Texsox

The middle class pays roughly 25% and the highest bracket is 35%. Based on availability of tax breaks and the unique nature of a top executives compensation package they rarely pay the full 35%. 2003 brackets With a 2,000,000,000,000 budget and a population of 300,000,000 for the upper 10% to pay 90% of the budget they each would have to pay over $600,000 in taxes and earn 2,000,000 annually. I agree that a graduated tax rate may not be best. I've always thought a simple system with zero deductions that taxed all your income over the national poverty level would be fair. Stop setting a higher rate and offering tax breaks. As much as I loved the bonus each year when they stop taking out social security, it always seemed unfair that we start at zero and end higher. But that's just social security. Not federal taxes.

This was in response to Nuke_Cleveland So we agree that the military was not mothballed and the CIA continued to do it's job.

Mem’ries, Like the corners of my mind Misty water-colored memories Of the way we were Scattered pictures, Of the smiles we left behind Smiles we gave to one another For the way we were Can it be that it was all so simple then? Or has time re-written every line? If we had the chance to do it all again Tell me, would we? could we? Mem’ries, may be beautiful and yet What’s too painful to remember We simply choose to forget So it’s the laughter We will remember Whenever we remember... The way we were... The way we were...

I sat through some s***ty Bulls teams in the 70s and 80s, but this one has to be in the bottom 5. Is the season ticket waiting list still at 65,000 names Isn't it time for the NBA to rig the lottery so Chicago gets back on track. AKA Nicks getting Ewing

I don't remember the GOP claiming we needed Carter in the White House to help release the hostages. I think it is a mistake to allow our elected leaders to pass the buck to the other party. There are too many politicians willing to take credit for everything and none of the blame. We have to hold every elected official responsible. Did the GOP campaign on a platform of "well Clinton is the President and there isn't anything we can do? Bush was only in office for 9 months prior to 9/11. Did he need Clinton to stay and read the reports to him? 9/11 was not the first attack on US soil, hell it wasn't the first attack on the WTC. Where were all our leaders? Where was the US people?

Go Astros! They added a couple arms in the off season and should be competitive. I just wish they hadn't taken such a hit in the bullpen.

Nuke, are there any laws you believe in?

Nuke, We have to demand leaders who will work together. It was EVERYONES fauilt. Was the GOP just sitting there with their thumbs up their ass? I voted for two GOP senators to go to Washington and work. What the hell were they doing? If they were not going to do anything then why the hell did they run? I thought they had a hand in the budget process. Since only the Dems were responsible for this did the GOP at least get the hell out of the way if they didn't want to help; or did they actively try and make Cinton look bad? I can't believe you do not think our elected representatives have any responsibility in this. Mothballs the military? You guys were just sitting around reading Playboy? What the hell was the military doing? Do they stop working when a Democrat is elected. I thought they had some pride. Instead it was "Nope, we can't do anything, he cut our budget 5% and won't fund any new stuff so we are defenseless and cannot do a damn thing." Any soldier, any CIA agent, any FBI agent who will stop doing their jobs if Kerry is elected should be tried for treason. Using your logic the Dems should not be blamed for anything that happens while Bush is President? All the lawyers and all the Presidents men could not find a LEGAL reason to hold him. Too bad some people actually believe in our constitution. Do you think Clinton did not want to make a major arrest and divert some of the attention from the Impeachment hearings? How many people should we arrest now because they might commit a crime in 5 years?

I have a great deal of respect for our weapons developers. We have set a standard around the world. I believe it s wrong to describe anyone who objects to a piece of military spending as weak on defense. Just like it is wrong to describe anyone who objects to a child welfare bill being branded as wanting to starve babies. I would rather everyone has great body armour than everyone having good body armour so a General's pal can be the supplier.

Yet corporate profits are up, at least accoding to the White House. The biggest reason is US Corporations have a moral obligation to their share holders to bring them the highest return on their investment. We could drop minimum wage down to $2 and compete with China. Nuke, how about we cut military benefits so we can fund more programs? Do you really need all these forward medical units? Insurance benefits are not even close to what they were ten or twenty years ago. Businesses in the 1980s used expensive benefits packages to lure top talent to their firms. These are not government mandated benefits. It was all about competing for employees. In Mexico medium size companies and large are required, by law, to employ a Doctor in their facility whenever they have more than 75 (maybe changed in three years) or more employees on the floor. They are required by law to offer transportation or transportation benefits for all their employees. They are required to offer a free meal to every employee. The amount of benefits easily exceeds their salaries. Yet businesses are still moving to Mexico. It is the standard of living that people are willing to accept. In the US we demand indoor plumbing and waste water management. Many homes in Mexico do not have that. Many streets in poor neighborhoods are dirt and flood into the houses when it rains. The US is unwilling to accept that. Only a small percentage of laborers in Mexico can afford cars. Public transportation is a way of life. We do not have a decent public trans system in the suburbs because everyone owns a car. We cannot, nor should we try and compete based on absolute lowest cost of labor. We will lose. Nuke, if our military was a US corporation, what would you think of the argument that we are paying you guys too much in salary and benefits and will begin to employ the Chinese or Mexicans in your capacity? Really, aren't you the highest paid military in the world?

Spending money on the Osprey doesn't solve the problem either. Not every item in the Defense budget is critical to our safety. It would be nice to spend a couple trillion dollars per year on defense, but we can't afford everything. My biggest objection is do not go cheap on the stuff we do have, to fund more stuff. Do not cut back on training, pay raises, and comfort items to fund some boon doggle that a General's pal proposes.

A better example than Bush, would be does anyone mind if Mexico sends an Apache and missle down Main Street San Diego to take out a fugitive and a couple other Americans? Six other people died in the blast, with at least two having no known association with the Hamas leader. I wsh Israel cold have captured him, held a fair trail, then killed him. Do not simultanously need world help and thumb your nose at International Law.

Just employeeing people doesn't make you a saint. Microsoft as been cited for many violations of employment laws. They have pushed the boundaries in many areas. Microserfs wasn't just a catchy name for the thousands of temps that Microsoft used to circumvent paying benefits. Throughout US history we have seen employers who have used and abused their employers. Look no further than The Jungle, the meat processing plants in Chicago. That is why the Unions were able to organize and grow.

And where was the American people? Where was the rush to buy American flags? Where were the people singing God Bless America? Where were the signs? Where was the outpouring of indignation? Where were all the Senators and Congressmen demanding action? No, the action they wanted was more info on Monica. Maybe if Clinton could have controlled his penis, and the GOP could have decided to watch what was happening instead of holding impeachment hearings, we would have done something. I blame the Clinton and Monica mess for this. It distracted everyone from these acts of terrorism. The Dems, the GOP, the American people. I do not think you can blame one political party and not the other.

Link this More at link above

One brave frenchman . . .

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First ever South Atlantic Hurricane?

Links Amazing where his attorney is commuting from. And it isn't California

The Link More if you follow the link

Has Oz announced if he is going to run a 5 man rotation regardless of off days or will Dan get all his starts?

Damn that would suck if you got fired. It's been so nice with you working instead if posting

I'm starting to change my mind about Bush