1 Steve Wynn's rant is pretty good. Short version: he hates O (but, strangely, still loves him some Harry Reid.)

2 Decline is our density.

3 Never forget, never forget, and I think itÂ’s very important for Democrats especially to remember this, that if Hitler had not come along, Franklin Roosevelt would have left office in 1941 with an unemployment rate in excess of 15 percent and an economic recovery strategy that had basically failed.

Still reading the book New Deal or Raw Deal and what I am finding is that the parallels of the corrupt FDR administration to the current administration are simply remarkable AND scary as hell.

How the liberal "intelligentsia" can maintain FDR was "the greatest President" is amazing.

4 Funny to hear Summers down on FDR. I'd assume due to his position he's a Democrat. Conservatives know he was no economic wizard thanks to books like the Forgotten Man and Liberal Fascism, but it would be great to see him more discredited in the mainstream. That would be progress.

5

Oh for G*d's SAKE.  They're threatening the damn polar bears again!

Polar bear cubs dying as climate change melts Arctic and forces them on long swims

Polar bear cubs forced to swim long distances with their mothers as their icy Arctic habitat melts have a higher mortality rate than cubs that didn't have to swim as far, according to a study.

Polar bears hunt, feed and give birth on ice or on land, and are not naturally aquatic creatures.

Previous reports have noted individual animals swimming hundreds of miles to reach ice platforms or land, but this is one of the first to show these swims pose a greater risk to polar bear young.

First off, you need a study to figure out that baby polar bears stand less of a chance surviving a long swim than adult polar bears?  Are you fucking stupid?

(What am I saying? Of course they are).

Second: Dear Gaia worshippers:

Fuck off.

_{(Geez, I am in a pissy mood today.  Is Obama supposed to give a speech or something?  That always puts my teeth on edge)}

6 Ah "pie plate kitteh". I have had that picture as a file for occasional use as screen background for years.

7 On the Thomas Sowell article, I am waiting for someone to advance my tax hike idea. You see I am FOR a tax hike.

I want to enact a Constitutional Amendment that not only balances the budget by limiting spending to what ever revenues were collected the previous year, but also sets the income tax rate at a fixed flat 15% of all income from all sources and eliminate all other taxes.

That would indeed by a tax hike for 51% of the population who currently pay nothing.

8 Steve Wynn's rant is pretty good. Short version: he hates O (but, strangely, still loves him some Harry Reid.)

Posted by: glowing blue meat

 

I don't know the particulars, but I'd guess that harry stays bought. That and even harry isn't fucking up at the the speed of light, unlike the Manufactured Messiah.

9

Bachman may be out.

http://bit.ly/mT7Klr

Apparently she gets migraine headaches that incapacitate her. If true, then this is serious stuff. Many of us know someone who suffers from sever migraines and we know how badly they can affect a person. I wish her well, and hope her condition is manageable for her sake. 

Voters are skittish when it comes to health issues like this. This info could end her campaign fast, even for second spot. And you know the Dems are pouncing as I write.

10

Downfall:  Europe's Failed Political Class

And let's give this a shot:

House to vote on tea party-backed debt plan

11 83% of americans thibk republicans are assholes!  just cave to the Leader - the sheeple are ascared!

12 Wynn will still vote for King Putt. Actions speak louder than words

13 That's Plan Ahead Kitteh, got his food supply ready and waiting for when he wakes up.

If guns and ammo were 'shopped in to the photo he could be Survivalist Kitteh.

14 Posted by: Vic at July 19, 2011 09:30 AM (M9Ie6)

Seconded.

Actually, I've been giving this a little thought, and I'd be happy with a Top Marginal rate (yes, Flat Tax is better, but I'm assuming the Democrats would be more willing to compromise to SOME taxes for "the poor" if they still get to "stick it to 'the rich'") of about 28% and a tax floor (minimum amount of money you have to make to be taxed) of $3000.00/yr with a minimum tax rate of 8%.

That, by my theoretical plan, would give us 4 rate bands:
$3,000 - $20,000 (or whatever) 8%
$20,001 - 50,000 14%
$50,001 - $150,000 20%
$150,001+ 28%  (or something like that).

Again, I like a flat tax better, but I'm guessing this is a plan for which the Democrats might actually be persuaded to vote (eventually, with enough political ammunition), and I don't think we'll ever get them on board with a true flat tax.

15 Posted by: MisterMoney at July 19, 2011 09:36 AM (wN82N)

Yes we understand that you are a "concerned" Republican conservative. This OT story was covered in the headlines thread and also debunked.

16 So why exactly isn't Obama to be criticized?

17 I checked out the article about the guy who wanted to kill off the regulators.  To my great disappointment the article didn't say what his beef was.  I suspect that if it did he would already have a fan base and a growing legal defense fund.

18 Again, I like a flat tax better, but I'm guessing this is a plan for which the Democrats might actually be persuaded to vote (eventually, with enough political ammunition), and I don't think we'll ever get them on board with a true flat tax.

I don't think we are going to get anything useful until we get about 70 Republicans in the Senate while maintaining a majority in the House with someone like Bachmann as President.

Then a flat tax may be possible.

19 Migraines, WTF?  Buncha sickos in this world anymore.  Isn't anyone normal besides me?

20 That Larry Summers quote is da bomb.  I guess it proves that he's occasionally sober. 

21 20 So why exactly isn't Obama to be criticized?

Posted by: Major Kong at July 19, 2011 09:40 AM (wj/iq)

Because it's RAAAAAACISSSSSST.

Calling him a slow learner, in lefty circles and the media (BIRM), is equivalent to saying, "He's stupid cuz he's black."  Which is ridiculous.  He's stupid because he doesn't have the brains God gave a hamster.  Skin color doesn't factor into it.

22 Posted by: MisterMoney at July 19, 2011 09:36 AM (wN82N)

I'm trying to decide if this is trolling or eeyore-ishness.

I've had migraines for years- yes, full-on blinding, nausea inducing, can't move migraines.  With the right medication you can usually prevent them, and when you can't there are meds you can take which will get rid of them in about an hour.

And, when things are serious enough, you just push through the migraine.  For me, that's mostly been when my kids needed something (actually needed- not "wanted" migraines suck).  Somehow, I imagine a President would be able to push through the pain for issues of national importance.

Also, I imagine if they were stress migraines, and they were really "incapacitating" she would not run for President.  People with stress migraines don't look for more stress.

23

And time to run the kid up to drama camp.

You're sending him to the Dem budget discussions?

24 Wynn has already voted with his feet.  He has moved a large chunk of his business to Singapore.

Meanwhile, he is PO'd about Obamacare and the constant anti-business stuff.

As far as Reid,  I think he has ties to the mob and so is sacrosanct in Vegas.  Wynn is actually voicing something that needs to be said,  and in the process giving permission for democrat businessmen to oppose Obama.

25 "He's stupid cuz he's black."

Nah, he's stupid cause he's an ass. I'm supposing but I think his attitude is, "If I don't understand it, it must not be important". He is the ultimate noob.

26 That's a real nice resort you got there, Mr. Wynn. Be a real shame if there were any endangered species in the area.

27 "And I'm saying it bluntly, that this administration is the greatest wet blanket to business, and progress and job creation in my lifetime."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I have no sympathy for Steve Wynn, NONE WHATSOEVER
this is when I laugh at the liberals who knee-jerk claim that Republicans are "in the pocket of big business"
no, Republicans work to improve the business climate DESPITE idiots like Steve Wynn here

28 Wynn has already voted with his feet.  He has moved a large chunk of his business to Singapore.

Lots of tech companies have off-shored (and not just for cheaper labor).

29

13Voters are skittish when it comes to health issues like this. 

Are they? JEF had a coke habit and smokes like a factory. Voters could care less.

30

The flat tax sounds great in theory, but the revunue loss from the top bracket would be massive, and would have to shift down.  If we really went to a flat tax rate low enough to keep the middle class at or below their current tax rate, we'd have such a massive revenue shortfall that the deficit would balloon to even more absurd levels.

Now, obviously the government can spend without tax revenue, but without a large enough tax to serve as a reserve drain the inflation goes wild.  If we tried to rein in spending enough to not only cover the current deficit but also the new and larger deficit from the flat tax adjustments, the effects would be incalculable.  Aggregate demand would be obliterated.

A flat tax is one of those nice ideas that I think we're too far gone to ever implement, unless we want to crash the system.

 

31 Decline is NOT a choice...it is simply mathematics at this point.

32 Bachmann piece INTENDED to take her out. Cause anyone more conservative than McCain could not possibly be elected! Cain is out. He walked back his previous Muslim thing, but this latest is a deal killer. TPaw has drifted off somewhere. Even Trump could figure out Paul can't win. That Fred guy has gay Republican vote sewn up, so those three hundred votes will be unavailable for other candidates. Newt? Please. Looking at a Huntsman surge, I think.

33 And time to run the kid up to drama camp.

Posted by: Mallamutt, RINO President for Life at July 19, 2011 09:26 AM (OWjjx)

If it's a girl...don't bother.  They come by it naturally.

34

Bachman may be out.

http://bit.ly/mT7Klr

Apparently she gets migraine headaches that incapacitate her.

Oh, geezus H cripes on a popsicle stick, migraines are not a disqualifying condition.  But I'm sure you are very concerned. 

35 That's a real nice resort you got there, Mr. Wynn. Be a real shame if there were any endangered species in the area.

Be a real shame if we went on strike...

36

My favorite quote from the Wynn rant is this:

The guy keeps making speeches about redistribution and maybe we ought to do something to businesses that don't invest, their (sic) holding too much money. We haven't heard that kind of talk except from pure socialists.

I love this rant because every word is true.  But seriously, if Wynn and his fellow Dem CEOs didn't realize Obama was a dyed-in-the-wool socialist before they donated to him, they were beyond naive.

Everybody's afraid of the government and there's no need soft peddling it, it's the truth. It is the truth. And that's true of Democratic businessman and Republican businessman, and I am a Democratic businessman and I support Harry Reid. I support Democrats and Republicans. And I'm telling you that the business community in this company is frightened to death of the weird political philosophy of the President of the United States. And until he's gone, everybody's going to be sitting on their thumbs.

"Weird political philosophy."  You mean socialism/Marxism/communism/ progressivism/liberal fascism/other ideologies ending in -ism?  Mr. Wynn, I'm sorry to tell you this, but those aren't weird political philosophies.  They're destructive, unworkable, downright dangerous philosphies, but they're common wherever there's a university, union HQ, or government edifice.  They're fast becoming the Democratic mainstream.  Gird your loins.

37 The flat tax sounds great in theory, but the revunue loss from the top bracket would be massive, and would have to shift down.

I maintain that revenues would increase after it all settled out.

38

13Voters are skittish when it comes to health issues like this. 

Are they? JEF had a coke habit and smokes like a factory. Voters could care less.

Posted by: glowing blue meat

How do you know theat the cocaine habit is in the past? The CinC doesn't get piss tests, only the peasants in the military do.

39 TPaw has drifted off somewhere.

Did you see my link on the headline thread. PPP has removed him from all future State polls due to poor performance.

40

That, by my theoretical plan, would give us 4 rate bands:
$3,000 - $20,000 (or whatever) 8%
$20,001 - 50,000 14%
$50,001 - $150,000 20%
$150,001+ 28%  (or something like that).

What I don't like about this (and it's not just your plan, it applies to our current system as well) is that it punishes people for earning more money. For example, we should want people earning $20K per year to try to earn more, but if they get that raise or promotion that bumps them up to $21K then they actually take home $340 less than what they taking home at the $20K salary. People end up being punished hard for their success, so there's very little incentive to try to earn more unless you are making a really big jump in pay that will cover your tax losses.

The least bad option would probably one flat rate for everyone under the Democrats' magical $250K and one rate for everyone above, but the rates can't be too far apart because otherwise you come back to the same problem.

41 30 That's a real nice resort you got there, Mr. Wynn. Be a real shame if there were any endangered species in the area.

Posted by: Empire of Jeff at July 19, 2011 09:46 AM (lbo6/)

Like I posted on Twitter last night, "Obama to throw hospitality industry under the bus (again) in 5... 4... 3..."

42  "Obama to throw hospitality industry under the bus (again) in 5... 4... 3..."

In other news, Steve Wynn just announced they will be adding indoor golf courses to all resorts

43 OMB's ridiculous statement on Cut, Cap, and Balance:

"Neither setting arbitrary spending levels nor amending the Constitution is necessary to restore fiscal responsibility. Increasing the federal debt limit, which is needed to avoid a federal government default on its obligations and a severe blow to the economy, should not be conditioned on taking these actions.

Instead of pursuing an empty political statement and unrealistic policy goals, it is necessary to move beyond politics as usual and find bipartisan common ground."

44 Posted by: Reactionary at July 19, 2011 09:47 AM (xUM1Q)

I completely disagree.  Read the link to Sowell to see why- I believe total output would massively rise.

Now, the amount of taxes as percent of GDP might (might) go lower than its historically average levels, but I expect in terms of real dollars revenues would go up.

And I'm completely for dismantling as much of the welfare state as we can, so lower revenues actually help that agenda as well.

Posted by: Ghost of Lee Atwater at July 19, 2011 09:53 AM (JxMoP)

I actually agree with you.  I'm just trying to come up with a plan that brings those bands closer together to build as big a coalition on the idea as possible.  My ultimate game-plan would be to move to a flat (or, at most, 2-tier) tax system, but I think we'd have to go at it incrementally.

Unless, as Vic suggests, we have veto-proof majorities in both House and Senate.

45 "Neither setting arbitrary spending levels nor amending the Constitution is necessary to restore fiscal responsibility. Increasing the federal debt limit, which is needed to avoid a federal government default on its obligations and a severe blow to the economy, should not be conditioned on taking these actions.

In order to cap our spending we have to increase our spending...

46 I just read that MSNBC is thinking of hiring Al Sharpy Sharpton to host a show full time. How low can ya go, how low can ya go

47 Instead of pursuing an empty political statement and unrealistic policy goals, it is necessary to move beyond politics as usual and find bipartisan common ground."

Posted by: Miss'80sBaby at July 19, 2011 09:58 AM (o2lIv)

Translated for morons (small "m"):

"The Republicans have to stop acting like they have some kind of backbone and give in to our demands for tax hikes like they always do."

48 I am completely lacking in good will this morning.

49 52 Does anyone really give a shit about Murdoch testifying in parliament?  All of these channels think that Americans care?  Too funny.

Maybe if they start throwing some chairs around, or something ...

Posted by: progressoverpeace at July 19, 2011 09:59 AM (G/MYk)

The only reason they're even reporting it is because the MFM thinks it gives Fox News a black eye somehow.  It's ridiculous.

50 dammit

51

The only reason they're even reporting it is because the MFM thinks it gives Fox News a black eye somehow.  It's ridiculous.

Posted by: MWR at July 19, 2011 10:01 AM (4df7R)

Denounce yourself, right now.

52 57 dammit

Posted by: toby928™ at July 19, 2011 10:01 AM (GTbGH)

There there.  Socks happen to all of us.

53 Posted by: Miss'80sBaby at July 19, 2011 09:58 AM (o2lIv)

I really wish someone would say, "Mr. President, actions speak louder than words, and the actions of your administration and previous, and previous congresses have spoken that, yes, a Constitutional Amendment is necessary to get the profligate spending under control.  If you wish to disprove that, it is incumbent upon you to respond with actions- not 'just words.'  Agree to real, enumerated, current-and-next-year budget cuts, and then we will give consideration to the idea that a Constitutional Amendment might not be necessary."

54 Increasing the federal debt limit, which is needed to avoid a federal government default on its obligations

That there is what we call a lie.

55

Denounce yourself, right now.

Posted by: Tami at July 19, 2011 10:02 AM (X6akg)

Oh, d'oh!  How could I have forgotten?

I hereby denounce myself with extreme prejudice!

56 Yeah, I haven't followed the wire-tapping News of the World (or whatever the heck it is) story at all, but I agree it's just supposed to make Fox look bad somehow. 

Why the outrage?  I thought we learned from Wikileaks that information, no matter how obtained, was always good.  Or does it just matter who the targets are? 

57

Blue Hen, my first thought was "well yeah, Harry stays bought" too.

I want to enact a Constitutional Amendment that not only balances the budget by limiting spending to what ever revenues were collected the previous year, but also sets the income tax rate at a fixed flat 15% of all income from all sources and eliminate all other taxes.

I'm becoming more and more enamored of the flat tax idea, if for no other reason than it annoys all the right people. 

I was reading the Derbyshire article and the comments thereto and I find great support for my belief that generation warfare between the Boomers and those younger is inevitable.  I'm not really trying to start it up here, but I do not see how it can be otherwise.  And before anyone says anything, of course, of course I'm painting with a broad brush here.  Yes, yes, the Moron Boomers don't feel this way.  Stipulated.  With that stipulation in place, the Boomers want what's theirs.  They believe they paid into the system, they want what they were promised.  Gen X and younger have known since they started being paid that every penny that goes to SS and Medicare might as well be set on fire.  The Boomers don't want to accept that they've ignored the problem.  Gen X doesn't want to pay for the parents who ignored the hell out of them.  These are incompatible views and it's going to get even uglier than it is now.  I don't see any way it can't. 

 

 

58

What does 'poor' mean in modern America?

"Poor" in modern America means using your food stamps to buy lobster and porterhouse steak while you cash your welfare checks and use the cash to buy a Cadillac with shiny rims and a vanity plate.

59 M80B the OMB has a point. The Republicans just need to pass bills that cut spending. Get out from under the whole default argument and pass a combined debt limit increase (relatively small, say 300-500B yes scary that is small) and reclaim the unspent TARP funds and cancel the high-speed train stuff and then get to work on the FY 2012 budget. That should include another debt ceiling increase, and should be less than the actual FY2011 spend by 10%. Say, keep electing us and we will take this spending down by 10% a year until we are balanced. All the rest is eyewash. All the hocus pocus is too complex.

60 53 I just read that MSNBC is thinking of hiring Al Sharpy Sharpton to host a show full time. How low can ya go, how low can ya go

Posted by: Nevergiveup at July 19, 2011 09:59 AM (i6RpT)

Give me a shot at that!

61

I just finished up my own post about the green car company that went tits up and cost the city of Salinas, CA half a mil of taxpayer money.

Heh, Green DOOM!, the flavor of the day.

It find it sadly amusing that this president, along witht his communist buddy Van Jones, are pushing for us to move into a "green economy" which itelf is the very definition of "unsustainable."

62 The Republicans just need to pass bills that cut spending.

^ This. 

Via HotAir, Gallup poll makes it clear people want spending cut.

"Americans continue to express a strong desire that any agreement that is reached include plans for major cuts in future spending. Americans now by a 20-point margin — 55% vs. 35% — say they worry more that the government would raise the debt ceiling without plans for major spending cuts, than that the government would not raise the ceiling and an economic crisis would ensue."

63 I bet average joe could do an MSNBC show in his sleep.

64 We're here for a surprise inspection, Mr. Wynn.

65 Well, I hope Wynn's remarks don't tank his Vegas hotel.  That's where we'd like to stay the next time we're down there. 

66 Posted by: MWR at July 19, 2011 10:04 AM (4df7R)

Exactly.

Now, as with those at Heritage, I understand there are some truly impoverished people in the United States.  But there aren't many, and if we'd be honest about who they are and what they need, we could help them better.

Which we, as a nation, were doing before Uncle Sugar came in and started handing out other-people's money.  Now it's a "right" to get on Medicaid, or WIC, or CHIPS or whatever.  Even if you make enough money that- if you prioritized properly- you could meet all your needs yourself.

67 BTW, I think it's kinda funny that Mr. Wynn sounds a lot like Mr. Wint. 

68

Just saw the story posted earlier on Argentina.  I've been saying since Obama was elected that he is the new Juan Peron.  He is not a classic Marxist, as he enjoys too much the adulation and company of the wealthy elite.   But he has vastly ramped up the welfare and public employment machine, and his NLRB is busy rewriting labor law and promoting unionism as much as possible. 

Remember - and we should ALWAYS remember - that the biggest beneficiaries of Obama's "economic stimulus" legislation were state and local public employees.  And this was a feature, not a bug.  The "shovel ready jobs" bullshit was a fig leaf for all the old Keynesians in the media.  It was a gigantic wealth transfer to teachers and police and state and local bureaucrats.

We have a depression on.  But who is rioting?  Public employees in Wisconsin! 

69 67 M80B the OMB has a point. The Republicans just need to pass bills that cut spending...

They've have done/are doing that in their FY 2012 appropriations bills.

70 I thought we learned from Wikileaks that information, no matter how obtained, was always good.

Zing!

71 Somehow, I imagine a President would be able to push through the pain for issues of national importance.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at July 19, 2011 09:43 AM (8y9MW)

Oh, certainly! When her masters at GE and Pfizer and GM order her to gut the CPSC or give them extra tax-breaks, she'll push through the pain. But when regular, every-day Americans need her she will be at an undisclosed location with a cold compress and a morphine drip.

Sorry, but "Republican woman" is an oxymoron. Real women care about those around them and want to help. I'll take Hillary Clnton over Bachmann any day.

Hillary cares about our children -- our future!

Shame on you!

72 That Minter article in the sidebar on the Dims Doom has got some AOSHQ worthy snark if you make it to page three.

73

It = I

Garcón, more coffee.

74 46: Ghost, Nah, progressive tax rates are structured so that even the rich cats only pay 8% on the first 20K, then 14% on the 20-50K, etc. Its only when the government takes an oversized bite out of the next band of money that people decide its better to have more free time than work more hours, or they invest in "safe" muni bonds (that was Mellon in the 1920's, not sure muni bonds are all that safe in these days of public sector uninons)

75 I just finished up my own post about the green car company that went tits up and cost the city of Salinas, CA half a mil of taxpayer money.

Is that Aptera?

76 You have to understand, they're including unemployment checks and cowboy poetry as part of the feral government's "obligations". Posted by: progressoverpeace at July 19, 2011 10:06 AM (G/MYk) Well, yeah. Everything that the Congress passes as an authorization gets counted as an obligation. We have to borrow 43 cents of every spent dollar right now. As neat as it sounds to say we are going to have a day of reckoning someday might as well do it now, it is unrealistic to think that we will simply cut our spending by that much right now. If the Republicans had the balls to do it, they would just do that. If they thought the American public was behind them for a 43% cut in the budget, they would be doing it. But the American public isn't.

77 "I'm saying it bluntly, that this administration is the greatest wet blanket to business, and progress and job creation in my lifetime."

Thanks, we moving as fast as we can. Choo! Choo!

78 Instead of tinkering with the tax rates, the first thing a President Generic Republican needs to do is to eliminate withholding.  Let people see the funds actually being drained out of their bank account to pay for the gov't largesse.

79 Posted by: alexthechick at July 19, 2011 10:04 AM (VtjlW)

What they are talking about now is yet another "fix" for SS just like the previous two fixes. They want to (1) increase withholding (2) increase the retirement age. That is exactly what they did in the previous two fixes and all they did after the fix was increase spending again even more than the additional revenue.

You can not "fix" SS with the current regime. Along with that super majority we need for a flat 15% tax we need a bill that phases out the SS ponzi scheme totally. It is a socialist creature of FDR.

80 Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at July 19, 2011 10:08 AM (8y9MW)

My grandfather was a pediatrician who started his practice during the depression. He had a mix of middle-class and poor patients. When his poor patients were unable to pay their bills, he treated them anyway.

Had you asked him how he was going to be reimbursed, he wouldn't have understood the question.

Had you suggested that the government should pay for their care, he would have tossed you out of his office on your ass.

81 Is that Aptera?

Posted by: Monty at July 19, 2011 10:12 AM (/0a60)

Here is the link I had from the headline thread:

Another green success story

82 What they are talking about now is yet another "fix" for SS

But my money is a lock-box, right?

83 They've have done/are doing that in their FY 2012 appropriations bills. Posted by: Miss'80sBaby at July 19, 2011 10:09 AM (o2lIv) Then that's the play that they should be pumping - cap cut and balance is smoke and mirrors.

84 Is that Aptera?

Green Vehicles.

Surprising that Aptera is still around. They were supposed to start delivering vehicles a long time ago. I'd have thought they'd already burned through all their cash by now, what with their haphazard and costly course changes in development.

85

Is that Aptera?

No, this was a different ugly, inefficient coffin on wheels, Drudge had it linked yesterday afternoon, Green Vehicles.

The point I wanted to make was that if it made sense for us to move to a "green economy," we would have already done so. Whay are we so busy ignoring the tried and true economic model that works, capitalism, and focusing (and thereby, wasting) time and capital on economic theories that have never worked any time they were tried.

I'm convinced that those who criticize capitalism don't want to give up their power, which is required in order for capitalism to function properly.

They're jealous.

86 @93 
Yeah, I have no faith in the GOP's resolve to make real cuts after what they did a few months ago on the heels of an historic election. 

87

Another green success story

Posted by: Vic at July 19, 2011 10:15 AM (M9Ie6)

How could you fail with a mission statement like this:

"To make the best clean commuter vehicles in the world; To manufacture with a radical sense of responsibility; To engage in deep transparency as an inspiration for new ways of doing business."

I bet their MEs couldn't find a way to manufacture "a radical sense".  Hard to program a robot to build vapid-ware.

88 Ah, Vic got to it first.

89 "...we need a bill that phases out the SS ponzi scheme totally."

Posted by: Vic at July 19, 2011 10:14 AM (M9Ie6)

Yes, but the operative word here is "phases." current retirees should receive 100%. and that percentage should gradually drop to 0% for those not yet in the work force. So a hypothetical 50% reduction for someone halfway through his working life should also come with some tax advantage for private savings, in addition to some decrease in the SS tax.

I think that the devil is in the details.

90

Apparently she gets migraine headaches that incapacitate her.

Oh, geezus H cripes on a popsicle stick, migraines are not a disqualifying condition.  But I'm sure you are very concerned. 

Not only will she have to drop out of the campaign, but she'll have to resign her seat in the House and begin living in a secluded shack in the woods of Montana, eschewing contact with humans and sunlight.

I just love the Daily Caller, or as I call it - that website with Jim Treacher and Mickey Kaus

91 Not only will she have to drop out of the campaign, but she'll have to resign her seat in the House and begin living in a secluded shack in the woods of Montana, eschewing contact with humans and sunlight

But Gabby Giffords is just fine and dandy launching a Senate run. 

92

How could you fail with a mission statement like this:

How can you expect a manufacturer to succeed in California's busniness climate?

They should have been denied public funding based on the liability of being based in California, alone!

93 Posted by: Y-not at July 19, 2011 10:21 AM (5H6zj)

For the win!

94 We have defined poverty in such a way that we will always have poor people.

Our poor people are fat and have X-Boxes.

95 Billy-Jeff takes time out from mentoring interns to weigh in on creating jobs.

96 @103

^{_{*takes bow*}}

I was sorely tempted to make a much more biting comment, but I thought it would be in poor taste. 

And I'm nothing if not classy, baby!

97

Blue Hen, my first thought was "well yeah, Harry stays bought" too

This is why I have no sympathy for the likes of Wynn or other big business owners/Wall Street types.

They've been buying Democratic Presidents for sometime now and like the mob hiring the Joker in TDK, they've unleashed something they can't control.  Obama is a pure ideologue.   Other democratic candidates would pay lip service to the far left and then turn their back on them when elected. Not Obama, he's going all in. Regulation, increased government spending, increased government taxes, increased burden on the tax payer, etc etc.

And now many of the big business types are mad? They funded him. They voted for him.  I feel no sympathy for them

98 "To make the best clean commuter vehicles in the world; To manufacture with a radical sense of responsibility; To engage in deep transparency as an inspiration for new ways of doing business."

To soak money out of clueless city politicians; to confuse and mislead venture-capital investors; to assume that a half-baked engineering sample is a production-ready product; to pay oneself a princely salary for very little work; to combine incompetence with stupidity; and to assume that a hippy-dippy California-friendly slogan will somehow translate into a viable business.

A true Obama Age success story.

But I'm sure that "green technology" will yet result in a viable business. Somehow. Somewhere.

99

I think that the devil is in the details.

Yup. Folks would need a government-proof way of saving for their retirement. But I'm putting the cart before the horse. Today, what everybody needs is a good job with some upward mobility.

You know, like we used to have.

100 Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo (NJConservative) at July 19, 2011 10:15 AM (LH6ir)

Exactly.

My grand-parents lived through the depression (farmers in Texas, no less) and saw real poverty.  We, by and large, don't have that anymore.  Poverty is stealing flour- and your kids being so hungry they don't even wait until you get home to bake it into bread; they just rip the bag open and eat the raw flour.

Poverty is worse than "not knowing where your next meal will come from," but, rather, knowing that your next meal might never come at all.

We mostly don't have that anymore.  To modern Americans, poverty means "I can't afford a BMW, my 4G smartphone, AND groceries.  You should pay for my groceries."

101 OT, but this is big news in NJ. Norcross runs politics in South Jersey. Wonder who will step up...

State Sen. Donald Norcross said Monday that he will step down as head of the Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO Central Labor Council — representing 72 organizations with 85,000 members — come Labor Day weekend.

102 93 Then that's the play that they should be pumping - cap cut and balance is smoke and mirrors.

In hindsight, it would have been a good idea, but we also have the problem of the Senate not passing a budget. Are they [the Senate] ever going to complete a budget wit appropriations or will Congress be moving from CR to CR?

103 99: I disagree. There is no reason we should not apply means testing to SS and only pay current retirees up to whatever amount they put in with some nterest growth allowance if they have plenty of other income. Its INSANE to take money from a struggling young worker to give to some retiree with plenty of income who already has gotten more than what they put into the system.

104 "...we need a bill that phases out the SS ponzi scheme totally."

Posted by: Vic at July 19, 2011 10:14 AM (M9Ie6)

Yes, but the operative word here is "phases." current retirees should receive 100%. and that percentage should gradually drop to 0% for those not yet in the work force. So a hypothetical 50% reduction for someone halfway through his working life should also come with some tax advantage for private savings, in addition to some decrease in the SS tax.

I think that the devil is in the details.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo

 

No, because this reinforces the spurious notion that some people can skate on this and some must bear the burden. Existing benefits holders should either be permanently frozen and/or see small cuts. EVERYONE should experience the reality that this pig is dying. If they bitch (and they will) the younger can retort that they are bearing the smallest burden of all. Does anyone seriously think that the existing recipients will suddenly come out and vote for us out of gratitude? Hell no. At lweast we can soften the blow to the younger by letting them know that they're not the only ones taking the hit.

105 Surprise! SCOTUS overturns majority of 9th Circus decisions for the previous term. Also wishful thinking that the Palin movie will just disappear, in a sidebar.

106 palerider - but it was "promised" to them ...

107

Vic is right.  We need a tax increase - - from people who make money, but are paying little or no income taxes now.  And a 15% flat tax would do that.  It would also lower the rate on people who've paid more than their "fair share" for a helluva long time.

You want "shared sacrifice", Toonces?  How about giving up Obamacare and the ecomony killing uncertainty that came with it?  C'mon, eat your damn peas!

Grover Norquist won't like me for this.  But I'd be OK with "tax increases" along the lines of capping the mortgage interest deduction at 20K a yr, killing ethanol credits, ending the EITC, and counting food stamps, SSI payments, unemployment comp and Sec. 8 housing vouchers as taxable income.

There, we just solved the fiscal crisis!  You're welcome...

108

No, because this reinforces the spurious notion that some people can skate on this and some must bear the burden.

Posted by: Blue Hen at July 19, 2011 10:27 AM (6rX0K)

I've paid well over six figures is SS. I'd be willing to forgo that, IFF they fix it! (and not some stupid scheme to fund the growth of government)

109 My grand-parents lived through the depression (farmers in Texas, no less) and saw real poverty.

My MIL grew up in the pan handle region of TX during the dust bowl/depression.

If you want to read some stuff about that I recommend this book.

The Worst Hard Time

Someone recommended it on one of the book threads last year (I think it was Monty). I almost broke down and cried reading this book. And what was criminal about it was that it was GD government policy that caused it.

110 That kitteh pic needs Socialist Kitteh shopped in, trying to steal kitteh's food stash.

111 yes, everybody must pay some taxes.  Even if just a token amount.  Because everyone must have skin in the game.

112

Its INSANE to take money from a struggling young worker to give to some retiree with plenty of income who already has gotten more than what they put into the system.

Another thing I never hear in that debate is lifting the $120K cap on taxes. As I understand it, if you make over that amount, you're still only taxed up to it and no more. Or, has it been changed and I didn't get the memo?

I somehow think the CEO's who make multies of millions of dollars a year wouldn't like that very much.

113 122 yes, everybody must pay some taxes.  Even if just a token amount.  Because everyone must have skin in the game.

Posted by: chemjeff at July 19, 2011 10:31 AM (s7mIC)

Yep, and I'd have them write the check out of their personal bank account.

114 Posted by: PaleRider at July 19, 2011 10:26 AM (FBj6Z)

Define "plenty of income."

See, if I knew, when I retired, that I'd be getting (from a combination of SS, and any private retirement), say, $4,000 a month (take home), I'd budget for $4,000 a month.  Maybe a little less "just in case."

If you turn around and take my SS away and that becomes $3,000 a month (still enough, in many parts of the country, if you've budgeted for it), I'm suddenly screwed- not because I didn't plan, but because you came in after-the-fact and made my plan moot.

And the same is true almost no matter what amount of monthly income I'm talking about.  Once you're retired, "live within your means" no longer includes "put some away for retirement," so you don't even have a retirement fund to raid in many cases (or, rather, if you do, you're screwing yourself long-term).

So, no, I'm good with current retirees getting 100% of current benefits.  I'm even good with doing that for workers who are 5 years or less away from retirement.  Beyond that, though, means testing is step one.  Step two involves either voluntary privatization, or cutting contributions so that employees have the ability to put more into their private accounts.  And we keep stepping down until SS Just. Goes. Away.

115 Folks would need a government-proof way of saving for their retirement.

It's the illusion of "risk free" savings that has gotten us into this mess in the first place. There is no such thing as "risk free". There will always be the spendthrift and unlucky who fail to provide for themselves, but I must say my reservoir of pity for the spendthrift is nearly empty. For the unlucky I am willing to contribute some help...but not at the expense of my own financial well-being in old age.

116 No we do NOT need to "means test" SS although we are doing that somewhat already now by taxing it.

Means testing will just turn it into yet another welfare program where eventually the only people who get it or the welfare queens who's only job is to get pregnant.

We need to get rid of it.

117

 But there aren't many, and if we'd be honest about who they are and what they need, we could help them better.

This.  It's like the homeless problem.  The solution for those severely mentally ill is different than that for substance abusers is different than that of someone who hit a bad patch in life is different than that for someone who is trying to game the system.  There is no one solution to homelessness.

Yes, but the operative word here is "phases." current retirees should receive 100%. and that percentage should gradually drop to 0% for those not yet in the work force.

A phased step down would be the most workable solution.  The question isn't are there going to be massive changes, the question is how to do it.  A phased step down would spread out the pain.

 

 

118 Court Says Cities Can Ban Layoffs By New Owners

Posted by: Fish the Impaler at July 19, 2011 10:35 AM (Lt/Za)

Lord those judges and cities are totally insane. Calling them clueless doesn't adequately describe it.

119 And we keep stepping down until SS Just. Goes. Away.

But what if we don't have the time to do it gradually? What if a combination of demographics and debt service requires a more radical adjustment on a shorter time-horizon?

And how do you ensure that a gradual wind-down in benefits is maintained by future Congresses/Presidents?

Bah. This argument bores me these days. Medicare will fail soon; SS will fail in five or ten years. I'll get what I want one way or the other. It's just that elderly folks will suffer a lot more later due to our inability to say "No" to them now.

120

I would argue that Americans have rarely know real poverty, even those who went through the great depression.

If you want to see real poverty, I suggest you read Asian history.  You don't even have to go that far back. Read about the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution in China. Imagine all trees being completely stripped of bark so you can eat it. Imagine killing your kids because you can't feed them. Or even worse(and documented), imagine trading your child for the child of a family in another village so you didn't have to eat your own kid.

I'm not trying to downplay how bad it was during the great depression, but judged against other nations and human history, it's been much much worse

121 From a while ago at ZeroHedge:

A one-parent family of three making $14,500 a year (minimum wage) has more disposable income than a family making $60,000 a year.

So yes, every single moron here who is fully employed in a good job is an idiot, because, in America, the poor live better than you do.

122 Ok.. I'm still confused about this Balanced Budget Amendment.. I asked in the morning thread about taxes being forced to be raised.  I think Vic replied that we are paying over 20% of GDP in taxes right now.

But an article I am reading says we only collected 14.9% of GDP in taxes for 2010.  Which is it?

And, if in fact we are only collecting about 15% of GDP in taxes, wouldn't a BBA force taxes to rise to spending levels?

123 So, the judges just decreased the value of any business sale in CA by 90d of operational cost

124 Federal labor law does not give...

Okay, that infuriates me.  Morons, move out of CA now, 'cause I'm going to start working on my doomsday-big-rocks-from-the-moon device.

Federal labor law doesn't "give" anything to employers.  It restricts them from things.  Inasmuch as it does not restrict an employer's right to fire anyone he chooses, this statement is stupid.

Now, the thing is, I think cities do have the right to have these kind of ordinances.  I think they're stupid, and they'll hamper economic growth (I bet incidents of liquidation-style bankruptcy (chapter 11? 13?  I can't remember) start going up, as there is now less incentive to buy the business before it goes under), but they have the right to do it.

However, the correct understanding of Federal law is that "Federal law does not grant immunity from state law or local ordinance" or that "Federal does not restrict communities from issuing such ordinances."

125 There are very few genuinely "poor" Americans, compared to poor people in, say, Bangladesh or Zimbabwe.

We're working hard on the matter.

126 If you want to see real poverty, I suggest you read Asian history... Imagine killing your kids because you can't feed them. Or even worse(and documented), imagine trading your child for the child of a family in another village so you didn't have to eat your own kid.

Assuming you mean killing for the purpose of eating, I'd just point out that there are folks who would eat other folks and folks who would never do that, irrespective of circumstances. 

127 My grand-parents lived through the depression (farmers in Texas, no less) and saw real poverty. 

My parents both grew in the Texas panhandle during the depression/dust bowl years.

My dad was born in Muleshoe. My grandfather and his brother were first generation Irish-Americans. During the depression they headed west from NYC. They got as far as Muleshoe before the money ran out.

Somewhere I have a picture of my dad at about age 2, standing on the porch of a shack and the cotton literally growing right up to the edge of the "house".

128

Assuming you mean killing for the purpose of eating, I'd just point out that there are folks who would eat other folks and folks who would never do that, irrespective of circumstances. 

Oh I agree to a point, but history has shown that if you put people in a certain situation they tend to act contrary to what they would in normal circumstances.

Extreme poverty can make people do extreme things.

There is a certain segment of the population in any country that simply has the will to live and will do whatever is necessary to remain alive.

So if you put them in a situation where they have to eat tree bark or other humans, they will.

129 I'm not trying to downplay how bad it was during the great depression, but judged against other nations and human history, it's been much much worse

You should read that book I linked to above. It was as bad there is any other place in history.

130 Posted by: shibumi at July 19, 2011 10:41 AM (z63Tr)

Yes, this is true.  And if I didn't have self-respect, I'd quit my job and become some minimum-wage slave somewhere.

Sometimes self-respect sucks.

Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at July 19, 2011 10:41 AM (f9c2L)

I believe that, current year, we are on track to get about 14.5% of GDP in tax revenue.  That's the figure I've heard, anyway.  Most of that is due to the fact that people at the top are "going Galt" and living on non-taxable assets (cash already liquid, for instance, or income from non-taxable sources).

The BBA I've read (not sure it's the same one currently being considered) says that a tax increase requires a 2/3 majority to pass, and any deficit spending requires 3/4 (I think) to pass.  That means, in effect, that spending would be capped to the lower of: projected revenue or 18% of GDP (I can't remember if that's "projected current year" or "actual previous year").

131 Well, with the California Supreme Court Justice stating " Federal labor law does not give an employer an absolute right to choose its employees.."

What could go wrong? 

Court Says Cities Can Ban Layoffs By New Owners

Posted by: Fish the Impaler

 

Look for this to be trumpeted by other states seeking businesses and capital to relocate.

Leave for a sane state or stay and let the CA supreme court tell you whom you are allowed to hire and the gay kindergarten indoctrination. Tough choice.

132 127: SS is already a welfare program. We just give the welfare to everybody who happens to be over 68. You are conveniently ignoring my proviso that even a Larry Summers would not be cut off until he had received benefits equal to what he actually put in. But there is no reason some rich 80 year old who only paid the last few years of FICA at todays rates -- I was in HS when they were raised to this point, should be getting welfare that they don't even need. Cut them off if they've already exceeded their contributions + an annuity level interest amount and otherwise set their checks to meet their contribution levels + the annuity growth allownace over their expected lifespan. --yeah I know AARP will never allow this to happen and the system will just have to collapse and is probably already doomed to do so but this would at least be honest.

133

Also, it's been stated a million times, but the only way you will get tax reform is to end withholding.

If people had to write the checks at the end of the year there would be change in no time

134

So if you put them in a situation where they have to eat tree bark or other humans, they will.

This is true. 

 Those little Spuds in Idaho must eat tree bark for 2 meals a day...that's the reason why they are all 5' 2" and weigh 100 lbs.

135 Posted by: Monty at July 19, 2011 10:50 AM (/0a60)

I like borders.  It's really hard to browse gaming books on Amazon.

Also, I plan on home-schooling my children, and their prices on curricula were better than most "Teacher Supply Stores."

Oh, well, I'm sure I can find stuff on-line.

136

That 11,000 jobs lost is going to have a big impact on unemployment numbers if they come all at once.

To be fair, I've never once been treated nicely by a Borders employee.

Back when I did use to read flavor of the month right-wing political books, I would always notice that Borders employees would hide the new releases or not put them out for display.

137 I won't miss Borders, though. Amazon FTW!

Posted by: Monty at July 19, 2011 10:50 AM (/0a60)

 

We need to get a linky for Ace to bennefit from our Amazon Purchases.

138 >>I believe that, current year, we are on track to get about 14.5% of GDP in tax revenue. That's the figure I've heard, anyway. Most of that is due to the fact that people at the top are "going Galt" and living on non-taxable assets (cash already liquid, for instance, or income from non-taxable sources). There's also the not inconsequential issue of double digit unemployment. When the pool of workers goes down so does the amount of taxable income. Democrats solution, raise taxes on those remaining in the workforce. Republicans solution, raise the number of workers.

139 You should see how clean real poverty is.  The streets are not full of old lottery tickets and cigarette butts.  That shit is worth something.

140 We need to get a linky for Ace to bennefit from our Amazon Purchases.

YES.  Why does Ace resist doing this?

141 Bummer.  I'll miss Borders.  It's one of the few bookstores I actually enjoyed poking around in, primarily because it had more than just books.  I am targeted when I look for books (but I need to pick them up and read them) so I don't take long to buy a book, but Mr Y-not could spend a long time browsing.  It's torture to go to an old-fashioned bookstore with him. 

142 Posted by: JackStraw at July 19, 2011 10:54 AM (TMB3S)

This, too.  But since those workers are also not generating output for GDP, I don't think they fully explain why revenue as a percentage of GDP is down so far.

Automation/Efficiency has some to do with that, but I suspect as much is the people at the top figuring out that it's not going to pay to be paying taxes if they don't have to.

143 The BBA I've read (not sure it's the same one currently being considered) says that a tax increase requires a 2/3 majority to pass, and any deficit spending requires 3/4 (I think) to pass.  That means, in effect, that spending would be capped to the lower of: projected revenue or 18% of GDP (I can't remember if that's "projected current year" or "actual previous year").
Posted by: AllenG
.........
Wait.. So spending would automatically fall to 14.5%???  Has anyone bothered to work out a 14.5% budget just to see what it would look like?  What gets cut?  If you tell me entitlements, I'll just step out of the way while the old people with the pitchforks head to DC...

144 Oh, certainly! When her masters at GE and Pfizer and GM order her to gut the CPSC or give them extra tax-breaks, she'll push through the pain. 

Posted by: Lucy'sRabbit (NJProgressive) at July 19, 2011 10:09 AM (LH6ir)

Look, idiot- we were talking about Bachman here, not the ugly little girl currently in the white house. Lil' Miss pull up pants is the one dating Immelt, not Bachman.

Shame on you for being a dunce of epic proportion.

145 Posted by: Bob Saget at July 19, 2011 10:56 AM (F/4zf)

Yes, people who can't afford to waste trash.

146 BTW - thanks for clearing that up, AllenG

147 >>This, too. But since those workers are also not generating output for GDP, I don't think they fully explain why revenue as a percentage of GDP is down so far. Don't forget, GDP includes government spending which has sky rocketed as we all know. Spending has been outstripping receipt and the percentage would have dropped even without the rise in unemployment. If only Republicans could actually make this case to the American people without stepping on their dicks.

148 You mean I could have spent a little bit less, still ruined the economy, but I wouldn't have hit the debt ceiling until 2012? Damn...

149 Has anyone bothered to work out a 14.5% budget just to see what it would look like?  What gets cut?

That was the criticism I've been reading at Mike Lee's page about the BBA - that it is not specific about what gets cut. 


I know he's supposed to be the great Tea Party hero, but in person the guy is a dunce.  I haven't met anyone in Utah (personally) who is happy with the guy. 

150 In hindsight, it would have been a good idea, but we also have the problem of the Senate not passing a budget. Are they [the Senate] ever going to complete a budget wit appropriations or will Congress be moving from CR to CR? Posted by: Miss'80sBaby at July 19, 2011 10:25 AM (o2lIv) Put the debt ceiling increases in the appropriations bills and see. But there has to be a "bridge" to get to FY2012. I think it could be as little (hah!) as $250B for August and September. Take the $187B in unspent TARP funds and kill the train stuff, and do the rest in FY2012 budget. If the Senate won't play on a budget, do a CR every month. Make it 10% less than FY2011 appropriation and bump the debt ceiling enough to get through the month. Next round make it 11%. The BBA stuff and the cap stuff is simply an admission that they won't cut on their own. Cap can be eliminated with a majority vote. BBA would take years and years to pass. Let's them off the hook. Just pass bills with less spending, tie them to the debt ceiling increase, and go from there. Don't give the Senate or the President an excuse not to do it. The President is claiming that cap cut and balance is radical and that is probably enough for him to hang his hat on. Make it simple.

151 So Louis Borders is two for two. Anyone remember Webvan? Delivering groceries-2% GP-dot com ka-boom! Borders was only good for reading overpriced mags in A/C comfort, a nice pee, and back on the road. Sneering nose-ring jerk offs at the register, too.

152 Posted by: garrett at July 19, 2011 10:53 AM (nWP+W)

ace resists Amazon zero-effort money for the same reason this blog runs as well as some 1995 usenet beta sites.

When it comes to technology, he is afraid of his own shadow.

Maybe the cobloggers should start nagging him.

153 ChiTown we haven't been as low as 15% on revenues vs GDP since 2008. It is headed back into the 20% category now. 

Tax collection as compared to GDP

154 This!  America effing rocks!  Die commie scum.

^{_{Posted by: Papa Editor at July 19, 2011 11:00 AM (Zs83Q)}}

 

Ready for that ride, now, Ed?

155 Posted by: Chariots of Toast at July 19, 2011 10:57 AM (tk5O7)

You, my friend, just got socked.

Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at July 19, 2011 10:57 AM (f9c2L)

Yep, more or less.  And, no, no one has done that- but it would be pretty brutal.

156 Borders was only good for reading overpriced mags in A/C comfort, a nice pee, and back on the road. Sneering nose-ring jerk offs at the register, too.

I was not happy with their counter staff either, especially the pesty asking for my email address crap (and resulting spam)... but in Utah the staff are not the jerks they are other places.  And the conservative books are prominently displayed. 

157

Wait.. So spending would automatically fall to 14.5%???  Has anyone bothered to work out a 14.5% budget just to see what it would look like?  What gets cut?  If you tell me entitlements, I'll just step out of the way while the old people with the pitchforks head to DC...

IMO, part and parcel of any BBA would be some sort of guidance to prioritize the payments. like the military first, then SS, then MediCare and Medicaid, with things like the DOE and the EPA waaayyy down on the list.

Even better would be a zero based budget process where every, and I mean every department must justify its existence instead of their budget being based on the previous one.

Of course, this would require that adults be in charge...

158

It's the illusion of "risk free" savings that has gotten us into this mess in the first place. There is no such thing as "risk free".

Correct, Monty. My purportedly "risk free" social security benefits, which I've been paying into my entire long working life, will be radically cut or non-existent when I retire in 15-20 years.

I'd gladly cut any ties to SS now, forfeiting what I've already paid in to this point- IF given the opportunity to take my 15+% (my and employer's half) SS tax rolling forward and invest it as I saw fit for my retirement.

My current risk with SS Ponzi is somewhere between 50 and 100% loss of invested monies, on a 2 or 3% return. I can do better than that. Hell, I'd have to work hard to do as bad.

159

I'll miss Borders.  My local Borders crew have been there for a long time by retail standards.  We aren't on a first name basis, but they know the kind of books I read and we chat about the latest releases as they ring up my purchases.  It's a nice place.  

It's also the only bookstore within half an hour of my home.  The next nearest is a B&N at least 45 minutes away on South Willow Street in Manchester.  Anyone who has ever had to deal with South Willow Street in Manchester knows it's hell for traffic, especially at Christmas.  I'll have to do my book-shopping entirely online now, which makes me sad.

160 Even better would be a zero based budget process where every, and I mean every department must justify its existence instead of their budget being based on the previous one.

+1 to that. 

161 You sure that minimum wage is the problem?

At the low end, absolutely. Teen unemployment is as high as it's ever been, and the minimum wage is a large reason why that is. Many jobs are not worth minimum-wage, yet might be worth less -- five dollars an hour, say, or even three. There would be workers for jobs that paid $5/hr, or $3/hr, even $1/hr. (If a $1/hr job draws no candidates, then obviously it is worth more than $1/hr.)

Not every worker is worth minimum wage. Traditionally, teens took entry-level jobs to gain experience and skills and make themselves more valuable in future jobs. But many low-skill jobs cannot support a minimum-wage price -- and in many jobs that can support the minimum-wage labor price, many low-skill adults (like new immigrants, illegal or not) displace teens at the low end...and never move much. Teens never have a chance to enter the low-end of the job market, and thus must enter higher up, where their low skills and lack of experience are far more expensive and a bigger risk to employers.

Minimum wage is absolutely murderous in terms of the effect it has on the low end of the job market. If I had my way, I'd abolish it completely. I'd also lift the requirement for the employer to pay SS and other taxes/fees (like worker's comp) for many kinds of jobs -- at the low end, this is just a lot of unnecessary expense on the part of the employer in return for not much gain for the employee.

162 No one is listening to the American people on spending cuts.  It really pisses me off. 

163 Anyone who has ever had to deal with South Willow Street in Manchester knows it's hell for traffic, especially at Christmas.  I'll have to do my book-shopping entirely online now, which makes me sad.

LOL, I have never lived ANYWHERE in this country where the downtown traffic was not murder at Christmas. Even in the little 6K hicktown here it gets jammed.

164 IMO, part and parcel of any BBA would be some sort of guidance to prioritize the payments. like the military first, then SS, then MediCare and Medicaid, with things like the DOE and the EPA waaayyy down on the list.

I can see the argument for making that "guidance" some separate legislation, though.  We can't imagine, today, all the circumstances which might arise.  Even if we know that debt needs to be priority 1, and the Military priority 2 (or wherever you put it), as you get further down, the nation will have different priorities.

I'll have to do my book-shopping entirely online now, which makes me sad.

This.  I like flipping through books in the store to determine if I like them enough to spend money.  You just can't do that very effectively on Amazon.

165 Posted by: Pecos Bill at July 19, 2011 11:02 AM (j84s0)

I loved WebVan!

The prices were fantastic, and the delivery boxes were these heavy-duty plastic things with an integrated top. Good stuff. I still have two of them.

I was shocked that they lasted as long as they did.

Although...my favorite was Pets.com. 50 pound bags of dog food, shipped by air...for free!

166 You, my friend, just got socked.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at July 19, 2011 11:03 AM

ah, don't much care- it's still good target practice... got a lot of stupid relatives that talk just like that sock.

167 Monty is right on the minimum wage. First off, it is blatantly unconstitutional. Second off it kills youth employment.

But the idea that it kills adult employment is a myth. I dis some research on this a few years ago before the "collapse" and what I found was that following increases in the minimum wage since the 40s overall unemployment was not really affected. However, youth unemployment went up each time.

168 167 Put the debt ceiling increases in the appropriations bills and see. But there has to be a "bridge" to get to FY2012. I think it could be as little (hah!) as $250B for August and September. Take the $187B in unspent TARP funds and kill the train stuff, and do the rest in FY2012 budget. If the Senate won't play on a budget, do a CR every month. Make it 10% less than FY2011 appropriation and bump the debt ceiling enough to get through the month. Next round make it 11%.

I like the idea, but it would be hard to pass it in the House. The Republican factions fighting over tactics would eventually kill it just like last time, too. But they're soon going to find they have little to no choice about what to do and my fear is that some version of the McConnell/Reid plan will ultimately come before the House because they couldn't agree on anything else.

169 LOL, I have never lived ANYWHERE in this country where the downtown traffic was not murder at Christmas. Even in the little 6K hicktown here it gets jammed.

Posted by: Vic at July 19, 2011 11:08 AM (M9Ie6)

Very true!   Though I was lucky enough to grow up in a town that had no retail outlets to speak of.  Everyone would go to Concord or Manchester to buy anything, so we never had the traffic congestion.  We just had the snow. 

But South Willow is a special brand of hell year round.  Our state's biggest mall is there, plus a bunch of car dealerships, a ton of shopping centers with big-name stores, restaurants, and at least one of the city's three high schools.  Driving there is, IMO, as bad as driving in MA (but not quite as bad as Boston - maybe Newton).

170 Posted by: Monty at July 19, 2011 11:07 AM (/0a60)

Let me get this straight; you are suggesting that there is some relationship between the price of a product (in this case, labor) and the demand for that product?

You're nuts!

171 This.  I like flipping through books in the store to determine if I like them enough to spend money.  You just can't do that very effectively on Amazon.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at July 19, 2011 11:08 AM (8y9MW)

Exactly!

172 Minimum wage, it's not worth it for an employer to hire you. When I was little, I worked construction, manufacturing, and farming jobs. Summers, vacations, weekends. Because, basically, I was an illegal. That's right, these employers had nothing to worry about. Very little paperwork, no liability. Just hire the kid, see how he does. Nowadays you pick up a Mexican for that. $10/hour, no questions asked. You'd be crazy to hire someone's kid.

173 The next nearest is a B&N at least 45 minutes away on South Willow Street in Manchester. Anyone who has ever had to deal with South Willow Street in Manchester knows it's hell for traffic, especially at Christmas. Wimp

174 Plus, the internet steals jobs like ATMs....so it must be bad.

Yeah...
...
...
I'm a software developer specializing in connected (read: Internet based) systems.  Just sayin'.


Not exactly a luddite, here.  I just like buying books the old-fashioned way.  Especially my fiction.  Non-fiction and technical books are another matter.

(yes- I know it was a joke- but I actually get this from people in my day-to-day, so I like to get it out there).

175 I like the idea, but it would be hard to pass it in the House. The Republican factions fighting over tactics would eventually kill it just like last time, too. But they're soon going to find they have little to no choice about what to do and my fear is that some version of the McConnell/Reid plan will ultimately come before the House because they couldn't agree on anything else. Posted by: Miss'80sBaby at July 19, 2011 11:12 AM (o2lIv) Well, yeah. And if Republican factions kill it, guess who looks like a hero. The Republicans went into this with "there will be a deal." Okay, how to play hardball from there? They screwed the pooch on the CR for 2011, they better get this one right. The worst outcome will be that they get stared down at the wire and just pass some kind of increase getting nothing in return. The biggest mistake has been making this a negotiation with the White House. Screw that. Pass bills. Make them say yay or nay. The President will not veto a debt ceiling increase if he can't pass the blame.

176 Y-not - the old book store on main st is SLC is sam wellers, or something to that effect, is great as is the Lighthouse Ministry - if you want to get a little prickly with your neighbors

177 "Norman Ornstein doesn't like this talk of a balanced-budget amendment.  The argument is the same tired and discredited Keynesianism we've seen a thousand times before"

Just, for Pete's sake, DO NOT throw support in for the current BBA proposed in the Senate.  At best, it would do nothing.  More likely, it would give the spendaholics the perfect cover to go full steam ahead while dismissing any and all concerns as "dealt with".  More here:  http://bit.ly/qaFqLv

178 Thanks, Jean.  I'll check it out. 

I see on their FB page that they're relocating to Trolley Square. 

179 That kitteh picture speaks to me.  It's how I feel today.

180 @197
Substitute the kibble with M&Ms and me too!

181 Minimum wage is absolutely murderous in terms of the effect it has on the low end of the job market. If I had my way, I'd abolish it completely. I'd also lift the requirement for the employer to pay SS and other taxes/fees (like worker's comp) for many kinds of jobs -- at the low end, this is just a lot of unnecessary expense on the part of the employer in return for not much gain for the employee.

Posted by: Monty
...............
I don't know.. the millions of illegals we have in this country have skewed the low end job market terribly.

An example:  Burger King and McDonald's used to hire a lot of high school kids.. Now in the Chicago area  (including out here in the white suburbs), the staffs are 100% Hispanic.

10-15 years ago, both of the franchises were advertising $2 to $3 over minimum wage.. and touting benefits.  It was a pretty good gig for retirees and teenagers.

Now, they have an unlimited workforce willing to take whatever they can.. they could probably pay well under minimum and still have no problem filling the positions.

You cannot fix minimum wage issues until you get a handle on illegal immigration.  Personally, I don't think minimum wage is much of an issue.. there are very few jobs anyone is willing to do that pays less than the current minimum if you are a legal or documented worker.

182 Wynn also donated to Cholly Rangel. He may be rich, but he's pretty damn stupid politically if he thinks Obama and Reid are any different. And Rangel??? He's been dirty for decades. Can't seem to shed a tear for this guy, he reminds me of Hollywood liberal turds. Rich and stupid.

183 193 The Republicans went into this with "there will be a deal." Okay, how to play hardball from there? They screwed the pooch on the CR for 2011, they better get this one right. The worst outcome will be that they get stared down at the wire and just pass some kind of increase getting nothing in return. The biggest mistake has been making this a negotiation with the White House. Screw that. Pass bills. Make them say yay or nay. The President will not veto a debt ceiling increase if he can't pass the blame.

If they're going to do this, they need to extract everything from Obama that they possibly can. I feel the lists of "what I [lawmaker] want" have had a damaging effect on their ability to leverage and I don't want them to be left with a version of McConnell/Reid. Keep trying to cut spending instead of comparing lists.

184 Wynn also donated to Cholly Rangel. He may be rich, but he's pretty damn stupid politically if he thinks Obama and Reid are any different. And Rangel??? He's been dirty for decades. Can't seem to shed a tear for this guy, he reminds me of Hollywood liberal turds. Rich and stupid.

Posted by: The Schwalbe

 

Yes, but of the three, only Obama was dumb enough to use Las Vegas as a prop in his speeches. I'd chalk this one up to a player pissed at being spiked by a team mate, combined with perceived gaps in the teflon.

185 Regarding taxes, I agree with Glenn Reynolds. Windfall profits tax on trial lawyers, and taxes on movies and other entertainment venues. Hollywood loves to talk about big government. Let them pay. Obama wants more taxes, here they are. If Natalie Portman and the like can buy mutli-million dollar homes, they can afford to step up.

186 there are very few jobs anyone is willing to do that pays less than the current minimum if you are a legal or documented worker.

I think that's very, very wrong. There are lots of jobs that people would be willing to do for less than seven bucks an hour. They may want more, but they'd do it for less. It's supply and demand, basically -- why pay a shopping-cart guy seven bucks an hour if you can get another guy to do the same job just as well for five? Especially in this economy -- a teenager would probably jump at the chance to make $200/week corraling shopping carts in a parking lot.

I do agree that illegal-immigrant labor is warping the market, but this is a legal problem (enforcing an already-existing law), not an economic one per se. If employers could take on employees at lower cost and with less risk, they'd be less willing to flout the law and hire illegals.

187 If we started jailing people who hired illegals knowingly it would stop and most of them would go home.

188 #203 My son is learning this in spades this summer.  He could not find a fulltime summer job but has hung on to a weekends-only job in a local bakery.   And this job is all-cash $8 an hour, but he rarely gets more than 10 hours in a weekend.   He is always running out of gas because he can't ever fill his tank on what he earns in a weekend and still have any money left to go to a movie or out for pizza with a friend.  He bitches constantly about the price of everything.  I guarantee he is not voting for Obama next year, which will be his first election.  I don't think any of his friends will either.

189

The configuration of the tax code helps create the illusion of the Lock Box. The feds do not need to have a variety of taxes on income. There should just be one. It seems the SS tax revenue makes it into the general fund anyway.

And if we aren't going to end withholding, at least, save the unwashed from adding up IT, FICA, etc to see their total bill. Shit, end the employer SS contribution too. Another example of hiding the true Fed take.

The most palatable SS solution for me is to pay me the amount I've paid in plus interest calculated at the average annual T-Bill rate from the date of the first contribution to the last. I wants my money. But I don't think I can assert a right to some lifetime annuity. Let me invest that sum in someplace real safe like a coffee can in my vegetable garden. And if the Feds hadn't misrepresented SS for years, and I'd just paid a tax designed to fund all of this, I would figure the money paid is just water under the bridge, pissed away like every other dollar.

On second thought, I think I'd just like to get in one room all the liars who all these years pushed this Ponzi scheme and show them the business end of a Louisville Slugger. Then, you can keep the money.

 

 

190 Back up a bus to the ER of any hospital in San Diego, load it up with illegals and drive them back to Tijuana. Then we can talk about my SS payments.

191

My son would have been very happy with a $5 an hour fulltime job this summer.  He is only getting 8-10 hours week at the $8 an hour job he has.  Enough for him to have a little spending money, but not enough to save anything for college living in the fall.  And because he couldn't find a job this summer, he probably won't for the next three while he is in college, as employers around here tend to hire back the same kids year after year - why wouldn't you hire the experienced kids if you have to pay them $8 an hour?

I know the politics of the minimum wage suck, but I would really like to see Republicans put to gether a bill called the "Emergency Employer Relief and Job Creation Act"  that repeals the latest minimum wage increase, along with repealing all the job-killing new regulations enacted by Obama, waiving the capital gains tax for a year, lifting all moratoria on oil and gas drilling, and a few other things.

192 I think that's very, very wrong. There are lots of jobs that people would be willing to do for less than seven bucks an hour.

Posted by: Monty at July 19, 2011 11:40 AM (/0a60)

 

OK - so let's say that's right.  We cut the min wage and fix the teen unemployment problem.  Hot dog stand owners, fruit growers, and car washes rejoice.  It does little for one who must try to keep himself alive and in shelter without parental assistance.  Unless you're willing to make welfare pay less than $5 per hour, which few people even on the Right seem willing to stomach, you're not going to get many adult takers for those jobs. 

And in the long run it does very little to address the real issue - advances in automation have created a situation where an ever increasing portion of the people in America will have no opportunity to participate in the economy.  In theory this automation should be a blessing, but in reality the benefits will only accrue to a limited number of people.  We have no means for people to get by on their own outside the traditional employment paradigm.  You can't go out and clear land to start subsistence farming on the frontier any more.  Hunting and trapping are not viable options for very many people.  We're driving common labor to the lowest common denominator, which is calculated as the wage paid to a subsistence worker in grinding 3rd world poverty, plus the cost of shipping to the US.  India is making the outsourcing of professional services a reality as well.

What's to be done with all the useless surplus labor, especially given that our system pays the underclass to breed an ever expanding number of unskilled laborers?

There are stop gaps that we can use for now - like pushing out all the illegals and stopping mass immigration.  But so long as the underclass reproduces well above replacement, we've got a problem.  They're not going to lay down and starve quietly.

 

193 If we started jailing people who hired illegals knowingly it would stop and most of them would go home.

Posted by: Vic at July 19, 2011 11:48 AM (M9Ie6)

 

This.  If it were up to me that would be the penalty for the first offense.  The second offense would be punished by deportation to whichever hell hole they hired the illegals from.

194 rockmom:

The problem with unemployed teens is more severe than most people realize. It's not just the income lost and the productivity drain on the country -- it's a permanent and debilitating loss of experience and skill for many young people. It's pretty routine now for young people to remain out of the workforce until their 20's; even their mid-20's, if they don't work during college. Many employers see this "blank slate" work experience in a very negative way, even with candidates who have a college degree. ("College experience" doesn't hold a candle to "actual work experience" in many entry-level jobs.)

As I see it, the problem in this country right now isn't that there aren't enough good jobs; it's that there aren't nearly enough bad jobs. In other words: we need to generate a whole bunch of low-level, low-paid, low-skill jobs -- because those are the only kinds of jobs that the long-term chronically unemployed people in this country can do. The usual answer is "more education", but that's turning out to be a giant lie -- college simply burdens many of them with a huge load of debt, but not substantially more skills; and they waste valuable earning years chasing the chimera of the college degree when they could have been earning a living and gaining work skills.

195 Don't threaten to kill 47 regulators and call them "“fucking corrupt piece of shit!". They don't appreciate it, and...

Of course - government bureaucrats hate hearing the truth.

196

7 Polar bears hunt, feed and give birth on ice or on land, and are not naturally aquatic creatures.

 

Sorry, late entry.

Not naturally aquatic creatures?

The Linnean name of the polar bear is Ursus maritimus - "bear of the sea."

So much for Red scholarship.

197 97

Another green success story

Posted by: Vic at July 19, 2011 10:15 AM (M9Ie6)

How could you fail with a mission statement like this:

"To make the best clean commuter vehicles in the world; To manufacture with a radical sense of responsibility; To engage in deep transparency as an inspiration for new ways of doing business."

"To boldly go where lots of other moronic companies have gone before - Chapter 7."

198 So nice to have some intelligent articles and analysis rather than Drew M's LGF columns.  They are soooo despicable.

199

the answer is simple divide the country in two

200 IÂ’ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing.Thx