Open Thread – Where Your Dollars Go
What would you change about this picture?
November 21, 2024
Thursday, August 3, 2023
The Quitter Returns! -Monday, March 21, 2022
Putting the goober in gubernatorial -Friday, January 28, 2022
What would you change about this picture?
What would I do to change that picture? I would tax the living daylights out of any Wall Street security which is a derivative or a commodity speculation, and make some derivatives illegal. My values are to not reward casino gambling in the form of derivative investments which have nothing to do with growing commerce.
I would slightly reduce taxes on interest income from direct corporate stock investment. I would create a new, special class of share investment in non-profit NGO corporations allowing trading based on equity growth (e.g Linux). I would create a special tax status for startup ventures using public university intellectual property, allowing special weighted tax exemption for reinvestment back into the university. I would reduce the estate tax significantly on estates less than $1M. The value of investment to the good of the commons is direct share investment in commercial ventures, direct share investment in NGO non-profit ventures, bond investments to fund all forms of government, and rewards to public schools whose intellectual property grows commerce.
Maybe it’s time the church’s pay taxes.
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/19/11288862-peoria-bishop-compares-obamas-actions-to-stalin-hitler?lite
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/Play-Gaffe-Dodger-the-presidential-election-game
Play Gaffe Dodger!
In case your suspicions haven’t already been confirmed…
http://bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2012/04/chart-of-the-day-38.html
Be sure to keep Zyxomma’s link to those lovely Aurora Borealis handy as you look into the following.
Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) says that cutting the budget to devastate programs for the poor isn’t that big a deal – after all, so few people need those programs. (A$$hat).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/19/pat-toomey-budget-welfare-senate-gop_n_1437613.html
Now, I love the visual for Juanita Jean’s post (and its support for single mothers), but the message about WI introducing a law to make single parenthood child abuse. Gee, that should make every widow or widower feel so swell, as if they didn’t have enough to contend with. What is wrong with the WI GOP? If Wisconsin voters don’t vote these fools out, I will lose all respect and hope for them. More importantly, if this bill passes, I worry about where it be applied next? Obviously, the GOP is using WI and MI, amongst others, as laboratories for the whole nation.
http://juanitajean.com/2012/04/19/this-just-makes-me-happy/
So, according to these idiots, women who are married to men who physically, sexually or verbally abuse them and/or their children are supposed to remain in the marriage anyway so they don’t become (evil) single parents?
Sorry, lady, you just need to suck it up and stay married to someone committing rape and incest so that you don’t get accused of child abuse!
If these Republicans had functioning brain cells, they’d be dangerous. They clearly have no conscience.
Thanks for both links, sunflower. They really ARE living in a bubble, impermeable to reason, facts, science, and anything that’s not RWNJ propaganda.
Sad to say.Levon Helm passed away at 71. He was not only a talented musician and singer,he had a productive acting career. RIP!
Even if he had never sung a note, his performance in “Coal Miner’s Daughter” would’ve guaranteed his fame. However – I’m glad he DID sing a note or two, and we’re all the better for it.
Take a load off…
And, to lower everyone’s blood pressure, here’s a photo gallery of the Aurora Borealis, shot at various Alaska locations:
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/slideshow/photos-aurora-borealis-over-alaska
Enjoy.
Tomorrow is two years since BP wrecked the Gulf of Mexico. If you haven’t read Vulture’s Picnic, I recommend the article and short video on Eco Watch:
http://ecowatch.org/2012/bpcoverup/
I note veterans benefits are in a different category. The Pentagon has recently told Congress half of their expenses are benefit related. I believe it is another way to deflect concern about outrageous expenses. To consider our veterans the Pentagon’s biggest spending problem just pisses me off.
If you watch enough boob tube,you will notice that there are as many retired,high-ranking military officers on news programs and congressional hearings than there are active duty grunts. Old military officers don’t die,they multiply and collect handsome pensions.
RWNJ in Congress passed a bill to defund foodstamps by 33 billion bucks over 10 years, punish the poor so the 1% can have more. Give me the dollar and then I will have a dollar to my name,before I spend it. Well,I thought I was rich while I had the dollar.
Wanna have some fun?
The local rag is having a contest to put a caption on a photo of the one who can’t be named but we only have till 2 p.m. today.
Who knows, your submission might get published in the paper.
Here’s the link.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012204180305
Do you reckon her wedding ring has come back from the pawn shop,cleaned yet?
I’d go for “ooh, pretty pictures!”
That wins. I won’t even try after that one.
A flippin’ frack to you, Katie Couric!
This will make a great fish wrapper.
Caption: “If I hold this paper this way, Bristol looks like she’s not standing on the her head! I wonder if I can patent this idea!”
Ooooh…I like sports. I can read sports, any of ’em, all of ’em!
Which one of these is the rag where they show those cute male underwear models all flippin’ half naked?
They better have printed my fake Letter to The Editor in this pile somewhere! I even used spell check so they wouldn’t know it was me.
These were just put in front of me, so I gotta pretend to read ’em this time for Mittens. Watch and learn Katie Schmaty, I’m goin’ for round 2 in the veep ring while you’re just a fake blonde lamestream hack who might be a pedophile, too youbetcha.
Ohhhh, I’m in every one of these! Take that Obama and stick it where my phone doesn’t ring!
I’m hekka furious that they made me do this stoopid intro! I hope their ratings go in the cr@pper!
Romney wants to get rid of education and housing authorities…gee that’ll solve it…. Yep, as long as we can keep those investment-income earners paying the lowest rates and we don’t touch military spending (you never know when the country might want to start another war) all will be well. And things will really look up after President Romney takes the safety net away for elderly people who depend on Medicare (after all, he’s already said that he doesn’t care about the poor). He and Congressman Ryan want to give elderly people healthcare vouchers so that they can make their own choices about healthcare (but don’t expect insurers to be forced to insure them or offer affordable coverage or cover someone with a pre-existing condition after the GOP abolishes the Afordable Care Act). My Mom, who has Alzeiheimers, will definitly know how to make the best desicion about her healthcare, but just in case, I’ll be there to help (barring some unforeseen circumstance)–it’s too bad for those elderly infirmed people who don’t have someone in their lives to help them out.
On a different topic (for this open thread): Do you think Mr. Ailes need be worried about the Murdoch empire UK debacle?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/news-of-the-world-asked-reporters-to-dig-dirt-on-mps-claims-book-7660915.html
It’s an eternal question. It’s a smoke and mirrors of percentages. I can’t remember the deal with FICA but it always seemed legit to me. Our concern for the future is by reducing an employee with- holding we have reduced potential cash flow to the US government. We have reduced the value of the share of contribution to Social Security. We have screwed ourselved and our children for $40 a month, if you’re lucky.
Yes, Social Security is a separate pot of money, although Congress raids it from time to time. It is a self-funded insurance program that will have problems in the future due to all the Boomers retiring. This can easily be solved: raise the cap on deductions from salary, and implement a type of means testing- gradually reducing the amount one can get from Social Security as income goes up. Congress is unwilling to do this.
I don’t know how the other Social Security programs are funded- like disabled benefits, benefits to widows/widowers/dependent children; that may be the percentage of income taxes on the dollar chart.
It is unconscionable that we spend a large amount on Defense- which the Chiefs of Staff agree should be cut, but the Republicans want to increase… by decimating social services. What a great idea: pay for expensive weapons by eliminating food stamps.
SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) along with Retirement and Medicare comes from FICA taxes.If you are eligible for SSDI you will receive it until age 65 or older and then will be shifted over to SS check.
Thanks- I wasn’t sure.
Doesn’t Social Security come out of FICA tax, not Income Tax?
yes
amazing.
Ditto .