Southern_Man

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0HM0RtRv-E "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

Sockpuppet for recently banned poster? shazz PM Friend Jumps License In sport : : : Oct 18, 2012, 10:29 AM Post #11 of 16 (35 views) Shortcut Registered: Oct 17, 2012 Posts: 6 "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31FFTx6AKmU "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

This is on point. The issue is not whether cops are good people or bad people. There are some of both here, as with every walk of life. However the way the job is structured and the enormous amount of power and protection given to police officers encourage abuses and bullying, which them becomes systematically enmeshed in cultures. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

I was ordained, some churches call it licensed, through a local church but worked independently. The IRS has some tests as to what counts. I believe that some of the standards were that you had to have the same rights and privlidges as other ministers, such as preaching and administering the sacraments, but it has been quite a few years since I looked at that. Anyway, if you didn't have income from ministry activities, it doesn't matter. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

Yes, religious service only. I believe your ordination allows you to perform weddings in NC, though. In FL you have to be ordained through a legally cognizable church to perform weddings. I performed several ceremonies, primarily for skydivers, until I realized they mostly wanted a novelty wedding and were not serious about commitment. I'm not sure what a "legally cognizable church" means but the standard in NC was basically, "Well, we as a state can't tell a real church from a fake church, so if you have any church that says you are ordained, that's good enough for us" "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

Yes, religious service only. I believe your ordination allows you to perform weddings in NC, though. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

I'm going to re-ask a question I tried to ask earlier, but either I didn't ask it right or nobody responded. Which rigs have a manufacturer's instructions to route the bridle under the lower flap? Is it mandatory or an alternate approved method? Vector III does, I know, as an alternate closing method. Parachutes de France apparently recommends that procedure, I've never seen one of their rigs. What other manufacturers? "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

Insurance plans create property rights and ownership. Pretty sure the Supreme Court decision in Flemming v. Nestor means that Social Security and its benefits are not an insurance program, although it has quite a few similar characteristics. (Note: it also has some similar characteristics to a Ponzi scheme, but it is not a Ponzi scheme either). "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

I'm not 100% sure what this means. If you were receiving money that you were paying taxes on, then all those tax benefits were available to you. I supported my ministry as a professional parachutist. In 1994 I joined the corporate world as an assessment counselor. I pretty much stayed in the corporate counseling field until I retired in 2009. well, if you did not have income to your ministry (i.e. you were self-supported) then it didn't matter anyway. You could not opt out of any social security taxes, because you had no taxable income from that employment. I have no idea if this was an ordained ministry or not, that would also be a factor. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

I'm not 100% sure what this means. If you were receiving money that you were paying taxes on, then all those tax benefits were available to you. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

Don't know who explained it to you but they apparently did you a real disservice, as that is right from the IRS forms. Those standards have not changed since 1985 either (the exemption has essentially bee in place since 1968, previously all ministers were exempted except for those who opted in). While we are at it, being a minister is a way to get very favorable tax treatment overall. Maybe not hedge fund manager favorable but much much better than most middle class folks who work for a living. Here are some of the tax advantages: 1. Exempt yourself from Social Security and Medicare taxes, as explained above. This is a very good idea because ministers are considered self-employed for Social security purposes, even though they are employees for income tax purposes. 2. Have a huge portion of your salary listed as "housing allowance." This means it is exempt from income tax. All your mortgage, utilities, maintenance, etc. can be paid for tax free. Want to buy new furniture? yup, tax free. Want to build an addition? yup, you can do that with tax-free money. As long as your salary agreement lists it as housing allowance than you can do it. There are a few limitations but they are pretty generous. 3. You would think that paying for your house will all tax free money that you wouldn't be able to tax a mortgage interest deduction, but you would be wrong. Ministers can then deduct what they paid in mortgage interest from the portion of their salary that is taxable. So, you aren't just getting to pay your mortgage tax-free, you are getting a refund on some of your interest. 4. Use appropriate retirement vehicles such as a Rabbi trust, to shield more income from the government. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

This is not correct information. As long as you are opposed to the socialistic programs based on religious principles you can opt out. Here is the ministerial exception for Social Security: http://www.crown.org/Library/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=690 Here is the relevant statment that you have to affirm: I certify that I am conscientiously opposed to, or because of my religious principles I am opposed to, the acceptance (for services I perform as a minister, member of religious order not under a vow of poverty, or a Christian Science practitioner) of any public insurance that makes payments in the event of death, disability, old age, or retirement; or that, makes payments toward the cost of, or provides services for, medical care. (Public insurance includes insurance systems established by the Social Security Act.)…Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this application and to the best of my knowledge and belief it is true and correct. Seems like it should have been right up Ron's alley. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

I read the landing site was 43 miles east of the Roswell airport. That was not on the official site, so I can't vouch for its accuracy. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

As usual with these topics we start with a very poor foundation in focusing just on one type of federal tax (income taxes). In 2010, the last year which I found data for, Income taxes provided 42% of federal revenue. Payroll taxes provided 40% of federal revenue. Unless we are looking at all taxes the discussion is really not worth having. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFtCwvZaDB4 "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

That's awesome Chris, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be thrilled to see anything you would want to (and are able to) share with us. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

I'm sure I wasn't the only person to watch this amazing skydive inside a hanger with a bunch of other skydivers. Pretty awesome to watch and share with others. Wasn't anybody interested in manifesting for a little while as that was going on. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

I have no respect for police because I have had them tell me flat out that they were not going to enforce the law. I have also seen (in person) them bully and beat people for no reason. When I was growing up I was taught that I should view police as my friend and go to them when I had a problem and needed help. You can bet I teach my own children something different. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

People are notoriously bad at being able to accurately assess risk. This is a prime example. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

e4 "best by test" "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

^ As an A license holder your minimum opening altitude is 3000 ft. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

I don't know whether this will turn the tide against the Taliban or not. I do know that it is only going to change when the people of that community want it changed. The U.S. is largely powerless to stop it, as our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown. We can suppress it (which may be worthwhile) but not extinguish it. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

I really only speak one, and fluency in that one might be debatable. I have some reading knowledge of four others--Spanish, Italian, Greek, and Hebrew and suspect if I spent some time in an immersion situation I could quickly gain basic communication skills. I know a few words and phrases in Arabic and Haitian Creole. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

Yup, usually these kinds of things just work themselves out. "What if there were no hypothetical questions?"