I just read somewhere on the web, Paul Krugman's prize of $1.4 million is NOT taxable. If he thinks BHO's tax plan is so good, I suggest he donate 39.6% to the Treasury.
GF
Last edited by galaxy flyer : 15th October 2008 at 04:42.
If Obama does become the next president, one can only hope that he can build bridges and repair the good name of the US in international circles.
I'm afraid Obama's honeymoon with Europe will be short-lived if he is elected.
If elected, Obama would have to make good on a number of far-left promises he made to the liberal base. His mantra of "change" is really a smokescreen for a series of old and tired democratic policies, none of which ever benefited Europe (much less the U.S.).
And since Obama would have a democratic congress, these policies would probably be enacted:
- Elimination of free trade agreements, and protection of U.S. industries through higher import fees. Result, fewer European imports to the U.S., creating slower growth and higher unemployment.
- Higher tax rates, slowing growth resulting in fewer investments in capital goods purchased from Europe and elsewhere, ditto above.
- Not to mention his "negotiation without preconditions" and right to use military action in Pakistan without Pakistan permission. Talk about cowboy actons...would be hard for Europeans to forge a common policy with an Obama administration.
..and the list goes on.
Point is, Obama would be President of the U.S., not President of Europe or the World. He will stun and disappoint Europe terribly when he acts in his own narrow interests. Might as well get ready, the newness will wear off this character very quickly indeed.
"Hope and Change", BHO says! Well, check this out. The Dems Hope to recreate the Great Depression as a way to Change America to their ideals. Watch out!!
GTF I told you the Democrats will produce real socialism
And this if you want to understand the difference between GTF and GF. It's not just a "T".
GF
Last edited by galaxy flyer : 15th October 2008 at 04:34.
Anyone hear Obama talking to the plumber in Ohio today?
I've never really felt fear for the nation till I heard his reply when pressed about taxes by said plumber.
He wants to "spread the wealth around." was the answer given.
Marx couldn't have said it any better.
The video link is available online, I cant seem to open it on my computer. If someone would be so kind to provide the link please.
GTF
I believe you said somewhere on this thread you prefer regulated capitalism over socialism. If BO is good to his word about redistributing the wealth, are you left with any doubts as which version BO prefers?
Starting to sound like the only Change Obama will have for us is the Change left in our empty pockets after he is done with all his welfare handouts.
Or maybe I should have not said welfare handouts.
Should have said government assistance for all those work challenged lazy people.
Anyone hear Obama talking to the plumber in Ohio today?
I've never really felt fear for the nation till I heard his reply when pressed about taxes by said plumber.
He wants to "spread the wealth around." was the answer given.
Marx couldn't have said it any better.
The massive, no let that be stupendous, budget deficits that the US has accumulated under The Duck will need tax increases, massive tax increases. One day you will get a statesman that cares about generations not elections. The last Republican one was Ike.
The bank bailout. Too late.
You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else.-Winston Churchill.
Oh I am so sorry Matari, did I not thank the US for saving us from Nazism and Communism?
You know at some point it really does become very wearisome that every American seems to think they saved the world and any question is answered with "dont forget without us you would be speaking German/Russian/Vogon/Cantonese"
And you wonder why we think Americans are poorly educated tossers with no sense of history beyond 1941?
Just trying (in vain it seems) to get you to see the relationship between the wonderful life you lead (i've been in Luxembourg, great beer btw) and the interventionist policies of the U.S.
Trying to illustrate that what you seem to wish for, such as a weaker U.S., isolationist v. interventionist policies, trade protection, etc. will in the long run be worse for Europe.
Not trying to be a tosser at all. Just trying to get you to see a different perspective.
despite what you are interpreting I am fully aware of what a weaker US would mean for Europe, and frankly I do not believe that McCain/Palin will strengthen the US. Bush certainly has not done so, and significant change of direction is needed. There will be pain. There will be unpleasant side effects of that there is no doubt.
However, should the US need to protect it's economy with higher trade tarriffs or whatever measures are required, somehow, from what I have seen so far, Obama would have a greater measure of success keeping allies on side.
On this side of the Atlantic, we do not have any input into the US elections, and as you correctly state, we will feel the effects of your democratic choices. In management-speak we are stakeholders, and we have a vested interest in the outcome of the US elections. My opinions are my own, and will have absolutely no effect on the outcome of any US voters choice, if, however, I do somehow manage to string enough words together that you can understand what some Europeans feel about the state of the US and what we have experienced in the past 8 years maybe, just maybe, we can have a conversation that doesn't have some mention of WW2 in it.
Why the fear, loathing and dread at "spreading the wealth around"?
Is that more scary than "I want to take all the wealth off the poor folks and hand it to my few rich buddies"?
I think in our friend the plumber's view, it's six of one, a half-dozen of the other. He (as I understand his specific case, and I may be wrong) wants to buy a business that apparently will somewhat marginally improve his standard of living in the short-term and maybe somewhat more than that over the longer term because he plans to reinvest in his business for trucks and the like. Regardless of whether he does this or not, this will push his business income beyond a threshold where Obama's plan will tax the dickens out of him. This is not encouragement for small-scale entrepreneurship and I can see the fellow's point.
The extremely wealthy will always find ways around being taxed because they can find and afford attorneys who will help them maneuver around the tax code, be it individual, business, or both. Obama's plan is not going to redistribute wealth from these people because he'll never so much as get a peek at it. Obama's plan is codifying into law the 'crabs in a bucket' syndrome. As soon as one starts to climb out, the others drag it back in. Aussies call it 'tall poppy' syndrome, I believe. More or less the same thing.
Hmmmm. We always hear so many reasons why the rich shouldn't be taxed, don't we?
"It won't bring much revenue - there aren't many of them"
"It won't be easy to get at because they have such good accountants and lawyers"
"It'll drive them to live abroad"
"We need to pay them that well to encourage enterprise"
All bollocks, of course, not to mention mutually exclusive.
As for "socialism", specifically in healthcare, can anyone explain to me what is wrong with investing in your country's assets viz. the health of your workforce? It's certainly a lot cheaper than having your workers unable to afford healthcare. But to listen to some people here, you'd think that if you took 2c off a rich guy and spent it to improve the lot of someone poorer the ghost of Josef Stalin would be up out of his grave chortling with glee and asking if you wanted assistance with improving Gulag Gitmo...
I was on a little tour in Spain once, cruising around on the tour bus with some of my brothers. This one couple were just so typical: full tourist rig plus a huge video camera (this was about 1983) and ZERO Spanish, not even "Buenos días." Very nice folks, probably retirees on their first trip to Europe, no real harm in them but...
We were somewhere in Andalucia. All I can remember off the top of my head was a tower decorated with the irons that the once Arab rulers had held Christian slaves in. Anyway, we got off the bus to find a couple of young Spanish military cadets on leave, just having a stroll.
My American brother got in front of them to make friends by doing that "HI THERE! W H E R E A R E Y O U F R O M?" number while keeping them pinned with the video camera. These kids had that "deer in the headlights" look, probably wondering who this maniac was and what sort of trouble they were in now.
I went over to explain to him that they couldn't speak English and that he was frightening them by shouting at them. (I don't know why but we think people are deaf if they do not respond to spoken English so that cranking up the volume and slowing down the delivery should always do the trick.)
I got him to put down his weapon and then did a little translation work for him so that peace was restored between the U.S.A. and Spain. I suppose he went on to France and did it all over again. Sigh...
Anyway, yeah, we helped you Yurpeens out once or twice and we, most of us, really rather would have been left in happy isolation back there at home, rubes that we are. You know what a joke of a peace-time Army we had in the early Thirties? Well, never mind. Pearl Harbor did the trick anyway, made up our minds for us before we could decide to come back to sort out your mess for you yet again. Perhaps one day you shall forgive us for that.
Meanwhile, over 60 years on, we are still going for military solutions, perhaps thinking, well, it worked once. Here and now we seem to have that old problem of holding a tiger by the tail, not quite sure how to let go, a legacy of GWB and a problem for the next guy to sort out. I think John McCain and Sarah Palin are the ones for that. John to make the plans about how big a can of whoop-ass to open up next and Sarah to visit the troops. (Think about it: If your MOS was 11-B would you rather see Sarah Palin or Joe Biden come to visit?)
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