A.M. Links: U.N. Nuke Inspectors Frustrated in Iran, Browsers Sue Google for Privacy Violations, Obama to Unveil Tax "Reform" Plan

• U.N. nuke inspectors left Iran Tuesday, declaring they "could not find a way forward." 

• Romney catches up to Santorum in Michigan. 
• Five dead in Afghan Koran protest. 
• Obama administration mulls lowering corporate tax rate to 28 percent. 
• Safari users sue Google for privacy violations.
• Gov. Robert F. McDonnell rescinds support for requiring women who want abortions to get ultrasounds first. 

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New at Reason.tv: "Tolls, Not Taxes: How Americans Want to Fix Traffic Jams"

Comments

[Satan]

First!

[Sick Rantorum]

You lie!

[dd]

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[Satan]

I concur. DATEBI*C'O'M totally rocks!

[sarcasmic]

Helen Flanagan (whoever the fuck that is) is embarrassed by her "boobs".

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....-time.html

[John]

Look okay to me. And I don't care if can't sing, Lana Del Ray is still hot.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....oment.html

[sarcasmic]

That dress would look great on the floor next to my bed.

[Sparky]

Just curious John, do you wear glasses?

[John]

Even Sarcasmic agrees with me about Del Ray. And if the two of us can agree on a woman, she is hot.

[sarcasmic]

I'm surprised you find her attractive.

I mean, she looks nothing like Coco.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....-fake.html

[John]

Coco is a skank.

[Sparky]

nd if the two of us can agree on a woman, she is hot.

Um, no. Let's get something clear here, not ugly != hot. She's mildly attractive in a cute little girl way, she is not, by any stretch of the imagination, hot.

[John]

Says you. Sarcasmic and I, who have wildly divergent views of attractive women both think she is hot. That is more compelling than your single opinion.

[sarcasmic]

I didn't say she's hot. I implied that I'd fuck her until the sun came up.

But yes, she is hot.

[anon]

She looks like a taller version of an ex of mine.

And that one did like to fuck until the sun came up.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

Ew, no. She looks like a thinner and younger Marcia Cross.

Does your mom know that you like Soulless Gingers?* Are you not concerned about your place in the Afterlife?

* - good name for a band

[sarcasmic]

Does your mom know that you like Soulless Gingers?

I hope so considering I married one.

[John]

Good for you sarcasmic. I never found red heads to be any less crazy than women in general.

[bosty]

not sure if serious -__-

[anon]

They are soulless beings.

[John]

Redheads or women Anon?

[anon]

Both?

[Sparky]

That is more compelling than your single opinion.

Obviously because one of those opinions is yours and your opinion is all that matters around here. I'd like to know where I said you weren't allowed to think she's hot. You offered your opinion, mine is that she isn't, in fact, hot.

I notice also how you avoided my question.

[John]

I avoided your question because it wasn't a serious question. It was a smart ass rhetorical device. That is fine. But it wasn't asked to be answered only to make a point.

[Sparky]

No, I was honestly asking because I needed a frame of reference that would help me understand how you claim certain women are hot.

attractive != hot
not ugly != hot
not hot != ugly bull-dyke

[John]

Again, it was a smart ass rhetorical device. It wasn't mean to be answered only make the point that I somehow can't see.

You don't like. Good for you. Don't comment on the thread if you don't like her.

[Sparky]

Why am I not allowed to provide my opinion? I know that you have real control problems when somebody offers something counter to your opinion, evidence being the giant rants between you and MNG (also this sub-thread). I know all about your need to have the last word on every matter as well. So as long as you keep responding to me I'm going to keep responding to you.

[John]

You can offer any opinion you want. No one says you have to agree with anyone or anyone with you.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

John, is it tough to walk McBarker when you're always bumping into walls and ranting about communists?

[John]

I don't even know what that means RBM. Is it tough for you going through life stupid?

[Rev. Blue Moon]

Aw, come on, don't waste the joke.

link.

[John]

That is what I thought but wasn't sure. And I love that app.

[sloopyinca]

You don't like. Good for you. Don't comment on the thread if you don't like her if you disagree with me.

Really, John?

[John]

Yes really Sloopy. Or if you do comment don't bitch and moan when someone disagrees.

[Sparky]

Yes really Sloopy. Or if you do comment don't bitch and moan when someone disagrees.

But... But... Did you really just post that? Did you not realize what you just did?

[John]

Who the fuck cares Sparky. You like different women than I do. Go for you. I don't see your point.

Ok fine. you have the mostly lovely taste in women in the world. And anyone who disagrees with you is either gay or blind. You are the ultimate authority on this subject over us mortals.

There. Do you feel better now?

[Sparky]

There. Do you feel better now?

A little bit. Now if you can just stop putting words up here I won't have to keep checking it to make sure you don't have the last word.

[John]

Well Sparky, I can't do that because since you are such an authority, I am going to have to get your permission before I find a woman attractive now. That is going to take some time.

[sloopyinca]

This is gold, Jerry. Gold!

John has entered a dimension few people enter. It's delusion crossed with butthurt crossed with paranoia. This will make an interesting case study.

[Sparky]

I give you permission to find your wife attractive.

[Sparky]

And thankfully that child molester handle douche is gone. I have no idea wtf that was all about.

[Warty]

Yes, you do. Come on now, who's the griefer who's been infesting this place for months?

[Sparky]

Yes, you do. Come on now, who's the griefer who's been infesting this place for months?

Another rather clone? I guess the fact that just a blank post was put up threw me.

[John]

Well sparky, I doubt she would meet your standards.

[Sparky]

I'm sure she's a lovely woman. And very, very patient too.

[sarcasmic]

OMG you guys. Just suck each other off and get it over with already.

[Sparky]

Hey now, I'm not MNG you know.

[sloopyinca]

Suddenly, I believe I should get the last word.

[Sparky]

As long as it's not John.

[sarcasmic]

Nuh-uh! I get the last word!

[sloopyinca]

Says you!

[sarcasmic]

Yup!

[Karl Hungus]

Even Sarcasmic agrees with me about Del Ray

Yep, she looks prety damned good.

[Maxxx]

She looks like a man.

[Francois]

hating is bad for you

[anon]

Well, you know. Haters gonna hate.

[Jerry]

What's wrong with her lips?

[Karl Hungus]

What's wrong with her lips?

They're not on . . .

Well, you know.

[KDN]

My thoughts as well. If not for her weird mouth she'd be an unquestionable knockout.

[Konfounded Kristen]

Her skin looks a touch sandpapery. In general she looks a little "done" or overblown. Not natural. I wouldn't put her on my threesome list, I guess.

[Sparky]

You're obviously wrong Kristen. Both John and sarcasmic said so.

[Proprietist]

That's what I was going to say. She's probably pretty plainfaced under the caked on makeup. But then, most celebrities are.

[Lord Humungus]

I put her in the 'meh' category. Some angles, she looks good, while in others, "It's a MAN, baby!!!"

[EDG reppin' LBC]

I had no idea who she was until I saw her on SNL a few weeks ago. I thought it was a man, in drag, singing torch songs (NTTIAWWT).

[Warty]

She's a cutie pie, but I had the misfortune of being stuck in a car while her record was playing. Fuuuuuuuuck, it's bad.

[sloopyinca]

Does anybody else think that Lana Del Ray looks a lot like Faye Reagan in those last few pics?

[anon]

She should be embarrassed by her face. Her boobs are nice though.

[Fluffy]

Are you high? Her face is just fine.

[Bee Tagger]

'I cant lie I'm really embarrassed about my boobs.. I just wear whatever dress I think is prettiest x'

Adding, "and this is no way an attempt to get you to start thinking about my boobs and how awesome they are."

[RoboCain]

Lights on, nobody home.

[Matrix]

More proof that public school is akin to child abuse

But I'm sure Ms. Goldstein would think it's a good thing, so that kids will learn to submit to the authority of the community.

[Ms. Goldstein]

"The strip searches were done intentionally, willfully, wantonly, maliciously, recklessly, sadistically, deliberately, with callous indifference to their consequences."

That's not true. No drugs were found.

[Fatty Bolger]

Not that I disagree, but that sounds just like something Jackie Chiles would say.

[Fatty Bolger]

I mean the italicized quote.

[John]

Remember it is the Catholic church that is the child molesting ring, not the public schools.

[Karl Hungus]

But I'm sure Ms. Goldstein would think it's a good thing, so that kids will learn to submit to the authority of the community.

It should be a matter of course for parents of public school students to instruct their kids never to voluntarily submit to a strip search by school officials, no matter how much they try to bully or intimidate them into submission. Just like never getting into a car with a stranger.

[John]

The perverts behind this were at least fired. But no charges. Imagine if a private daycare did this. The people responsible would be in jail and on a list and Nancy Grace would be baying for their deaths on national TV before anyone could say boo. Yet, these guys get asked to leave and nothing more.

[Loki]

Part of me almost hopes they were dumb enough to take pictures so that they could be charged with production of child pornography. I wonder if the local DA's office has looked into this? I think forcing a child to strip could be prosecuted as a sex crime, even if there was no touching involved.

I agree that these assholes should have the book thrown at them and a good old fashioned public shaming to boot.

[shrike]

Child abuse is good when WE do it.

[Matrix]

If the state does it, is it really child abuse?

[R C Dean]

Children are the property of the Total State, after all, so I think an argument can made that the State (and its agents) cannot molest or abuse them, by definition.

[Abdul]

he still suffers from emotional distress because his classmates taunted him by calling him Superman, the underwear he was wearing when he was strip-searched.

There but for the grace of God. . .

[KMA too]

Just imagine...if he'd been wearing Boba Fett Underoos underwear, he could have come out of it with a cooler nickname.

Really, who doesn't want to be the Fett-man?

[Sparky]

"This situation has broken the very foundation of my child's education because in order for him to learn, he has to believe that what schools are trying to teach him is right and now he questions them after they stripped him of his clothes and dignity," she said. "His trust is broken."

As terrible as this case is, it might end up being a net gain for the kid.

[sarcasmic]

Teenage girls forced to drop out of school for repeating a Chris Rock routine.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....nline.html

[Bee Tagger]

It would cease to be racist if they were imitating Steve Carell imitating a Chris Rock routine.

[RoboCain]

Is there anything that isn't racist?

[Ice Nine]

That's racist!

[bosty]

with the whole Jeremy Lin thing going on, maybe 2012 will be the year the idea of "that's racist!" reaches singularity and eats itself into a black hole. (see, next year even that black hole part won't matter)

[Loki]

That's probably what will end up causing the Mayan apocolypse. Quick, someone get the "History" channel on the phone! I'm sure they'd love to produce a "documentary" on this theory.

[Mongo]

::ahem::

African-American hole.

Racist.

[Lord Humungus]

According to the department meeting I went to yesterday, we do "unconscious" racist acts, which brought some snickering from the less-PC of us. I'm being racist in my sleep!

[Sparky]

We're all racists now.

[AuH20]

we do "unconscious" racist acts

You mean MICROAGRESSIONS!!!>1?^&! ?

[CE]

Is your term "microaggressions" intentionally hostile toward short people?

[MNG]

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell rescinds support for requiring women who want abortions to get ultrasounds first.

Good news. I can understand opposing abortion, but this is one of hte more paternalistic, intrusive ways to fight it I can think of.

I love this part:

"Many of the bill's supporters were apparently unaware of how invasive the procedure could be, one of the officials added."

[John]

Of course it is intrusive. Of course, if abortion is just a medical procedure, why would an ultra sound matter? It is just cells isn't it?

[anon]

Still, forcing someone to get an ultrasound? That costs monies.

Also, one would think that the decision should be final before stepping foot into an abortion clinic. I don't understand how ultrasounds change peoples' minds, but the evidence is there...

[John]

I will give you the cost. But that doesn't seem to be the argument they are making. If they said, this is a waste of money, they would be correct and being consistent. But there seems to be more to the object, which gives away the fact that maybe just maybe the pro abortion people think seeing an ultra sound before an abortion might change someone's mind about it.

[sarcasmic]

I don't understand how ultrasounds change peoples' minds

I will assume you have never seen an ultrasound of a child that you helped to create.

[anon]

Nope. I was just saying that when you make a decision to abort a pregnancy, you should probably be pretty sure you want to do it. The weight of the decisions necessary beforehand would seem to outweigh a reconstructed image of an early pregnancy.

Then again, I refuse to have children to subject to the state.

[John]

You would think that. But I doubt it is that cut and dried for most people.

[Citizen Nothing]

I refuse to have children to subject to the state.

Wow. They got you right where they want you, don't they?

[anon]

Wow. They got you right where they want you, don't they?

Don't know if sarcasm.

But yeah, I'm not having kids for the government to use.

[Citizen Nothing]

You're undoubtedly right, anon. You probably are completely unable to prevent that from happening. So good choice.

[anon]

I'd be willing to bet that you are unable as well.

[R C Dean]

Supposedly, its to ensure that fully informed consent is given to the medical procedure.

There's a category error at work here, though. Treating it as an informed consent issue pretty well gives up the argument that its murder. So, it concedes that the mother is the only affected person.

And, there is no information from the ultrasound that is relevant to the medical risks and benefits of the procedure to the mother herself, who, it has been implicitly conceded, is the only person affected. Which means that it is irrelevant to informed consent.

[MP]

Informed consent can theoretically involved the potential for psychological damage. It does not necessarily have to only involve possible physical harm.

[MNG]

Yes, it is an attempt to reduce hte psychological tension there.

Sheesh.

[MP]

I'm countering RC's argument regarding irrelevancy. It's pretty fucking obvious what the real goal is.

Sheesh.

[R C Dean]

Of course, when the psychological damage is created by the ultrasound, it gets pretty self-contradictory, no?

[rac3rx]

How is it not informed consent? 2 people enter a clinic where an invasive surgical procedure will be performed on both of them. And as a result of that procedure, in 100% of cases, 1 of the 2 people who entered that clinic will die. It's pretty clear that the individual who will survive the surgery is either lacking some level of awareness that a person will be killed as a result of her decision, or that there is complete denial. This is the very essence of informed consent; eliminate any question about the nature, the risk and the outcome of the procedure.

[deluded1]

Wait, when did we start speaking of siamese twins?

[deluded1]

Wait, when did we start speaking of siamese twins?

[Zeb]

Of course, if abortion is just a medical procedure, why would an ultra sound matter?

If abortion is murder, then how is a silly rule like this an appropriate way to address it.
Laws like this are stupid. The only point is to make getting an abortion more unpleasant, time consuming and expensive. The ultrasound serves no medical purpose. How is requiring the ultrasound any different from requiring contraceptive coverage in health insurance or the entire health care mandate? People should be able to purchase legal medical services from willing providers on whatever terms are mutually acceptable. Period.
If you think that abortion should not be allowed, fine. Make that argument. But as long as it is legal, shit like this is just stupid games. People get to decide to do legal things for whatever reason they want to.

[Sparky]

+ 1 zillion

[John]

They can't make that argument. The Supreme Court says otherwise. So they are left to do things like this. I agree with you, this is a pesky law that avoids the subject. But thanks to Roe, the subject can't be addressed.

[MNG]

"this is a pesky law that avoids the subject"

But you'll defend it nonetheless. Gotcha.

[John]

Try reading the posts. I never defended it. I called out the people who are upset about it as hypocrites. That is not an argument for the law and it wasn't intended to be. It was intended to be an attack on the critics.

The problem here is that you only make ad hominem attacks. So you assumed I was defending the law because I attacks its critics. I wasn't defending the law. I was attacking its critics.

[MNG]

You were attacking the opponents of the law and you certainly seemed to be therefore defending it.

You didn't condemn it until waaaay down the thread.

[anon]

You were attacking the opponents of the law

This does not make him a proponent.

I can attack religious fundamentalism without advocating atheism.

[John]

So what? I never defended it, only attacked its critics. And yes, that is not a defense of the law.

[MNG]

So clear the air: it's a stupid, intrusive, paternalistic law that people who profess to be against intrusive, paternalistic laws should never support.

Agreed?

[John]

Sure MNG, as long as you admit the people fighting it are mostly lying hypocrites who never have a problem with government intrusions in other areas of health care and are only objecting here because it puts lie to their claims that abortion is just another medical procedure.

What if they required a cat scan every time someone had a concussion. It would be a dumb rule. But I doubt many people other than the odd libertarian would object. But isn't that the same thing here? Or is it different because it is abortion? If so, why?

[anon]

What if they required a cat scan every time someone had a concussion.

I really thought this was a rule in the NFL or something.

[MNG]

"If abortion is murder, then how is a silly rule like this an appropriate way to address it.
Laws like this are stupid."

+100

I find the "personhood" bill going through the VA legislature to be pretty stupid, but it's at least something a small government person could support without being hypocritcal.

This one ain't like that though. It's almost as if someone said "what's the most paternalistic, intrusive way we could discourage abortion?"

[MNG]

" if abortion is just a medical procedure, why would an ultra sound matter? It is just cells isn't it?"

What are you even talking about? The argument is that it is unnecesary to the voluntary transaction that is occurring. It also violates bodily integrity.

I guess our small government John sees no problem with the government saying "I know you think you want procedure X, but we think you need more information, so you must get it, and oh, this involves sticking a wand up in you."

Yup, that's less intrusive government!

[John]

I didn't say I supported it. And the arguments you are giving are not the ones being made. And since when are these people so pro small government? They are not. They have no problem supporting the government control every other aspect of life. So sorry, their appeals to small government here are not convincing.

They had a fit because they know an ultrasound will make women think twice about doing it. Why? Because they know that it is not just a medical procedure and their whole case against abortion is a lie.

[MNG]

"And the arguments you are giving are not the ones being made."

Really? Because these are directly from the article John, and from the talking points I've heard from the opponents. Pray tell, what are the arguments that the side you disagree with is putting forward?

"And since when are these people so pro small government?"

Well, this is a caricature of them that you have. The ACLU has taken stands against all kinds of government actions. As you say, there are philosophies between authoritarianism and anarchy.

[John]

When the ACLU gets upset about other areas of government mandates healthcare, come talk to me. I don't see them having a problem with mandating everyone buy insurance for contraceptives. They only get upset about this because it puts them in an uncomfortable position about abortion.

[MNG]

John, you yourself was defending the ACLU agains the charge of inconsistency on this VERY ground.

Is this going to be another debate between John from the other day and John today?

[X]

requiring someone to purchase a health care product against their will? not exactly unprecedented.

[Zeb]

But rarely defended around here. What gives?

[MNG]

There's a lot of conservatives in libertarian dresses here. That's what gives.

[CE]

And a few libertarians who believe the right to life is one of our rights that ought to be protected, and even take priority over other rights.

[Maxxx]

I love this part:

"Many of the bill's supporters were apparently unaware of how invasive the procedure could be, one of the officials added."

And I love the fact that pro abortion people are ignoring the fact that an ultrasound is part of the prep for most surgical abortions already.

[Zeb]

"the fact that an ultrasound is part of the prep for most surgical abortions already"

Most is not all. Should it not be at the discretion of the people involved int eh procedure?

[Maxxx]

Sure, but saying that an ultra sound is rape but having your uterus scraped (through the vagina but wtf) is not rape, but a pleasant experience, is complete bullshit.

[MNG]

Could it be that one is consented to and the other coerced? Hmmm.

[nicole]

That would seem strangely key.

[Zeb]

TO some people, everything is rape.

[anon]

Quit raping my eyes.

[nicole]

And I love the fact that pro abortion people are ignoring the fact that an ultrasound is part of the prep for most surgical abortions already.

But not always a vaginal ultrasound. And many abortions are not even surgical.

[Jess Asken]

Violent protests left at least five dead and others wounded Wednesday as demonstrations over Quran burning intensified in Afghanistan.

Are the five considered martyrs?

[anon]

I've run out of fucks to give.

[Suki]

Newsweek declares victory.

[Fatwa Issuer]

God willing, yes.

[Tim]

This is farce. Now if somebody accidentally burned a copy of Superman #1, that would be tragic.

[mofo]

Surely you mean action comics #1

[Tim]

If I had said that only you would have got the joke.

[Zeb]

I didn't realize yesterday that the Koran burnings were probably accidental. I had thought that some asshole soldiers had done it as a stunt.

[BigT]

Raising tax rates REDUCES taxes collected. Whoda thunk it!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fin.....enues.html

Refuting the claim that tax cuts increase the deficit.

[Toeny]

Tax cuts never raised revenue. Nope, not ever! We don't have a spending problem! We have a revenue problem! All you monocle wearing "rich" libertarians need to pay more taxes so welfare queens can sit at home raising 5 kids by 6 different fathers and not have to actually work a day in her life.

[CE]

I just looked up the federal spending stats at whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals, and it says there that spending in FY2011 is 3.7 trillion dollars, but it was only 2.6 trillion in FY2007. That can't be right, can it? How did spending go up by 1.1 trillion in just four years?

[BigT]

Senior sources said that the first official figures indicated that there had been "manoeuvring" by well-off Britons to avoid the new higher rate. The figures will add to pressure on the Coalition to drop the levy amid fears it is forcing entrepreneurs to relocate abroad.

Those sneaky rich people.

[Lord Humungus]

Kulaks! Plunderers! Vampires!

[Red Rocks Rockin]

It all boils down to jobs. The national debt was nearly paid down at the turn of the 2000s in large part because we had a 64% employment-to-population ratio. Now that it's been sitting at 58% the last 3 years, we've run deficits of $1 trillion-plus.

If you want a massive, intrusive bureaucracy and not run a deficit, you need a much larger ratio of the population working and payings taxes to support it. If they aren't working, well, guess what--sooner or later that bureaucracy is going to become a bloat and will eventually get cut through sheer attrition.

[Brandon]

The national debt was nowhere close to being paid down, we had like two years when we didn't actually add to it.

[BigT]

RRR - your idea is right, but the numbers are wrong. The % of employed was ~ 66% during the '00's, but is now down to 63.7%.

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000

And, of course, you meant the deficit was quite low in 2000, not the debt (which is the total of many years deficits).

[Red Rocks Rockin]

The national debt was nowhere close to being paid down, we had like two years when we didn't actually add to it.

Historical Debt Outstanding :

09/30/2001 5.8 trillion
09/30/2000 5.674 trillion
09/30/1999 5.656 trillion
09/30/1998 5.526 trillion

We came the closest during FY 2000 (a little over $17 billion added to the debt). The last time we actually paid down the national debt was 1957.

RRR - your idea is right, but the numbers are wrong. The % of employed was ~ 66% during the '00's, but is now down to 63.7%.

I was referring to the employment to population ratio, not the labor participation rate (which you linked).

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries.....=all_years

And, of course, you meant the deficit was quite low in 2000, not the debt (which is the total of many years deficits).

Yes.

[Fist of Etiquette]

U.N. nuke inspectors left Iran Tuesday, declaring they "could not find a way forward."

Iran blocks Google Maps.

[Suki]

+1 ROFL

[Brett L]

Is this a French led team? Italian?

[John]

http://www.nationalreview.com/.....y-santorum

Obama still under fifty and under five points ahead among likely voters against both Romney and Santorum. Ouch.

[Suki]

I thought he turned 50 last year?

[shrike]

Keep whistling past that graveyard, John. This is what's known as a POLITICAL BEATDOWN.

[John]

As gas hits five dollars and real unemployment approaches 20% this summer, Obama will be doing real well with his platform of destroying the Catholic church.

And you were predicting the same thing before the 2010 midterms and those turned out to be the worst elections for Democrats since reconstruction. Your track record of wishful thinking and Obama's track record of abject failure doesn't bode well.

[MP]

It's so sad, really, how true "It's the Economy, Stupid!" is. Combine that with the cult of the Presidency, and you have these foolish shifts of the electorate.

Not a defense of the Osiah, just a rant about Idiocracy.

[rac3rx]

It's what plants crave!

[Rev. Blue Moon]

No bias here:

Unions say they are gearing up to spend more than $400 million to help re-elect President Barack Obama and lift Democrats this election year in a fight for labor's survival.

And of course, KOCHTOPUS:

Tim Phillips, president of the conservative anti-tax and anti-regulation group Americans for Prosperity, denied any grand strategy to weaken unions. His group, founded with the support of billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, spends millions on anti-Obama and anti-union ads across the country.

[John]

Millions? How many millions? I suspect a lot less than 400. Odd they didn't say exactly how much.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

And it isn't "a fight against a weakening of power" or "a fight against renegotiated contracts between tapped-out taxpayers and public unions", it's literally "a fight for labor's survival."

[John]

Because labor will apparently die if people are not forced to join. Kind of give away their case don't they?

[Rev. Blue Moon]

Even though the article has a few acknowledgements of the subject here and there, it really doesn't draw a good distinction between public and private unions; and conflating the two is bad reporting, IMO.

[T]

Conflating two seperate things is bad reporting? See also: health insurance and health care.

Of course, the conflation also happens because it's politically useful to muddy people's thinking on important issues.

[Matrix]

fight for "labor's survival"? Who's trying to kill labor? I did not think that union bosses, who sit in offices collecting fat paychecks on the membership dues while bossing other people around would constitute "labor". I believe it is the poor schmucks forced to pay those dues that are the labor.

[Zeb]

All of the people who work and are not in unions are labor too. Labor is not unionism, it is people working for a wage.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Running the union model today is the equivalent of running a mercantilist system in 1890--it's a model that was necessary at one point, but it requires a very specific set of conditions to prosper.

The unions seem to realize that globalism effectively nuked their model, but the problem is that they think we're going to go back to the same conditions we had in the 1950s and 60s when they were at the height of their powers. Those days are dead and gone, and something much more low-scale and sustainable is eventually going to emerge because the globalist model is now being propped up by credit--and that can't be sustained either.

[Bee Tagger]

On Morning Joe, Jeffrey Sachs had the gall to (correctly) point out that wall st./hedge fund people who donate large sums of money seem to be getting beneficial treatment from the government. He did not continue on to point out the same thing about unions.

[Maxxx]

Amazing how he failed to connect the billionaire getting favors from the government to the democrats that currently run the government, isn't it?

[Mike M.]

Obama administration mulls lowering corporate tax rate to 28 percent.

I'm going to go ahead and assume that this is just another Obama lie, given that buried in his latest budget proposal is an item that would raise the tax rate on dividends to almost 45%!

At that rate, you might be better off just heading to the casino and playing blackjack all day long than taking the risk of investing your money in anything.

[robc]

No company would pay dividends if that is the rate.

Which is exactly the wrong thing to do. Dividends should be encouraged, as they keep companies honest. You cant pull an Enron and lie about your profit if the dividend checks are bouncing.

[Matrix]

And there are many retirees living off of dividends.

Oh wait. that makes perfect sense, now. Take 'em off of dividends and put 'em on social security. Take them all down with the ship! You tried to do the right thing and plan for your retirement? Fuck you! The government will take it away, and force you onto a meager social security check... just enough for you to barely scrape by.

[Lord Humungus]

yeah, the old man I work with has a stock plan that is real heavy on dividends.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

And there are many retirees living off of dividends.

Why couldn't those retirees just sell shares and pay capital gains rates instead, if the rate goes to 45% and companies stop "paying" dividends?

[Matrix]

They probably could, but then they might not have another source of monthly income.

[R C Dean]

Because selling your shares erodes your capital base and eliminates any possibility of future income from the shares you sold. A lot of people would rather maintain a steady source of future income rather than bank their future on buying and selling equities.

Think of a dividend-yielding stock as an interest-paying bond.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Except that's wrong. Dividends reduce NAV. It's not money for nothing.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Not to mention that most retirees aren't going to be motivated to sit around trading shares and playing the stock market. At that stage of life, most people are looking to relax and will gravitate towards something they believe to be stable, not crunch numbers and play the stock market casino.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

You don't need to sit around trading shares. Once a year, sell something less than 4% of your portfolio and bring it back as close to your target allocation as possible.

And, again, non-reinvested dividends are essentially forced liquidations, bit by bit.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Again, you're presuming that retirees are going to be motivated enough to sit down and crunch the numbers. Even if you only do it once a year, you still have to keep track of your portfolio. Most retirees simply aren't going to make the effort, no matter how easy you think it is.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Then they can pay their marginal rate instead of a cap gains rate, that's their choice.

The main point is that dividends aren't anything like interest from a bond, they are reductions in capital.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Then they can pay their marginal rate instead of a cap gains rate, that's their choice.

If they don't want to make the effort to manage their portfolio, it doesn't matter what benefit they might end up gaining. Simply speaking, not everyone wants to sink their money into the stock market--and given the volatility of the last 15 years, I can't say I blame them.

[Sparky]

My dad retired a couple years ago. He must actually enjoy it because he spends a lot of time doing that now. I think he picked a bunch of long term gainers and a handful of day trade options just to have something to tinker with.

[R C Dean]

Dividends reduce NAV. It's not money for nothing.

Sure, sure, but this overlooks a couple of facts:

(1) That 4% you sold will never pay you another dividend. The stock will probably recover from the ex-dividend dip (they generally do). But the stock you sold is gone forever.

(2) Many people don't want to have to actively manage their investments, and their decision to buy some blue chips and cash dividend checks should not be distorted by state intervention.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

That 4% you sold will never pay you another dividend.

And neither will a dividend that you receive and spend.

Many people don't want to have to actively manage their investments, and their decision to buy some blue chips and cash dividend checks should not be distorted by state intervention.

Agreed, but I'm pretty sure the issue at this point isn't "state intervention vs. not" but "what kind of state intervention." I guess I'd like to see automatically reinvested dividends not subject to income tax at all.

My main point was that, similar to a tax refund, dividends aren't just bonus money.

[robc]

My point is that dividends and cap gains should be treated similarly for taxation purposes.

If anything, dividends should be preferred in the tax code, as it provides a slight check against fraud.

[CrackertyAssCracker]

+1 to robc.

If you want to reinvest, get a DRIP. Or just you know, reinvest. I wouldn't be against a tax thing where drips could be treated as capital gains, only when the shares were actually sold, if that'd make NEM happy.

[CE]

Think of a dividend-yielding stock as an interest-paying bond.

Or sell the stock and buy an actual interest-paying bond. Except that interest rates are still artificially low, propping up the fabricated and flimsy economic "recovery."

[Kwanzaa Cake]

I think the current dividend payers will keep paying, but there will be no real support for increasing dividends, as the companies can probably make better use of the money than to pay a dividend with half going to the government.

The latter half of this year will be interesting, as many holders of dividend paying stocks are likely to sell in advance of the looming tax increases. This will be a doub;e-whammy to owners who do not sell, as dividends are going to get taxed to death after the tax increase has caused the value of their shares to decline, perhaps quite significantly.

It will also be interesting to see what some very cash-rich companies like Apple and Microsoft do. I think shareholder pressure for special dividends paid before 2012 is out will be very high.

[Matrix]

Apple won't pay dividends until they can repatriate a lot of the money they earned overseas without having to pay a huge sum in taxes. Even if that happens, they may not want to pay dividends anyway.

[Kwanzaa Cake]

Point taken, but they likely have enough cash domestically to pay a special dividend of a few bucks a share at least. The company has something like 95 billion in cash right now, which is ridiculous.

[Matrix]

Apple will likely use that money to buy up smaller companies or increase their patent holdings. I know they are trying to or have acquired a company that produces flash drives. I see them using their enormous capital to buy up things and expand their product lines.

[Old Soldier]

The article is like the ramblings of a Schizophrenic. They want to lower the corporate rate to 28% "while eliminating deductions". Except for green energy, manufacturing, and whatever else comes into favor.

[anon]

Yeah, it sounds good on the face; until they start carving out pet projects.

I'd be all for lowering the corporate tax rate while eliminating deductions.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Romney catches up to Santorum in Michigan.

Romney looking to leave Santorum behind him.

[Old Man in Funny Hat]

OK, that was funny.

[Howie Sabout]

Romney hot on trail of Santorum.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

*yawn*

Santorum jokes were played out months ago.

[Bee Tagger]

My hope is that both Santorum and Savage come out of this regretting their actions.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

My hope is that both Santorum and Savage come out of this regretting their actions.

I could live with that. The politics of those two almost define Stupid Party v. Evil Party. Of course, then I look at say, Dennis Kucinich v. Paul Ryan, and I am back to thinking Evil Party v. Stupid Party

[Leftist Behavior]

Rev. Blue Moon tries to white knight Santorum, does not remain white for long.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

I never whiteknight anybody, but I'll take any excuse to tell someone, in a cranky manner, that they're an unfunny dope plying warmed-over* humor from 2008.

* - try to restrain yourselves.

[Rich]

Rev., you are a sport!

[Howie Sabout]

Santorum jokes were played out months ago.

Rev. Blue Moon says Santorum running out.

[Sparky]

Rev. Blue Moon liked Santorum jokes, but then he took an arrow to the knee.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

+ 1 lol

[SugarFree]

Santorum arrows would be a devastating weapon.

[300 Fan]

Flaming Santorum arrows!

[Guy on the ramparts]

You thought that was boiling OIL?!

[Tim]

They always hit in the ass.

[SFC B]

Methinks that I'll be crafting the "Santorum Slinger" bow tonight. Daedra long bow dual-enchanted with... fire and... um... fear? What would be a good second enchantment?

[SugarFree]

Fear and frenzy, which are the competing emotions you experience when coming in contact with Santorum.

[Warty]

Rick Santorum once ranted at me in person about abortion. True story. It made my skin crawl.

[Sparky]

I'd go for soul tap.

[Warty]

I'll go with Soul Trap and Turn Undead.

[Jerry]

Romney to surmount Santorum in Michigan.

[Maxxx]

Romney, pushing from behind, reaches santorum.

[db]

Soon: Romney Passes Santorum

[Lord Humungus]

You Missed a Spot: A Timeline of Hydraulic Fracturing
http://www.energyindepth.org/y.....racturing/

Last week, ProPublica posted a big fancy chart about hydraulic fracturing on its website that purports to show that "government involvement with the drilling technique goes back decades." (By "drilling technique" we assume they're referring to hydraulic fracturing, even though, as a point of fact, hydraulic fracturing is not a drilling technique.) It's a less-than-veiled attempt to provide cover for the claim that it was the federal government, not private industry, that facilitated the growth of shale development. But as we already know, that claim lacks merit. As Professor Michael Giberson of Texas Tech University has observed, the federal government's role was "merely convenient to technological advancement and not necessary." (emphasis added)

[Karl Hungus]

But I'm sure Ms. Goldstein would think it's a good thing, so that kids will learn to submit to the authority of the community.

It should be a matter of course for parents of public school students to instruct their kids never to voluntarily submit to a strip search by school officials, no matter how much they try to bully or intimidate them into submission. Just like never getting into a car with a stranger.

[SFC B]

She'll think it's a great and wonderful idea. Until the pendulum swings the other way and suddenly hateful religious christfags are teaching about dead white males.

[Lord Humungus]

Obama's Double Talk on Sky-High Gas Prices
http://news.investors.com/arti.....prices.htm

And while in office, Obama's done everything he can to limit production ? slow-walking offshore permits, killing the Keystone XL pipeline, making it even harder to get oil out of federal lands.

Instead of aggressively expanding oil production, he offered a set of ridiculous alternatives ? hugely wasteful "green" energy subsidies, a call for a million electric cars by 2014 and costly fuel economy mandates that won't make a dent in consumption for decades.

[Tim]

In other news Chevy Volt sales expected to double from 3 in 2011 to 6 in 2012.

[RoboCain]

But can you install a gun rack?

[Tim]

Taser.

[Devon Maeeril]

That dude really does seem to know what tiem it is. WOw.

http://www.Privacy-Wares.tk

[Lord Humungus]

Congressional investigations sought over IRS 'assault' on tea party groups
http://dailycaller.com/2012/02.....ty-groups/

[Tim]

One Night in Bangkok: Iranian terrorists have a "work accident" and anger management issues:

"The extraordinary sequence of events began when a large explosion ripped off the roof of a house in the centre of Thailand's capital which had been rented by the three men for several months.
The first two men soon emerged from the house and ran off while the third, who was injured in the blast, attempted to flag down a taxi. However, the driver, seeing the man's bloodied condition, refused the fare.
Outraged, the Iranian man then threw a grenade at the taxi damaging the vehicle and injuring the driver.
As Thai police gave chase from nearby, he threw another grenade at the officers. It hit a tree, bounced back and exploded under his legs. "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new.....blast.html

[R C Dean]

Well, really, who hasn't tried to flag down a taxi with hand grenades?

[Sparky]

I saw that on last week's Iran's Funniest Home Videos.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Having had to deal with obstinate and incompetent Bangkok cabbies for four years, that Iranian man is a goddamn hero in my book.

[Citizen Nothing]

You'd do better if you weren't always in a bloodied condition when you flag them down.

[Heroic Mulatto]

You'd do better if you weren't always in a bloodied condition when you flag them down.

Actually, one of the last times I had to deal with them was when I was cradleing my infant daughter, who had an E. coli infection. I had to get her to the hospital right away. I was turned down by 3 fucking cabbies before I found one that wasn't a sociopath. The three other cabbies refused to take me because "the traffic was too bad near the hospital".

[Brett L]

I guess he gets his kicks above the waistline.

[Tim]

Cruel. Hilarious too.

[Bee Tagger]

Safari users sue Google for privacy violations.

Understandably. I can't imagine the damage to someone's reputation if they were outed as a Safari user.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

I don't have a reputation, at least not a good one, but I miss being able to double-tap to zoom when I am using Firefox.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A military official said the materials were removed from the detainee center's library because they had "extremist inscriptions" on them and there was "an appearance that these documents were being used to facilitate extremist communications."

Military officials were interpreting the passages in the holy book as extremist? Because that only happens when you read the King James Version of the Koran.

[Tim]

There was grafitti:

There once was a woman from Medina,
Who had such an enormous vagina...

[sarcasmic]

When men poked her hole,
It swallowed them whole...

[Rev. Blue Moon]

And gave them a case of angina?

[Ice Nine]

And spit them out as bone china.

[The 700 Clubbed Seals]

And behold, its a tunnel to China!

[Citizen Nothing]

Now THAT'S comedy. (Clubbed seals are always funny.)

[sarcasmic]

A baby seal walks into a club.

BAM!

[Respectful Response]

If those Korans had "extremist inscriptions" on them, they had already been defiled and should have been destroyed.

[R C Dean]

But this is a violent, murderous squabble over the fine points of how to destroy a Koran.

And, really, who hasn't had violent, murderous squabbles over the fine points of how to destroy something?

[Heroic Mulatto]

And, really, who hasn't had violent, murderous squabbles over the fine points of how to destroy something?

I remember when the Afghanis destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas and me and my fellow Buddhists went on a violent rampage of rape, murder, and mayhem.

Good times.

[Citizen Nothing]

The flag burning "controversy" has always tickled me a bit, considering that I was taught in Boy Scouts that the proper and respectful way to dispose of a soiled American flag was to burn it.

[Lord Humungus]

Obama's Contraception Cram-down: The Pork Precedent
http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2012/02/4777

The notion that Obama's arrangement is any less a violation of religious liberty, that it is any less a deliberate cram-down, or that religious persons surely should not see this as a violation of their consciences, is insulting?and eerily reminiscent of the story of Eleazar. It looks an awful lot like the courtiers' offer of cooked meat instead of pork. It's worse than that actually: the violation of conscience for Eleazar would have been that of giving scandal and demoralizing others by his apparent obeisance. Obama's offer is actually to eat pork, but to pretend it is something else?an act both of complicity and scandal.

[Mike M.]

The percentage of Americans who pay no income taxes is all the way up to 49.5%.

[Tippin Point]

"The percentage of people who do not pay federal income taxes, and who are not claimed as dependents by someone who does pay them, jumped from 14.8 percent in 1984 to 49.5 percent in 2009."

W.T.F.?!

[sarcasmic]

Welcome to Fruita?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....dents.html

[Barack Obama]

Let me be clear.

There are those who would like to capitalize on our Win The Future initiative.

[Zeb]

My favorite thing about "Winning the Future" is that Obama seems to have lifted it from Gingrich.

[John]

I actually blame the Republicans for that. The dumb bastards let the Democrats back them into a corner. They wanted to cut taxes but they wouldn't take on the Democrats "your giving tax cuts to the rich" bullshit. So they year after year kept cutting taxes to the lower and middle class, who weren't paying that much to begin with. They also let the SOCON get on the "but we need to help families" bullshit. And sure enough we now have a system where the majority pay no taxes. How the hell are we going to fix it? And how are we going to get the majority of the country to care about spending when someone else is paying for it?

[Kwanzaa Cake]

Right about now Tony should pip in to say "but they pay payroll taxes!" As if the middle class' contributions toward those welfare pension systems are taxes in any real sense.

[John]

Just once I would like to hear a politician say "if you want this big ass government, then pay for it".

[Libertymike]

7.65 per-cent of one's gross income is no taxing matter?

[John]

But it goes to pay for a program that you will get someday. What about the rest of government, the subsidies, the college loans, and everything else. Something tells me those 49% get some benefit from that but do nothing to pay for it.

[Libertymike]

15.30 if one is self-employed or a 1099.

Last time I checked, the poor also pay at the pump and at retail clothing outlets. Restaurants as well.

THus, though more and more may not be paying federal income taxes, almost all of us are victims of the tax man in one way or another.

[Kwanzaa Cake]

Ah yes, those "poor" gassing up their cars and eating at restaurants. What a terrible lot in life. In any event, even if they are paying gas taxes and are contributing to certain welfare programs from which they stand to benefit quite handsomely, the point remains that about 50% of income earners are paying nothing towards such tricial matters as national defense.

[Kwanzaa Cake]

Not when you are guaranteed to get that back and more in the form of social security and medicare.

[R C Dean]

Hilarious, Kwanzaa.

Are you here all week?

[Mike M.]

These payroll tax cuts of the last couple of years have proven rather conclusively that the liberals really don't give a crap about either tax revenue or the long-term solvency of their beloved welfare programs.

It's all about nothing but short-term political gain, and continuously making the tax base narrower and narrower plays right into their hands.

[R C Dean]

As if the middle class' contributions toward those welfare pension systems are taxes in any real sense.

They are taxes. Those aren't pensions. They are transfer programs. Every penny of "contributions" collected is spent the year it is collected.

But it goes to pay for a program that you will get someday.

Uh huh. Suuure I will. We are somewhere in the early to mid-stages up a parabolic curve of debt and entitlement spending both. That is by definition unsustainable.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

Look, it isn't an awful point, though:

1. Gas taxes go to pay for roads
2. SSI goes to pay for SS/Medicare
3. Property taxes pay for maintenance of the municipality
4. Income taxes provide EVERYTHING ELSE EVER.

[robc]

Gas taxes go to pay for roads

Except they dont.

SSI goes to pay for SS/Medicare

Except they dont.

Property taxes pay for maintenance of the municipality

Except they ... eh, maybe.

Income taxes provide EVERYTHING ELSE EVER.

Not true. Some of income taxes go to pay roads. Some of income taxes go to maintenance of municipalities. Some of income taxes will go to SS/Medicare, when needed. Some of SSI goes into general fund to pay for the everything else.

[Zeb]

I think that is a fair complaint. It is not true that a large portion of the population pas no taxes. They pay no federal income taxes. There is a legitimate distinction to be made.

That said, I completely agree that it is a screwed up situation. If people want a big government that does everything, then they need to feel some of the pain of paying for it.

[robc]

The distinction was made in the statement already, and I quote:

"The percentage of people who do not pay federal income taxes, and who are not claimed as dependents by someone who does pay them, jumped from 14.8 percent in 1984 to 49.5 percent in 2009."

[CrackertyAssCracker]

but FICA is Federal, and it does come right out of your income, on a regressive basis. So the lawyerly distinction between a federal tax on income and The Federal Income Tax(TM) doesn't really impress me a whole bunch.

[db]

I just read an article in the WSJ that says Obama proposed in the budget to increase the dividend tax rate from 15% to 39%.

[Kwanzaa Cake]

It is higher than that b/c he wants to tax dividends as ordinary income, thereby subjecting them to a marginal rate of 39.6, but he's also larded on the Obamacare investment income tax if 4% or so. So if he gets his way dividends will be taxed at well over 40%.

[db]

I think with multiple taxation it goes over 60% when tou consider the dividends were already taxed as corporare profits.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell rescinds support for requiring women who want abortions to get ultrasounds first.

Pulling out doesn't always work.

[Matrix]

NH man faces jail time for holding burglar at gunpoint until police arrive

[John]

At this point I really don't see a solution to this shit other than the mob. Go down and burn the fucking court house down and drag the DA out of his house and don't kill him but tar and feather him or something. There has to be a downside to this horseshit for these people.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

What it's going to lead to is a lot more cold-blooded murders of home intruders--what's the point of trying to de-escalate the situation when the state is just going to charge you anyway? Might as well cap the fucker and claim you were afraid for your life in court.

[Abdul]

Fleming, meanwhile, is scheduled to be arraigned March 20 on a charge of reckless conduct,

Reckless? Hell, he hit just where he was aimin'.

[Tim]

See, a trained professional wouldn't have fired his gun, he'd have tasered the burglar into a coma.

[RoboCain]

"Fleming's collection of seven rifles and a .38-caliber handgun were seized by police."

How is that not a violation of due process? He hasn't been convicted of anything.

[sloopyinca]

That can't be real. I mean, we've all been told that a "civilian" has a lot more leeway in detaining someone than a policeman has in similar circumstances. Now, if I could just remember who the asshole who said that was...

...oh, yeah! It was our resident "good cop" dunphy, who always reminds us (by citing one solitary case) how cops are treated more stringently than "civilians," because I cann't find an example in WA where a non-cop got as strict a sentence as one cop once got for pushing a woman out of a window.

[Lord Humungus]

He would have been better off just shooting the (ham)burglar.

[Zeb]

The charge is because he fired the gun (into the ground, I think). Which seems stupid to me. What he did seems like a restrained and appropriate reaction to what was going on. But it wasn't for holding the burglar at gunpoint.
I will be very surprised if the case even goes to trial.

[sloopyinca]

If only the Scottsdale PD followed this guy's lead and fired shot into the ground. Then, an unarmed 50-year old man with no criminal record would be alive as opposed to in the morgue with an extra hole in his head.*

*Victim #7 in a 10 year stretch for supercop.

[Zeb]

I con only imagine that warning shots woudl be effective in a lot of cases. Perhaps it should be encouraged. I tend to agree that if you are going to actually shoot someone, you should shoot to kill, but if using the gun as a non-lethal warning is effective it ought to be allowed if not encouraged.

[R C Dean]

Meh. Don't like. If you want to warn someone, try yelling at them.

[sloopyinca]

Cop: "Hey, you! Stop!"
Person wearing headphones and can't hear cop yelling walks on...
Cop: [click-boom]
Person wearing headphones and can't hear cop yelling drops dead...

-or-

Cop: "Hey, you! Stop!"
Person still can't hear...
Cop shoots into ground startling person into reacting...

The second scenario is a lot better.

[CrackertyAssCracker]

He should run to Texas and seek political asylum or something.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

Amazing Race Producer found poisoned to death.

Gee, and people wonder why no one wants to go to Africa.

[robc]

Facilitators like Rice are typically hired by larger production companies to make necessary arrangements with local officials before producers come in to shoot scenes for their shows.

While I realize that arrangements need to be made even in 1st world countries and I also realize that he wasnt actively working on The Amazing Race when this happened, but it still suggests that you avoid countries/areas in which you have to facilitate [bribe] officials.

On the other hand, cities should also avoid shows that require bribes in order to locate there [Top Chef].

[Rev. Blue Moon]

robc got it in one:

Details are sketchy, but the source said that after refusing to give in to the demands of local thugs, Rice and another facilitator ended up very sick with poisoning of some kind.

[Ice Nine]

Nonsense statement. People with no curiosity, maybe. Baksheesh is simply how it works in Africa - and Asia, and Latin America and, in a slightly more refined form, in the US. It is merely a cost of doing business and everyone understands that. I hitchhiked from Nairobi to Cape Town and back, often being the only White in a 200mi radius, and somehow never got poisoned. Africa is incredible and Africans are very hospitable and gracious people.

[robc]

Ive walked around DC many times and never been harmed. Sometimes at night even. Therefore, apparently no one is murdered in DC.

[Ice Nine]

You are apparently experiencing some weird hallucination that my statement said no one is murdered in Africa. Seek help.

[Bee Tagger]

I thought I'd ask this again...

Why didn't many of the headline-grabbing Republicans (Daniels, Ryan, Christie, Palin, many others) that have presumably expressed desires to be President run?

My two simple guesses are
1) Obama is going to be more difficult to beat despite all signs to the contrary and insider types know this.
2) The next 4 years aren't going to get much better and no one wants to be in charge when the country takes an even sharper economic nose dive.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? If ever there's a year that conventional wisdom says that almost any Republican can win and should win, why didn't so many people who wants to be President run?

[John]

Maybe the insiders think that. But the insiders are not always right. They thought that about George HW Bush and they were wrong. That is how Clinton snuck into the presidency. I think that running for President is such an awful task anymore that a lot of people just don't want the hassle. And that more than anything is what drove people away.

And if things don't change the next four years are going to be horrible. If Obama wins re-election, the Democratic party is going to take a hell of a beating. I don't think anyone wants a repeat of 09 with him and Pelosi and Reid running the country. So if it looks like he is going to win they will ticket split and hand the Senate to the Republicans. Then in two years, they will probably take a another beating in Congress since second term Presidents almost always do very poorly in their last mid term.

[Newt]

Remember '98? I managed to give the Dems a boost, a rare accomplishment.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I don't think number one is the case. It's probably not going to be a cakewalk but Obama has lost the independents and those are needed to win. Electorally, it doesn't look good for him. And the second thing never seems to enter into anyone's thought process as far as I can tell. They just want to be president.

I think definitely the media is going to give the business to any Republican running, doubly so with going up against Obama. They might be fine waiting another eight years for their shot, in the meantime being satisfied with cabinet positions or ambassador posts no doubt offered privately by Romney people.

[KDN]

2) The next 4 years aren't going to get much better and no one wants to be in charge when the country takes an even sharper economic nose dive.

That's my guess. The majority still thinks the status quo is salvageable so it won't be until the crisis becomes acute that a good candidate will step up since they don't want to have the decline on their hands. The state of the Republican party right now seems like the Democrats in the '20's, only with the economy going in the opposite direction.

[Tulpa]

Palin and Huckabee are making money hand over fist with zero responsibility. Palin in particular has already shown she prefers money over power when she resigned her governessship. Also, I suspect both know that they have zilch chance of winning in the general election.

The others I'm not sure about. Christie and Daniels haven't been in their current office for very long and probably want to establish themselves.

[KDN]

The others I'm not sure about. Christie and Daniels haven't been in their current office for very long and probably want to establish themselves.

Completely true on Christie. He's also a wonk and wants to be able to focus on all of the ins and outs of the issues before wading in.

Mitch Daniels has been governor since 2005, though and was director of OMB before that; there's not much more established he can get. He says he's not in it because his wife won't let him and I believe him. If he were to ever have a time it would be now.

[a fan]

Palin was bleeding money like it was her period when she was Governor. Getting rich was a very smart idea. Now I think she's waiting to improve her image for a few years and then re-enter the game.

[Tulpa]

The next 4 years aren't going to get much better and no one wants to be in charge when the country takes an even sharper economic nose dive.

I don't think this is inevitable at all. Simply repealing the Georack Obusha era regulations on business would result in a mini-boom. That would be a tough fight but it's not impossible. Likewise for fixing SS and Medicare.

I think if we had a president who got on TV and said that this generation like others before has to make sacrifices to get through this rough patch -- and this would have to be a president with a reputation for integrity and credibility -- people would listen and a lot of the political obstacles would soften. The public sector unions would still squeal like stuck pigs but probably not effectively if the public was united against them.

Unfortunately the GOP has essentially sworn never to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire and let the tax rates on the wealthy go back to normal; and of course we know the Dems will never allow entitlement spending to be cut. Plus, our system for selecting a president (and other influential offices) basically excludes anyone with integrity or even the appearance thereof from eligibility.

But, it's not an impossible problem to solve....if we decide to solve it. But we probably won't.

[rac3rx]

Cops bust one of their own:

http://www.click2houston.com/n.....index.html

For those of you who work in an office, you may have wanted to do this.

[John]

Didn't he know just to steal from the public?

[Joe M]

I'm sure an internal investigation will reveal he was following departmental procedure. Anyway, nothing else happened.

[sarcasmic]

He was stealing from other cops. That's bad.

If he was stealing from mere citizens, then it wouldn't have mattered.

[Joe M]

"Our tax system should not give companies an incentive to locate production overseas or engage in accounting games to shift profits abroad, eroding the U.S. tax base. Introducing the principle of a minimum tax on foreign earnings would help address these problems and discourage a global race to the bottom in tax rates," reads an outline provided by a senior administration official

So, rather than lower tax and regulatory burdens domestically, we're going to increase them elsewhere! This plan is foolproof! It's just another step towards pushing companies out of the U.S. completely. And I'm sorry, but a global race to the bottom on taxes sounds pretty damn awesome to me.

[Tulpa]

The "race to the bottom" quote has to be from The Onion. No one outside a mental institution could possibly write that with a straight face.

[Joe M]

No one outside a mental institution...

...an outline provided by a senior administration official...

Yeah.

[Matrix]

And I'm sorry, but a global race to the bottom on taxes sounds pretty damn awesome to me.
+1

[rac3rx]

Over regulation of citizens abroad is what is causing record numbers of people to renounce their US Citizenship.

http://internationalliving.com.....tizenship/

[Abdul]

Kentucky inbreeding leads to blue race of avatar like noble savages.

http://news.yahoo.com/fugates-.....3QD;_ylv=3

[Citizen Nothing]

The Blue Fugates of Kentucky would be a good name for a bluegrass band.

[mr simple]

Methemoglobinemia is a blood disorder in which an abnormal amount of methemoglobin -- a form of hemoglobin -- is produced, according to the National Institutes for Health.

Just more evidence of the meth problem in KY.

[SugarFree]

Community to return March 15th! Woot!

[John]

What is that? Is that funny?

[SugarFree]

It's very funny, but the humor might not appeal to everyone.

[Citizen Nothing]

Second the "Woot".

[Abdul]

I thought for sure you'd Britta the link.

[RoboCain]

I don't watch sit-coms.

[AuH20]

You are the opposite of Batman!

[NoVAHockey]

six seasons and a movie!

[Lord Humungus]

Christie To Warren Buffett: "Just Write A Check And Shut Up"
http://www.realclearpolitics.c.....ut_up.html

"He should just write a check and shut up. Really. And just contribute. I'm tired of hearing about it. If he wants to give the government more money, he's got the ability to write a check. Go ahead and write it," Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) said to CNN's Piers Morgan.

[Mike M.]

This, +1,000,000,000 (in unpaid back taxes).

[Red Rocks Rockin]

That goes for Buffett and every other rich asshole who makes a show of begging the government to tax them more. Buffett only wrote a check recently (for his personal income)because he had to make a spectacle of it and sniff at Team Red, "There, I paid my extra portion, now pay yours!!" Never mind that the whole point of calling him out on it was that Team Red would only ever pay what was required, not what they were guilted into doing, and philosophically would have no reason to pay more to the government.

But the Vulture of Omaha has made his political reputation off of saying that rich people like him should pay more taxes--and disregarding the fact that he's had the ability, for decades, to pay as much of his net income to the government as he wished.

Buffett's like any other progressive--he's generous with everyone else's money, but not his own.

[shrike]

Buffett makes me wet.

[shrike]

Just last night I dreamed of being the meat in an Obama/Buffett threesome sandwich. True story.

[sloopyinca]

Shrike-burger in Paradise.
Medium-rare with santorum'd be nice
Heaven on earth with a Hillary slice.
He wants to be a shrike-burger in paradise.

[Lord Humungus]

completely OT: I've been listening to 70s (Virgin Records era) Tangerine Dream. There is something about those early analog synths.

Bob Moog about digital vs analog:
http://moogmusic.com/legacy/co.....generation

[RoboCain]

I have some of those records. Also contributing to that sound is being all analog because digital delays, reverb, etc. wasn't available yet.

Anyway, there are way more analog synths now than there were then.

[Lord Humungus]

yeah, I've been playing with an "Analog Modeling" synth. It can sound pretty close to the old Arp Odyssey I used to own. Plus it's programmable using an aftermarket software package, which makes retrieving sound much easier than noting dial/switch positions.

[RoboCain]

Besides analog modeling, there is way more real analog with the modular and boutique manufacturers.

[Lord Humungus]

someday, when I have the extra $$$ - looking to get a real modern Moog.

[John]

That is a freaky stuff. I have a couple of their CDs. Haven't thought of them in years. Very interesting music.

[R C Dean]

Long-time TD fan, although I haven't listened in awhile. I actually saw them in concert at, I believe, the Lincoln Center (details are a little fuzzy, because of some high-quality . . . well, c'mon, it was a TANGERINE DREAM concert).

[Lord Humungus]

I've always enjoyed their soundtrack work, but never really took the time to listen (intently) to them. I still like "The Sorcerer" soundtrack the best, but I've just started collecting TD.

[Sparky]

The only place I've ever heard them was the soundtrack from "Legend". Maybe it's worth looking into more.

[Lord Humungus]

a clip from Sorcerer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ_KXK3eNdI

[Sparky]

Nice. I've never seen that movie but the music sounds familiar. Sounds a bit like the Blade Runner theme.

[Konfounded Kristen]

Reminds me of Giorgio Moroder.

[Mr. FIFY]

I have worn out TWO vinyl copies of the "Sorcerer" soundtrack in my lifetime.

Always been a geek about music... I was a Kraftwerk fan at the tender age of twelve. Listened to Jethro Tull when everyone else was into AC/DC and Montrose and KISS. (Eventually got around to all of those, though.)

[R C Dean]

They also did the soundtrack for "Thief." My recollection is that White Eagle and Stratosfear were two of my favorite albums.

[Lord Humungus]

yeah, I own "Thief" - love the movie - would like to get a copy of "The Keep" but that's apparently scarce...

[Bobarian]

Because, unlike the book, the movie su-u-u-u-u-c-c-c-k-ed!

[Mr. FIFY]

Once in a while, something not stoopid on the HuffPo:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....r=Politics

[sarcasmic]

Ron who?

[RoboCain]

Of course, no matter what, the comments are still stupid.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Thanks RC, I almost left a Huffington Post article not wanting to scream.

You FIFM.

[Francisco d Anconia]

The Veterans for Ron Paul march on the White House went off without a hitch on Monday.

http://www.ibtimes.com/article.....-march.htm

Anybody hear about this from an MSM source?

[Lord Humungus]

Yesterday, I swear I saw a BBC News story on my Iphone, but I was in a meeting at the time, so I didn't have a chance to read it.

[Francisco d Anconia]

I did my usual perusal through the sites but didn't turn on the TV. I didn't see anything, granted it was only 500 folks.

Giving this story any credence would lend credit to Paul's foreign policy from those who would be intimately affected by it.

Can't have that.

[sloopyinca]

"Only 500 folks"...who remembers the first anti-war protest outside the Bush WH that had this many people? I'm sure we all do, since it was plastered wall-to-wall on CNN for days.

[anon]

Wait, you mean people that have actually been to war don't like going to war for shitty reasons?!?!

UNPOSSIBLE

[Republicans]

No, no, no, soldiers love getting shot at. That's why we send them so often.

[sloopyinca]

US Troops Now Operating In Four African Nations.

MSM: [crickets chirping]

[R C Dean]

Meanwhile, the Chinese are buying African assets in mutli-billion dollar chunks.

I wonder who will come out ahead?

[anon]

chunks

My god man, quit being such a racist.

[db]

Do the Truffle Shuffle!

[anon]

I'm amazed. We were talking about ultrasound pre-abortion and somehow managed to avoid the abortion debate for the millionth time.

[sloopyinca]

That's because those of us that know abortion is murder are tired of arguing with those who think killing another person is just fine.

[runs off]

[Matrix]

Prove climate change is not real and win a free gun

Of course, it's impossible to disprove climate change. Climate is always changing and has for billions of years. The are better things to bet on.

1) Climate change is/is not a result of human activity.
2) Climate change is/is not beneficial to both humans and plants/animals.
3) Climate change is/is not something we can control one way or the other.

[sloopyineden]

Climate is always changing and has for billions thousands of years.

[runs off]

[sloopyinca]

sloopyineden

???

[Fatty Bolger]

A joke implying that you are a "young Earther," I think.

[sloopyinca]

Quite the swing-and-a-miss then. Because although I am a Christian, I'm in no way, shape or form a young-earther.

[Mike M.]

Buddy "Who?" Roemer is leaving the GOP and running for president as an independent or for a third party ticket.

[Raston Bot]

Latest "raw milk is bad" study admits that warning labels and government-issued permits don't do shit:

Although warning labels and signs or government-issued permits are prudent where the sale of nonpasteurized dairy products is legal, they have not been shown to be effective and, given the results of this analysis, do not seem to reduce the incidence of outbreaks...

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/ahead.....rticle.htm

[Warty]

I tested something just now, and this resulted.

Ensure Comment has at most 900 characters (it has 3399).

Excellent. Thank you for starting to implement some anti-rectal measures.

[Joe M]

Neat.

[sloopyinca]

I'm testing something because I don't trust Warty as much as I ought to. That being said, I doubt I can come up with a post over 1000 characters unless I have that idiot dunphy here to goad me into fact-checking one of his absurd claims. When that happens, I easily go over 1000 because I have to refute his lies point-by-point, which often leads me to post Hercule-length rants, albeit without the caps and insanity.

Anyway, it looks like I'm out of ideas for a post. I'll just post the lyrics to a great song instead:

[sloopyinca]

That song was Traveling Riverside Blues, by the way. I'll let you all guess as to the artist, be it Robert Johnson or Led Zeppelin.

Either way, the 999 character post thing is real. Thank God!

[Fat Indian]

*cries*

[Eduard van Haalen]

"I think religions are far too useful, complex, intelligent to be abandoned simply to those who happen to believe in them. They're for all of us, especially nonbelievers."

http://www.christiantoday.com/...../29367.htm

[Sparky]

"I'm genuinely an atheist, and [am] not questing for God

I call bullshit.

[John]

Why? I would never call myself a Hindu, but I love the Vedas. Just because you don't believe in the metaphysics of something doesn't mean you can't appreciate it.

[cynical]

Well... sort of. As mythology/art, I would imagine, not as religion. Or to those nonbelievers who want to exploit believers, I suppose.

[Warty]

Take a screenshot, John, in case you feel like using your lawyer powers on this problem.

[John]

I am thinking about it. If nothing else to subpoena the IP address and go sue them personally.

[Warty]

I took a screenshot for you in case they pull down the comment before you get one. You should seriously think about it. Plenty of us would be willing to throw you some cash to offset your costs, I'm sure.

[Sue your parents]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=john kluge sex offender&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCYQFjAA&url=http://www.fios1news.com/longisland/taxonomy/term/2588&ei=gBRFT4DdNs-DsgKujdnCDw&usg=AFQjCNGZUeeXIsaOQA5FH3AHNU-mInyq2w&cad=rja

They gave you the same name as a sex offender.

[Rev. Blue Moon]

Good thing you did it, too.

[JW]

Matt and Nick--You really need to address this bat-shit craziness.

Vet it through the lawyers, but PLEASE, give your loyal commontaters an update on planned site changes, if no other reason, to address the freak show that has infested this place for over a year now and has seriously reduced the value of H&R.