Brent Nyitray
Fairlington Blade
Let the mutherfuker burn!
jnc4p
Kevin S. Willis
Michigoose
lmsinca
markinaustin
Arcanaut
novahockey
quarterback
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yellojkt
Here’s an interesting story in the LA Times this morning. Oh yay, another confusing tax increase/decrease coming to a ballot initiative near you. We’ll see how this one pans out as details are pretty sketchy at this point.
The Think Long Committee, which includes Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, former governors Gray DavisEli Broad, says its proposal would provide $5 billion more for public schools every year and billions for public universities and local governments. and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles philanthropist
Although the group has prepared a report outlining its proposals, it has not taken the preliminary steps needed to place the ideas before voters. Members have not filed any potential initiatives with the state attorney general’s office or created a campaign committee to finance such an effort. A spokesman for Think Long said those moves would come in the next couple of weeks.
The group’s plan is based on a reshuffling of California’s tax system. It would lower the state’s personal income and sales tax rates and create a new levy of more than 5% on services that are not currently taxed, such as legal work or accounting.
Think Long spokesman Nathan Gardels said members want to “maintain California’s progressive tax system.” Under their proposal, families earning up to $45,000 a year would pay no state income tax, while those making up to $95,000 annually would pay 2%. This would lower some taxpayers’ obligations significantly.
The group also wants to double the current exemption for homeowners and renters on their state income tax and eliminate most other California income tax credits.
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All Things in Moderation 
That reminds me–I have a funny to send you to include next week. I have to pull it off the server at work and send it to you. . .This would lower some taxpayers' obligations significantly.Yeah, I would think it would!The group also wants to double the current exemption for homeowners and renters on their state income tax and eliminate most other California income tax credits.And, as you said, create yet another incredibly confusing change to the tax code!
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***Rant Alert***Apropos of the Occupy cartoon above is the WaPo op/ed piece, "Why Occupy Wall Street will keep up the fight".http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-occupy-wall-street-will-keep-up-the-fight/2011/11/17/gIQAn5RJZN_story.html?hpid=z4This quote struck me:This primal cry for democracy sprang from young people who could no longer ignore the angst in their gut — the premonition that their future does not compute, that their entire lives will be lived in the apocalyptic shadow of climate-change tipping points, species die-offs, a deadening commercialized culture, a political system perverted by money, precarious employment, a struggle to pay off crippling student loans, and no chance of ever owning a home or living in comfort like their parents.As I read this, the authors equate democracy with a whole bunch of things that, at best, are only marginally related to democracy in my book.-a future that 'computes'-being out from under climate change's shadow-no more species dying off-non-precarious employment-freedom from crippling student loans-being able to own a home and live in comfort like their parentsUnless one has completely filled in one's "Life at a Glance" scheduler by age 10, no one's life 'computes.' As for climate change, its existence or lack thereof has nothing to do with forms of governance. Ditto species dieoffs. I'm not sure how they see high employment tied to democracy, as some non-democracies currently enjoy higher employment while many democracies don't. Student loans have long been a two-edged sword. Great opportunity for some, a long-term burden for others. Anyone who's acquired one in the last decade presumably did so with an awareness of the risks and rewards of the past.I get that owning a home has been part of The American Dream for a long time. That said, maybe it's time to create a new American Dream. Or throw away the silly notion that The American Dream is one-size-fits-all. And the idea that democracy="living in comfort like our parents", well, if the equation were true, China might well be the most democratic nation on the planet at present.The American founders were very careful about equating independence from Britain with "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". These authors want to equate democracy with having one's life make sense and possessing creature comforts.That's no primal cry. Far from it.***End Rant Alert***
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Excellent rant, MsJS!My biggest beef with the current American Dream is the home ownership issue. While I fully intend to be a home owner again within the next 12 months, it's pretty much solely because I own pets. If I didn't own pets, I'd pretty much be happy to rent for the foreseeable future–but I have to have some stability (i.e., not worry about being thrown out of my house in order for my landlord to rent to somebody who doesn't own pets) in order to sleep at night. Until we fix that sort of situation, home ownership is going to be part of the American psyche.
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MsJS – Super.I too agree with your rant.
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MsJS:You seem to have managed to produce a bi-partisan rant. I'm with you too.
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Bipartisanship run amok. Good job, MsJS!
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MsJ,That rant could have been written by the OWS's of my generation. The only difference in the whining? Substitute "climate change" for nuclear apoclypse and/or nuclear winter.All recessions bring about doom and gloom from the young as they have, due to their, er, youth, no reference point. What's interesting to me is that it gets any media attention, as it is about as original as "I didn't ask to be born!"
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The media have to write about something, Mr. T. Often it isn't original.
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Credit the 24/7 media cycle, McWing. When you and I were their age CNN was a novelty. Now it's a requirement.
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When I was their age, all we had were papyrus scrolls ;-D
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LOL, MsJS! Are you SURE you weren't at the printing press stage??
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So Saturday was the due date, but no real action to report. Headed to the Dr. tomorrow morning for a progres report so we'll see how things are moving along.
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So is she jumping down the stairs yet?
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We have not tried that yet, Michi. We've tried several other remedies so maybe it's time for the stairs.
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Hang in there with her ashot, this is the toughest time when the due date comes and goes. It really will happen any time now but could take as long as another week or two. I think one of the problems with college tuitions is that the pace of growth has out distanced the wages of parents and future income of graduates. The best bargain in CA was always our state university system but in the last two decades tuition has almost tripled.
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GOOD LUCK, Ashot!Hope you have a fantastic TG with an extra mouth to feed and to be thankful for.
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What Mark said, ashot.
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Exactly what Mark said. . .
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My wife has a collapsed hip (position of the hip bones is apparently important for the body to know to start contractions), and even with two bags of pitocin, labor would never start. In the end, we've had two cesareans, and two beautiful baby girls. Best of luck! And, happy thanksigiving
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