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Bobby Jindal's Stimulus Lies
Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana, gave the GOP response to President Barack Obama's speech to Congress Tuesday night. I'll leave the analysis of how Jindal did to David Corn, but it's important to note that Jindal repeated two fairly common Republican lies about the stimulus package. Here's the relevant portion:
[The stimulus includes] $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disneyland, and $140 million for something called "volcano monitoring".
The truth is that the stimulus bill does not allocate any high speed rail money for specific projects. In fact, any stimulus money for high speed rail would be allocated by Obama transportation secretary Ray Lahood—a Republican.
The 'volcano monitoring' part is almost as misleading. According to ProPublica, the relevant portion of the stimulus money is for "U.S. Geological Survey facilities and equipment, including stream gages, seismic and volcano monitoring systems and national map activities." It seems obvious that employing geologists, building facilities, buying equipment, and paying people to map the country all have a stimulative effect. But more importantly, why does Bobby Jindal think monitoring volcanoes is a bad thing for the government to be doing? There doesn't seem to be any immediate way for private enterprise to profit from monitoring volcanoes (maybe selling volcano insurance?), but there is obviously a huge public benefit from making sure volcanoes are monitored: warning people if a volcano is going to erupt. Isn't that obvious?
Apparently not to Bobby Jindal. But, of course, Bobby Jindal is the person who just tried to tell the nation that the problem with the government's response to Hurricane Katrina was that bureaucrats demanded that people have proof of insurance and registration. It wasn't.
(There's no money in the stimulus to save the San Francisco salt marsh mouse, either.)
UPDATE: You want a cool video on maglev trains? You got a cool video on maglev trains.
Bobby Jindal needs some education about volcanic hazards
What Bobby Jindal didn't apparently learn about Volcanoes...
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-219563
What's wrong with a LA-LV rail project anyway?
tagged as:- solution
What's wrong with a HSR line between LA and LV anyway? It is probably a highly-trafficked route, and the fact that you have Disneyland at one end and lots of ritzy casinos at the other means you can probably find lots of private money to supplement the public funding, meaning less public money needed than for the same size system built elsewhere.
So either he's trying to
So either he's trying to rally the conservative base or we have a rhodes scholar who is ignorant of how important science is to the welfare of the nation.
Or we have a rhodes scholar who doesn't understand the effect of liquid hot magma on the human body and the environment...
Are you ensinuating that
Are you ensinuating that Republicans at the base are not pro-science? I am a Republican and am very pro-science and proud that Bush increased NIH funding by 20% and started the excellent PEPFAR program, delivering our discoveries for HIV to over 1 million Africans. Many of the greatest scientific discoveries in the last 25 years have come from private enterprises in the US (discovery of hepatitis C virus is a great example).
Bushwacked Science
Gratious me? You are so shocked!! Bush allowed a high school graduate to edit and cut out half of a nobel prize winners discussion on global warming, He allowed coal company lobbyists (busines majors) to write environmental law regulating coal mining. He barred ecologists and toxicologist from decision making. Same at the department of interior. It goes on and on.
George is to science as creationism is to evolution.
You are in the minority
fact is, there are relatively aware people in the repub party who would agree with you. but for the more common republican person, they aren't interested in anything that won't feed their greed, get rid of the poor, and atomize the spirit and experience of being american (as defined by oppressive anti human far right policies) unless it is what they define as the good.
recall the tenor of the republican presidential campaign--if it didn't kill something, or justify tearing up the land, or 'pal around with terrorists', and by the way--global warming is just bull, then it was the 'bleeding heart, commie/liberal' crap leading to hell in a handbasket...
ps. about global warming, consider this. if the deniers are wrong, and reasonable people do something to slow the disaster, republicans--and the entire human species--will be better off. but if the deniers have their way and we stay on the lemmings course, your kids, grands, etc., and everyone else human and animal will no longer be able to exist on this planet and we will ALL be gone in fewer than 500 years. In total that would equal less than 5 minutes of the entire time the dinosaurs existed.
finally, if we--humans, greedy rich, and nutcase religious--don't get a grip and do the right for survival and decent thing, we deserve to go.
Socialism is anathima to the American People
America does not want this spendulous pakage. Why don't you Democrats listen to the people of America and cut taxes instead of this horrible democracy killling loan. It has been proven that the top 1% of the earners in Amerika pay 90% of the taxes here. The Congress should cut taxes for them, and they will use that money to create jobs. There are no jobs in the spendulous package, just welfare contracts. The democrats created this economic mess. This is a center right nation, and the rising tide of discontent will soon drown the social democrat fascists. The Amerikan people are keeping track, as Rush has observed on his radio show from the anger and disbelief in phone calls to his show. Please, for you're own good, democrats, change your direction. All things considered, and I think you'll agree, President Bush, like another president that War was forced on (Lincoln) was not so bad in hindsite.
This is a joke right?
This is a joke right? George Bush wasn't so bad after all. Please tell me you're not serious cause that would really scare me!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL, great post Deane. Just
LOL, great post Deane. Just one suggestion though. Next time include the <sarcasm> tags. There are a lot of people who are too literal, and aren't quick witted enough to recognize when someone has their tongue in their cheek.
Saying it repeatedly doesn't make it more true.
70 percent of the people want this "spendulous" plan... 10 percent of the people support your "eatthepoor-tacular" plan. How's the political wilderness treating you there guy? It's so cute the way Republicans continue to veer right... right off the face of the earth. Pretty soon, Libritarians will overtake your party, or their party will replace yours. It's been nice knowing you... not.
The polling I have read had
The polling I have read had support for the current plan that was signed into law at below 50% and falling. Hence the hurry to sign the bill on the Friday before last before the support dropped further (well, and Pelosi had her European trip planned). There was such a hurry that the promised and unanimously signed law mandating 48 hr posting for Americans review never occurred. Nobody even read the whole thing (unless you believe anyone can read more than 100 pages of legalize per hour).
Get your facts first
Umm, Pelosi's 'European trip' is part of a Congressional delegation to visit key partners there. Repugs are going with her.
Tax cuts for the wealthy?
We went through eight years of tax cuts for the wealthy, and millions of jobs were outsourced overseas, while monkey-boy praised that as being good for the economy.
"Why don't you Democrats
"Why don't you Democrats listen to the people of America and cut taxes instead of this horrible democracy killling loan. "
Newsflash: tax cuts ARE spending.
"It has been proven that the top 1% of the earners in Amerika pay 90% of the taxes here."
No, that is incorrect. From David Leonhardt's column yesterday:
And don't forget that in addition to paying the most taxes, the super rich also make the most money. Doesn't sound like such a bad deal to me.
"This is a center right nation"
Says who? How did a center-right nation just elect an alleged Socialist? It's not like this was a bait and switch; he stated explicitly in his campaign that he would end Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy and cut taxes on 95% of Americans.
And FWIW, I'm pretty confident Lincoln would be a Democrat if he lived today. His opponents were the ones looking to abolish the federal government.
No more Reagonomics.
tagged as:- solution
Sure give the money to rich guys so they can invest it the way our bankers do? Or will they continue to invest in China and India. Want to know where the trickle down is? Look East young man look East!
RE: Socialism is anathima to the American People
Apparently someone was asleep for the past 8 years while the Republican party dismantled the country and gave over a trillion dollars worth of tax cuts to that 1% of the American tax payers. Nor has this person been paying attention to the fact that war was not forced upon President Bush, he sought it, and then ignored it once he found it in Afghanistan. No, instead he turned his eye on Iraq and brought the war there all because Saddam Hussein allegedly tried to kill his dad one time. Deane, do yourself and the rest of the country a favor, go back to sleep.
Rush?
Rush?
HUH?
America doesn't want this package? Maybe you should have said REPUBLICANS don't want it. Have you been reading anything in the last few weeks? Tax cuts put NOTHING back into the economy - especially if they are for the rich - the trickle down theory hasn't worked. The theory is dead.
There are tax cuts in the package you should do more reading to find out about them. And while you're reading you might read that food stamps put more into the economy than tax cuts. See, food stamps can only purchase food. Food keeps the people in the grocery stores working, who in turn buy more food, this keeps the farmers and ranchers busy producing more food & keeps trucks, etc. delivering the food to the warehouses and stores. That's kind of the simplified version, you should be able to understand that.
While you're busy reading you might also listen to someone besides Rush so you have a more balanced thinking of things. Rush lies.
k.b.
top 1% pay 90% of taxes?
tagged as:- result
They actually pay 39-40% of total income taxes, and pay 22% of their income as INCOME taxes. I pay between Social Security and Medicare tax, and income tax, about 20% myself, and I'm nowhere NEAR the top 1% of income (in 2006, this was close to $400,000, by the way). I would contend that the wealthy do NOT pay their fair share to maintain this country that has made them so well off.
Top 1% earns 23% of national income. Top 10% earn almost 50% of national income. Income growth for top 1% under Bush, 11.0%. Income growth for bottom 99%, 0.9% since this so-called recovery started in 2002 through 2006.
What?
If americans didn't want a spending package to improve the economy, why did they elect a President and a Congress that promised to do just that? If they wanted more tax cuts for the rich, why didn't they vote for John McCain and the Republicans last November? McCain unabashedly supported a continuation of bush's tax cuts, and Obama drummed on this throughout the campaign. Finally, if the wealthy are so willing to invest in new jobs if we cut their taxes, why haven't they ever done so in the past?
Volcanoes vs Hurricanes
I find it interesting that the Governor thinks that monitoring volcanoes is a waste of money. I wonder if he feels the same about monitoring hurricanes. As someone who lives on the slopes of an active volcano, I think I have the right to the same danger warning as the residents of Louisiana.
"I find it interesting that
"I find it interesting that the Governor thinks that monitoring volcanoes is a waste of money. "
"What's wrong with a HSR line between LA and LV anyway?"
Both the same intellectual dishonesty; deliberate attempts to change the subject.
ANSWER TO BOTH: Monitoring volcanoes is not a waste of money, and there may not be anything wrong with an HSR line between LA and LV. However, (and this is the key point) neither is a necessary function of government, and thus drain funds from more necessary uses. (IOW, if you want national health care, stop wasting money on toy projects.)
Necessary Function of Government
The present necessary function of government is to spend money on projects that will create jobs and give money to those who are too poor to horde (i.e. by necessity, those who will recirculate their money in a very short period of time). Please prove that we can use up either the HSR money or the volcano money without adding any additional jobs or ordering any new equipment from American suppliers.
Before you go around accusing people of intellectual dishonesty, remember that a lot of us believe that the government should be presently paying people to dig holes and then to fill them up.
If we can create jobs that have useful side effects (like expanded infrastructure or greater scientific understanding of natural disasters), then that is just a bonus.
I respect your opinion, but
I respect your opinion, but many of us do not agree that the Federal government should be rushing frantically to pass a $800 Billion law to create 3 million jobs (do the math) under the guise of an impending catastrophe after only 2.2% increase in unemployment and 25% drop in auto sales (first year of depression saw 4.8% inc in unemployment and 90% drop in auto sales). This money comes from us, Americans who live within their means, work hard and pay gobs of taxes. There are tons of jobs here in New Mexico (unemployment only 5.4%) and my hospital is hiring hundreds of nurses and technicians, but nobody wants to move from CA to come here and work.
Volcano Research
I'm going to guess that neither Jindal or the people who are against the research have ever witnessed a volcano erupt, or been through an earthquake. Try looking up Mt. St. Helens eruption on the internet.
California has a few more earthquakes there than we do in Washington, maybe someone from California would like to invite you all to their next earthquake so you can experience one firsthand, maybe then you would understand.
k.b.
"However, (and this is the
"However, (and this is the key point) neither is a necessary function of government, and thus drain funds from more necessary uses."
That's your opinion. People who are unemployed because of the inefficiencies of the free market might differ.
How about instead of taking money from energy efficiency improvements in transportation to pay for healthcare, we take money from rich incompetent bankers to pay for both?
U.S.G.S.
Monitoring volcanoes IS part of the U.S.G.S. mandate. It is a function of the government in preserving and protecting its citizenry.
Bobby "Vindaloo"(c) Tyndal & Jesus
... can't read everything, so my apologies to anyone who came up with the "vindaloo" perjorative first, just send me my share of the royalties!
Many apocalyptic christians believe that volcanoes, earthquakes and presumably hurricanes are essential parts of the end times - as described in the book of 'Revelations' [and the 'Left Behind' series, see Amazon etc] - and, therefore, they don't need to concern themselves with continuing earthbound physical existence. If the volcano is "super" - as in Yellowstone 600,000 years ago then the apocalypse is pretty much adios on us homo sapiens!
Still "Bobby Vindaloo" didn't need to go to Oxford to read the book of revelations. Nor need he convert, there are many apocalyptic Hindu sects!
Interesting to see you all
Interesting to see you all saying "What's wrong with a HSR line between LA and LV anyway, it's highly trafficked."
A rail to the moon would be fun also. The problem is spending trillions of dollars we don't have. Shouldn't we get DIS & private resorts to help fund this instead of taxpayers in distant states like me.Obama promises everything, and people love it. But someone has to pay for all this and that is what Democrats seem to forget. If Obama does cut deficit in half, I applaud him but don't see how it can happen when he's promising more spending on education, healthcare, etc and lowering taxes.
OR
"We need Volcano research and this will employ people." The democrat notion that any job is good is WRONG. Just look at GM it employs alot of people who get paid to stay at home, and guess what it is costing hard working americans a ton of money and their cars can't compete.
What happened to his "responsible government".... we now have a Sec of Treasury who committed tax fraud & tax evasion in each of the last 4 years. Obama's inauguration was 5x more expensive than any in history. And now we have close to $1 trillion in pork barrel projects tied to his first bill, such as: government support of archery industry, $300 million new cars, $140 million volcano study, $8 billion rollercoaster (do any democrats realize how much money $8 billion is?).
There is enough money in the
There is enough money in the country to pay for dozens of High-Speed Rail lines. The problem is it's currently being hoarded by investors unwilling to make any loans because there is no demand in the "free market" for them.
It really amazes me how willing people are to defend inherent inefficiencies in the economic system.
You should look at what's
You should look at what's left of our largest banks tangible equity ratio. They lost so much on leveraged investments mortgage backed securities, that they must hoard assets to survive. Of simply take a look at leverage ratios and you will see there is not excess capital to lend.
Even if there was capital to be lent. Does spending billions of taxpayer money on silly things make sense?
Umm...
We're already doing research on volcanoes. It's part of what the U.S. Geologic Service does. And privtae research isn't going to pay for that, since there's no bottom line.
And how many people does GM pay to sit at home? Maybe you'd like to include some facts with your note?
And do a search of the bill: no $8 billion rollercoasters or magentic levitation trains or archery...
And I don't think Geithner screwed up each of the last four years. I could be wrong, but I only heard of two years that he had issues. So if I am wrong, please educate us all.
Bush's Second Inauguration cost $42.3 Million (not including security). Obama's, with security costs to Maryland and D.C., is estimated to be between $150-170 million. So, factoring in security for Bush's second (let's be generous to you and say it was half of Obamas) would add another...oh...let's say $20-30 million. That makes Bush's second running about $62 million plus...maybe as high as $80 Million. So Obama's was perhaps three times as expensive as Bush's second, not 5. Sure it's still a lot of money, but outside of security costs and costs to D.C. and the States around D.C., the Inauguration itself was paid for privately...just like every other presidential inauguration...
Spend, yes, touristas, no
Using the stimulus money to build high-speed rail is a good idea. Rail travel could replace a lot of air travel (which is expensive by the mile, congested, and creates lots of pollution) for local lines, like Los Angeles to Las Vegas. (Or LA to SF, or Boston to NYC to Philly to Washington).
By painting this as a line from 'Disneyland to Las Vegas,' the GOP is making it sound like a frivilous pork appropriation to support Disney and casinos. But if you describe it as a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, a trip that currently millions of people make every year by air, then suddenly it doesn't look so stupid. Seriously, millions of people travel from LA to LV by air every year - and air travel is expensive, uses lots of fuel per mile, creates lots of greenhouse gas, is cramped, and requires going through airport security. A rail line that could make the trip in 2-3 hours would be a wonderful alternative - it would save money, use less fuel, create less pollution, and provide more comfort.
Personally, I think the money would be much better spent on local commuter rail to releive commuter traffic and stop urban sprawl. But that's not to say that high-speed rail to replace high-traffic short-hop flights is a bad thing.
Volcano monitoring
What on earth? Decrying $140 million for "something called volcano monitoring" (would he say "something called hurricane monitoring")?
First off, it's $140 million for the USGS, not specifically for monitoring volcanoes. Secondly, volcano monitoring is 10% of the USGS budget:
http://www.usgs.gov/budget/2009/docs/09JustificationTables_BaseOmnibus_02.xls
The rest goes to things like monitoring for earthquakes, landslides, mapping energy and natural resources, water monitoring, biological research, and so forth. So that's $14 million. Out of nearly $800 billion. Money that'll go to scientists and domestic manufacturers of scientific equipment, who, by the way, are part of our economy, too. And lastly...
Is he out of his freaking gourd? Decrying *volcano monitoring*? Holy heck, of all the things to decry as wasteful, letting people on the west coast know that, hey, you know, a cloud of skin-melting pyroclastic gasses and a 1500-degree laval flow is about to pour into your house, might just be a little bit appreciated by them. Should we go back to a virgin-sacrifice method of dealing with volcanoes? Is this man from freaking outer space?
Oh, and as for rail: the bill not only doesn't specify a high speed rail line from Disneyland to Vegas, it actually *prohibits* it. The money can only be used for building in designated rail corridors, and there is no designated corridor from Anaheim to Vegas.
There are more more than 750
There are more more than 750 pages of pet projects in this bill, which include:
$2 million to promote astronomy in Hawaii
$1.8 million for swine odor and manure management research in Iowa
$190,000 for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming
$400,000 to combat bullying at schools in Montana
$2.2 million for the Center for Grape Genetics in Geneva, New York
$381,000 for music programs at the Lincoln Center in New York City.
$900,000 in the bill for the Chicago's Adler Planetarium
$190,000 for its Children’s Memorial Research Center
$95,000 for the Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago.
$95,000 for the Peoria Riverfront Museum
$381,000 for the University of Illinois College of Medicine
$300 million to buy new cars for the government,
$8 billion for a 'magnetic levitation' line from Las Vegas to Disneyland
$140 million for something called 'volcano monitoring
Oh really?
Funny, I just searched the Stimulus bill (you CAN do that with pdf's, you know) and the only hit I found from your list is "volcano," for the U.S. Geological Service. Nothing for Lincoln Center or astronomy or planetariums or museums or magnetic levitation trains or even Peoria!
If you guys are going to use right wing talking points, as least TRY to get some truth in there...
Absolutely ridiculous!
Yes, REALLY
DO SOME RESEARCH http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/6281810.html
FUNDING INCLUDES
Here are some examples of some of the earmarks within the $410 billion emergency spending measure approved by the House on Wednesday. The bill contains nearly 8,600 such special projects.
• Tattoo removal : Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., who secured $200,000 for a “tattoo removal violence outreach program” in Los Angeles. Aides said the money would pay for a tattoo removal machine that could help gang members or others shed visible signs of their past, and anyone benefiting would be required to perform community service.
• Highway help: Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, would spend $3.8 million on a Needles, Calif., highway.
• Chicago boosted: White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, a former Democratic congressman from Chicago, secured $900,000 in the omnibus bill for the city’s Adler Planetarium, $190,000 for its Children’s Memorial Research Center and $95,000 for the Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago.
• On the riverfront: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican Illinois congressman, won $95,000 for the Peoria Riverfront Museum and $381,000 for the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
• Grab bag: The plan would provide $400,000 to combat bullying at schools in Montana, $2.2 million for the Center for Grape Genetics in Geneva, New York, and $381,000 for music programs at the Lincoln Center in New York City.
• Old friends: The plan allots $8.8 million on projects sought by 11 businesses and educational institutions represented by PMA Group, a lobbying firm the FBI raided three months ago. The firm plans to go out of business at the end of March.
• Rayburn Library: Texas Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Rockwall, included $142,500 for emergency repairs to the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum in Bonham. His earmark would help a museum that honors Rayburn, the legendary Democratic House leader of the mid-20th century. Hall, whose office didn’t respond to requests for comment, boasts on his Web site that “I support efforts to eliminate wasteful spending and slow the rate of growth in government.”
Another good source, if you
Another good source, if you aren't too lazy to research a little
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ax7nADTOjIPA&refer=home
Again...
Not the Stim package...which bill do you guys want to talk about?
Umm...Part Two...
Okay...I just looked at the budget bill online and couldn't find specifics on anything you've mentioned...those earmarks? Perhaps you'd like to do some research and not rely on the Houston Chronicle (Really? Seriously? The Houston Chronicle?) or Bloomberg and you can find those examples of spending and send us the link instead of simply repeating talking points...That is, if you're not too lazy...
Ummm...sorry to correct you, BUT...
...that's NOT the stimulus package. That's another bill completely...
we care what THE EXORCIST has to say?
really?
THE EXORCIST has an opinion which burns in the minds of American political thinkers?
really?
HE ALSO THINKS HE CURED FREAKING CANCER WITH FAITH HEALING
think about it.
perspective, people.
Perspective.
The Jeff Farias Show live 6-9pmEST, Mon-Fri: podcast
Good article
Thats Good article I have been read.
What I think!
I got a bit tired of Obama telling us how great we are going to be again. We were never that great. Certainly never very humble.
Even more tiresome was Jindal's repeatedly saying "American's can to anything." That's not true either. It goes w/o out saying that I had doubts about there being a magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disneyland provision in the bill as well as any specific volcano monitoring provisions. Why my doubts? Because all Republicans have left are lies. They have no ideas of their own. For his part, Jindal will apparently deprive the unemployed in his state extended unemployment benefits. Perhaps, he should have talked about that sort of Republican idea. In 2010, we get to throw more of these bums out.
Wait a minute...
"What Bobby Jindal Got Wrong"? Tchah! Tell me one thing ol' Piyush Jindal got RIGHT!
MORE "LOW INFORMATION" VOTERS!
My Poor, Poor, Pathetic "DEANE"!
For those of you who are not acquainted with this poster, she was avidly disclaiming Obama during the election and was promoting Palin as the answer to ALL our problems. She is correct on the second count. Palin sealed the fate of the Repukelicans when High-Information voters discovered how ignorant she was. Thus saving us from another failed administration of lies and deception. Thnx Sarah!
The major difference between this election and the past two was that a majority of the electorate decided to go with truth and facts instead of being bamboozled by the Right-Wing's litany of distracting cultural issues that have NO effect on people's REAL lives. Chalk one up for the "informed voters" of America.
That's why I am puzzled by the Repukelican response last evening. It was like "deja vu" all over again. Nothing but the same old lies and deceptions for the same "low-information" voters who lost last time. Duh!
This is the first time I got to see Bobby Jindaloopy make a major speech. All I have to say is..................ARE YOU FOR FREAKIN' REAL????? This is the guy who they think will make a bid for the presidency in 2012? What a joke!
As for our poor "DEANE"..................all you have to do is look at the subject of her posting. "Socialism is *ANATHIMA* to the American people". Anybody who can't even spell "an ANATHEMA" properly in their subject-line has NO credibility at all. Anything that she states in the subject-body obviously has NO credibility either. Stupid is as stupid does. Also, quoting Rash Limbo doesn't improve your credibility. It just makes you a mindless lemming.
SAVE AMERICA................SHOOT A CEO!
So tell me how will spending
So tell me how will spending all of this money will cut the deficit in half, I'm very curious how you can rationalize this. In my opinion it sounds very stupid that he is standing there romanticizing this "Stimulus Bill" and how it is going to save America and cut the deficit in half, but we have to spend over a trillion $'s to do so. And we will be left to pay for this by increasing our taxes. Oh you say thats why he is increasing taxes for people making over 250k, so the people who work hard and open up there own businesses have to pay extra so other people can sit at home watching tv, why can't people keep their hard earned money. Everyone does not deserve everything, we have to work for it.
Please tell me why I should have to pay for some lazy a** person's healthcare, go get a job. What motivation would anyone have to go to work when everything is provided to them. I have been laid off 3 times in the past 4 years, but I seem to be able to keep finding jobs and continue to work. My mom works for 7$ an hour and has healthcare, people can do it they just choose not to.
The "Small Business Owner" meme
I'm so sick of people buying into the lies about "Small Business Owners" suffering because of the increase in the tax rate of over $250k.
If you are taking home more than $250k each year from your business, either your business is not "small," or you're doing your books wrong. As an example, I work part-time at an automotive repair shop. In a year, we bring in around 1.4 million as revenue. We employ 9 people full-time as well as 5 part-timers. My boss averages about $100k in take-home pay. If we grow the business proportionally to the point where my boss has to start getting worried, we would then be employing around 22 full-timers and 12 part-timers. We would also be more than a $4M/year business. At that point, my bosses' income taxes would not increase by 3%, only the rate he was paying on money over the $250K would be increasing. To put this into perspective. Let's say we've grown to the point in which my boss is making $250K in his own pocket (not the company's) each year. Then, let's assume the business grows by another 1M during that fiscal year. At the same proportion, my boss' cut is about $71,000. This means he would be on the hook for $2200 that he wouldn't have paid under Bush's tax rates. In the meantime, the asset value of his business has grown considerably, and we've employed another 8 full-time employees and 4 part-timers. It's not wise business practice to stuff all of the company's profits into your own pockets. Part of your profits should be reinvested in growing your business. That's where the asset value of your business comes in. If my boss is really concerned with the $2200 he's going to "lose," he can invest his share of the profit back into the business and not have to pay personal taxes on that money until he sells the business.
Joe "the plumber" would have taken years and years to build a business big enough that he could bring home $250k. That is, if it's even legal to open a plumbing business without being a licensed plumbing contractor. The poor keep eating up the lies that we can be rich and we should worry about the rich's tax rates. All of the arguments about "socialist" Europe and how we will scare away all of our investors and businesses seem to forget that Europe has both businesses and investors, even in light of their tax rates.
Last point - this is all kabuki anyway. It will take less than a month for some tax wonk to find the loophole which will make this whole "increase" go away (and if (s)he's really good, (s)he'll find a way to make it make extra money for the company in decreased tax liability).
Jindal isn't accepting this
Jindal isn't accepting this money because it would ultimately result in a permanent tax increase to people in LA. He is using a provision in the bill to increase benefits by $25 but not having to increase our taxes. I am unemployed now and I still applaud him for not accepting it because ultimately I don't want my taxes increased. All I have to say is READ people educate yourselves before you start writing.
Who is this 'Anonymous' person who is posting so much?
First I'd like to say that anyone who calls themselves 'Anonymous' isn't going to have much of an impact telling me that I'm lazy or stupid. It really isn't very hard to *replace* the default 'Anonymous' name with something else that is really just as anonymous, but better enables the rest of us to have some sense of continuity. This is like being in a room where everyone is named "Hey you".
"All I have to say is READ people educate yourselves before you start writing." - Anonymous
Thinking helps too. So please explain how accepting temporary aid would result in "a permanent tax increase to people in LA". The federal government has several times before, during tough employment times, extended unemployment benefits without that ever resulting in a permanent increase.
"the people who work hard and open up there (sic) own businesses have to pay extra so other people can sit at home watching tv" - Anonymous
So you actually believe that everyone who works hard and opens their own business makes over $250,000. I'm quite sure there are a *lot* of people who wish that were so. And I'm also quite sure that a good percentage of those who do don't do it because of their hard work, but by exploiting their workers with low pay, long hours, and no benefits. And your allegations that "the others" are a bunch of lazy leaches looking for a handout so they can "watch tv" is, well I'll be kind and call it ignorant.