tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post112921669084138921..comments2023-11-05T03:20:46.695-05:00Comments on The Ostroy Report: "Restoring America's Greatness:" Time for a New "New Deal"The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129952483462766112005-10-21T23:41:00.000-04:002005-10-21T23:41:00.000-04:00In other words, Republicans don't want their votin...In other words, Republicans don't want their voting base to be too educated or know too much.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129951811214879412005-10-21T23:30:00.000-04:002005-10-21T23:30:00.000-04:00Glad you studied up...StandsPerhaps Karl Rove said...Glad you studied up...Stands<BR/><BR/>Perhaps Karl Rove said it best...<BR/><BR/>"As people do better -they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education and vote Democratic. Which proves there can be too much of a good thing."<BR/><BR/>Karl Rove<BR/>New Yorker magagzine<BR/>Bush's Trillions (article)<BR/>Feb. 19 & 26, 2001Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129950463978716872005-10-21T23:07:00.000-04:002005-10-21T23:07:00.000-04:00All, sorry to post again when I said I would not. ...All, sorry to post again when I said I would not. I have done more research into the estate tax due to comments here. I looked at the link blkn gave and others and find that, though rare, this is one topic I did not fully understand. From all I can find, you folks seem to be correct on this so I will withdraw my comments on the estate tax. I still hold that wealth is not to be punished by taxation, but in this case the wealth required to trigger this must be extreme and there should be plenty for the rich guy to pass to his kids. Looks like my estate won't qualify to be taxed after all so that is one positive.<BR/><BR/>Don't faint. I can admit when I am wrong.All_I_Can_Standshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13706352699628789787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129947986198884162005-10-21T22:26:00.000-04:002005-10-21T22:26:00.000-04:00Eeewwww Stands is sooooo uuuuummm Republican!Eeewwww Stands is sooooo uuuuummm Republican!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129939090685348022005-10-21T19:58:00.000-04:002005-10-21T19:58:00.000-04:00Is there really no etiquette in blogging then? An...Is there really no etiquette in blogging then? Anyone is free to spew whatever they want in a comments section? Isn't that what the comments sections on posts are supposed to be about - the broader discussion of the original post and its associated points, to present arguments and defend them? Anyone else have any thoughts in this regard?<BR/><BR/>Your own blog is your own monologue and you have every right to blather on it as you see fit. To come into someone else's blog and comment however you like, making baseless inflammatory statements you are unwilling to defend and back up with facts is called BEING A TROLL. The "I don't have time" thing is a transparent copout - you obviously have plenty of time to blog. You are simply choosing to avoid the subject because it is an indefensible position.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129858510904956872005-10-20T21:35:00.000-04:002005-10-20T21:35:00.000-04:00blkn, you are the one being disengenuous here by ...blkn, you are the one being disengenuous here by trying to make rules for me to follow in my comments and then making accusations when I don't follow them.<BR/><BR/>- I must answer specific points you make instead of choosing which I think are worth the effort to answer. Hey, if I don't answer a point because I don't think it worth my time and you want to get some buzz by claiming victory - go for it. I have said before, my time is limited and I spend it first answering things that interest me. If there is time left after that I might answer other things. This is no different than how thousands of other bloggers operate.<BR/><BR/>- The points you made that you insist I respond to are very broad in scope. I did not respond because you need to narrow it down some. I am sure in simplistic thinking stating that the number of working poor is growing seems narrow, but I am sure on a case by case basis there are hundreds of reasons why various workers are making less than they used to. Simplistically blaming the rich may be a valid reason but I can think of others such as the slave labor in China that nobody seems care about.<BR/><BR/>- The points you insist I respond to to prove my genuineness would require books to answer properly. I don't have that much time. Sorry. Like I said, narrow it down.<BR/><BR/>- You make a direct statement like "can you please tell all of us exactly WHAT this "safety net" is that you talk about and how it is that Americans can access it" which I take at face value and you expect me to not take it at face value without any clear indication I should not take it at face value. I thought you were claiming there was no safety net. Anyway, I don't claim the safety net is perfect. I do see that the link you gave states "Although the War on Poverty was declared in the 1960s, a poor family today in 2005 is much worse off than the average poor family in the 1960s". I would acknowledge that to some degree, but it only shows that throwing billions of dollars at a problem does not solve it. Poverty, education, health care and other issues have historically shown the trend that the more money thrown towards it the worst it gets. This is not just in the US, but in other countries.<BR/><BR/>blkn, the bottom line is that I don't have any obligation to prove my genuineness to you or anybody. Truth does not blanch in the face of criticism. Think and say what you wish. I won't be posting back on this thread since it is on the second page. Perhaps I will comment on a new post and you can feel free to rehash there or come to my blog.All_I_Can_Standshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13706352699628789787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129843633338163412005-10-20T17:27:00.000-04:002005-10-20T17:27:00.000-04:00Stands - I must thank you for doing exactly as I e...Stands - I must thank you for doing exactly as I expected and continued to completely avoid responding THE VERY FIRST post I made about the woroking poor and HAVE REPEATEDLY ASKED THAT YOU ADDRESS in every post since.<BR/><BR/>What are you afraid of Stands? Scared of being totally unable to defend your "see no evil" position on wealth in America? Your avoidance of the issue exposes you more than you can imagine.<BR/><BR/>Spare us all your selective use and understanding of nuance. It's a pathetic defense for someone who seems to want to engage in an intellectual discourse about these issues. Let's continue bullet pointing items...<BR/><BR/>(1) Dictionary time first. Disingenuous is "lacking in candor; also : giving a false appearance of simple frankness." This applies to your first statement...<BR/>STANDS "In the US we have a safety net that will house,feed, provide health care for just about anyone who can't." <BR/>That's a definitive statement saying without question that this safety net exists.<BR/>So I replied "Stands, can you please tell all of us exactly WHAT this "safety net" is that you talk about and how it is that Americans can access it?" <BR/>I didn't say it doesn't exist at all, but I am DEFINITELY asking you to tell me what you know about it, rather than just spewing a talking point that you know nothing about.<BR/>And as I expected, you comletely avoided a chance to educate all of us on the blog as to what you know about this and replied to me "First you ask me to prove there is a safety net or programs as if they don't exist. Next you claim these non-existent programs are underfunded and are going to be cut to pay for Katrina. Who is being disingenuous now? Again you are being disingenuous when asking about the NOLA biz owners. My comments were clear as a bell talking about life choices people make - not catastrophe related events."<BR/>Your avoidance of the issue is an example of the use of the term "disingenuous." Saying that I was asking you to prove there is a safety net is an example of selectively using nuance and hoping none of us will catch it.<BR/><BR/>(2) Life choices versus corporate malfeasance.<BR/>You are the one who introduced the "life choices" side of this equation in response to my bringing up corporate malfeasance. Why not be polite and engage the discussion as it progresses before you toss in something off-topic while trying to claim it's on-topic? Why do you refuse to defend corporate malfeasance from the point of view of conservatism in modern America? Is it because you can't defend it? How many times have I asked you to do this for us now?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129832969385515052005-10-20T14:29:00.000-04:002005-10-20T14:29:00.000-04:00So the point exactly, "these places go from shiny...So the point exactly, "these places go from shiny and new to a dump in less than a year" - work on the difference between you and "them". Glad to hear you have helped others. Keep up the good work and if you don't like big government spending, then help to get republicans out of office...they are the majority in this mess.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129815749849838752005-10-20T09:42:00.000-04:002005-10-20T09:42:00.000-04:00anon said "but now it's your turn, Stands."I have ...anon said "but now it's your turn, Stands."<BR/><BR/>I have taken my turn and continue to do so by paying my taxes as well as contributing directly to others in need. You have willfully missed my point so I will take it slower. <BR/><BR/>- Nowhere did I claim I wanted to be absolved of paying taxes<BR/>- Nowhere did I claim that government assistance should be totally non-existent<BR/>- I did not claim to make my choices based on wisdom or smartness. It was actually simple make these choices or be poor. <BR/>- The choices of staying in school, not doing drugs, not causing a teen pregnancy, going to college even if it means working for it can be understood by any idiot<BR/>- When it comes to giving back we are talking about how much. I pay 1/4 of my income to taxes. That is too much. <BR/>- If the foolish choices of others cause me to pay 25% instead of 10% it becomes an issue with me.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous, thank you so much for making my point. You said "Bill Gates gives away millions to school programs to help kids learn" The key word is "gives". Liberals go under the assumption that all money going to the needy must be funneled through the government. Americans have shown in the tsunami, Katrina and many other venues that we are a giving people. Money going through the government instead of privately has one purpose: control. <BR/><BR/>I would not normally talk about these private items, but since I am fairly anonymous, ok. Here is a "real genuine difference" I have made in someone's life since you ask. A co-worker under my wife made a very poor choice in marriage in spite of having a good home and parents advising her not to marry this dufus. He became a drunk, abuser and cheater. He also spent the money so there was not enough to keep their small house up that they had bought in better days. In her despair she let the house cleaning go and it was quite horrible to such a degree it really broke the morale of her and her kids. When we heard and saw the place my wife and I volunteered weeks of our time to help her get her house back in order. After that we paid for her to get new carpeting since the old one was very disgusting. My wife's brother contributed money to get her car fixed and we worked with others to contribute food and money where possible. She is now back on her feet, has a better job, her kids are doing very well and they are all working together to keep up the house in its new condition. Not one dime in this process came from the government! Conservatism is not about neglecting those in need. Just keep the power hungry, wasteful government limited in what it does. <BR/><BR/>So Anon, does this qualify in your book for lending a helping hand? Or are tax dollars the only path you recognize. This is not the only time we have helped others. We spend a lot of our time and money helping others, but if I say more I'll be branded as a bragger.<BR/><BR/>How many of you have seen Section 8 housing after one year of occupancy? My wife sees it almost every day in her job. When the government gives the money it so often under-appreciated and these places go from shiny and new to a dump in less than a year. This is already long enough or I would talk about the Cabrini Green 'experiment' in Chicago. Maybe there is something out there on the internet.All_I_Can_Standshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13706352699628789787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129788710750294142005-10-20T02:11:00.000-04:002005-10-20T02:11:00.000-04:00Watch out Stands! You started to sound like a - g...Watch out Stands! You started to sound like a - gasp! - liberal!!<BR/><BR/>Don't you think someone paid for you? Don't you think someone else's tax dollars paid to publically educate you, paid for the school buildings you went to, paid to keep a police force and firefighters hired to protect you when you were growing up? Don't you think that someone else's dollars paid for the roads and highways you drive on? I bet they have been around longer than you have. I appreciate that you probably had to largely help yourself to get an education or whatever, but now it's your turn, Stands. So, quit bitching and lend a helping hand, or has that been stricken from the christian code? Give unto others?<BR/><BR/>So you've made life choices that work for you. Congratulations. Isn't a shame that not all people are as wise and smart as you? Why don't you be even bigger and better by working on the differences between you and them? <BR/><BR/>We'd be happy to hear about a real, genuine difference you've made in someone's life. Or would that be asking you to give too much? And by the way, Bill Gates gives away millions to school programs to help kids learn. Oh no! He's paying for someone else!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129779679903183042005-10-19T23:41:00.000-04:002005-10-19T23:41:00.000-04:00blkn, you seem to take the stance that I must agr...blkn, you seem to take the stance that I must agree with you in order to have the right to claim to be genuine. Are you kidding?<BR/><BR/>I have the right to talk about correct choices because when I left home for college at 18 I had to fund my college tuition, room and board without help from family or government. If I can do it almost anyone can. I understand there are those who have handicaps and illnesses and am fully willing for programs to help them out. For those who drop out of high school and go through jobs one after another, am I supposed to support them? Is Bill Gates supposed to support them? Do you want to support them? Logically, if anyone from the extreme circumstances you describe can make it on their own my point is made. If some can do it, others in the same circumstances can do it. Are you really claiming that choice never is related to poverty?<BR/><BR/>First you ask me to prove there is a safety net or programs as if they don't exist. Next you claim these non-existent programs are underfunded and are going to be cut to pay for Katrina. Who is being disingenuous now?<BR/><BR/>Again you are being disingenuous when asking about the NOLA biz owners. My comments were clear as a bell talking about life choices people make - not catastrophe related events.All_I_Can_Standshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13706352699628789787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129668130236309722005-10-18T16:42:00.000-04:002005-10-18T16:42:00.000-04:00Stands, it is shameful that you say you won't inte...Stands, it is shameful that you say you won't intentionally tell an untruth or be disingenuous in the same post that you blame the poor for their poverty and talk about some unspecified "safety net" for Americans.<BR/><BR/>C'mon Stands... FOCUS. My comments were about the working poor in America, a subject you obviously refuse to and cannot address because it immediately sinks any argument you have. Instead of dealing with corporate malfeasance (of which your libertarian corporatist ilk are the chief practitioners) which creates the working poor, you had to take the low and very disingenuous road of comments like "because many continue to make foolish and self-serving choices that further impoverish them it is somehow unfair for the guy who made the right choices to keep his own money" and "how many people are poorer each year because of their own choices?" Such an attitude is disgusting.<BR/><BR/>Stands responded to my post about THE WORKING POOR IN AMERICA by blaming the poor for their poverty instead of looking at how corporate giants like Delphi and Enron enter bankruptcy court after shafting longtime employees and stockholders at the same time that their execs are lounging in huge salary and severance packages... your thinking seems stuck in the 1950s when companies used to have loyalty to their employees and "Made in USA" was a tag on more products than not. Click my name for some nighttime reading.<BR/><BR/>Stands says: "In the US we have a safety net that will house, feed, provide health care for just about anyone who can't" as if all of Stands' audience should just believe it - like it's a truth all the rest of America somehow missed but Stands seems to know ALLLLL about.<BR/><BR/>Stands, can you please tell all of us exactly WHAT this "safety net" is that you talk about and how it is that Americans can access it? If you can't, perhaps you should revise your claim of never being "disingenuous."<BR/><BR/>Just as you did in responding to my last post, I expect you to do your best to avoid a real answer and point the discussion in another direction. I know you will struggle to give solid names, facts and institutions and the reports that show that these programs are capable of handling the 40+ million without healthcare, proper education, and/or housing. It's because those programs that do exist simply CANNOT provide that "safety net" you seem so assured that exists for everyone who needs it. The programs are overwhelmed and underfunded at every turn. Many of these programs you will refer to are targeted for cuts to pay for Katrina.<BR/><BR/>Oh right... KATRINA. Will you be willing to blame the NOLA business owners decimated by Katrina for their current state of being poor and "wanting handouts" in the same breath as blaming the poor who were unable to evacuate?<BR/><BR/>Time for you to be genuine instead of just claiming to be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129442658872074152005-10-16T02:04:00.001-04:002005-10-16T02:04:00.001-04:00Stands points out some freebies that Americans hav...Stands points out some freebies that Americans have. 1) a free education that exists until High School when those school fees can reach several hundred dollars. Then, when is the last time you ever heard of a free college education? Do you have the 2,000/plus dollars per semester that it takes nowdays? I know I had to pay for mine! It's easy to make broad sweeping statements about the utopia all Americans have. People who have never worked in the public service sector, such as, teachers, public safety, and social workers, cannot imagine the variances that lie within the American experience - just like a social worker or a cop wouldn't necessarily know how to keep a fleet of delivery trucks running in the business sector. It's folly to believe that all Americans have an equal playing field of opportunity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129442658152047772005-10-16T02:04:00.000-04:002005-10-16T02:04:00.000-04:00Stands points out some freebies that Americans hav...Stands points out some freebies that Americans have. 1) a free education that exists until High School when those school fees can reach several hundred dollars. Then, when is the last time you ever heard of a free college education? Do you have the 2,000/plus dollars per semester that it takes nowdays? I know I had to pay for mine! It's easy to make broad sweeping statements about the utopia all Americans have. People who have never worked in the public service sector, such as, teachers, public safety, and social workers, cannot imagine the variances that lie within the American experience - just like a social worker or a cop wouldn't necessarily know how to keep a fleet of delivery trucks running in the business sector. It's folly to believe that all Americans have an equal playing field of opportunity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129409533706238882005-10-15T16:52:00.000-04:002005-10-15T16:52:00.000-04:00Thanks for some good points made for a Rejuvenated...Thanks for some good points made for a Rejuvenated New Deal. The energy issues have to be brought to the front as this may be key in this new age. America could become the world leader in developing sustainable energy sources and conserving non-sustainable fuels. By selling our technologies to the world, we could once again become a positive world force. Some corporations will hate this idea because it will cut into short term profits, but the way we are going now, we will soon fall behind Europe and Asia. In the not so distant future America could become a second class nation if it keeps on the present course. But that doesn't need to happen. The primary obstacles are this administration and its corporate sponsors that have no imagination at all. We are following the same old policy of trying to control diminishing resources in other parts of the world instead becoming a leader in self-sufficiency. "Ask not how we can use/exploit the world for our own benefit, but ask how we can become a leader for the rest of the world."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129352609228971972005-10-15T01:03:00.000-04:002005-10-15T01:03:00.000-04:00bkln, how many people are poorer each year becaus...bkln, how many people are poorer each year because of their own choices? In the US we have a safety net that will house,feed, provide health care for just about anyone who can't. Maybe they won't be rich but they can survive. During that time they have free education. By making the right choices and taking advantage of both government and private programs (or working through like I did) they can get a college education and be anything they can be.<BR/><BR/>I am not hard-hearted to claim they screwed up so let 'em suffer the consequences. We have second chance programs both governmental and private for people who missed the boat and then want to turn their life around and become whatever they want to be. But because many continue to make foolish and self-serving choices that further impoverish them it is somehow unfair for the guy who made the right choices to keep his own money.<BR/><BR/>The US infrastructure is open for all to take advantage of. Then if they do that, they are considered evil and penalized for doing so. Besides a flat tax rate would account for that. For every dollar you make, give 20 cents. If you make 10,000 you give 2,000. If you make 1 million you give 200,000. Even that is high for my taste, but it is not punishing someone for making the right choices.<BR/><BR/>I don't get your comments about big words or down home business. Yes I changed my posts dramatically in response to Johnny's post. I was genuine in my good comments to Andy. I may not agree with all his points but he put in alot of effort and many I do agree with. You can be doggone sure I will not intentionally tell an untruth, I will not be disingenuous. WYSIWYG is what I try to follow, though I can be a little moody sometimes.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous. Sorry, I did not follow your comments at all and the minute points I did follow is not worth the energy tonight.All_I_Can_Standshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13706352699628789787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129333209650983972005-10-14T19:40:00.000-04:002005-10-14T19:40:00.000-04:00Hey Popeye, sorry to bust up YOUR blog. "I am real...Hey Popeye, sorry to bust up YOUR blog. <BR/><BR/>"I am really sick of the anti-jewish bigotry of the left that goes completely unchecked by self-restraint".<BR/><BR/>Substitute the word "palestinian" for the word jewish and you have Sharon's policy in a nutshell.<BR/><BR/> Being Jewish is a RELIGION in case you'd forgotten. Being ISRAElI is a Nationality. Don't put words into my mouth. I'm not anti-jewish, contrary to your right-wing spew. I am, however, anti-Israeli-favoritism when it comes to THIS nation - meaning the US. I have no allegience to Israel or their religion or the offshoot from it, christianity (which is becoming a pervasive catastrophe in this country). <BR/><BR/>But please tell me why several members of the administration maintain DUAL CITIZENSHIP? Care to comment on that. Those who don't wish to be full-fledged Amercians have no business running it's government. Israel is the biggset violater of UN sanctions on the planet. <BR/><BR/>I'm not anti-semetic at all, in fact I like Arabs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129328827201825722005-10-14T18:27:00.000-04:002005-10-14T18:27:00.000-04:00Stands - if you can tell me what is lawful and eth...Stands - if you can tell me what is lawful and ethical about millions of American working poor increasing every year (http://www.psu.edu/ur/2005/povertyatlas.html) while the top 1% gets multiple huge tax breaks, then you will be saying something. Until then, I have to agree with Johnny, and no amount of name-calling on your part will be able to serve as a defense of your inhumane 19th century ideology. Please come join us in the 21st century, with its 6.5 billion people, almost a billion of which are poor and hungry (http://www.bread.org/hungerbasics/international.html)<BR/><BR/>Indeed, making stuff up and using big words while trying to sound "down home" and adding in a few numbers and such is really quite a lot of fun and totally obfuscates the factual discussion at hand. That and the classic bait and switch routine, ie, suddenly talking about theft and criminal wealth...<BR/><BR/>Nowhere in my first post did I mention CRIMINAL aquisition of wealth. Sorry if you missed the nuance, but the point I was making is that the currently legal use of tax loopholes and tax shelters to avoid paying for the services and privelege of US infrastructure is "criminal." I'll rephrase and say that it is abhorent and unconsciona ble. If you actually spend time reading the post, it addresses the people of wealth who have gotten there via US infrastructure which they manage to legally avoid paying for via high powered tax attorneys and shelters. It is the raw business of inhumane capitalism, a regressive leftover of the slavery days, which our libertarian poster secretly wishes hadn't been abolished.<BR/><BR/>But here we are, wasting our time diverted in discussion with another greedy corporatist posing as a thoughtful intellectual.<BR/><BR/>As for the "christian" or religious argument, as the joke goes, "if you take all the parts out of the Bible that talk about helping the poor, hungry and needy of the world, then you'd have room enough for Rush Limbaugh's oxycontin stash... well at least a month or two's worth..."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129324847957218022005-10-14T17:20:00.000-04:002005-10-14T17:20:00.000-04:00Wow, hasn't Stands been having fun blowing smoke? ...Wow, hasn't Stands been having fun blowing smoke? Spouting percentages like they were true. Estate Tax starts to apply at 1.5 million of unencumbered estate value. Estate tax value is scheduled to go up over the next few years and then be phased out, MAYBE and ONLY for a limited time. While the argument of why should estates be double taxed is, perhaps, valid at the lower levels, it is not valid at the top 1%, in other words, the very rich. There's a vast amount of difference between someone who makes $250.00 a day and has a mortgage on a $400,000 dollar house(subject to the fluctuations of the real estate market) and someone who makes $1000.00/plus per hour and owns a prosperous business. Moving on to someone like Bill Gates or Paul Allen, you'll see your $400,000 house is their chump change. So a tax increase of 100,000 dollars or more is absorbed within hours/days of profit for the top one percent of tax payers. Now, if you think your retirement package, your RV, your house, your medical insurance guarantee, grandma's china, and your wife's 25th anniversary diamond ring meets the Estate Tax cutoff, you have an out...it's called gifting. <BR/><BR/>As far as the crack about religion, I'll throw out a unsubstantiated number of my own: religious people seem to be influenced by their religion 100% percent of the time, and, therefore, incapable of making an unbiased decision. See? Just making stuff up is so much fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129320520795444162005-10-14T16:08:00.000-04:002005-10-14T16:08:00.000-04:00Johnny, my problems with Bush and congress are whe...Johnny, my problems with Bush and congress are where they have acted too liberal. Any changes I would ask of them would be to go to the right, not the left. The tax cuts were 1) only half of what was originally planned due to the Democrats blocking it. So without the Dems interferring I would now be enjoying twice the tax cut. 2) The tax cut, though smaller than I wish is better than a tax hike that Clinton gave me 3) The reason tax revenues went up. You can't deny that. Why do you complain when tax revenues go up just because tax rates go down?<BR/><BR/>As for as the religious fanatics. Whatever you think they did is 98% all in your mind. It is your religious bigotry in action here making you think that they are doing something they are not. The religious tone of politicians these days is far lower than 50 years ago and somehow it is pictured as fanaticism today. If you think I say nothing, you are incapable of logical thought. That is likely incurable and so I feel sorry for you.All_I_Can_Standshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13706352699628789787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129317635846999872005-10-14T15:20:00.000-04:002005-10-14T15:20:00.000-04:00Popeye, you talk a lot but say NOTHING. I ask this...Popeye, you talk a lot but say <B>NOTHING</B>. I ask this of all my wacko conservative friends and never seem to get an answer, so here goes again. I want you to list all the wonderful things that your "idle" Bush has done since he's taken office that has helped the lower to middle class people of this country. Remember now I said the lower and middle class and the phony tax cuts he got does not count because the $400.00 that they received is long gone with the increase in all the other taxes we are now paying more for.<BR/><BR/>Why can't you at least admit the republican right wing, religious fanatics that run this country screwed up and are going to be history in 2006 and beyond.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129310316934907182005-10-14T13:18:00.000-04:002005-10-14T13:18:00.000-04:00bkln, I made clear that my comments involved those...bkln, I made clear that my comments involved those who have acquired wealth lawfully and ethically. To add criminals to the debate merely frosts over the clear fact that overtaxation is theft, which was I am sure your reason for adding them to the list. It is like saying many in the mafia are wealthy due to crime therefore all wealthy people deserve to be taxed. That does not pass the sniff test.<BR/><BR/>As for the list of millionaires, we know many liberals are millionaires. In fact there are more Democrat millionaires in Congress than Republican millionaires. If a millionaire wants to give a chunk of his wealth to the government instead of his kids that is his right to voluntarily do. Let him put in his will that 50% goes to the government and that is fine. Just don't force me or anyone else to do it by law. Again, that is theft. If I am walking down the street and see a crook, I can walk up to him and give him my watch and wallet and that would not be theft. Only when he points a gun at me and demands them is it theft. Let these millionaires on your list put their money where their mouth is.All_I_Can_Standshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13706352699628789787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129309211966905302005-10-14T13:00:00.000-04:002005-10-14T13:00:00.000-04:00Ostroy - an excellent first volley into the debate...Ostroy - an excellent first volley into the debate over policy and practice, and a great set of ideas to mull. Refer too to Howard Dean's "Restoring the Great American Community" from during his 2004 Presidential bid. Great stuff.<BR/><BR/>Anon - perhaps it will only take 30 years to fix what Bush has broken in 5 years... but you should have left the other tinfoil hat comments at home cuz it seemed to have fired up our resident libertarian...<BR/><BR/>Stands - wealth is not a crime, but personal and corporate tax evasion is criminal, especially to the degree that weathly persons and corporations benefit from US infrastructure and labor of those not able to hire high powered tax attorneys and offshore accounts to hide their wealth and evade paying for US infrastructure. A freight trucking magnate becomes wealthy because of the interstate system, and much more so than the taxpayers who pay for its consturction and upkeep. This is not a difficult concept to understand. Remember too, that the wealthy (whose tax cuts we are talking about here - and the ones who have benefited substantially from US infrastructure) pay proportionately LESS taxes than ordinary working Americans because of the differences in handling WORKING INCOME vs. INTEREST INCOME. This is more complicated to understand.<BR/><BR/>Also, there are many millionaires who actively oppose ending the estate tax, so much so that they did a whole page ad in the NY Times (very costly) to bring it to the public debate. You can check them out here > <BR/>http://www.responsiblewealth.org/estatetax/<BR/><BR/>Oh, and Stands, you forgot to include record deficits, rising interest rates and record bankruptcies in your overly rosy laundry list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129308121334635192005-10-14T12:42:00.000-04:002005-10-14T12:42:00.000-04:00Anonymous, I don't think you really thought about ...Anonymous, I don't think you really thought about that before you wrote it. Anyway, I earned it so why is it not MY right to determine who gets it. Your point falls apart quickly when you realize that no matter who it goes to THEY did not earn it. I did. Since I spent my life earning it, it is my right to give it to whom I choose. Anything else is theft.All_I_Can_Standshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13706352699628789787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-1129304192560570772005-10-14T11:36:00.000-04:002005-10-14T11:36:00.000-04:00Stand says "As for the estate tax, why should I wo...Stand says "As for the estate tax, why should I work all my life being taxed ever step of the way, accumulate what wealth I can only to have the government double-dip and take a big cut out of my already taxed estate before I give my kids my gift of an inheritance?"<BR/><BR/>Yes, YOU earned it and paid your tax on it but your kids WILL NOT HAVE. Why should they get a free ride?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com