South Side Sox: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:

Around SBN: MLB postseason scores, schedules and blog coverage Bar-right-arrows

Super Duper Tuesday

Konerkoslam_sq_tiny by thatshortkid on

For those of you in SSS-land that swing a little to the left and are in the 24 states coming up 2/5 (or any remaining thereafter, for that matter), here are your choices:





I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'....

My name is thatshortkid and I approve this message.

Update [2008-1-31 3:41:6 by The Cheat]: About the only rule on SSS -- besides don't be a complete jackass -- is no politics. It's not written down anywhere, and I don't think I've ever had to enforce it, but this thread has the possibility to get there. I'm leaving it open because I trust you guys to keep it civil. We're all Sox fans, remember. We're on the same team. Let's keep it that way.

Carry on.

SouthSideSox is a community driven site. As such, users are able to express their thoughts and opinions in a FanPost, such as this one, which represents the views of this particular fan, but not necessarily the entire community or SouthSideSox editors.

0 recs | Comment 148 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

Lol
The final straw!
"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America. There is the United States of America."

by Tdogg on Jan 30, 2008 5:36 PM CST   0 recs

i vote on hotness of wife
kucinich still has my vote. obama has illinois locked up, anyway.

by larry on Jan 30, 2008 6:04 PM CST   0 recs

For that to work out...
do you then take Bill Clinton's hotness into account as far as voting for Hillary is concerned? ;)
That's a piece of crap. We stopped selling that six months ago. Nice gesture, though. - Beanie

by rhythm on Jan 30, 2008 6:25 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Kucinich's wife
Was kind enough to participate in the "Is America ready for a FLILF?" segment on the Daily Show. So, she's hot and has a sense of humor. Plus a pierced tongue. She was definitely underutilized by his campaign.

by hitlesswonder on Jan 30, 2008 11:18 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

that sounds hilarious
and she doesn't seriously have a pierced tongue, does she?  holy crap.
His little smile pissed me off.

by colintj on Jan 31, 2008 5:59 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Didn't realize Uribe had put on THAT much weight!
;)
That's a piece of crap. We stopped selling that six months ago. Nice gesture, though. - Beanie

by rhythm on Jan 30, 2008 6:25 PM CST   0 recs

Yeah.. I'm disappointed
Edwards had my vote and now he's no longer running. I liked him the best and trusted him the most. It's a shame he had to run the same year as a white female and a black male.

Maybe he can latch onto Barack as the VP if he wins the nomination.

"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise."

by Shoeless In SC on Jan 30, 2008 6:51 PM CST   0 recs

and yes, Larry
Kucinich's wife is the hottest. I agree with Kucinich's policies too. It's a shame he looks so odd. Appearances aren't everything, but they are a lot, and he looks really, really... uhm... odd.
"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise."

by Shoeless In SC on Jan 30, 2008 6:52 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

umm...
edwards ran and failed to garner the nomination in '04 as well with neither hillary nor obama anywhere to be found.
"On the run from Johnny Law...ain't no trip to Cleveland."

by Toonderstrook on Jan 30, 2008 7:11 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

to be fair, toonder
no way edwards was going to stand in the way of his rivals' attempts at making history as white guys from new england being president.

by thatshortkid on Jan 30, 2008 8:35 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

huh?
"On the run from Johnny Law...ain't no trip to Cleveland."

by Toonderstrook on Jan 30, 2008 8:50 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

bad joke, hastily written
as i was leaving work. edwards' two main rivals going into '04 were kerry and dean, iirc. edwards stated today that he wasn't going to 'stand in the way of history' or something to that effect.

by thatshortkid on Jan 30, 2008 9:38 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

What of us who lean the opposite
direction - you know the adults on this site?  McCain's wife is pretty hot, too.  (Though Rudy's wife #3 looked pretty fetching last night for a MILF, and Fred Thompson's wife, an actress, probably can suck the chrome off a bumper - as most starlets are required to do.)

Post a pic of Kucinich's better half - I am unfamiliar with the gnome's spouse.

SC, your Southern is showing.

Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 30, 2008 7:12 PM CST   0 recs

i thought adults were independents...
who have figured out that there are two parties in name alone.
"On the run from Johnny Law...ain't no trip to Cleveland."

by Toonderstrook on Jan 30, 2008 7:21 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Is"moderate" in your lexicon, T-man?
Gotta "bridge".  And I voted for John Anderson in 1980 - didn't want to send a "protest" vote for Ronnie Paul.
Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 30, 2008 7:26 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

moderation is my middle name.
just ask my yogi.
"On the run from Johnny Law...ain't no trip to Cleveland."

by Toonderstrook on Jan 30, 2008 7:33 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

'protest' vote?
you should tell that to the fine folks of southern california. i've only seen banners, etc. of paul's in the conservative bastion that is orange county.

also in the vastness i call "between here and vegas", but, well, yeah.

by thatshortkid on Jan 30, 2008 9:49 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

McCain is a kook
I'd love to hear a debate between the voices in his head and the voices in Bush's.
"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Jan 30, 2008 10:08 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Ah, Pete, getting personal already
To compare Bush's mindset to McCain is ridiculous.  McCain at least stands for something that has some basis in today's world - Bush is on another planet, one of the most disappointing Prresidents in the history of the US, IMO.  And I voted for him, twice (though I supported McCain in 2000).  Not sure Kerry/Gore would've been better, but the devil I know has been more disappointing and embarassing than any of my failed marriages - and, believe me, that's saying something.
Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 31, 2008 7:34 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

His mind is broken
You ever seen him on Meet the Press or one of those shows?  Just listen to him talk in something more than sound bite snippets, he's deranged.  God love him for being a POW, I admire him for that.  But you spend five years in a hole it does something to your mind.  That's not the person I want making decisions as president.
"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Jan 31, 2008 8:28 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Well, he's good enough to sponsor
legislation re: campaign finance, has good ideas on immigration, is not against gay marriage, etc.  And anyone that can piss off Rush Limbaugh AND the Clintons is OK by me.

(I also love that he used the "F" bomb when pushed by his fellow Senator.)

Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 31, 2008 11:32 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

mccain's the guy bush purported to be
i like john.  he has no talent for orating and he knows it, so he just emphasizes the things he thinks are right.  he's blunt but a listener.
His little smile pissed me off.

by colintj on Jan 31, 2008 5:57 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Thanks Toonder!
I'm glad someone else brought that point up so I didn't have to!

FWIW, it seems to me that you say a lot more with your vote by voting for an independent, ie someone outside of the two party system. If you are not happy with the state of the political system, you are throwing your vote away by voting for the major parties instead of taking the opportunity to voice your displeasure with them by voting for someone else.

If you're happy with the status quo, then my argument doesn't hold much water.

I realize that's a bit of an idealistic notion, but it's something I think more people should consider since I hear a lot of complaining about the state of American Politics.

I also think that you vote with where you spend your money and that this form of voting has a much more immediate, and possibly larger, effect on what's going on around you.

That's a piece of crap. We stopped selling that six months ago. Nice gesture, though. - Beanie

by rhythm on Feb 2, 2008 7:31 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

huh????
You voted for Bush.... TWICE?! I can see voting for him the first time, as a lot of people were duped the first go 'round. But a second time??? Was this before you quit taking psychedelics?

Seriously... you worry me old man. I have to doubt your judgements from here on out :)

But how is my Southern showing? The South is almost entirely 'Red'. I go against the beaten path and vote Democratic. Have so since I was able to vote in 2001. (I voted for Edwards in 2004, then again for Kerry/Edwards for the presidential)

Now, if Hillabeast wins the nomination... I'll still vote Democratic... but I will grimace when I hit that button. She's a better vote IMO than any Republican not name Giuliani but she is far from the best Democratic candidate in my book.

I hope Obama wins the nom. And Edwards gets on his ticket.

"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise."

by Shoeless In SC on Jan 31, 2008 11:16 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Gore? Kerry?
I voted for Clinton in 1992, and would vote for Joe Lieberman in a  heartbeat.  But Gore/Kerry?  Sheesh, give a guy a real choice and we'll see.  Obama in 2012 is a choice.
Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 31, 2008 11:29 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

why have him wait till 2012?
will 4 more years in the senate change anything?

by The Wizard on Jan 31, 2008 4:02 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

when you were in kindergarten,
were you one of those kids who had a check mark in the "needs improvement" column for following directions?
"On the run from Johnny Law...ain't no trip to Cleveland."

by Toonderstrook on Jan 31, 2008 11:30 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

hehe
very often
"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise."

by Shoeless In SC on Jan 31, 2008 5:32 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

To add my two cents
Bush did a good job of exploiting people's fears with respect to national security.

In addition, Kerry's campaign wasn't managed very well and he did nothing to distinguish himself. IMO, if he would have gone after on any number of issues (especially the environment and education) he could have distinguished himself, although I think this is the kind of thing Political Science textbooks are written about - not my area of specialty.

Not that it's important, but I didn't vote for Bush either time.

That's a piece of crap. We stopped selling that six months ago. Nice gesture, though. - Beanie

by rhythm on Feb 2, 2008 7:44 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

WU, given your location and conservative stance
What is your opinion of the present Governor of Florida?

I enjoyed what pieces of his environmental rhetoric I have heard. Seems like an interesting fellow, but I thought it may be wise to check with someone who has a front row seat.

That's a piece of crap. We stopped selling that six months ago. Nice gesture, though. - Beanie

by rhythm on Feb 2, 2008 7:36 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Crist is an interesting cat
I voted for him, since he was all "lower taxes, smaller gov't" when he was running.  Since he's been elected, though, he's shifted to big gov't (shifting property/casualty hurricane insurance to the state's fund -ergo, the taxpayers are the ones now funing the next hurricane disaster), opposing the gay marriage amendment (as do I, but from a Constitutional standpoint - rumors were before the election that Crist, who is not married, is gay - I don't think so, but the wife is convinced).  I think Crist has always had leanings toward the liberal side, was considered an "empty suit" for a long while while attorney general, and is a good politician, a good looking, well spoken guy.  I think as a Republican he's been especially disappointing (the latest property tax rollback he's sponsored is a freaking joke) but as a moderate he could've done worse.

Bottom line - folks still like him here, but the next hurricane that blows through FL, he's up a creek re: public opinion, and the budget for the state is going to get hammered with the real estate market in the tank, and folks will forget he's not in control of that.

Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Feb 2, 2008 9:43 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

True dat
I hereby nominate Barack Obama honorary SSS member.  Not only is he a Sox fan, but his favorite show is The Wire:
Obama told the Sun his favorite character is Omar, a stick-up artist who steals from drug dealers and then gives the loot to poor people in the neighborhood.

"That's not an endorsement. He's not my favorite person, but he's a fascinating character."

"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Jan 30, 2008 9:38 PM CST   0 recs

I don't want our President
to be akin to the posters on this site - me included.
Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 31, 2008 7:35 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

On top of that
he's too young for fantasy camp.
"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Jan 31, 2008 8:25 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Bastard, you are, St. Petersburg
Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 31, 2008 11:26 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Wire man, Sox fan
Obama's statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate:
Statement of Sen. Barack Obama on the Chicago White Sox
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Senate Floor Statement

I rise today as a U.S. Senator, as an Illinoisan, and as a proud resident of the Southside of Chicago, to congratulate the Chicago White Sox for winning the 2005 World Series. As my fellow Southsiders know, it has been a long time coming.

Founded in 1900 as the Chicago White Stockings, this year's team reached the World Series for the first time since 1959. Over a century of White Sox fans have cheered for superstars such as Luke Appling, Nellie Fox, Carlton Fisk, Luis Aparicio, Harold Baines, and of course Big Frank Thomas. But we haven't savored the sweet taste of a World Series championship since 1917 - until now.

Back then, Woodrow Wilson was President, and the Great War was raging in Europe. The White Sox were a bright spot in tough times.

The Sox won last night the way they have won all season--by playing aggressively, scrapping for every base and every run. When Juan Uribe threw to Paul Konerko for the final out, it was fitting that the ball beat the runner by only half a step. The four games against the Astros were decided by a total of six runs. Win by the skin of your teeth. Win or die trying, that's our motto this year.

Jermaine Dye is the World Series MVP, and I congratulate him for that, but I'm sure he'll be the first to say that everyone on this year's team deserves a part of that award. This is a team with so many great players, but no undisputed leader on the field. I don't claim to be a baseball expert - or particularly unbiased on this matter - but this is one of the most selfless, balanced teams I've ever seen. A team of unlikely heroes.

Scott Podsednik, who hadn't hit a home run all season, stepped up and hit two in the playoffs, including the walk-off winner in Game 2 on Sunday. Willie Harris, who barely played in the playoffs, got a pinch hit to get on base and bring home the only run last night. Geoff Blum, a former Astro, who got a pinch hit homer in the 14th inning to give us the margin of victory in Game 3. And the pitching--four complete games to close out the American League Championship Series. An 11 and 1 record in the playoffs. 15 scoreless innings to finish the World Series.

Before the season started, the Sox were a consensus .500 team. Even as we built and maintained the best record in the American League all season, there were many doubters. Towards the end of the season, we hit a rough patch, and the doubters got louder. They said Cleveland had more playoff experience. They said even if we held on to make the playoffs, we would get embarrassed in the first round. But during the stretch run, manager Ozzie Guillen and his "kids," as he calls them, were calm and relaxed. Even as Cleveland came on strong and our lead in the Central Division dwindled, Ozzie's kids continued to play pranks on each other in the clubhouse, and continued to run hard on the basepaths.

Once the playoffs started, there was no looking back. That difficult September was gone in an instant. We silenced the doubters by sweeping the World Champion Boston Red Sox. We silenced the Angels during the ALCS in five games. And we swept the Astros in four games.

I had the privilege of attending game one of the World Series on Saturday, and the fans in and around the park were a cross-section of the city. There were plenty of folks old enough to remember the '59 team. Almost everyone remembered the 2000 team that made the playoffs. A few were even alive in 1917. A staffer of mine, a Southside Irishman and a Sox fan all his life, mentioned a 92-year-old woman at Saturday's game. She was jumping and cheering so much with every hit and every run that my staffer worried for her health!

I would like to congratulate the entire White Sox organization, in particular Jerry Reinsdorf, Kenny Williams, and Ozzie Guillen. We will be celebrating this victory for a long time on the Southside, around the city of Chicago, and around the entire state of Illinois.

Later today, Senator Durbin and I will be introducing a resolution honoring the White Sox, and we will be asking for its immediate consideration and adoption. Thank you, and I yield the floor.

I don't think you'll see him running around with a Cubbies hat if they get to the WS this year.

 

"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Jan 31, 2008 8:52 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Nothing against Obama...
but wasn't he saying some pro-Cubs things this past October?

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Jan 31, 2008 9:58 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Uh, no
Barack the Perfect presents his Sox bona fides,  and in translated politicalese states that Cubs suck:
A Chicago man visiting Washington with his family raised his hand and asked Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) about something he heard on the radio. Did the senator from the South Side, a devoted Sox fan, really promise to wear Cubs blue and red?

"If during the crosstown classic, if the Cubs beat the White Sox, I have to wear Cubs garb," Obama said, stiffling a laugh. "I have to parade around and say Dusty Baker is my Daddy."

"Fortunately," he added, "this will not happen."


"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Jan 31, 2008 10:17 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

lol
good stuff.

I hope he wins the nom.

"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise."

by Shoeless In SC on Jan 31, 2008 11:20 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

As do I
though he ain't ready to take on the lunatics of the Axis of Evil quite yet.  Talk to me in 2012.  (And maybe he won't want to raise my taxes and roll back dividend/cap. gains rates.)
Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 31, 2008 11:27 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Definitely
We need a real man with real cojones to stand firm in Iraq, keep taxes low for the rich white man, and stare down these evil Iranians and North Koreans who threaten the American way of life.  That's no job for a junior senator.
"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Jan 31, 2008 5:55 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

LOL!
It's Chi 'Awesome' Pete time!

by The Wizard on Jan 31, 2008 6:17 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Why only the "rich", "white",
"men"?  Here I thought you were a diversity-seeking, open-minded kind of guy.  You never met a"middle-class", "brown/black/yellow/red", "woman" before who likes lower taxes and less gov't spending/intrusion?
Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 31, 2008 7:22 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

It amazes me
that the Bush administration, with a complicit Republican congress, duped middle America into thinking that these ridiculous tax cuts truly benefitted anyone but the upper 1st percentile of taxpayers.  That's the Big Lie told on such a grand scale that even Goebbels would blush.

 

"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Jan 31, 2008 8:30 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Pete, I can say with the greatest
degree of certainty, you are talkin' out your neck.  I see people every day that have benefitted from the tax cuts, increased retirement contribution limits, accelerated depreciation allowances and more.   Hell, even the folks in the 15% marginal bracket or less this year benefit by having zero capital gains tax, which allows them to diverify concentrated, risky positions (like Disney stock, bought over 25-30 years) or 2nd homes (if they can sell them).  Really.  I see plenty of folks living on $50-60K/year who are in great financial shape because they don't buy every new gadget, churn their cars every 2 years, and take vacations every other month.  Go talk with some middle-class families and find out.

You ought to read Finacial Times' columns today and get the perspective of folks outside the US who sees our middle class for what it is - one of the true "middle classes" in the world.  Most of the universe outside the US is represented only by the have's and the have not's.  One Indian gentleman writes about it rather eloquently in today's paper.

No doubt Georgie is a buffoon personally and professionally.  But to imply the tax cuts only benefitted a select few is inaccurate and irresponsible.

Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Jan 31, 2008 8:40 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

re
I see plenty of folks living on $50-60K/year who are in great financial shape

I wish we could say the same about our country

get the perspective of folks outside the US who sees our middle class for what it is

I have conversations with people that have lived both in and out (Europe) the US on our middle class among other topics

the word that best describes their opinion is 'joke'

by The Wizard on Jan 31, 2008 9:14 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

spare me please
"even the folks in the 15% marginal bracket or less this year benefit by having zero capital gains tax" - so you've found the one person in a thousand in the 15% bracket who actually benefits from the zero capital gains tax?  I beg to differ, it's of much greater benefit to high earners.  Ask these kids on SSS getting out of college or fresh out of college if they give a shit about having a zero capital gains tax.  I think they'd prefer an economy on sound financial footings.

If you want I can break out graphs and statistics showing where the great bulk of all these tax savings have accrued.  Sure there's been some sops to the (rapidly shrinking) middle classes, but in the main they've gone to people who didn't need the money in the first place (myself included).  To argue otherwise is myopic.

"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Jan 31, 2008 9:14 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Pete, the last time I looked,
most college kids don't pay taxes!  So any tax breaks (or raises, to be frank) would not affect them/you very much.  Every college kid who graduates and enters the workforce has a tough time.  Generally you expect to climb in both authority and salary as the years progress.  In 1980 I made $4/hour as a counselor at a Salvation Army in your new town of Indianoplace with a BA from Purdue.  And I had finaced my own college education and had loans (which, adjusted for inflation, are eerily similar to those most students are faced with today).

And wiz, tax cuts can be financed with debt or increased revenues.   The cuts actually increased tax receipts far above any govt. projections.  They worked.  There are other forces at work (globalization, consumption, demographics, entitlements) that help squeeze the middle class, but lower taxes ain't one of 'em.

My last post on this, really.  It'd be great to have a beer or two and discuss this but that's not what I come to the site for, so I'll let go and, as Hazy says, listen for your answer.

Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Feb 1, 2008 6:31 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Amazing how over the last 7 years
We've gone from "Tax and spend liberals" to "Red ink Republicans".

I'm with Buffet on this one: there's something wrong with a system that has his secretary paying a higher % of her wages in taxes than he does:

"Speaking at a $4,600-a-seat fundraiser in New York for Senator Hillary Clinton, Mr Buffett, who is worth an estimated $52 billion (£26 billion), said: "The 400 of us [here] pay a lower part of our income in taxes than our receptionists do, or our cleaning ladies, for that matter. If you're in the luckiest 1 per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent."
Mr Buffett said that he was taxed at 17.7 per cent on the $46 million he made last year, without trying to avoid paying higher taxes, while his secretary, who earned $60,000, was taxed at 30 per cent. Mr Buffett told his audience, which included John Mack, the chairman of Morgan Stanley, and Alan Patricof, the founder of the US branch of Apax Partners, that US government policy had accentuated a disparity of wealth that hurt the economy by stifling opportunity and motivation.
Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, acknowledged in an interview yesterday that there were justified concerns about the huge profits generated by private equity firms and that he worried that income inequality was "poisoning democracy". He also said that he would be voting for the Democrat candidate at the next election. Mr Blankfein is the highest-paid executive on Wall Street, earning $54 million last year.

Mr Buffett, who runs the investment group Berkshire Hathaway and is widely regarded as the world's most successful investor, said that he was a Democrat because Republicans are more likely to think: "I'm making $80 million a year - God must have intended me to have a lower tax rate."

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/tax/article1996735.ece

Next time, Bhoov, do some research.

by Chiburb on Feb 1, 2008 8:32 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

shield your eyes
Well, it's good that other high earners are ashamed about the gross inequities of these tax cuts.  You want graphs and stats Ugly?  Here's how your beloved zero capital gains tax has worked, get out your magnifying glass to view that flyspeck which represents your 15% bracket client benefitting from this.  A whole $11 is the average benefit for people earning less than $50,000:

There's plenty more graphic evidence like this for the other components of the tax cuts, the charts all skew like this.  Did some middle class people benefit? - of course they did.  Did the lions share of the benefit accrue to the extreme end of the income spectrum? - of course they did.

"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Feb 1, 2008 9:29 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Wing-nut Welfare
Next time, Bhoov, do some research.

by Chiburb on Feb 1, 2008 9:47 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Tax cuts and increased revenue
This is obviously a contentious issue, but again I think the numbers actually show the cuts haven't paid for themselves.

It's difficult to figure out the truth here, because lots of people's jobs are actually to produce reports and numbers justifying certain policies. You only have to head over to the Heritage Foundation website to learn that tax cuts do pay for themselves...at least according to their economists.

by hitlesswonder on Feb 1, 2008 9:51 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Do we have any economists here?
Throwing politics aside, this really is reminiscent of an argument in baseball in which people perceive things but numbers hold the truth. I don't know what the numbers say, but certainly the question is not only who benefited from the tax cuts, but how much did various people benefit. And the flip side is that the tax cuts are financed with debt. At some point, someone will pay off that debt -- perhaps through raised taxes. Then the question will be who paid how much to pay off the debt. I don't have those numbers (some of which obviously don't exist yet). But that's where answer is, and it's actually  sort of fascinating. If there were an economist among us, I'd be interested in knowing what the numbers currently are (wherever they might be available).

Anyway, here's hoping this isn't the post that gets this diary closed.  

by hitlesswonder on Jan 31, 2008 10:18 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

I think
the Brian Anderson arguments, Aardsma DFA, Garland trade, and Linebrink signing were much more heated topics than this.

This is weak sauce in comparison.

"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise."

by Shoeless In SC on Jan 31, 2008 10:26 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Isn't Ron Paul an economist?
(Not that he could actually help us in this specific situation here, rendering my comment rather pointless.)

I tried reading a few political threads over at Soxtalk, and I see the discussion there isn't really a whole lot different (better) than the discussion that takes place on the baseball part of it.  And for a person like myself who isn't very politically informed (I'm trying to get better, I really am!  I'm taking a PolySci class and am trying to add The Daily Kos to my daily blog-glossover), it sucks not knowing who's got a respectable opinion and whatnot.

So seriously...  Ron Paul -- just a kook, or a guy who's called a kook just because his ideas appear to be separate from everyone elses?

by CWSKeith on Jan 31, 2008 11:42 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

ron paul...
i think he's a kook. :)
"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise."

by Shoeless In SC on Feb 1, 2008 6:51 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

yes, kook
"Swisher's versatility allows us to give Owens a chance to come back and show he's ready to be that sparkplug like Podsednik was a couple of years ago." - KW

by ChicagoPete on Feb 1, 2008 9:22 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

Not an economist, but read something recently
Near the end of "The only investment guide you'll ever need", Tobias explains in very basic terms how a government carrying a reasonable amount of debt isn't all that big of a deal. With a very broad stroke, he talks in generalities about US gov't economics in the space of 4 pages.

Probably enough knowledge to make one dangerous, but thought it might be interesting to you. I would recommend the book as I thought it was a pretty good read despite the subject matter of personal finances.

That's a piece of crap. We stopped selling that six months ago. Nice gesture, though. - Beanie

by rhythm on Feb 1, 2008 5:21 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Just like us, bro
If you are using leverage and getting a greater after-tax return on assets that have a lower cowt of capital, you are in the money.  Leverage isn't necessarily a badthing -only when you can't service the debt or don't intend on ever repaying the principal.

And Pete, you SOB (I say it with love) when 1% of the population pay 30+% of the tax, I think that's somewhat equitable.  (Actually, not - I'd like the nice Forbesian flat 17% tax meself.)

Damn, I wish I were going to be there in March hearing your caterwauling about the financial inequities of he world.

Jeff Cox: I'm going to call you "FN".

by winningugly on Feb 1, 2008 6:47 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

by March 15 the nominees
are decided.  The only caterwauling is over the egregious number of ABs given to Owens.
I suspect politics won't be discussed, though you will be for sure.
:-)
Next time, Bhoov, do some research.

by Chiburb on Feb 1, 2008 7:12 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

godwin! WU wins.
shit, i only meant this as a 'hey, look, it's a cubs fan and a sox fan, isn't that funny?' thread.