MARTIN BASHIR APOLOGIZES FOR BRINGING ‘SHAME’ TO MSNBC WITH GRAPHIC ATTACK ON SARAH PALIN

Where does America rank in terms of top rate?

Taxes are fiendishly complex, so this post might have some errors.  I’m trying to see where America ranks in terms of “top income tax rate.”  Just to be clear, I am not including wage taxes, or corporate income taxes.  Nor am I interested in the maximum MTR associated with benefit and deduction phaseouts.  You’d have to be a rocket scientist to figure all of those out.  I’d like to rank countries according to the MTR as one’s income goes out towards infinity.  I believe the top 6 countries are:

1.  Aruba  58.95%
2.  Sweden  56.6%
3.  Denmark
56.455.6%
4.  Netherlands  52%
5.  Spain  52%
6.  US  51.4%  (but only in California.)

[Sources here and here]
Our top rate in a typical state is about 48%, which is roughly 10th in the world.  The top federal income tax rate is 43.4% (39.6% plus the 3.8% medical income tax.)  I got the California number by assuming their 13.3% top rate was deductible against the 39.6% federal rate, but not the 3.8%.

Update:  Mark Sadowski points out that California also trails Belgium and Portugal.

Update#2:  Steve points out that with the Pease phaseout California’s top rate is actually 52.6%, still number 6, but trailing Portugal and Belgium, not Netherlands and Spain.

Canada seems to have a top rate of 54.75% in Quebec, but only about 45% in a typical province, and about 42% in populous Ontario.  Their top federal rate is 29%.  (I assumed local taxes are not deductible at the Federal level, otherwise their rates would be lower.)  Progressives want Canada’s health care regime.  I want their banking system, military, and income tax regime.  And their sound public finances.  Oil-rich conservative Alberta’s top rate is 39%, versus 43.4% in oil-rich conservative Texas.

Recently a lot of zombie ideas have been resurrected by progressives (and even some conservatives.)  These include 75% tax rates, much higher minimum wages, and guaranteed annual incomes.  I realize that lots of people are worried about inequality.  But there are sensible ways to address the issue (i.e. wage subsidies.) Let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot.  There’s a reason that Aruba is the only country in the world with a top rate above 57%.

PS.  The New York Times did a story on the Swiss referendum on a proposal that would pay every Swiss couple $67,ooo/year to do . . . nothing at all.  Just for existing.  They left the impression that it was a good idea. How did they accomplish that seemingly miraculous task?  Simple, they “forget” to mention the size of the guaranteed annual income.

PPS.  I have a better idea for the Swiss.  Instead of giving $33,500 to each Swiss adult, at a total cost of $200,000,000,000, why not give $50/year to each human adult?

Regarding the minimum wage, here is some data for Western Europe:
There are nine countries with a minimum wage (Belgium, Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Luxembourg).  Their unemployment rates range from 5.9% in Luxembourg to 27.6% in Greece.  The median country is France with 11.1% unemployment.
There are nine countries with no minimum wage (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland.)  Five of the nine have a lower unemployment rate than Luxembourg, the best of the other group.  The median country is Iceland, with a 5.5% unemployment rate. The biggest country in Europe is Germany.  No minimum wage and 5.2% unemployment.

Still want to raise our minimum wage to $10?  Germany used to have really high unemployment.  Then they did labor reforms to allow more low wage jobs, combined with subsidies for low wage workers.  Now they don’t have high unemployment.

Still want to raise our minimum wage to $10?

Find the article here:
http://www.themoneyillusion.com/?p=24759


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 Taxes are very counter-intuitive to some but the fact is, we tax people in this country too much...  We don't tax them fairly ... we don't use the tax money appropriately... and a certain segment of society is convinced that taxing people into government servitude makes for a healthy nation....

What do you think about those minimum wage stats (Emphasis Added).... another counter-intuitutive subject....?  Interesting just how many countries in 'Western Europe' (You know, the culture that we are trying to emulate), including Sweden, Finland and Germany who have no minimum wage...

WH Predicts: Taxes Will Hit Record $3T in FY14--$29,673 Per Full-Time Worker

November 14, 2013 - 2:03 PM
By Terence P. Jeffrey


(CNSNews.com) - The latest Monthly Treasury Statement, which was released on Wednesday afternoon, relies on the estimate made by the White House Office of Management and Budget to say that federal tax revenues will top $3 trillion for the first time in the nation’s history in fiscal 2014.

In fact, the record $3,023,004,000,000 in tax revenues that the White House is predicting the federal government will rake in during fiscal 2014 not only exceeds the inflation-adjusted revenue taken in by the government in any previous year, it also equals $29,673 in tax revenue for every full-time worker in the country.

It is also equals $9,534 for every man, woman and child currently living in the country.

Until now, the record-setting year for inflation-adjusted federal tax revenues was fiscal 2007. In that year, the federal government brought in $2,899,644,380,000 in constant 2013 dollars.

If the White House is correct that total federal tax receipts will hit $3,023,004,000,000 in fiscal 2014, that would represent an increase of $123,359,620,000 in constant 2013 dollars over fiscal 2007's record tax haul of $2,899,644,380,000. Real tax revenues this year, according to the White House estimate, will be 4.25 percent higher than they have ever been.

According to the Census Bureau, there are now 317,065,976 people in the United States. The $3,023,004,000,000 in taxes the administration plans to collect this fiscal year equals $9,534 for every single one of those 317,065,976 people.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 101,877,000 full-time workers (who usually worked at least 35 hours a week) in the average month during 2012. The $3,023,004,000,000 in taxes the administration plans to collect this year equals $29,673 for each of those full-time workers.

For each household where there are two full-time workers, the federal government is planning to collect $59,346 in this fiscal year. In 2012, according to the Census Bureau, the median household income was only $51,017.

At the end of 2012, President Barack Obama struck a deal with Republicans in Congress to enact legislation that increased taxes. The deal included pushing the top income tax rate from 35 percent to 39.6 percent, increasing the top tax rate on dividends and capital gains from 15 percent to 20 percent, and phasing out personal exemptions and deductions starting at an annual income level of $250,000.

Despite the record tax revenue, the White House Office of Management and Budget predicts a deficit of $750,369,000,000. That would be an increase from the $680,232,000,000 deficit the Treasury reported for fiscal 2013, which ended on Sept. 30.

Emphasis added

CNSNews:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/wh-predicts-taxes-will-hit-record-3t-fy14-29673-full-time-worker

Which TV Network Leads in Diversity Programing?

To some here the word "diversity" is an obscenity used by liberals and progressives to the detriment of us real Americans.  Well folks, guess which network leads in diversity programming. Give up?
Here's the answer, my favorite network, Fox.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/11/13/244988218/fox-says-diversity-leads-to-good-ratings-and-better-business?ft=1&f=1001

Churches post 'Thou shalt not kill' billboards around Detroit

Posted: Nov 12, 2013 4:48 AM PST 
Updated: Nov 12, 2013 5:33 AM PST

 

By FOX NEWS - 

 

A wave of gun violence in Detroit has prompted local church leaders to inundate the city with "Thou shalt not kill" posters and billboards in hopes of quelling the violence.

A coalition of clergy leaders held an emergency meeting on Nov. 7 to develop a plan to promote the message of the Sixth Commandment in the community, WWJ-TV reported.

“We all have to do what we can do, and right now we don’t have a respect in our communities for life; we don’t have a respect for many things,” a local minister, Ovella Andreas, told the station. “But we still have to create a standard to hopefully have a consciousness about God …. because even our people have become apathetic.”

The group, which spearheaded efforts to get the city to designate the 22nd day of each month as “Stop the Violence Day,” hopes to saturate the community with the campaign by placing posters on the sides of buses, billboards and at area businesses.

“This is an emergency; this is a crisis, and we have to come together now to do what we can,” Andreas told WWJ-TV. “I truly know if we do what we can, God will do what we cannot; but we’re not doing all that we can.”

Read more

Last week, three men were fatally shot in a back gambling room of an east side barbershop. Authorities have identified a convicted felon as a person of interest and believe the shooting may have stemmed from an ongoing feud.

On Monday, the autopsy on a 19-year-old woman killed on a suburban Detroit porch where she'd reportedly gone to seek help after a car crash confirmed that she died of a gunshot wound to her face.

Renisha McBride, of Detroit, who was black, was fatally shot Nov. 2 in predominantly white Dearborn Heights. Civil rights groups have called for a vigorous prosecution in the case, saying McBride was targeted because of her race.

Article Here:

http://www.myfoxny.com/Story/23942392/churches-post-thou-shalt-not-kill-billboards-around-detroit

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Those damn fundamentalists are at it again!  Notice how they didn't blame the guns...  They blamed the apathy... something that is, IMHO, promoted by and is all to common in progressivism.   'Progressives' will tell you differently but when high moral standards can't be voiced as it is 'fundamentalist hate', they are pushing apathy.  And progressives will raise their voices in condemnation of this 'religious interference' as they push their own conscious killing dogma.  

What will you do my conservative friends?

I ask that in all seriousness. As we look forward to the 2016 presidential election the democratic party seems to be in the hands of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. One of them will be the nominee unless Cory Booker can streak that far in the limited time remaining. I doubt that I think he will run in 2020. so Hillary and Biden definite front runners. Wait you say Benghazi! Well that will come up, but eventually Barack Obama is going to take one for the party and Hillary will be somewhat free of that unfortunate circumstance.
   On the right you have several prospects, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Rick Santorum. What will you do?
   As it stands today Chris Christie a moderate stands to be the front runner. He doesn't always act the way you want him too, is very pragmatic, compromises for the common good, and is very outspoken not only against his opponents but sometimes against his own party. He is  (I hate to say it again) center right, charismatic , and most important can win. In New Jersey he won the Hispanic vote, he won the minority vote, he won the women's vote, all in a pretty damn blue state. What will you do?
Let's look at your options.

Ted Cruz he will have 3 years under his belt as a U S Senator, 5 years as Solicitor General of Texas. He had a short legal career but other then that nothing. I would have a problem with his overall experience.

Rand Paul. He will get the libertarian vote although he is much more mainstream then his father. He will have 8 years under his belt as a U.S Senator, provided he is re-elected in 2014. I see no problem with that for him. He's an Ophthalmologist by trade an eye doctor. Geesh if my daddy was a Gynecologist I think I would have followed him into the trade :). Rand Paul is already moving more towards the mainstream. It's where presidents get elected.

Marco Rubio. Well you're mad at him for his stance on immigration. By 2016 he will have 5 years in the senate and 9 yrs. in the Florida House. Hey that's about the same experience of our current president before he was elected. Nope gotta nix this one no experience.

Rick Santorum, 2012 presidential candidate and the runner up in the primary.  I'd have took him as my vice presidential candidate if I were Romney. He could have helped the ticket carry Pennsylvania. We know now that wouldn't have been enough but at the time it was pretty hotly contested, and carries more EC votes then Wisconsin.  2 term senator, 2 terms in the U S House, proven family man, high on family values, what's not to like? Except he probably is not electable on a national scale. I think you'd have the Mitt Romney, John Kerry type, all kinds of qualifications but can't connect with the common man. I think this hindered him during the last primary.

And ya got Chris Christie. 2 times governor of N J, 6 years District attorney for N.J. 3 years as a Morris County N.J. commissioner. Guys got it all and then some. Whats he got? Fundraising, fundraising, fundraising. While exploring his chances in 2012 this guy got the backing of the Koch's if he decided to run, he has Kenneth Langone CEO of Home Depot in his pocket. He has the Bushes behind him. He has endorsements from Scott Walker of Wisconsin, John Kaisch of Ohio and Rudy Guiliani if only he will run. What will you do. Christie has reliability issues, Christie will probably not run right to get the nomination and back center to run, it's just not his style. Christie can poll well among independents and moderate democrats and in early polling he runs the best race against Hillary Clinton. He is charismatic, he is electable, but he doesn't completely believe the things most of you do. He is the best choice right now to give you the white house but he has been, is and will remain a right center republican. What will you do?

Air Force Sgt. Matt Pinkerton Fires 2 Fatal Shots at Home Intruder - Now Faces 2nd Degree Murder Charge

In the wee hours of the morning on September 13th, Air Force Sgt. Matt Pinkerton and his wife were entertaining guests at their home when an acquaintance of Mrs. Pinkerton’s came knocking.

It was 2 AM. After being told to leave by Matt Pinkerton, who closed the door, Kendall Green decided that he’d kick it in and force his way into the home.

Matt Pinkerton, having armed himself with his Glock17 9mm prior to approaching the door, then proceeded to discharge two rounds into Green.

Green was subsequently killed in an obvious act of self defense.

Matt Pinkerton with his sons

But the story didn’t end there, as it should have.

The district attorney’s office has now filed second degree murder charges against Sgt. Pinkerton.

You may be asking yourself under what pretext?

According to the DA, Pinkerton exhibited “bizarre behavior” by grabbing his weapon when an unexpected knock came to his door at 2AM that morning. And, because he failed to call 9-1-1 between the time Green kicked in his door and rushed him, he has now been charged with murder by the state.

Mike Pinkerton, one of the guests and brother of Matt, recalls the incident via Bullets First:

“He (Green) kept coming forward so Matt fired. He rocked backwards and took another step forward at which time Matt took his second shot. He stumbled backwards and fell out the door onto the porch.”

“When the shots were fired Jessica called 911. Matt spoke to the operator; he removed the clip from his gun and the bullet in the chamber. Police arrived within five minutes.”

So what did Matt do wrong when a crazed man broke in his front door at 2am and was after his wife? To me, nothing.

Yet according to the state of Maryland, Matt should have called 911 first and waited for the police.

That isn’t some glib, pro gun caricature of the how when seconds count cops are minutes away. This is the reason he is being charged with murder. It doesn’t help that on top of the lack of a Castle Doctrine Statute the Assistant State’s Attorney, Glen Neubauer, is an rabid anti gunner himself.

Besides maintaining the ridiculous notion that calling 911 while a crazed intruder just smashed his way into your house is the only legal option, Neubauer also claims that even the act of grabbing the gun in the first place is “bizarre behavior in itself.”

Read the full report at Bullets First

As an important note, Mrs. Pinkerton was in no way involved with Kendall Green and a long list of evidence suggests they were merely friends, until Green decided he wanted more out of the relationship, at which point Mrs. Pinkerton ended their interactions.

Thus, it should be obvious that Kendall Green was likely demonstrating irrational emotional and mental behavior the morning he kicked down her door and entered her home.

The Pinkertons have set up a Facebook page in an effort to bring awareness to Matt’s plight against an overzealous District Attorney, who himself is a staunch supporter of anti-gun laws.

Through no fault of his own, Matt Pinkerton is now facing the real possibility of being imprisoned for doing what any self respecting, individually responsible person would do – defending himself, his wife, his guests and his home.

His legal expenses have already exceeded $25,000, plus an additional $25,000 so that Sgt. Pinkerton could be released on bond while awaiting his trial. The family was forced to take out loans in order to make these payments.

So, not only is the State now threatening the freedom of a man who defended those he loved, they are impoverishing him and his family for no other reason than to make a political statement.

The Pinkertons have received an overwhelming show of support since making their story public, with thousands flocking to their Facebook page. Matt Pinkerton was compelled to respond to his many supporters directly:

The monetary support is simply amazing! While I appreciate it, I don’t want anyone to overextend themselves. I am still working, and still getting paid. I received word that the GiveForward effort was reported. They shut it down when they learned it was not medically related. That said, they are cutting a check, IN THE AMOUNT OF $12,453!!!, give or take 20 bucks or so. Words can’t express my appreciation. I was standing guard at the gate when my wife texted me that our friend, Erica, set up the donation page. It’s a blessing to have so many supporters! From what I have been told, the reps at GiveForward suggested to Erica another site. I have since learned she has set something else up…or so I believe she has given the mass amount of emails I am receiving about PayPal donations/

I hate accepting money from anyone! I wouldn’t even allow my parents to purchase my first vehicle at the age of 16. However, I understand there are some that still want to help.

I have a LOT I would like to say. However, as you all likely know and understand, my lawyer would suggest I not. When this is all said and done, regardless of the outcome, I will share my story.

It is a travesty that Sergeant Matt Pinkerton has been put into this position.

The majority of people with any common sense at all know the answer to the question: What Would You Do If Someone Kicked Your Door In?

Matt had to make an immediate determination about how to respond to an intruder who had just kicked in his door, had made the decision to target him directly, and was making his way towards him.

He had mere seconds to decide, because 10 – 15 feet is not much ground to cover when someone is racing towards you with violence on their mind.

The last thing on Matt’s mind was whether he should call 9-1-1 at the particular moment in time.

We often say it’s better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.

This is a real life representation of the adage.

If you’d like to lend your support to Matt Pinkerton and his family, their friends have set up a crowd funding page to help with his defense.

Just let me copy that....................

What's up with Rand Paul? Ut Oh this might not be good. The last presidential aspirant
accused of Plagiarism, and admitting to it was none other then Vice President Joe Biden in 1988. He didn't dare to run again until 2008. This is not good although the right is much more forgiving of this type of thing. Spin city going on and Paul has found a permanent home to spout off his stolen text at breitbart.com. Cool beans.

from CBS news.com

Reports continue to emerge that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has a habit of using other authors' work in his own speeches and writings without giving them credit. The latest: an op-ed Paul wrote for The Washington Times on mandatory minimum sentencing borrowed verbatim from an article on the same topic written by Dan Stewart and published in The Week a week before Paul's own piece.
The overlap was originally reported by the website Buzzfeed, which found several copied sentences that outline the growth of the prison system, criticism of mandatory minimum sentencing, and tell the story of a Florida man named John Horner who was subject to a mandatory minimum penalty after selling some prescription painkillers to a friend who turned out to be a police informant.
"We've always known that the audience of The Week consists of smart, busy people who want to feel even smarter, including a lot of people on Capitol Hill," Bill Falk, the editor in chief of The Week, told Buzzfeed. "We'd like to thank Sen. Paul for his endorsement."
In an interview with the New York Times Tuesday, Paul admitted that he had "made mistakes" and said new procedures were being put in place to make footnotes available "if it will make people leave me the hell alone."
"In the thousands of speeches and op-eds Sen. Paul has produced, he has always presented his own ideas, opinions and conclusions. Sen. Paul also relies on a large number of staff and advisers to provide supporting facts and anecdotes - some of which were not clearly sourced or vetted properly," said Paul senior adviser Doug Stafford in a statement to CBSNews.com. "Footnotes presenting supporting facts were not always used. Going forward, footnotes will be available on request. There have also been occasions where quotations or typesetting indentations have been left out through errors in our approval process. From here forward, quoting, footnoting and citing will be more complete. Adherence to a new approval process implemented by Sen. Paul will ensure proper citation and accountability in all collaborative works going forward."
Paul also told the Times that no staffers were being fired over the incidents of plagiarism.
Paul has been under fire for borrowing language since MSNBC's Rachel Maddow accused him of citing Wikipedia descriptions of the movie "Gattaca" during a speech at Liberty University. Since then, the list of language copied from other sources has continued to grow, including the revelation that Paul's response to President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address included a line about increasing unemployment rates taken directly from an Associated Press report.
"It's been a footnote frenzy going on. They have looked at my works including all of my speeches which 98 percent of those are extemporaneous. I can't quote everything perfect. I'm not perfect," Paul said to Fox News host Sean Hannity Monday night, arguing that he was the only person being held to such a high standard because of political motivations.

Buying Voters

As the cost of health insurance plans and out of pocket expenses go up for the people who actually pay for their health care, people will find that it may be better for them to reduce their level of income so they can qualify for subsidies.  As they realize that qualifying for health care subsidies means that for a few less dollars of income per year will qualify them for food stamps and section 8 housing, they will trade their pride in independence for a comfortable, government supplied, lifestyle. As they become completely dependent on the government for their human needs, they will create offspring who know of no different lifestyle than being dependent on the government.  Long term thinkers in the democrat party must realize that increasing government benefits will increase the number of people on government support.  What do they plan on doing with all of these unproductive citizens?  Are they just perpetuating their political base?  Will the only requirement for government aid in the future be that the receivers must vote in all elections?  They will certainly have time for it.

ObamaCare (again)

It's funny to see them squirm and figure out how to convince people that Obama DIDN'T LIE. Which of course he did as internal memo says 95 Million people will eventually have their insurance canceled.

Say Carney's latest explanation is: If you like your insurance coverage and your insurance company doesn't cancel it, you can keep it.

Well DUH! Unfortunately, ObamaCare mandates require every insurance coverage to be changed, hence none are illegible to be grandfathered. That was PLANNED.



How about that liberal middle class married couple living in California? Huge ObamaCare supporters they were. They were SHOCKED to learn that their insurance was being canceled and that their new insurance would be $6000 more a year and with a higher deductible. So as good leftist activists they wrote their Congressmen to FIX it. LMAO, it is FIXED. It's doing exactly what it was designed to do. Transfer wealth from the healthy and middle class to the poor and the sick. Did they really believe that their premiums would actually DROP but $2500? Premiums don't drop, but out of pocket expenses do drop for the ENTITLED POOR. It's like saying socialism is GREAT it just needs to be fixed so it doesn't suck.