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Obama: No Deal Without Tax Hikes

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It shouldn't happen at all. That's how the honor system breaks down.

There are a lot places here where civil discourse breaks down. Just read a post from the Prof sometime. If we would all agree to behave civil, you'd hear no argument from me.
 
That's certainly one theory. Given what I read on this forum and elsewhere on the internet, I think Greenspan's is more accurate:

"The former boss of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, said the reason Gen-Xers are unemployed and suffering from a lower standard of living is because they are lazy, stupid, and unproductive. U.S. companies would be better off hiring immigrants."


That's quite the campaign slogan for next November that you've got there Taylor! You guys should bring that up at every town meeting across the country. :sun
 
the rightwing thinks that income taxes are the only taxes that exist

LOL!

you don't know what you're talking about

GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

"we have the worst business tax climate in the nation, period, our taxes are 66% higher than the national average"

"what made new york the empire state was a not a large government complex, it was a vibrant private sector that was creating great jobs, and that's what's going to make us the empire state again"

"at the heart of this state is business"

"we have to relearn the lesson our founders knew and we have to put up a sign that says new york is open for business, we get it, and this is going to be a business friendly state"

"we are going to have to confront the tax situation in our state, property taxes in this state are killing new yorkers, thirteen of the sixteen highest tax counties are in new york when assessed by home value"

"westchester county has the highest property taxes in the united states, nassau county has the second highest"

"we have to hold the line on taxes for now and reduce taxes in the future, new york has no future as the tax capital of the nation, our young people will not stay, our business will not come"

"put it simply, the people of this state simply cannot afford to pay any more taxes, period"

he aint just talking income taxes, trotsky

cuz if the superstar gub of dark blue new york is cutting ten billion across the board with no new taxes...

it must get lonely in leningrad

seeya at the polls---in peoria
 
as the eldest son and executor of my parents estate that estate paid more money in one day than you will pay in your entire life.

WTF does that have to do with percentage rate??? You have no comprehension of what a progressive tax system is supposed to be, do you?
 
Explain if you will.
In many departments, 35-40% of the graduate students come from other countries. We're the third most populous country in the world but our talent pool (especially in math and the hard sciences) is rather small. We outsource our educational opportunities and cross our fingers that these smart, productive, hardworking individuals decide to immigrate (fortunately many do).

To be fair though, the third world countries where many of these students come from probably don't impose the sort of onerous hardships Catawba described that come with living in the US.
 
In many departments, 35-40% of the graduate students come from other countries. We're the third most populous country in the world but our talent pool (especially in math and the hard sciences) is rather small. We outsource our educational opportunities and cross our fingers that these smart, productive, hardworking individuals decide to immigrate (fortunately many do).

To be fair though, the third world countries where many of these students come from probably don't impose the sort of onerous hardships Catawba described that come with living in the US.

Considering the US is 37th in education funding as a percentage of GDP, I would agree there may be up to 36 countries whose students are better prepared for graduate work. :sun
 
In many departments, 35-40% of the graduate students come from other countries. We're the third most populous country in the world but our talent pool (especially in math and the hard sciences) is rather small. We outsource our educational opportunities and cross our fingers that these smart, productive, hardworking individuals decide to immigrate (fortunately many do).

To be fair though, the third world countries where many of these students come from probably don't impose the sort of onerous hardships Catawba described that come with living in the US.

I'm not following what this has to do with Greenspan's acknowledgement of being wrong.
 
I'm not following what this has to do with Greenspan's acknowledgement of being wrong.
That's good because that's not what you asked me and not what I answered.
 
Let them go. We simply need to ensure that they won't be rewarded for doing so and will not be able to do conduct business in the United States without paying additional costs. That is where we need to restructure our economic policies.

your wonderful state of California is experimenting with this economic policy as we speak.


how is your unemployment rate, btw? good and low?
 
Wrong. Self interest is not the same as greed. Some people believe that risking their lives to protect the nation is in their self interest. Suffering has a redemptive potential. Not everyone sees the world through the selfish filter of rightwing ideology


So wait...... Only left wingers join the service?
 
from Turtle defending generations of inherited wealth

what really goes against what America was founded on is 47% of the voters not paying any federal income taxes but instead lying back and sucking of the wealth that others earned.

Well you can thank Republican President George Bush for coming up with that idea and thank the 91% of Republican House and Senate members who supplied the YES votes for that system. As a progressive Democrat, I would have joined by fellow Democratic Congressional members who voted NO on that scheme. I have said many times that I believe ALL Americans should pay some federal income tax.

Income tax runs contrary to the idea upon which this country was founded

What idea would that be? Obviously the Constitution had to be amended to allow for it, but income taxes were instituted off an on throughout American history long before the 16th Amendment.

if you are going to spew your hate at the rich based on what America is based on you need to save most of your loathing for the freeloaders. a kid who inherits a billion and never invests it but merely goes under the mattress each week to spend some of what was left after the death tax toll might be a sloth but he isn't costing me any money because as you say, the dead don't pay taxes and what was taking from his inheritance is going to cover his costs for the rest of his life if a billion remains. what costs me money are those who are getting money FROM the taxpayers merely because they EXIST and they cannot or will not (or a combination thereof) pay their own way

We have already dispensed with your obsession about people who do not pay. I agree that ALL should pay something in federal income tax. Although you are well aware that even those who do NOT pay federal income tax stil pay countless other taxes and in many cases pay a much larger percentage of their overall income in one tax or another compared to the wealthy. So the demonization of one group who does not pay federal income tax is highly selective anger intentionally adopted for political purposes.

As to inheritance taxes, they are as American as apple pie and have a long and rich history in this nation. In America, we glorify and honor the self made man or woman and that is what made the nation great. Daddykins or Mumsy-wumsy birthing Junior and keeping them in satin diapers until they are old enough to take over the manor and all its bowing servants is not the American ideal. We have far too many people who were born on third base, and then wallow in the mental delusion that they have hit a home run in life when it was Daddykins who owned the ballclub and Mumsy who bribed the umpire to call them safe at the plate. No, that is not the American ideal at all.

and your claim about America is complete BS. Much of what this country was founded on was people making sacrifices so their children would have it better than they did. Its the mindset of just about every old money family around. People who saved and invested and worked hard for their children rather than spending recklessly and foolishly.

I have little doubt that it is the mindset of some old money families. And it is a damaging mindset because it robs their own children of initiative and self determination. You have provided no evidence that one cannot both spend foolishly and give to their offspring if one has enough to do both so your point there is invalid. Hugh Hefner certainly spends his money in a manner what some would call foolishly but still will be able to leave some behind for his daughter. So one can do both. Besides, I would rather they spend and help the economy and other people could then benefit.... even if it is spent foolishly.

Estate taxes should be high and steep. Andrew Carnegie recognized this and he was the personification of the American capitalist in the rough and tumble wide open Gilded Age of the robber barons. He gave it all away and left his daughter nothing.

"The question which forces itself upon thoughtful men in all lands is: Why should men leave great fortunes to their children? If this is done from affection, is it not misguided affection? Observation teaches that, generally speaking, it is not well for the children that they should be so burdened. Neither is it well for the state. Beyond providing for the wife and daughters moderate sources of income, and very moderate allowances indeed, if any, for the sons, men may well hesitate, for it is no longer questionable that great sums bequeathed oftener work more for the injury than for the good of the recipients. Wise men will soon conclude that, for the best interests of the members of their families and of the state, such bequests are an improper use of their means."

The reality is that he gave away most of his fortune. The reality is that he advocated steep estate taxes. The reality is that he recognized that he had an obligation to the American people beyond taxation and stepped up and fulfilled that with his hundreds of Carnegie libraries and other good works. He understood that the worship of Mammon was a terrible thing and would ruin his soul and character.

"Man must have an idol -- The amassing of wealth is one of the worst species of idolatry. No idol more debasing than the worship of money."


I think Roberta Brooke Astor had it right. The New York socialite inherited great wealth and learned to understand what money really was and how to use it for the public good

"Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around.”

One does not have to be uniquely American to feel this way.



Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) left his immense wealth for the establishment of the Nobel Prizes rather than to his children. Only a small portion of his wealth was left to relatives, the greatest amount of his legacy valued at 31 million Swedish crowns (equivalent of $220 million today) was designated for five Nobel Prizes.

"I regard large inherited wealth as a misfortune, which merely serves to dull men's faculties. A man who possesses great wealth should, therefore, allow only a small portion to descend to his relatives. Even if he has children, I consider it a mistake to hand over to them considerable sums of money beyond what is necessary for their education. To do so merely encourages laziness and impedes the healthy development of the individual's capacity to make an independent position for himself."



Bill Gates recognizes that and Warren Buffet does also. Bob Dylan wrote ".. helpless as a rich mans child".

Inherited wealth is a curse on the fop or dandy who accepts it. It is a good thing we have even the small estate taxes that we do.

"Better to have good fortune than to be a rich man's child."
~ proverb (1639)
 
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So wait...... Only left wingers join the service?

I wanted to fight for the constitution and repel a genocidal dictator from a monarchy. Politics makes strange bedfellows. I'm glad we finally got that SOB. After the war, I figured school. I didn't intend to sign my rights away for more than an enlistment but when they offered ranger school (4 guys in my ~platoon had earned tabs recently) I thought about re-enlisting. The funny part? I missed the war. It was over before my training was finished. Everyone had CIBs, AA on their right shoulder and 1000s in the bank. And no one wanted to hang out with th new guy. They had parades to go to and mega-parties planned on the beach. Sucked to be a cherry for about 6 months, in a big way. The only thing worse is getting painted and almost dying (we, the division, weren't allowed to use the word anymore after some guys did that to some dude in second bat).

Oh, I've got stories...

Anyway, I was a libertarian ~14 and lost religion ~8 (guess I spent ~4 years stewing over the Santa thing and finally said, out loud, screw u guys). Volunteered ~20, left a nice private university to do so.

ps. Lost virginity at 15 and was 100% sober through HS, president of debate team, AP english, government and history, and honors everything else except Intl. Relations (no honors class for that).




We could spend the rest of the thread talking about me, but I guess you guys are doing something.
 
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When someone whines that estate taxes should be "high and steep" the only conclusion to be drawn is that the speaker either is fabulously wealthy or hates those who actually have an inheritance to look forward to. Its based on envy and its a surcharge on those who have already paid more than their fair share of taxes. Nothing is funnier than someone who pretends to adopt the alleged noble views of the very wealthy in order to have the government confiscate wealth of people more industrious than he is. What Haymarket ignores is that most wealthy people work hard for their families and while some may wish to leave their wealth entirely to charity (which, of course is their right) to claim that justifies government confiscation of such wealth is specious and of course spiteful

anyone who thinks that those on this board who constantly argue for other being taxed more are doing so out of some misguided beneficient social sense of good is delusional. We know what motivates these tax hikers. Its in my signature
 
I wanted to fight for the constitution and repel a genocidal dictator from a monarchy. Politics makes strange bedfellows. I'm glad we finally got that SOB. After the war, I figured school. I didn't intend to sign my rights away for more than an enlistment but when they offered ranger school (4 guys in my ~platoon had earned tabs recently) I thought about re-enlisting. The funny part? I missed the war. It was over before my training was finished. Everyone had CIBs, AA on their right shoulder and 1000s in the bank. And no one wanted to hang out with th new guy. They had parades to go to and mega-parties planned on the beach. Sucked to be a cherry for about 6 months, in a big way. The only thing worse is getting painted and almost dying (we, the division, weren't allowed to use the word anymore after some guys did that to some dude in second bat).

Oh, I've got stories...

Anyway, I was a libertarian ~14 and lost religion ~8 (guess I spent ~4 years stewing over the Santa thing and finally said, out loud, screw u guys). Volunteered ~20, left a nice private university to do so.

ps. Lost virginity at 15 and was 100% sober through HS, president of debate team, AP english, government and history, and honors everything else except Intl. Relations (no honors class for that).




We could spend the rest of the thread talking about me, but I guess you guys are doing something.




:lol: "painted" is what we did to targets from a foward position to soften them up for you folks... :prof
 
Referring to us as 'volks' is a little disrespectful.
 
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