This is just another reason why you have the depth of a thimble. Do you even know wtf you're talking about when you mention Big Oil and taxes in the same sentance? I KNOW you don't know wtf you're talking about. So do the other 3 or 4 people here with brains. From SeekingAlpha (a trading site-not political) "Over the last three years, Exxon Mobil has paid an average of $27 billion annually in taxes. That's $27,000,000,000 per year, a number so large it's hard to comprehend. Here's one way to put Exxon's taxes into perspective. According to IRS data for 2004, the most recent year available: Total number of tax returns: 130 million Number of Tax Returns for the Bottom 50%: 65 million Adjusted Gross Income for the Bottom 50%: $922 billion Total Income Tax Paid by the Bottom 50%: $27.4 billion Conclusion: In other words, just one corporation (Exxon Mobil) pays as much in taxes ($27 billion) annually as the entire bottom 50% of individual taxpayers, which is 65,000,000 people! Further, the tax rate for the bottom 50% is only 3% of adjusted gross income ($27.4 billion / $922 billion), and the tax rate for Exxon was 41% in 2006 ($67.4 billion in taxable income, $27.9 billion in taxes). " http://seekingalpha.com/article/63131-exxon-s-2007-tax-bill-30-billion
Yet another shining example of name calling and talking points. Obama will raise taxes to the sky and all the glittering generalities of a radio talk show host. Sure, taxes may be raised, and there may some pain for some. As mentioned before, just for perspective, I'm in the most affected top tax bracket. And, as mentioned before, I would rather we modify the tax structure, pay a bit more, than leave a gigantic deficit and much worse tax burden to my grandkids. Look, tax and spend, or just print money and spend, or go into debt and spend, it's still the spending part that needs to be addressed. What really cracks me up is the people who live in States with high state tax rates bantering on and on about possible federal tax hikes. And, those who will likely benefit from tax changes, like the lower middle class, jumping on some republican band wagon instead of thinking through reality. I'm still undecided at this point. McCain is just not looking like an option like he did 8 years ago. If Obama can pull off half what he says he can do, it might be worth a few grand each year. Stop wasting billions on someone else's civil war. Try to regain our place in the Global community. Help with jobs. Who knows what will happen, after all they are all politicians. Anyway, aren't we capable of discussion instead of this moonbat versus neocon crapola and spouting nonsense as if we're speaking in absolutes? Probably not, too bad. c
Bravo...nice post. I remember at the time telling everyone I knew what a disaster Bubba Jeff Clinton was gonna be. Rates are gonna skyrocket...debt will explode ...yada yada yada. I was wrong. Made me rethink my whole philosophy. Until the right wing kooks actually become conservatives again I see no reason to vote into office a 30 year Washington old hand.
Obama's military plan of merely exchanging an expensive victory in Iraq for an unknowable outcome on the Afghan-Pakistan border is to use his favorite word "unacceptable." A few of us have called it right so far and Obama isn't even President. Obama will use Orwellian code like "we're going after the REAL terrorists" "we're fighting where we SHOULD have fought" ect. as he ramps us into a draft and into a war with VERY serious consequences. I've seen this movie before. John McCain starring as Barry "he'll nuke 'em" Goldwater and Lyndon "I'll never send an American boy to do what an Asian boy should do" Johnson. Notice Obama's new found emphasis on "public service." Notice how he didn't mention military service? He's so friggin' opaque it makes my skin crawl. The Dems will angle for a draft to get unemployed minorities off the streets. BANK ON IT!
I've got an article written just for you: http://media.cleantech.com/node/554 A bit more: http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2005/08/03/umbra-oil/ Has it occurred to you that your arithmetic seems to focus on calculating absolute dollars? No doubt, even you are well aware that this can be a misleading argument in the face of differing size. But you hide it well.
Pabst, You really think that this country at this time in history would condone and support a draft? As the current circumstance are I say no way on this planet that a draft happens.
LOL, what does it matter, they play for the same team and you are not in it. They don't care about you so why do you care about them? How do you expect anything to change if you keep supporting this charade?
If you're going to fight terrorists, then shouldn't you at least go where those terrorists are? Am I missing something here? How amusing that you should call Obama opaque, when the Bush administration has been perhaps the most secretive one thus far: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DE5DD1E3FF930A35752C0A9659C8B63 How do you come up with this stuff? Do you have a full-time comedy writer on staff?
I'm not predicting a draft, I have no idea. But I asked this question the other day with no real response. Once he's in office what makes you think you/we/the public could stop a draft? Put another way, how much has the almost non stop bitching, complaining and outrage done to change Bush's policies?