POLITICAL THREAD

[JStaff2187]

How have central offices impacted the pension crisis?

I've been a teacher, building admin, CO admin in a larger district as well as a smaller. Some of the selective hiring takes place but not nearly as much as once did. Anti-nepotism laws as well as the sbdm concept eliminated the majority of school board member demanding that their daughter's fifth husband be employed as a sub-custodian.
The absolute, #1 cause of the problem is government failure to fund a program IT put into place.

All I can speak for is the school district I work in. It is absolutely still that way there. When you’re creating positions that A) never existed before and B) have no need, and C) all have a personal connection to someone high up, you’re wasting money that could be used elsewhere and clearly ignoring anti-nepotism laws. I know these positions weren’t needed because the minute the superintendent left, those positions were gone. Hell, the art teacher was let go midyear for some technicality of being retired but coming back (even though the board unanimously voted to hire them for the year) so they could bring in a principal in the districts daughter.

The point was, a lot of shady crap went on, everyone knew, but no one cared enough to actually do anything. Think of all the places that money could have went if not spent on the superintendent’s spouse, son, and several friends from back home.

 

[JStaff2187]

Was this attack awful and sad? Yes.

Will it get a million times more media coverage and sympathy than any Islamic terror attack? Also yes. Thats the issue I have.

Exactly.

And you’ll hear the term ‘white supremacist terrorist’ a million times. I would have 0 issue with this, because he clearly was, but they always leave out what the person was if of color or Islamic. Then suddenly those things don’t matter.

 

[JStaff2187]

I love ya buddy, but we aren't going to agree on this topic, and thats ok.

NO IT’S NOT!!!!1!1

 

[mustnotsleepnow]

Good

If this doesn't get you banned, what will?

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

Aren’t all terrorists, terrorists? Why can’t we just call shit people, shit people? Clearly this guy is a POS who doesn’t deserve the air he breathes. Anyone that can walk into any place and take any life based on nothing but hate is pure evil.

But if we have to get down to one’s core values and belief system (his being white supremacy) and use it to push the dangers of said beliefs... what was your take on the Muslim who shot and killed 49 people, mainly of the gay community?

He was a terrorist too. But all forms of hate don't come from all the same place. The reasons why a person is driven to murder dozens of Muslims or Gays or Women or Westerners or whoever else doesn't all derive from the same place.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

Republicans gave Obama crap for not calling terrorists, Islamic terrorists when they clearly were. I don't think they should hold back on calling someone a white supremacist terrorist as well, if that is what the person was.

From what it looks like, this dude was a scum white supremacists that carried out a terrorist act. The dude is a white supremacists terrorist.

With that said I find it weird that a white supremacists was so heavily inspired by a black woman. This would be like an Islamic terrorist being inspired by a Jewish tranny. But hey the dude was clearly the scum of the earth.

Apparently a lot of his manifesto is troll stuff used as jokes for his 8chan buddies. So who knows if he actually believes most of what he said in it.

And Hitler was a Jew - hackos like this don't make a whole lot of sense.

 

[Levibooty]

Time for some people to question themselves and their motives:
https://www.inquisitr.com/5343540/n...LEovHRt8bvEWzxmgGyiRpD3R68sDsMHuvryb0sBOyJrMY

 

[Levibooty]

What are the odds she is a Trump supporter as well:
https://rare.us/rare-news/caught-on...FG_GOQWyHi3v2c4UTYMhQsRoIljF2PxyKFdeu3qvNMatE

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

 

[JStaff2187]

He was a terrorist too. But all forms of hate don't come from all the same place. The reasons why a person is driven to murder dozens of Muslims or Gays or Women or Westerners or whoever else doesn't all derive from the same place.

True. I just get aggravated by people who treat situations like this one differently based on who is doing the killing.

Anyone taking innocent lives like this is a POS terrorist. End of discussion.

 

[BMoore2]

^How about globally?

 

[Levibooty]

hahaha fake hoax. You gullible chump.

You probably made that.

Are you sitting in the Ukraine?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...dalized-nyc-subway-may-hate-crime/3159887002/

 

[anon_l8pbkn96tg3j6]

OK Lets see how honest you are then. You can probably rationalize how Amazon paying zero taxes is not a good example for a myriad of reasons so I'll give you my personal awakening from the 80's when I learned how rigged the tax game is. When George H. Bush ( from what I know a fairly decent guy) ran for President, unlike the boob in office now, he released his taxes. After looking at those taxes returns I realized he had made almost exactly 20X the amount of income I had made in the same period of time. Now I was young and making my bones so that was not shocking or unfair. It was when I realized I paid $100. and a few cents less in taxes then he did that I knew the system is rigged for the rich. Conservatives have tried to tell me that was because I didn't know how to handle my money. Now can you, probably a fairly intelligent man, think why that is just so much horse manure? Have you ever listened to what Warren Buffet has said? BTW I'm not wealthy, but I worked my entire life and prepared for this stage in my life and have not carried debt for years how many young people who did what they were told and thought to be responsible start their life with crushing debt due to their education? My daughter is 36 and paid for her first year of graduate school, (I paid for her undergraduate degree) her second year was total scholarship and grant money. I think of that and then I think of people like Tim Cook who says he's not dodging taxes with his $2 trillion off-shore accounts. That other year my daughter needed to get her masters for a discipline only offered in one University was over $100,000.00. One Year! She is still paying for that.

So now for that honesty thing, do you really believe the tax code is so complicated that it requires special tax accountants because it is written for the benefit of the working stiff that keeps this country operating? Honesty can elude people who are comfortable. Oh and even though I'm cannot honestly brag about my wealth I too give four figures to charity. The biggest recipient being St Judes. I hope you are a reasonable man.

P.S. College bribery scam is another example.

The question was how do rich people cause poverty. Your post answers a different question.

 

[KingOfBBN]

A guy praising Communist China gets credited to conservatives?

 

[KingOfBBN]

 

[Sawnee Cat]

True. I just get aggravated by people who treat situations like this one differently based on who is doing the killing.

Anyone taking innocent lives like this is a POS terrorist. End of discussion.

Good point, taking innocent life is evil. I only wish Americans were outraged when America has killed about 60,000,000 innocent babies who have a beating heart and red blood flowing through their veins. That is perfectly fine according to the United States of America government. In fact it is encouraged. America is at the top when it comes to killing.

 

[cat_chaser]

The question was how do rich people cause poverty. Your post answers a different question.

You know all that money that poor people have? Well, the rich takes it from them.

Wait, what?

 

[Levibooty]

Somebody once explain that slaves are just paid now days. Crude explanation but still some truth to be found in it. Kind of hard for me to agree with the Waltons being worth $144 Billion and their employees qualifying for public assistance.

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

OK Lets see how honest you are then. You can probably rationalize how Amazon paying zero taxes is not a good example for a myriad of reasons so I'll give you my personal awakening from the 80's when I learned how rigged the tax game is. When George H. Bush ( from what I know a fairly decent guy) ran for President, unlike the boob in office now, he released his taxes. After looking at those taxes returns I realized he had made almost exactly 20X the amount of income I had made in the same period of time. Now I was young and making my bones so that was not shocking or unfair. It was when I realized I paid $100. and a few cents less in taxes then he did that I knew the system is rigged for the rich. Conservatives have tried to tell me that was because I didn't know how to handle my money. Now can you, probably a fairly intelligent man, think why that is just so much horse manure? Have you ever listened to what Warren Buffet has said? BTW I'm not wealthy, but I worked my entire life and prepared for this stage in my life and have not carried debt for years how many young people who did what they were told and thought to be responsible start their life with crushing debt due to their education? My daughter is 36 and paid for her first year of graduate school, (I paid for her undergraduate degree) her second year was total scholarship and grant money. I think of that and then I think of people like Tim Cook who says he's not dodging taxes with his $2 trillion off-shore accounts. That other year my daughter needed to get her masters for a discipline only offered in one University was over $100,000.00. One Year! She is still paying for that.

So now for that honesty thing, do you really believe the tax code is so complicated that it requires special tax accountants because it is written for the benefit of the working stiff that keeps this country operating? Honesty can elude people who are comfortable. Oh and even though I'm cannot honestly brag about my wealth I too give four figures to charity. The biggest recipient being St Judes. I hope you are a reasonable man.

P.S. College bribery scam is another example.

In spite of my better judgement, I'm going to comment on your post. I will agree with you that the tax code is too complicated. It should be very simple, but it has evolved over the years to include incentives for certain behaviors, special interest incentives, etc. Today, I think there is a fear that simplifying it would harm accountants that make significant income from putting together tax filings.

Aside from that, let's address a couple of things. George H. Bush is one example out of many wealthy people in the United States. I wouldn't base my belief about anything on one example. If what you say about his taxes is accurate, he was an anomaly, and not the norm. The wealthiest 1% of Americans pay nearly 50% of the taxes. Let that sink in a minute. If George H Bush was typical for the wealthy, then that statistic could not be close to being accurate.

Why should income determine your tax burden? You are taxed to cover the cost of government. Why would your share of that cost be proportional to your income? If we are going to talk about fairness in taxes, then we have to talk about why ones share of the cost of government should be proportional to their income. Does the expense your existence imposes on government correspond to your income level?

I can certainly rationalize Amazon, or any other company, paying zero taxes. Making corporations pay taxes is simply a scam politicians have pulled on simple minded people to make them think it reduces the amount of taxes they have to pay. In reality, corporations collect the taxes they owe through the price of their products and services. If they didn't, they would go out of business. People pay all taxes, either directly, or indirectly through the price of the products and services we buy. Since corporations are taxed though, we have no idea what percentage of our income actually goes to taxes because some of the taxes we pay are buried in the products and services we buy. It allows politicians to raise taxes on us without people complaining about it because they don't directly see it in their pay check.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

View embedded media

Very clever use of fake news. The definition of is hilarious. And "acts of violence" is a much wider net than acts of terror.

On the same note, terrorism is a way over used term. The whole notion of terrorism is an act intended to instill terror in the fellow citizens of the victims. An ever present worry in the back of their mind intended to inhibit their way of life.

The msm now labels as terrorism basically any mass violence event. This of course is to cast a larger net so they can distract from Islamic terror. And it's an intentional disingenuous misrepresentation of the term and the concept

 

[DSmith21]

View embedded media

Christian churches get blown up all the time in places like Egypt but it gets almost no coverage. Isis rounded up and murdered Christian men. They made sex slaves of their women and there were crickets from the MSM.

 

[KRJ1975]

Was this attack awful and sad? Yes.

Will it get a million times more media coverage and sympathy than any Islamic terror attack? Also yes. Thats the issue I have.

I know man. I remember on 9/12, there was nothing to be found on any media outlet.

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

I know man. I remember on 9/12, there was nothing to be found on any media outlet.

Lazy take, John.

 

[truebluewildcat]

Somebody once explain that slaves are just paid now days. Crude explanation but still some truth to be found in it. Kind of hard for me to agree with the Waltons being worth $144 Billion and their employees qualifying for public assistance.

The mistake liberals make is thinking that changes in socialism. Instead of being slaves to private industry, we'll be slaves to the government.

The top 1% will always be around because somebody has to fund shit. The difference in capitalism and more centralized and socialistic countries is that in capitalism you have Waltons, you have millionaires, you have folks making couple hundred thousand, 50-60 thousand, etc...

In socialism, you have the Waltons paying 75%-90% to the government which bloats up, the politicians get fatter (see Bernie, Pelosi, and Maxine plush personal lives) and then they evenly disperse crumbs to the many..."yay, no more inequality were all struggling together now..."

We'd probably have decent health care for 10-20 years. Then eventually health care professional pay would slide, I think farmers in Soviet Russia made more than doctors. At some point quantity and quality of services would start to slide. Facilities would go down the shitter (see our Post offices, school houses, police/fire/ems, and even VA now)

 

[Levibooty]

In spite of my better judgement, I'm going to comment on your post. I will agree with you that the tax code is too complicated. It should be very simple, but it has evolved over the years to include incentives for certain behaviors, special interest incentives, etc. Today, I think there is a fear that simplifying it would harm accountants that make significant income from putting together tax filings.

Aside from that, let's address a couple of things. George H. Bush is one example out of many wealthy people in the United States. I wouldn't base my belief about anything on one example. If what you say about his taxes is accurate, he was an anomaly, and not the norm. The wealthiest 1% of Americans pay nearly 50% of the taxes. Let that sink in a minute. If George H Bush was typical for the wealthy, then that statistic could not be close to being accurate.

Why should income determine your tax burden? You are taxed to cover the cost of government. Why would your share of that cost be proportional to your income? If we are going to talk about fairness in taxes, then we have to talk about why ones share of the cost of government should be proportional to their income. Does the expense your existence imposes on government correspond to your income level?

I can certainly rationalize Amazon, or any other company, paying zero taxes. Making corporations pay taxes is simply a scam politicians have pulled on simple minded people to make them think it reduces the amount of taxes they have to pay. In reality, corporations collect the taxes they owe through the price of their products and services. If they didn't, they would go out of business. People pay all taxes, either directly, or indirectly through the price of the products and services we buy. Since corporations are taxed though, we have no idea what percentage of our income actually goes to taxes because some of the taxes we pay are buried in the products and services we buy. It allows politicians to raise taxes on us without people complaining about it because they don't directly see it in their pay check.

Yes fear of killing the golden goose is certainly a driving force today. That is why the health insurance industry is so fearful of the study paid for by the Koch brothers that concluded universal healthcare would save Americans $2Trillion over ten years. They are fearful their costly administration will be outed.


My multi-millionaire next door neighbor is a tax accountant, I’ve shared many a steak and beer with him on summer evenings talking about these issues. So I’m not exactly unaccustomed to the issues.


The top 1% actually paid 37.3% of all income taxes according to the Tax Foundation while owning 40% of the country’s wealth. Today the top 1% own more wealth than the bottom 90%. The fact of the matter is you will only collect revenue where there is money. BUT let me remind you of off-shore tax havens like the one I spoke of with Tim Cook’s $2Trillion nest egg.


As for your assertions about proportional taxation, well you must think people live in vacuums. What about proportional benefits? Heck that one is pretty easy to pose an example off the top of my head ---- NFL stadiums. Yeah the guy delivering my mail here in Kentucky is getting benefits just like that. LOL


Lastly Corporations get more breaks than anybody fella. Corporation are using up our infrastructure more than any individual and care for nothing other than their profits that they plow back into the portfolios of the wealthy while leaving the potholes to break our cars down on! On top of that they pay their employee a wage that allows the government to pick up the tab for subsistence living through our welfare system that profits those corporations making record profits. It’s not about profits as much as it is where those profits go. You see it but you don’t understand it. IT’S A TRICKLE UP SCHEME!


But I digress because if you take a look at pharmaceutical pricing you will see how the trickle is turning into a river.

 

[KRJ1975]

Lazy take, John.

Maybe, but all of this stuff sucks. This will get coverage, just like the Pulse nightclub got coverage and 9/11 got coverage, etc. I just don't buy the media as the boogeyman narrative that pervades this board. Maybe it's because I don't watch news or opinion shows on TV.

 

[JStaff2187]

I know man. I remember on 9/12, there was nothing to be found on any media outlet.

Things weren’t like they are now, then. At least they didn’t seem it to me at that time.

I feel like that was one of the last times our country came together on something. But again, this was before the media went nuts with social justice crap.

Everything like this that happens in the US will get covered, but it will be covered differently depending on who does it.

Headlines read “Gunman” when Islamic, black, Latino, etc. They may put something in the 3rd or 4th paragraph but it’s usually buried within. They put “white shooter” in the headline when they’re white.

Either put adjectives about every killer in the headline, or leave it to the reader to find out. Make it a priority or don’t. Tired of narrative driven drivel.

 

[screwduke1]

What an idiotic tweet.

 

[screwduke1]

View embedded media

The ADL has as much credibility as the dog shit that's on my shoe.

 

[screwduke1]

 

[screwduke1]

 

[truebluewildcat]

Maybe, but all of this stuff sucks. This will get coverage, just like the Pulse nightclub got coverage and 9/11 got coverage, etc. I just don't buy the media as the boogeyman narrative that pervades this board. Maybe it's because I don't watch news or opinion shows on TV.

Agreed that terrible shit is terrible shit any way you slice it no matter who the perp and victims are.

However, we are about 18 years from 9/11 the shift in media since cannot be understated.

I remember the fact that the Pulse nightclub was a gay hangout being a big part of the story, msm was just waiting to pounce on some bible thumper, then it turned out ole dude was a different ethnicity and religion. Pretty sure the narrative quickly turned to guns.

Just think about the very fact that this happened in New Zealand. How often does the news cover crimes in other countries? Not often in the grand scheme of things.

Look what's on CNN right now...Mosque getting shot up...what's not being covered? Gaza lobbing rockets at Isreal...come on now...let's get serious. What's a bigger story with international or at least regional implications?

They are going to wear this story out for one reason. A white dude shot up a Mosque and had some nutjob manifesto hollering about immigrants. Okay, if that went down here, sure cover it, but it went down in New Zealand.

A stone's throw from our borders cartels are cutting people down by the dozens on a nightly basis...any time some points to an issue over there it's "manufactured"...come on now...

 

[screwduke1]

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

Yes fear of killing the golden goose is certainly a driving force today. That is why the health insurance industry is so fearful of the study paid for by the Koch brothers that concluded universal healthcare would save Americans $2Trillion over ten years. They are fearful their costly administration will be outed.

My multi-millionaire next door neighbor is a tax accountant, I’ve shared many a steak and beer with him on summer evenings talking about these issues. So I’m not exactly unaccustomed to the issues.


The top 1% actually paid 37.3% of all income taxes according to the Tax Foundation while owning 40% of the country’s wealth. Today the top 1% own more wealth than the bottom 90%. The fact of the matter is you will only collect revenue where there is money. BUT let me remind you of off-shore tax havens like the one I spoke of with Tim Cook’s $2Trillion nest egg.


As for your assertions about proportional taxation, well you must think people live in vacuums. What about proportional benefits? Heck that one is pretty easy to pose an example off the top of my head ---- NFL stadiums. Yeah the guy delivering my mail here in Kentucky is getting benefits just like that. LOL


Lastly Corporations get more breaks than anybody fella. Corporation are using up our infrastructure more than any individual and care for nothing other than their profits that they plow back into the portfolios of the wealthy while leaving the potholes to break our cars down on! On top of that they pay their employee a wage that allows the government to pick up the tab for subsistence living through our welfare system that profits those corporations making record profits. It’s not about profits as much as it is where those profits go. You see it but you don’t understand it. IT’S A TRICKLE UP SCHEME!


But I digress because if you take a look at pharmaceutical pricing you will see how the trickle is turning into a river.

I'm not sure what you are looking at, but according to a Tax Foundation article written in January of this year, the top 1% of all taxpayers earned 19.7% of all AGI in 2016 and paid 37.3% of all federal income taxes. The bottom 90% of taxpayers paid 30.5% of all income taxes.The top 1% also paid the highest average income tax rate of 26.9%. The article is linked if you care to educate yourself. https://taxfoundation.org/america-progressive-tax-system/

Since when does an NFL stadium receive a Federal benefit?

Saying corporations get tax breaks doesn't refute that we pay the taxes through the purchase of products and services. Why would I care if they get tax breaks if I pay the taxes when I buy their products and services? So that comment is completely meaningless with respect to the discussion.

Your argument about infrastructure ignores reality. The reason you see so many trucks, etc. using our infrastructure is because those companies are responding to our demands for products and services. Ultimately, all economic activity is because of people like you and me consuming products and services.

The profits for corporations go to owners of the corporation. I have a 401K plan, as do many people in this country. That plan owns stock in many different corporations. The profit from those corporations go to me and other owners of the corporation. Who should it go to?

You also didn't answer the original question from the other poster as to how wealthy people cause poverty.

 

[KRJ1975]

Agreed that terrible shit is terrible shit any way you slice it no matter who the perp and victims are.

However, we are about 18 years from 9/11 the shift in media since cannot be understated.

I remember the fact that the Pulse nightclub was a gay hangout being a big part of the story, msm was just waiting to pounce on some bible thumper, then it turned out ole dude was a different ethnicity and religion. Pretty sure the narrative quickly turned to guns.

Just think about the very fact that this happened in New Zealand. How often does the news cover crimes in other countries? Not often in the grand scheme of things.

Look what's on CNN right now...Mosque getting shot up...what's not being covered? Gaza lobbing rockets at Isreal...come on now...let's get serious. What's a bigger story with international or at least regional implications?

They are going to wear this story out for one reason. A white dude shot up a Mosque and had some nutjob manifesto hollering about immigrants. Okay, if that went down here, sure cover it, but it went down in New Zealand.

A stone's throw from our borders cartels are cutting people down by the dozens on a nightly basis...any time some points to an issue over there it's "manufactured"...come on now...

To be fair, Fox News is all over this too. Drug Cartels and violence in the Gaza Strip are normal. Even thought they happen way too often, shootings like this are still pretty few and far between comparatively.

 

[screwduke1]

Wonder if hes ever tweeted once about global islamic terrorism.

 

[Levibooty]

I'm not sure what you are looking at, but according to a Tax Foundation article written in January of this year, the top 1% of all taxpayers earned 19.7% of all AGI in 2016 and paid 37.3% of all federal income taxes. The bottom 90% of taxpayers paid 30.5% of all income taxes.The top 1% also paid the highest average income tax rate of 26.9%. The article is linked if you care to educate yourself. https://taxfoundation.org/america-progressive-tax-system/

Since when is an NFL stadium and Federal benefit?

Saying corporations get tax breaks doesn't refute that we pay the taxes through the purchase of products and services. Why would I care if they get tax breaks if I pay the taxes when I buy their products and services? So that comment is completely meaningless with respect to the discussion.

Your argument about infrastructure ignores reality. The reason you see so many trucks, etc. using our infrastructure is because those companies are responding to our demands for products and services. Ultimately, all economic activity is because of people like you and me consuming products and services.

The profits for corporations go to owners of the corporation. I have a 401K plan, as do many people in this country. That plan owns stock in many different corporations. The profit from those corporations go to me and other owners of the corporation. Who should it go to?

You also didn't answer the original question from the other poster as to how wealthy people cause poverty.

Your confusing some things I was pointing out but I have to go I will pick up later

 

[JStaff2187]

To be fair, Fox News is all over this too. Drug Cartels and violence in the Gaza Strip are normal. Even thought they happen way too often, shootings like this are still pretty few and far between comparatively.

Sad how true this is. The more it happens, the more it becomes normal and the more no one seems to care or notice.

 

[qwesley]

Maybe, but all of this stuff sucks. This will get coverage, just like the Pulse nightclub got coverage and 9/11 got coverage, etc. I just don't buy the media as the boogeyman narrative that pervades this board. Maybe it's because I don't watch news or opinion shows on TV.

Duke fans have no problems with the way ESPN covers their team.

 

[JStaff2187]

Wonder if hes ever tweeted once about global islamic terrorism.

View embedded media

I wonder if giraffes use their long necks to lick their own ass.