger taxes that, no matter the rate, the Bens of the world will think too low.
    Why did those horrible companies not pay US Federal income taxes? Because no tax was owed. That doesn’t mean billions of Federal, state and local taxes weren’t paid by the company directly, or by the owners who paid taxes on dividends or sale of shares.
    Isn’t it interesting… the Bens are adamant that corporations don’t have the freedom of speech of the people in the corporation have, but wants to treat them like people when there’s taxes to be paid.
    Ben, those corporations didn’t pay any taxes one or more years because they didn’t owe any, based on their US profits (or lack of profits) and the hoops they jumped through (like investments in equipment or training) in order to not pay the onerous US rates. However, their owners and employees paid a bunch.
    “Off the top of my head I believe
    If I have a $100 dollars and I lose a dime is equivalent to having $1 billion dollars and losing $100 million. Is losing a dime out of $100 dollars really significant?” -Ben
    “Off with his head!” – the Queen of Hearts
    Now I see why Ben has such strange ideas about money… he has no number sense whatsoever.

    LikeLike

18. 

    Douglas Keachie

    11 August 2013

    ” by the owners who paid taxes on dividends or sale of shares.”
    There are no sales taxes on the “sale of shares.” If there were, the Federal deficit could be paid off in less than 20 years, at a tax rate of 25 cents per $100 sold. The rich protecting the rich, once again.

    LikeLike

19. 

    Douglas Keachie

    11 August 2013

    Ben was trolling you, Greg, he said “If.” You fell for it.

    LikeLike

20. 

    Douglas Keachie

    11 August 2013

    Comment appear to post and then disappear, as shall I after this one.

    LikeLike

21. 

    Douglas Keachie

    11 August 2013

    Now these comments appear to be sticking. I initially praised the cartoon. Then I noted that the are no sales taxes on the “or by the owners who paid taxes on dividends or sale of shares.” And that the Federal deficit would be paid off in 20 years with a stock sales tax rate of $ .25 per $100. Let’s see if this one sticks

    LikeLike

22. 

    George Rebane

    11 August 2013

    Administrivia – Just posted the 11aug13 update to ‘War on Terror in Perpetuum, Amen’ that describes a new ‘kill switch’ for shutting off the recording capability of nearby smartphones that will soon be available to a government agency (like your local police).
    http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2013/08/war-on-terror-in-perpetuum-amen.html

    LikeLike

23. 

    L

    11 August 2013

    Think it through, folks. 100% of the cost of everything we buy is labor. The air, water, C02, trees, iron ore, dirt, gold, everything material is free, gifts from God (or Nature for the Dawkins fans).
    Man creates nothing ex nihilo, he only reorganizes what is available by applying his labor.
    It follows that 100% of all taxes is on labor. That means you, me and the fellow behind the tree.
    Corporate taxes simply mean that a portion of the labor is taxed twice.
    Maybe peoples’ tax rate should be based not on income but on their usefulness to our lives. That’ll mean lawyers, celebrities, sports figures, bankers and other parasite class folks will be out of luck. L

    LikeLike

24. 

    Todd Juvinall

    11 August 2013

    Sales tax is the best way to tax in my view. You buy something you pay the same rate. A poor guy who scrapes enough money up from the street to buy his hooch corner and the billionaire pay the same rate. Easy, no paperwork.

    LikeLike

25. 

    George Rebane

    11 August 2013

    L 118pm – that corporations pay no taxes has been a perennial teaching point on RR. However, it is quite inaccessible to people of the Left. Thanks for the refresher and expansion on the role of labor.

    LikeLike

26. 

    Ben Emery

    11 August 2013

    George and Greg,
    So let me get this straight,
    -Make so little a person doesn’t qualify to pay income taxes = bad
    -Make billions in profits while receiving millions and billions in subsides and government contracts and not paying income taxes = good
    Yep, a bunch of fascist corporatists among the ranks at Rebane’s Ruminations.
    We don’t need government because GE, Monsanto, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Lockheed Martin, Merck, Tyson Chicken, Walmart, Exxon Mobil, and United Health are so trustworthy and will do right by their consumers.
    You guys live in fantasy land.

    LikeLike

27. 

    fish

    11 August 2013

    And that the Federal deficit would be paid off in 20 years with a stock sales tax rate of $ .25 per $100. Let’s see if this one sticks
    Pay off the federal deficit? How bout all that debt?

    LikeLike

28. 

    Bill Tozer

    11 August 2013

    1) If the progressives are so brain dead they cannot understand the difference between gross and net, well….well…that says it all. Cannot fight imaginary bogie men.
    Say a real estate agent makes 10k on selling a home. They run ads in the paper, drive around countless hours and burning countless gallons of gas showing homes to potential buyers, pay for reams of copies of documents, license fees, fees to the broker, etc. So, they really make 7k instead of 10k. Tax them on 10k? Revenue is not profit. Gross (revenue) minus cost=profit(net). Profit minus taxes=net profit after taxes.
    2) Progressives go nuts on the word taxes. Knee jerk reaction. They can’t help it. Its always evil corporations are not paying ENOUGH taxes, not by a long shot. Coupled with those horrible people that own the big house on the hill. Guess they equate the word “taxes” with capitalistic pigs like Mr. Pelosi , Bono, and Ford Motor Co. To them the word taxes actually means some Mc Scrooge ain’t paying enough, never about what themselves are paying in taxes. Never. Life will never make libs happy until they make the filthy rich poor (except the filthy rich progressives). Their unquenchable desire and thirst.
    3) Progressives do not understand risk. Perhaps they cannot wrap their deformed heads around the concept. One of life’s great mysteries.
    Take the libs forcing evil banks to lower their lending standards. Usually started by some community organizer shake down artists. Prime loans are unfair!
    What happens? Banks must make RISKIER loans in riskier places. Riskier because of 3 things. First, Residents of poor areas usually to not have plenty of prospects of obtaining stable long term employment and replacement employment opportunities are less likely in poorer communities. 2)Banks view poor areas like Detroit as a risk because the banks have no guarantee that the borrower’s home will likely to retain it’s value (loan amount) through the life of the loan. Third, banks take on the risk of borrowing money from depositors and investors on the short term and lending that money over 30 years on the long term. Their risk is when rates fluctuate, they might have lent money to home buyers at 4% over 30 years and might have to pay back short term (3-5 years) money at 6%. Notice the word “might”. It is also called risk. Risk of losing money, which means no profits, which means no taxes for the libs to get their nasty little grubby hands on.
    To add insult to stupidity, progressives claim that banks don’t lend to poorer communities because of racism. LOL! Its about risk, not race. Its about the odds of losing money and not repaying borrowed money to depositors and recouping lent out money. We ain’t talking about working for the Red Cross here. Racism? As that distinguished Senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia said some are white (n words). Ain’t racism, but try to convince the control freaks who live in constant envy of other peoples’ money that.
    Here is my fantasy. Someday in a perfect world the progressives will take the cotton out of their ears and put it in their mouths. Oh, those darn Republicans.

    LikeLike

29. 

    George Rebane

    11 August 2013

    re BenE’s 153pm – readers will note that the unapologetically innumerate Mr Emery is practicing that great progressive debating tactic again – having a conversation with himself.

    LikeLike

30. 

    Todd Juvinall

    11 August 2013

    How true George, the man is truly a mental case.

    LikeLike

31. 

    Jesus Betterman

    11 August 2013

    A flat sales tax on everything would include stocks, right? This machine thinks I’m Betterman still, don’t argue with a machine.

    LikeLike

32. 

    Gregory

    11 August 2013

    “So let me get this straight”
    Sorry, Ben, you didn’t get it straight. S’OK, it wasn’t expected from you.

    LikeLike

33. 

    L

    11 August 2013

    Keachie, Koyote, Betterman, you’re all ‘effing idiots. When an investor cashes out, he pays a tax if he’s won and not if he’s lost. It’s called a Capital Gains Tax and has nothing whatever to do with a “sales tax.” My God, what did you do when attending class? L

    LikeLike

34. 

    Michael Anderson

    11 August 2013

    Let’s bump up those capital gains taxes a bit, shall we? Are the efforts of the capital class any more solemn than the efforts of the labor class? Does their silver spoon somehow justify a lower tax rate?
    Just askin’.
    I do appreciate Todd’s call for more taxes being laid upon consumption and less on labor. Taxes, fees, tariffs, and duties are all disincentives to certain behaviors. Taxing income produced by labor is completely stupid because it creates a disincentive to work. Income tax rates need to be as low as possible.
    On the flip side, as Todd rightly suggests, taxes on consumption actually meet the needs of the user, based upon actual use. I would go so far as to suggest that an additional gas tax for basic auto insurance be added to the pump price so that we could all be free of the usurious uninsured driver amendments.
    Simple fixes for complex times. In a political system that was created when steam engines were all the rage, this should be easy money.
    But as Ben E. continues to hammer home, the political system we live under is a toxic mushroom and it is just a matter of time before it kills the host. Then we can move on to something better.
    Lookin’ forward to it, I am.

    LikeLike

35. 

    Gregory

    12 August 2013

    “If I have a $100 dollars and I lose a dime is equivalent to having $1 billion dollars and losing $100 million. Is losing a dime out of $100 dollars really significant?”
    Repeated just so we don’t forget Ben’s math moment. Perhaps Keach can commiserate.

    LikeLike

36. 

    Gregory

    12 August 2013

    “I would go so far as to suggest that an additional gas tax for basic auto insurance be added to the pump price so that we could all be free of the usurious uninsured driver amendments.”
    From socialized medical insurance to socialized car insurance. Figures.

    LikeLike

37. 

    Bill Tozer

    12 August 2013

    Where my Obamaphone? Oprah Win-free once passed out cars to poor women on her show. Saw the tape of it. Actually, GM donated the cars but she got the credit. A dream come true!! Unfortunately, most of the recipients of the heavenly gift could not afford the cost to register the cars. A thousand plus dollars is a lot of money for us poor folks who drive old beaters. Plus sales tax. Anyways, the letters started coming into the show asking for more mula from the new car owners. Plus there is that little overlooked cost of auto insurance. Its too expensive. And making sure no one messes with the new cars and steals them is like being a security guard. Plus the welfare department wants to know the value of the car. Its not fair!!
    There oughta be a law. Maybe some kind of government subsidy for us po folk. New shiny cars is a basic human right cause it falls under the pursuit of happiness clause. Just like a former mayor of Nevada City told the Union…”that health care is a pursuit of happiness”, thus a right.
    A man of the cloth once told me something I will never forget and have pondered many many times. He said “the most materialistic people he has ever counseled are those who are the poorest.” I am beginning to see his point. Where my Obamaphone?

    LikeLike

38. 

    Joe Koyote

    12 August 2013

    Keachie, Koyote, Betterman, you’re all ‘effing idiots. When an investor cashes out, he pays a tax if he’s won and not if he’s lost. It’s called a Capital Gains Tax and has nothing whatever to do with a “sales tax.” My God, what did you do when attending class? L
    Gee.. I got hammered and I didn’t even comment on this thread. Who is the idiot here? It might be better if people stuck to the topics at hand rather than make random personal attacks, it makes them look foolish. I often find that people criticize another’s choice of words and attack their person for being a dirty evil lib but seldom address the points that are made. Is this because they really don’t have anything of substance to contribute to the conversation and are so uncomfortable with differing opinions that all they can do is lash out? People usually resort to personal attacks when they have no logical or reasonable response or are to uninformed to understand the concepts.

    LikeLike

39. 

    Bill

    12 August 2013

    Mr. KKB. We have simply learned to take a page out of the lib’s playwork. Its truly fun and so much less frustrating. Being besieged by scandals? Not problem. Just blame them vulgar neo-cons for the lame economic progress.

    LikeLike

40. 

    Joe Koyote

    12 August 2013

    Bill, you are right.. it is more fun to sling mud, vent, and blame the other folks than it is to try and figure out what is really happening. In reality, no one who posts here is persuading anyone about anything. We all are just venting our frustrations at the state of affairs and lashing out at those who think differently. It is a lot like the audience for a lounge act hypnotist, they don’t know why they are clucking like a chicken, just that they are clucking like a chicken. The world is currently being subjected to the most sophisticated persuasion (ie brainwashing) techniques ever conceived and, for the most part, don’t even know it. Cluck, cluck.

    LikeLike

41. 

    fish

    12 August 2013

    The world is currently being subjected to the most sophisticated persuasion (ie brainwashing) techniques ever conceived and, for the most part, don’t even know it. Cluck, cluck.
    “Vote for me and I’ll give you stuff”, “The NSA isn’t listening in to your phone calls or reading your e-mails”, “This is the most transparent administration in history”
    Yeah…..sophisticated.

    LikeLike

42. 

    George Rebane

    12 August 2013

    Apropos to the above comments, I call your attention to the 12aug13 update to ‘War on Terror …’.
    http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2013/08/war-on-terror-in-perpetuum-amen.html

    LikeLike

43. 

    Gregory

    12 August 2013

    “Who is the idiot here?”
    The folks who think people who sell stocks for a profit don’t pay taxes, and that people who sell stock for a loss should also pay a tax.
    Maybe we should charge a sales tax on houses, too, whether there’s equity held by the ‘owner’ or not. What do you think, kids?** What would that do to the housing market? What would that do to the availability of mortgages for folks who would be planning on actually living in the house but might have to move with a job or changing family needs? Would that be significantly different than what it would do to securities and commodities markets?
    ** Obviously a rhetorical question, but my answer would be no.

    LikeLike

44. 

    L

    12 August 2013

    Joe Koyote = Jesus Betterman = Doug Keachie. The (banned) idiot. Clear enough? L

    LikeLike

45. 

    L

    12 August 2013

    Michael, you and Todd are basically correct that we should be taxing consumption instead of income. But keep in mind my fundamental point above, all taxes are on labor, without exception. Capital gains taxes are lower than income taxes because of the “risk factor” which Dr. Rebane has explained, more than adequately, in many posts. If you risk, and lose, the government is not going to compensate for your bad guess; if you win, it will take less than it will take from your guaranteed salary… sounds fairly “fair” to me.
    Fundamentally, all taxes task the usefully employed to support the useless insofar as the Feds have moved themselves beyond the required activities as enumerated in the US Constitution. 90% of what the Fed govt does is not enumerated in the Constitution, per the 10th amendment, it is reserved to the states.
    That’s the world I’d choose to live in; AZ is not CA, and the difference shows. That’s why I now live in Tucson instead of Topanga. L

    LikeLike

46. 

    Bill Tozer

    12 August 2013

    Mr. Koyote is not banned. Maybe Mr Keachie was put on a time out, but that was then, this is now. Heck, look at my posts and I have not been banned. But, then again, Dr. Rebane cannot contact me directly since I moved and changed my e-mail address. I was intending to contact Dr. Rebane and inform him of the new e-mail in case he wants to admonish me privately. Something like missing you, wish you weren’t here. Its on my list of things to do, NOT!
    Dr. Rebane is truly long suffering with all of us. But, every man has his limits and I am been sensing the good doc’s patience has been wearing thin lately. He needs a smoke and a pancake. Explaining over and over and over again that the hole does not equal the sum of the parts can drain a man of his energies. The whole equals the sum of the parts, not the hole (which could make even a freight train take a dirt road).
    Everyone is welcomed here, even me. Just play by the rules. Show some respect, even to the libholes, and all is well. We have a big tent, and holes are welcome here to serve as a living example of broken thinkers.
    Now, I have to go read some update on the war on terror before I serve my time back in the penalty box communicating with holes.

    LikeLike

47. 

    George Rebane

    12 August 2013

    BillT 1258pm – Mr Tozer, your ‘pen’ is a joy to behold. May your wit and wisdom continue to grace these pages.

    LikeLike

48. 

    Joe Koyote

    12 August 2013

    Joe Koyote = Jesus Betterman = Doug Keachie. The (banned) idiot. Clear enough? L — you have no idea what you are talking about if you are implying that those posters are one and the same. They are not.

    LikeLike

49. 

    Bill Tozer

    12 August 2013

    Which reminds me….anybody know when they are going to do a remake of SYBIL?

    LikeLike

50. 

    Joe Koyote

    12 August 2013

    How about “the Monster that Devoured Cleveland.” Remember that one?

    LikeLike