Isn't it time for a new election thread?!

[kwall]

I'm willing to admit that some big earners are workaholics. But are you willing to admit that many people who earn six figures a year have been pampered, have had every privilege thrown at them and work a desk job that only requires a small fraction of a normal work day to achieve expected productivity?

i suppose there are some people like that somewhere, but not many. i've never known any. it sounds like your worldview is based on a sitcom.

[lost highway]

Yeah that's the other thing about this argument, it has set up many straw men on both sides.

 

The Red Teams Straw Man: Increased taxation for the rich is to punish them for their success and make them pay for everyone else.

 

The Blue Teams Straw Man: Rich people are spoiled bastards who don't work hard, and haven't really worked hard to attain their position.

 

 

The real issue is closing loop holes on taxes for upper income individuals, and much more importantly fortune 500 companies could fund a number of essential reforms in this country. This has nothing to do with your grandma's pension, or my summer as a line cook. It just makes sense.

[bjorn_skurj]

Yeah that's the other thing about this argument, it has set up many straw men on both sides.

 

The Red Teams Straw Man: Increased taxation for the rich is to punish them for their success and make them pay for everyone else.

 

The Blue Teams Straw Man: Rich people are spoiled bastards who don't work hard, and haven't really worked hard to attain their position.

 

 

The real issue is closing loop holes on taxes for upper income individuals, and much more importantly fortune 500 companies could fund a number of essential reforms in this country. This has nothing to do with your grandma's pension, or my summer as a line cook. It just makes sense.

Well said.

[stooka]

That's where my JOKE stemmed from.

 

Thing is, your jokes aren't funny. IMO

[Tweedling]

Yes! Fair taxes for all. Yes!

[stooka]

Is it me or did yor O avatar get bigger?

[Tweedling]

Is it me or did yor O avatar get bigger?

It grows proportionately bigger with his lead in the polls.

[Party @ the Moontower]

Me and Fatheadfred just witnessed a car steal our Obama sign

 

We have a 150ft drive so we didn't catch them. That fucking sucks. As much as I loathe McCain and many local republican candidates, I would not steal political signs. We have a giant Wagner sign, a small one, and a Jay Nixon sign..not touched. Guess they didn't care about those dems.

[Tweedling]

Me and Fatheadfred just witnessed a car steal our Obama sign

 

We have a 150ft drive so we didn't catch them. That fucking sucks. As much as I loathe McCain and many local republican candidates, I would not steal political signs. We have a giant Wagner sign, a small one, and a Jay Nixon sign..not touched. Guess they didn't care about those dems.

Maybe they couldn't afford one. Consider yourself helping out the "less fortunate".

[ikol]

When I was on my surgery rotation, something occurred to me: I am not going into surgery. There's a law in effect that technically limits how much interns/residents work to 80 hours per week. They were actually working about 100, and getting paid what amounts to about $10 per hour (and these are people with medical degrees and $100,000 of student debt on average). They have to do this for at least 5 years of residency, more if they want to subspecialize. When they finally finish their residency, they will make 6-figure incomes, and many of y'all will want to raise their taxes. Seeing as not many people (myself included) want to go through what they went through to earn it, it just doesn't strike me as fair to take more of their income.

[Edie]

Willy, are you really in it just for the money?

[bjorn_skurj]

When I was on my surgery rotation, something occurred to me: I am not going into surgery. There's a law in effect that technically limits how much interns/residents work to 80 hours per week. They were actually working about 100, and getting paid what amounts to about $10 per hour (and these are people with medical degrees and $100,000 of student debt on average). They have to do this for at least 5 years of residency, more if they want to subspecialize. When they finally finish their residency, they will make 6-figure incomes, and many of y'all will want to raise their taxes. Seeing as not many people (myself included) want to go through what they went through to earn it, it just doesn't strike me as fair to take more of their income.

What's unfair is making people work like that, especially people doing serious shit like doctoring. What's the logic of that, anyway?

[explodo]

So you want wealth redistribution, from top to bottom, then?

I'm pretty sure this is not what any of us want. Maybe some of us, I guess, but certainly not the majority. We want those tax dollars to go to fix schools, roads, invest in new technologies and energy sources, subsidize vegetables (if grain subsidies are sticking around) to ensure healthy eating, health care for children (at the very least), etc. And I think we're all more than willing to pay our share. Of course, making sure our tax dollars actually go towards helpful stuff rather than the defense budget is a whole other issue. I don't see how any of this is socialism or a redistribution of wealth (because, see, those things make life better for everybody). As somebody else said, it's simply putting country ahead of yourself.

 

What do you think is a fair tax rate for the highest income bracket?

You been reading your Larry Elder or something?

[Tweedling]

When I was on my surgery rotation, something occurred to me: I am not going into surgery. There's a law in effect that technically limits how much interns/residents work to 80 hours per week. They were actually working about 100, and getting paid what amounts to about $10 per hour (and these are people with medical degrees and $100,000 of student debt on average). They have to do this for at least 5 years of residency, more if they want to subspecialize. When they finally finish their residency, they will make 6-figure incomes, and many of y'all will want to raise their taxes. Seeing as not many people (myself included) want to go through what they went through to earn it, it just doesn't strike me as fair to take more of their income.

This is what scares me with regard to universal care. I truly believe the highly skilled and intelligent people who would once become specialized doctors will not choose to do so. What will we get instead?

[MrRain422]

I'm pretty sure this is not what any of us want. Maybe some of us, I guess, but certainly not the majority. We want those tax dollars to go to fix schools, roads, invest in new technologies and energy sources, subsidize vegetables (if grain subsidies are sticking around) to ensure healthy eating, health care for children (at the very least), etc. And I think we're all more than willing to pay our share. Of course, making sure our tax dollars actually go towards helpful stuff rather than the defense budget is a whole other issue. I don't see how any of this is socialism or a redistribution of wealth (because, see, those things make life better for everybody). As somebody else said, it's simply putting country ahead of yourself.

 

yes

[kwall]

This is what scares me with regard to universal care. I truly believe the highly skilled and intelligent people who would once become specialized doctors will not choose to do so. What will we get instead?

don't worry. obama's going to make it cool to be a doctor again.

[Sal]

I understand everyone hates paying taxes, but how are we going to pay off this mounting debt if some taxes aren't raised? We have been through 8 years of two wars and tax cuts and look where we are. A middle class income is actually worth $2000 less now due to higher prices for everything. A society is only as strong as its weakest members, if things keep going how they are we will be pathetic.

 

I think the figure is somewhere around 45% of all US corporations haven't paid their taxes the last 4 years. Where is the outrage over this?

[Party @ the Moontower]

Maybe they couldn't afford one. Consider yourself helping out the "less fortunate".

 

Suck it. I don't recall my ever saying let's just poor all the $$ you make in the pockets of the poor who don't wish to work. Lame republican argument. Someone ripped and took my sign because McCain is losing and they hate it.

 

Thing is, your jokes aren't funny. IMO

 

 

Being an asshole isn't funny dude.

[Sal]

Suck it. I don't recall my ever saying let's just poor all the $$ you make in the pockets of the poor who don't wish to work. Lame republican argument. Someone ripped and took my sign because McCain is losing and they hate it.

 

 

 

 

Being an asshole isn't funny dude.

 

 

Was probably someone from the Centerview Baptist Church. They are storing all of the signs in their compound.

 

It sucks getting ripped off, I was pissed everytime my car was stolen.

[ikol]

Willy, are you really in it just for the money?

 

Not just the money, but I do think it's not too much to ask for me to be allowed to keep a fair amount of the money I will make considering all the work I have to put in to get to that point.

 

What's unfair is making people work like that, especially people doing serious shit like doctoring. What's the logic of that, anyway?

 

I guess the logic is that it's the only way to squeeze in enough training in 5 years. I don't see any good alternatives.

 

I understand everyone hates paying taxes, but how are we going to pay off this mounting debt if some taxes aren't raised?

 

Cut spending.

[explodo]

So you want to work just enough to get by and then have the government redistribute the wealth of those that work harder to benefit you even more?

This is one of the lamest posts ever. I understand that you and I likely have different philosophies on how to run a country, but all you need to do is take a look at the current president to see how flawed your logic is. You act like it is only the poor who would have the gall to work "just enough." How about John McCain who would have been kicked out of the military at least four times if his dad wasn't his dad? Did he bust his ass to become a senator or did he know the right people?

 

We all feel we deserve more. One group defines more as money, the other defines more in terms of living standards. We're never going to get around that until the wealthy and privileged get it through their heads that they can have their half of the equation while helping us have ours.

[kwall]

what ever happened to those new civility rules?

[Sal]

Not just the money, but I do think it's not too much to ask for me to be allowed to keep a fair amount of the money I will make considering all the work I have to put in to get to that point.

 

 

 

I guess the logic is that it's the only way to squeeze in enough training in 5 years. I don't see any good alternatives.

 

 

 

Cut spending.

 

Cutting spending wouldn't do enough. What programs would you take away? Infrasturucture, defense, education. Defense definitely needs to be cut by about half. The only problem with that is we are such a militarized economy now, a lot of jobs could be lost. The red herring is "pork barrel" spending which barely makes a dent in our budget.

[Edie]

Not just the money, but I do think it's not too much to ask for me to be allowed to keep a fair amount of the money I will make considering all the work I have to put in to get to that point.

What is "fair"?

 

I agree you should have enough to pay off your own debt, have a nice house and car, and attend as many wilco shows as you can -- which you can easily do without going over the $250K per year threshold (esp in AR may I add). However, if you should go over that $250K annually (and if I am correct -- the $250 is annual income, not net worth), would it be so awful to pay higher taxes than someone making less?

[stooka]

Being an asshole isn't funny dude.

 

pot kettle black