geronimo p. ashbar is tall and has long curly hair. do not talk to him. but you may chat online with him, or write letters to him. also beware of the lone electron that bonds ionically with sodium and chlorine.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
missouri madness
Here it is. The live blog thread for tonight's debate at 9:00 Eastern Time. Be here.
A shout out to Jeffrey Toobin on the pregame: he's advocating that candidates should be evaluated on the same playing field. what is going on with this lowered expectations stuff.
biden has been in the senate for six terms. can senators be in the senate for that long without bowing shamefully to lobbyists? mccain included? is it just pick the lobbying groups that align best with your values to give you money? it seems unavoidable in national politics?
Sorry about this huge post, but Biden is boring me. I've read this a couple of times, and I think there's a valid point in it... just skip it if you want... tell me what you think. and here it is:
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing. The fifth would pay $1. The sixth would pay $3. The seventh would pay $7. The eighth would pay $12. The ninth would pay $18. The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings). The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings). The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings). The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings). The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings). The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
671 comments:
1 – 200 of 671 Newer› Newest»check this out in preparation.
I'll be here Stevie on my new MacBook Mel got me as an early bday/Christmas present!!! (That deserves three exclamation points)
macbook? sweet. totally sweet!!!!
Just turned on CNN. Campbell brown is talking. She has a white skirt on. So hot....I hope I bump into her soon in NYC.
A shout out to Jeffrey Toobin on the pregame: he's advocating that candidates should be evaluated on the same playing field. what is going on with this lowered expectations stuff.
so we're watching on cnn huh?
joe biden is a tool.
anderson cooper looks nice tonight...
these analyst scorecards are lame. one more way to not allow people to think for themselves while listening to the candidates...
stevie: why doesn't campbell get a seat?
i like cnn's information bar that runs during certain commercials...
darin: are you flipping back and force between the utah and oregon state game?
i'm at home by myself and talking to myself...no big deal.
paul: you're not alone. i'm here.
biden has been in the senate for six terms. can senators be in the senate for that long without bowing shamefully to lobbyists? mccain included? is it just pick the lobbying groups that align best with your values to give you money? it seems unavoidable in national politics?
campbell's not sitting because she is hot. and i love her.
hi stevie.
i'm not going to watch the debate on cnn. just the pregame. i think i'm going with nbc. i hate cnn's score cards.
i like the fact bar on the bottom of the cnn screen. i just became old enough to be a senator...30.
hello paul.
sounds good. nbc it is. scorecards sound superlame.
wait...i can't be a senator? i guess peter was right tonight: i don't understand the constitution.
peter's here tonight and he's trying to pull rank and watch this thing on cnn.
i wish refreshing this page took me to the bottom...
he doesn't realize that scorecards are lame. hey paul, i just spoke to your bekah on the phone. such a qt.
peter pulling rank? hmmm.
i know. oh well. after we get 200 comments it goes to a second page. i have a new post ready when we get to that.
oh. i miss my bekah.
i will continue to work on him. oh donna brazille. ..
it is a bit strange that the moderator will be writing a book about obama...
peter and emily are sitting here on the couch with me. they just cooked dinner. we are such a happy family. why do they have to move out on me?
i'm holding a 'watch party' at my house...
how cute.
paul: it's not strange at all. she's a professional that has a long reputation for maintaining impartiality.
i like the perception analyzers...
i hate the perception analyzers. so stupid.
regardless. the perception hurts obama tonight.
let's have an annoying analyzer.
right now it's at 100.
you can't argue with a microcosm of the us...
110.
i agree 110%
i hate this ladies' pearls.
i love her hawaiian shirt.
115. i already miss campbell brown.
no more verbage.
that dude just said verbage...
i miss you stevie.
where's peter? no iphone commenting?
a dry run...hopefully peter and emily don't do that before they get married.
or i guess he's eating...
sorry ron and shauna, if you're reading.
i think there are men and women perception analyzer lines...
yes. they're eating. i think he's going to get his computer soon...
emily's an iphone commenter....
ouch.
why does peter love the analyst scorecards? is it because he can't think for himself?
the women hate wolf. anderson loves him.
our supernice neighbors brought me dinner. too nice.
yes. campbell's back.
i love him too.
anderson that is.
your neighbor is cute, paul. i guess it's just the brothers tonight, huh? where's jonny?
under two minutes!!!!!!!!!!!
really. was biden born in scranton?
jonny's watching football.
yes he was. he moved to wilmington when we was 8 or something like that.
whose this black guy? i like him...sort of.
jonny. come back to us. why would you watch utah football over blogging with us?
peter is still eating...
yeah. he's good. that's because he supports barack...
i'm eating too:)
hi gwen.
it has begun!!!!!!!!!
emily's talking on the phone.
ohioans are neutral...riveting.
okay. emily's now out here.
paul: no untoward outbursts.
she's lookin' good.
she's a bit hyped up.
she=palin.
palin's hair is down. "hey can i call you joe?"
turn the stupid mics off.
biden is a tool.
did i mention that?
i think i won't answer you question.
yeah. joe. hit it. why do the men hate him?
i won't answer a question and i'll give a canned answer about 4 obama points...lame.
paul: just because you hate his hair plugs, doesn't mean he's a tool.
they hate him because he's a tool.
i didn't hear the question. what was it?
middle class: twice for joe.
will she say middle class?
oh no. not a soccer game analogy.
what the.....kid's soccer game? betchya?
stop that sarah.
blah blah blah blah.
"my party has not provided the sound oversight that we need" whatever.
at least sarah didn't stop talking and stutter...
really? still bringing up that campaign suspension?
i like the soccer game. She's right. People are scared. Except dad. He's not scared
biden's bald.
i'm joe and i have lots of friends.
is joe squinting?
libby!!!!!!!!!!!!! welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Already past 100? silly. we're going to eat Cafe Rio now as we watch... mmmmm...
she looked at him. nice.
true. the campaign suspension was lame.
i like how sarah looked right at biden--taking him on.
hi libby!
did she just wink?
i think she winked.
She winked!
is a maverick able to be on a team?
nice sarah. new energy and commitment. reform.
"get down to gettin' business done"
she's doing well.
but.....i still hate her.
sorry ron.
good answer sarah.
joe six-pack. nice.
she's been coached. much better than the couric interviews, no?
men in ohio didn't like joe six-pack
much better than couric's hack-job.
oohh...the ohioans love her.
not diggin' the whole joe six-pack stuff...
i hate the perception analyzers.
the deej!!!!! welcome.
doesn't obama have lot's fanny and freddie folks on his staff..?
i'm in favor or deregulation...
biden on the attack
oversight is good though.
the guy that can't fill up his tank...shouldn't have bought a home he couldn't afford.
paul: they all do.
shutup. enough with the joey stories, biden.
that was a cute smile at each other.
darn right.
let's start counting 'darn rights'
oh please. obama is a taxes guy.
boom! joe. nice comeback.
477 times! nice joe.
points for joe. let's be serious.
ouchy.
strong sarah. nice work. put joe in his place...
'i may not talk about what you want me to talk about'
ooooooohhh, i like her flag pin. best one i've ever seen
as mayor? do we really care about that? the only reason you eliminated taxes was because of your pork requested through earmarks.
fairness? really?
boo yeah.
i'll make fun of palin in a minute.
i need to catch up reading first
oh paul: it's not punitive. you heard joe.
red key phrase: track record
blue key phrase: middle class
petey and emily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! welcome!!!!!!!!!!!
america's tax code on the corporations is higher right now than any other nation in the world...
she's looking at him. nice.
this is a little more substantial than the first presidential debate.
i'm here. sorry. just got from playing bball.
paul: not true. it's the fourth highest.
Sorry about this huge post, but Biden is boring me. I've read this a couple of times, and I think there's a valid point in it... just skip it if you want... tell me what you think. and here it is:
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'
'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
no more platitudes!!
"government is not the solution, its the problem"
and that's before the corporate tax holes.
deej: i'm going to read it later.
jonny!!!!!!!!!!!! welcome.
from what i've heard so far. she's not doing as poorly as I thought.
jonny: that's because her campaign has tried very hard to manage our expectations.
numbers numbers numbers.
$12000 is way too high. don't believe it.
mccain worries me when it comes to intelligence with money. he's a courage guy, but not a details guy. worrisome.
ultimate bridge to nowhere. sweet. got a laugh.
ultimate bridge to nowhere. nice.
biden knows too much information!!
zinger from nowhere! nice hustle joe!
do you think he's had an eye lift?
aaron's laughing at joe biden. really cute.
whoa. the women love joe. he is kind of sexy....wait, was that sexist?
biden's numbers are boring.
maybe. he had hair plugs.
I like biden's succinct style.
i don't really care if no one likes biden tonight.
he is playing the attack dog role and doing it very well.
i love it. he is hitting hard. who cares of the ohio indies don't like his negativism.
that's what I'M talking about.
mccain is the biggest panderer ever this year.
yes on the eye lift, bill.
that's the only thing mccain does: say one thing to one group, do a totally different thing.
sarah's record with oil falls flat as mccain is too well tied to oil...
to be fair, aaron's laughing at palin, too.
oh my gosh. she's speaking in almost complete sentences. amazing.
he says: i'm suspending my mccain.
then doesn't close any offices.
then blows the compromise.
then shows up at the debate anyway.
how long do you think it took to do her hair in the back?
talk about america!
who the eff cares about alaska.
it is NOT an area of expertise.
not taking anything off the table...?!
is she sane?
oversight??
mccain is against oversite. year after year after year.
who is this girl?
i like the attack on the gas companies.
palin supports windfall tax?
good call biden giving palin credit and then busting McCain.
she's talking about her record peter...
something that obama could do more of?
i thought government is the problem....
cnn doesn't get it.
biden is not debating palin. so the scorecards aren't valuable.
biden is using the biggest stage possible to show how wrong mccain's polices are.
uh oh.
here come the stumbles....
palin looks nervous right now.
petey: how many mandibular incisors does biden have?
deer in the headlight.
she's rambling.
is she going to recover from that?
deej. looks like 6 or so.
prolly all veneers...
oh, did the tool biden vote against the financial rescue?
mortgage holders didn't pay the price!!! give me a break, biden.
deej. at least they aren't as bad as freakin lou dobbs...
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