Ten “hottest” takes on the Iranian protests
Monday, January 01, 2018
"Auld Lang Syne" Dept.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye'll be your pint stoop
And surely I'll be mine
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa hae run about the braes
And pou'd the gowans fine
But we've wander'd mony a weary foot
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn
Frae mornin' sun till dine
But seas between us braid hae roared
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And here's a hand, my trusty fiere
And gi'e's a hand o' thine
And we'll tak a right good willy waught
For auld lang syne. [Attr. Robert Burns]
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye'll be your pint stoop
And surely I'll be mine
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa hae run about the braes
And pou'd the gowans fine
But we've wander'd mony a weary foot
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn
Frae mornin' sun till dine
But seas between us braid hae roared
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And here's a hand, my trusty fiere
And gi'e's a hand o' thine
And we'll tak a right good willy waught
For auld lang syne. [Attr. Robert Burns]
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Points to Ponder:
"Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this…
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing The fifth would pay $1 The sixth would pay $3 The seventh would pay $7 The eighth would pay $12 The ninth would pay $18 The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59 So, that’s what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve ball.
'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten men would now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men ? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?
The bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by a higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of the tax system they had been using, and he proceeded to work out the amounts he suggested that each should now pay.
And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% saving). The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% saving). The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% saving). The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% saving). The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% saving). The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% saving). Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20 saving,' declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that’s right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!'
'That’s true!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back, when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison, 'we didn’t get anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had their beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and government ministers, is how our tax system works. The people who already pay the highest taxes will naturally get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier." [Daniel J. Mitchell]
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing The fifth would pay $1 The sixth would pay $3 The seventh would pay $7 The eighth would pay $12 The ninth would pay $18 The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59 So, that’s what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve ball.
'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten men would now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men ? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?
The bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by a higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of the tax system they had been using, and he proceeded to work out the amounts he suggested that each should now pay.
And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% saving). The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% saving). The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% saving). The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% saving). The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% saving). The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% saving). Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20 saving,' declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that’s right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!'
'That’s true!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back, when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison, 'we didn’t get anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had their beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and government ministers, is how our tax system works. The people who already pay the highest taxes will naturally get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier." [Daniel J. Mitchell]
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Miscellaneous Musings...
With a bit of tax reform done, President Trump wants to do "infrastructure" next. My predictions:
---The same folks who bellyached, bitched, and would not STFU about Obama and his infrastructure bill in 2009 will suddenly forget they are supposed to hate "big government boondoggles" and "adding to the debt" (like they did when Obama was in the WH) and instead laud, make excuses for, and generally support Trump planned big government boondoggles and debt additions. You know, because #TeamRed and all!
---The same folks who defended to the hilt Obama's stimulus and infrastructure bills as necessary, great, wonderful, etc will suddenly (now that Obama or Hillary are not in the WH) start bellyaching, bitching, and generally not STFU'ing about how what Trump wants to do is a bunch of "boondoggle projects" that "do not pay for themselves", and will "add to the debt" and all that jazz: stuff they did not care about for eight years when Obama was in power but now that they are not, #TeamBlue suddenly cares about this stuff you see!
Meanwhile, both tribes will be united in one way if nothing else: lashing out in butthurt fashion at those of us who were not born yesterday and who recognize fake principles and politically opportune #hypocrisy when we see it!
With a bit of tax reform done, President Trump wants to do "infrastructure" next. My predictions:
---The same folks who bellyached, bitched, and would not STFU about Obama and his infrastructure bill in 2009 will suddenly forget they are supposed to hate "big government boondoggles" and "adding to the debt" (like they did when Obama was in the WH) and instead laud, make excuses for, and generally support Trump planned big government boondoggles and debt additions. You know, because #TeamRed and all!
---The same folks who defended to the hilt Obama's stimulus and infrastructure bills as necessary, great, wonderful, etc will suddenly (now that Obama or Hillary are not in the WH) start bellyaching, bitching, and generally not STFU'ing about how what Trump wants to do is a bunch of "boondoggle projects" that "do not pay for themselves", and will "add to the debt" and all that jazz: stuff they did not care about for eight years when Obama was in power but now that they are not, #TeamBlue suddenly cares about this stuff you see!
Meanwhile, both tribes will be united in one way if nothing else: lashing out in butthurt fashion at those of us who were not born yesterday and who recognize fake principles and politically opportune #hypocrisy when we see it!
Friday, December 22, 2017
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Points to Ponder:
"Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator." [Pope Pius XII, Sport at the Service of the Spirit (circa July 29, 1945)]
"Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator." [Pope Pius XII, Sport at the Service of the Spirit (circa July 29, 1945)]
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Points to Ponder:
"For those screaming 'WAPO hit job' you had a candidate:
Who when asked if he dated teenagers as a 30 yr old said 'not usually'
Warned of shariah courts being established in Michigan and Illinois
Had surrogates tell a pregnant host 'Doug Jones wants to abort your baby'
Said America was better during the era of slavery.... TO A BLACK MAN
Wanted to repeal the 13th and 14th amendments
Had his wife counter charges of insensitivity towards Jews with 'my lawyer is a Jew'
Spent the final day of the campaign arguing over whether people had to take the oath of office on a Christian bible, and if homosexuality should be criminalized.
But please, please tell me how he lost due to a media hit job." [Kevin M. Tierney]
"For those screaming 'WAPO hit job' you had a candidate:
Who when asked if he dated teenagers as a 30 yr old said 'not usually'
Warned of shariah courts being established in Michigan and Illinois
Had surrogates tell a pregnant host 'Doug Jones wants to abort your baby'
Said America was better during the era of slavery.... TO A BLACK MAN
Wanted to repeal the 13th and 14th amendments
Had his wife counter charges of insensitivity towards Jews with 'my lawyer is a Jew'
Spent the final day of the campaign arguing over whether people had to take the oath of office on a Christian bible, and if homosexuality should be criminalized.
But please, please tell me how he lost due to a media hit job." [Kevin M. Tierney]
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Briefly...
Last night answered one question and it was this:
--Are we going to get a slew of articles on how the GOP is beyond redemption or on how the GOP is finished?
With Jones' win, it is/will be the latter.
#SoPredictable
Last night answered one question and it was this:
--Are we going to get a slew of articles on how the GOP is beyond redemption or on how the GOP is finished?
With Jones' win, it is/will be the latter.
#SoPredictable
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Briefly...
One of the Trump loving radio folks apparently admitted saying in a tweet (in a tip to one of their advertisers) that she cut her twat while shaving last night and should have used a Harry's razor!
One of the Trump loving radio folks apparently admitted saying in a tweet (in a tip to one of their advertisers) that she cut her twat while shaving last night and should have used a Harry's razor!
Briefly...
A good summary of the Roy Moore situation can be read here:
No Moore Pretense
It would be so much easier if Moore supporters just admitted the guy was scum but to paraphrase FDR on Somoza "he is our scum." For those who play the "he's innocent" and "theres no evidence" cards, you are beneath contempt and would fit in well at the Institute of Historical Review!
#YeahIWentThere
No Moore Pretense
It would be so much easier if Moore supporters just admitted the guy was scum but to paraphrase FDR on Somoza "he is our scum." For those who play the "he's innocent" and "theres no evidence" cards, you are beneath contempt and would fit in well at the Institute of Historical Review!
#YeahIWentThere
Monday, December 11, 2017
Quin Hillyer: Roy Moore's own words prove his falsehood
Quin Hillyer summarizes a core problem with the Republican Senate candidate from Alabama well in this article (I will quote the first few paragraphs here):
"Even if we don’t know for certain whether Roy Moore had sexual contact (of a sort) with 14-year-old Leigh Corfman, we now know that Moore has made a conscious decision to lie about his onetime relationships with teenage girls.
We know this from a combination of his own words and of new evidence that would be accepted as probative in any American court of law. (More on the evidence, shortly.)
The odd thing is that Moore’s initial reaction was to tell at least a simulacrum of the truth, only later to change to a flat-out lie. Often, a liar works in the other direction, at first denying everything and then admitting little dribs and drabs as new evidence warrants. Who knows: Maybe this strange evolution from partial truth to full prevarication gives an indication that, somehow, Moore’s conscience is warring with itself.
Either way, his willingness to move to full-fledged dishonesty helps undermine his onetime semi-believable denials of the worst of the charges against him. One fib does not prove that his other statements are lies, of course, but it does establish that he is not entirely trustworthy..."
Quin Hillyer summarizes a core problem with the Republican Senate candidate from Alabama well in this article (I will quote the first few paragraphs here):
"Even if we don’t know for certain whether Roy Moore had sexual contact (of a sort) with 14-year-old Leigh Corfman, we now know that Moore has made a conscious decision to lie about his onetime relationships with teenage girls.
We know this from a combination of his own words and of new evidence that would be accepted as probative in any American court of law. (More on the evidence, shortly.)
The odd thing is that Moore’s initial reaction was to tell at least a simulacrum of the truth, only later to change to a flat-out lie. Often, a liar works in the other direction, at first denying everything and then admitting little dribs and drabs as new evidence warrants. Who knows: Maybe this strange evolution from partial truth to full prevarication gives an indication that, somehow, Moore’s conscience is warring with itself.
Either way, his willingness to move to full-fledged dishonesty helps undermine his onetime semi-believable denials of the worst of the charges against him. One fib does not prove that his other statements are lies, of course, but it does establish that he is not entirely trustworthy..."
Wednesday, December 06, 2017
Briefly on a Past Controversy...
It was brought to my attention recently that some parties with whom there were some some heated contentions with on some topics{1} has sought for reasons known only to themselves to try and goad persons such as your humble servant into a recurrence of those prior disputations. It is not my intention to mention any names on this, only to remark briefly that (i) I am aware of what they are trying to do and (ii) considering how it has been my practice for nearly ten years now to only discuss the issue in question at the time of year when it can properly be considered a live issue{2}, their attempting to raise it outside of that very limited time frame seems to indicate a hope on their part that they could get away with slipping their latest text dump by without comment to thereby proclaim that said latest text dump was "unanswerable" by persons such as myself.
I will only note briefly at this time that if the party in question had bothered to actually read what was written at this humble website and elsewhere many years ago, they would have learned that nothing they are offering now makes a dent in what was said here and elsewhere on the subject in question and their presumptive "smoking gun" in recent days is far from what they think it is.
It was brought to my attention recently that some parties with whom there were some some heated contentions with on some topics{1} has sought for reasons known only to themselves to try and goad persons such as your humble servant into a recurrence of those prior disputations. It is not my intention to mention any names on this, only to remark briefly that (i) I am aware of what they are trying to do and (ii) considering how it has been my practice for nearly ten years now to only discuss the issue in question at the time of year when it can properly be considered a live issue{2}, their attempting to raise it outside of that very limited time frame seems to indicate a hope on their part that they could get away with slipping their latest text dump by without comment to thereby proclaim that said latest text dump was "unanswerable" by persons such as myself.
I will only note briefly at this time that if the party in question had bothered to actually read what was written at this humble website and elsewhere many years ago, they would have learned that nothing they are offering now makes a dent in what was said here and elsewhere on the subject in question and their presumptive "smoking gun" in recent days is far from what they think it is.
I will however leave it at that and note that maybe if said parties want a real dialogue on the issue, they can act in a fashion more fitting of a dialogue{3} and approach this issue directly and during a relevant time for such discussions{4} if that is what they really want. I suspect it is not but I note these things briefly at this time nonetheless and with that will say nary a word on these matters prior to the relevant time to do so{5} if even then. It is too bad that others do not do likewise and while I suspect there are monetary reasons behind such reticence on their part, that is all I will say about these matters at the present time.
Notes:
{1} Particularly one of a rather incendiary nature.
{2} Namely, the month of August.
{3} For a change.
{4} See footnote two.
{5} See footnote two.
Notes:
{1} Particularly one of a rather incendiary nature.
{2} Namely, the month of August.
{3} For a change.
{4} See footnote two.
{5} See footnote two.
'Holy crap': Experts find tax plan riddled with glitches
I do not remember Politico being so concerned about "glitches" back when the "Affordable Care Act" was being rolled out...
I do not remember Politico being so concerned about "glitches" back when the "Affordable Care Act" was being rolled out...
Tuesday, December 05, 2017
Tax reform should reduce payroll taxes, cut corporate levy
This is what Congress should be doing with tax policy!
This is what Congress should be doing with tax policy!
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