Just another element of the American Corporate State. Mussolini would have been proud.

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As is often said, you get the best legislation you can buy. And the SCOTUS has made sure they can get a free pass on buying the product (legislators).

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Did the NYT really publish the word "largess"? Tsk, so much for a "newspaper of record".

It's one thing to be careless in a blog or text or e-mail ("It's just a typo; you know what I meant"), but apparently no one "has time" for accuracy anymore. It's sad.

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“. . the nonprofit headed by Sen. Tracy Steele, which has solicited contributions from corporate interests . .”

And then there was SILO, brought to us by the not-so-Hon. Nick Wilson who was also busy stealing millions of taxpayer dollars meant for disadvantaged children.

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I'm adding this to my growing list of what should be considered tantamount to Low Down Dirty Treason. It's time for a whole lot of these scurrilous poor excuses for pond scum to learn to fall on their own swords in shame.

We simply must create public campaign financing only and alter lobby tactics as soon as humanly possible. And no bill should ever be voted upon without a minimum ten day waiting period of a final draft posted in full on the internet for public scrutiny.

The criminals are still in charge!

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I have advocated many times for the federal government to eliminate all charities --- that includes every damn one of them. Make them start over and each one, before being granted charity status, be voted on and approved by the voter (you know us guys that pay the bill and have no exemptions).
I know churches etc., will scream to hell and high water but dollar for dollar their support of the needed is dismal at best mostly vocal.

Good a place as any here's something to remember!

How rich is rich?
A lot of politicians are talking about extending the Bush tax cuts claiming the it would raise taxes in the “middle class”. However the news media is trying to redife middle class to include people making $200,000 a year. Is $200,000 a year middle class? I don’t think so.

The average American family income is $46,326 a year. Someone making $200,000 make more that 4 times average. That seems rich to me. They are also in the top 3% on the income scale. That’s on the rich end. In my view if you are in the top 15% that would be rich. So $100,000 a year in my opinion is a rich person.

So I really resent the news media’s assertion that we should extend the Bush tax cuts because it raises taxes on the middle class because it’s just plain false. The Bush tax cuts were for the rich and the rest of us are having to pay for it because it was and continues to be paid for with borrowed money. And borrowing money for the rich to be paid for by the poor is just plain wrong.
Reference on my numbers:

http://www.mybudget360.com/how-much-does-t…

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BWC-we shouldn't extend the Bush tax cuts at all. The Republicans designed them to disappear so let them go! Then come back with some common sense adjustments to the Medicare tax (eliminate the upper salary exclusion) as well as changing the lower income tax rates. Get rid of that low level for the hedge player and let them pay as short term gains like regular people have to do. Stop all special treatment for those who already have it all. And don't mention how much the rich pay in taxes, tell me HOW MUCH THEY HAVE LEFT after paying!

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I agree with what ButWhoCares said, at least most of it. I have long felt that donations to religious institutions should not be tax deductible, but know it will be a cold day in hell before we get rid of GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION.

My point is that when a government refrains from taxing assets that would otherwise be taxed because those assets are given to or owned by a "tax-exempt" organization, government is supporting that organization just a surely as if it budgeted an allocation to that organization from tax revenue collected by that government. I certainly am not a taxpayer who is willing to help make up revenue lost through exemption of money sent to Joel Olsteen's or Tracy Steele's organizations, just to name two illustrative examples.

So I agree with BWC's suggestion that we eliminate tax exempt "charities" --"every damn one of them." Then citizens can support whatever causes they like, after rendering to Caesar that which is Caesar's. Corporations, which cannot "believe" anything or have a "charitable" purpose, would still invest in other organizations that serve their purposes, but at least you and I would not be compelled to help them.

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I read this yesterday in the NY Times and just spit. If Congress figures out another way to pull in the bucks for themselves, soon they'll overdose like John Belushi, found slumped over their desks, choked on cash. How much damn money do these people think they need in one lifetime?

Of course, since the beginning of time, the people who write the rules make sure the rules are slanted in their favor....but it's gotten plumb ridiculous! Name a former Arkansas Congresscritter who isn't rolling in dough today. How on earth did Huckabee get rich making 60 thousand per year? You can't do it unless you rob banks on the side.

Our political system is as crooked as a dog's hind leg and has been for years, but it's been on steroids the last 10 years and now the addicts are really dangerous. I don't go to church, I don't believe in God, yet I couldn't lay down and sleep at night knowing that I was getting a special deal in life that the "small people" aren't getting. I know when I earn my keep, I have a good sense of what is fair.....I just couldn't live with myself knowing I was playing both sides of every deal, saying things and voting in ways that make me rich while pulling the carpet out from under someone else.

I guess I never wanted a big cattle ranch or a 2 and 1/2 million dollar mansion in Virginia. I guess I totally bought MLK's line about judging people by the content of their character, not the color of their MONEY. It's a goddamn shame when your representative to Congress is more dishonest than the guy pestering you on the phone to change your cell phone plan. But that's where we are today.

Jim Keet can't keep track of his own airplane, taxes or know where to vote.....we need that? Tim Griffin should be running from his big black cell mate, not for Congress. Boss Womack should be down in darkest Africa setting up his dictatorship with the help of black travel expert Denny Altes. Boozman should be kept in a squeeze chute and force fed to be nice and fat on slaughter day. The majority of the people representing us today aren't fit to run a used car lot. And we wonder WHAT'S WRONG WITH DC?

Modern religion = MONEY and nothing else. A sideshow carnival that would make P.T. Barnum jealous. And now religion is wedded to politics and we're doomed like ancient Rome. It makes it hard to get up in the morning!

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Uh, widj --

What's your problem with "largess?"

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lar…

MY problem with all this is that it's hardly news: this was what Obama was supposed to tackle and begin cleaning up, wasn't it?

The corruption is apparently unstoppable, since Eisenhower pointed out the dangers of the military-industrial complex back in the day. Ever since, it has grown and metastasized and will soon kill its host, America.

A team of ethical surgeons might help, but even then we may be beyond hope.

Besides, there aren't any ethical surgeons left in American politics. Some, like Obama, may CLAIM the mantle but their actions prove bought and paid-for.

Until, finally, the endlessly entertained, ever-distracted, gadget-laden, increasingly ill-educated, uninformed, shit-paying-job-hating shop-till-you-drop electorate realizes it's futile to bother voting at all, since the choices are indistinguishable and the United States died long ago when nobody was looking.

Which is why I'm in show business. Say what you will; if it gets a little hinky in one place, my agents at WM/E always book me a better gig.

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Pearls Before Swine was good last week, more or less on this subject.

http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/2010…

http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/2010…

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Snapback, the joke is it's not a joke!

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