2011-2012 Tax Extension Bill

[CaneBrain 95]

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-dece...s-f--k-congress

after this shit show, the blockage of the enhanced GI bill, and the Walter Reed debacle, anyone who thinks the GOP is the party that "supports the troops" is just blotting out reality.

[hblask 1]

http://www.slate.com/id/2266174/There was an expose a guy did on the topic and this is a slideshow.pdf versionhttp://img.slate.com/media/3/100914_NoahT_...tDivergence.pdfcurrent article on inequality showing it has increased the last year.http://www.slate.com/id/2268981

This "income inequality" thing seems to be the latest hail mary pass by the Dems to try to convince America that Republicans are evil. But nobody every answers the key question: what do you think the "correct" ratio is? Why?Until someone develops an economic theory of why a particular distribution of income is optimal while others are harmful, this is just thinly-veiled class warfare.

[hblask 1]

after this shit show, the blockage of the enhanced GI bill, and the Walter Reed debacle, anyone who thinks the GOP is the party that "supports the troops" is just blotting out reality.

You used "blockage" and "GI" in the same sentence, heh heh heh heh.

[SAM_Hard8 50]

after this shit show, the blockage of the enhanced GI bill, and the Walter Reed debacle, anyone who thinks the GOP is the party that "supports the troops" is just blotting out reality.

Must be a sad place, the reality you live in.

[CaneBrain 95]

Must be a sad place, the reality you live in.

food's good.

[SAM_Hard8 50]

food's good.

sweet

[LongLiveYorke 38]

Seriously you lefty's need to stop with this tax cut bull shit costing the government money.The taxes have been at this level for 10 years any change now is a tax increase. It's not costing the government anything because ITS NOT THEIR FUCKING MONEY!

I clearly said "potential revenue." If the government were to not retain the reduced tax rates, they would take in $1 Trillion dollars over the next two years. If they extend the tax cuts, they don't get that money. The difference between the options is $2 trillion dollars regardless of whether the difference comes from increased expenses or decreased revenue. I'm not sure why some people on these boards continue to make the point that you made as if it weren't obvious or as if it were somehow meaningful. It's not their money if tax cuts are extended. It would be their money if the tax cuts aren't extended.The point is this: the government could choose to A) do nothing and have the tax cuts remain in place or B) increase taxes to the wealthiest 1% of Americans for the next two years only and spend $1 trillion on Cancer and AIDS research over the next decade, multiplying the spending by a factor of a thousand (!!). (I, of course, don't think that would be the best way to spend that money. But it serves to elucidate the scales involved).

[Roll the Bones 74]

I clearly said "potential revenue." If the government were to not retain the reduced tax rates, they would take in $1 Trillion dollars over the next two years. If they extend the tax cuts, they don't get that money. The difference between the options is $2 trillion dollars regardless of whether the difference comes from increased expenses or decreased revenue. I'm not sure why some people on these boards continue to make the point that you made as if it weren't obvious or as if it were somehow meaningful. It's not their money if tax cuts are extended. It would be their money if the tax cuts aren't extended.The point is this: the government could choose to A) do nothing and have the tax cuts remain in place or B) increase taxes to the wealthiest 1% of Americans for the next two years only and spend $1 trillion on Cancer and AIDS research over the next decade, multiplying the spending by a factor of a thousand (!!). (I, of course, don't think that would be the best way to spend that money. But it serves to elucidate the scales involved).

Yeah, they could do something crazy with it like create jobs, improve the infrastructure and improve education.

[Roll the Bones 74]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich...e_b_796437.htmlWhy America's Two Economies Continue to Drift Apart, and What Washington Isn't Doing About It America's two economies are getting wider apart.The Big Money economy is booming. According to a new Commerce Department report, third-quarter profits of American businesses rose at an annual record-breaking $1.659 trillion -- besting even the boom year of 2006 (in nominal dollars). Profits have soared for seven consecutive quarters now, matching or beating their fastest pace in history.Executive pay is linked to profits, so top pay is soaring as well.Higher profits are also translating into the nice gains in the stock market, which is a boon to everyone with lots of financial assets.And Wall Street is back. Bonuses on the Street are expected to rise about 5 percent this year, according to a survey by compensation consultants Johnson Associates Inc..But nothing is trickling down to the Average Worker economy. Job growth is still anemic. At October's rate of only 50,000 new private-sector jobs, unemployment won't get down to pre-recession levels for twenty years. And almost half of October's new jobs were in temporary help.Meanwhile, the median wage is barely rising, adjusted for inflation. And the value of the major asset of most Americans- - their homes -- continues to drop.Why are America's two economies going in opposite directions? Two reasons.First, big profits are coming from overseas sales of goods and services made abroad, not here. The world's fastest-growing markets are China and India, whose inhabitants are eager to buy "American" products, and just as eager to work for the American companies that sell them. The U.S. market is barely moving.Increasingly, American corporations are able to extract healthy gains from their global operations without adding much in the United States except executive talent.Second, American businesses are boosting productivity by having U.S. employees do more work for less pay. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between the third quarter of 2009 and the third quarter of 2010, productivity rose 2.5 percent, output increased 4.1 percent, the number of hours worked was up 1.6 percent, and unit labor costs dropped by 1.9 percent.In other words, American workers are losing even more bargaining power as a sizable chunk of corporate profit goes into software and digital equipment that can do what people used to do -- but more cheaply.So what is Washington doing about all this?rest of article at link.

[SAM_Hard8 50]

Yeah, they could do something crazy with it like create jobs, improve the infrastructure and improve education.

Federal gov can't create jobs other than federal jobs while taking away money from the private sector that could create real jobs. They also need to get the fuck out of education and let the states handle it like their supposed too. Has our education system gotten better since the creation of the Department of Education or stupid things like NCLB?

[custom36 4]

...and the tax cuts have been extended. All of them. There's a decent chance I don't vote for Obama in 2012.

[SAM_Hard8 50]

...and the tax cuts have been extended. All of them. There's a decent chance I don't vote for Obama in 2012.

just the senate the wicked witch err I mean speaker of the house still has time to fuck it up.

[nutzbuster 7]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFZmwwsLQwo

[brvheart 1,753]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFZmwwsLQwo

11 minutes? Really? How about you tell us what you want us to see.

[SAM_Hard8 50]

11 minutes? Really? How about you tell us what you want us to see.

seriously unless there's nude chicks I aint watchin' anything that long.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

seriously unless there's nude chicks I aint watchin' anything that long.

And if there ARE nude chicks, I'm probably only watching for 3-4 minutes.

[SAM_Hard8 50]

And if there ARE nude chicks, I'm probably only watching for 3-4 minutes.

well I'm a little older than you.

[dapokerbum 0]

So what would it take to get America back to production mode. Should we decrease the min wage requirements? Should people start to realize that it is not a "right" to have a cushy office job getting paid to do nothing? Do we need to offer tax breaks to those who wish to open a major production plant while at the same time taxing the hedge fund/wall street more (I don't know the current rate)? I think we need to do a major overhaul of America. If more and more companies are moving the workforce overseas then we need to find a way to get them back!Back story to this post. Nike has awesome shoes. For christmas I bought my wife a new pair of custom nikes that you can customize on their website. Well a few days ago I got an email telling me they have shipped. Yesterday I looked at the UPS code to see where they were and they were on the way all the way from china. I guess I always knew that all Nike products were made in China but it didn't dawn on me the impact that actually has. So how do we go about getting Nike back to the US for production. I mean if it is cheaper to build a factory, hire employees, and ship the shoes back than to do it here in the good ol USA then I say things need to change and they need to change fast! Do no politicians see this or are they just burying their head in the sand?

[strategy 4]

So what would it take to get America back to production mode. Should we decrease the min wage requirements? Should people start to realize that it is not a "right" to have a cushy office job getting paid to do nothing? Do we need to offer tax breaks to those who wish to open a major production plant while at the same time taxing the hedge fund/wall street more (I don't know the current rate)? I think we need to do a major overhaul of America. If more and more companies are moving the workforce overseas then we need to find a way to get them back!Back story to this post. Nike has awesome shoes. For christmas I bought my wife a new pair of custom nikes that you can customize on their website. Well a few days ago I got an email telling me they have shipped. Yesterday I looked at the UPS code to see where they were and they were on the way all the way from china. I guess I always knew that all Nike products were made in China but it didn't dawn on me the impact that actually has. So how do we go about getting Nike back to the US for production. I mean if it is cheaper to build a factory, hire employees, and ship the shoes back than to do it here in the good ol USA then I say things need to change and they need to change fast! Do no politicians see this or are they just burying their head in the sand?

minimum wage needs to go away. taxes aimed at curbing trading are not such a good idea; liquidity in commodities markets is a nice thing to have from a producer's standpoint.this is topical and worth listening to:http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/10/08/...ther-connectors

[SAM_Hard8 50]

Jamie Dupree's blog is a must read.Those Pesky GOP EarmarksWhile Republicans denounced the 1,924 page Omnibus budget bill that was unveiled by Senate Democrats yesterday, their arguments against earmarks ran into some trouble during a news conference today.Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) joined Sen. John Thune (R-SD) in the Senate Radio-TV Gallery in what was billed as a news conference to blast the move by Democrats to bring up this $1.1 trillion Omnibus in the waning days of this session of Congress."The bill contains many earmarks that you requested," said one reporter, starting the Q&A."Pardon me?" said Cornyn.

[FCP Bob 1,320]

So what would it take to get America back to production mode. Should we decrease the min wage requirements? Should people start to realize that it is not a "right" to have a cushy office job getting paid to do nothing? Do we need to offer tax breaks to those who wish to open a major production plant while at the same time taxing the hedge fund/wall street more (I don't know the current rate)? I think we need to do a major overhaul of America. If more and more companies are moving the workforce overseas then we need to find a way to get them back!Back story to this post. Nike has awesome shoes. For christmas I bought my wife a new pair of custom nikes that you can customize on their website. Well a few days ago I got an email telling me they have shipped. Yesterday I looked at the UPS code to see where they were and they were on the way all the way from china. I guess I always knew that all Nike products were made in China but it didn't dawn on me the impact that actually has. So how do we go about getting Nike back to the US for production. I mean if it is cheaper to build a factory, hire employees, and ship the shoes back than to do it here in the good ol USA then I say things need to change and they need to change fast! Do no politicians see this or are they just burying their head in the sand?

There's nothing that rich countries can do to get back labour intensive low skill manufacturing and we shouldn't even try. Be happy that Nike employs all sorts of high priced designers and marketing people in the US while the low wage manufacturing is being done in other countries.

[brvheart 1,753]

Getting rid of unions and the minimum wage would be an excellent start.

[ShakeZuma 585]

There's nothing that rich countries can do to get back labour intensive low skill manufacturing and we shouldn't even try. Be happy that Nike employs all sorts of high priced designers and marketing people in the US while the low wage manufacturing is being done in other countries.

yeah the whole "we don't make anything anymore!" argument has always kind of confused me. so what? you want to bring manufacturing back, then we have to get rid of the minimum wage, convince all the manufacturing workers that currently make $20 an hour and up that $2 a day is good enough, and even then impose huge tariffs on chinese imports (yay trade war). their stuff is cheaper because they work for shit. I don't want to work for shit.we have a global economy and should be concentrating on trade specialization and what we're good at. if china starts participating in high finance and trading markets we should be worried. we should also already be worried about india's technology prowess, one of our other supposed strong points.

[strategy 4]

um, the US is still the world's leading manufacturer, by the way.that was in my link.

[ShakeZuma 585]

um, the US is still the world's leading manufacturer, by the way.that was in my link.

yeah I had a link to that too ready to go as a third paragraph to my post, but I didn't really feel like adding that much.