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Riley wrote: edit: Also, I will add what do you think the point of missionary work is? Proselytism. Of course it is, but I've never seen any strings attached to receive help from any Christian organization. Catholic Charities has brought many Muslims into my city and I would say their goal is humanitarism more than Proselytism. If you are in line at the grocery store and sneeze and someone says "God Bless You", do you start an argument or tell the person what an ignorant fool they are?

Actually, what I've always said was, " no, only allergies but thanks" though I know that sneezing can be a reaction to sunlight too.

eric lavine wrote: OKIE, tax burden on a million dollars could definitely afford a 350k boat write off with a kitchen as a second home, on 100 grand 35 grand would wipe you out and you cant afford that second so called home. thats what i mean by fair share, or equal share at that level, more write-offs are available to you and you pay less of a burden, now if I could write off bar tabs for my personals

I'm still not sure I see an answer in that response. Are you saying a fair share is for the $1 million earner to pay 35% and the $100K earner to pay a lesser percentage. Is that what you are calling "fair share"?

By the way, if you go back through the history of taxes and write offs you will find some very interesting information. For example, many write offs came to be during periods of very high taxation on the upper tax bracket, to the tune of up to 90% of their income. I think I'd be fighting for write offs too if they were trying to take 90% of what I earned. As tax brackets changes some of those write offs have gone away, but not all of them. Realistically, what do you think an upper earner is really paying in percentage of income to tax (just income tax, not sales taxes, etc.) From what I've seen and read most upper earners pay 15-20% in tax. That seems somewhat fair to me. I'm just a middle class earner and I pay 8-10% of my income in taxes. The rich person example is still paying more than me, percentage wise. That part I don't consider to be a fair share. I consider that to be MORE than a fair share. I'd like to see everyone pay a fair share...an equal percentage of their income in tax. Get rid of this progressive tax system crap we have and have a flat or fair tax scenario. Also, eliminate all write offs. Would you consider that fair, eric?

OverMyHead wrote: eric lavine wrote: why is it that when we help out our own (GM), people get pissed off, but your neighbor plops 70k down on a turd riceburnin Lexus, you go ooooooo and aaaaaah Because your neighbor spent money and actully got something for it.

Na doubt that... Think they pay for something way over priced gouck car that is not worth 70 grand.. hell no

Some of you guys need to get your facts straight about Catholism. Some of your posts and where you getting your sources are very non credible. The Catholic religion has been traced all the way back to Jesus Christ. Peter was the first pope and the religion was made from Peter. The other religions choose to break off because they felt that making their own rules to the "Good Book" was their choice. Read the right book not the wrong book.

I am not one to bash other religions but we are trying to go to one place eternally. Whether one is better than the other, who cares!! I think there are religions that do not follow Christ personally, and how you as a person should live here in this time. Somebody up there in early posts stated about priests, well you know why the Catholic religion gets bashed all the time?? It is the only true religion out there and the most high profile so they figure to bash it when something bad happens. The Catholic religion and the Episcopal church have followed hand in hand toghter for ever and the Catholic religion has decided recently to cut ties because there beleivance in gay marriage. Ask Henry the eighth about getting divorced. I am very proud to be a part of the religion and a family that raised me up in it.

phospher wrote: Actually, what I've always said was, " no, only allergies but thanks" though I know that sneezing can be a reaction to sunlight too.

Nice to know you show some common curtesy somewhere.

OMH, when i go out with a group and I know someone else is picking up the tab, for me its Long Islands. and surf and turf lol
I have a life long buddy with a ton of money, I stopped by his house for a beer, I was lazy that day and my wife told me we were out of soap and to stop and pick some up, so i asked him for a bar of soap....never thought of it again until 2 weeks later when he showed up at my house to visit. the mtfr asked me bluntly do you have that bar of soap you borrowed. now this is after him being to fckn lazy and always mooches meals at my house at dinner time, always goes into my fridge without asking and grabs something to drink, Always forgets his wallet on Friday night when i order a pizza
Do you see which way I'm going with this?

Yea Eric I see it. It takes alot of work for some people on welfare to budget how many lottery tickets and ciggies to buy to keep them occupied while they scam a credit card or two and figure a new disability so they can collect because they are handicapped.

Don't get me wrong - There are people who deserve welfare, and there are people with disabilities, but there is a rapidly growing number of people learning how to reap these benefits rather than work.

eric lavine wrote: I really do hate when one thinks the rich work harder than the poor

It's not about who works the hardest. It is about who has the rights to our work.

most of the rich guys I know, inherited the money, embezzled the money, and in some way broke the law to obtain the money.
and thats the majority

eric lavine wrote: most of the rich guys I know, inherited the money, embezzled the money, and in some way broke the law to obtain the money. and thats the majority

If thats the case, then the proper way to make things a bit more fair (which seems to be your intent) would be to enforce the laws that were broken and bring the felons to justice. Taxing them to get the money back would only be a bandaid to the real problem and would apply to the honest, smart, hard-working folks too.

Go after the root cause, dont treat the symptoms.

TRBenj wrote: If thats the case, then the proper way to make things a bit more fair (which seems to be your intent) would be to enforce the laws that were broken and bring the felons to justice. Taxing them to get the money back would only be a bandaid to the real problem and would apply to the honest, smart, hard-working folks too. Go after the root cause, dont treat the symptoms.

Now thats the best idea I have heard in a long time. Even the lawyers would agree. That one could actually get some traction!

Here is some more stuff the dumb demi's want to do!!

Senate Republicans threatened Wednesday to block virtually all legislation until expiring tax cuts are extended and a bill is passed to fund the federal government, vastly complicating Democratic attempts to leave their own stamp on the final days of the post-election Congress.

"While there are other items that might ultimately be worthy of the Senate's attention, we cannot agree to prioritize any matters above the critical issues of funding the government and preventing a job-killing tax hike," all 42 GOP senators wrote in a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. The 42 signatures are more than enough to block action on almost any item he wishes to advance.

The threat does not apply to a new arms control treaty with Russia that is pending, since it would be debated under rules that differ from those that apply to routine legislation. President Barack Obama has made ratification of the pact a top priority.

But it does threaten Democratic attempts to lift the Pentagon's ban on openly gay members of the military, and a separate item to give legal status to young illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the military. The tax and spending bills are likely to be the last to pass before Congress adjourns for the year.

"Republicans have pleaded with Democrats to put aside their wish-list to focus on the things Americans want us to focus on. They've ignored us. The voters repudiated their agenda at the polls. They've ignored them. Time is running out. They're ignoring that," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in remarks on the Senate floor. "The election was a month ago. It's time to get serious. It's time to focus on priorities."

McConnell and Reid were expected to discuss the legislative agenda later in the morning in a meeting that was previously scheduled.

The Democratic to-do list also includes extending the expiring tax cuts — although they and Republicans differ on particulars, as well as a measure to keep the government in operation. But the rest of their agenda marks an attempt to court voters Democrats need in 2012 to recapture the majority.

Call it lame-duck politics.

Take the so-called Dream Act, a measure to give young people whose parents brought them into the United States illegally before they were 16 a path to legal status by going to college or joining the armed forces.

The measure has enjoyed some degree of bipartisan support in the past, and Reid, the majority leader, vowed last month — in the thick of his tough re-election fight in heavily Hispanic Nevada — to hold a vote on it when Congress returned to finish its end-of-the-year business. He said Tuesday he'd move to overcome GOP objections and force a test vote, although it's unclear when one will occur.

Hispanic voters also played a major role in sparing other Democrats — including Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Barbara Boxer of California — from being toppled by a GOP wave.

"There was a firewall in the West where Latino voters turned out in big numbers to reward people who championed them," said Frank Sharry of America's Voice, an immigrant advocacy group. "We're going to try to make it painful" for those who oppose efforts to give illegal immigrants a path to legal status, he added.

Most Republicans vehemently oppose the Dream Act, saying it amounts to amnesty.

Hispanic groups have pushed hard for the legislation, which targets the most sympathetic of the millions of undocumented people — those brought to the United States as children, who in many cases consider themselves American, speak English and have no ties to or family living in their native countries.

Miffed that Obama has not done more to press for a broad immigration overhaul to give undocumented people a path to legal status, the groups say the least Democrats can do is push through the more limited bill for young people.

Republicans decry the strategy of acting on such issues during the lame-duck session, accusing Democrats of playing politics and ignoring the message voters sent Nov. 2.

But Democrats also face pressure from their left flank.

Gay-rights groups have criticized Reid for not pushing hard enough to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy against openly gay soldiers, as the House has already voted to do.

Reid has promised to hold a Senate vote on the matter before year's end, after hearings can be held later this week on a Pentagon report on the impact that openly serving gays would have on the military.

Republicans say they need to examine the report, which was issued Tuesday, before acting. It concluded that getting rid of the policy might cause some disruption at first but wouldn't create widespread or long-lasting problems.

Obama seized on the conclusion to call on the Senate to act "as soon as possible" to repeal the ban, "so I can sign this repeal into law this year and ensure that Americans who are willing to risk their lives for their country are treated fairly and equally."

I'll reply with a good example, Martha Stewart, she doesnt publicize inside trading, Mrs mother nature herself, would one such as yourselves ever thought she was a crook or maybe your replies may be she didnt know about it. I worked for a company, the CEO employed about 400 people, during tax time all the inventory would go into trailers, only a few knew what was happening like myself, a matter of fact my time sheets got check marks instead of the hours I worked that day because i was salary, it was common for me to work 12 hour days...only got paid for 8.....now, being smarter than the average bear, I kept my own time sheets.....Criminals or illegal activities happen right under your eyes.

Do I need more examples? this is how the rich get richer, these are not isolated examples.

OMH, now for you,   we do alot of 2009 up cars, most are hits from enterprise rent a car, yesterday i did an 2010 accord hit in the front, it didnt go up on the frame machine because i used a prybar to pull the core support back in place...same type of hit on a 2010 Fusion...that one has to go on the rack because everything is bolted and precise. there is no way in the world i could pull it with a prybar, i need hydraulics to pull it in place.
Hondas are fcn junk, by trade im not a bodyman just been around it for 30 years and grasped the concept and help these guys out,
and they will tell you the same, along with Toyotas. those 2 companies are doing identically what the domestics did in the 80' cheaponing them up but fetching the same price tag...and the american people are fooled once again. btw I'll reply when i have more time on what would happen if every person woke up tommorow morning and decided to shun the imports

I hear Nasa is giving up on a top secret announcemant today......maybe contact? maybe reverse engineering and been flying for years??? lol, Phil will be all over this one.

Eric, I'm sure you're a stellar example of honest record keeping for the tax man, LOL.

When you're on salary, you get paid for all 24 hours in the day, not just 8.