Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

[Rover]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Christie continues to get hammered by the conservative press. This nugget is from those flaming liberals at the Wall Street Journal!


Another Blow for Chris Christie


Despite the tough talk and bluster from its governor, New Jersey lost over 36,000 jobs in December, the largest drop in over two decades. Even more devastating for the assumed presidential contender, is that only 7,000 private sector jobs were created in 2013. This is the latest knock for the governor, who has seen his status as a frontrunner for the 2016 Republican primary dissipate as a result of the George Washington Bridge scandal. The numbers also provide a stark contrast to the governor’s rhetoric, as last week he said in his state of the state address that, "We have endured the worst economic recession of our lifetimes, and we have begun to triumph over it." Maybe people just didn’t like the commute.

Read it at the Wall Street Journal

January 24, 2014 12:20 PM

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Christie continues to get hammered by the conservative press. This nugget is from those flaming liberals at the Wall Street Journal!


Another Blow for Chris Christie


Despite the tough talk and bluster from its governor, New Jersey lost over 36,000 jobs in December, the largest drop in over two decades. Even more devastating for the assumed presidential contender, is that only 7,000 private sector jobs were created in 2013. This is the latest knock for the governor, who has seen his status as a frontrunner for the 2016 Republican primary dissipate as a result of the George Washington Bridge scandal. The numbers also provide a stark contrast to the governor’s rhetoric, as last week he said in his state of the state address that, "We have endured the worst economic recession of our lifetimes, and we have begun to triumph over it." Maybe people just didn’t like the commute.

Read it at the Wall Street Journal

January 24, 2014 12:20 PM

Commies.

 

[pirate]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

another stellar insight from Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow


Make a list of the 10 most pressing problems we face today.

Then, for each problem on the list, using a scale of 1 - 10, indicate how serious each problem is, with 1 being "not that big a deal" and 10 being "extremely urgent, must act."

If you are like most people and add up your scores, it will be somewhere between 75 and 85.


Now, take your same list of 10 problems. You are given $45 million total to apply to solving the problems. Decide how to allocate that money.




When you look at each problem in isolation, without regard to any of the other problems, you would allocate between $75 million and $85 million (each point on your 1 - 10 scale = $10 million).

When you look at each problem relative to all the other problems, you are constrained (1+2+3+...+8+9+10 = 45).



This is what makes government budgeting so difficult. It is not that one party is spendthrift, nor is it that the other party is heartless and cruel and uncaring.

When you look at a single problem, most of the time it is a serious problem with serious consequences, and so of course it must be solved!

If you look at how much money is available overall, well then of course there isn't enough to go around!

I see their point but they neglect to mention that they could apply that scoring to the existing efforts or departments and decide which ones should not be funded. When we hear there are 7 agencies doing the same thing we just shrug...if one were making hypotheticals about solving problems in funding, they should include the relationship of having hundreds of existing programs vs. 10 new pressing ones. The $750-850 million in the example are a rounding error in the current program spending scheme.

Neither party has the desire to solve the issue within the current spend, they both are too lazy or too vested to effectively apportion expense to the priorities. Instead, they have convinced everyone the problem is nobody gave them enough allowance.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

So, who's ready to admit that Wisconsin's policies were a good idea, considering the state is now running a $912,000,000 SURPLUS? http://21stcenturywire.com/2014/01/...g-unemplyment-and-912-million-budget-surplus/

 

[LynahFan]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

So, who's ready to admit that Wisconsin's policies were a good idea, considering the state is now running a $912,000,000 SURPLUS? http://21stcenturywire.com/2014/01/...g-unemplyment-and-912-million-budget-surplus/

C'mon - you know how this goes. WI is only doing well because of the improving overall conditions which is 100% due to Obama personally overseeing every economic transaction over the last 6 years...

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

C'mon - you know how this goes. WI is only doing well because of the improving overall conditions which is 100% due to Obama personally overseeing every economic transaction over the last 6 years...

Duh

 

[Rover]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Wisconsin's unemployment rate is like 2 points higher than Minnesota! I'm calling you out Flaggy, explain that.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Wisconsin's unemployment rate is like 2 points higher than Minnesota! I'm calling you out Flaggy, explain that.

What's the percentage of people considered "not in the work force"?

 

[Rover]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

What's the percentage of people considered "not in the work force"?

You tell me Sparky, you brought it up.

PS - I do like the "try to dodge by answering a question with a question" attempt though.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

I'll answer it for him:

Minnesota > Wisconsin

They're higher because they are trying to overcome a disability.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

So, who's ready to admit that Wisconsin's policies were a good idea, considering the state is now running a $912,000,000 SURPLUS? http://21stcenturywire.com/2014/01/...g-unemplyment-and-912-million-budget-surplus/

Sure. All he had to do was steal it from middle income taxpayers by downgrading their pensions. Now he can give another tax cut to the 1%.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Sure. All he had to do was steal it from middle income taxpayers by downgrading their pensions. Now he can give another tax cut to the 1%.

He's trying to cut income tax rates now that they have ~$912million surplus. His proposal would cut the bottom tier only, from 4.5% to 4%.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

He's trying to cut income tax rates now that they have ~$912million surplus. His proposal would cut the bottom tier only, from 4.5% to 4%.

Beautiful. Steal from the almost poor to give to the poor while the rich skate away scott free. God Bless America.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Beautiful. Steal from the almost poor to give to the poor while the rich skate away scott free. God Bless America.

His tax cut is for the bottom income tier only. How is this letting the rich skate away scott free? If anything, it's a redistribution, seeing as how poor people's income taxes does not a budget surplus make.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Sure. All he had to do was steal it from middle income taxpayers by downgrading their pensions. Now he can give another tax cut to the 1%.

Careful. You don't want Tom Perkins to label you a Nazi.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

His tax cut is for the bottom income tier only. How is this letting the rich skate away scott free? If anything, it's a redistribution, seeing as how poor people's income taxes does not a budget surplus make.

How? He stole the surplus from the middle class, that's how. It didn't come from the rich, that's for sure.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

He's trying to cut income tax rates now that they have ~$912million surplus. His proposal would cut the bottom tier only, from 4.5% to 4%.

Looks like he cut the whole thing out of education. Doesn't seem like a great way to balance the budget to me.

Likewise, it appears that WI dems are claiming that state surpluss' are pretty the norm...and politi-facts agrees:

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin...sin-democratic-party-says-state-budget-surpl/

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Wisconsin's unemployment rate is like 2 points higher than Minnesota! I'm calling you out Flaggy, explain that.

That's the Republican idea of a thriving economy. High unemployment.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/blackburn-reflects-thriving-economy

i.e. Tennessee

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) decided to extend a caustic “welcome” to the president in advance of his visit to her home state.

“Welcome to Tennessee,” she said. “While you’re here take a look around because this is what a thriving economy looks like.

“Despite what your teleprompter may tell you, our success is not a result of your failed policies. It’s rooted in what’s always made our state and country great – hard work, ingenuity and fiscal responsibility.”

Tennessee’s unemployment rate is 8.1%, more than a full point higher than the national average. On a national level, Tennessee ranks 43rd out of 50 states when it comes to unemployment, with 50 being the worst. In fact, Tennessee is one of only a handful of states that saw its jobless rate go up, not down, over the last year. (Republicans control the state House, state Senate, and governor’s office, making it tough for GOP officials to blame Democrats.)

Go, Republican policies, Go.

 

[Rover]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

That's the Republican idea of a thriving economy. High unemployment.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/blackburn-reflects-thriving-economy

i.e. Tennessee





Go, Republican policies, Go.

Small wonder the GOP controlled states are usually sh !tholes or have more cattle than people.

 

[pirate]

Re: Weaving the Strands: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 2.0

Looks like he cut the whole thing out of education. Doesn't seem like a great way to balance the budget to me.

Likewise, it appears that WI dems are claiming that state surpluss' are pretty the norm...and politi-facts agrees:

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin...sin-democratic-party-says-state-budget-surpl/

I missed something then...there is a statement by one person that the surplus was from cutting education (there was no timeframe provided for the $1B budget cut or confirmation the cut was enacted) and the the rest of the article says almost all the surplus is from extra taxes due to the improvement in the economy.

So the article says there were three theories for how the $1B came to be...the Gov says it was his policies (which appears to be false); the one commenter says it was cuts in education (that can't be the case if one agrees with the writer it was all taxes) and the the increased revenue theory (which seems to make sense). 66% misinformation and 33% truth...sounds about right for politics.