Political message

[tbewick]

'7. All businesses and corporations will be subject to paying the same taxes that others must pay. Especially large corporations' - BMXTRIX

Large corporations are clever enough in avoiding tax which is why having a high corporate tax rate compared to a lower rate can bring in lower revenues. The US has lower corporate tax in recent years and as a result has seen corporate tax revenues increase.

One way of stopping corporations from avoiding tax is raising indirect taxes, which are harder to dodge paying. This is something that the EU does through fuel tax, value added tax, etc.

 

[HookedOnSound]

We're all screwed up. Just admit it.

The're isn't a single nation that doesn't have issues.

It's always easier to blame somebody else for own problems.

Takereasy is right! Let's all cool off with a good brew

Lately, The U.S. has two recurring themes:

1. War
2. Oil

I got news for ya, remove the #2 out of the equation and then there won't be any #1's. Your problems will get alot smaller all of a sudden.

The best thing the US could is push for new green power technologies which would reduce/eliminate reliance on fossil fuels. No need for the middle east after that!

This whole Iraqi war thing is nothing more than a facade for protecting oil interests.

As for the corruption, the US gov. needs to look in the mirror.

About 9/11, that is a horrific crime, my heart goes out to all those families.

I totally disagree with the US invasion in Iraq but I don't agree the United Nations indifference either. The US should have built a better case for uprooting the Saddam regime. You don't stop terrorism by becoming a terrorist nation.

It is a real shame that a few idiots in gov. give the rest of the country a bad rap.

I would rather be in a world with the US than without it.

One last note to all Americans: If you gonna let your soldiers go to war, for good sakes, send them some armored vehicles too! ALL of you guys gotta rally together and insist your gov. better support your troops!

Peace, the hardest 5 letters to try and put together.

Take care everyone.

 

[RMK!]

Oh Canada!

You are correct, there is not a single nation that does not have it's "issues". I believe most Americans are very proud of our "Great Experiment" in Democracy and are embarassed by our failures. Our "issues" are amplified (only forum specific reference) by our media and our position as the most powerful nation on the planet.
I think most Americans appreciate the thoughtful advice of our fellow planet dwellers, but as in any family, criticism is best tolerated from those within (not withstanding Buckeye's invitation). With all it’s faults, America remains the greatest country in the world offering freedom and opportunity to ALL people regardless of race or creed.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

The best thing the US could is push for new green power technologies which would reduce/eliminate reliance on fossil fuels.

Even if some old technology would be properly implemented we would see an immediate reduction of pollution & help stop "rolling brown/black-outs". And save everyone a crapload of money at the same time.

1. Roof mounted solar-cell technology. Despite decades of research and advancement in photoelectric panal technology, there are still no inexpensive widespread plans by the government to make it readily available to the common Joe. Imagine a tomorrow where you could buy interlockling 8'x10' solar collectors at Home Depot for $299.95 and reduce your "grid supplied" power by as much as 20% on sunny & partly cloudy days.

2. Windmills. Developed centuries ago and adapted for electricity in the 19th century, the windmill could become the killer app of Eco-friendly energy. Built from recycled scrap metal (steel for the base/elevation and aluminum or plastic for the blades) and junk car parts (120 volt car alternators) every property owner with 15 square feet of lawn could potentially become 100% self sufficient on windy days (granted, some areas are better suited for wind harvesting) and at least a significant "grid savings" on moderately windy days. Good for the enviroment and you save tens of thousands of dollars on energy costs over your lifetime.

Neither of these technologies are immeidately useful for major cities & apartments (whith few private lawns or roofs), the the massive surplus of power freed from 98% of the countrys landmass (ie. Not the city) would be available for the cities to use without competition (bye bye Californian summer brownouts).

Whats stopping this from happening?

1. Utility monopolies. Sure CentralWhereEver Power Co. can't stop you from plugging a windmill into your house, but nothing is stopping them from not selling you any more power at all if you do. This sort of corporate strongarm tactic could easily be overcome by even a half-hearted government crackdown... but then theres problem 2.

2. Energy company lobbyists. The real reason coal produces 50+% of our power, no new nuclear powerplants are buily, and all the new six-story "mega windmills" aren't making your powerbill decrease a penny are because of Utility Lobbyists.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Even if some old technology would be properly implemented we would see an immediate reduction of pollution & help stop "rolling brown/black-outs". And save everyone a crapload of money at the same time.

1. Roof mounted solar-cell technology. Despite decades of research and advancement in photoelectric panal technology, there are still no inexpensive widespread plans by the government to make it readily available to the common Joe. Imagine a tomorrow where you could buy interlockling 8'x10' solar collectors at Home Depot for $299.95 and reduce your "grid supplied" power by as much as 20% on sunny & partly cloudy days.

2. Windmills. Developed centuries ago and adapted for electricity in the 19th century, the windmill could become the killer app of Eco-friendly energy. Built from recycled scrap metal (steel for the base/elevation and aluminum or plastic for the blades) and junk car parts (120 volt car alternators) every property owner with 15 square feet of lawn could potentially become 100% self sufficient on windy days (granted, some areas are better suited for wind harvesting) and at least a significant "grid savings" on moderately windy days. Good for the enviroment and you save tens of thousands of dollars on energy costs over your lifetime.

Neither of these technologies are immeidately useful for major cities & apartments (whith few private lawns or roofs), the the massive surplus of power freed from 98% of the countrys landmass (ie. Not the city) would be available for the cities to use without competition (bye bye Californian summer brownouts).

Whats stopping this from happening?

1. Utility monopolies. Sure CentralWhereEver Power Co. can't stop you from plugging a windmill into your house, but nothing is stopping them from not selling you any more power at all if you do. This sort of corporate strongarm tactic could easily be overcome by even a half-hearted government crackdown... but then theres problem 2.

2. Energy company lobbyists. The real reason coal produces 50+% of our power, no new nuclear powerplants are buily, and all the new six-story "mega windmills" aren't making your powerbill decrease a penny are because of Utility Lobbyists.

Great points. Agree.

I'm in the building industry. As individuals, we can cut down on energy costs right now if we use our heads. How about adding 12" of blown in insulation in the attic to keep the heat in during the winter, and the house cool in the summer? How about switching roofing hat vents to shingle ridge vents to expel all the hot air and moisture in the attic to avoid mold issues as well as cool the attic in the summer? How about everyone getting a .99 cent tire gauge and checking the pressure in their tires. How many people waste gas because of under-inflated tires (as well as being a major hazard)? Or avoiding jack rabbit starts, or car pooling in major metro areas. We can put pressure on the lobbyists to change things, but we can also help ourselves out right now. The problem is, IMO, we all make good money and saving a few bucks here or some gas mileage there isn't worth the effort on our part. Like in your Econ 101 class. Time value of money. If we don't value the small amount of money we can save, it's not worth our time. Time is money to us stressed out, overworked middle management meat puppets. We spend extra money for leisure without being green and conservative. What's the incentive? Like the South Beach Diet - works great, but only works for a few months. Then back to beer and pizza.

 

[sjdgpt]

Taxing corporations just passes on those taxes to the goods/services you and I buy - as a business owner you gain a different perspective

Thank you Clint

Finally, a voice of reason

Every time I turn around, some governmental unit, is raising business taxes and all of those lovely little service charges.

The latest one that has been proposed is to increase the minimum business water and sewage bill to a level that effectively would be 3x the residential minimum rate, with consumption charges above the mininum that would 1.5x the residential rate.

Why? Because businesses don't vote. And the city needs a few extra bucks.

And besides it is ONLY a few extra $ each month.

For most businesses (such as banks and business offices .... my included) we pay the minimum charge, as our water consumption is far less than the typical small family home. Our water bill will nearly triple, but what the heck, we can afford it.

Bigger businesses (such as WallyWorld and other large retail establishments, and manufacturing companies) who's water consumption can be quite significant, their water bill will just increase. To bad.


Bottom line? Don't be surprised if when the local resturant raises the price on his lunch special and WallyWorld installs pay toliets.

 

[Resident Loser]

I'm not the one who needs a clue...

And before you go tellin' people to read a history book, remember what Hitler did to the Jews, and how we responded in helping them build a Jewish nation.

You may want to reconsider my book suggestion...acquaint yourself with a few things:re the state of Israel...it goes 'way back to the rise of Zionism in the late 1800s...how they would have be quite content establishing a Jewish homeland in South America, evicting the Palestinians wasn't always the game plan...then you might want to familiarize yourself with the League of Nations, the Balfour Declaration and the British mandate/partition...and then maybe the 1947 Arab-Israeli war which resulted when Israel encroached on lands not part of the U.N. established borders for the new State of Israel...can you say "annex the Sudetenland"?

What Hitler did to the Jews?...How about the Egyptians, or the Romans...the Russians...they just seem to have a habit of p!$$ing people off...and trust me, given the opportunity, they'd do the same thing to the Palestinians if they thought they could get away with it...Cordoning-off areas and restricting movement sounds suspiciously like the "ghetto" to me, and what was that thing about requiring The Arab population to where armbands..."never again"? that is, of course, unless THEY decide to do it again...

There's tons of unbiased third party material on the subject available, some with maps that go far back and that refer to "Palestine" as inhabited by Palestinians. Try this, it's a start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_UN_Partition_Plan

You might want to check some of the related articles on the same site...

jimHJJ(...note those two names I mentioned earlier...)

 

[RMK!]

"and trust me, given the opportunity, they'd do the same thing to the Palestinians if they thought they could get away with it."

Trust you?????

Not often, you get to hear someone rationalizing the Holocaust.

 

[RJB]

Politics is a strange beast indeed, whether it's North or South of the 49th...

All nations go through times when they don't get along with their traditional friends, but these things do pass. Make a list, one of the differences & one of the things we have in common. Which one is longer? enough said...

Oh yea, I can't resist, we could always stop sending the electricity, oil & natural gas...

 

[mtrycrafts]

Oh yea, I can't resist, we could always stop sending the electricity, oil & natural gas...

And lumber and...

But then, what would you guys do? Drink that oil, eat the lumber?

I have relatives there, hope you keep sending it south

 

[Resident Loser]

And just when and...

"and trust me, given the opportunity, they'd do the same thing to the Palestinians if they thought they could get away with it."

Trust you?????

Not often, you get to hear someone rationalizing the Holocaust.

...how did I do that?

Did you ever investigate any non-biased sources of info re: establishment of the state of Israel. Or on Zionism. Or the fact that Begin and Dyan were themselves terrorists. What's up with the "security" wall? Or the armband issue?

Given the fact that since the Romans destroyed the Temple nearly 2000 years ago and fairly well put an end to the area known as Judea, Arabs or Palestinians, have been the majority in the area that has become Palestine. You may want to take a look at some maps that support this...also consider the changes caused by the Ottoman empire and other "trivialities".

Now can you imagine England demanding their colonial US holdings be returned to them...they lost the war and were sent packing(sound familiar?)...it's only around 230yrs. later, one-tenth that time, how seriously would any world court or the UN take THAT claim...

And again, even after the UN established the borders for Israel, one of the first things the Israelis did was to seize lands they were not entitled to...it's that sort of stuff that really impresses the neighbors, eh.

jimHJJ(...No rationalization, simply a statement based on empirical evidence...if they could, they would...)

 

[RJB]

And lumber and...

But then, what would you guys do? Drink that oil, eat the lumber?

I have relatives there, hope you keep sending it south

We would build REALLY big log cabins and keep them very hot in the winter...

 

[RMK!]

...how did I do that?

Did you ever investigate any non-biased sources of info re: establishment of the state of Israel. Or on Zionism. Or the fact that Begin and Dyan were themselves terrorists. What's up with the "security" wall? Or the armband issue?

Given the fact that since the Romans destroyed the Temple nearly 2000 years ago and fairly well put an end to the area known as Judea, Arabs or Palestinians, have been the majority in the area that has become Palestine. You may want to take a look at some maps that support this...also consider the changes caused by the Ottoman empire and other "trivialities".

Now can you imagine England demanding their colonial US holdings be returned to them...they lost the war and were sent packing(sound familiar?)...it's only around 230yrs. later, one-tenth that time, how seriously would any world court or the UN take THAT claim...

And again, even after the UN established the borders for Israel, one of the first things the Israelis did was to seize lands they were not entitled to...it's that sort of stuff that really impresses the neighbors, eh.

jimHJJ(...No rationalization, simply a statement based on empirical evidence...if they could, they would...)

Your evidence does not support your conclusion.

 

[Resident Loser]

That's funny...

Your evidence does not support your conclusion.

...I thought your problem was my "...rationalizing the Holocaust..."

Pick an argument and try to stay on your topic...

jimHJJ(...again, how did I do that?...)

 

[RMK!]

...how did I do that?

Did you ever investigate any non-biased sources of info re: establishment of the state of Israel. Or on Zionism. Or the fact that Begin and Dyan were themselves terrorists. What's up with the "security" wall? Or the armband issue?

Given the fact that since the Romans destroyed the Temple nearly 2000 years ago and fairly well put an end to the area known as Judea, Arabs or Palestinians, have been the majority in the area that has become Palestine. You may want to take a look at some maps that support this...also consider the changes caused by the Ottoman empire and other "trivialities".

Now can you imagine England demanding their colonial US holdings be returned to them...they lost the war and were sent packing(sound familiar?)...it's only around 230yrs. later, one-tenth that time, how seriously would any world court or the UN take THAT claim...

And again, even after the UN established the borders for Israel, one of the first things the Israelis did was to seize lands they were not entitled to...it's that sort of stuff that really impresses the neighbors, eh.

jimHJJ(...No rationalization, simply a statement based on empirical evidence...if they could, they would...)

"empirical evidence...if they could they would..." Your evidence (anecdotal, not empirical) does not support your conclusion. Now I really have to go... I'm due back on planet earth.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Resident Loser: What Hitler did to the Jews?...How about the Egyptians, or the Romans...the Russians...they just seem to have a habit of p!$$ing people off...and trust me, given the opportunity, they'd do the same thing to the Palestinians if they thought they could get away with it.

I still can't believe you said that. Sorry, it was just too much for my ears.

 

[Takeereasy]

Come on guys, if this can't get worked out inthe UN or the Hague the odds are pretty good it's not going to get solved here. Let's just agree to disagree no matter how big the argement is. No one is going to change anyone's mind.

I do want to say this though, about the Jews having a habit of pissing people off. Jewish people have often been the butt of society's intolerence. Yes a lot of people were angry with the Jews throughout history, but let's be honest, it wasn't their fault most of the time in the cases you mentioned Resident. It is easy to pick on a disenfranchised people, or a people you have conquered in war (Romans for one) or made slaves (Egypt). Do I think that Israel is totally without fault in the conflicts taking place in their area of the Middle East? No I don't. There is enough blame for everyone, and enough history to distort to suit either side of the conflict.

All great nations have been involved in conflicts, and the USA was originally an expansionist country, that had fought and conquered other countries and taken their land. The US even tried to invade Canada (we kicked you butt by the way) to get more land. The point I'm making is no country is perfect, and none of us are entitled to throw stones. I think we should all just be greatful to live in free societies as the vast majority of us do.

Remember if you can read this thank a teacher, and if it's in English thank a soldier, but if armor is spelled armour it was written by a Canadian.

 

[Mort Corey]

All great nations have been involved in conflicts, and the USA was originally an expansionist country, that had fought and conquered other countries and taken their land. .

Well, we haven't quite quit yet. BTW, what colour armour do they wear in the Great White North?

Mort

 

[Takeereasy]

Are armour is white, so that it can blend in with the igloos and permafrost. Our special forces wear black and white so that they can blend in with any of the all too common penguin colonies.

 

[Resident Loser]

Hidog 1...Susie has one apple...

...Mikey has one orange...put them together and what do you have...a classic case of apples and oranges...

Again, I ask how does anything in my post(s)"...rationalize the holocaust...)

Let's review, shall we. The two salient points are:

#1.

Did you ever investigate any non-biased sources of info re: establishment of the state of Israel. Or on Zionism. Or the fact that Begin and Dyan were themselves terrorists. What's up with the "security" wall? Or the armband issue?

Given the fact that since the Romans destroyed the Temple nearly 2000 years ago and fairly well put an end to the area known as Judea, Arabs or Palestinians, have been the majority in the area that has become Palestine. You may want to take a look at some maps that support this...also consider the changes caused by the Ottoman empire and other "trivialities".

This is quantifiable, factual, measureable, observable. The M-W definition of the word being: originating in or based on observation or experience. Based on that definition, the previous quotes are therefore empirical in nature.

#2.

And again, even after the UN established the borders for Israel, one of the first things the Israelis did was to seize lands they were not entitled to...it's that sort of stuff that really impresses the neighbors, eh.

Now heres another bit of historical fact, and contrary to what some might think, not at all a "distortion" of history. So we have (a) bit of annexation, (b) a little "ghetto"-izing and (C) a lovely fashion statement in the form of an armband. Care to draw any parallels?

And while I felt it was abundantly clear that there were historical facts presented in earlier posts that were segmented and separate from any resulting opinion or conjecture, you have taken issue with my parenthetical "closing/in a nutshell recap" of three distinct issues. To wit:

...no rationalization...

I did not try to "...rationalize the holocaust..."

...simply a statement based on empirical evidence...

Evidence as stated in nos. 1 & 2 above.

...if they could, they would...

A reiteration of my opinion, based on previous history and observed, historically documented examples of behavior re: human nature.

Could I have been more unambiguous in my closing? Perhaps. However, having presented it all, in the manner chosen in my previous posts, it didn't dawn on me that someone would be so blinkered as to take it as some sort of "logical" progression with which to take issue, as opposed to three distict entities.

jimHJJ(...fruit cocktail anyone?...)