Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Remember, in the federal government, if you spent $100 million last year and asked for $107 million this year and only got $103.5 million this year, that's a $3.5 million cut according to federal accounting.

During my time in the AF one of the annual rites was for unit commanders to spend their TDY (temporary duty) money before the end of the FY. These funds are used to send personnel on the road. The reasoning was if we're good stewards of public funds and don't spend all that we've been allocated this year, we'll get less next year, when we actually might need it. Personally, I loved TDY. Got two trips to Japan and a trip to Germany out of the deal. Very tough duty.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

The tax cuts were enacted in 2001 with various phase-in provisions. The 2003 law accelerated the phase-in period.









As my son would say, you've just been "owned."

So the sale analogy is right. The sale should have been over but they decided it shouldn't have been. Pretty sure the limits were set so they could pass the thing in the first place. I have a hard time with people claiming not extending is a tax increase. It was labeled as temporary. Just because you don't like something does not make the character of it change.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

The tax cuts were enacted in 2001 with various phase-in provisions. The 2003 law accelerated the phase-in period.

Here's the important part of what you posted:

The Bush tax cuts had sunset provisions that made them expire at the end of 2010

Notice the word "expire"? That means it is temporary. That means when it runs out, it's not a "tax increase" as you and your ilk want to frame it.

To use the example you used earlier

let's see, if your income is $50,000 this year and you paid $5,000 in income tax this year, and if your income is $50,000 next year and you pay $7,500 in income tax next year, are your taxes higher next year? If so, would the term "increase" be accurate?

But you were supposed to be paying $7,500 in taxes and only had to pay $5,000. It was a TEMPORARY tax cut (I don't give a crap if it lasts 100 years like the TEMPORARY tax on phone usage to fund the Spanish-American War - it is still a TEMPORARY cut) so your tax "increase" is wrong.

Your argument is that it's been on the books for so long (Yes, 11 years is a freakin eternity) that doing what the law says we are supposed to do (end the tax cuts) would bring about a calamity for the rich. Just like if ObamaCare passes it will tank the stock market, right? Has it tanked yet?

 

[FreshFish]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

George Orwell's dystopian world of 1984 is alive and well in the White House (or at least the webmaster there is a big fan). Someone added a few sentences to every Presidential biography from Coolidge onward [except Ford] to promote Obama's candidacy....

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...se-edits-history-to-insert-obama/1?csp=34news

Click on almost any president since Calvin Coolidge, scroll to the bottom of his official bio, and you'll find one or two references to something Obama has done to carry on that president's achievements.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/

 

[duper]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

George Orwell's dystopian world of 1984 is alive and well in the White House (or at least the webmaster there is a big fan). Someone added a few sentences to every Presidential biography from Coolidge onward [except Ford] to promote Obama's candidacy....

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...se-edits-history-to-insert-obama/1?csp=34news




http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/

It's a travesty! A sham! And a Mockery! It's a Traveshammockery! Thomas Jefferson NEVER used the internet this way!

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

OMG! The Marxist Muslin from Kenya had the tenacity to compare Coolidge's being the first to use the radio to his being the first POTUS on Twitter! It's the end of the Republic!

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

OMG! The Marxist Muslin from Kenya had the tenacity to compare Coolidge's being the first to use the radio to his being the first POTUS on Twitter! It's the end of the Republic!

If these were the first or only indications that His Oneness sees himself as a dot with a circle around it, they could be dismissed. But in recent days he has suggested US service personnel are fighting for him, personally. And his surrogate has suggested how horrible it would have been "for him" if some of those SEALS who put bin Laden's lights out were captured. Horrible for His Oneness. Not them. His announcement of the death of bin Laden is on Youtube, review it and count the number of first person pronouns he uses.

 

[mookie1995]

You wouldn't know a cornhusker from a cornhole.

 

[FreshFish]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Since Obamaphiles worship everything he says and does, and conservaphobes despise anything said or done by a right-wing public figure, maybe we can have some fun by posting actions and quotes without attribution, so that we can actually try some critical thinking based purely on the content?

The great drama of Christianity is not a crowd shot, following the movements of collectives or even nations. The drama is always personal, individual, unfolding in one's own life... Out of this, men and women of every faith, and good people with none at all, sincerely strive to do right and lead a purpose-driven life.

Progress emerges through conscience in action, [which is our] nation's greatest force for good.

The call to service is one of the fundamental elements of our national character. It has motivated every great movement of conscience that this hopeful, fair-minded country of ours has ever seen."

Nice sentiments....now, do we ridicule them or praise them, without knowing first who said them??

 

[Kepler]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Since Obamaphobes despise everything he says and does, and conservaphiles worship anything said or done by a right-wing public figure...

Thank you for your sterling contribution to the dialog.

 

[geezer]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

The temporary tax cuts were supposed to have already expired, it's not my fault Congress extended them.

By your logic, if Wal*Mart has a sale on widgets that normally are $4.00 each but for two weeks they only cost $2.00, when the sale is over and the price goes back to $4.00 they raised prices by 100%!

Are you honestly that dumb? How do you get the price from $2 back to $4 unless you raise the price back up by 100%?

There is no free lunch.

Unless we make Obama emperor. THIS time I'm sure he'll pay off all our mortgages for us.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

There is no free lunch.

Um, I'm pretty sure that is exactly Priceless' point.

 

[geezer]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Um, I'm pretty sure that is exactly Priceless' point.

We're in agreement on that point. I just don't think it's possible to pay our bills without raising taxes back up to precedented levels.

nitpicky, I know, but it seems apparent to me that an increase is still mathematically an increase, whether or not you think it "should have" already been in place.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Are you honestly that dumb? How do you get the price from $2 back to $4 unless you raise the price back up by 100%?

There is no free lunch.

Unless we make Obama emperor. THIS time I'm sure he'll pay off all our mortgages for us.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

We're in agreement on that point. I just don't think it's possible to pay our bills without raising taxes back up to precedented levels.

nitpicky, I know, but it seems apparent to me that an increase is still mathematically an increase, whether or not you think it "should have" already been in place.

Errrrr........no.

Only in the Republicans and Grover's mind is the end of a timed tax break an increase in taxes. You seem to have gotten sucked into that vortex.

Bankruptcy. It's not a scare tactic, it's inevitable.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

We're in agreement on that point. I just don't think it's possible to pay our bills without raising taxes back up to precedented levels.

nitpicky, I know, but it seems apparent to me that an increase is still mathematically an increase, whether or not you think it "should have" already been in place.

It's not a "should have," though, it's the plan contracted between all parties. Let's say I have an initial budget that plans for an expenditure of $10M in the base contract year and then $20M in option years 1 through 4. Midway through the base year we review and decide to only expend $10M in option year 1. When we get to option year 2 and I expend the planned $20M, you can't say that's an overrun. But that's exactly the rhetorical point the GOP is trying to argue. It's not semantics, it's just a falsehood.

 

[FreshFish]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Thank you for your sterling contribution to the dialog.

I can understand your frustration. Were my ego invested in a political outcome I'd be pretty frustrated too. However I expected more maturity from you than to lash out at someone else in frustration for which they bear no responsibity in causing. If the emperor is not wearing any clothes, you don't blame the person who notices, you blame the emperor.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Isn't what really happened is back in 2001 Congress and the President did two things. They reduced taxes from level "A" to level "B", and in order to get that passed, agreed to raise taxes at some later point in time back to level "A"? Since then the date for raising the taxes has been pushed back. I mean there is no "fixed" level of taxes. They're whatever Congress and the President can agree on. The silliness of characterizing things like an "expiration of a tax cut" is the reason I don't oppose the periodic public flogging of most of those idiots.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

And, finally, ad hominum attacks. Disappointing, but in the end not surprising. You may vent your impotent spleen in peace.

 

[huskyfan]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Wisconsin is now a toss up state.