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SHF, they are getting out of the game. They are moving all the jobs out of the country because they can't make a profit In the US. Why don't we tax the middle class less isn't that the same as a raise. That way jobs stay in the country and everyone wins.
Well, Kend, you know what they say -- If you don't like the rules, get out of the game. Believe it or not, the US doesn't exist for the pleasure of the few.
You know, if we would all agree to cut our wages by at least 50%, and surrender whatever is left of workers' rights and protections, just think of how eagerly corporations would create jobs for us! Why, we could become a full-fledged third world country in no time.
Unfortunately, it's not possible to rebuild the middle class with the policies chosen by this generation. We looked at the policies and programs that were implemented from FDR until Reagan, which took the US to its height of wealth and productivity, and decided to reverse course. The middle class has been shrinking for years.There is no chance of rebuilding the middle class without (A) getting corporate powers back under control (restore regulations that Reagan successfully wiped out); and (B) putting the rungs back on the ladder out of poverty. The middle class would rather drown than live with the anxiety that a some poor person is getting an undeserved crumb.
Palin -- Some lady from Nevada called in to Thom and read excerpts from the Nevada constitution. The constitution of Nevada explicitly states that all those territorial lands belong to the federal government.
Palin -- Sorry, now that you have said it, I remember it being the way you say it. In any case, I gave you the long list of differences that says voting for democrats is not an exercise in futility. However, history seems to have shown that voting for a third party at the national level is an exercise in futility. The two examples that always come to my mind are Teddy Roosevelt and Ross Perot.
Palin thanks on our drive back if I have time I'll check those places out.
I can see I am fighting a losing battle here. Now I know how Custer felt, although I think the natives where more gentle then you guys are.
Palin, you are right about the cost of living in those places but of course that is a extreme example. It is just getting hot here. 98 degrees tomorrow. I am driving back this time 23 hours it takes. Of course Canada customs might not let me in then you all would be stuck with me.
yes of course the government has rules and regs and yes we need them. But at the end of the day it's the voters who make policy by putting pressure on the politictions and then they make policy. That's why a lot of cars are being made down south now as governments, have made it business friendly for the car companies. Too many rules and control can make a company un profitable which ultimately will put it under. There has to be a fair balance that protects both.
I still can't believe you guys think the government should control how much a CEO's bonous should be. I must be from a different planet this seems bizzare to me.
Happy Easter everyone
That right wing libertarianism is not about freedom but its counterfeit, (feudal) class privelege is clearly demonstrated by their designation of an ideal society, the police state of China, where they moved all their factories.
They moved them out of the United States, to Mexico, initially, in the '80s because workers and communities here were organized and able to force them to behave ethically. However, the Mexican people, workers and community, got organized, and so, got power to force many of those same behaviors and defeated the purpose of the factories being moved there.
So then the so called libertarians had the brilliant idea of moving everything to China. What happened in the United States and Mexico, it was reasoned, would never happen in China because China has a "highly developed security infrastructure" (police state). China was the "libertarians'"ideal because it lacked freedom.
Palin, Marc, Elioflight, 10-K, Mark... Y'all pickin' on poor widdle Kend!
Kend, you don't decide what we're talking about. This is about what employees get paid (which is what a CEO is). The market is only one factor of many in determining wages. Negotiating power of employees through combination - or lack of it - is another, government regulation (e.g., minnimum wage law, equal pay law, anti-discrimination law) is still another. You want the market to be the only factor because you want to do whatever you feel like without consideration of ethics.
Kend, you gotta stay sober at least two days in a row to be able to make any worthwhile comments on this forum. CEOs did get bonuses when times were(?) bad and Thom does - as he always did - complain about it. They always do well when the rest of us aren't, often because the rest of us aren't. A corporation lays off half of its employees while the CEO typically gets a bonus and a raise.
CEO gets a bonus on profit, eh? Well, why don't the rest of the employees? Of course Kend, you and your kind should be able to do whatever they feel like with no ethical considerations whatsoever but if someone wants a fair share of the profits you howl that you're being robbed.
Hey doc wilmot, check out my reply to your comment on the April 16 blog.
Yeah wilmot, nobody should ever be in the field, they should be in the suites like you and Kissinger. Anybody who's not part of your elite is just a dumb, stupid animal to be used as a pawn, eh wilmot?
I got some friends in the IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War) and VAW (Viet Nam Veterans Against the War) who should stick an RPG up your ass.
Oh, I see that I was wrong, Kend is "special." He requires "special consideration." He seeks to be a master over slaves. To be the new "market" god over us all. To wage continuing warfare on the people who make his fortune: his workers and his consumers.
Why don't you business people understand that a well-functioning economy is CIRCULAR not PYRAMIDIAL? A circular economy permits the easy flow of money (something you guys are always bitching about--but I guess you mean for the easy flow to be to you) to ALL segments of society and business still profits. A pyramid permits money to flow to the top and not back to the bottom. From where do you expect FUTURE profits to come? Think, Man, with your brain instead of your wallet.
When your buyer/customer/consumer, who is also a worker, cannot afford your product/service, YOU DON"T PROFIT.
According to the chart RichardBMaslow submitted, I don't feel you have much to complain about. The wealthy were still pretty wealthy when they were well-taxed and the rest of us were happy because we could work and provide decently for our children and our country grew into a super-power. Your ilk seeks to destroy it by your selfish greed. And, in the end, you will also go down with the sinking ship. Or push desparate people to drag you from your McMansions and part you from your wealth--it's your choice.
RichardBMaselowRichardBMaselow
Aliceinwonderland, DAnne, The world Kend lives in is dictated by notion that government for and by the people means little more than regulation and is simply an obstacle to untold wealth. This all because a few Fascists have taken advantage and manipulated vulnerable minds like Kends. The super rich know if they keep enough guys like Kend complaining and crying about government blocking them on the road to riches, the distraction will buy them enough time to dismantle the laws of the land even more, and loot what little remains, as in items like our Social Security fund.
Many of my ancestors fought and died to break away from the kind of tyranny folks like Kend don't realize they support. The power of the Koch's is no different than the power King George III had.
"I strongly respect your opinion" says Marc. Hey, make my day! Reminds me of a refridgerator magnet that says: "Everyone is entitled to my opinion." tsk
I remember kinda hoping for a case that was challenging in some way, or controversial. But they all were ordinary kinds of things like DUIs, theift and drug possession (meth or heroin; not marijuana! Aww shucks...) Pretty cut-and dry. There were also a couple of domestic violence cases that were pretty sad. We even indicted suspects in one murder case involving some poor drunk dude who got beaten to death in a "friend's" apartment, over an unpaid taxi fare. Wow.
Just riff-raff doin' what riff-raff does; disgusting, stupid shit. - AIW
Palindromedary ~ Like I told Alice, there is a lot more to this case than meets the eye. I don't care what political slant these people have. I have to hear both sides of the story in full before I state any fully informed opinion; and, I can't help but think that this official story is being presented with omissions. I've learned long ago living in Oakland that the media often twists and edits stories to create it's own perspective. Sometimes its intentional; but, most times it's the result of half fast journalism. That is why I don't trust the media. A story that is 150 years old cannot be told in a few paragraphs. We all need to keep an open mind and forget that these people are right wingers. They are first and foremost our fellow citizens and as such deserve to be fully heard by us all before we draw any conclusions.
Aliceinwonderland ~ There are a plethora of civil services, and servants, available both legally through the government and public services, that would be happy to take on this case just to further their careers and score historic precedents. I am so surprised that this option hasn't been explored so far--or covered by the media--that I strongly suspect the propaganda leg of the Reich Wing involved in this story. I reserve final judgement till I have more info.
Nevertheless, till then, I strongly respect your opinion.
Kend ~ Really? You can't believe anyone would think that they have the right to dictate to you how much you can pay your workers? Really?
Just who determines how much payroll taxes you pay? Just who determines if you discriminated in hiring someone? Just who determines if someone in your company was sexually harassed? Just who determines compensation if one of your workers is injured on the job? Just who determines how much time your employees have for lunch and breaks? Just who determines how much vacation time they are entitled to every year including "Federal" holidays? Just who determines when your employees are entitled to overtime, double time, and time and a half pay? Just who determines the age of retirement?
Just who and what do you think you are..? Some entity that is above the will of the people? You most certainly are not; and, you most certainly are answerable to the will of the people if you want to do business in the USA. Sorry to pop your your hyper inflated bubble of nonsense. If you want to play in the game you simply have to play by the rules!
I wish I could park anywhere I want. I wish I could take anything I want. I wish I could do anything I want to anyone I want. However, I want first and foremost to live in a orderly civilized society. Therefore, I have to compromise. If you don't want to compromise I suggest you book a first class seat on the next space shuttle to Mars. They might just love your concept of reality there. Here, it just ain't' gonna fly.
In Kend's little world the market is God... The Golden Calf of Capitalism. All else be damned. - AIW
Thom made the point, "the super rich control the lawmakers." We all know this to be true. So we can all also agree that the representative democracy enlightenment thinkers and eventually our founders had in mind no longer exists. So based on this truth all the Teapublican hatred for our so called government in reality, is hatred for the super rich who control the government and thus are the government.
Problem is, reality requires connecting the dots. So how do we rebuild the American Dream? The obvious first step would be to rebuild the brains of half of our voting citizens and give them the capability to connect just two god damn dots.
On the other hand, Kend, what does a dozen eggs cost in Ft. McMurray? Or a pound of apples? I would suspect that everything else costs more there as well. What does a McDonalds Big Mac, or whatever they sell now, cost? I would imagine it is a lot more than in the US. So a McDonalds worker in Ft McMurray may get an hourly wage of $25 but what is his or her cost of living... rent, utilities? I imagine, just to heat your home or flat most of the year would cost a fortune. I remember many, many years ago reading about how people who lived and worked in Alaska were making way more than workers in the contiguous US but what they had to pay for the cost of living there was outrageous.
By the way, have you experienced the hottest days in the Phoenix area yet? I was there more than a few times and it was so hot...like an oven...I could actually see pavement buckling and heat waves rising from the roadways. And everything appears to have a reddish tinge. I guess you probably just fly out when it gets too hot. Also, they have a lot of valley fever there as well. A Phoenix doctor once warned me about it when I was there many years ago.
There's a place you may or may not be interested in visiting one day..perhaps you've already been there. Arcosanti is located midway between Phoenix and Flagstaff off Highway 17. They make bronze bells in their foundry for sale to anyone who wants to buy them. They also have various entertainers perform at various times. I liked it because I have done some lost wax casting in bronze and aluminum. Just a hobby. But I haven't done any in quite a while. They have a cafeteria and some large open air buildings situated so the air flows through and keeps it cool. It's been a long time since I was there last but I still get occasional flyers from them announcing upcoming entertainer's performances.
Sedona, up closer to Flagstaff, is probably a pretty good place to visit, and maybe invest in real estate, as it is a top tourist attraction. I checked it out on Google Earth and was amazed at how it has expanded since I was there many, many years ago. Lots of very unusual landscape. Some people believe it has some mystical properties.
RichardBMaselow: Very good information! Thanks! It looks like the only times the rich have to shell out more in taxes are during times of war..and during the cold war...maybe another world war would help make the rich pay more. Although, we were at war in the Middle East and it didn't seem to correlate with increased taxes for the rich. The rich made a killing off of the Middle East wars while having reduced taxes and while hiding their wealth in offshore accounts. They want to leach on to old people's retirement funds to pay for the deficit that the Middle East wars created.
BlastDorrough: Good information as well! By the way...my creators were my parents ;-}
John Steinsvold: "(since we cannot legislate morality)" ...but they sure have done it a lot haven't they?
doc wilmott: Happy Easter to you too! Have you ever heard of a Jackalope? (cross between an extinct pygmy-deer and a species of killer-rabbit). I hear they lay pretty big eggs as well.
RACadmin: great information....it shows how all the Democrat senators, except Reid (D-Nevada), voted for the bill and all of the Republicans, except Hiller (R-Nevada), voted against the bill. (This odd occurrence had something to do with procedural requirements) 55 votes yea and 45 votes nay. The majority was for passing the bill yet it failed to pass because they needed a 3/5ths majority (just 5 short of a 3/5 majority).