Monday, November 29, 2010

give us a (tax) break

TaxProf Blog
Even amoebas learn by trial and error, but some economists and politicians do not.
come on... that's funny... it's sensible to assume that you examine historical evidence to base your hypothesis for future outcomes... if you burn your hand on the stove, you shouldn't touch it again... if raising the tax rates of the highest income brackets has not produced additional income, maybe you shouldn't raise the tax rates.

the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell from $14.369 trillion in 2008 down to $14.256 trillion in 2009... that's a $113,000,000,000 (that's billion) free-fall in one year... that doesn't necessarily mean we produced less quantity... but the value of what was produced has fallen... the net result is, businesses made less capital (e.g. money) for their investment... this equals less profit... less profit means these companies have less to reinvest in future gains (i.e. less research, less new hiring, less development).

however, China isn't having these problems... and if a business invests its excess capital (e.g. profit) into this foreign market, it will make a higher return on the investment (e.g. more money).

so, to keep companies from moving to China, we need to raise the GDP... to raise the GDP, we need to keep companies from moving to China... sounds circular?... you bet... but you can do things to keep companies from leaving other than raising the GDP... what do you think one of these things would be?

perhaps some sort of incentive could be used... i don't know... maybe tax incentives... or maybe, just maybe, you don't penalize people for being successful!

Monday, November 22, 2010

the first thanksgiving of a new nation

George Washington's Proclamation:

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington
[emphasis, italics and otherwise, added]

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

is this sincerity or gloating?

Warren Buffett - NYT Op-ed
DEAR Uncle Sam,
My mother told me to send thank-you notes promptly. I’ve been remiss.

though i loathe to post a corporate insider's self-serving opinions, i think we would be remiss in not hearing the truth from a billionaire's point of view... and this also serves as counterpoint to the bias against President G.W.Bush as the cause of all our current woes... you see, even Warren Buffett gives credit where credit is due.
And though I never voted for George W. Bush, I give him great credit for leading, even as Congress postured and squabbled.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

enough said.

'Under God' vindicated in attack on Pledge
That the phrase 'under God' has some religious content … is not determinative of the New Hampshire Act's constitutionality. This is in part because the Constitution does not 'require complete separation of church and state.'
It takes more than the presence of words with religious content to have the effect of advancing religion. The New Hampshire School Patriot Act's primary effect is not the advancement of religion, but the advancement of patriotism through a pledge to the flag as a symbol of the nation.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Nanny State watching you eat

Calories on vending machines: Health care bill requires calories on vending machines - chicagotribune.com

FDA estimates 14 million hours annually to be spent complying with Obamacare law... so THAT's where those "jobs created or saved" figures are coming from!!!

Federal Register (GPO) FDA estimates

that's just freaking great!... and those costs are going to be passed on to the consumer... now my Little Debbie snack cake is going to require financing!

i wonder if i can get a sub-prime loan for a Twinkie?

Monday, November 1, 2010

check your memory, and vote informed

'I REMEMBER, SO I'M VOTING, AND NOT REPUBLICAN.'

let the debunking begin:
  • "Tax breaks for corporations" - we addressed this in another post, but corporations are the vehicles who create jobs, not the government... and President Clinton signed NAFTA.
  • "Katrina / levee failures" - while Bush did cut funds to the Corp of Engineers (who build the levees), that project would not have been completed until 2015... Clinton, however, cut funds to ALL military, from 1992 through 2000... THOSE projects would have finished before 2005 and "might" have saved portions of New Orleans.
  • "Needless war in Iraq" - well, if you count harboring terrorists (proven as early as 1999 in Al-Majallah, the London arabic language magazine; to Missouri's own Dick Gephardt (D) saying in a 2002 This Week interview, "There's lots of intelligence and it's additive as you go along, of meetings between Iraqi military and intelligence officials and members of al Qaeda.")... or the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that Iraq had and USED... if the gassing of 3000 Kurds wasn't enough proof (dead bodies don't lie), how about the uranium (a.k.a. Yellowcake) which CNN reported being found (July 7, 2008) in Iraq?... how about 500 TONS of it?... funny, they don't have those kind of reactors.
  • "Record Deficit" - do we have to talk about record deficits?... Obama has you beat, buddy... and he's still passing spending bills (not to mention the Healthcare takeover).
  • "Spending money on our nation is wasted money" - wait... what?... i guess you can make any spurious claim you want.
  • "Wall Street Bailout" - if the Democrats hadn't placed lending rules which forced banks to give marginal loans to get FICA backing, causing banks to sell these loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (government institutions), causing Wall Street traders to trade these loans with the expectation of them collapsing (betting against them)... i won't go on... a Ponzi scheme only can run for so long before it collapses and destroys the lowest tier... and you can't secure a loan when it is a no-credit, no-collateral, no-SIGNATURE contract... ridiculous.
  • "State rights / narrow point of view" - right... so when the populous votes against [homosexual marriage][marijuanna legalization][insert other liberal agenda], then it's up to the liberal judges (often appointed) to overturn the will of the majority... wait, that's the Democrats... how about when a state votes to uphold federal immigration statutes?... it was the Democrats who took the state to court; imposing their "narrow point of view" on the sovereign state.
  • "Blocked healthcare for 9/11 responders" - why did the Democrats suspend House rules in an attempt to pass this bill without debate or amendments?... by doing so (suspending rules) they caused the bill to require a 2/3 majority... NOW needing 291 votes, they got 255... had they not played rule-games, they would have needed 218 votes, well below what they got... maybe it's not the Republicans who blocked the bill... they just wanted a hand in it... the Dem's were hoist of their own petard.
  • "Dismantled agencies which protect food supply" - yeah, cutting government waste causes salmonella... i wonder what dismantling the US Military does?... or the CIA, FBI, DHS, ICE and Border Patrol.
  • "Wealthy" - again, they make the jobs and pay the majority of the taxes... figure out economics.
  • "Social Sec / Medicare" - agreed... we should funnel more money into these bottomless pits of inefficiency and fraud... they're working so well... oh, and why did the Democrats refuse to increase Social Security payments in line with inflation this year?... did we not have inflation?
  • "Civil Rights" - those damn Republicans... always against Civil Rights... especially those Republicans like these guys:
Frederick Douglass
Harriet Tubman
Sojourner Truth
Booker T. Washington
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • "Civil Rights, continued" - how about these notable Democrats?
Nathan Bedford Forrest - KKK Grand Dragon
Robert Byrd - Senator
Harry S. Truman (joined the KKK in Kansas City to garner votes)
Hugo Black (FDR's first appointment to the Supreme Court and lifelong KKK member)
Albert Gore, Sr (Al's dad) opposed the '64 Civil Rights Act
AL Governor George Wallace (declared there would be segregation forever)
  • "Less money = More money" - it's economics, guys!... learn the Laffer Curve... i just did an entire post on this... if you can't look that up, watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off... Ben Stein defines it well.
  • "In power / Banking crisis" - yeah, arrest the paramedics at the scene of the accident... hang the janitor for cleaning up other people's messes.
  • "Take our country back" - wasn't this the slogan of Obama?