For those who insist on holding abortion of an embryo as the premeditated taking of a human life – that is murder one. I happen to believe there folks are wrong – but that is not relevant here. What is relevant is those who hold the act as murder – must continue the logical path, and insist on conviction of the Dr. and the “mother”. Although not automatic, as on TV, it is entirely possible one could hold ALL those who meet the definition of conspirator guilty of the same crime. I am willing to bet that about 80% of those who believe abortion is murder – also believe in the death penalty. I get confused at the outset – but even further here. “One must not take a life”. Agreed. But the Right wants to take the lives of a Dr. and mother as revenge for the taking of an embryo. I do believe that makes no sense. This fits what I have believed for some time, based on the evidence. That is, the anti-abortionists love life up to birth – then they do a 180 for the remainder of that person’s life. Should “Pro-Lifers” really believe what they say – then it is about time you proved it by demanding murder charges. Otherwise, you admit , by default, you are only posturing.
Epiphany. A moment of sudden revelation or insight. Today, as President Obama rolls out his budget – I may be having one of these sudden insights. I do not want to have it. I am pushing back with half my brain. Half is not sufficient.
The question before me – is in fact the same question much of the world is encountering. Greece. Riots in the streets continue as the government moves forward with its austerity movement. Promises made. Promises not kept. The UK has experienced similar uprisings. I am a creature of the Left. I did not wake up one morning and decide to lean Left. One accumulates points of view over a few years; coupled with a natural bent towards one view or another. I want to be “for” things rather than “against”. Even now, all I see coming from the Right is opposition. That is a turn off for me.
Accounting. Other than something one (like me) did or does for a living – it is a day of reckoning. The budget is still one hour from seeing daylight – but as usual, the media seems to have most of it. Are we indeed going to kick the can just a bit further down the road? Am I (and perhaps you) not being selfish in believing again that it is OK to kick that can? It’s good for us. Our Social Security, our pensions, our Medicare and Medicaid will be safe.
After hearing the outline of what President Obama has in mind – I turned off the TV and sat in silence. Contemplating. Good for me – but what of my son and his children? We are about to enter into another of those long debates featuring the Left vs. the Right. Part of the budget proposal will be to let the Bush tax cuts expire and raise the rate on the super rich. The President is reported to have said, “Now is not the time for austerity”. As desperately as I want to climb aboard yet another ship leaving the Port of Washington – there is that word again. Epiphany.
In my case, I just may have been jolted into having one. I find myself saying “now just may be the time to go after entitlements. Bring them back to Earth. It would hurt folks. Folks who have already been severely hurt. It would hurt ME. Somewhere, sometime, there is going to be hurt. Looking clinically at the situation with the deficit and the politics of reality – I doubt Washington has the guts to fix anything now – and will not have the guts as far out as I can see.
Social Security, despite some observations to the contrary, is in decent shape for about 30 years. It works as Rachel Maddow says. Do we really want to cut the revenue which actually pays the benefits? Even the Tea Baggers say “Do not touch MY Social Security”. And so it goes. Everyone wants to get the deficit to around 3% of GDP – so long as it is the other guy who pays for it.
President Obama. I have worked so hard to elect and support him. I believe deeply that given the circumstances – this has been a highly successful first term. There is so much more work to be done. A second term is needed, and I will be out there working my tail off again. But here is where the rubber meets the road. Take on cuts to Medicare and Medicaid – and reelection will become impossible. The Progressives will dump the President in a heartbeat. We get to have President Romney or President Santorum. The very thought is repulsive. How do we win in 2012? First, we must leave entitlements once again for the next person. We must regain all our strength with the base. Attract the independents. It is the only way. But in may be wrong.
Is it time for we Progressives to be martyrs? Tackle everything in an out effort to do the right thing? Be defeated? The immediate result would be Barack Obama leaves the White House. But I will bet $10,000 of Mitt’s money, history would judge President Barack Obama as one of the greats.
I want this damn epiphany to disappear. ( I seem to like the word ) Let me get on with preaching from the Left. With a day or so to think – I believe I can put it back where it came from. That I will go about saying “don’t worry too much about the deficit – it will be taken care of in time”. Yeah right. Answer one question for me – and perhaps pull me out of this hole. The U.S. will continue to sell debt. There is no other way. But assume (and it looks very likely) that in 2020 we have a boat load of debt to sell – at 2%. No takers. Not even China. Then what folks? Then what.
I’m sorry, but the Right – after I recover from an anger fit – actually amuses me. Think about it. They oppose everything – and I do mean everything. They alway have. Opposed Social Security. Opposed all Civil Rights Acts. Opposed all legislation giving women equality. (We still are not there). I could go on, but each of you know the facts. But now think of Global Warming. Exactly WHAT are they opposing? Even if one chooses to ignore all science and believe the Climate is just fine – doesn’t it make good sense to clean up the mess we have made, and do all we can to keep Mother Earth clean? I simply, and I am not being political here, cannot figure out what the Right opposes. I honestly believe opposition is part of the Rights’ DNA. Reminds me of my early days in the Southern Baptist Church. All I heard was “We are against it”. First we had Democrats and Republicans. Then it was Left and Right. Now it is For and Against. Mitt, Rick, and Newt each are living the Right Wing doctrine. OPPOSE, OPPOSE, AND OPPOSE AGAIN. I just have to smile.
This ABUSE by the CATHOLIC CHURCH pales in comparison to its abuse of children; but it is quite serious. I am speaking of the Church’s’ blatant disregard of the rules governing exemption from Federal Income Tax. (As well as many other taxes). The Internal Revenue Code provides exemption from tax under about twenty subcategories. IRC section 501(c)(3) provides for the exemption of organization’s engaged exclusively in charitable, activities. (This includes religious, educational, health care, etc.). Churches have become a class unto themselves. Due to the separation of church and state – the IRS is extremely reluctant to challenge any church – but especially the Catholic Church. Rome thumbs its nose at the U.S. tax code. THE ABUSE of the code is the constant involvement of the Church in partisan politics. The Church openly opposes President Obama – hiding under cover of abortion. Think of OUR debt. Were churches in general required to pay tax – we would do much to solve the revenue side. All of us are abused to some extent by religion. Virtually all wars are ultimately about religion. Churches get by with zero tax – including in most jurisdictions – real estate tax. Yet they routinely disregard all exemption rules – knowing the Feds are afraid to touch them. Time to end tax exemptions. By the way – do you realize that virtually all country clubs also are exempt? They“earn” millions – misuse millions of acres – and laugh at us.
It appears that we just might get a major revision of the Tax Code. (It’s good to dream). That would be the time to radically revise tax exemptions.
Now the Catholic Church according to Peggy Noonan – has been awoken. Who is she kidding? They have been wide awake for centuries. They are “up in arms” over new regulations proposed by the Obama administration regarding employee insurance coverage. (Abortion !!!!!!!!!!!!!) BUT – they want to keep their exemption. Give up the exemption and do what you please. Do not do so and expect all of us to pay your bills.
The media as usual is clueless. At this moment the mouths are moving, condemning the administration for laying down rules for the most holy institution. YET they do not mention tax exemption. So long as idiots rule the media – we must learn on our own. But that’s a good thing – provided WE LEARN.
Mitt Romney standing beside Donald Trump – smiling like a child who had just learned he made all A’s. Mother with him. In Las Vegas. This is what it comes down to with the GOP. Mitt, representing the way-too-wealthy, completely detached from humanity, crowd, and Donald there for the Dumb Rich. Larry David could not write a better script. Quite a picture one day after Mitt admitting he does not care about the poor. And Donald who cares only about Donald. Matter of fact, there is evidence that Trump staged this obscene event to cover for another business failure. Should you be interested, do a Google on “Trump business failures”. Remember the Trump Shuttle? To add spice to the show, the video of Donald running about saying Mitt was not a successful businessman, that he did not create jobs, is now making the rounds. But that was yesterday. Mitt and the King of Bankruptcies. Now don’t get the idea that I don’t love this. I do. It just makes it so much easier for us to reelect President Obama.
Conservatism. Misunderstood by most, conservatism in the realm of national politics does not equal individual liberty. It in fact represents the opposite. Think of the world’s dictators. They could hardly be called Leftists. They are far Right. Look at the events taking place in the USA today. Study the policies of the GOP.
The GOP preaches constantly about keeping government out of our lives. Is it the Left or Right who wants to intrude in every woman’s most personal matters? THEN they argue that abortion is a religious issue. But does not the Constitution say we will keep the State away from religion? That party speaks constantly about following each letter of the Constitution. Yet which party today had a journalist arrested for attempting to tape a public hearing? First Amendment? The chairman of the committee holding a hearing on Fracking did not want the public to hear the testimony. The environmental and health impacts from Fracking are well documented. Many spills, blowouts and leaking wells. The “conservatives” hope to do this despite any danger to the public. WHY?? Because the Right is actually the side which opposes individual liberty.
Environmentalist. Like abortion, and so many other Right wing causes, I fail to see how this is a political matter. The opposite of an environmentalist is a noneviromentalist. Meaning caring nothing about the environment. This leads directly to global climate warming. Why spend a minute debating the subject. The Earth either is or is not warming. To take reasonable steps to prevent warming is just common sense. Except the Right seldom is persuaded by common sense. They pull out either the Constitution which they do not understand – or a Bible, which no one understands.
No, we need have no worries about the Left. Worry instead about the Right. They will destroy our freedom and the Earth. I can’t tell you which will come first. To end on an up note – I do not believe it is possible for America to select either Mitt or Newt over Barack Obama. So we get at least until 2016 to enjoy our liberties – and the warming Earth.
Dylan Ratigan of MSNBC has a new book titled “Greedy Bastards”. Dylan has been on a crusade to get money out of politics. This is a movement I am 100% behind. Look at the GOP primary fiasco. As of today, we know who the small group of multibillionaires are who are funding Mitt Romney. Even should you fancy yourself as a Mitt fan – think about it and look at the facts – and what your eyes and ears tell you. The very first impression one has of Mitt is phony. A man with NO vision – in that regard, much like W. Bush. Pour in billions of dollars, constant coaching by political pros, and you still have a phony. He just happens to be following the paid for script and “looking” a bit better in debates. On the stump, he cannot help but reveal the real Mitt. “Do I have to mingle with these dirty, poor people?”
Contrast Mitt with Barack Obama. Some will argue that Barack is detached. Frankly, that is the last thing I would think of this man. A strong case can be made that Obama inherited the largest mess any new president ever walked into. Agains all odds, this administration has in fact accomplished some amazing things. Obama has fully established himself as a very competent Commander in Chief. Here I really do need to scold some of my fellow Progressives. Hope and Change? Yes it is very much alive and well. This president has been forced into positions where he would rather not be. Rather than destroy all we have worked so hard for – this wise man looked beyond. There are no gains, without pain.
Now with the 2012 campaign in full swing – we and the administration face a sticky problem. If it boils down to money vs. money – who wins? Not as in “who rakes in the most money”, but who walks the high ground. Were I to be invited to a meeting with the brass of the Obama straggly folks – I might suggest that the campaign disavow all Big Money. Do not – to the extent they can control it – let Super Pacs control the tone of the campaign. Rise above it. Let’s never forget how we raised money for 2008. If millions of us give just $10 to $25, we can finance the race. And while doing that, we reenergize all those first time voters and the young. Only the real people of America can defeat the billionaires.
To Jim Messina, David Axelrod, and David Plouffe: OFA, IN 2012, or whatever we are calling the grassroots web site – get it geared more like 2007. As currently designed, it is not nearly as interactive as before. The site itself seems dull. We can do better. Mr. Plouffe – please make a visit or twelve to Chicago and give those people the kind of talk you did in 07.
Finally, never forget, that WE begin this race, as we did in 08, in a deep hole. Mitt will be standing on the surface. I refuse to discuss anymore the particular hole we are in – because all of us know. Yes we can. BUT “WE” must get very involved.
CARRIED INTEREST. A rose by any other name is still a rose. Compensation for service’s rendered by any other name is still compensation for services rendered, In tax speak – that is ordinary income. As opposed to income received on investments – or so-called passive income. Private Equity Firms and Hedge Funds compensate their managers primarily via carried interest. So, while doing the 9 – 5 routine, Mitt Romney, as manager of Bain Capital was being taxed at around 15%. Same as now. Why? Because the influence peddlers sold the idea to the honorable members of Congress. It is a purely “made up” name for income. Earned income. The kind of income a truck driver or pizza maker earns. But truck drivers and pizza makers do not visit K Street in the Nation’s Capitol. Proponents of the low taxation of Equity firm’s executives make the old argument that these folks need special incentive to work hard. Earn lots of money for their clients. That is so much BS it would take years to clean up. Support the administration’s efforts to make carried interest ordinary income.
I seriously believe we should cancel the 2012 election. There is no contest – or if most Americans are of sound mind – there will not be. Look at the picture. In that corner we have a man who hid millions of dollars off-shore. In addition to whatever other purpose he had – he avoided ten’s of thousands of tax dollars in the U.S. He is an unprincipled person – who has done a 180 on many issues. A fraud. Over in this corner we have a bona fide crook. A man his own party said was not fit to serve. A man who wants to colonize the Moon. A “man” with one in every port. This must be a tag match, because I see two others outside the ropes. There is the one who believes he is more holy than any of us. A man who stood smiling while a member of his crowd called the current president a non-citizen. Then there is a kindly older gentleman who is a bit nutty. Reduce the income tax to zero. Do away with virtually all aid to citizens. I believe he comes to us from Texas. Has a batty son serving in the Senate. ONE of these against a man who has had a sensational 3 years??? I can’t begin to list the accomplishments of this administration. The list would violate FB rules. Another daring rescue of two hostages, following the call to get ben Laden. Saved GM. Has overseen two years of steady growth in the economy. So is there a contest? To those who only want Barack Obama out of office at all cost: You had best start using your brains for something other that raising your center of gravity. I’m making the call. No election. Full steam ahead Mr.President.
MITT AND DOUBLE TAXATION: I addressed double taxation in a very elementary form a few days ago. Whether specific dollars are double taxed may fit in with discussions of religion or politics. Mitt argues that profits of a corporation are taxed at 35%. Should that company declare a dividend, and distribute two-thirds of that profit to the shareholders, the shareholders then pay tax on the same money. Mitt is correct that somewhere in time Congress believed the dividend funds have already been taxed – thus must be taxed at a much lower rate to the recipient. Thus Mitt says HE actually pays a 50% tax – 35% on the corporation plus 15% personal. Where to begin. First – the effective corporate tax rate is about 16%. But regardless of what rate the corporation pays, the question here is – “is it double taxed”. The entire tax code, and the concept of taxation in the U.S., centers around WHO receives the income.
At some point a business is incorporated. The owners do that for many reasons – but they make a decision that being incorporated is to their advantage. At the time, these owners do, or should, understand that taxation is part of the equation. So the ABC Corporation is born. It prospers. After a couple of years, the retained earnings look very good – so a dividend is declared. The corporation files its return and pays whatever IT owes. The dividend is received – yes out of the same pot – and THAT recipient takes it into income as such. The 1040 is filed and the amount of the dividend is reported. A tax is applied. Double taxation? Absolutely not. Were one to accept the double taxation myth – why not take it to its logical conclusion? That is – if you had any way to trace the life of the one-hundred dollar bill in your pocket – you would find that it has been taxed before. To someone else. At some time. Dollars rotate. Your employer earns the income which is paid to you as a salary or wages. Both pay taxes on their RESPECTIVE incomes. (By the way, we don’t hear the shareholders complain about the many advantages a corporation enjoys – limited liability being among them.)
The only “point” the double taxation folks may have is this: Your salary is paid out of gross income, whereas the dividend is paid from net income. That is a difference without a distinction. Corporations which are so fortunate to build a good retained earnings and pay a dividend, should count their blessings. The double, or triple taxation bucket definitely has a hole in it.
