Just remember when you see a "groundswell" of popular support against a law that will affect a major company, many times their employees are forced to write letters or demonstrate against these measure... my gf's company just forced her to do this...

Trace

simplistic and harsh as this sounds, this is exactly what people need to do. All it takes for evil to take hold is for good people to nothing.

Trace

Exactly. A debit card is attached to your checking account, not a line of credit. Not very long ago, in land without ATMs and debit cards, (seriously, that was like in the late 80s) people had to write checks and stop by the bank on Friday to get enough cash for the weekends. There was zero overdrafting without a fee, and you had to hand write balances and transactions in your little check register. Archaic as it may seem these days, that type of attention, planning and awareness was required of every single adult that banked.

Trace

that is interesting. The more "wealthy" of my friends, people who have made over 100k for several years of their lives before turning 35, did not get a 4 year degree. Yet my poorest friends have at least a bachelor's and some have graduate credits. But I have to say, my college educated friends are much more interesting and I daresay, more confident.

Trace

Income taxes are a huge industry. I seriously doubt they will ever go away or become simpler. That said, I agree that a sales tax model is probably more likely to be fair and invite far, far less intrusion into people's lives.

Trace

2010 is when the cap. gains tax cut is due to expire. After that it goes back to the way it usually is: addition to regular income.

Trace

not necessarily. People who make 50k are not currently taxed on the entire 50k. They get their deduction and exemption. So a single person with no children making 50k is only going to pay taxes on 40,650.

So then their tax is calculated at the following rate: $4675 + 25% of the amt over 33,950. In our example that equals: $6350, which is 12.7% of their total 50K income. A 10% flat tax is not much difference than what that person already pays.

But let's say a person makes 50K and has two kids but is unmarried. This is not an uncommon situation.

Starting with the head of household deduction and exemptions for three members of the family, this person will not be taxed on $19,300 of their income. Their taxable income is 30,700 So their tax is calculated at $835.00 + 15% of amt over 8350 = $4187.50 . However, the gov't gives lots of credit for kids, and this person's two children are worth $2000 toward taxes. So, if there is nothing else to deduct or get credit for, this person pays $2187.50 in taxes : 4.375% of their income. Obviously that is less than half the taxes proposed by the OP.

Trace

Yes it is better to isolate any sick chickens. I use a dog crate and bring it inside. But you could put it in any little cage, a rabbit cage or something and keep it in a garage or shed or something. I've also found that sick chickens seem to react well to being fed fruits like oranges, strawberries etc.

Trace

Chickens are easy to raise. You can keep them in some cities. You do need to be prepared to deal with the occasional sick and dead chicken though. I think it is best to have a rooster, but some cities don't allow that.

Trace

haha, yea I guess so.

Trace

it's simply a matter of scale. In effect Europe as a whole had a Glass-Steagall barrier in the form of multiple, independent nations. In the US Glass-Steagall attempted to mimic Europe by erecting barriers that prevented banks from ignoring state regulations. Once the state barrier is broken the US less resembles Europe, and more resembles the USSR.

Trace

true, true. I've dissed the big O for being a plastic action figure from the start.

Trace

assholes are people too

Trace

no surprise there, but that only means that would be the bottom, not the end. The economy probably won't be good for several more years.

Trace

no doubt that is wild, crazy and hard-to-imagine. At the same time his performance in the op is also wild crazy and hard-to-imagine.

Trace

They are beautiful!

Trace

Interesting points. I also wonder how much of this is simply generational. The Boomers who run the nonprofits I am in, seem to be grasping on old ideals that no longer apply. Sometimes I feel that we are hostage to their nostalgia.

I also agree with number 3, except that rather than flat, nonprofits seem to have a lot of flat with just a couple of postions that pay enough to live off of. The director or something who gets the highest share of the wages.

I am thinking that these very few well-paid positions should have term limits of 3-5 years or so. That would motivate others to become better prepared and also prevent a situation where one or a small group can make a career of their non-profit.

Trace

I wonder how much a problem it is for nonprofits to find and maintain good leaders that actually teach others to lead. I know it is in my non-profit.

Trace

Apparently, it surprises people to discover that trade creates entanglements and dependencies.

Trace

Nicely detailed story. It isn't your typical "the sky is falling and it's polluted," though they do try to make this more than it is.

Interesting to see that global shipping exchange is down 25%. That's a win for the Earth.

Trace

America is experiencing hubris--an overpowering pride. This is because America does not have an opposing force to force humility. But, like the cold war itself, this era will evolve--time will bring change. How will America change? Will peak oil or other calamity humble our politicians and corporate overlords? Will China man up and threaten the Eagle in Asia? Maybe America will become the playground for the powerful but sadistic, bringing a new level of totalitarianism, new, live broadcast, gladiatorial entertainment, and consume itself in a display of might and ennui?

Trace

Actually, I am not aware of any such incident, but compare it to children killed in cars, or by drunk people, or hell, compare it to the number of children who are accidentally killed by perfectly good parents.

think for a second.

Trace

Many people may be surprised by this, especially considering how seldom children are shot while hunting. Sometimes a tragedy is just a tragedy.

Trace

It is a cultural difference. Americans are more familiar with guns than many civilized cultures. But what can you do?

Trace

just goes to show that people kill people

Trace

Very true. The scales of justice are always up and down, there is no use in jumping on them.

Trace

TROPHY CASE

you'll need to login or register to do that

create a new account

login