If you think Hitler was a "leftist" you need to do a lot more than get laid.
Quit focussing on Kerry, my man. Working Americans have their hands full trying to figure out how the hell we are going to pay for all of George Bush's big government experiments.
I do not know if anyone made this point, I certainly wasn't going to read that longass thread below.
Look at it this way. They are politicians and both are, to some extent, full of crap.
BUT - Kerry will raise taxes on people who make more than $200,000.00. Sounds like a wonderful idea. However, according to the Kerry campaign, that would include 471,000 small business owners who file a Schedule C. (Bush said 900,000, but let's go with the lower figure.)
Now I am small business owner who files a schedule C. If my taxes go up, I have three options:
1. Take home less money to my family.
2. Cut expenses from my business. (What a great excuse to stop offering healthcare, Kerry will cover it through his plan, and I can take home more money.)
3. Fire my lowest paying employee.
Considering all of us businesspeople are greedy, avarice SOB’s, what choice do you think we’re going to make. Make my wife and kids tighten the belt, or slash the healthcare coverage and/or some poor slob’s job at the lower end of the pay scale. Does anybody really think we work 100 hour weeks for shits and giggles?
Keep in mind every dollar the Gov’t. takes out of my pocket, I’ll make it up somewhere. Considering most of us have increased productivity to the max, someone’s losing money and it won’t be me.
Finally and maybe most importantly here, there will be less money in my pocket to play with. Time to cut back on the hobby. Every action causes a reaction. Think about it.
I'm with you Niceguy. Same boat, couldn't agree more. Problem is, most people don't think for themselves. Too many just follow the crowd and the leftist Minnepolis paper and liberal media. For those that actually do the homework is Bush hands down.
-- Modified on 10/14/2004 3:33:26 PM
Home slice, you should count the blessings you have in life not those potentially lost. Obviously you have taken advantage of the system and used your wits to your advantage...some do not have the wits to make it happen.
We must remember that 200k is a great cash---it is tough to make this type of money anywhere in the world. You are a select few. If I were given the option of making 200k and paying a bit more in taxes or making 35k in a dead end job it is an obvious choice.
I think the issues are deeper than our pockets folks...the cost to produce one nuke could be used to eradicate polio worldwide. Fight disease, clean water, drop books not bombs (educate)....equal the playing fields and we move forward...this is how our country should lead...not with our personal bank accounts and creating fear worldwide....
We are ONE people.....jah
-- Modified on 10/14/2004 3:20:03 PM
As someone else suggested, I'm voting for Cthulhu! (Why settle for the lesser evil)
No seriously, after much debate, I am voting for Bush, although with great reluctance. Why? To me, the single most important function of the national government is the defense of the nation. I believe Bush understands our situation better than Kerry does. It's not that I don't think Kerry will act to defend the U.S.; I'm sure he will. But I believe he will try to rely too much on the U.N. (which is almost never effective in such situations) and trying to get our allies to cooperate (so many of whom prefer to ignore the problem or appease the agressors) and we will end up getting sucker-punched again. One 9/11 is quite enough thank-you; I'm of no mind to make it easy for the terrorist to do it again, particularly considering they will use WMD if they can.
-- Modified on 10/14/2004 4:04:56 PM
I believe that in order to effectively fight the terrorists, which are dispersed throughout the world, we must work WITH the other countries of the world to root them out from where they are hiding. We also have to work with other countries to cut off their source of funding and we have to work with other countries to round up the nuclear material from places like the old Soviet Union. Bush has alienated so many in this world that he will have a hard time getting the necessary co-operation. During the 90's we used the Nunn-Lugar act to great effect to track down and secure nuclear materials from the old Soviet states and Bush has essentially ignored this.
I'd love to work with the other countries of the world. I just don't see a whole lot of willingness for the most part to take effective action. How many U.N. resolutions did Iraq defy? The whole process in Iraq had become a joke. This kind of ineffectiveness continues to this day. They are still arguing about useless sanctions for Sudan while militias run around slaughtering whole villages of people. The U.N can be valuable in some roles but it's history suggests that the role it played in the first gulf war was an aberration, not what we can expect from it.
Tracking down the financing of the terrorists could be done on a one to one type basis or through other multinational pacts such as NATO, etc. All I's sayong is that Bush will have a much more difficult time working with other countries based on his past treatment of them.
the rich guys want all the money and all the pussy for themselves. thats why 60 percent of the bullshit tax cuts
went to the richest 1 percent.
meanwhile the federal budget is bigger than ever, meaning bigger deficits, meaning the working class gets to pay the bill later when foreign bondholders want their money. who holds most of the US Treasuries? China.
voodoo economics, trickle-down economics, whatever you call it, it will destroy the economy if you let them. these guys want to destroy the new deal and take us back to the 19th century age of robber barons.
I didn't say I made 200k, in fact I don't. Taking him at his word, Kerry won't raises my taxes.
But -
#1 explain to me how taxing the "rich", and spending on government programs such as defense, medicare/gov't assisted healthcare, education is going to bring back jobs.
The goverment doesn't hire enough people to replace the lost jobs, nor does the government make money off those they do employ. The combined cost of retaining the labor force (lower productivity, retirement, healthcare PTO etc.) is more than the income taxes collected on Federal Workers. (Source CBO) And sales and property tax goes to the states, gas taxes, etc. are "allocated" by federal law to certain programs.
So how is Kerry going to replace the jobs?
#2 I do own a small business, and I know, I will not allow my family to lose money when I can save on business expenses. Most other people will do the same as I, and philosphy aside, we need to live in the real world.
#3 The definition of economy is the creation and use (and therefore more creation, of capital. Government does not create capital, therefore it does not replace the capital it consumes.
#4 If you want to tax the rich, why not tax the wealthy? Thresa and John made over $1,000,000.00 last year and paid less in taxes than Bush. Kerry will raise the tax rates but no one, NO ONE, ever suggests to close the tax shelters the rich already have. Why? Because they have no intention of taxing themselves.
Finally, I agree that goverment should help the less fortunate. But Kerry is making promises he cannot pay for, by his own figures, to make the middle class better off. But how? Not one person on this board can name one government program that hasn't cost substatantially more than the politicians who created initially promised.
We are already screwed when the baby boomers retire and social security and medicare go broke. Can we afford to increase the COST of government?
Do some research. Hitler's party was the Nazi Party. Nazi is short for NSDAP stands for National Socialist German Workers Party.
Hitler promised that if all the power was centralized in him, the federal gov't, he would restore greatness and give everyone jobs. He was a leftist.
I'll get off my soapbox now. I really need to get laid.
Can't wait for tomorrow.
there are many ways businesses are supported by taxes - especially when they go to stabilize the general economy. social programs, large infrastructure programs, and big business bail outs can and do help the nation as whole - because big problems take big money to solve.... raising funds can occur through the market in the form of bonds, or through taxes. I am generally for a free market. but in this case, bush has demonstrated clear fiscal irresponsibility - the economy of the last ten years was not bolstered by tax cuts - it was created by fictitious wealth in the form of clever credit - creating the illusion of a fortified nation while in reality jobs are vaporizing, wages are stagnating, and people are living off of their equity - except for a few. and those at the top are becoming more and more mobile - they can move their capital to any market. call a spade a spade.
If you think Hitler was a "leftist" you need to do a lot more than get laid.
Quit focussing on Kerry, my man. Working Americans have their hands full trying to figure out how the hell we are going to pay for all of George Bush's big government experiments.
If you want to expound further on this particular statement, I'm more than willing - in fact eager - to 'learn'.... I think that position would surprise a lot of people.
sl
Are you comparing Bush to Hitler??? Wow---guess I have seen the T shirt...
'Different A**hole Same Sh**'
Power statement
Okay I did some research. You couldn't be further from the truth!!
-- Modified on 10/15/2004 2:41:34 PM
I would counter that Schedule C allows you to 'hide' a lot more 'expenses' than those that don;t file a Schedule C. If you're an astute business person that plays in this sandbox, you know what I mean..... Wouldn;t doubt that some of your 'hobby' activities are booked under 'contract' workers or consultants.
Also, tax rates would apply to the NET income from your Schedule C - which means that the tax rates apply to your income - AFTER - you deduct all of your expenses.
If your net income after Schedule C business expenses is $200k or more, you;re gonna have a hard time gaining sympathy from those that make $30k per year before deducting any of those cool expenses and taxes. Its a different world than those of most people.
sl
Let me start by saying I am an experienced tax professional.
On the Schedule C your Gross Income is not what is taxed, the taxes are against the Net Income of the Schedule C. And your net income is Gross Income less expenses or in other words "profit". If I had a business that generated 200k in profit I'd be happy to pay the taxes on that rather than on 40k. If you can't make it on 200k, you need to have your life examined.
Gus...get a grip. You call yourself a tax pro. Then you say expenses are "profit" ah .. better go back to life dah 101
Let me make it easy for you.
You made $500,000 in Gross Income for your business.
You had $300,000 in expenses
----------
Taxable $200,000 not the $500,000
Note where the commas are that I added to clarify it for you.
On the Schedule C your Gross Income is not what is taxed, the taxes are against the Net Income of the Schedule C. And your net income is, Gross Income less expenses, or in other words "profit".
I stand by what I wrote. I hope you have someone do your taxes for you.
-- Modified on 10/16/2004 2:11:25 PM