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Back to the gallows.:mad:
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OMG! My sleepy l'il baby stock is exploding -- up 50%!^:cool:
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Originally Posted by msv
(Post 13808494)
Back to the gallows.:mad:
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Originally Posted by msv
(Post 13808477)
Cheepneezy - I bought a megamillions and powerball ticket this week. Will try and only win one so we can share:D
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Originally Posted by Hartmann
(Post 13808487)
While I enjoy the tax cuts, the current budget is unsustainable beyond 3-5 years according to most economics folks. The talk of a VAT has been fairly rampant and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. If they do decide to go through with a VAT, I'd like to see a simplified tax code, something like Paul Ryan is suggesting.
My theory is, if we are paying taxes, we deserve to know how they are being collected and a simplified system is one way to do it, plus it makes it harder to create loopholes. ETA - The reason I think it's a feature is that complexity increases overall the number of people required to accomplish a goal. It leads to more employment, and idle/irate populations are a government's worst nightmare, as they tend to lead to political and social unrest. I think our current system of mass-scale complexity across many sectors is due to both the complex nature of human/economic/physical interaction (which can never be reduced beyond a certain point in a society of a given size), and is also intentional (it keeps more people busy more of the time). |
Originally Posted by Trustguy
(Post 13808463)
Trustafarians existed even when the estate tax threshold was $600k. The lower limit will just make the planning vehicles more creative in order to postpone or avoid the tax. Attorneys and accountants rejoice!
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Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter
(Post 13808520)
I've come to believe that systemic complexity in many of our governmental and private sectors is a feature, rather than a bug. The systemic complexity creates specialist-classes of employees that are self-perpetuating. There's a theory that reducing complexity as much as possible would free up more capital and create more jobs, but I'm not aware of any society that has reached such a streamlined system of effective, bare-bones regulations/systems/entities across both public and private sectors. The theory may hold true, but the initial fallout from radically streamlining everything would be horrendous job losses that hit the middle class/service sector the hardest.
I think history disagrees with you. Sure it's systemic, but history has shown that when things become too complex and the classes become too far apart, something snaps that brings things back to equilibrium. Simplifying the tax code would certainly get rid of a few "classes", but it would also create more revenue for the government, in doing so however, it would make a new set of people eligible for taxation. |
Originally Posted by Hartmann
(Post 13808487)
While I enjoy the tax cuts, the current budget is unsustainable beyond 3-5 years according to most economics folks, even if the economy in general improves. The talk of a VAT has been fairly rampant and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. If they do decide to go through with a VAT, I'd like to see a simplified tax code, something like Paul Ryan is suggesting.
My theory is, if we are paying taxes, we deserve to know how they are being collected and a simplified system is one way to do it, plus it makes it harder to create loopholes. |
Originally Posted by sbm12
(Post 13808460)
Definitely not Cyberport. WAY out of the way unless you are doing business out there.
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Replacement BD *G card ordered. Now to suffer through ~4 weeks (assuming it is actually on time) of no lounge access. At least I don't have any flights currently booked where that would matter.
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Originally Posted by jrzyshawn
(Post 13808539)
I was just looking to save a few bucks. I guess the Sheraton wins.
Your choice. ;) |
Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter
(Post 13808520)
ETA - The reason I think it's a feature is that complexity increases overall the number of people required to accomplish a goal. It leads to more employment, and idle/irate populations are a government's worst nightmare, as they tend to lead to political and social unrest. I think our current system of mass-scale complexity across many sectors is due to both the complex nature of human/economic/physical interaction (which can never be reduced beyond a certain point in a society of a given size), and is also intentional (it keeps more people busy more of the time).
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Originally Posted by Hartmann
(Post 13808536)
I think history disagrees with you. Sure it's systemic, but history has shown that when things become too complex and the classes become too far apart, something snaps that brings things back to equilibrium.
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...I like muffins.
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The vet is charging me $50 a day for Roxy when I am in china :eek:
I have no choice, she needs daily bandage changes until her ear closes up and heals. |
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