With the rich getting richer and a new and improved police state, what's not to feel good about?

Real Mission Acomplished, suckers.

Coming soon to a city near you -- The Gilded Age Redux!

According to the article

On average, incomes for the top 1 percent of households rose by $465,700 each, or 42.6 percent after adjusting for inflation. The incomes of the poorest fifth rose by $200, or 1.3 percent, and the middle fifth increased by $2,400 or 4.3 percent.

One has to wonder how much truth there is in the government inflation numbers... it is in the governments best interest to under report it.

I know many here are not a fan of this guy, but he is one of the few politicans that openly talks about our economic problems. Why the heck aren't more of our elected "leaders" making a stink about this? If the dollar continues to fall in value we won't be able to afford squat as most of what we buy is no longer made in this country!

There is no democracy in USA. Here is a sure cure for our troubles. All American's submitted tax forms be made public,inclusive of all receipts and submissions.All available free of charge on C&L site.
I really like to know how politicians after 1 1/2 terms become multi-millionair$.We stiffs can then invest of what little money we have in their money maker deals.
Wake-up America-you been had !

So what's the answer to all this?

Marshall Brain, in contemplating The Race To The Bottom the American Corporate Economy is undergoing, at an alarming pace, has proposed the idea of providing a $25,000.00 per year Stipend for each and every American simply because they are citizens here.

The FAQ is worth reading.

As is considering the fact that oil energy Brazil and Portugal have already created laws providing Guaranteed Minimum Income levels for their citizens.

And it's not like we don't already have something like this in place in America, see: The Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend

I have a feeling they'll keep laughing until we have our own French-style revolution, replete with Guillotine.

HOW MUCH MORE DOES THE LEFT WANT?

From the Wall Street Journal this morning:

Last week the Congressional Budget Office joined the IRS in releasing tax numbers for 2005, and part of the news is that the richest 1% paid about 39% of all income taxes that year. The richest 5% paid a tad less than 60%, and the richest 10% paid 70%. These tax shares are all up substantially since 1990, and even somewhat since 2000. Meanwhile, Americans with an income below the median — half of all households — paid a mere 3% of all income taxes in 2005. The richest 1.3 million tax-filers — those Americans with adjusted gross incomes of more than $365,000 in 2005 — paid more income tax than all of the 66 million American tax filers below the median in income. Ten times more.

For the political left and most of the media, this means only that the rich are getting richer, so of course they’re paying more taxes. And it is true that the top earners have increased their share of total income. Yet…the rich showed more rapid gains in reported income shares in the 1990s than in the first half of this decade. The share of the richest 1% jumped to 20.8% of total income in 2000, from 14% in 1990, but increased only slightly to 21.2% in 2005. This makes it hard to pin their claim of “rising inequality” on the Bush tax cuts, though the income redistributionists are trying. By this measure, the Clinton years were far worse for “inequality.”
–Donald Luskin

blue @ 14:

Meanwhile corporate / repiglican sluts like Brian Williams makes 10 millions a year, David Gregory two million, Katie Couric 15 million, etc, etc, etc, and the teachers of our children for god's sake make an average of $30,000 a year. Ten million a year for reading 20 minutes of corporate produced propaganda parading as 'news', etc. The once great country called America is gone ...........

america left the stage a long time ago, the average american has since F.D R DIED has been nothing but the host for the rich to leach off of, thier like blood suckers that suck your lifes blood till your of no use to them anymore, and the repig party has ,is , was allways the party of blood suckers, and as was said by a poster above nothing will change untill history repeats itself in the form of the frech revolution,

Andrew @ 5:

RP is a Repug, not gonna happen.

Mike the Canuck @ 18:

a loaf of bread costs anywhere from $1.29 for in store to 1.99 and up for branded. thats here in northern bc

Bread in Boston run from $.99 for a loaf of flavorless, nutritionless baked foam that I wouldn't feed to the homeless to $3.95 for a decent (not great) brand loaf. Fresh baked from the local bakers is $5.00+.

Your average loaf is about $2.50.

I think one of the most important things to remember in this is that you lose a buck for every dollar the top 1% gain.
That dollar becomes unavailable to you until either the rich bastards die and are taxed (something they are working to eliminate) or the extremely rare case of philanthropy on a grand scale.

Neither scenario is going to help your sorry ass though.

Once again, you and your children are being robbed blind.

Isn't this number 1 on the Neocon's agenda? To reverse the shift of the distribution of wealth in this country from rich to poor, which had been the trend since the Great Depression, back to poor-to-rich, like it was during the good old days of the robber-baron era?

YES

StirFry @ 26:

L.A. Confidential @ 25:

Isn't this number 1 on the Neocon's agenda? To reverse the shift of the distribution of wealth in this country from rich to poor, which had been the trend since the Great Depression, back to poor-to-rich, like it was during the good old days of the robber-baron era?

YES

As someone mentioned above, this is the real mission accomplished.

Yes indeed all things must go!

Euro-Wielding Shoppers See U.S. As "Fabulous Discount Mall"

malcontent @ 13:

I have a feeling they'll keep laughing until we have our own French-style revolution, replete with Guillotine.

Unfortunately, you are 100% right.

These greedy, self-absorbed, clueless-bastards have absolutlely no sense of decency. They are not going to stop (witness chimpy), until the american people stop them.

What's worse, 25% of the country is more worried about gay people, than having their chldren live in a banana republic. The 25% are so stupid, they would probably volunteer to take a robber barrons spot on the guillotine.

Dennis @ 15:

HOW MUCH MORE DOES THE LEFT WANT?

From the Wall Street Journal this morning:

Last week the Congressional Budget Office joined the IRS in releasing tax numbers for 2005, and part of the news is that the richest 1% paid about 39% of all income taxes that year. The richest 5% paid a tad less than 60%, and the richest 10% paid 70%. These tax shares are all up substantially since 1990, and even somewhat since 2000. Meanwhile, Americans with an income below the median — half of all households — paid a mere 3% of all income taxes in 2005. The richest 1.3 million tax-filers — those Americans with adjusted gross incomes of more than $365,000 in 2005 — paid more income tax than all of the 66 million American tax filers below the median in income. Ten times more.

For the political left and most of the media, this means only that the rich are getting richer, so of course they’re paying more taxes. And it is true that the top earners have increased their share of total income. Yet…the rich showed more rapid gains in reported income shares in the 1990s than in the first half of this decade. The share of the richest 1% jumped to 20.8% of total income in 2000, from 14% in 1990, but increased only slightly to 21.2% in 2005. This makes it hard to pin their claim of “rising inequality” on the Bush tax cuts, though the income redistributionists are trying. By this measure, the Clinton years were far worse for “inequality.”
–Donald Luskin

You are truly one of the most clueless dumb-assed bastards around. First of all, 79% of all tax dollars the government takes in, come from payroll taxes, not income taxes, you Rush Limbaugh single digit I.Q. steaming pile of imbecility. I use to be a republican. How people after the last seven years can be so stupid as not to have figured out what the hell is going on, says all we need to know about the complete lack of intelligence on your part. YOU ARE A FOOL! Aparently, the republicans can fool some of the people some of the time, and the dumb-ass Dennis all of the time.

And as far as income taxes go, the rich are still able (according to government tax audits) to hide 40% of their real income in "off-shore" accounts. Something 95% of the country cannot do with their payroll taxes. And while you are quoting Rush, you dumb SOB, keep this in mind: he is making $36,000,000 convincing imbeciles like you, that they are being overtaxed.

As far as the wealth distribution gap stats you cite, they were written by a liar(s), for idiots like you. The official government numbers (if you actually had the brains to look it up for yourself, instead of believing liars who benefit from your stupidity), you would see that GWB government numbers completely contradict the article you refer to.

Really, where do dumb lazy bastards as stupid as you are come from? Thinking minds want to know.

Why do you hate democracy. Why do you want an aristocracy, where you will be nothing more than a serf to the republican nobility? God are you clueless!

Dennis @ 28:

tyree @ 24:

the problem with the american people is they forget to fast whos out to fuck them, the republicans , the republicans allways the republicans, i guess some folks that cant enjoy sex the old fashioned way prefer being humped by republicans!

Ty, I thought Democrats took over control of the House and Senate. What happened to their 6 for '06 promises? I know we've got the minimum wage increase and I'm grateful my daughter was able to buy her own I-pod with her wage increase, but what about the other 5 steps? Was it supposed to be one step per year- steady as she goes?

Maybe I just need to be more patient- I'm just an advocate. Nancy Pelosi has to lead.

well dennis if you want real change get your fachist fith collum politicians out of our party ,have them put on thier true uniforms like joe liberdouchebag has , its a shame your daughter needs a minumim wage job, maby she might try voteing for dennis kucinich instead of freaks like cheny bush!!!!!

Dennis @ 28:

tyree @ 24:

the problem with the american people is they forget to fast whos out to fuck them, the republicans , the republicans allways the republicans, i guess some folks that cant enjoy sex the old fashioned way prefer being humped by republicans!

Ty, I thought Democrats took over control of the House and Senate. What happened to their 6 for '06 promises? I know we've got the minimum wage increase and I'm grateful my daughter was able to buy her own I-pod with her wage increase, but what about the other 5 steps? Was it supposed to be one step per year- steady as she goes?

It's quite simple to comprehend Dennis, except for republicans. President Satan has finally started vetoeing things. Lots of things. Things that would benefit the overwhelming majority of americans.

He didn't need that veto pen his first 6 years, when the GOP congress and Bush were serving the american taxpayer up to their corporate cronies on a daily basis. But now, now that the people may benefit from some legislation, well, can't have that in GOP land. "Socialism" is only OK if it gives multi-millionaires more disposable income to play with.

And many things don't even get that far. With the corporate-fascist repuke minority leader in the Senate obstructing anything that will benefit the public good, many peicies of good legislation go no-where. Fifty one votes in the Senate does not gaurantee anything.

When the time comes that the will of the people starts to take root once again in Washington, and we begin to make this a democracy that works for everyone, and not just the richest 2%; the sad thing is, that idiots like you will be nostalgic for the days of GWB.

The democrats may be a pain in the neck and slow bleed ya' from time to time, but the republicans will kill your ass dead before you know what hit ya'.

the middle class is disappearing, it already has here in LA

Dennis @ 28:

tyree @ 24:

the problem with the american people is they forget to fast whos out to fuck them, the republicans , the republicans allways the republicans, i guess some folks that cant enjoy sex the old fashioned way prefer being humped by republicans!

Ty, I thought Democrats took over control of the House and Senate. What happened to their 6 for '06 promises? I know we've got the minimum wage increase and I'm grateful my daughter was able to buy her own I-pod with her wage increase, but what about the other 5 steps? Was it supposed to be one step per year- steady as she goes?

Maybe I just need to be more patient- I'm just an advocate. Nancy Pelosi has to lead.

and one other thing im courious about dennis , why is your daughter working on a job where she needs a minumim wage increase? i should think with your party haveing been in control of the us that shed bee rolling in dough like all the rest of americans, cough cough! you wouldnt be shitting an old indiana bro would you?

tyree @ 33:

Dennis @ 28:

tyree @ 24:

the problem with the american people is they forget to fast whos out to fuck them, the republicans , the republicans allways the republicans, i guess some folks that cant enjoy sex the old fashioned way prefer being humped by republicans!

Ty, I thought Democrats took over control of the House and Senate. What happened to their 6 for '06 promises? I know we've got the minimum wage increase and I'm grateful my daughter was able to buy her own I-pod with her wage increase, but what about the other 5 steps? Was it supposed to be one step per year- steady as she goes?

Maybe I just need to be more patient- I'm just an advocate. Nancy Pelosi has to lead.

well dennis if you want real change get your fachist fith collum politicians out of our party ,have them put on thier true uniforms like joe liberdouchebag has , its a shame your daughter needs a minumim wage job, maby she might try voteing for dennis kucinich instead of freaks like cheny bush!!!!!

im puzzeled dennis ,if things have been so swell under this dictatorship of cheny bush ,why is it your daughters working at a job that pays minumim wages? and can now afford an ipod? say you wouldnt be shitting an old homey would yah?

liberdouche is finally putting country before party, the only problem with that is the countrys israel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dennis @ 15:

HOW MUCH MORE DOES THE LEFT WANT?

From the Wall Street Journal this morning:

Last week the Congressional Budget Office joined the IRS in releasing tax numbers for 2005, and part of the news is that the richest 1% paid about 39% of all income taxes that year. The richest 5% paid a tad less than 60%, and the richest 10% paid 70%. These tax shares are all up substantially since 1990, and even somewhat since 2000. Meanwhile, Americans with an income below the median — half of all households — paid a mere 3% of all income taxes in 2005. The richest 1.3 million tax-filers — those Americans with adjusted gross incomes of more than $365,000 in 2005 — paid more income tax than all of the 66 million American tax filers below the median in income. Ten times more.

For the political left and most of the media, this means only that the rich are getting richer, so of course they’re paying more taxes. And it is true that the top earners have increased their share of total income. Yet…the rich showed more rapid gains in reported income shares in the 1990s than in the first half of this decade. The share of the richest 1% jumped to 20.8% of total income in 2000, from 14% in 1990, but increased only slightly to 21.2% in 2005. This makes it hard to pin their claim of “rising inequality” on the Bush tax cuts, though the income redistributionists are trying. By this measure, the Clinton years were far worse for “inequality.”
–Donald Luskin

Let's start by pointing out that they're comparing apples with oranges. The poorest Americans have no disposable income. No matter what you tax, they will have less for basic necessities such as food, health insurance, or daycare. The richest have the a great abundance of disposable income - not being able to get that second Ferrari is not going to break their damn backs. If we ever bothered to compare tax rates after we take out the average cost of living, we would see that the poor are being taxed at an exorbitant rate when compared to the rich.

Notice how, despite the claim that they pay a majority of all income taxes, their after-tax earnings still increased by 43% while the poor only increased by 3%. If you adjust the 3% income for inflation and increased cost of living, the poor have actually lost income and should be expected to pay a lower share of taxes than before. If you assume a flat tax rate, then over the same period of time we should expect the rich to pay an incredibly greater share of total tax dollars if we could expect it to be equivalent to their increased income. But we don't. We see them paying a lower share of their earnings than they were before.

The WSJ conveniently leaves these parts out since it doesn't fit in with their story. The reality is that the poor are going to continue to pay less and less taxes because they're being driven into the poor-house by Republican economic policies.

Besides looking at a simple-minded picture of just total income tax dollars, let's start looking at other ways in which the poor give up their meager earnings to the rich. Let's look at the average paycheck to paycheck family that has some credit card debt. The average middle class family in America either has no assets or their debt is equal or greater than their assets. Under Republican rule, lenders have been deregulated to the point where if you make 1 late credit card payment, the lender can hike up your interest rate to 30% for the rest of time. For families who are in debt, this is the equivalent of a 30% transfer payment from the poor to the rich on money that the poor don't even have. And what did Republicans do about this? They made it harder for poor families to declare bankrupcy while making it easier for the rich to do so with their own assets. The point is that the economy and the income gap is a whole lot more than just a story about who pays the most income tax. There are a LOT of policies that favor the rich. And the WSJ is lying through their teeth like serpents in an apple tree.

dennis @ 44, you are suggesting that the primary beneficiaries (meaning the majority that the policy affected) are high school students living at home not paying rent, meals, nor medical bills?

well perhaps we need to visit thes demographics.... this is from the HHS,gov site.

Its an analysis of the clinton years, so I'm sure you'll want to read it just so you can compare it to your credible government source..

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/lwlm99/turner.htm

key points in 99 were as follows:

* Definitions of the low-wage labor market fall into two basic groups. Job-based definitions identify a set of jobs characterized by low wages, few benefits, and little upward mobility. Worker-based definitions are typically based on a worker's absolute or relative hourly wage, earnings (wages times hours worked), or educational level. Job-based definitions provide the theoretical foundation and worker-based definitions, the empirical basis for study of the low-wage labor market.
Irrespective of definition, there is a strong empirical consensus that there has been a long-term decline in the real earnings of low-wage workers and/or an increase in their numbers as a share of the workforce.

* Low-wage workers are disproportionately female, minority, noncollege-educated, nonunion, and concentrated in retail trade.

* These characteristics notwithstanding, the low-wage workforce is becoming more male and more highly educated, which is to be expected given widespread educational upgrading and the long-term wage decline among noncollege graduates.

* The likelihood of being a low-wage worker has increased, even when the wage impacts of changes in education, experience, occupation, and industry are taken into account.

* Rising education and experience levels and occupational upgrading have combined to prevent the share of female workers in low-wage jobs from rising.

"Bush Boom".

Even in their talking points they are making fun of people. If you think that warm stream of yellow liquid running down your back is a "trickle down", you are right. A more important consideration is what is trickling down... and it's not rain. Or money.

Ironic, isn't it? At 2 TRILLION DOLLARS, the income of the top 1% of Americans is about equal to the amount of money that Bush has run the country into the hole during his tenure. Furthermore, the size of the national debt won't mean much to the children of those people. It's only the children of the middle and lower class that a giant national debt will hurt.

Looks like bbk @ 45 thoroughly eviscerated the WSJ's "analysis."

Always amusing, though, how frat boy economics majors still think the WSJ editorial page has merit. When they get out in the real world they'll learn otherwise (except for the ones who'll be living off daddy's money).

One thing that the "normalized for inflation" data misses is that you need to have an investment to start.

If my family pays for my education, my first car, and my rent while I'm fresh out on my own, than yes, I can beat inflation. But, if I have to borrow money to get started, I have to beat inflation plus interest on my debts.

And you go ahead and show me someone who can make a living without an education, without a place to live, and without transportation.

Anyone who wants to look into this further, check out this article:

http://www.thefinancialhelpcenter.com/Economy/Median-Income.html

The best measure of how the economy is working for real people is the median family income. Average income or GDP are skewed by the high income at the top end. Note: Bush is screwing us.

The rich really believe that the poor in this country are at fault for their financial position. They justify their greed by telling themselves that they worked hard and others who didn't make it are simply lazy or unable to compete in the free market. They do not believe that some people simply DO NOT have a choice. They believe everything is a choice and people just make poor choices. They don't believe that some poor people are victims of a system geared towards inequality.

They sleep soundly at night knowing they stopped the bad lazy people from taking their hard earned cash!

Steve-o @ 37:

the middle class is disappearing, it already has here in LA

Mission accomplished indeed!

Dennis @ 36:

NoGWBpolicyleftinplacesays-

You call me dumbass and all sorts of colorful epithets for quoting Rush Limbaugh, yet my post was attributed clearly by me to Donal Luskin.

Please tell me, just how low is the educational bar set in YOUR family. I'd start there before I'd blame Republicans and stupid voters for your own misfortunes. I know it's much easier to lay the blame on a party you detest, and I'm sure it's somewhat of a temporary salve, but it's not very rewarding or lucrative to sit around and bitch about it all the time.

Since you asked about the educational bar in my family, here it is: Everyone has a Master's Degree. I have two of them. One in Geophysics, the other in Physical Science (that would be chemistry and physics). I also have an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and mathematics.

My father had a Master's Degree back in the 1950's, when half the people of his generation didn't even graduate from high school. From 1988-1995, I taught as an full-time Assistant Professor at a state college. How many years of experience do you have teaching Graduate courses at the University level? Eh, Dennis?

I call you names, because you are lazy and incurious.

How anyone can have lived through the disaster known as George W. Bush, and not figured out what is going on, well that inividual would have to be a dumb-ass. In fact, if you did a little research on your own (I also worked as a research scientist for the Army Corps of Engineers),
you would quickly be able to see that the individual's article that you cited, are at complete odds with the numbers released by GWB's own treasury department. But that would take some initiative on your part, and as Bush says "it's hard work!"

Furthermore, based on your low I.Q. and your GOP talking point intellect, you make the assumption that I must be some kind of malcontent, simply because I find Bush's america to be offensive to everything an american should stand for. How republican of you to assume that someone who could hate the "greedfest" known as the GOP economic agenda, could not possibly be doing well.

In fact, I could probably buy and sell you (especially after the republicans re-introduce indentured servitude); see above resume.

But this isn't about me Dennis. This is about all the other people I have seen destroyed by the bastards who run the republican party. Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison etc...., were part of an economic elite also. But they sacrificed for a greater "common good," that would be recognized for later generations. Did that make them malcontent losers?

Of course for republicans, the "common good" only extends to their own portfolio, and to hell with everybody else! Can you say sociopath Dennis?

As for the basis of this discussion, you still have not addressed my main point; which is the income tax/payroll tax scam republicans use to pull their bait and switch on guys like you.

And by the way, since you apparently haven't noticed (unlike 75% of your fellow citizens), that bait and switch has transferred 25% of the countries total wealth from the middle class, to the top 2% of richest americans in just 30 years! And since Bush the psycho took over, the transfer of wealth has grown at an exponential rate (that would be non-linear Dennis).

Finally, if it seems as though I have little use for people like you, it's because I don't. To see some of the misery some in my family (and friends) have had to endure during this bastards reign, while listening to brain dead jack-asses like you quote articles by right-wing liars telling us how our lying eyes are decieving us; well, if your going to go down that road, be prepared for some of the responses you are going to evoke.

How fitting that an illeterate republican like you, would try to insult someone like me from an educational angle. You are truly pathetic.

NoGWBpolicyleftinplacesays @ 32:

Dennis @ 15:

HOW MUCH MORE DOES THE LEFT WANT?

... First of all, 79% of all tax dollars the government takes in, come from payroll taxes, not income taxes, ...

I am just curious how you arrived at the 79 percent number. I have seen that number cited as income tax and not payroll tax.

This year [2007] individuals will pay about $1.2 trillion of the $2.7 trillion federal spending, while corporations will pay $342 billion. The rest comes form Social Security taxes ($873 billion); excises taxes ($57 billion) and other taxes and fees ($98 billion.) What is not clear from numbers cited is where the Medicare contribution falls into.

At first I found it hard to believe that payroll taxes could exceed income tax based on my own situation and then I found an article from The Tax Foundation that was very revealing. The Tax Foundation also publishes numbers similar to those cited in the article Dennis quoted. Also look at the following 2004 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Still holds true today.

There is a lot of information floating around. The above were found relatively quickly. More can be found with indepth analysis of which few of us have time for. It is easy to cite a single article, but often times that single article does not tell the whole story. Context is important whether that be an article or quote.

NoGWBPolicyLeftinplace @ 64:

Dennis @ 36:

NoGWBpolicyleftinplacesays-

You call me dumbass and all sorts of colorful epithets for quoting Rush Limbaugh, yet my post was attributed clearly by me to Donal Luskin.

Please tell me, just how low is the educational bar set in YOUR family. I'd start there before I'd blame Republicans and stupid voters for your own misfortunes. I know it's much easier to lay the blame on a party you detest, and I'm sure it's somewhat of a temporary salve, but it's not very rewarding or lucrative to sit around and bitch about it all the time.

Since you asked about the educational bar in my family, here it is: Everyone has a Master's Degree. I have two of them. One in Geophysics, the other in Physical Science (that would be chemistry and physics). I also have an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and mathematics.

My father had a Master's Degree back in the 1950's, when half the people of his generation didn't even graduate from high school. From 1988-1995, I taught as an full-time Assistant Professor at a state college. How many years of experience do you have teaching Graduate courses at the University level? Eh, Dennis?

I call you names, because you are lazy and incurious.

How anyone can have lived through the disaster known as George W. Bush, and not figured out what is going on, well that inividual would have to be a dumb-ass. In fact, if you did a little research on your own (I also worked as a research scientist for the Army Corps of Engineers),
you would quickly be able to see that the individual's article that you cited, are at complete odds with the numbers released by GWB's own treasury department. But that would take some initiative on your part, and as Bush says "it's hard work!"

Furthermore, based on your low I.Q. and your GOP talking point intellect, you make the assumption that I must be some kind of malcontent, simply because I find Bush's america to be offensive to everything an american should stand for. How republican of you to assume that someone who could hate the "greedfest" known as the GOP economic agenda, could not possibly be doing well.

In fact, I could probably buy and sell you (especially after the republicans re-introduce indentured servitude); see above resume.

But this isn't about me Dennis. This is about all the other people I have seen destroyed by the bastards who run the republican party. Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison etc...., were part of an economic elite also. But they sacrificed for a greater "common good," that would be recognized for later generations. Did that make them malcontent losers?

Of course for republicans, the "common good" only extends to their own portfolio, and to hell with everybody else! Can you say sociopath Dennis?

As for the basis of this discussion, you still have not addressed my main point; which is the income tax/payroll tax scam republicans use to pull their bait and switch on guys like you.

And by the way, since you apparently haven't noticed (unlike 75% of your fellow citizens), that bait and switch has transferred 25% of the countries total wealth from the middle class, to the top 2% of richest americans in just 30 years! And since Bush the psycho took over, the transfer of wealth has grown at an exponential rate (that would be non-linear Dennis).

Finally, if it seems as though I have little use for people like you, it's because I don't. To see some of the misery some in my family (and friends) have had to endure during this bastards reign, while listening to brain dead jack-asses like you quote articles by right-wing liars telling us how our lying eyes are decieving us; well, if your going to go down that road, be prepared for some of the responses you are going to evoke.

How fitting that an illeterate republican like you, would try to insult someone like me from an educational angle. You are truly pathetic.

13 paragraphs is quite a bit of writing for someone you have no use for. You are wrong about a great many things, too many for me to correct you on this late, but I am not lazy, incurious, a dumbass, or illiterate. If you are going to call someone illiterate though, next time it might be a good idea to spell the word correctly, especially since you've gone to great lengths to list your educational qualifications.

I have no idea who the hell you are; I've never seen your name here. You attributed a post I made to Rush Limbaugh, and the post had nothing to do with Rush Limbaugh. You sir, were the one being lazy and incurious.

Don't let me stop you though from further rants; it's what these threads are for. Venting. Calling conservatives names, bitching, moaning. When the very first objective post about the economy is made here though, I'd be more than happy to leave my email address and I'd appreciate it if you notify me of the revelation. It's very much a waste of time to do any real work digging up facts and figures on the economy and the tax structure and what it's effects are. No one here will believe anything they disagree with, will not appreciate it, and will only go into histrionics about how lousy their situation is or spout something so esoteric and fallacious you just have to shake your head at it instead of responding. It's always that way on any economic thread here.

Dennis @ 16:

... the richest 1% paid about 39% of all income taxes that year. The richest 5% paid a tad less than 60%, and the richest 10% paid 70%.... Americans with an income below the median — half of all households — paid a mere 3% of all income taxes in 2005. ... This makes it hard to pin their claim of “rising inequality” on the Bush tax cuts, though the income redistributionists are trying. –Donald Luskin

Ha! I expect to see this quote in a future 'Tom the Dancing Bug' Lucky Ducky strip. "Just look how lucky those bottom-halfers are, paying only 3% of all taxes. Sure is lucky they don't earn more, and have to pay taxes like us top 10%ers."

empy @ 1:

But don't you feel the warmth of the "trickle down" from the top?

Yeah, but the moisture and the urine smell is annoying.

Dennis @ 68:

NoGWBPolicyLeftinplace @ 64:

Dennis @ 36:

NoGWBpolicyleftinplacesays-

You call me dumbass and all sorts of colorful epithets for quoting Rush Limbaugh, yet my post was attributed clearly by me to Donal Luskin.

Please tell me, just how low is the educational bar set in YOUR family. I'd start there before I'd blame Republicans and stupid voters for your own misfortunes. I know it's much easier to lay the blame on a party you detest, and I'm sure it's somewhat of a temporary salve, but it's not very rewarding or lucrative to sit around and bitch about it all the time.

Since you asked about the educational bar in my family, here it is: Everyone has a Master's Degree. I have two of them. One in Geophysics, the other in Physical Science (that would be chemistry and physics). I also have an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and mathematics.

My father had a Master's Degree back in the 1950's, when half the people of his generation didn't even graduate from high school. From 1988-1995, I taught as an full-time Assistant Professor at a state college. How many years of experience do you have teaching Graduate courses at the University level? Eh, Dennis?

I call you names, because you are lazy and incurious.

How anyone can have lived through the disaster known as George W. Bush, and not figured out what is going on, well that inividual would have to be a dumb-ass. In fact, if you did a little research on your own (I also worked as a research scientist for the Army Corps of Engineers),
you would quickly be able to see that the individual's article that you cited, are at complete odds with the numbers released by GWB's own treasury department. But that would take some initiative on your part, and as Bush says "it's hard work!"

Furthermore, based on your low I.Q. and your GOP talking point intellect, you make the assumption that I must be some kind of malcontent, simply because I find Bush's america to be offensive to everything an american should stand for. How republican of you to assume that someone who could hate the "greedfest" known as the GOP economic agenda, could not possibly be doing well.

In fact, I could probably buy and sell you (especially after the republicans re-introduce indentured servitude); see above resume.

But this isn't about me Dennis. This is about all the other people I have seen destroyed by the bastards who run the republican party. Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison etc...., were part of an economic elite also. But they sacrificed for a greater "common good," that would be recognized for later generations. Did that make them malcontent losers?

Of course for republicans, the "common good" only extends to their own portfolio, and to hell with everybody else! Can you say sociopath Dennis?

As for the basis of this discussion, you still have not addressed my main point; which is the income tax/payroll tax scam republicans use to pull their bait and switch on guys like you.

And by the way, since you apparently haven't noticed (unlike 75% of your fellow citizens), that bait and switch has transferred 25% of the countries total wealth from the middle class, to the top 2% of richest americans in just 30 years! And since Bush the psycho took over, the transfer of wealth has grown at an exponential rate (that would be non-linear Dennis).

Finally, if it seems as though I have little use for people like you, it's because I don't. To see some of the misery some in my family (and friends) have had to endure during this bastards reign, while listening to brain dead jack-asses like you quote articles by right-wing liars telling us how our lying eyes are decieving us; well, if your going to go down that road, be prepared for some of the responses you are going to evoke.

How fitting that an illeterate republican like you, would try to insult someone like me from an educational angle. You are truly pathetic.

13 paragraphs is quite a bit of writing for someone you have no use for. You are wrong about a great many things, too many for me to correct you on this late, but I am not lazy, incurious, a dumbass, or illiterate. If you are going to call someone illiterate though, next time it might be a good idea to spell the word correctly, especially since you've gone to great lengths to list your educational qualifications.

I have no idea who the hell you are; I've never seen your name here. You attributed a post I made to Rush Limbaugh, and the post had nothing to do with Rush Limbaugh. You sir, were the one being lazy and incurious.

Don't let me stop you though from further rants; it's what these threads are for. Venting. Calling conservatives names, bitching, moaning. When the very first objective post about the economy is made here though, I'd be more than happy to leave my email address and I'd appreciate it if you notify me of the revelation. It's very much a waste of time to do any real work digging up facts and figures on the economy and the tax structure and what it's effects are. No one here will believe anything they disagree with, will not appreciate it, and will only go into histrionics about how lousy their situation is or spout something so esoteric and fallacious you just have to shake your head at it instead of responding. It's always that way on any economic thread here.

I have never seen your name here. And yes, Rush does quote this guy.

Thirteen paragraphs do little more than scratch the layer of GOP bullshit and lies that come from guys like you. If you are going to try an insult someone, be prepared to have your ignorant ass exposed. And as far as people's opinions, those have nothing to do with facts! Look at the overall economic situation in this country, and it is obvious the rich are stealing the rest of us blind. Facts are facts dumb-ass, that's why they call them facts- not opinions. Perhaps you will feel a little bit better though, knowing I needed only one paragraph to dispose of your idiocy this time.

KCThinker @ 66:

NoGWBpolicyleftinplacesays @ 32:

Dennis @ 15:

HOW MUCH MORE DOES THE LEFT WANT?

... First of all, 79% of all tax dollars the government takes in, come from payroll taxes, not income taxes, ...

I am just curious how you arrived at the 79 percent number. I have seen that number cited as income tax and not payroll tax.

This year [2007] individuals will pay about $1.2 trillion of the $2.7 trillion federal spending, while corporations will pay $342 billion. The rest comes form Social Security taxes ($873 billion); excises taxes ($57 billion) and other taxes and fees ($98 billion.) What is not clear from numbers cited is where the Medicare contribution falls into.

At first I found it hard to believe that payroll taxes could exceed income tax based on my own situation and then I found an article from The Tax Foundation that was very revealing. The Tax Foundation also publishes numbers similar to those cited in the article Dennis quoted. Also look at the following 2004 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Still holds true today.

There is a lot of information floating around. The above were found relatively quickly. More can be found with indepth analysis of which few of us have time for. It is easy to cite a single article, but often times that single article does not tell the whole story. Context is important whether that be an article or quote.

Payroll taxes do account for 79% of government revenue. That includes Social Security, which is a payroll deduction, and then goes into the general fund - to be spent. Always keep your eye on Social Security, because the parasites in the GOP certainly do. I have seen other tax firms report that payroll taxes are only 53%-56% of the budget, but they do not include social security. And as we all know, the rich have only a very tiny percentage of their income taxed for social security.

NoGWBpolicyleftinplacesays-

I have never seen your name here. And yes, Rush does quote this guy.

Thirteen paragraphs do little more than scratch the layer of GOP bullshit and lies that come from guys like you. If you are going to try an insult someone, be prepared to have your ignorant ass exposed. And as far as people's opinions, those have nothing to do with facts! Look at the overall economic situation in this country, and it is obvious the rich are stealing the rest of us blind. Facts are facts dumb-ass, that's why they call them facts- not opinions. Perhaps you will feel a little bit better though, knowing I needed only one paragraph to dispose of your idiocy this time.

That was two paragraghs, Professor. And as common a tactic as it is on here to make a statement, incoherent and rambling as it is, and then declare victory, you have disposed of no one's idiocy in neither your 13 paragraph diatribe nor your 2 paragraph one. You've only confirmed your own.

I'll still give to charity; I'll still gladly pay more in taxes when the increases come, and I'll still donate time and resources to helping out where I can in my community. No matter what I or my friends do, there will always be people like you who claim the rich is robbing you blind. That will never change. If wealthy people have the attitude so often attributed to them by the typical commenters on liberal blogs that they just don't care about the less fortunate, I can tell you for a fact from my world that it is nowhere close to being true. What is hard to stomach is being charitable and still being told by able-bodied people like you who know nothing of my life that I am a greedy scumbag and you know better how income should be distributed in this country, when you in actuality have no freaking clue. And if someone disagrees with your short-sighted view of the world, well then your true talent lies more in throwing out the epithets than it does the solutions.

But I repeat myself.

Rusty Shackleford @ 79:

What's the matter, Dennis? Don't like having your clock cleaned, repeatedly? A rational person would stop trolling this forum, but I guess that shoe has to fit...

No one's clock has been cleaned, Rustoleum. I enjoy the debate and don't let the idle chatter and names bother me; they never have. Reading posts from people who lose their heads only confirms to me who is rational and who is not. If you thought I wasn't rational, I would only hope you wouldn't engage me as often as you do, because I think somewhere someone said that is the very definition of an idi- well, I better not say it.

Rushty,

Explain this to me as rationally as you can, because it just baffles the hell out of me. Seriously. I think this economy sucks, but how can this be?

Best Buy Profit Jumps 52%; 2008 Forecast Is Raised

Someone above asked me if I see what is going on. This is what I see when I drive by Best Buy and Circuit City every time I go buy. All sorts of people walking out with flat-panel TVs and laptop computers. And they're always getting loaded into an SUV.

It wasn't a change, Rush. Very much on topic. Things are so bad as bbk and the NoGWB says, why are people buying the TVs? Everyone's miserable and dirt-poor, so go buy a TV?

Bread and circuses?

Besides, those guys are long gone. You have an argument to make, or are you just here to cheer for them?

Your "subscription" link DOES NOT WARK!!

During the Clinton presidency (and to be fair, the OLD Republicans that were their before the neocons and Newt that worked with Bill) ALL THREE groups saw their income growing. Poor, Middle, and Upper classes.

As of 2006? Poor - same (not even keeping up with price increases on food or fuel). Middle - same. Lower Upper? A little better. Upper, Upper class? VERY GOOD.

Gee. I wonder what the data will look like by the time we finally shit the Bush obstruction out of the bowels of the system? I have a pretty good idea, and it doesn't look pretty. We haven't even seen the housing data and the collapse of all these mortgages influencing that data yet. I don't think losing your house a rich person (at the bank auction) is exactly going to boost your statistical wealth.

You want your money back, you're going to have to take it by force. Seriously. Why would they give it up voluntarily? That simply isn't how things work, and we all know it.