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Smoking Guns
 Rep: 330 

Re: US Politics Thread

Smoking Guns wrote:

It is true the estate tax is for the very wealthy however in many cases those funds are given to charity for the kids are likely rich too. I rather let the family make the decision who to give the money to vs the govt. Some shit ass kids do get the money. Who cares. It wasn't your money. I don't give 2 shits who Warren Buffet or Donald Trump leave their assets to. That is money they earned and may or may not have paid taxes on lol.

To me taxes should be a flat percentage and everyone pays the same. Just like when you get a blood alcohol test. Doesn't matter if you weight 130 pounds or 300 pounds, you are judged on the same BAC level. Why shouldn't our taxes be the same. However if you make less than a certain amount don't pay any taxes.

mitchejw
 Rep: 130 

Re: US Politics Thread

mitchejw wrote:
Smoking Guns wrote:

It is true the estate tax is for the very wealthy however in many cases those funds are given to charity for the kids are likely rich too. I rather let the family make the decision who to give the money to vs the govt. Some shit ass kids do get the money. Who cares. It wasn't your money. I don't give 2 shits who Warren Buffet or Donald Trump leave their assets to. That is money they earned and may or may not have paid taxes on lol.

To me taxes should be a flat percentage and everyone pays the same. Just like when you get a blood alcohol test. Doesn't matter if you weight 130 pounds or 300 pounds, you are judged on the same BAC level. Why shouldn't our taxes be the same. However if you make less than a certain amount don't pay any taxes.

I think we're talking about two slightly different but related things. You're taking about what's fair to everyone involved regarding taxes...I'm talking about the affects on the economy when such enormous chunks of currency are sitting in a bank account somewhere not being invested back into the economy. That hurts those of that didn't inherit this money and aren't billionaires.

Money is there for one reason....to exchange for goods and services. When it's not being used to do that...or really anything...then we all suffer as a result.

misterID
 Rep: 475 

Re: US Politics Thread

misterID wrote:
mitchejw wrote:
misterID wrote:
TheMole wrote:

I actually think an estate tax is a great idea. The purpose of taxation can be twofold: to fund the governments coffers for community benefitting projects that would otherwise go unfunded (like national defence, healthcare, ...), AND (often overlooked) stimulate the regulated free market. Money that is locked up in an estate is not moving hands, not participating in the economy, and therefor useless for the market. Forcing that money into the economy by making it less profitable to just let it pass on from parent to heir is hugely beneficial. It can then be used for actual investments into new ideas, projects, jobs, ...

Not to mention the fact that it at least somewhat keeps insane amounts of wealth from ending up in some loser kid's hands without them having to work for it. Nothing worse than a rich guy that hasn't earned his own wealth.

It's not the governments job or anyone else's to make that distinction, IMO. If you choose to pass your wealth to your kids I don't want the government deciding if they're worthy of it or not. I don't like the idea of taxes being used as punishment.

I'd much rather protect the widowed spouse, instead of seeing an estate get butchered after a death. It's really an ugly process.

I don't like the idea of somewhat who has done nothing, earned nothing, achieved nothing simply inheriting $10s of millions simply by existing. I'm not saying the government should get a piece...but that kind of generational wealth is a problem.

the poster above is right....this money usually sits in a cave somewhere and doesn't stimulate the market in any way.

It doesn't matter if you or me or anyone likes someone getting anything by just existing, but my money is going to my family. I worked for it and it will go where I want it to go. If someone wants their children and their children's children set for life, that's THEIR money and their say-so. It's not a problem.

Randall Flagg
 Rep: 139 

Re: US Politics Thread

misterID wrote:
mitchejw wrote:
misterID wrote:

It's not the governments job or anyone else's to make that distinction, IMO. If you choose to pass your wealth to your kids I don't want the government deciding if they're worthy of it or not. I don't like the idea of taxes being used as punishment.

I'd much rather protect the widowed spouse, instead of seeing an estate get butchered after a death. It's really an ugly process.

I don't like the idea of somewhat who has done nothing, earned nothing, achieved nothing simply inheriting $10s of millions simply by existing. I'm not saying the government should get a piece...but that kind of generational wealth is a problem.

the poster above is right....this money usually sits in a cave somewhere and doesn't stimulate the market in any way.

It doesn't matter if you or me or anyone likes someone getting anything by just existing, but my money is going to my family. I worked for it and it will go where I want it to go. If someone wants their children and their children's children set for life, that's THEIR money and their say-so. It's not a problem.

I never understood the opposition to your idea.  Sure, the Hilton's getting billions comes across as excessive, but if you earn 2 million in your 401k and die before you can use it, why shouldn't your wife or children get that money?  That being said, I am in favor a significant alteration of the tax code.  Yes, billionaires and millionaires should have their taxes increased, but so should the lower 50%.  That 50% of the country doesn't pay any federal income tax is a problem.  They're literally free loaders.  I don't care if it's capped at $100 a year for anyone earning less than $30k.  Everyone should have to give up something.  All these deductions and loopholes should be plugged.  If your tax bracket is 35%, you should kick in 35% and not be able to wiggle out of it through bogus charitable deductions or other exemptions.

I also never understood why having children was rewarded with tax breaks.  If you can't afford to have a child, you shouldn't be having them.  All this concern about global warming, and no one wants to tell people to quit having kids the world doesn't need.  Having a child raises your carbon footbprint by 40x (https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08 … t/?mcubz=0) If both sides would quit their bickering, maybe we could simplify the tax code and cut the middle class a break while making the rich contribute more and making the poor at least have some skin in the game.

slcpunk
 Rep: 149 

Re: US Politics Thread

slcpunk wrote:

59 dead here in Vegas and 500+ injured. The machine gun fire sounded like something out of a war movie. Just harrowing.

misterID
 Rep: 475 

Re: US Politics Thread

misterID wrote:

Dude had a vehicle loaded with the same explosive stuff that took down the Oklahoma City building.

The sound of that weapon isn't something you can just go out and buy, either....

Randall Flagg
 Rep: 139 

Re: US Politics Thread

He’s a millionaire, so he could certainly afford to buy a fully automatic weapon made before 1986 (I read he had a belt fed weapon shooting .308, which would be an M-60 and goes for around 50k). With no criminal history or mental illness, there’s no reason the ATF would decline the sale.

But it’s not exactly hard to illegally convert civilian assault weapons to full auto. Anyone with some machining knowledge could do it in a day. But the amount of rounds fired would warp any AK or M-16 variant from heat, so a belt fed weapon seems likely. Won’t be hard to find out as those are heavily monitored and tracked.

Damn shame this shit happens.

I hadn’t heard he had explosives too.

Edit:  found this video
https://youtu.be/zDeUzatoUhs

Definitely a machine gun and based on the firepower, has to be belt fed.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: US Politics Thread

James wrote:
slcpunk wrote:

59 dead here in Vegas and 500+ injured. The machine gun fire sounded like something out of a war movie. Just harrowing.

You were the first person I thought of when hearing about it this morning. I knew you weren't a country music fan so figured you probably weren't there.


Just awful. I'm not a big fan of gun control but holy hell....something needs to be done. Its sad that this gets said after every tragedy and nothing gets done.


I saw the most ridiculous thing on one of the videos. Some young woman on an instagram vid started bitching about Trump as the massacre is in progress! I almost fell out of my chair. You're in the middle of a war zone....in the line of fire....and THAT is what you're thinking about? REALLY?

It shows in a nutshell what is wrong with our culture.  If the Trump obsession cant go away for even a few minutes, you'd think she'd at least duck before going on a rant.


Bodies aren't even allowed to get cold anymore before the ugly debates kick in. Every site has either Trump or "libtards" being blamed. No one can even focus on the actual monstrosity of what occured.

Which is why it will happen again.....and again....

I'm sure our politicians(on BOTH sides) love the public reaction to these events. They never actually have to do anything. Let em bitch, throw in a token prayer on twitter, maybe some symbolic gesture, and then wait for the next one.

We are truly in the idiocracy. We live in a world where you can mow down a shit ton of preschoolers or shoot at thousands at a concert in Vegas and nothing gets done.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: US Politics Thread

James wrote:

THis country has just went too far with the blind hate. Bill Hicks was right.....kill us all. The human experiment failed.


CBS executive fired after saying Las Vegas victims didn't deserve sympathy


CBS fired a legal executive Monday after she wrote on Facebook that she was not "sympathetic" to the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

“I’m actually not even sympathetic [because] country music fans often are Republican gun toters," former executive Hayley Geftman-Gold wrote.

At least 59 people were killed and more than 520 were injured after a gunman opened fire at a country music festival in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

"This individual, who was with us for approximately one year, violated the standards of our company and is no longer an employee of CBS," the network said in a statement Monday.

"Her views as expressed on social media are deeply unacceptable to all of us at CBS. Our hearts go out to the victims in Las Vegas and their families,” the network wrote.

The Daily Caller first flagged Geftman-Gold's post Monday morning.

“If they wouldn’t do anything when children were murdered I have no hope that Repugs will ever do the right thing," wrote Geftman-Gold, who served as vice president and senior counsel of strategic transactions at CBS.

The post quickly went viral, with Geftman-Gold's name and "CBS Exec" both becoming top trending topics on Twitter.

President Trump condemned the mass shooting on Monday morning, calling it "an act of pure evil” in an address to the nation.

“We join together in sadness, shock and grief,” Trump said at the White House. “It was an act of pure evil.”

Trump said he would travel to Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The suspected gunman has been identified as Nevada resident Stephen Paddock, according to Las Vegas police. The 64-year-old took his own life, according to police, as law enforcement closed in on his hotel room.


http://thehill.com/homenews/media/35349 … e-sympathy


It has to stop.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: US Politics Thread

James wrote:

and another one...

"Something else I think to keep in mind, alot of these country music supporters were likely Trump supporters"

What difference does it make who the murder victims voted for? It reminds me of My Cousin Vinny when Marisa Tomeii asks Pesci if he thinks the shot deer gives a shit what color pants he's wearing.

We live in a sick world.

We've reached the point where even victims of mass murder need to be attacked to score political points.

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