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Comment Re:Color me Stupid (Score 2, Interesting) 853

The election went the way it did because Obama never puts up a fight over anything.

Unfortunately he doesn't realize that fact and thinks it's because he is fighting too much, so expect him to compromise on everything now and cave in to the demands of Republicans. He thinks making them happy will make everyone happy.

Comment Stop the nonsense "security" (Score 1) 890

The TSA seems to care more about the appearance of doing something than actual effective security.

I wish they would stop and think about each of their security checks and ask themselves what is it really going to prevent. That careful inspection of your boarding pass before the screening. What does that accomplish? I print it on my computer!!! Do they not realize how absolutely trivial it would be for anyone to put anything they want on it? There is no check with any database to see if you are actually booked on the flight. Would a terrorist not think to put the same name as on their id, fake or not? And that stupid little security stamp they put on it. What does that do? I know they don't check it when you board the plane because I have used different boarding passes for security and boarding.

The other thing is hidden explosives. Can an explosive hidden in the space between a woman's breasts really bring down a plane? Could a bomb sniffing dog find explosives more effectively? If it's weapons they are looking for - what could someone do with a sharp knife or even a gun? They keep the cockpits locked now. Before 9/11 cockpits were wide open during flight. If someone pulls out a gun and starts shooting, the pilot can divert to the nearest airport and land. If these things could only end up killing a few people, it's not going to be something a terrorist is going to be too interested in, and it's not worth trying to prevent. They can be just as effective going out in the street and shooting people, and it will be much easier.

Comment Re:I'm sitting this one out (Score 4, Interesting) 836

You should at least turn in your ballot. There might be *something* to vote for among all the positions/issues. You don't have to vote for each one. Skip any that don't have a candidate you like. Even if it means you don't vote for anything, at least you are recorded as voting. Then when the results come out the total of votes between all the candidates will be less than the number of people voting, and it becomes more apparent that they weren't liked too well. It won't change who wins, but not voting won't either.

Comment IBM CEO Chair recommends IT overhaul? (Score 5, Insightful) 311

Should we be suspicious when the IBM CEO thinks the U.S. needs a massive IT overhaul? I guess you could say he is qualified to know whether it can be done or not, but it would no doubt steer a lot of money to large IT corporations, such as IBM, that are large enough to handle such a large undertaking.

Comment Re:WA has the most regressive tax in the nation (Score 1) 866

It is certainly fair to argue that a person earning more money should shoulder a greater burden of government costs, but don't insult my intelligence by trying to make it look like they don't contribute anything.

Did I make it look like they weren't contributing anything? It was simple math and a simple statement. My point is that living on $16k is just a bit more difficult than living on $521k. And if someone pays more, someone else can pay less.

Comment Re:Seattle COL (Score 1) 866

Perhaps you shouldn't simply regurgitate what you hear from D.C. think-tanks.

And perhaps you shouldn't regurgitate what you read from a group trying to defeat the measure. Their own data shows that the people that are paying the highest percentages in taxes are the ones that will benefit the most from this measure and make the tax system more progressive.

Comment Re:WA has the most regressive tax in the nation (Score 4, Insightful) 866

As far as Federal taxes go, the rates are a bit higher for higher income, but when you take into account deductions, the richer you are, the less you pay in general. Their are billion dollar corporations (and probably individuals) that pay nothing in income tax. In my own personal experience, as my income grows, my tax as a percentage of income has decreased because I can deduct more from my income.

The Republican philosophy is: Give all the money to the rich, and they will take care of everything. It hasn't worked, and never has. We are paying the price for that now.

In Washington state, there is no state income tax, so the state taxes come primarily from sales and property taxes, licensing, and business taxes. Everyone pays for these taxes. The less you make, the higher the percentage of your income goes to taxable items, so the tax burden as a percentage of income is much higher.

Comment Re:Bingo: less tax = more growth (Score 1) 866

And where do you suppose that corporations get their money? [...] Jeff Bezos, in particular, is well renknowned for his funding of new startups.

New companies == more jobs.

Do you know where else they get their money? From customers and lower startup costs. Both of which this law will help. So instead of waiting for Jeff Bezos to give them money, businesses can do it on their own.

Comment Re:Seattle COL (Score 1) 866

The worst political development in American history was that it gradually became ok to just vote other people's money to yourself.

This new law is an attempt to fix that. The richest in the state have already managed a vote for the poorest to support them. The richest in the state currently pay less than 3% in taxes, while the poorest are paying over 17%. This law will make it 12% for the rich, and around 14% for the poor.

Comment Re:Seattle COL (Score 4, Interesting) 866

Washington has the most regressive tax in the nation. The poorest are paying the majority of the taxes. The poorest pay 17% of their income to taxes, while the richest pay less than 3%. This law will even it out a bit, but the poorest will still be paying more as a percentage than the richest.

The people most likely to put the money back into the economy are the people that need it most. The poorest are most likely to spend whatever money they have at local businesses. The richest people don't need to spend the money, and are very likely to spend it outside the state anyway. Remember, this is a state tax. We want the money to be spent here, to stimulate the state economy. Buying stocks with the money in some foreign company (something the rich might do) does nothing for the state. Buying a beer at the local pub does.

This Republican idea of giving all the money to the rich and they will take care of everything is complete bullshit. It doesn't work.

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