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Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
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Cool! I was there, too; I was just a little farther back!
; )
Janette
Seattle (soon, KC, MO)
I am a big Louise fan; I admire the will she has to work on the show and share her husband with the world. Amazing person.
Love to you both, Thom and Louise, and my best wishes to you for the new year,
Janette
Seattle (soon to be, Kansas City, MO)
I surely want him to win both; and I would presume I am far from 'being the only one!
"Has ran"? Oh, that's just so awful.
Mark maybe companies do leave there money in the company but their is very little incentive to work hard and grow the company. Most wealthy people will put their money in some kind of long term investment like vacant land and will sit and wait for a change in policy. Just watch Americe boom in December. The best thing for business growth is a government that business is not afraid of.
Kend, when you tax personal incomes at a higher rate business owners keep their money in their business and grow it.
I don't agree that investments are a morally acceptable way to earn money. I read about 15 years ago in a publication of the Democratic Socialists of America that "socialists don't buy stock investment, they don't profit from the labor of others" and I agree. In any case, it is aptly named "unearned income" and certainly shouldn't be taxed at a LOWER rate than money that is sweated for..
Kend! 39.5% is the MAXIMUM RATE, even if the employees you pay nickels to made you a BILLION dollars this year.
Taxes that go to the social programs of the working people are part of those working people's just compensation for all the hard work they do to make their employers rich. It makes up for their UNDERCOMPENSATION. What business owners don't pay in wages they must pay in taxes.
If they refuse to do either, as they are now, then you have what is happening now, the destruction of the middle class and the pauperization of working people.
-How will it (single-payer or Bernie's plan) terminate these programs? It seems to me, that many of these programs will be better funded in moving forward with the construction and delivery of Single-Payer (i.e. MEDICARE for everyone). The ACA was suppose to be tweaked before now, to include at least a public option. But if you remember, in 2010, the Democrats were overtaken by Republicans and the Congress refused to do anything that the POTUS wanted/expected. It has been left to the states to even expand Medicaid for low income households, like mine. Thankfully, Colorado did expand our ability to receive those benefits for basic health services. Many states in the South stubbornly refused to expand Medicaid. This was a wrong thing to do, as it was at the cost of well being to millions of people, and even in some cases, their lives. Many people would receive better coverage under a strengthened Medicare, the cost for the program will be better distributed to all incomes. As it stands now a household making 50,000 pays a bit over 40.00 a year for what is called "welfare" programs. However, their paying 4000.00 a yr. for subsidies to corporations which seems to be just fine to many. (approximate values) You know, the welfare to the 1%. Sadly, people seem to be more afraid of that "S" word, than they are of a voucher, block-grant, or a wall st manipulated/Congress owned social security derivative. I am not afraid that Senator Sanders would renege on his goals or promises...I trust him. I am extremely distrustful of candidates who continue to be supported by BIG industry, while Voters believe that it is they who are at the top of their candidate's list of things to do!
Hillary is against BERNIE"S single payer approach, which will terminate Medicare , Medicaid, CHIP, TriCare, etc and turn them over to the States---INCLUDING those who have Republican Governors........Now does that sound like a good plan to you? As for Hillary's plan---did you perhaps overlook the fact that it was HER who laid out the basis for the ACA we now have???????? Sheeesh.....WHY would you want Bernie in there, when you KNOW he will never do a thing.
Hillary is against BERNIE"S single payer approach, which will terminate Medicare , Medicaid, CHIP, TriCare, etc and turn them over to the States---INCLUDING those who have Republican Governors........Now does that sound like a good plan to you? As for Hillary's plan---did you perhaps overlook the fact that it was HER who laid out the basis for the ACA we now have???????? Sheeesh.....WHY would you want Bernie in there, when you KNOW he will never do a thing.
He was just a complete Casper Milquetoast and let everybody walk on him and he didn't do a thing about it. Don't know if he was worried about being the "angry black man" or what.
Roosevelt and Lincoln didn't have the need for compromise like Obama does, Roosevelt had a filibuster proof majority in the Senate and a large majority in the House.
Thom's right, however, trying compromise was futile, he shouldn't've yielded an inch and they wouldn't've taken so much. He should've used the media much more and called the Republicans out publicly or if he tried to compromise, fearing he would be seen as an obsessed mad man if he didn't, he should've called more attention to their unwillingness to and made them look like the obssessed crazies, which would've been a more accurate picture.
This is a clear violation any reasonable ethics rules. No taxpayer money should ever be spent for political purposes. This was clearly a political witch hunt. There are those who will say that the committee was indeed hunting for a witch (Hillary) but that's their personal opinion. These "gentlemen" set up the investigation for the political purpose of smearing the probable Democratic nominee for President. That's despicable. And that is a crime.
Eisenhour had a 90% tax on the wealthy and then that was just fine with them then. Regan started helping the wealthy and greed has taken us to what we have now. Tyranny did not work for England, France, Greece and alike. Even the Romans thought they could have it all. History will repeat it self if we do not look back and learn.
Although I do not know the exact amount, there is unbelievably, money that can be made but not taxed. Is this true or not? The fairness in our own gov't spending of Health Care, Education and Social Security, will never surpass our MIlitary budgets with either a Demo/Rep. President in the White House.
I hear over and over that the RICH do not pay appropriate taxes on this blog. Yet just a few weeks ago here I was told they pay 39.5 %. Just how much of a fair share of what some one else has worked for is fair 50% 75% 90% here in Canada, it is 50% federal plus provincial tax of up to 15% seems everyone in Canada is fine with that exempt the wealthy. We have to be careful not to chase the money out of the country as well. I am curious, what is your number? For both Federal and state what should the max be? Keep in mind the higher the tax rate the less likely the wealthy will invest in anything. I think we can all agree the we need the wealthy to invest.
Ode to Bernie
{… a rhyme …}
My goodness gracious,
he’s so admirably bodacious,
so wondrously audacious
in re-springing to life F.D.R. -
- He’s better for our nation by far
than the tenaciously mendacious,
vexatiously predacious,
id-driven voracious
candidates of the party called R.
Dangerous by gum they are.
======================
Trump is the Agenda
{… a limerick …}
Trump controls the agenda
which controls the referenda
as to how nitwits vote
and thereby demote
America from her former {splendor} splenda.
=====================================
Unfortunately the rest of the field failed to outshine the billionaire, which it is a proof that corporate media, republicans and the majority of Americans on the right have lost the American tradition, the sense of decency and gave us all the bad reputation around the globe. But if we could really have a fair and democratic election, meaning if we get rid of all out dated and known cheating and fraudulent electronic voting machines and go back o paper ballots before the up coming election, and making sure all Americans are able to vote and no vote suppressions, I guarantee you Bernie Sanders would be our next President. I still believe, we American majority, Democrats, independents and most republicans- who are not brain washed- are still have the sanity and would love to have the sane America that we once had, none prejudice, diverse and world leader in equality and freedom of expression. We can have all that back if we the people, millions of us, go out and occupy the media first, then congress and all Government institutions and demand to get money out of politics and take back our Gov. of, by and for the people.
It is said that we should not tax the rich and give to the poor. Is it OK for the rich to help create bubbles and financial crisis and then when the economy implodes they buy all the assets that the middle class and the poor lose. This increases their wealwealth and income. The wealth of our nation rises up the economic ladder each time we have had a recession and a depression in our economy. The rich get richer and the middle class and the poor lose what little wealth they have been able to accumulate between the boom and bust cycle.
There is a way to help get our economy off the boom/bust roller coaster our economy has been on for the last 100 years. You will understand after you read this article. "Proposed Solution For Modern Economies That Create Bubbles And Financial Crisis" at http://www.taxpolicyusa.wordpress.com
There's no doubt medication costs under current insurance plans are too high and the fact that insurance companies control which medicine our doctor can prescribe to us is insane, but if the VA gets a 50% discount and that was extended to all drug purchases under single payer, wouldn't that put most drug companies out of business? Even if their upper management is overpaid, a 50% cut in money coming in doesn't seem to be feasible to stay in business.
What is too rarely pointed out, is that when we allow the rich to pay less taxes, we end up with less tax revenue to support the/our Commons. The usual result is, that the right-wing/corporate/fascist/oligarchy/1% and their under-informed/under-educated/bigoted minions then scream and holler that we simply can't afford -- and thus must cut (too often surreptitiously) -- the critical programs that the majority of us want, need and use to keep our nation evolving in a positive manner.
#3 #4 I wonder why we are repeating the same things over expecting a different outcome?
A statement made by many others
#3 You bet.
And, we're not getting representation either
This can only end in revolution, as history shows
However, I'm not certain the we are ready for that yet quite
We have no leader at the moment
I do believe in "the 11th hour" though
Well, I guess that explains why some are more "equal" than others.