patrick.net

count the number of mega-millionaires and billionaires in this picture...

I don't know who those folks are, except I think one is Steve Jobs, and he's dead. As I understand it he lent his opinion on some things, I don't find any references to him being a donor in the tens of millions range.

Plain and simple, the GOP optics as "bought". Grassroots is at the "kid table" at this point. You know, that's the card table at Thanksgiving where they stuff all the toddlers. How many folks at that table does it take to equal one Sheldon Adelson? Maybe the Democrats are just as bought, but if so they pull it off without getting a rap for it.

Per the OpenSecrets chart referenced by another poster of big donors, you have to go all the way down to #14 to find a Democratic donor.

The problem with GOP is, they thought enough buckets of money burned in ads and stuff would win them the election. Some big GOP donors are still ticked off it didn't. I suppose when you're a big player and you rub shoulders with Big Money, it never occurs to you that in the end that might turn some of the general public off. I'm not explaining it very well perhaps, sorry!

70 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 27, 4:07pm

the GOP optics as "bought".

because you say so.. right ! and you mention one person ! was all this from Corporations or Employees employed by the named corporation.. do anyone of these employees disclose to their employer who they provided political funding ( a personal matter ) ?

Per the OpenSecrets chart referenced by another poster of big donors, you have to go all the way down to #14 to find a Democratic donor.

you skipped more than a few between 1-14...

6 National Education Assn
7 United Auto Workers
8 Newsweb Corp
9 Service Employees International Union
10 Carpenters & Joiners Union
12 American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees
14 AFL-CIO

71

Vicente 2013 Jan 27, 4:12pm

you skipped more than a few between 1-13...

Oh right you are, I was misreading.

However the first 5 total over $115 million straight conservative.

I know everyone likes the giant cartoony check, however it just invites envy.

72 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 27, 4:19pm

However the first 5 total over $115 million straight conservative.

employees of the corporation or corporation it self ?

73 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 27, 4:23pm

12 American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees

you think it was the city state or muni that gave to Obama from the Govt funds ?

authorized by the mayor or city/county elected officials.. or just employees of the

city/state/county and muni ?

I dont see any corruption here.. do you ? would anything else be different from the list ?

74 carrieon 2013 Jan 27, 7:04pm

The stupidest thing the Republican party does is fund not only their own party but also fund the other party as well.

75 bob2356 2013 Jan 28, 1:58am

You didnt need Bush, Good ol Al Gore was talking about WMD and terrorists links long before the 2000 election..

If you can't tell the difference between talking about threats and sending in troops then you aren't qualified to participate in this discussion.

76

Vicente 2013 Jan 28, 3:59am

The more important point about Jindal, is WHAT IS GOP GOING TO CHANGE?

Other than calling for their LOON wing to keep it's mouth shut, what of substance?

It's like keeping David Duke in the party but asking him to "tone down" his racism. It just doesn't wash, you need some ACTIONS not words and PR claims. Was he calling to jettison the Loon Wing entirely? No he was not, it's more like stay in the closet but stay on our side and keep giving us money.

77

Y 2013 Jan 28, 5:11am

This is about as ignorant as it gets....

North Korea isn't a threat to anybody but North Korea.

78 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 28, 5:29am

ThreeBays says

As Kevin mentioned, we're talking about taxable income in the upper bracket only, after a small business owner has deducted expenses from his income.

yes.. i know that.. but as i suggest you actually look around your town and city and talk to a small business owner.

79

tatupu70 2013 Jan 28, 5:51am

yes.. i know that.. but as i suggest you actually look around your town and city
and talk to a small business owner

What good would that do? If he makes over $400K in taxable income, why is anyone worried about him???

80 nope 2013 Jan 28, 6:04am

He can tell you how "hard" he works and how many people he employs.

Talking about small business owners is an emotional way yo shield criticism for bad policy.

81 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 28, 6:39am

What good would that do? If he makes over $400K in taxable income, why is anyone worried about him???

expansion on current business..new capital purchases, new hiring and facility leases dont grow on trees or come out of nothing.

this should be obvious to you ! think of 7-11 or any chain store/restaurant you see everyday... started with one and doubled and kept doubling creating jobs.

82 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 28, 6:42am

Talking about small business owners is an emotional way yo shield criticism for bad policy

when you take your first MBA class be sure to wear some diapers.. your going
to learn something on how business is done: created and grown...

no emotions ... just facts any business major can talk about..

83

tatupu70 2013 Jan 28, 6:59am

expansion on current business..new capital purchases, new hiring and facility
leases dont grow on trees or come out of nothing.

this should be obvious to you ! think of 7-11 or any chain store/restaurant
you see everyday... started with one and doubled and kept doubling creating
jobs.

Again--what does that have to do with the point at hand? By all means, he has most likely earned his success. And I'm sure if he makes over $400K/year TAXABLE income, he is enjoying the fruits of his labor. Why in the world should anyone be worried about him?

84 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 28, 7:06am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmgP266RPYA

Why in the world should anyone be worried about him?

so emotional you are...

Cost of Capital.. Debt or equity financing higher than internal Retained Earning IRR... go figure it out..

85

Vicente 2013 Jan 28, 7:14am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlVDGmjz7eM

when you take your first MBA class

Yeah MBA will give you the real scoop.....

NOT!

86

Y 2013 Jan 28, 7:18am

No one 'earns his success' with this administration.
It's always a 'community effort'...

Again--what does that have to do with the point at hand? By all means, he has most likely earned his success. And I'm sure if he makes over $400K/year TAXABLE income, he is enjoying the fruits of his labor. Why in the world should anyone be worried about him?

87 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 28, 7:19am

NOT!

MBA, 4 year BA/BA or even 2 year Community College.. pick one.

either way, it just illustrates the hate by the left of anyone being successful.

your world view is a twisted Utopian fantasy..
isnt that what No. 6 fought against in the village ?

or am i talking to schizoid man ?

88

Vicente 2013 Jan 28, 7:22am

illustrates the hate by the left of anyone being successful.

My Dad was a very successful businessman, now retired. He didn't need an MBA to do that. The only people who think you need an MBA to run a small business, are people who've been brainwashed about the value of MBA degree.

89 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 28, 7:28am

he only people who think you need an MBA to run a small business, are people who've been brainwashed about the value of MBA degree.

skip the MBA and take a few night classes at the Community College..

or just pick up a $20 text book..it doesnt matter either way..

its the same info/facts for internally growing a business.

You can see every day down main street.. some guy/gal owns

a beauty salon, coffee shop, restaurants, etc etc...

90

tatupu70 2013 Jan 28, 7:31am

so emotional you are...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmgP266RPYA

Cost of Capital.. Debt or equity financing higher than internal Retained
Earning IRR... go figure it out..

Very good Thomas. Care to actually make an argument or will you keep mentioning business terms of which you appear to have a very limited understanding?

91

tatupu70 2013 Jan 28, 7:34am

either way, it just illustrates the hate by the left of anyone being successful.

so emotional you are...

You appear to be one talking about emotions....

92 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 28, 7:35am

Very good Thomas. Care to actually make an argument or will you keep mentioning business terms of which you appear to have a very limited understanding?

only you have the limited understanding..else
go talk to guy who grew McDonalds or StarBucks to what it is today.

93 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 28, 7:42am

http://www.youtube.com/embed/fTynx1hnfig

You appear to be one talking about emotions....

i have a better one for you....

"[I]f you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters," he proclaimed, "If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from."

94

tatupu70 2013 Jan 28, 7:46am

only you have the limited understanding..else
go talk to guy who grew
McDonalds or StarBucks to what it is today.

Thomas--seriously, what is your point?

95 edvard2 2013 Jan 28, 7:49am

either way, it just illustrates the hate by the left of anyone being successful.

Why would anyone " Hate" anyone that is successful? That's a fairly gross assumption. Clearly people on the left like music just like those on the right. They also like various companies that make the products they like. And of course many on the right Like President Obama who is a success as well.

96 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 28, 8:00am

edvard2 says

Why would anyone " Hate" anyone that is successful?

oh no... you continue.. tell me why YOU or anyone else deserves a little more from that pie.. and what will you do with a little more of that pie for yourself..

better off the business owner keeps greater portion and grows his business which has shown to employ and give incomes to more people than paying higher taxes to fund govt hand out programs. In such extremes.. Socialism failed.

Time to pull yourself by the bootstrap if you want to make it.

97 edvard2 2013 Jan 28, 10:39am

oh no... you continue.. tell me why YOU or anyone else deserves a little more from that pie.. and what will you do with a little more of that pie for yourself..

better off the business owner keeps greater portion and grows his business which has shown to employ and give incomes to more people than paying higher taxes to fund govt hand out programs. In such extremes.. Socialism failed

I do very well financially and I started making $4.25 an hour, working my way up the ladder to the point where I am probably within the upper 10% earning bracket for the Bay Area. So if you think I'm going to whine and complain, well again- it just comes to show that its a misrepresentation to assume that ALL liberals are

A: Socialist
B: Don't like people who have lots of money

Interesting because some of the world's richest people also happen to be very wealthy.

98

David Losh 2013 Jan 28, 11:17am

Time to pull yourself by the bootstrap if you want to make it.

OK, alrighty then, bootstraps huh?

If you are talking about business owners that make, or keep, $400K per year, yes they can afford to pay more in taxes, but that isn't the point at all.

Anybody can make as much money as they want, it's just that most people don't want to make money. That is just a fact.

When you ask people about goals, and ambitions most people have a long list of helping others, before they think to build wealth.

I have had this conversation with hundreds of hot shots over the years that talk about all kinds of stuff before they ever get around to building wealth.

Most guys want fancy cars, fancy clothes, and fancy women. Most women want fancy houses, fancy cloths, and fancy retirement programs.

Rich is much different than wealth, but to be rich, or to be wealthy is very simple, and anyone can do it.

This class warfare myth that the Republican Party tries to project is a diversion from the true problems that face our country, and global financial markets.

We are way past a full employment eutopia. There will need to be more quality to life than just what one individual can provide for a family.

So, yes, we need to raise taxes, yes we need to cut spending, and yes we need to Provide more for the Public Welfare.

It's in the Constitution, one of the greatest documents ever written, if you don't like it there are plenty of other places to go.

99 nope 2013 Jan 28, 11:48am

either way, it just illustrates the hate by the left of anyone being successful.

Nobody hates anybody for being successful.

What I do *hate* is the moronic misunderstanding of progressive taxation. When you take your first economics class (MANDATORY if you're trying to get an MBA), you'll learn all about why progressive taxation has proven to be the most successful model in the world, and how it saved capitalism in the 20th century.

If a guy makes $400k a year, that's fantastic. Good for him. But yes, he should be paying a higher tax rate than the guy making $200, and the guy making $200 should be paying a higher rate than the guy making $50.

It's just sound economic policy.

By the way -- I am successful. I didn't quite hit $400k last year, but I came really close. I've started, run, and sold my own business more than once. Don't give me this bullshit lie.

Unless you live in a state with a B&O tax (I'm guessing you don't even know what that is), taxes come on your profits. As a result, taxes have fuck-all to do with the success or failure of a business or what you invest in it. If you want to invest to grow your business, that's called an "expense", and you DON'T PAY TAXES ON IT. All taxes impact are, at most, the disposable income of the person receiving the profits.

No real business owner makes any real business decisions based on what his tax rate is going to be (other than, perhaps, figuring out how to avoid paying taxes). They hire based on demand. They grow based on revenue. They succeed or fail not because of their tax rate, but because they figure out how to make a profit to be taxed in the first place.

If you want to talk about government policy that helps or harms small businesses, you can legitimately gripe about regulations, business license fees, etc. Taxes don't mean shit.

100 edvard2 2013 Jan 28, 12:47pm

This is yet another one of those
"Lazy hippies!" diatribes: Another cliche where any and all liberals are deemed to be not only lazy, but probably also incapable of working hard , love anything that smells like socialism, and detests anyone with money.

All part of the ongoing influence of right wing entertainment.

101 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 29, 3:49pm

KarlRoveIsScum says

Wait, We're Winning the War on Poverty? A New Study Says: Absolutely

"It sounds disastrously wrong to claim that we're winning the war on poverty 24 hours after the Census reported more people living in poverty than the combined populations of California and Missouri.

this is what happened after you go after all the dirty air and dirty water as you call it.

congratulations for winning the war on polluters and thus put many Americans out of job.

102 thomaswong.1986 2013 Jan 29, 4:07pm

No real business owner makes any real business decisions based on what his tax rate is going to be (other than, perhaps, figuring out how to avoid paying taxes). They hire based on demand. They grow based on revenue. They succeed or fail not because of their tax rate, but because they figure out how to make a profit to be taxed in the first place.

http://www.pressheretv.com/ep-137-advice-for-zuckerberg/

Unless you live in a state with a B&O tax (I'm guessing you don't even know what that is), taxes come on your profits. As a result, taxes have fuck-all to do with the success or failure of a business or what you invest in it. If you want to invest to grow your business, that's called an "expense", and you DON'T PAY TAXES ON IT. All taxes impact are, at most, the disposable income of the person receiving the profits.

Clearly even the most well know CEO from CA would disagree with you..

FYI.. I do have Undergrad in Accounting, CPA, plus MBA from Santa Clara University... not to mention 3 decades of Tech experience.. your just a child compared to me.

If you really worked in business especially a large public company which staffs large numbers of Financial Planning and Analysis (FPA) professionals who make quarterly plans related to top line revenues, spending, and EPS.. you know exactly that spending no matter what the demand may be will be placed in check.. and the whole forecast will include the tax impact to get to EPS (after tax). We see this everday during earning seasons announcements. Estimates and Actuals.

103

tatupu70 2013 Jan 29, 8:36pm

If you really worked in business especially a large public company which
staffs large numbers of Financial Planning and Analysis (FPA) professionals who
make quarterly plans related to top line revenues, spending, and EPS.. you know
exactly that spending no matter what the demand may be will be placed in check..
and the whole forecast will include the tax impact to get to EPS (after tax). We
see this everday during earning seasons announcements. Estimates and Actuals.

Thomas--clearly you are not a big picture kind of guy. Every company forecasts earnings and those forecasts include estimates for revenues, capital spending, fixed and variable costs, earnings, etc. So what?

They make decisions based on forecasted demand. If sales are expected to be up 100%, you can damn well bet that the company will have plans to expand. Conversely, if sales are expected to be down, they will plan reducing capacity and spending, if possible.

Compare that to what they would do if their tax rate changed. If their tax rate is expected to be reduced, the company will simply raise the earnings/share estimate. They will NOT plan to hire.

No company makes day to day decisions based on tax rate.

104

David Losh 2013 Jan 30, 8:49am

Taxes don't mean shit.

When you get to that point of $400K per year taxes are simply another cost of doing business.

The employees on the other hand get smacked hard for every dollar they lose.

105

David Losh 2013 Jan 30, 11:01am

SFace says

I never met someone who is afraid iof making money because of income tax.

This is a stupid thing, but I was one of those who spent more time trrying to beat the taxes than actually looking at the big picture.

I would have these long complicated discussions with my accountant, who is very nice, and he listened for a couple of years, until one day he just said, "Stop talking, and learn to be a happy tax payer."

Once you get to a certain point in business taxes are just another set of numbers.

106

CL 2013 Jan 31, 8:06am