THE BORE
General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: Eric P on March 03, 2009, 09:21:07 PM
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http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2009/03/03/wealthy-idiots-meet-idiot-reporter.aspx
I've seen a lot of dumb news reports in my life, but I'm not sure anything can quite match this one from ABC News. The premise of the report is this: Barack Obama plans to raise taxes on people who make more than $250,000, so the reporter has gone and found people who earn a little more than that sum who plan to decrease their income so that they come in underneath the magic line.
Now, the obvious objection here is that the tax code doesn't work that way. A tax increase affects the marginal dollar that a person gains. That's means only every dollar over $250,000 is taxed at a higher rate. Obama is not proposing a tax system whereby somebody who goes from $249,999 to $250,000 suddenly becomes poorer. Nobody has ever enacted a tax hike like that in the history of the United States.
That doesn't stop ABC News' intrepid reporter. This story has to be read to be believed:
President Barack Obama's tax proposal – which promises to increase taxes for those families with incomes of $250,000 or more -- has some Americans brainstorming ways to decrease their pay, even if it's just by a dollar.
A 63-year-old attorney based in Lafayette, La., who asked not to be named, told ABCNews.com that she plans to cut back on her business to get her annual income under the quarter million mark should the Obama tax plan be passed by Congress and become law. ...
"We are going to try to figure out how to make our income $249,999.00," she said.
"We have to find a way out where we can make just what we need to just under the line so we can benefit from Obama's tax plan," she added. "Why kill yourself working if you're going to give it all away to people who aren't working as hard?"
The attorney says that in order to decrease her income she'll have to let go of clients, some of whom she's been counseling for more than a decade.
"This means I'll have to tell some of my clients we can't help them and being more selective in general about who we help," she said. "I hate to do it." ...
Dr. Sharon Poczatek, who runs her own dental practice in Boulder, Colo., said that she too is trying to figure out ways to get out of paying the taxes proposed in Obama's plan.
"I've put thought into how to get under $250,000," said Poczatek. "It would mean working fewer days which means having fewer employees, seeing fewer patients and taking time off."
Oh my God, the stupidity. The article then quotes a financial advisor who explains the way that tax brackets rates work, but then quotes a right-wing business professor and the subjects of her article fulminating about class warfare. Pretty clearly the reporter started off on her mistaken premise, found some subjects who shared her ignorance, and then came across a financial advisor who gently corrected her. But, instead of nixing the collosally uninformed article, or writing a different kind of article ("Rich Morons Decreasing Own Income Due To Lack of Tax Code Knowledge") she instead plowed ahead with her initial premise.
This article is obviously an outlier, but it is an extreme manifestation of a broader phenomenon. Clay had a good post about how Politico's Jeanne Cummings has turned into a sounding board for right-wing economic notions. And Matthew Yglesias had a good point about how the media massively overrepresents the perspective of the rich in reporting and commentating on the tax debate. (It has framed Obama's plans as a tax hike when the vast majority of Americans will experience it as a tax cut.) Sadly, I think the next few months are going to bring us a massive surge of sympathetic and/or uninformed coverage of the tax debate from the perspective of the wealthiest segment of America.
--Jonathan Chait
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::)
So frustrating when people don't understand tax laws (even simple ones) and end up doing truly moronic things.
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As I posted on another forum:
Sound like more jobs will arise from these people's slack.
Obama vindicated.
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I'm, uh, really not getting how someone could live to 63 paying taxes on six-figure incomes and never bother to learn about tax brackets. Their ignorance seems a bit disingenous
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Yeah, I've got crazy libertopian acquaintances (they all tend to be trust fund babies, too... hmm...) who are foaming at the mouth at the extra 4.6% they'll be forced to pay starting in 2011. And actually one of them won't have to pay anything since he makes roughly 200k, but of course he's "just around the corner from making millions, MILLIONS I'm talking about here and I'll be damned if the fucking govt. is going to use that to pay your mortgage, hippie!"
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Ha, that lawyer is from my town.
It makes me sad to think that distinguished mentally-challenged fellows can make 250k when I'm not. I need to abandon my morals or something, and start-a-fleecing.
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To me this article is an illustration of how dumb people are generally, rather than how people of a particular political persuasion are dumb.
I come across people every day who are prepared to spend a dollar in order to get 30c tax back, or are prepared to give up a dollar of income so they don't have to pay tax on it.
Dumb people are everywhere.
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Yeah, people everywhere are dumb, but this is like a special recipe dumb. This is extra crispy dumb. This is dumb with special sauce. You get the picture.
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the rich babies have been spoiled by the last 8 years of being coddled and now the ugly reality of being slightly less wealthy is bearing down on them.
This is the same bullshit that those right-wing blowhards cry every time there's a call for more progressive taxes, that its going to encourage people to be less productive because of it. Its horseshit, when we catch up with these people a few years from now they'll still be disgruntled but just about as busy. I don't believe them any more then I believed all those doom and gloom liberals who were threatening to move to Canada in case McCain won.
edit: I forgot to include this particularly infuriating quote.
she added. "Why kill yourself working if you're going to give it all away to people who aren't working as hard?"
Fuck you lady. Yeah, poor people don't work hard, right.
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Yeah, people everywhere are dumb, but this is like a special recipe dumb. This is extra crispy dumb. This is dumb with special sauce. You get the picture.
Sorry, I don't follow US political discussion so I can't relate. :)
"We are going to try to figure out how to make our income $249,999.00," she said.
"I've put thought into how to get under $250,000," said Poczatek. "It would mean working fewer days which means having fewer employees, seeing fewer patients and taking time off."
I wish I were their accountant. I'd suggest they give me any excess over $249,999, and I'll bear the burden of paying the tax.
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This is the same bullshit that those right-wing blowhards cry every time there's a call for more progressive taxes, that its going to encourage people to be less productive because of it.
We'll probably benefit from the attorney being less productive, actually.
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I forgot why I went to law school in the first place. Thanks for reminding me.
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Fucking rich people, ugh. And I hate hot shot reporter/journos can go so far into a story and not learn anything at all.
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Fucking rich people, ugh. And I hate hot shot reporter/journos can go so far into a story and not learn anything at all.
The chattering class are remarkably insular and dumb the higher up the pay grade you go. A great example of this would be to watch the White House Daily Press briefing after Obama's budget leaked and the tax "hikes" (really just letting the Bush tax cuts on top earners expire, but whatever) were confirmed. All of these idiots were shocked, SHOCKED to find out that Obama actually planned on enacting a central plank that he had campaigned on for about two years. It's like, where the fuck were all of you yahoos? Did you not believe him? Are you FoC level dumb? Of course, most of them are probably getting their taxes raised, so there you go. I distinctly remember Charlie Gibson almost crying during a primary debate over Obama wanting to raise the Capital Gains tax rate.
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I hate rich people too!! rabble rabble class warfare rabble rabble.
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Oh, I looooves me the class warfare canard. And it always gets played in defense of those poor rich people, who have everyone's best interests at heart and would make things so wonderful if we would just let them have all of the money...
In 1980, the average CEO made 40 times what the average employee at his company made. Today they make more than 500 times what their average employee makes.
Wages have stagnated. In 2007, the average worker made no more than they did in 2000.
Of all the wealth generated during the recovery from the 9/11 slash tech recession, 75% of it went to people in the top tax bracket.
Yes Virginia, there *IS* a class war going on, but it certainly wasn't declared by the dirty poors and they sure as hell aren't winning it.
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Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!
:lol
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Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!
:lol
But no one said gold standard. :(
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I fail to see why you think a worker of a company has any say as to what their boss makes? Is it obscene? Yes, but so is your fat ass and just like you there isnt anything that can be done about it short of breaking the law.
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you know who's REALLY disgusting? poor people. they're lazy and looking for handouts.
note that this is NOT class warfare, but a simple observation of fact. if they were smarter, they wouldn't be poor! :smug
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Today I hired someone for my own company and he was like, Hey you make lots of money and I dont. Thats not fair. So I agreed and now we make only what we need and work only as hard as we are able to.
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Durr Dah Durr Durr
"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning."
- Warren "On the Opposite End of the distinguished mentally-challenged fellow Spectrum as FoC" Buffet, 2006 (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/business/yourmoney/26every.html?ex=1165554000&en=02ed48ae1473efe0&ei=5070)
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Eventually, enough people will get fed up with the gilded class and start butchering them in the streets. This probably should have been done in the early 30's- failure to do so just sends the message that we'll tolerate that kind of bullshit again.
So, the question is- do you want to make 100 times your average employee and keep them mostly happy, or 500 times what they make and maybe one day have them cut your head off, fuck the wound and eat the corpse?
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but but but but society respects the amazing intrinsic objective qualities of the rich too much to EVER drag them into the street
what
how
why
the rich don't owe society anything, so whhhyyyyyy would society come collecting
there's cake! can't they just EAT IT and SHUT UP
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Eventually, enough people will get fed up with the gilded class and start butchering them in the streets.
And then realize they have nowhere to work. :lol
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or they will promote new folks from within, folks who respect the society that created and supports their existence
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or they will promote new folks from within, folks who respect the society that created and supports their existence
Who will then become rich. Wash rinse repeat till the end of time.
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Hey Prole do you think rich people do thinks out of malice for poor people?
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or they will promote new folks from within, folks who respect the society that created and supports their existence
Who will then become rich. Wash rinse repeat till the end of time.
That's ok, I'm betting that killing rich people in the street and fucking their corpses will be fun, so I have no problems with doing it every once and again.
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or they will promote new folks from within, folks who respect the society that created and supports their existence
Who will then become rich. Wash rinse repeat till the end of time.
That's ok, I'm betting that killing rich people in the street and fucking their corpses will be fun, so I have no problems with doing it every once and again.
Great start tomorrow and tell me how it goes.
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
How can you be so insensitive, obviously she needs it. And we are here to provide for her needs.
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
Holy shit, how do you do that? I'm gonna figure it out and get on that gravy train, then post about how I'm spending my gubmint monies on cheap wine and hookers to annoy you people.
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This continues the trend of Eric P posting things that Mandark was gonna post, but was a lazy ass about (see: Michael Steele's Rap City).
The innumeracy of the article isn't the only annoying bit. These "New Trend Supported by Almost Five Anecdotes" pieces need to stay in the style section, if they're going to be written at all.
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
Holy shit, how do you do that? I'm gonna figure it out and get on that gravy train, then post about how I'm spending my gubmint monies on cheap wine and hookers to annoy you people.
Isnt it required to be a democrat? How did you side step that?
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Hey Prole do you think rich people do thinks out of malice for poor people?
nope. they do it because they are short-sighted. they see wealth as the sole measure and validator of their existence, and seek the accumulation of wealth before any other participation in the human condition. the poor are seen as contemptible, but irrelevant -- nobody hates those they deem powerless and pitiful.
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Hey Prole do you think rich people do thinks out of malice for poor people?
nope. they do it because they are short-sighted. they see wealth as the sole measure and validator of their existence, and seek the accumulation of wealth before any other participation in the human condition. the poor are seen as contemptible, but irrelevant -- nobody hates those they deem powerless and pitiful.
What is wealth?
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FoC, what do you think of noted socialists such as James Baker, Senator Lindsey Graham and Komrad Greenspan advocating for a temporary nationalization of the banks?
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what is rich, doofus?
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or they will promote new folks from within, folks who respect the society that created and supports their existence
Who will then become rich. Wash rinse repeat till the end of time.
That's ok, I'm betting that killing rich people in the street and fucking their corpses will be fun, so I have no problems with doing it every once and again.
Great start tomorrow and tell me how it goes.
Oh wait...he can't do it, because society is protecting those rich people that Triumph would like to fuck in the street. How interesting.
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what is rich, doofus?
No Im really not being facetious, tell me what wealth is.
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
Holy shit, how do you do that? I'm gonna figure it out and get on that gravy train, then post about how I'm spending my gubmint monies on cheap wine and hookers to annoy you people.
She was actually spending it on Vodka.
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
Holy shit, how do you do that? I'm gonna figure it out and get on that gravy train, then post about how I'm spending my gubmint monies on cheap wine and hookers to annoy you people.
She was actually spending it on Vodka.
Man, I would totally spend it on hookers and the occasional videogame. Probably use it to go back to school, I guess.
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what is rich, doofus?
No Im really not being facetious, tell me what wealth is.
as a producer, i suppose i must tithe my time to the plunderers of society such as yourself and provide a link to thefreedictionary.com:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wealth
wealth (wlth)
n.
1.
a. An abundance of valuable material possessions or resources; riches.
b. The state of being rich; affluence.
2. All goods and resources having value in terms of exchange or use.
3. A great amount; a profusion: a wealth of advice.
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or they will promote new folks from within, folks who respect the society that created and supports their existence
Who will then become rich. Wash rinse repeat till the end of time.
That's ok, I'm betting that killing rich people in the street and fucking their corpses will be fun, so I have no problems with doing it every once and again.
Great start tomorrow and tell me how it goes.
Oh wait...he can't do it, because society is protecting those rich people that Triumph would like to fuck in the street. How interesting.
shocking! how dare society respect its half of a clearly unfair contract! clearly the tax money fleeced from society's producers is better spent participating the private military contract free market!
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I wasnt asking for a dictionary definition. I was asking you what you think wealth is.
Do you think people earn it? How is wealth created?
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Oh wait...he can't do it, because society is protecting those rich people that Triumph would like to fuck in the street. How interesting.
b-b-b-but its inevitable as he said earlier.
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shocking! how dare society respect its half of a clearly unfair contract!
What half is being ignored?
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No Im really not being facetious, tell me what wealth is.
bullion
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Wealth is either physical material that is given a value by the expectation that other people will want it (say FIAT CURRENCY) or some legally recognized claim to current or potential future stuff (like GOVERNMENT BONDS redeemable for FIAT CURRENCY or a bank obligation to give you more FIAT CURRENCY created by FRACTIONAL LENDING and backed by GOVERNMENT DEPOSIT INSURANCE).
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So if someone is wealthy then you could say that they have something that other people want.
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I wasnt asking for a dictionary definition. I was asking you what you think wealth is.
Do you think people earn it? How is wealth created?
is there another definition of "wealth" ???
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So if someone is wealthy then you could say that they have something that other people want and can take from them.
fixed as per rousseau
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You're going to have to explain why that is relevant.
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That's part of it, yes, and in the case of money other people want it because it's the only thing THE STATE will accept as taxes.
The other part is that wealth is recognized by society. I can claim all the oil in Texas, but if everyone's decided to abide by the power structure that we call the United States of America, they're going to give a wee bit more credence to the gubmint's opinion of who owns it than to mine.
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That's part of it, yes, and in the case of money other people want it because it's the only thing THE STATE will accept as taxes.
So people only want it to pay Taxes? Or are you saying that because thats how you pay taxes it is the default.
The other part is that wealth is recognized by society. I can claim all the oil in Texas, but if everyone's decided to abide by the power structure that we call the United States of America, they're going to give a wee bit more credence to the gubmint's opinion of who owns it than to mine.
Are you suggesting that it is okay for an outside party to steal from you? Or is your claim of oil false?
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shocking! how dare society respect its half of a clearly unfair contract!
What half is being ignored?
the half that says i will pay you whatever you collectively demand not to take my large amount of stuff from me
there is no RIGHT that says you keep what you get
there's just a contract that says folks will let you keep your shit as long as you make sure the rest of us are feelin' reasonably content
i am guessing you didn't take sociology
at all
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I wasnt asking for a dictionary definition. I was asking you what you think wealth is.
Do you think people earn it? How is wealth created?
is there another definition of "wealth" ???
gooooooooold!
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the half that says i will pay you whatever you collectively demand not to take my large amount of stuff from me
So we basically live in the mafia. And that is how it should be?
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the half that says i will pay you whatever you collectively demand not to take my large amount of stuff from me
So we basically live in the mafia. And that is how it should be?
No, we should live in a socialist paradise and not worry about capitalist mafias. :bow2
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poor hobbes
his successors carry his torch only in the special olympics of the internet
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the half that says i will pay you whatever you collectively demand not to take my large amount of stuff from me
So we basically live in the mafia. And that is how it should be?
no, we should live in a magickal land of ponies and chocolate and good sonic the hedgehog games
fuck reality and human nature, am i rite :smug
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Oh wait...he can't do it, because society is protecting those rich people that Triumph would like to fuck in the street. How interesting.
b-b-b-but its inevitable as he said earlier.
It's about as inevitable as the heroic Entrepeneur Exodus that we ressentiment filled poors are so anxiously dreading. Neither will happen, because both parties are implicitly aware that social compromise trumps foraging in the wilderness.
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Where the fuck are the wealthy members of society actually going to go when they feel their liberties have been sufficiently trampled? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
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The other part is that wealth is recognized by society. I can claim all the oil in Texas, but if everyone's decided to abide by the power structure that we call the United States of America, they're going to give a wee bit more credence to the gubmint's opinion of who owns it than to mine.
Are you suggesting that it is okay for an outside party to steal from you? Or is your claim of oil false?
I'm saying that ownership, and by extension theft, are social constructs. This doesn't mean they aren't real or important factors in daily life, just that they are underpinned by a societal consensus, rather than anything physical.
If a Martian physicist with no knowledge of Earth culture examined the oil, could it determine who owned it? Of course not. Someone owns that oil because everybody agrees that that person owns the oil.
Private property is like a government or a language or a marriage. They're real, but only because we say so.
So when you argue that private property should be primary among all rules, and the current owners must have their claims respected, you've got to argue from something other than nature.
After all, that oil only belongs to those people because of massive, government-sponsored, violent expropriation of property (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_colonization_of_the_Americas) to begin with.
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If a Martian physicist with no knowledge of Earth culture examined the oil, could it determine who owned it?
I like to imagine the pronoun there would be "she" :interracial
Where the fuck are the wealthy members of society actually going to go when they feel their liberties have been sufficiently trampled? Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh
I believe you just highlighted why Heinlein > Rand
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The answer is that tennin would convince her that he owns the oil and then seduces her, securing his position as Viceroy of Earth after the invasion. His coding prowess and acne scarring make him deadly attractive in Martian society.
FoC spends his days giving blumpkins to the alien taskmasters in the salt mines.
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When I say "I like to imagine", I mean I'm really hoping it happens soon, since I already sold several billion dollars in oil futures contracts predicated on Mandark's prediction coming true, and the delivery date is fast approaching.
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I went heavily into debt to invest in tranched derivatives of tennin's contracts, insured and given an AAA rating. :'(
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[To OP]
This is actually more common than you think. I often hear people lamenting about "avoiding going into the next tax bracket" when they come into a windfall of money or some other dramatic change in financial gain. Now, whether if that is someone who is just trying to maximize their profit or have a misunderstanding about our tax system, it's hard to say.
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If it meant more safety nets and services (healthcare, useful education, etc), I -a filthy 24000 income filthy poor- wouldn't mind paying more taxes. I guess rich folks don't need the benefits because they can afford them, but whatever happened to empathy? I give money away like a fool to needy co-workers for simple tasks because I'm not wanting for much and I get a tinge of happiness for reducing someone elses strife.
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
Holy shit, how do you do that? I'm gonna figure it out and get on that gravy train, then post about how I'm spending my gubmint monies on cheap wine and hookers to annoy you people.
She was actually spending it on Vodka.
Getting money for depression? Spending the money on vodka?
How do I get in on that?
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http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2009/03/03/does-anybody-here-understand-what-a-tax-bracket-is.aspx
:lol
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No Im really not being facetious, tell me what wealth is.
bullion
those little cubes you make soup with?
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A girl in my accounting class when we were talking about Obama's tax changes said he is a terrible president and a "socialist" because her parents make 255k a year and his tax increases are going to hurt them really badly. An ACCOUNTING major no less.
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i really, really need to study up on how to work this system
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i really, really need to study up on how to work this system
Do you have somebody do your taxes? My dad does mine each year and does a pretty good job for someone who isn't an accountant. This is largely due to the fact that he didn't pay taxes at all during the 80's when he was making really good money, and then when the IRS caught up to him in the early 90's he decided that he really didn't want to go to jail so he started learning how to game the system, you know, legally and shit.
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Capitalism is depressing.
(http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/archives/exxon-ceo.jpg)
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i really, really need to study up on how to work this system
Do you have somebody do your taxes? My dad does mine each year and does a pretty good job for someone who isn't an accountant. This is largely due to the fact that he didn't pay taxes at all during the 80's when he was making really good money, and then when the IRS caught up to him in the early 90's he decided that he really didn't want to go to jail so he started learning how to game the system, you know, legally and shit.
my brother helps me, but sadly there is no way to escape the self-employment tax penalty i get for not punching someone else's clock
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What the hell is that pic supposed to mean? :lol
He's laughing at you with his 12 chins.
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Do you have somebody do your taxes? My dad does mine each year and does a pretty good job for someone who isn't an accountant. This is largely due to the fact that he didn't pay taxes at all during the 80's when he was making really good money, and then when the IRS caught up to him in the early 90's he decided that he really didn't want to go to jail so he started learning how to game the system, you know, legally and shit.
What the hell is happening? TA sounds like a socialist and TCC sounds like a Republican.
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[To OP]
This is actually more common than you think. I often hear people lamenting about "avoiding going into the next tax bracket" when they come into a windfall of money or some other dramatic change in financial gain. Now, whether if that is someone who is just trying to maximize their profit or have a misunderstanding about our tax system, it's hard to say.
In my experience so many people are focussed on minimising tax, rather than maximising profit. It's utterly backwards thinking and is really frustrating when people won't listen.
I had a client who was working as a contractor (and hence paying his own tax at the end of the year) and earned say $30,000. He got an offer to be an employee (his employer would withhold tax and the balance of tax would be paid or refunded at the end of the year) and started working for say $40,000. But when he saw his paycheque and how much tax his employer was deducting from his pay he felt he was being ripped off and even though I tried everything to make him see sense, he decided to go back and be a contractor.
Sure, he earned $10,000 less, but look at all the tax he was saving!
FUCKING. DUMB. CUNT.
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wat
that's not even minimizing tax anyway, is it?
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I had a client who was working as a contractor (and hence paying his own tax at the end of the year) and earned say $30,000. He got an offer to be an employee (his employer would withhold tax and the balance of tax would be paid or refunded at the end of the year) and started working for say $40,000. But when he saw his paycheque and how much tax his employer was deducting from his pay he felt he was being ripped off and even though I tried everything to make him see sense, he decided to go back and be a contractor.
i'd like to meet this guy and punch him right in the nose
on the other hand, it is complete fucking bullshit that i only make (gross) 29k a year and yet have to pay a penalty over and above what other people who make 29k a year pay in, just because i am not on someone else's payroll
there is no way to make that sound the least bit "fair" to me
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b&o taxes are pretty unfair for most very small business folks, and it's made doubly worse because you're the only ones who actually PAY your taxes
why small businesses or sole employee businesses are taxed as the same rate as corporations boggles -- it's probably because if they changed the tax structure to consider the number of employees or the yearly revenue it would be instantly abused by corporations and the wealthy
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
Holy shit, how do you do that? I'm gonna figure it out and get on that gravy train, then post about how I'm spending my gubmint monies on cheap wine and hookers to annoy you people.
She was actually spending it on Vodka.
Getting money for depression? Spending the money on vodka?
How do I get in on that?
You'd need a dignosis of something more than major depression, since it's not technically chronic. Maybe the personality disorder type of depression. Definitely psychotic depression, which you could probably naturally manifest if you drink enough. Just get me a PhD and I will give you your diagnosis.
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on the other hand, it is complete fucking bullshit that i only make (gross) 29k a year and yet have to pay a penalty over and above what other people who make 29k a year pay in, just because i am not on someone else's payroll
there is no way to make that sound the least bit "fair" to me
I'm not familiar with the US tax system - you work for yourself and have to pay more tax than an employee who earns the same amount?
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
Holy shit, how do you do that? I'm gonna figure it out and get on that gravy train, then post about how I'm spending my gubmint monies on cheap wine and hookers to annoy you people.
She was actually spending it on Vodka.
Getting money for depression? Spending the money on vodka?
How do I get in on that?
You'd need a dignosis of something more than major depression, since it's not technically chronic. Maybe the personality disorder type of depression. Definitely psychotic depression, which you could probably naturally manifest if you drink enough. Just get me a PhD and I will give you your diagnosis.
How many points are we talking?
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on the other hand, it is complete fucking bullshit that i only make (gross) 29k a year and yet have to pay a penalty over and above what other people who make 29k a year pay in, just because i am not on someone else's payroll
there is no way to make that sound the least bit "fair" to me
I'm not familiar with the US tax system - you work for yourself and have to pay more tax than an employee who earns the same amount?
self-employment tax, yes
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self-employment tax, yes
The fuck?
Yeah, that makes no sense to me - I can't see the fairness at all.
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Last night I saw Intervention and the 24 year-old alcoholic bitch was getting disability for "depression".
Holy shit, how do you do that? I'm gonna figure it out and get on that gravy train, then post about how I'm spending my gubmint monies on cheap wine and hookers to annoy you people.
She was actually spending it on Vodka.
Getting money for depression? Spending the money on vodka?
How do I get in on that?
You'd need a dignosis of something more than major depression, since it's not technically chronic. Maybe the personality disorder type of depression. Definitely psychotic depression, which you could probably naturally manifest if you drink enough. Just get me a PhD and I will give you your diagnosis.
How many points are we talking?
Actually, I found this at a site about milking the teat of free shit:
the social security administration focuses on the functional limitations of a condition rather than on the condition itself (in other words, how a condition affects you rather than simply being diagnosed with it)
Which means you don't even have to go for a big fancy name psychological condition. You just have to convince them that whatever garden variety diagnosis you've got has left you absolutely useless and crippled and basically distinguished mentally-challenged. I think I could pull this off if I had to.
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Holy shit, I hardly ever leave the house. I bet I could convince someone that I've got agoraphobia.
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You *do* need a diagnosis from someone with an MD, though (which means no non-MD therapists or even PhD psychologists--it does have to be a mental health-related PhD, though, so you're looking at psychiatrists, not general practitioners). What the diagnosis is, though, is irrelevant, as long as you can convince your doctor and the SS review board that it incapacitates you. You can do this! I know you can!
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What level of incapacitation? I've learned to fake being a semi-normal human being irl. When forced to talk to someone, I think I'm pretty personable.