Thank you so much for the clarity.

Big Mitch @ 159

One of the greatest things I ever heard had to do with the Quakers who were spied on by the government. This came out in the basement hearings that John Conyers had on the FISA scandal (Repeat: impeachable, on-going criminal conspiracy.) So one congressman or witness made a big point of saying that the government was stepping so far over bounds, etc. etc. The Quaker who was there, was a man who used a wheel chair. And the congressman was saying how obviously not dangerous, the Quakers were.

The fellow in the wheel chair finally spoke and said, “I agree with everything you said, except the idea that we are dangerous. Concerned and knowledgable people are always dangerous to tyrants.”

Or words to that effect.

I remember those hearings. Thanks for mentioning them. Nonviolence is active force. It is a conscious decision of conviction. Nonviolence and pacifism are not to be confused with passive.

Those elderly Quaker ladies man a mean picket line. Watch out for them. They have no qualms about getting arrested and smile sweetly at the person arresting them.

That’s right! One of my favorite people when I was a teen was a Quaker lady. To protest the Vietnam War she didn’t pay her taxes. Filed, didn’t pay. Let the government take it from her, but she wasn’t making it easy for them.
She would talk about those “nice young FBI agents” who would come by to see her and how they liked the cookies she made.

1) Tell them what you’re going to tell them.

2) Tell them.

3) Tell them what you told them.

Faux News has plenty of variations of the above routine.

Ian Welsh @ 201

Fair tax seems to usually mean flat tax or something close. And flat taxes always wind up actually being regressive since it’s usually on income, while everything else (sales tax, property tax, fees, fines etc…) is regressive.

Can’t put my fingers on the source, but I remember a few years ago reading that the US was effectively flat tax already when you added everything together.

What do you think of Gore’s pollution tax idea ?

He’s such a smart man that I actually think it’ll work.

I favor it or a version thereof. Pollution costs other people money and bad health, and those who do it, should pay.

The inability of most people to engage in critical thinking is a major problem too.

Where are people supposed to learn critical thinking any more? in high schools, aren’t they too busy teaching people basic math and English skills so they can pass their basic skills tests?

I know that Republicans don’t want to spend money on teaching critical thinking skills, but we have to figure out ways to promote teaching critical thinking at the high school level, and I would include civics education in that mix.

Grass roots politics should pay more attention to school boards.

Bob in HI

What a day today has been!

I woke up and my clock said 7:07. I remembered that the date was 07/07/07. So I called my cousin in Florida and had him put $700 on the seventh horse in the seventh race at Hialeah. Woo-hoo!!!

Hialeah’s still running? I thought Calder and Gulfstream were the only active tracks in SoFL.

Petrocelli @ 211

LOL … I think a proper Fair Tax is great because it shifts the burden away from the low and middle income earners and onto the high income earners … but the d*vil is in the details …

Huh? The rich spend a much smaller proportion of their income than the poor or middle class. If you give every man, woman and child about $20K of tax free spending you can make it non-punitive. Then you have a (federal) sales tax around 15 or 20%.

I’m not familiar with the proposal under discussion, but it’s very hard to make a sales tax progressive.

I’m also going to read up on it.
In Canada, we have a V.A.T. and while the rich spend a smaller proportion of their income, they do spend more $$$, and every dollar spent is taxed … thus the rich pay more of this tax, which is why Giuliani (and probably every Repug) would be against it.
I’m on Facebook, please let me know what you find out about this Fair Tax proposal.

LOL … I think a proper Fair Tax is great because it shifts the burden away from the low and middle income earners and onto the high income earners … but the d*vil is in the details …

Huh? The rich spend a much smaller proportion of their income than the poor or middle class. If you give every man, woman and child about $20K of tax free spending you can make it non-punitive. Then you have a (federal) sales tax around 15 or 20%.

I’m not familiar with the proposal under discussion, but it’s very hard to make a sales tax progressive.

That is a great story! Total consciousness at the end. I loved it. My mothers last conscious moment was to vote absentee for Kerrey. Unfortunately she died before it could be mailed.
Steve @
138

Funny story..My brother-in-law died at home, after long, down hill course. My sister got him out of the hospital and into his own bed a few days before he died. He was usually in a near coma; my sister was with him and Bush came on CNN..he woke up..said “Bush is an Ass-hole” and died. She has a huge smile on her face when she tells the story..

All depends on how you look at it … in yoga, we believe your last thoughts guide your rebirth …

rwcole @ 121

Clusterfuck is an asshole

Clusterfuck is an asshole

Clusterfuck is a smelly, stinky, slimy, asshole.

Funny story..My brother-in-law died at home, after long, down hill course. My sister got him out of the hospital and into his own bed a few days before he died. He was usually in a near coma; my sister was with him and Bush came on CNN..he woke up..said “Bush is an Ass-hole” and died. She has a huge smile on her face when she tells the story..