January 1, 2013

Bits Bucket for January 1, 2013

Post off-topic ideas, links, and Craigslist finds here. And check out Chomp, Chomp, Chomp by a regular poster!




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164 Comments »

Comment by polly
2013-01-01 00:46:01

Happy, New Year.

I spent midnight at the National Archives celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Got to see parts of the original document too (it is written on both sides of the page, so they can’t display it all at once). Incredibly moving. The music was excellent, but I missed some of the civil rights era songs. The group singing matches their music to the proper time period, so the 20th century was not included.

Comment by ecofeco
2013-01-01 06:33:41

Too much rain to go out. But we need it.

 
Comment by Anon In DC
2013-01-01 09:31:09

Yes, Happy New Year to my housing bubble blog friends (and political blog friends - Thanks for agreeing to disagree :) ) That sounds like a neat evening at the Archives. A number of years ago the Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria had on display a visiting copying of the Magna Carta. That was really cool, too. At least for us history buffs.

 
Comment by Anon In DC
2013-01-01 09:41:42

Hi. Yes happy new year to my housing bubble blog friends - all good wishes! (Thanks for agreeing to disagree all the times we discuss politics.) Sounds like a neat evening at the Archives. A number of years ago the Lyceum in old town Alexandria had on display a visiting copy of the Magna Carta. Really cool - at least for history buffs like me.

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2013-01-01 12:20:27

Happy New Year HBB. I spent a quite New Years watching fireworks with 2.5 million of my closest friends on Copacabana Beach. Most people dress in white and throw flowers into the ocean for a “goddess of the Sea” thing. We got a bunch of lentils thrown at us for “good luck” which doesn’t make much sense when a lentil hits you in the eye.

It hit 100 degrees here today. I don’t like that. Last week was the hottest in Rio since 1915 which makes for an odd Christmas. 2013?? It seems like just yesterday was 1999.

 
 
Comment by nickpapageorgio
2013-01-01 01:27:28

Boring new year’s eve this year. I think I am going to Vegas next year, time to get jiggy with it!! :)

 
Comment by azdude
2013-01-01 07:02:46

should I buy some aapl stock now that all of out problems have been solved?

Comment by Jojo
2013-01-01 07:47:00

There’s never been a better time to buy stocks.

 
Comment by SV guy
2013-01-01 08:24:23

Wait ‘till the P/E gets down to 7 - 8.

In the meantime keep hoarding those presidential portraits.

Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 11:44:51

Agreed. And also hoard the silver eagles and gold eagles/buffalos. My spartan lifestyle during the last three years has paid off well and now I’m worried about maintaining my own principle. Cash on the side, casually interested in TSLA, AAPL, GOOG, ARMH, VMW, DLTR, HES, MA, WFM, LCC, CMG, BAC, VLO, F, TM, WLP, and Spacex when it goes public. I probably will buy 100 shares of the Space X IPO regardless.

 
 
Comment by Anon In DC
2013-01-01 09:43:43

Hi. I don’t follow tech too closely. But there are a lot of completing devices. Think Apple has much more downside.

 
 
Comment by Housing Analyst
2013-01-01 07:09:02

The housing inventory is massive…. and growing.

 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 07:20:17

localandlord was asking me about my hippie urban pioneers and the area they’re fixing up. Here’s a house for sale in the area, asking $110,000 and supposedly pending (seems fantastically overpriced to me, for the area):

http://search.lbar.com/mls/details/residential/1222778.html

Now check the sales history on the PVA site:

http://qpublic7.qpublic.net/ky_fayette_display.php?county=ky_fayette&KEY=14838600&index=0

$20,000 in 2012, $6500 in 2000, $4212 in 1968.

If you look at the photos on the PVA site and then on the LBAR For Sale site, you can see what the houses look like when they get them, and what they turn them into.

Comment by oxide
2013-01-01 09:19:28

Looks like the rehabbers are trying to suck in halfbackers from Up North, for whom $110 is not much money. Watch out for houses which are listed as built in “1900.” That’s the date used when the real date is unknown.

It’s a cute house, but that addition off the back is totally impractable. I find it very interesting that the original ONE ROOM structure has as much style and curb appeal (to me) as a McMansion. Here’s a similar baby cottage: http://www.zillow.com/homes/fayette-county,-KY_rb/#/homedetails/210-W-Sixth-St-Lexington-KY-40508/77528563_zpid/

If the neighborhood wasn’t crap, stuff like this would be a viable option for an empty nester Oil City couple. Buy for $15K, fix up for about $30K.

Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 09:46:52

Watch out for houses which are listed as built in “1900.”

A lot of the smaller old houses of that period and earlier have neither basements nor crawl spaces. In some cases, the floor joists are resting on the soil. This causes all sorts of mold, smell, and dampness issues. You see with this house they’ve poured (an acid stained!) concrete floor in to remedy this problem. But now you’ve got to live on a slab, in an area with pretty cold winters.

Comment by rms
2013-01-01 10:57:20

“But now you’ve got to live on a slab, in an area with pretty cold winters.”

I’m on a spec slab in the frozen desert of Eastern Washington’s Columbia Basin, which rich in caliche—an expansive soil. Our slab should have been built on driven piers, but it’s a cheap spec poured construction. In addition, the asphalt roof shingles around here should be of the hooked variety typical of the windy mid-west. “You still get what you pay for” rings true when it comes to home construction materials.

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Comment by Pimp Watch
2013-01-01 17:58:24

That’s a misapplication of materials, not “cheaping out”. Spread footings, monolithic slabs and 3 tab asphalt shingles are entirely appropriate.

 
 
 
Comment by aNYCdj
2013-01-01 12:09:34

Ox look at a map, there is a one way sign and a T intersection, in front of the house so you will have headlights in the front window all night long

so maybe that’s the reason for the long back extension.

Comment by oxide
2013-01-01 15:53:58

That extension is probably older than headlights. :razz: The extension is off the back because that’s they only land they had.

And yeah, that house is probably poorly built. After all, it was only one room and so not intended to last forever. The pictures were not clear, but it looked like it used to be a main room plus a small separate sleeping alcove which is now the bathroom. I guess they cooked out back.

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Comment by Pimp Watch
2013-01-01 18:01:42

“not intended to last forever.”

No structure is “intended to last forever” for the very simple reason that they cannot last forever. This is why houses depreciate.

 
Comment by Prime_Is_Contained
2013-01-01 18:37:48

No structure is “intended to last forever” for the very simple reason that they cannot last forever.

Doesn’t concrete last effectively forever? I thought some Roman-era concrete was still slowly getting harder today.

What is the life-expectancy of concrete?

 
Comment by Pimp Watch
2013-01-01 19:15:35

Concrete houses? seriously? lol

 
Comment by ahansen
2013-01-01 22:46:46

According to the site, the house was originally the office of “the first African-American female doctor”. If (brick) walls could talk….

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2013-01-02 00:56:18

PIC, ISTR from a tour of the Colosseum that the portion (of teh Colosseum) that is still standing is built upon what used to be Nero’s private lake. They filled it with concrete…

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 07:28:31

How to Delay Foreclosure for as Long as Possible

Exhaust Your Legal Options

Most home owners that have defaulted on their mortgage payments, think that their lender will inevitably win in the courts, and therefore do absolutely nothing to challenge court motions presented by the lender. Though your lender may eventually win out in a legal battle, the advantage to properly using the legal system is that you can make things take a lot longer than they would if you never challenged a single motion. The courts system is incredibly complex, and your lender is likely to overlook certain formalities and requirements simply because they believe you won’t challenge them legally; therefore, you need to challenge absolutely every court motion, and respect procedures to the foot of the letter.
Getting professional advice, from a lawyer, could be invaluable to prolonging foreclosure, as well as knowing how to manage your times properly in legal proceedings. For example, if you have a certain time window to challenge a motion presented by your lender, don’t do so immediately; wait until the eve of expiration for your challenge to make it, as doing so earlier will solicit an earlier response from your lender. Get to know these ins and outs to the legal system before taking on the legal battle, of course, but never hesitate to use the courts as a forum for protecting yourself against foreclosure.

Two other legal strategies that have emerged as effective (though not necessarily available to every person facing foreclosure) are requesting to have your entire mortgage rescinded because of non-compliance with Truth in Lending laws, as well as contesting ownership of the original loan. Consult a lawyer to find out if you might be able to utilize either of these strategies.

http://www.survivalinsight.com/prolong-foreclosure-process.html - 54k

Comment by 2banana
2013-01-01 09:43:50

Lawyers will want their fees paid up front and in cash.

They do understand the free sh*t army

 
Comment by Steaming pile of human feces
2013-01-01 10:57:12

The artificial but strong force of extend and pretend is on your side. Your lender does not really want your house. Don’t fight the FED. Squat like a m-fer.

 
 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 08:00:15

oompa loompa dooba dee dee
If you are wise you’ll give that kebab to me

Oompa Loompas’ sought by police over Norwich assault

BBCNews

Two men dressed as Oompa Loompas from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are being sought by police in connection with an assault in Norwich.

A 28-year-old man was attacked by three men and a woman as he left a kebab house on Prince of Wales Road in the city on Thursday.

Two of the men had painted orange faces and dyed green hair and were wearing hooped tops, as in the 1971 film.

The victim suffered cuts and black eyes, Norfolk Police said.

Police are appealing for witnesses.

 
Comment by tresho
2013-01-01 08:07:34

Nine states raise minimum wage to compensate for cost of living increase
OLYMPIA, Wash. - With a bump in Washington state’s minimum wage to $9.19 an hour today, high school student Miranda Olson will edge closer to her goal of purchasing a black Volkswagen Beetle she’s been researching online. Many Lucky Ducks workers around the country won’t be as lucky as the ones in Washington state, which is raising its salary minimum even though it already has the highest state baseline in the country. The automatic adjustments aren’t much. Washington’s bump of 15 cents will mean those who work 40-hour weeks will earn an extra $6 per week - enough for a couple lattes - or about $300 per year.
Groups like the National Restaurant Association oppose further increases in federal or state minimum wages, arguing that it’s an ineffective way to reduce poverty and forces business owners to cut hours, raise prices or lay off workers.

At Tom’s 1st Avenue Bento, a downtown Portland lunch spot, owner Tom Hume said he boosted pay for minimum-wage workers before the end of the year in order to get ahead of the game. He also raised prices on one-third of his menu items by 25 cents.

Natasha Baker, 22, who works at Hume’s restaurant, recently moved back in with her mother but hopes to move to another apartment in January. She said the extra $5 or $6 she’s earning every week with the salary boost is OK but won’t make a huge difference.

“I don’t usually look at what I get paid,” she said. “I’m more directed on what’s being taken out, which is more discouraging than anything.”

Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 08:54:05

high school student Miranda Olson will edge closer to her goal of purchasing a black Volkswagen Beetle she’s been researching online

If she’s really researching it, and not just drooling over ads, she won’t buy the POS.

Comment by GrizzlyBear
2013-01-01 10:13:25

Volkswagen’s are among the worst POS’s a person could buy. For a young person who has to pay for their own car repairs, they are ruinous.

Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 10:53:01

Euro cars (and to a lesser degree Asian cars) are also expensive to fix. Parts cost more, and gas station mechanics often lack the special tools required to fix them.

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Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 11:47:05

My 2003 Toyota economy car with under 68k miles still is a charm.

 
Comment by joesmith
2013-01-01 15:11:47

I’m buying my wife a Honda crv for her birthday in a couple months. Good enough mpg, cheap parts, and reliable enough to keep in the garage as a beater in 6 or 8 years when it’s time to get a new car.

 
Comment by oxide
2013-01-01 15:56:31

You think a six-year old car is a “beater?”

 
Comment by joesmith
2013-01-01 16:29:33

Oxide, my point was after 80 to 100k miles in a seasonal climate, a car starts to have issues that go beyond routine maintenance and things that can be easily fixed. Or, frankly, are worth fixing (minor cosmetic issues, bumper scratches). So a lot of the value after 6-8 years depends on a car being able to reliably eat miles

 
Comment by GrizzlyBear
2013-01-01 17:05:43

Note necessarily true. If well-maintained, today’s vehicles go 200k pretty easily with minimal repairs.

 
Comment by Pimp Watch
2013-01-01 18:13:59

“cheap parts”

lmao…. you’re in for the surprise of your life.

 
Comment by joesmith
2013-01-01 18:54:00

I have a Honda as a beater now. 05 civic. Parts very cheap. My friend does all the work. Has done a lot of work on it. He swapped out the engine this summer at 150 k , now has one with only 30k . Great car for eating miles.

In my experience labor is expensive, parts fairly cheap. Insurance is also super cheap on a Honda.

 
Comment by Pimp Watch
2013-01-01 19:13:12

$250 for an alternator isn’t “cheap”.

 
Comment by Carl Morris
2013-01-01 20:04:02

At least if you pay the dealer that much for it you won’t have to change it every year like you will if you use the $80 one from Autozone.

 
Comment by joesmith
2013-01-01 20:45:59

I’d never use anything but OEM parts. Yes, they’re cheap. Lol at sweating bullets over what an alternator costs. That’s for poors who would be better off without a car.

 
Comment by Pimp Watch
2013-01-01 21:06:01

Nice try but a $250 alternator isn’t “cheap” no matter how you twist it.

 
Comment by tresho
2013-01-02 05:40:07

Nice try but a $250 alternator isn’t “cheap” no matter how you twist it.
The only auto expense that really counts is how much you spend per mile traveled, and this has to be added up when you get rid of the thing. I paid $500 for a starter on my 1983 F250. Twenty years ago. I’m still using it.

 
 
Comment by Pimp Watch
2013-01-01 18:27:51

“Volkswagen’s are among the worst POS’s a person could buy. ”

You’re putting it nicely. They are the worst waste of metal and plastic on the planet. I experienced the horror personally when I bought a new 2001 Jetta. It was the biggest piece shit I’ve ever owned, seen, witnessed and heard of. Out of the roster of problems, a few were just outlandish…..I’m driving across the TZ one afternoon and the windows fell out of the openings and shatter inside the doors. It was only a few weeks old!! Can you believe that $hit? The windows falling out of your car while you’re driving down the road? WTF????? The other problem the junk had was a persistent check engine light. 4 faaaawkin times I brought it to the dealer and 4 faaaawkin times the light would come back on not more than 2 miles from the dealer. That was it…. over. We got rid of it ASAP. And it’s not like I’m not mechanically competent. I swap out transmissions, transfer cases, axles, etc. Too many problem for a brand new car.

That car was a piece of shit with wheels under it. And I believe all VW’s are.

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Comment by ecofeco
2013-01-01 19:23:48

Just the ones made in Mexico… which is all of them but the Passat (that may have changed) and the Phaeton, which is made in Germany.

Overpriced too.

 
Comment by tresho
2013-01-02 05:41:47

I believe all VW’s are
The only VW I ever owned (briefly) was a 1969 VW microbus with 69,000 miles on it, in 1975. It lasted me 10 days before the front axle came apart due to rusting. Never again.

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 08:13:52

12 Cities Where You Can Buy a Foreclosed Home for Half Price

By Mamta Badkar
Fri, Dec 14, 2012 3:33 PM EST

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/12-cities-where-you-can-buy-a-foreclosed-home-for-half-price-183629835.html - 151k

Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 08:58:58

Frisco and Beantown, too?!

 
Comment by rms
2013-01-01 11:00:05

Nothing in or around Noe Valley is a bargain.

 
 
Comment by tresho
Comment by oxide
2013-01-01 11:03:26

Never did understand why the rightwing was so hepped up on Hilary not testifying on the Benghazi thing right away. If she’s sick one week, just move the schedule two weeks. It’s not like she’d never testify at all. But for now I wish her a speedy recovery.

 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 11:17:23

That’s a pretty fantastic, but believable, story.

Comment by tresho
2013-01-01 11:27:24

We’ll probably never know the real story. Coincidentally there was a small American commercial plane that landed in Iran 3 weeks ago, needed repairs for damage, and was flown out just a day or so ago, reported elsewhere. May have had nothing to do with Hillary, but it does seem strange the Iranians allowed the plane to be repaired and then to leave.

 
Comment by ahansen
2013-01-01 23:04:34

Sorcha’s been right before, and the timing with the Hormuz war games certainly fits. Thanks, tresho. Interesting report.

 
 
Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 11:52:32

Conspiracy theory stories, sabre-rattling by the U.S., and natural potential disasters (the “big one” due in Southern California) make me happy enough to buy silver eagles/maple leafs and build up more cash.

Comment by localandlord
2013-01-01 15:46:20

(the “big one” due in Southern California)

Why yes, I’ll be arriving Jan 8 so you can mark your calendar.

Though I’m average size by Localand standards, I’m sure svelte Californians will think I am huge. Will my landing make that much of an impact?

Happy new year - enjoy it while you can!

 
 
 
Comment by Carl Morris
2013-01-01 08:41:37

Happy New Year all. To be honest I wish this was over a long time ago, but I appreciate how educational these last 6 years or so have been for me thanks to all of you and many who are no longer here. At this point I don’t really ever expect it to be over.

I think the JTE is good to Firefox v.20. At the rate they are burning versions drumminj will have to update it again this year. When he picked 20 I didn’t think we’d ever get there.

Comment by Professor Bear
2013-01-01 16:20:46

“At this point I don’t really ever expect it to be over.”

That would make a great post for the 2013 predictions thread.

Comment by Carl Morris
2013-01-01 16:29:02

Well, it seems like we’ve gone all in and this phase won’t be over until the dollar is gone and we’re using Ameros or a UPC on the back of the hand or forehead or whatever. But we’ve bet the dollar on our ability to kick the can.

Comment by Prime_Is_Contained
2013-01-01 17:16:46

this phase won’t be over until the dollar is gone and we’re using Ameros

Why would we ever change from the dollar and adopt a different currency, when history shows that the populace will remain sheep-like and happily watch their dollars get devalued?

I would bet on more of the same.

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Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 09:35:42

Predictions For The New Year

The $9 billion Constellation program will be reinstated in time to send Michelle, Malia and Sasha to the moon for Sring Break.

By Tariq Malik
Managing editor

updated 2/2/2010 10:12:51 PM ET 2010-02-03T03:12:51

NASA and President Barack Obama’s administration expect to spend months working out the specifics for their new plan for U.S. space exploration, even as some within the space agency mourn the loss of its current effort to send astronauts back to the moon.

President Obama’s 2011 budget request for NASA cut the agency’s Constellation program completely, effectively canceling a five-year, $9 billion effort to build new Orion spacecraft and Ares rockets.

U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ - 213k

Comment by 2banana
2013-01-01 09:52:51

NASA engineers don’t vote overwhelming for Obama and dems so they will be cut. Who do they think they are? The UAW? $25 billion in taxpayer losses is nothing if you vote the right way.

The federal budget is now only about buying your next election and rewarding supporters

Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 10:56:27

How do you know who they vote for?

Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 11:23:01

If they’re scientists, they’re more likely to be supporting Obama:

This Pew survey…found that

More than half of the scientists surveyed (55%) say they are Democrats, compared with 35% of the public. Fully 52% of the scientists call themselves liberals; among the public, just 20% describe themselves as liberal.

So, scientists are, in aggregate, more liberal than the rest of America…
DiscoverMagazine

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Comment by Hi-Z
2013-01-01 12:04:41

Scientists are not engineers.

 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 12:13:04

Scientists are not engineers.

That’s why I said ‘if’. But here I found a study that includes engineers. They, too’ are more liberal than the average:

University of Toronto survey

This survey asked 1,634 full-time employed faculty members at four year institutions across the U.S

Liberal professors by discipline Humanities 81%
Social Science 75%
Engineering 51%
Business 49%
RationalWiki

 
Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 12:54:34

The survey is flawed if it only checks if one is liberal or conservative without checking for libertarian or other. Some self-described liberals are capitalists who think taxation is theft. Others are fierce proponents of RKBA. Some “liberals” are very into Christianity. Some “conservatives” are atheists (Jillian Becker runs a popular atheist conservative web site).

I ran across a lot of engineers who, like I said, are fiscal conservative but don’t give a hoot about religion. Many people I work with tell me privately they are atheists. One years ago told me he’s an atheist but his wife is religious and he goes to church with her.

 
Comment by Happy2bHeard
2013-01-01 13:13:14

I would expect to find that engineers are also more libertarian than the general public.

The Toronto survey, being a survey of faculty members, ignores engineers in private industry. There may be a self selection process that inclines those with liberal leanings to stay in academics and those with libertarian leanings to pursue commercial endeavors.

 
Comment by Hi-Z
2013-01-01 14:55:35

Engineering professors are NOT representative of practicing (real world) engineers. Such survey simply confirms the extreme liberal leaning of professors/instructors/administrators at our higher learning institutions.

 
Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 15:36:45

H2BH, I cannot speak for all engineers but some of us read a lot of Robert A Heinlein, Larry Niven, James P. Hogan and the like. Pretty much, science fiction in the 70s and early 80s at least was full of libertarianism. Lots of capitalism, individualism and “free love” and no Christianity. Heinlein’s “Job: A Comedy of Justice” was the closest to about religion but it was a novel every atheist would get a “righteous” chuckle out of.

 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 15:45:21

Given that the new Chinese president, and the previous Chinese president, and the Chinese prime minister, and eight out of nine Chinese Communist Party Standing Committee politburo members are engineers, I’d say that most engineers are authoritarian/communists.

 
Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 16:57:26

Engineering professors are NOT representative of practicing (real world) engineers.

Perhaps, but my experience is that “real world” engineers are fairly liberal. With the main exceptions being those who are Protestant Fundy or LDS.

 
 
 
Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 11:54:17

From my experience, engineers in defense and space (28 years experience coast to coast, federal employee, private employee, contractor), most engineers are fiscal conservatives, and pro RKBA.

Comment by oxide
2013-01-01 16:02:51

So defense and space engineers claim to be fiscal conservative libertarians while collecting a bloated government cheese check.

Priceless. :roll:

But to be fair, engineering is one of the few areas which is still a relative meritocracy. The laws of physics aren’t impressed by your makeup, your Sbux cup, or your daddy.

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Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 16:42:05

When well over 50% of the engineering jobs are off of government and they are willing to pay the high price, you expect anyone to turn up their nose? Not if they are selfish individualists. I do not crusade. I go where I can earn the most money, whether my client is the thugernment (directly or indirectly) or non-government.

Crusades are for collectivists and other weak minded people such as Oxide.

 
Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 17:04:04

Crusades are for collectivists and other weak minded people such as Oxide.

Your grasping at straws to justify your hypocrisy is what strikes me as “weak minded”.

 
 
 
 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 09:53:33

The $9 billion Constellation program will be reinstated in time to send Michelle, Malia and Sasha to the moon for Sring Break.

There’s that meme again. They got the keys to the car! And the wine cellar! ‘Those people’ aren’t used to handling such things.

He’s using the presidential limo to cruise his old neighborhood, looking for chicks. And he put curb feelers and a subwoofer in it.

Comment by Ben Jones
2013-01-01 10:14:49

‘There’s that meme again’

Oh, but what’s your favorite? About how the OWS movement put ‘the 1%’ into dialog? It must suck to find out Obama worked with THE EVIL BANKS to destroy OWS:

‘Internal Federal Bureau of Investigation documents released last Saturday by a civil liberties organization show that FBI anti-terror units across the US targeted and spied on the Occupy Wall Street movement even before the anti-Wall Street protests got underway in September 2011.’

‘Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, said: “[W]e believe this is just the tip of the iceberg… These documents show that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are treating protests against the corporate and banking structure of America as potential criminal and terrorist activity. These documents also show these federal agencies functioning as a de facto intelligence arm of Wall Street and Corporate America.”

‘The intervention of the FBI and other federal agencies against the Occupy protests did not stop at surveillance. The massive scope and systematic nature of the spying exposed by the documents posted by the PCJF make it clear that the Obama administration coordinated the police attacks and court actions taken at the state and local level to suppress the protests and end the occupations. Mass arrests, tear gas and constant harassment were all employed in the course of the months-long protests.’

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/12/27/poli-d27.html

Obama worked directly with Wall Street to destroy OWS. Supporting Obama is supporting the 1%. So where’s the outrage, progressives? Or are you all a bunch of hypocrites?

Comment by bungabunga
2013-01-01 10:32:42

But Obama is so well-spoken.
But Romney made his money exporting American jobs.
But Sarah Palin is a dingbat.
But Biden is likable and funny.

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Comment by Professor Bear
2013-01-01 16:26:53

Is that you, Berlusconi?

 
 
Comment by GrizzlyBear
2013-01-01 10:41:05

Obama likes to talk tough, but when it comes to dealing with fat cat bankers, Obama = Uncle Tom. Can you say “who’s your daddy?” Very disappointed in his spineless behavior, and his fawning over Jamie Dimon. When Obama asked for the “wealthy to pay more,” apparently he was talking about the upper middle class, and not the truly wealthy. Somebody making $400k has to pay close to 40%, yet the filthy rich saw capital gains go from 15% to a paltry 20%, not the 40% Obama supposedly wanted. I say supposedly, because I have a hard time believing anything out of the man’s mouth. It has become worthless tripe.

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Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 10:59:56

We need to elect someone either like Nader or Ron Paul to face down the banksters. Unfortunately, it won’t happen. As Mr. Jones chronicled, Ron Paul was shut out at the GOP convention. And there’s no way the Dems will ever nominate someone like Nader.

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2013-01-01 11:05:00

‘the filthy rich saw capital gains go from 15% to a paltry 20%, not the 40% Obama supposedly wanted’

Here’s a question for you; why does no one ever mention 401k’s, etc? These tax deferment plans funnel billions straight into stocks. It provides an incentive for everyone to play the wall street casino. How much ‘revenue’ could be raised if we couldn’t delay taxes by gambling in NYC?

I’m not advocating any taxes, as long as the US government feels it has the extra loot to spend on unconstitutional military ‘adventures’. But how we are taxed is really a bundle of incentives that don’t have anything to do with ‘raising revenue’. The mortgage interest/property tax deduction is a good example. People who rent get no deductions, while interest on up to a million dollar house loan can be deducted every year.

 
Comment by tresho
2013-01-01 11:17:30

why does no one ever mention 401k’s, etc
OK, I’ll mention my 403x.x. Like 401k, not taxable until distributed to a beneficiary. None of it has been invested in the stock market since 2007. All in treasury paper, making basically less than 0.1% interest.

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2013-01-01 11:35:33

‘All in treasury paper, making basically less than 0.1% interest’

OK, so what’s the supposed ‘goal’ of these deferment plans? To encourage savings, right? But then why is the central bank reducing returns on savings? 0.1%? Do you supposed this might encourage others into the stock market, where the computer traders skim left and right? Why are we really doing this?

I don’t fault anyone for taking advantage of these plans or the MID. But ultimately don’t these tax schemes change what you do with your money, toward something politicians (and lobbyist) want?

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2013-01-01 11:44:23

‘We need to elect someone either like Nader or Ron Paul to face down the banksters…Unfortunately, it won’t happen’

Let’s take a little time trip. Remember when Occupy Wall Street had an approval sentiment at something like 90%? IMO, the idea of confronting wall street touched a real nerve with the public that had nothing to do with drum circles or long hair. I can remember even here on this blog there was real excitement. Not because we all shared the ‘non-goals’ of the people camping out, but because people were physically standing up to the ‘establishment’ (or what ever you want to call it).

We have to forget about Nader and Paul; they’re retired. But we can’t forget about what’s at stake here, and that there really are a lot more of us than them.

 
Comment by GrizzlyBear
2013-01-01 13:48:26

I am all for getting rid of the tax deferment for 401k’s, too. I have never had a 401k, and don’t want one. Most people don’t have a 401k, or any stocks at all.

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2013-01-01 14:55:37

‘Most people don’t have a 401k, or any stocks at all’

‘(Reuters) - Washington’s last-minute scramble to step back from a “fiscal cliff” ran into trouble on Tuesday as Republicans in the House of Representatives balked at a deal to avert a budget crisis. With financial markets closed for the New Year’s Day holiday, lawmakers have only Tuesday to close the deal before Wall Street has time to weigh in.’

“My district cannot afford to wait a few days and have the stock market go down 300 points tomorrow if we don’t get together and do something,” Representative Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, said on the House floor.”

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-heading-off-fiscal-cliff-025839073.html

We can’t disappoint wall street now, can we Mr. Cohen?

 
Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 17:06:38

IMO, the idea of confronting wall street touched a real nerve with the public

It did, and was quickly demonized by the MSM, and J6Pack’s attention was diverted.

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2013-01-01 18:37:41

‘quickly demonized…attention was diverted;

I’m sure there will be some examination of what went down, but the way I remember it, the core groups resisted taking specific positions and focused on the right to pitch a tent. We went round and round on this blog about it. Then when they had lost momentum, the remnant took up foreclosure squatting, etc. They squandered the goodwill, IMO. But what matters is the public will get behind a grass roots movement against the money establishment. It could be on the streets or in politics.

 
Comment by ahansen
2013-01-01 23:33:00

The TeaParty hold outs in the House Republicans are doing a pretty good job of standing up to the money establishment, it seems to me.

 
Comment by tresho
2013-01-02 05:47:04

But what matters is the public will get behind a grass roots movement against the money establishment.
This will take a lot more education, especially among members of the public who can’t balance their personal accounts and do their own taxes. I watch the MSM for any evidence that the realities have percolated through to this level — and have seen very little progress since 2007. MSM is still talking up a non-existent ‘recovery’ and breathlessly following stock market indices multiple times a day.

 
 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 10:41:47

I (like most of his supporters, despite the constant propaganda otherwise) am not a wide-eyed worshipful fanatic of Obama, thinking he can do no wrong. I merely saw and see him as the least-worst option to run the country.

I find the charges made in that article to be appalling and worrying, but I need to read the source material, which I haven’t had a chance to do as yet. I don’t know if it isn’t just framing certain logical and reasonable communication and coordination between various law enforcement agencies and the like as something more sinister than it is, similar to the crap about the Bengazi consulate attack.

Having said that, though, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a lot of unconstitutional activities carried out by the PTB, regarding the Occupy movement. Wouldn’t surprise me a bit, as I saw it happen on the news.

The banksters have a lot of power, now and always, in every country in the world, throughout history. I seek to contain their power, but I don’t fool myself that this can be done by supporting any one man, policy, or party.

It’s a neverending battle with the dark side of the force.

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Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2013-01-01 12:34:54

. Supporting Obama is supporting the 1%. So where’s the outrage, progressives?

I am outraged that Obama is a tool of Wall Street and the banks.

And I’m outraged that the Republicans are way worse. It is outrageous what America has become.

American politics by and for the 1% is outrageous.

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Comment by Professor Bear
2013-01-01 16:24:09

This post reminds me: How many of you have caught Les Miserables by now? We saw it yesterday…very potent realization of a story for the ages.

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Comment by Carl Morris
2013-01-01 16:30:44

It’s tempting but I really do like dialogue between songs.

 
Comment by Professor Bear
2013-01-01 16:34:31

Although I enjoyed the movie, I suspect it will suffer from a lack of appeal to those like you, who prefer less emphasis on musical numbers, and hard-core Broadway types, who will find some of the actors’ musical skills lacking.

 
 
Comment by Pimp Watch
2013-01-01 18:49:43

So where’s the outrage, progressives? Or are you all a bunch of hypocrites?

Why of course they’re hypocrites! They’re shitting all over themselves working on printing free passes for every one of O’s statist manuevers. The best part about him anymore??? He’s black and the loons hate him for it. Otherwise he sucks.

Now I can appreciate the left’s seething contempt for the right wing, conservative evangelical hypocrisy. Look how pathetic they were….. old, rich, ugly white men having public roundtables on topics like vaginas, rape, etc. How stunningly pathetic. And I even feel vindicated(just like the lefties do) knowing that right wing lunacy like we’ve seen in the past year(longer really) will keep them out of power for a while.

But really…. what are we left with? O and his merry band of landed gentry in congress is setting up their own personal trusts and revenue streams inside of government operations. Just like the other side did.

So seriously….. WTF are you all arguing about? The parties and their mouthpieces are distinctions without a difference.

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Comment by robin
2013-01-01 21:40:40

It sucks, and we’re pissed!!

You left off the “click to register your outrage here” box.

X

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Comment by Pimp Watch
2013-01-01 21:57:19

Signing off with “X” is a sign of cowardice.

 
 
Comment by ahansen
2013-01-01 23:25:18

“…So where’s the outrage, progressives?”

If you haven’t heard it, you’ve not been listening very hard. Glenn Greenwald, Matt Stoller, Bill Mahrer are among the more vocal. A quick google search of “progressive criticism of Obama” yields 17 million hits. Here’s a good place to start:

http://www.salon.com/2012/10/27/the_progressive_case_against_obama/.

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Comment by Ben Jones
2013-01-01 23:32:55

‘ you’ve not been listening very hard’

I’m asking the so-called progressives on this blog. Are you writing the white house asking WTF on this? Have you sent any emails in disgust? Or are you happy that Obama got more money for his killing machine today?

You know, this isn’t a game, and we’re dealing with people that kill all the time.

 
Comment by ahansen
2013-01-01 23:37:37

“Are you writing the white house asking WTF on this? Have you sent any emails in disgust?”

Constantly.

 
Comment by ahansen
2013-01-01 23:40:06

And I’m heartbroken that the military cuts were exempted. You may notice I’ve not posted most of the afternoon and evening until now. Guess what I’ve been doing instead? Hint: I’m on a first-name basis with my Congressman and Senator’s chiefs of staff.

 
 
 
Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 10:34:53

First lady’s Aspen trip marks 16th vacation in 3 years for Obama family

Published February 21, 2012

WASHINGTON – First Lady Michelle Obama took her daughters on a ski trip to Aspen over President’s Day weekend, the 16th trip the first family has taken since President Obama took office.

Over the past three years, the president, first lady and their daughters Sasha and Malia have vacationed in Europe and Africa, and in various vacation hotspots around the U.S.

They have also traveled multiple times to Chicago, where they lived before the president was elected.

The family has spent every Christmas since taking office in Obama’s native Hawaii.

Here is a full list of the 16 vacations, first compiled by The Washington Examiner:

– President’s Day 2012, Michelle and the girls go to Aspen to ski.

– Christmas 2011, the first family goes to Hawaii for an extended vacation.

– Summer 2011, the family visits Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., for the annual beach break.

– June 2011, the first lady, her mother and daughters travel to South Africa and Botswana.

– President’s Day 2011, the first lady and first daughters travel to Vail to ski.

– Christmas 2010, the first family goes to Hawaii.

– August 2010, post-BP oil spill beach trip to Panama City Beach, Fla.

– August 2010, Obama travels to Chicago alone for a weekend 49th birthday bash (and fundraiser).

– August 2010, the first lady and daughter Sasha travel to Spain for a mother-daughter vacation.

– August 2010, the family spends summer vacation in Martha’s Vineyard.

– July 2010, the first family goes to Mount Desert Island, Maine.

– May 2010, the first family takes a four-day trip to Chicago.

– March 2010, first lady and daughters spend spring break in New York City.

– Christmas 2009, the family goes to Hawaii for the winter break.

– August 2009, everyone heads to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon for a short vacation.

– August 2009, the first family takes its first vacation from the White House at Martha’s Vineyard.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/21/first-ladys-aspen-trip-marks-16th-vacation-in-3-years-for-obama-family/ - 43k -

Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 10:56:31

They don’t have ranches and beach compounds they can spend all their time at like the GOPsters.

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Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 11:32:51

Why doesn’t Fox report this, too:

Calls to several Presidential libraries reveal that President Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, was on vacation more — 1,020 days — than any U.S. President since Herbert Hoover and possibly more than any other President in history.

Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was in office 12 years from 1933 to 1945, was on vacation less days than President Bush at 958 days. Calls to several Presidential Libraries reveal that no President can come close to Bush’s 1,020 days on vacation in an 8 year period. Even Lyndon Johnson, who spent 484 days at his ranch in Texas and at Camp David during his presidency, came in under Bush’s vacation time.
politics365

But see it’s different if it’s a rich white guy at his ranch. He’s still workin’… maybe clearin’ brush (as W used to say was his favorite activity there).

But ‘those people’ just go on wasteful vacations, like taking their kids to a national park.

 
Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 12:04:30

“at his ranch.”

Aspen to ski.

Hawaii for an extended vacation

Martha’s Vineyard

mother and daughters travel to South Africa and Botswana.

the first lady and first daughters travel to Vail to ski.

the first lady and daughter Sasha travel to Spain for a mother-daughter vacation.

 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 12:46:32

He doesn’t have a huge ranch to which he can retreat, where he can take more vacation days than any president in history, like Bush did. Nor does he have a family beach compound in New England.

And his interests are bigger than clearin’ brush. As they should be, for a president.

 
Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 15:11:43

“And his interests are bigger than clearin’ brush.”

No doubt in my mind.

George Kaiser, Obama Donor, Discussed Solyndra Loan With White House, Emails Show

MATTHEW DALY 11/ 9/11 09:41 PM ET Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A major donor to President Barack Obama discussed with White House officials a solar energy company that received a half-billion dollar federal loan and later went bankrupt, newly released emails show.

The emails released by a House committee appear to contradict repeated assurances by the Obama administration that the donor, George Kaiser, never talked about Solyndra Inc. with the White House.

Solyndra’s name came up at a White House meeting with Kaiser last year at a time when the California company was seeking a second federal loan, after it had already received a $528 million loan in 2009, the emails show.

The second loan was not approved. Instead, an investment venture controlled by Kaiser made a private loan that resulted in the firm and other investors moving ahead of taxpayers in line for repayment in case of a default by Solyndra.

Solyndra, the first renewable energy company to receive a federal loan under the 2009 stimulus law, declared bankruptcy in September and laid off its 1,100 workers, leaving taxpayers on the hook for more than a half-billion dollars.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/09/george-kaiser-solyndra_n_1084568.html - 381k -

 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 15:51:25

Ah, Solyndra! I guess you realized how badly you were losing the ‘Obama vacations all the time’ right wing talking point battle, what with Bush taking so many more.

Time to fall back to another tired and weak right wing talking point.

 
Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 17:00:29

Losing what? Money and debt mean nothing to any of them. The Obama vacations and Pilosi the 1 %er govt. jet to fly back and forth to Cali. Everybody screamed (and rightfully so) when the CEOs of the bankrupt car companies traveled better than first class but it`s OK for the leaders of our bankrupt country to blow huge bucks living like the Kings and Queens they believe they are?

Bull sh#t! It`s obsene. 16 trillion now, 20 trillion when he is done. Where does it stop? Where are the grown ups?

I don`t know about alpha-ville but everywhere I have ever lived you have to pay your bills and pay for groceries. Unless China starts handing out SNAP cards and HAMP programs loli pop land ain`t gonna last.

U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ - 213k

Big Three CEOs Flew Private Jets to Plead for Public Funds

By BRIAN ROSS (@brianross) and JOSEPH RHEE
November 19, 2008

The CEOs of the big three automakers flew to the nation’s capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running out of cash and needs $25 billion in taxpayer money to avoid bankruptcy.

The CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler may have told Congress that they will likely go out of business without a bailout yet that has not stopped them from traveling in style, not even First Class is good enough.

“This is a slap in the face of taxpayers,” said Tom Schatz, President of Citizens Against Government Waste. “To come to Washington on a corporate jet, and asking for a hand out is outrageous.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/WallStreet/story?id=6285739&page=1 -

 
 
Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 11:03:46

Meh, First Families always take lots of vacations. That’s the least of our worries. More money gets wasted in a single pork barrel line item (say like a bridge to nowhere).

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Comment by Professor Bear
2013-01-01 16:31:28

Don’t miss the racist slant in this obsessive fixation on Obama’s vacations…

 
Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 17:17:33

I accidentally through Pelosi’s jet in my last rant. Sorry, I guess I must have forgotten she was white. I can`t figure out why I don`t like her or Biden or Rham, I mean given that they are white and everything.

Nor can I figure out why I voted for Alan West both times he ran, I mean given that he is black and everything. Oh well, I guess we racists are just hard to figure out.

But since you are so smart and not racisst and all, when Obama`s second term is done and we have a 20 trillion dollar debt do you have some person of color that can get us out of it?

 
 
Comment by ahansen
2013-01-01 11:25:53

You do understand that the Obama family’s “vacations” are not your and my family vacations, right? The unofficial job of the First Family is to represent America at home and around the world and serve as goodwill ambassadors for our country. When you and I go on vacation we’re not expected to make public appearances, show up at ceremonies and receptions in our honor, make public speeches, shake endless hands and smile endless smiles. Nor are we being scrutinized and photographed every time we go out for an ice cream cone.

Criticizing the Obamas for doing their job is as silly as criticizing Great Britain’s royal family for promoting the Crown, or movie stars for promoting their films. It’s what they do. Every day. And if they want to get out of the DC fishbowl a few times a year and just be a family, I say more power to them. They deserve it.

In any case, I’d far rather have our beautiful First Lady and her well-mannered daughters representing me and providing an example to our country’s young girls than those loutish Bush twins.

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Comment by GrizzlyBear
2013-01-01 10:22:37

What a joke the fiscal cliff deal turned out to be. It looks like the fat cats got exactly what they wanted. Capital gains taxes moved from 15% to 20%. Big whoop. Meanwhile, hard working middle class folks pay well over 30%. Ever wonder how the truly wealthy made their money? Why, capital gains of course! Which is, quite apparently, amassed more easily through lower taxes.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/richest-400-people-america-got-201519751.html

Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 11:05:04

Surprise, surprise! Once again, they kicked the can.

Comment by rms
2013-01-01 15:50:28

“Surprise, surprise! Once again, they kicked the can.”

Remember Hemingway kicking the can?

 
 
Comment by Anon In DC
2013-01-01 11:51:36

Does n’t the capital gain rate apply the same to everyone evenly? I doubt that middle class taxpayers (however that is defined) pay a 30% capital gain rate. Unless you mean 30% on earned income? I like that capital gain rates are less than earned income rates. It encourages people to save and invest. I think interest income should be tax free as Romney was proposing. An alternative could be the same rate applied to all income and ALL INCOME BRACKETS pay the same rate. 10% is good. Let’s get rid of the argument over rates since the unit of measure for paying taxes is dollars not rate. Someone with an income of $10K pays his $1K and some with an million dollar income pays his $100K.

The federal government’s money troubles are on the spend side of the equation not the revenue side.

Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 12:01:59

You are right. I have colleagues in their 20s who always discuss stocks (”gasp!”) and they are aware of the capital gains tax hikes themselves. Yesterday one came to my office and complained about taxes and he’s looking for ways to cut taxes. I told him that he and his wife should have kids (I was joking). He does not want that. I told him to buy a house in the OC - that’s what he’s looking into. Not sure if MID will go away but he’s in love with California and born in California so he would not consider moving to a state with no income tax. I told him that he could convert a traditional IRA to a Roth. His income is above the Roth contribution limit and he was not aware of the conversion idea.

It always amuses me the people who think all people who invest in stocks are old white rich men. Obama should know better. He is the worst class warfare president since FDR. But I profited in stocks under Obama so he’s not all bad…

Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 12:26:26

$1 in cuts for each $41 in new taxes, is this really a “balanced approach?”?

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the last-minute fiscal cliff deal reached by congressional leaders and President Barack Obama cuts only $15 billion in spending while increasing tax revenues by $620 billion—a 41:1 ratio of tax increases to spending cuts.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130101071336AAu2b2u -

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Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 12:48:39

a 41:1 ratio of tax increases to spending cuts.

Wow, looks like Obama really schooled those putzes. Goes to show what you can do when you’re well-rested from your vacations.

 
Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 15:00:18

Just think of all the failed Green energy companies we can back with that new tax revenue!

U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ - 213k -

 
Comment by ecofeco
2013-01-01 19:54:31

Failed?

Every single indicator shows renewable energy capacity and sales constantly rising every year. By very large amounts.

In other words, the industry is doing just fine and will continue to do just fine even after the incentives are ended.

 
Comment by nickpapageorgio
2013-01-01 23:29:21

“Wow, looks like Obama really schooled those putzes.”

Just a game to you?

 
 
 
Comment by GrizzlyBear
2013-01-01 13:12:33

Capital gains should be taxed the same as earned income. The reason it is not is because those who benefit most from it can afford to lobby for lower rates.

Comment by vinceinwaukesha
2013-01-01 14:56:50

cap gains should be taxed a little lower for two reasons:

1) The govt directly centrally controls all earned income, regulation, monopolies, licenses, govt contracts, etc. Cap gains are at least theoretically indirectly govt controlled at most, sometimes come from genuine capitalism even. So the govt is more responsible for earned income, thus should take more of it, whereas, despite the name, unearned income is more honestly earned by the individual, so the govt should take less.

2) WRT corporation income, given a $1 the corp decides to issue it to stockholders as a cap gain because of increase in book value, or issue it to stockholders as a dividend. In theory, corps are better at growing an economy than .gov or the general population, so you want a tax code that encourages corporations to keep their money and invest internally, resulting in capgains, rather than get rid of the money by dividends where the masses and .gov via taxes will just waste it. So in the long run you’re better off with lower capgains to discourage dividend payments.

There’s also a tangential argument where its a “better” economy where shareholders decide when they’ll be taxed not corporations… I control when I pay taxes on every $1 of capgains, but I have no control over some nut deciding to send me $1 of dividends. Even stockbrokers benefit by money being distributed via capgains instead of dividends because you can’t take capgains without a sales commission, but you certainly can take dividends without a commission. Pretty much everyone benefits by corp income being redistributed via capgains instead of dividends except the .gov, and they’re bought and paid for, so even thats not a problem.

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Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 16:04:15

Those two reasons are pretty darn weak.

Number 1 is absurd: “The govt directly centrally controls all earned income” is simply not true, unless you have a bizarre and wide-ranging conspiracy theory, which needs to be proven first. ” [U]nearned income is more honestly earned by the individual” is laughable.

Number 2 basically asserts we’re better off without government getting any taxes, because they’ll “waste it on the masses”. This is an example of the trickle down economic theory, which is failing right before our eyes.

 
Comment by Prime_Is_Contained
2013-01-01 18:35:49

Those two reasons are pretty darn weak.

Agreed.

There is one, and only ONE good reason for capital gains to be slightly lower than income-tax rates: inflation.

If I put away $100 of some asset, and ten years later that same asset is worth $150, but that $150 only has the buying power of $100 ten years prior, has any gain actually occurred? Nope.

Capitals gains should be inflation-adjusted by the CPI. Only gains that are over and above inflation should be taxed at all.

But what portion DOES get taxed should get taxed at a taxpayer’s normal marginal rates.

It shouldn’t matter whether I work for my income by the sweat of my brow, or whether my assets work for me; the tax rate that applies should be the same.

 
Comment by tresho
2013-01-02 05:50:10

Capitals gains should be inflation-adjusted by the CPI.
CPI has been and will be fraudulently re-defined to adjust for this. The fraudulent part will be defined as justifiable / legal / obvious by economists.

 
 
Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 14:58:31

There was no capital gains tax, no dividend tax prior to 1913. Property taxes themselves are relatively new. The income tax only existed from 1860 to 1870 prior to 1913. America got along fine without taxes. Tariffs were employed instead. The power to tax was only considered for emergencies only by a highly educated Congress, a far different breed of people than the thieves the last 100 years.

Once we had “permanent” taxes, it was NO coincidence the USA became world cop and involved itself in every conflict around the globe.

To wish for another tax is a symptom of “progressivism,” the disease that, I predict, is going to be on the way out when the next crisis (larger than the “fiscal cliff”) takes ahold.

Social engineering is a disgusting mental disease where people fantasize and dream (waking up in sticky sheets) about manipulating other people through the gun of a thug.

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Comment by ecofeco
2013-01-01 19:57:45

…or their sex lives, right?

 
 
 
 
Comment by Rental Watch
2013-01-02 01:11:38

One big problem with capital gains taxes today (aside from them not being very progressive) is that your basis is not indexed to inflation…so, you can buy something for $100, and sell it for $110…3 years later, and even though you didn’t have any “real” gains (with 3% annual inflation as an estimate), get taxed on $10.

The way I see it is from a public policy perspective (still wanting to attract investment $):

1. You can either have no inflation adjustment to your basis, and low capital gains rates; or
2. Higher capital gains rates, but adjust your basis to reflect changes in inflation.

 
 
Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 10:29:15

I wasn`t going to but what the hell. :)

Critics claim Hillary Clinton suffers from ‘Benghazi Flu.’

Is Hillary Clinton really ill?

by Opinion Staff

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was unavailable to testify before congressional hearings into the attack on the U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, because she suffered a concussion in a fall.

Critics claim Hillary Clinton suffers from ‘Benghazi Flu.’ (AP file photo)

Some critics of the Obama administration, however, expressed skepticism. U.S. Rep. Allen West, for one, said he thought she was suffering from the “Benghazi Flu.”

Initial investigations of the Benghazi attacks, in which Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans died, have been very critical of high-level State Department officials, several of whom have resigned or been reassigned.

However, official reports have not traced the blame up to Mrs. Clinton’s level.

Critics expressing doubt as to whether Mrs. Clinton really was ill have said they think she is trying to duck in-depth questioning about State Department failures.

Mrs. Clinton now has entered a New York hospital for treatment of a blood clot associated with the fall that caused the concussion. Her doctors did not immediately say where the clot is. The later concluded it is behind her right ear. Supporters say the development proves that comments about the “Benghazi Flu” were baseless and mean-spirited.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 31st, 2012 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Foreign Policy, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or

Comment by ahansen
2013-01-01 11:33:46

Obviously, the CIA poison-darted her so she wouldn’t spill the beans on Benghazi. Right now she’s actually undergoing a Manchurian Candidate-style reprogramming in some obscure ward of the Naval Hospital to erase her memory banks so she won’t have to testify before a House select committee and ruin Obama’s chances at reelection.

Oh, wait….

 
Comment by Anon In DC
2013-01-01 11:54:33

This is funny. Imagine people thought a politician was dissembling / avoiding responsibility / lying as though it has never happened. Especially with Hillary Clinton.

Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 13:33:13

Posted: 1:41 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013

Clinton receiving blood thinners to dissolve clot

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON —
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to recover in a New York hospital where she’s being treated for a blood clot in her head.

Her doctors say blood thinners are being used to dissolve the clot and they are confident she will make a full recovery. Clinton didn’t suffer a stroke or neurological damage from the clot that formed after she suffered a concussion during a fainting spell at her home in early December, doctors said in a statement Monday.

Blood thinners usually are enough to treat the clot and it should have no long-term consequences if her doctors are saying she has suffered no neurological damage from it, Goldstein said.

Beyond talk of future politics, Clinton’s three-week absence from the State Department has raised eyebrows among some conservative commentators who questioned the seriousness of her ailment after she canceled planned Dec. 20 testimony before Congress on the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Clinton had been due to discuss with lawmakers a scathing report she had commissioned on the attack. It found serious failures of leadership and management in two State Department bureaus were to blame for insufficient security at the facility. Clinton took responsibility for the incident before the report was released, but she was not blamed. Four officials cited in the report have either resigned or been reassigned.

Copyright The Associated Press

Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 14:51:20

Doctors orders:

Take 2 aspirin and don`t testify for four years.

Is aspirin a blood thinner
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_aspirin_a_blood_thinner - 84k -

Yes

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Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 13:45:50

Thank God or I mean thank government she didn`t need a craniotomy for her ‘Benghazi Flu’ clot. Nor was there the need for “placing a bolt”. Except on the door Hilary was behind when they tried to ask her questions about Benghazi.

“One option may include craniotomy, drilling a hole into the skull or removing part of one of the skull bones to remove or drain a blood clot, and thereby relieve pressure on brain tissue.”

“Other times, the treatment is supportive, and there may be a need to monitor the pressure within the brain. The neurosurgeon may place a pressure monitor through a drilled hole through the skull to monitor the pressure. The slang term for this procedure is “placing a bolt.”

 
 
Comment by Professor Bear
2013-01-01 16:36:10

It’s great to see the far-out right hasn’t run out of conspiracy nuts with access to the MSM bully pulpit.

Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 17:25:44

Can you say that a little louder Candy?

 
Comment by ecofeco
2013-01-01 19:59:49

Even greater to see the far right still accusing large corporations of being liberal.

 
 
 
Comment by frankie
2013-01-01 10:37:43

Saudi Arabia’s riches conceal a growing problem of poverty

In a country with vast oil wealth and lavish royalty, an estimated quarter of Saudis live below the poverty line

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/01/saudi-arabia-riyadh-poverty-inequality

I think my watch phrase for 2013 will be “This isn’t going to end well”

Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 11:09:16

How do you say “SNAP card” and “section 8 housing” in Arabic?

Comment by rms
2013-01-01 15:55:29

AK-47

 
 
Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 11:15:56

While middle-class Saudi youths have all the latest gadgets, Shamir’s 14-year-old daughter, Norah, has never sent an email or seen Facebook. Her husband has a second wife who has another 10 children. Most of them are unemployed.

Now that’s interesting … not only can’t he provide for wife #1 and their 5 kids, he has another wife and 10 more kids.

I guess at this rate of reproduction, eventually everyone will be Muslim someday.

Comment by bungabunga
2013-01-01 11:35:00

Good for the growth of drone industry and jobs in USA.

 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-01-01 11:38:30

eventually everyone will be Muslim someday

Muslim, Mormon, or Scientologist. That will be an interesting world.

Comment by In Colorado
2013-01-01 16:50:18

I think the Muslims have the LDS beat hands down on this one.

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Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 17:37:56

Bad prediction on Peyton and the Broncos this year by the way. Don`t lose heart though, Peyton is not a great playoff guy.

 
 
 
Comment by Albuquerquedan
2013-01-01 11:40:06

The Sunni vs. Shiite war is about to expand. Saudi Arabia needs to keep its numbers up particularly since its oil region has significant Shiite numbers.

Comment by aNYCdj
2013-01-01 20:15:34

now if they would grow some and blow up each others mosques while on their prayer cloths,we might get some peace in this world. I hate when innocent people get in the crossfire….

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Comment by Resistor
2013-01-01 11:57:42

“ST. PETERSBURG — A woman watching fireworks from a second-floor balcony of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club was hit by a falling bullet shortly after midnight.”

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/accidents/stray-bullet-finds-woman-watching-fireworks-display-from-yacht-club/1268534

Florida always delivers “celebratory” gunfire.

Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 13:18:08

“Florida always delivers “celebratory” gunfire.”

I know right. I think I will move to Chicago, oh wait….

At least 11 people shot, 1 fatally, in early hours of new year

SUN-TIMES MEDIA January 1, 2013 4:50AM

EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the hate speech and destructive nature of many of the comments being left on this article, commenting has been disabled.

On New Year’s Day, 11 people were shot, one fatally, in Chicago.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/17331248-418/at-least-5-people-shot-in-early-hours-of-new-year.html - -

Comment by Bill in Los Angeles
2013-01-01 15:00:13

Thank you for your post! RKBA Forever! Be ever vigilant for your RKBA.

 
Comment by Resistor
2013-01-01 15:43:47

The Tampa Region is the only placed I have ever lived with “celebratory” gunfire. This is when people fire their guns in the air during the 4th of July or New Years parties.

This is different than “a shooting.”

It happens here every year.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/police-victims-know-frustration-of-fighting-celebratory-gunfire/1209488

Comment by Professor Bear
2013-01-01 16:38:41

It’s also a tradition in Richmond, CA. We tended to stay away from the area on New Year’s Eve when we lived there.

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Comment by joesmith
2013-01-01 16:54:34

Celebratory gunfire is something urban thugs and sand state w.t.’s have in common.

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Comment by moral hazard
2013-01-01 17:21:23

“urban thugs”

Where`s the racist flag?

 
Comment by aNYCdj
2013-01-01 20:17:28

howz bout dem redneck cowboy gun shootin thuggersz?

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2013-01-01 23:08:50

Ha, you guys ain’t seen nothin. Check out the fully automatic handgun about 25 seconds in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4_-CCLn9wA

I used to walk around Reynosa at night all the time. I wouldn’t dare now.

 
Comment by tresho
2013-01-02 05:51:39

I used to walk around Reynosa at night all the time.
I wouldn’t walk around Albuquerque at night.

 
 
 
 
 
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