Voting is today

[alain]

...See you at the barricades, comrade.

Since I came from a communist country, I do have real issues with that statement.

 

[AmericanBilly]

Billy, calm down ... do you plan to open the door and say... "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND"

"boys and girls, let's get ready for re-distribution of wealth" :D

Well Alain, you know that "when you F--- with Billy you are F---ing with the best!"

 

[woody]

I've F'd Billy and I can confirm he is *The Best*

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Billy, calm down ... do you plan to open the door and say... "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND"

"boys and girls, let's get ready for re-distribution of wealth" :D

Here comes the RE-DISTRIBUTION plan:
----For invididual income >$200,000....sorry, spare some change to those do work and lingering around the street all day long;
----For JOE THE MFE/IB/WHATEVER couple income > $250,000....worry, the only solution I can think of is to divorve and you won't hit that line....(wonder how much the FIRST COUPLE makes in total....$249,000/year?)

 

[AmericanBilly]

I've F'd Billy and I can confirm he is *The Best*

Yeah, I always have the courtesy to give a reach around...

 

[Adam]

Here comes the RE-DISTRIBUTION plan:
----For invididual income >$200,000....sorry, spare some change to those do work and lingering around the street all day long;
----For JOE THE MFE/IB/WHATEVER couple income > $250,000....worry, the only solution I can think of is to divorve and you won't hit that line....(wonder how much the FIRST COUPLE makes in total....$249,000/year?)

I know what you mean. When I think about how, in the event that my salary magically increases to over 250k/yr, my income taxes will be just as high as they were under Bill Clinton, I can't help but weep. How, I ask you, how can a person making 250k possibly eke out a living if 39% of that goes to taxes, rather than the current 36%? Maybe I'll have to make some small sacrifices, like not eating out at restaurants as often. Oh, the indignity!

Also, the last time I looked, the Presidential salary was 400k/yr. Do you think Pres-Elect Obama is aware that his own taxes will increase under his own tax plan, or does he support his plan anyway because he believes that the good of the country is more important than his own marginal wealth? What a sucker!

 

[alain]

Billy, if you think about it, now it's the perfect time to execute your plan to build that business in Asia

 

[Andy Nguyen]

As quantitative minded people, we should run the numbers, look at the facts when we want to decide which tax plan is better.
Here is the tax plan under Obama and McCain studied by the Tax Policy Center - an non-partisan organization
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001223_taxes.pdf

 

[Yan He]

I know what you mean. When I think about how, in the event that my salary magically increases to over 250k/yr, my income taxes will be just as high as they were under Bill Clinton, I can't help but weep. How, I ask you, how can a person making 250k possibly eke out a living if 39% of that goes to taxes, rather than the current 36%? Maybe I'll have to make some small sacrifices, like not eating out at restaurants as often. Oh, the indignity!

Also, the last time I looked, the Presidential salary was 400k/yr. Do you think Pres-Elect Obama is aware that his own taxes will increase under his own tax plan, or does he support his plan anyway because he believes that the good of the country is more important than his own marginal wealth? What a sucker!

HOW? Did you look at detail about how the capital gain and dividen income tax will change for >200K & $250K? Maybe you are OK to cook more home and donate that 3% to homeless when you can make $250K. But what about those far far more than >$250K? OK, I don't care about this part of population now. And child/education tax reduce....do the math. Just don't feel comfortable about the phylosophy that since you make that much money, you have to spare some change to those who live on food stamps.

And do you think the life of people make 400K will be the same as a president? Sorry, I don't buy that he can sacrifice for the good of the country...If he couldn't make it, he couldn't even make 400K(1-39%) or maybe 250K*(1-39%).

Anyway, no matter of what, congratulations, barack H obama :dance:

 

[AmericanBilly]

I know what you mean. When I think about how, in the event that my salary magically increases to over 250k/yr, my income taxes will be just as high as they were under Bill Clinton, I can't help but weep. How, I ask you, how can a person making 250k possibly eke out a living if 39% of that goes to taxes, rather than the current 36%? Maybe I'll have to make some small sacrifices, like not eating out at restaurants as often. Oh, the indignity!

Also, the last time I looked, the Presidential salary was 400k/yr. Do you think Pres-Elect Obama is aware that his own taxes will increase under his own tax plan, or does he support his plan anyway because he believes that the good of the country is more important than his own marginal wealth? What a sucker!

Yeah, just like Obama promised to use public financing for his campaign! He lied about that and he is lying about this. He will raise everyones' taxes...Biden already jacked it down to 150K

Biden's Tax Truth - WSJ.com

Richardson says 120K...

Bill Richardson: Obama Lies About Taxing? Says It Begins At $120,000 - Commentary: The Post Chronicle

Do I hear 100K? 80K? 50K?

Suckers!

 

[AmericanBilly]

Here comes the RE-DISTRIBUTION plan:
----For invididual income >$200,000....sorry, spare some change to those do work and lingering around the street all day long;
----For JOE THE MFE/IB/WHATEVER couple income > $250,000....worry, the only solution I can think of is to divorve and you won't hit that line....(wonder how much the FIRST COUPLE makes in total....$249,000/year?)

Or just move to a lower cost state, earn less, live better and keep more of your money. NY is screwed.

 

[Sylvain Raynes]

I know what you mean. When I think about how, in the event that my salary magically increases to over 250k/yr, my income taxes will be just as high as they were under Bill Clinton, I can't help but weep. How, I ask you, how can a person making 250k possibly eke out a living if 39% of that goes to taxes, rather than the current 36%? Maybe I'll have to make some small sacrifices, like not eating out at restaurants as often. Oh, the indignity!

You should weep. I didn't agree with those numbers when Bill Clinton was the president. What should I agree with them now?

why increase the taxes for people who make $250K? Why that number? If somebody is able to get that income, I'm happy for them. Why shouldn't the gov increase the taxes the same percentage for everybody who makes more than the average income in country? Would you agree with that?

250k sounds really arbitrary and, remember, 250K in NY is totally different to 250K in Kentucky.

 

[AmericanBilly]

The joke of all this is that your tax dollars don't go to help the needy but rather to pay for all of the public employees. All of the states facing deficits are cutting back on direct aid to the poor and the disabled. What they are unwilling to do is take on the public employee unions with layoffs and cutbacks. Look at the MTA or the NYC school system. This way teachers can retire at age 55 while the SUCKERS who pay the bill work until they drop.

 

[doug reich]

I don't want to suppose anything, but I'm guessing you do support some kind of graduated tax? You don't think someone making $15K should be paying the same rate as someone making $400K, do you?

Then it's just negotiation. 250K and 39% are one possibility, and I think you'll be hard pressed to say that 300K and 37% is so much fairer and nobler.

 

[Uncle Max]

According to The Deal.com New Jersey Governor and former Goldman Sachs trader Jon Corzine may be a candidate to take over from Henry M. Paulson, who said he would not continue to serve as Treasury Secretary in an ew administration.

If Mr. Corzine were tapped for the post, he would be joining a string of a fellow Goldman alumni to serve as the chief of the Treasury, including Mr. Paulson and Robert E. Rubin.

Doesn't look like CHANGE to me.

 

[AmericanBilly]

I don't want to suppose anything, but I'm guessing you do support some kind of graduated tax? You don't think someone making $15K should be paying the same rate as someone making $400K, do you?

Then it's just negotiation. 250K and 39% are one possibility, and I think you'll be hard pressed to say that 300K and 37% is so much fairer and nobler.

I guess I just have a problem with the idea to single out 5% of the population to buy the votes of the other 95%... isn't that how Hitler funded his brand of socialism?

 

[Adam]

isn't that how Hitler funded his brand of socialism?

I call Godwin's Law! You lose this argument by reductio ad Hitlerum.

 

[doug reich]

Oh! You said Hitler first, you lose. EDIT: Darn! Beaten to it!

I can't admit to know much about Hitler's tax policy and his rise to power, but you're looking at the microcosm of increasing taxes for the top 5% and lowering taxes for the rest (yes, yes, I know 45% don't pay taxes). Why don't you look at what people are actually paying; it's also a function of the overall tax burden and income earned by that population, that latter of which is quite substantial.

Anyway, that top bracket does a lot of tax sheltering that causes the actual tax rate to be lower than what's printed. If we had one of those flat taxes or consumption taxes, that's a little harder to dodge.

 

[AmericanBilly]

Well, what I am trying to say is that it is never a good idea to allow the demonization of a small segment of society to be used to curry political favor with a bigger segment. Where does it lead? Off the top of my head I cannot think of a small group that could be persecuted to curry favor with the 280 million Christians in this country but I am sure someone will someday play that game.

I do support a flat tax with a minimum tax that all citizens must pay.

 

[bigbadwolf]

Since I came from a communist country, I do have real issues with that statement.

Meant in jest. But the truth is that short of revolution, nothing will change.Watch as the hope and anticipation gradually turns sour, becomes anger and disillusion.