The ..2012.... Political thread
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there is a reason why we have perfect peace on earth...
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EADG:
Altanon:
Pick-Pocket Economics.
I'm curious what your reaction is to all of the billionaires who have recently been pledging to contribute the majority of their wealth to charity. Since you are always railing against the rich, what do you think of this?
Depends. How much of it can they write off?
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audi:
EADG:
Altanon:
Pick-Pocket Economics.
I'm curious what your reaction is to all of the billionaires who have recently been pledging to contribute the majority of their wealth to charity. Since you are always railing against the rich, what do you think of this?
Depends. How much of it can they write off?
Actually, i was asking altanon. but if you're referring to taking tax writeoffs i don't know the exact answer to your question, but whatever the answer is, they will be certainly a lot less wealthy than if they hadn't given their money away. (By the way, there seems to be a common misconception about tax writeoffs -- they don't reduce your taxes by the amount written off, they reduce your taxable income by the amount written off and therefore they reduce your taxes by some fraction of that amount.)
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trivia ... On Wednesday?s broadcast of ?Larry King Live? on CNN, the second-to-final show for host Larry King, singer Barbra Streisand explained why she left the country during November?s midterm. ?I went to Europe because of this last election,? she said. ?I couldn?t face ? I didn?t want to be here for this bloodbath. complete article: http://dailycaller.com/2010/12/16/barbra-streisand-glad-hillary-not-first-female-president-theyd-have-blamed-her-gender-for-economic-crisis/
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Andy_Shofar:
trivia ... On Wednesday?s broadcast of ?Larry King Live? on CNN, the second-to-final show for host Larry King, singer Barbra Streisand explained why she left the country during November?s midterm. ?I went to Europe because of this last election,? she said. ?I couldn?t face ? I didn?t want to be here for this bloodbath. complete article: http://dailycaller.com/2010/12/16/barbra-streisand-glad-hillary-not-first-female-president-theyd-have-blamed-her-gender-for-economic-crisis/
Man, that is pathetic.
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EADG:
Speaking of smoke, did you ever confirm the details on that story you told a while back about how some DEA agents acted like a bunch of idiots at a police convention and got called out by some very rational police officers who disagree with drug laws?
Sorry it has taken this long to get confirmation. Kristin (from LEAP) finally got back to me. I quote from her e-mail:
Kristen Daley, Programs Manager, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition:
...I found the conference you were referring to in our phone conversation. It was actually the Asian Peace Officers Association conference in Arlington, VA in August 2008? (view their website here: http://www.napoaonline.org/index.html ). The conference was attended by Howard Wooldridge, who is no longer a speaker or employee of LEAP. Apparently, Howard was asked to pack up the LEAP booth and leave, with apologies, and the conference organizers refunded LEAP?s registration fees. If you have any questions, please let me know? Thanks, Kristin
The reason I couldn't find the link to the article that I read, was that it was from Howard's personal blog, which isn't on the LEAP Website any more.
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audi:
EADG:
Altanon:
Pick-Pocket Economics.
I'm curious what your reaction is to all of the billionaires who have recently been pledging to contribute the majority of their wealth to charity. Since you are always railing against the rich, what do you think of this?
Depends. How much of it can they write off?
[Emphasis mine.] This was my first thought as well. Like the Tobacco Company that donated $125,000.00 to a Food Bank, then spent over 21 Million on the Advertising Campaign telling everybody about it. But, that isn't the point I wanted to address. I guess I do "...rail against the rich," and I must come across as ate-up with Class Envy. Actually, I have nothing against The Rich ... as long as they came by it honestly, and as long as they didn't screw anybody over to get it. I once wrote something about my experience dealing with one of those who failed this test. Since a few folks said it was a good bit of narrative, I'll quote it here:
Altanon:
Jack Strippers It seems that the opinion is that it is only the LARGE Corporations that bend their employees over. In order to disabuse y'all of that happy fantasy, I will tell you about "Jack Tomato" and "Jack Strippers Co." (Names changed to protect the guilty and to provide me with plausible deniability.) Businesses don't get much smaller than the Jack Strippers Co. I think we maxed-out at 15 employees (not counting Jack, his wife "Miz Fancy," his son Crinkle, and his daughter Gertrude.) Nevertheless, Jack held patent to several devices and products that are used on much of the World's roads, so Jack wasn't hurting. One of the devices came to be "my baby," as nobody else could weld one together without warping the piss out of it and rendering it worthless. He would not even sell this device, but only license it at $10,000.00 per unit, and most application vehicles required at least two of them. When I started working for Jack, the turn-around on one of the devices was three weeks. In other words, when some schmoe called up wanting one, Jack told him he could expect it in three weeks. During my four years with Jack Strippers Co., on my own initiative, I designed, machined and assembled a number of fixtures which sped up the manufacturing process, and enabled some of the other welders to fabricate some of the sub-assemblies. I also identified all the common components which could be fabricated in advance, as well as working with the fastener supplier to put together a "kit" with contained all the 100+ nuts, bolts, washers, set screws, etc. each device required. The short and long of it: in four years I reduced that turn-around from three weeks down to three DAYS! Additionally, since the company had never had a TIG welder before, and nobody else knew a tungsten from a collet body, I was responsible for setting up the TIG shop, ordering my supplies, and since I had to order my own stuff, I inherited the responsibility for ALL the welding supplies. One of Jack's favorite things to say was, "When this _____ thing takes off, we're ALL gonna have a piece of the pie!" My first year, Jack bought himself a brand-new Beechcraft King Air 350, and we employees (some of the other guys had been with the company for 15 years) thought that maybe "_____" was finally taking off. However, nobody got raises that year, and when we asked, we were told Jack's second-favorite quote - a rather stock-speech about "...times are tough," and, "...fortunate to be able to keep you on," culminating with favorite quote number one: "But, when this "____" thing takes off, we're ALL gonna have a piece of the pie!" On a side note, Jack was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, and I tell it because, the second year I was there, he bought a fully-restored AH-1 Cobra (minus the armaments, of course) like the one he flew in Vietnam. This was in lieu of any raise for any of the employees. Jack didn't buy anything for himself the third year I was there, (nor did any of us receive raises,) because the fourth year he bought a Learjet 60XR. It was also the fourth (and last) year I was there when we finally found out what our "piece of the pie" comprised. At the Christmas dinner, Jack announced that he had obtained, for each of us, a $1,500.00 Life Insurance Policy. So, my piece of pie turned out to be fifteen hundred bucks, and I had to die to get it! All on top of NO raise for over four years. Now, I was always told that the only thing worse than asking somebody how much money they make is telling them how much you make! But, lest y'all get the idea that poor old Jack was already paying us well ... I was one of the better-paid employees due to being the only TIG Welder (as well as being the sole provider for a family of three) and I made $12.00/Hr. (1996-2000) I would have never been able to survive if I hadn't been living in a tiny town 40 miles from nowhere with the lowest cost of living I've ever seen. It might have been a little easier to swallow if I hadn't accidentally overheard him on the phone one day: "How do I deal with my employees, Bill? I keep 'em hungry. I keep 'em so hungry they can't afford to take a day off and look for another job!" Business - The American way!
But, even as big an åsshole as "Jack" was, I don't see him, and semi-rich people like him as the main problem. The problem is what I have dubbed the Rich and Powerful Elite (RaPE, for short.) The people who use their wealth to gain undue and unfair advantage. The ones who, since they "own" the Politicians, get "Laws" passed that are advantageous to them, and the ones who direct The Government to pursue Policies which benefit them - even up to and including exchanging Lives for Dollars in these interminable Wars. Those are the Rich "People" I have the problem with.
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Did Obama just approve something controversial? Something that adds tremendously to the national debt, the budget deficit, something like that? Which will affect coming generations of American children, something like that...came across words to that effect tweeted on facebook, and they said he did it to help get re-elected
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I figured out what going on with both the Dem and Rep. There suffering from a rare mental condition call Folie a deux. Shared dilution or shared madness. I think that sums it up pretty well. Now they want us to buy into it. It may seem unfair to us who do not have this condition(Yet) that giving tax breaks to the filthy rich and at the same time raising the taxes on those who make less than 16,000 is a good thing. Just like cutting the percent you pay into Social security which will pretty much do in the program in 10 years is good because that whole 15.00 your going to save this year can go toward the escalating gas costs which are Rep friends tell us will be back to the good old Bush days of 4.00 a gal by years end. So it's a good thing. Right? It won't feel like a stick up are ass when it happens. It will feel more like a well lubed stick up are ass. Maybe it just easier and less stressful to just conform to their logic.
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Seems like liberals think the Wikileaks scandal was a good thing that all that was leaked, while the right find it reprehensible along with the middle? So, was it good or bad?
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SusyLuvsPaul:
Did Obama just approve something controversial? Something that adds tremendously to the national debt, the budget deficit, something like that? Which will affect coming generations of American children, something like that...came across words to that effect tweeted on facebook, and they said he did it to help get re-elected
He signed that bill relating to jobless benefits which he had opposed for so long - the Reps were fully supportive of this all along before Obama finally wavered and changed his mind...So the Republicans are viewing this as a victory of sorts as well as finding this opportunity to showcase Obamas weakness or indecisiveness.
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rich n:
SusyLuvsPaul:
Did Obama just approve something controversial? Something that adds tremendously to the national debt, the budget deficit, something like that? Which will affect coming generations of American children, something like that...came across words to that effect tweeted on facebook, and they said he did it to help get re-elected
He signed that bill relating to jobless benefits which he had opposed for so long - the Reps were fully supportive of this all along before Obama finally wavered and changed his mind...So the Republicans are viewing this as a victory of sorts as well as finding this opportunity to showcase Obamas weakness or indecisiveness.
He was backed into a corner. The Republicans wouldn't have let Obama get ANYTHING on his agenda accomplished had he not played ball.
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That sounds right, audi, he had to.... What's the deal with the repeal of the 'dont ask, don't tell" policy? wasn't that policy something like, if you're gay in the military, nobody say anything about it? Just don't mention it at all? What's it gonna be like now, for gay people in the military? What has changed?
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Say goodbye to the Internet as we've always known it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/obama-fcc-caves-on-net-ne_b_799435.html
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Altanon:
Say goodbye to the Internet as we've always known it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/obama-fcc-caves-on-net-ne_b_799435.html
Agreed.
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SusyLuvsPaul:
Seems like liberals think the Wikileaks scandal was a good thing that all that was leaked, while the right find it reprehensible along with the middle? So, was it good or bad?
I think anytime you have truth being told itsa good thing. There always been whistle blowers and there a need for that. Of course there going to be called a traitor by those who don't want there dirty laundry aired. I can't wait until he leaks the Bank of America stuff. It will be very interesting to know what kind of back door deals were made with these banks if any.
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I wonder what our friend Obama thinks of dogs and their welfare...given that he called Michael Vick to congratulate him for being such a nice guy (either that or he's looking for playoff tickets )
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rich n:
I wonder what our friend Obama thinks of dogs and their welfare...given that he called Michael Vick to congratulate him for being such a nice guy (either that or he's looking for playoff tickets )
IMO Vick should be in jail. Nice example he is for that (dog fighting) community. : Don't get me started with Obama & dogs. He should have adopted a dog & been a good example to the country & show the couintry that we have to look at the population problem. So many dogs are killed daily. He could have found a nonallergetic dog there. Sorry, but I think he was wrong to get one from a breeder even though they say it was a gift from Kennedy.
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oobu24:
rich n:
I wonder what our friend Obama thinks of dogs and their welfare...given that he called Michael Vick to congratulate him for being such a nice guy (either that or he's looking for playoff tickets )
IMO Vick should be in jail. Nice example he is for that (dog fighting) community. : Don't get me started with Obama & dogs. He should have adopted a dog & been a good example to the country & show the couintry that we have to look at the population problem. So many dogs are killed daily. He could have found a nonallergetic dog there. Sorry, but I think he was wrong to get one from a breeder even though they say it was a gift from Kennedy.
I'm just shocked Obama sought out that association - I don't care for Obama very much, but gave him more credit than that
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rich n:
oobu24:
rich n:
I wonder what our friend Obama thinks of dogs and their welfare...given that he called Michael Vick to congratulate him for being such a nice guy (either that or he's looking for playoff tickets )
IMO Vick should be in jail. Nice example he is for that (dog fighting) community. : Don't get me started with Obama & dogs. He should have adopted a dog & been a good example to the country & show the couintry that we have to look at the population problem. So many dogs are killed daily. He could have found a nonallergetic dog there. Sorry, but I think he was wrong to get one from a breeder even though they say it was a gift from Kennedy.
I'm just shocked Obama sought out that association - I don't care for Obama very much, but gave him more credit than that
You're a bunch of malignant fools. To care about one dog that was or was not adopted. Yet you especially, rich n, have justified some seriously coercive shit of the government over the years here. What goes on in your head is scary.