Taxing the Rich Benefits the Rich

People opposed to taxing the rich don't understand why it is such a fabulous idea.

From a BBC News article:

"This administration's insistence on raising taxes on job creators and its reluctance to take the steps necessary to strengthen our entitlement programmes are the reasons the president and I were not able to reach an agreement previously, and it is evident today that these barriers remain," (House Speaker Boehner) said.

Let us assume that the rich are the job creators. I don't buy into this but millions of the citizenry do. Rather than argue with them we will, for argument's sake, play along.

The rich, as mythically heroic job creators, currently don't have a need for all of the workers available. They benefit from having such a large pool to pull from. So it's only fair that they pay for this benefit since they have the means to do so. They can pay for people to sit around waiting until the job creators have need of them for their next adventure. They can pay to keep them healthy since debilitated job applicants would do them no good should they decide to create some jobs. They can even pay to educate them so when they create those jobs they have the best possible pool to pull from. They can even pay for people to sit around and do absolutely nothing because it is cheaper to do that than to finance the criminal justice system that will have to deal with those whose options have completely run out. Ten years obviously isn't long enough for the rich to create those jobs they were talking about. Let's give them more time to hatch those grand ideas that will turn into jobs for people by having the rich pay for people to wait it out.

A little wealth redistribution can go a long way. Help the rich help themselves. Demand higher taxes on millionaires and corporations!

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Apparently it will be streamed.

Global Revolution

Terror Alert and I Just Don't Care!

New York on security alert amid warning of 9/11 terror threat. I don't care anymore. Every freakin' year as we approach September 11th a news story announces some terror plot meant to disrupt observation of the anniversary of what US citizens simply call 9/11. Every year the threat level gets raised yet again. And every year it amounts to nothing.

I think most of us recall the story of the boy who cried wolf. I just don't care anymore.

For the record, I still don't buy the official line as to what really happened that day. I don't claim to know what did happen, but what we've been sold isn't it.

This is the modern day JFK event. Most of the world seems 99.9% certain that the CIA orchestrated that one (while details vary). Most US citizens still like to live in denial about it. The level of disinformation surrounding September 11th leaves a familiar flavor.

But as for these annual terror alerts, I just don't care.

Two Views of the Same Event

Read both of these stories about the same event. Yes, read both of them.

Longshoremen expected to return to work in wake of federal court order

Long History Of Longshore Labor Unrest On West Coast

I realize that both stories have a certain amount of bias, but the FOX version would make a good substitute for ipecac.

America; Love It or Color It

Hey kids! Let's all take out our propagandist coloring book and learn what Right Wing Extremists think we should all believe about 9/11!

In Solidarity with Verizon Workers

Verizon Strike Highlights Union Effect on Middle Class Jobs. As someone working in a non-union shop, I appreciate all the struggles of the union workers. Their strength and success makes conditions at my place of work better. Fight on!

For the Anarchists

Seventy-five years ago the Spanish anarchists were in a fight with Spanish fascists... and winning! May workers one day rediscover their inherent strength.

Rich Guy Says, "Why isn't the government taxing the fuck out of me?"

That isn't exactly what Warren Buffet says, but it summerizes his sentiment as expressed in the New York Times.

Stop Coddling the Super-Rich - NYTimes.com

"I have worked with investors for 60 years and I have yet to see anyone — not even when capital gains rates were 39.9 percent in 1976-77 — shy away from a sensible investment because of the tax rate on the potential gain. People invest to make money, and potential taxes have never scared them off. And to those who argue that higher rates hurt job creation, I would note that a net of nearly 40 million jobs were added between 1980 and 2000. You know what’s happened since then: lower tax rates and far lower job creation."

Wow! This country must be facing some serious shit if a billionaire is telling people that the rich must be taxed if we are to make it through.

South Africa becomes newest nation to make USA look like backwards hicks.

While citing the deep inequality between rich and poor, South Africa makes the United States look ill.

BBC News - South Africa unveils universal health care scheme

'The private sector is held up as an example of good service and quality of care - and this is mostly justified. What is not justified is the price tag that comes with certain forms of private health care provision,' he said.

'This is not only a burden to people using private health services, but a disservice to our country as a whole because it distorts pricing across the board.'

In other news, with the United States' credit rating getting a downgrade, for the first time in history all nations with a AAA credit rating have socialized medicine.

When Religion Controls the State

Some people are easily convinced that the United States is controlled by the Zionists and will do whatever Israel tells them to do. They are also easily convinced that Obama is a Muslim who does whatever the Arab world tells him to do. They don't trust the Pope much either. Many of these same people, without even a hint of irony, would support the posting of the Ten Commandments in public buildings.

Divide and Suffer

What we have is 90% of the people versus 90% of the money, and the money is winning hands down.

It wins because it pits the people against each other. It makes imaginary divisions between the ethnicities and pits those perceived as Mexicans or Asians or other immigrant groups against those who consider themselves 'Real Americans™' because they immigrated before everyone else was doing it.

It splits the people into ideological opponents based on two political parties that historically aren't that different from each other when it comes to capitulating to the wants and desires of those who have the money. It splits them into some weird left and right scenario hoping nobody will ever think to look up.

It divides the poor from the impoverished calling one group the middle class and the other a bunch of welfare loafers. It constantly draws attention to the small amounts being siphoned off to help those who are part of the 90% of the people while hiding the ever growing wealth in the 90% of the money.

It wins by selling people the idea of some day being a part of that super fantastic rich lot. Strike it rich at the casino, winning lotto ticket, smart investing, or maybe just in the right place at the right time. Then they will be the ones with the wealth and the power and they sure as hell wouldn't want anyone taking that prize away from them.

As they say, ain't no war but the class war. If you made less than a million last year, you know which side you're on.

90% of the people can totally take down the 90% with the money.

Commie Pinko Teabaggers

They said taxes were too high. They said they wanted a flat tax with no loop holes. They said they wanted less government control of their money. They said they were fiscal conservatives.

So I lay out the voluntary tax model for them. I explain how the government offers their constituents a bill of goods and services while people can pick and choose what they will and will not support. Then they send in as much as they are willing to give to the things they deem important.

They hated the idea. They called it the dumbest idea they had ever heard. Somehow I had managed to out-conservative the conservatives exposing them as Communists. Yes, they wanted government services (mostly military, medicare, and social security) but they wanted everybody to pay for it.

Communists!

Of course what they really wanted was for somebody else to pay for everything they wanted from the government. They were dead certain that the rich and the poor (people other than them) weren't paying their fair share. Yet they maintained that you can't tax businesses because doing so forces jobs out of the country. We had to capitulate to the demands of business for our own good.

Fascist Commies!

Guess I won't be getting their vote in 2012. Fine. I wouldn't want a bunch of fascist commies voting for me, anyway.

Trickle Down!

Trickle Down Economics

definition: The feeling that you are constantly getting pissed on.

1 > 85+

Today's top story:

Violent death of at least 85 people at the hands of a conservative Christian in the largest terrorist attack in Norway since WWII is completely overshadowed by 1 drunk celebrity snuffing it.

Income Disparity

Today a person explained to me how the wealth disparity in the United States is the greatest in recorded history. Even worse than at the height of the Roman Empire or just before the French Revolution when people rose up and put the heads of the wealthy on pikes.

Ponder, if you will, a radically simple solution. Let's do away with minimum wage laws and replace them with maximum wage laws. Nobody can make more than 10x what the lowest paid individual makes.

Simple, isn't it? Current National minimum wage is at $7.25/hour. Instead let's say that nobody can earn more than $72.50/hour. Assuming a 40 hour work week, that means a CEO couldn't earn more than an estimated $150k ($150,000) per year. Horrifying! At least it would be horrifying to the average CEO that currently makes $11.4M ($11,400,000) a year. But if our current minimum wage assumes that a full time worker can actually live on $15,000 a year, I feel certain the CEOs could figure out a way to survive. After all, they are so smart that they deserve to get paid huge sums.

But some people just love to make loads and loads of money. We can't just take that away from them. No problem! Two simple solutions. (I do love simple solutions.)

First, they can work tirelessly to raise the bottom income. If the lowliest worker saw a moderate increase to just $10/hour, a CEO could then earn over $200,000 a year! Raise it to $20/hour and the top dogs could bring home $400,000. And you can bet the minimum would go up fast if it directly affected the maximum.

The second option for people who just can't make enough money is to let them earn as much as they want. That's right, you can't actually cap their genius money making capabilities. They were born to horde cash! So every dollar earned over the 'maximum' gets taxed at a 75% rate. They still get to make more than everyone else and it helps to fund the government services we have all come to expect. Is that so much to ask? I bet everyone making less than $150,000 a year (roughly 95% of Americans) would find this acceptable.

Or we could just put rich people's heads on pikes.

Cops & Robbers

Cops vs. Criminals? Try Cops vs. Citizens.

Cops don't bust criminals. They can't bust criminals. Not if we wish to maintain the notion that a person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Contrary to popular opinion (even I am prone to forgetting this), 'innocent until proven guilty' is not a right. Placing the burden of proof on the accuser rather than the accused is, however, a standard practice in our legal system. A damn good one at that!

Cops bust people. A court of law that could very well involve a Constitutionally guaranteed jury of one's peers determines if a crime was committed. Until that time, we should presume the person(s) innocent.

The next time you look through mug shots, observe an arrest, or even hear of one in the news try to think of 'the perp' as just another citizen or at the very least 'the accused'.

Or perhaps you like the idea of cops viewing everyone as potential criminals. Who am I to judge, jury or execute?

Gay Marriage in Old New York

BBC News - New York state approves gay marriage

New York has become the sixth and most populous US state to allow same-sex marriage.

I think we are reaching a point where this movement is snowballing. Coincidentally I also approve of snowballing. Whatever floats your boat.

As long as we have states that recognize same sex marriage the federal government needs to as well. I hear the disparity between state and federal tax codes makes it a real bitch to file.

We could make this whole thing super easy by outlawing ALL marriage. Then only outlaws would have in-laws.

War on (Some) Drugs

BBC News - Central America drugs war: Clinton pledges more funds

Mrs Clinton said funding for the fight against transnational organised crime in the region would be increased from $260m in 2010 to almost $300m this year.

Or we could legalize all drugs, tax them, generate millions in revenue, and no longer give a rat's ass about foreign drug cartels.

Too simple?

If you vote, It's your fault.

Jesse Ventura on Good Morning America

As much as I like Jesse, I don't think I could support him as part of a Ron Paul ticket. I'd be willing to entertain him as a Presidential candidate, though. Especially if I was on the ticket as VP.