Recent Comments:
Boy Genius, 12, Has Higher IQ Than Einstein, Developing His Own Theory of Relativity {ParentDish}
Mar 30th 2011 11:31AM I have a small library on Einstein, by himself and others. As I recall, Einstein as a child was considered backward and did not speak until age 4 or 5. Being "out there" in the world of genius often requires a connection to the physical world that, judged against normal interactive psychological tests, turns up Aspergers or autism. I have engineer friends who joke that to be an engineer is to be a functional autistic. Thus we "normals" bray our fears as criticism. Bravo to the parents, whose parental management of a monumental genius was not deterred by testing "norms". So much for normal.
The Dawn Of A New Economy: Latest Findings on the Habits of the Wealthy from The Harrison Group and American Express Publishing {Luxist}
Apr 28th 2010 10:49AM I will be interested to see if AOL moderators think the comments below are "relevant". To the extent they think not, they have their history blinders on firmly.
Read on.
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Items 2 and 3 appear wildly off the mark, compared to myself and those I know who are informed on what is coming in the taxation of anyone pejoratively labeled "wealthy" by the current socialist administration. Add to that the socialization of 2 trillion dollars from gamblers, snake oil bankers and the Vampire Squid, add to that historic declines in dividends, as well numerous new taxes coming [dividend and cap. gains tax increases; 3.8% surcharge for health care; higher corporate taxes--hello that is passed on to the consumer people; revival of the estate tax rate of 55% in 2011; Obama's Euro style VAT tax, [stop for a minute--if I worked decades, invested and now earn dividend income for retirement, soon to be taxed at 39%, then die the next day, if taxed at 55%, that means the govt. takes 94% of the money---hardly "fair"--try "theft"].
Meanwhile because our prior Republican govt--[yes, George Jr. led by the nose by Hank Paulson], now the Obamacrats, have now fully socialized private investment losses, taxpayers for decades to come will suffer beyond anything known in U.S. history. We have sealed our own fate. Foreign lenders will demand more interest to buy our debt offerings as they slowly back away from buying more...and the U.S. is heading down the same roads as Japan in their Lost Decade, and Argentina, a once vibrant capitalist economy reduced to socialist command driven "statist" government interference with free market principles, now a museum to its former greatness.
Thus:
Fine. Regulate the "snake oil" investment bankers and hedge funds, this is good. They have more than proven themselves lying bullies on the playground shilling to take honest peoples' lunch money.
Not fine. Imposing a health care system we cannot afford and drives us nearer Argentinian style bankruptcy. Ideal is good, execution impossible, consequences disastrous, aside from Big Brother deciding if you really need that operation......
Not Fine. Making the taxpayer pay more because a lot of Wall St. bond cowboys ruined the economy. Let them turn in the wind. But too late. Socialist panic continues the Bush Mistakes.
Not Fine. Bailing out state governments [California comes to mind] when their bonds belly up. Let them fail. Enough with saddling us with more taxes due to the Groovy State's socialist spending.
Terrible. The coming long term loss of value to the dollar. Did you know we already have moved from 87c US to the Euro in 200-2001 to 1.33US to the Euro now? Pathetic. More inflation and dollar value loss against trading partner currencies is coming.
Read or listen to Jim Rogers, he has been warning us about America's colossal failure to properly govern for years. For socialists, no doubt they will keep their heads in the sand. For RINO's--Republicans In Name Only, staying in office individually trumps long term action. Expedient and Trendy do not pass for Wise in the final accounting of history.
When 47% of the people in this country are not paying any income taxes, the burdens become concentrated on those who work and save and provide capital to banks to loan, and companies to sell stock to grow. Government absorption of more and more private capital produces a socialist spiral downward to general poverty. History proves this true. This Time Is Not Different.
Smooth talk from a mediocre Harvard law student cum president got us here. Liberals fell all over themselves to vote in a marketable trendy, politically correct speaker. Democracy failed us--the man has no proven credentials. We have become a disparate easily frightened tribe attracted to sound bites and trendy causes, paying no heed to experience and honest concern for the long term well being of our once great country and doing precious little thinking on an individual level. You can blame TV, texting and video games as well. Do the research--all detract from critical thinking. The average cab driver in 1940 had better thinking skills from reading newspapers than the average citizen in the U.S. today.
Statism always destroys the common wealth of a nation. Whether fascist, Nazi, socialist, communist, it always fails. We have lived to see this in many other countries yet we blunder down the same path. Truly, our species is not so wise as we think. Our leaders continue to act by opportunistic reflex, not reflection.
Those people feeling fine and happy in the survey #2, 3 above are the ones who have not discovered the Bad News; they are like sheep, happy in their ignorance of the fate that awaits them only worse--it will affect their children and grandchildren as well.
Color Me Blue.
Citation:
http://www.mint.com/blog/trends/who-is-paying-taxes/
Haiti and the Pat Robertson Paradox {Politics Daily}
Jan 22nd 2010 9:25AM Weiss misses the demographic spiritual point entirely when judging the source of public ridicule of Pat Robertson's Deal With the Devil take on Haiti. The overall hostile reaction to Robertson's moronic rant about pacts with the devil turns on a societal recognition that history has proven beyond intelligent doubt the fact that when religion ventures beyond its central purpose of moral guidance, into matters of science and physics, religion is repeatedly proven to be utterly foolish,imbecilic and destructive of human rights. What next? Burning witches, again? Weiss misses the mark. Modern western humans are not more religious than Weiss surmised, hence his surprise...instead, modern, sensible people have correctly placed religion outside the realm of science; thus, when a TV evangelist with a desparate need to stay in front of the camera to keep his flock sending him the Almighty Dollar is losing his public grip, he has to say something that gets attention. Shades of Jerry Falwell and the Tinky Winky Days!
Take the high road here. The Dalai Lama would readily recognize the rightful place of science, and he would no doubt say this is an act of physics, not the act of some vengeful deity bent on tormenting the poor creatures of his own making.
Maria Sharapova Is Right, WTA Is Wrong: Tennis Is More Important Than Photo Shoots {Fanhouse Backporch}
May 8th 2008 11:24AM Maria is not only correct in protecting the methods and means of earning her livlihood on the court, she likely has a lawsuit against the Association for interfering with and potentially damaging her ability to earn a living at her profession. If the Association acts like a one gate all comers group with rules that exclude on the basis of their ability to diminish a player's ability to perform, then they do so at their own risk, which in this case, is likely to run into the millions. They are acting in a manner which looks a lot like the baseball leagues, and with similar antitrust law implications for reactive Congressional legislation if this gets ugly, they should think twice before so directly acting to impede player ability and earning power. My suggestion to the Association is to rescind their ruling, and admit they erred. My two cents worth.
