Libya

[Ender]

Why the fuck did we get involved at all? And Obama did so using an executive order, which bypassed congress... something at least Bush did not do with the Iraq invasion. That is not supposed to be done unless there is an imminent threat or in response to an attack on the nation.

We should just let them kill each other and sort it out themselves. I do not understand our involvement in this conflict at all.

[Klaus]

I liked this post on Twitter:


Drudge_Report Drudge Report

WHAT WAR? Senators call on APPLE to remove DUI checkpoint apps...

http://drudge.tw/gJIjgE

[Klaus]

Sounds like it's going well so far....


Tensions with Britain as Gates rebukes UK government over suggestion Gaddafi could be assassinated

French propose a new political 'committee' to oversee operations

Germany pulls equipment out of NATO coalition over disagreement over campaign's direction
Italians accuse French of backing NATO in exchange for oil contracts

No-fly zone called into question after first wave of strikes 'neutralises' Libyan military machine

U.K. ministers say war could last '30 years'

Italy to 'take back control' of bases used by allies unless NATO leadership put in charge of the mission

Russians tell U.S. to stop bombing in order to protect civilians - calls bombing a 'crusade'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368693/Libya-war-Germans-pull-forces-NATO-Libyan-coalition-falls-apart.html#ixzz1HRGOB6Wu

[Trany]

ooooh, conflict within NATO, and BTW Obamy flipped a script on washington, good luck on antoher 4 years.

[Eric]

ooooh, conflict within NATO, and BTW Obamy flipped a script on washington, good luck on antoher 4 years.

IMO Obama gets re-elected. Americans are too worried about being considered racist to let the FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT only serve 1 term.

That's why I think Pawlenty should wait until 2016. He'll win then...he runs in 2012 he'll get beat. Let Bachman run in 2012...the teabaggers will be foaming at the mouth by 2016.

[Chadwick]

Yeah, there may not be much left to fix in 2016 if he gets re-elected...

[Ender]

This explains quite a bit:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42245106/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/

I guess the Libyan army could be seen as a corporate funded mercenary group, which we are ending up just having to bomb in the end.

Ridiculous.

[Ender]

Now there are talks of providing weapons to the "Rebels". What the fuck? Seriously, that should not even be a topic of discussion. Haven't we learned anything? For one, I guarantee you a good portion of those weapons after use in this conflict will end up in the hands of terrorist group members, if there aren't terrorists among the Rebels already..

I can't believe we are buying into this bullshit. I couldn't have thought up a better plan myself if I was in the terrorists' shoes: incite revolutions to overthrow these governments, which are viewed as tyrannical dictatorships (which may be true), and put yourself in a position to be covertly involved in a new government.

Getting involved in this at all was a mistake. Hopefully that mistake isn't inflated by getting more involved.

[Klaus]

http://web25.twitpic.com/img/267069501-4fd2bb9044c656f3e7c4f0ec543d4836.4d935a88-scaled.jpg

[Ender]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42679393/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

You have got to be fucking kidding me... this is an outrage.

[Kyrillian]

Maybe they are taking it from all the money GE paid in taxes last year on over $5 billion in profits...

[Jomama]

Maybe they are taking it from all the money GE paid in taxes last year on over $5 billion in profits...

lol

Is that the Irish Double loophole too?

[Kyrillian]

I haven't seen the exact breakdown of how they got away with it. Most signs point to the way they structured losses at GE capital.

Pretty shitty that you have companies like Google and GE raking it in and paying near nothing in taxes but they want to tax people more.

[Klaus]

I blame the laws not the companies. The shareholders demand the company maximizes profits so they do what they can to not pay taxes.

[Kyrillian]

Yea I don't fault the companies at all, if I had easy access to loopholes to increase my company's bottom line it would be my fiduciary responsibility to shareholders to utilize them.

I just read these things and become furious because they keep coming back to increasing taxes on people/families making over $250,000 which is probably a non-issue for 90% of the country. My issue is you can be making that in the NYC area and you are lower middle class. But these politicians are rallying the uneducated against people making over $250,000 like we're sipping champagne on yachts all day and laughing at the poor.

[Jalexian]

Didn't they get a $3B refund even after not paying anything in the first place?

Oh, and are expenses in New York really so high that a household earning 250k a year can only sustain a lower middle class lifestyle (iirc around a 50 to 90k income)? If so, boy am I glad I live in Illinois.

[Kyrillian]

Check out the rent on any place within say 20 miles of NYC. If you find something under $1,500 it is either a 100 square foot studio or it's in a neighborhood you need a bullet proof vest for.

Add on top of that various other household bills, student loans, etc. It adds up. I would say I pay more for rent than most people reading this pay for their mortgages. And my rent is low because I rent from a family friend and I pay in cash.

Now add on top of that every business is paying higher rent prices and passing as much of that on to customers in way of higher standard prices.

NY also has a ton of gas taxes, currently I pay about 4.0599 for a gallon of gas.

I'm not trying to really preach about how hard it is living in NY. I choose to live here because I feel I can't make the money I make elsewhere. I just get angry when liberals try to make it seem like people making over $250k are the enemy and if they would just pay more in taxes the world would be a better place.

[Jomama]

I'm sure rapists say the same thing about rape laws...

[Jalexian]

Understandable, was just wondering if you were arguing your point on adjusted life expenses or simply because those around you had more money in comparison.

And I think a more fitting analogy would be a 18 y/o statutory rapist arguing against the wording of the law, not the law itself - people making 250k'ish being the proverbial 18 year old, as compared to the truly rich being the predators such laws are written to protect against.

[Lyncher]

I totally agree with Rich, but I'll even go further. I don't give a fuck what your cost of living is. If you're successful enough (as a private individual, not a company) to be making whatever, I don't see why you should be penalized with a higher tax rate. Taxing the fuck out of individuals isn't going to be the way to change anything for our defecit. The changes need to be made in corporate taxes. I don't think they should be taxed at a higher rate than an individual, but the loopholes need to be cut. The tax breaks for corporations are ridiculous.

[Jalexian]

Ya, but many of the same loopholes available to those corporations are just as feasible and commonly used by individuals (I guess that's obvious given the legal status of corporations as individuals with all that entails). Not that closing them isn't a good idea, just doesn't seem like a problem soon to be fixed considering the individuals making the rules happen to be benefiting from the situation.

Btw we should slash the hell out of the military budget, and reinvest in education and infrastructure....who needs "defensive" capabilities well in excess of what would be required to kill every last person on the planet when what your defending is a crumbling visage of its former glory....

[Kyrillian]

There are many corporate loopholes that are pretty much impossible for an individual to utilize. The Double Irish one Joe referenced involves setting up dummy corporations in various countries and basically shifting around profits based on which countries have a more favorable tax rate. More on that here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_Arrangement

I don't have the means to set up dummy corporations in Ireland to pay less in taxes:)

Even Warren Buffet made a comment not to long ago that his secretary pays more in taxes than he does.

On a smaller scale I know plenty of small business owners who use their businesses to fund their lifestyle. Basically what they do is buy their houses, cars, etc. through the business so the money never passes through to become profits or earned income. Say their business made $500,000 in revenue, they spend $400,000 of that on various expenses such as a car for their wife, a new computer for their son, actual costs to run the business, etc. Then they contribute the max to their retirement plans for themselves AND their wife who is an employee even though she never actually works, then they pay themselves a salary of whatever is left and basically pay no tax.

That abuse is EXTREMELY popular and widespread.

[Chadwick]

Well, rich. If you had any idea what small business pay in taxes you would realize we have to do that just to come close to a level playing field with regards to overall tax burden. Its built right into the tax code. If small business owners didn't operate that way they would effectively get taxed at about 60-70%...

[Chadwick]

If you think it's such a great deal and so unfair to the "working class", start your own business why dont you... ;)

[Kyrillian]

I don't think there shouldn't be tax advantages for small businesses. We need them to promote people opening small businesses. But it's the abuse that goes through the system that gets me.

Now I am a complete hypocrite because once we add another $50 million in client assets we may go independant and take advantage of these loopholes:) If everyone is doing it...