Gravitymaster

I would think just the profits are true income. You invest $100 and, when you sell, you get $150, then you have $50 of income - tax it just like you made it digging ditches. So would you apply the same tax rate to retirement income? After all, it's investment income, too.

Tax ALL types of income the same. I think we actually should move in that direction and it will affect the rich, the poor, the middle class (of course it will, even it were only applied in a sloppy patchwork to even just one group like the "rich"). The if it's taxed one time as income, and then invested, should the income from the investment then be taxed as dditional income? If so that brings us back to whether we should tax all :capital gains" including retirement income at the same level. We need to realize, that all the 'special' considerations have been applied across the spectrum of taxpayers and each and every one is Keynesian (how's it working out so far?) and each and every one would likely have been fine without. But now we are stuck with them. yes, I love my mortgage deduction, yes, I love my 401K and my daughter's 529 college fund, etc etc etc. but, no one has the balls to totally revamp the system, so to slowly clean up the code would take a very long time Agreed, but changes always take time and can be painful until adjusted correctly for any unanticipated inequities I'd really like for someone to get the ball rolling on a better tax system instead of all the jibber-jabber. it's pretty unlikely, that's why this discussion, to me, is likely interesting, but moot. Well, there's alway Hope it will Change. Sure, they'll hit some scapegoat with a big change, but it'll be a small group directly hit and then the shit hits the fan when the consequences propagate to everybody else. short answer - I'd LOVE a flat tax RATE on everybody, that starts with the 1st dollar and finishes with the last dollar. With no deductions, no subsidies, no penalties, no special rates regardless of how the money was collected - nothing nada, zilch Not going to happen as long as the Lobbyists control our Government. I also wonder how many people complaining about the 15% cap gains rate are paying 0% on their tip or cash income????? it is a skydiver's site Oh, I suspect that's quite rampant.

For about the bajillionth time . . . it's not unfair how he MADE the money, but rather how the money is TAXED. Would you want retirement income such as IRA's and pensions taxed at the same rate as other investment income? Suppose someone decided to retire at age 40?

Well, then why .... never mind. Let's see, they were kidnapped last October and shazaam, they were rescued right before the SOTU Campaign Speech. Coincidence? Naw!!!

When were SEAL teams used to murder American citizens? why would they? In the US congressmen can have "plane accidents" or "strokes" at the president's command. Just kidding, but thought I'd throw in one from each political party anyway to get the nanothermite people contributing Jesse Ventura has already told us 911 was an inside job.

As far as I know, they haven't been used for this pupose, YET. Although I doubt if we would know if they have or will be.

Great job. Much better use of SEAL teams than murdering American citizens.

I seriously doubt he was trying to reach Republicans who he knows will not vote for him. More likely trying to shore up his base.

Did you somehow miss the box at the top of the page?

wow, I don't have the math skills to do the irony score on that comment from that source Just apply it to the Nutter thread.

Flesch-Kincaid is pretty well accepted as a valid measure of readability. Not surprising a Democrat wouldn't know that. Obama definitely reached his voters with this speech.

President Obama's 2012 State of the Union address again rated at an 8th grade comprehension level on the Flesch-Kincaid readability test — the third lowest score of any State of the Union address since 1934. The University of Minnesota's Smart Politics conducted an analysis on the last 70 State of the Union addresses and found that President Obama's three addresses have the lowest grade average of any modern president. "Obama's average grade-level score of 8.4 is more than two grades lower than the 10.7 grade average for the other 67 addresses written by his 12 predecessors," they conclude. "The Flesch-Kincaid test is designed to assess the readability level of written text, with a formula that translates the score to a U.S. grade level. Longer sentences and sentences utilizing words with more syllables produce higher scores. Shorter sentences and sentences incorporating more monosyllabic words yield lower scores," the University of Minnesota's Eric Ostermeier explains. Obama's use of simple language is in part a reflection of his audience: the American voter in an election year. And it's part of a larger trend in simpler State of the Union language as the speech as transitioned from a simple address to Congress into a prime-time televised event. http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/01/state-of-the-union-registers-at-th-grade-reading-level-112236.html

Many who live on investments are in fact considered unemployed. I wonder how many who favor higher taxes would support raising them on retired and unemployed people.

You are assuming she's a Christian. She may be a Muslim and if so, she would pray to Allah 5 times per day. If she went to school, she would not be allowed to do that. Therefore the Secular Courts would be interfering with her mothers desire to raise her child with a religious upbringing. Seeing the problem yet, Jakee? It's very predictable what you will say next so before you do, consider that we don't set different standards for different religions as that would be unconstitutional.

shouldn't your judge recluse himself from this debate? The bias is more than apparent. You eviscerated yourself in this one. I think you could have made better traction by pointing out the strident anti smoking laws that, not content to push people outdoors, won't even let them smoke there anymore (all University of California campuses now) . I had that exact same thought.

Poor Jakee. Your claim has been shredded but you are too consumed by your hate of religion to see it.

Dude that is the lamest freaking spin i have ever been exposed to! Do you really think people are dumb enough to fall for that shit! Get off the computer and go get some fresh air! WTF! Don't you think that people should be required to "pay their fair share"? Or does that only apply if you have "too much money"? So you define fair as something that only applies to a few? Isn't that counter to the definition of "fair"?

Kudos to Cuomo for recognizing a failed government program and actually doing something about it.

Would you be in favor of levying large tax on those who immigrate to the U.S.? After all, they are taking advantage of infrastructure that was built using the tax dollars of those of us who haved lived here and paid taxes our entire lives. Why should an immigrant get a free ride with my tax dollars? I think immigrants should be required to "pay their fair share".

I think exactly the same amount as those who trashed Kerry and voted for Bush, who inherited his money. (or maybe most didn't look at where the money came from at all, regardless of canidate.....) I can't seem to remember those who voted for Bush criticizing Kerry because they felt he should pay a higher tax rate.

Mitt Romney made his money through smart business practices. John Kerry married into his money. How many of those who are trashing Romney do you think voted for Kerry?

I noticed (not surprising) you have avoided answering my questions.

I would question the business acumen of anyone who pays that high a tax rate on that much income. At the very least I would question their choice of a CPA.

So you believe that people should be charged based on how much they make? You would be OK with say a credit card that charged interest rates on what your income was? How about Fannie May or Freddie Mac underwritten mortgage interest based on how much you make?

I guess you notice things like that when you spend a lot of time on porn sites.