Friday Open Thread
I’m supposedly back in Delaware today, if everything goes according to plan. However, this page may still be intentionally left blank.
Billionaire David Koch is scared of Barack Obama. I assume his business is the only one who is not soaring in the Obama recovery?
“[A]ll that Obama did was say ‘yea’ or ‘nay,’ we’re going to take him out or not,” Koch said, while attending the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Spring Ball on Wednesday evening. He went on:
He just made the decision, it was obvious where the guy is. He was one of the worst terrorists organizing attacks on the United States. I mean, no president in his right mind would not approve that decision to go eliminate him. So he’s getting a lot of recognition and his polls have jumped up, but his decision was the easiest of them all. The real hard work was done by the intelligence and the SEALs.
Said by a guy who makes money off the work done by his employees. I assume he spreads the wealth back to the people who actually do the work?
Obviously, Senator Pat Roberts was talking about me.
At a Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) was questioning a panel of experts on the tax code’s fairness. To kick off his questions, Mr. Roberts jokingly said he was conferring an “honorary doctorate of economics” on each of the four witnesses.
One of the witnesses, Aviva Aron-Dine, actually is a Ph.D. candidate in economics at MIT. Making nice with the senator, she said she appreciated the conferral of a degree, because she wouldn’t mind getting hers a couple of years early.
“I always heard a Ph.D. was a pretty hot Democrat,” Mr. Roberts replied.
“Pretty … sorry?” Ms. Aron-Dine responded.
“Somebody asked me what a pretty hot Republican was, and they said, ‘Nothing,'” Mr. Roberts continued. “So, you know, it’s an equal deal.” Then he went on with his questioning.
Pat Roberts isn’t exactly known for being the Senate’s classiest and most dignified member, but what possessed him to say these things out loud?
The senator’s spokesperson later said, “He means hot as in partisan or ‘fired up.'”
I wonder where that came from. Does anyone know, is Ms. Aron-Dine good-looking? Perhaps this was Roberts’s attempt at flirting.
Tags: Open Thread
Anyone talking about Markel giving the local banks tax credits and tax breaks to create jobs? Is anyone as fucking annoyed with this as me?
why are we giving banks in delaware franchise tax and tax credits to hire people?
i’m so glad we have a Dem Gov in office, I can’t imagine what an R would do
I don’t mind the tax breaks for businesses; it’s the cut for upper income individuals that PO’s me.
I’d like to see the business tax cuts put on a sunset just like the tax increases were. If they don’t produce jobs let them expire. We’re all about results, right?
That said I still need to read the details.
How could Markell do that?!
He’s giving tax breaks to wealthy and big business, even though the last 20 years show us that such a move does not create jobs, it just widens the income gap.
His proposal is Republican dream and a punch in the face to all of us Democrats who donated time and money to his campaign. Well, no more.
Anyone talking about Markel giving the local banks tax credits and tax breaks
Way to clear a room, dv.
I already said my piece yesterday. I am over Jack Markell!
Well now that we have appeased the Country Club set how about restoring last years 10% and up cuts to Grant in Aid. Nah, that might help a poor black kid, or worse yet a poor black adult, Disgusting!
This was as self serving and selfish as anything the terrible 2 from WI Walker and Ryan did!
Perhaps David Koch is available as the speaker for the next JJ Dinner clearly he is not looking for Dem votes!
I’m opposed to tax cuts for the rich in general, but we should get some perspective on this.
Maybe there is some political goodwill to be gained by cutting the top income tax. According to the article it is 2 tenths of a percent for a total of $6.8 million. That is not a lot of money in the scheme of things, depending on what else we can buy with the good will that will presumably result from the top earners.
Isn’t it nice to be able to run on income tax cuts for a cost of only $6.8 million? $6.8 million is a lot but think of the good you can do by remaining in office and not being distracted by having to fight “big taxer” opposition ads. Ed Rendell did the same thing in Philly. He kept doing microscopic cuts to the city wage tax and never faced an opponent accusing him of tax increases.
I haven’t looked at Markell’s business tax cuts in detail, but remember the business taxes are what allows us to keep our income taxes low overall, so we do need to treat businesses well.
you know anon. I’m wondering What is the difference between Markell and those guys. I mean, he basically did the same thing as those guys.
but b/c it’s delaware it doesn’t get coverage. You would think with Biden being the VP, it would get a little more light.
I like cutting state benefits to give tax cuts to the top bracket. I think it is cool. Markell just needs to go further. I like cross the board tax cuts.
Well David I rest my case. Maybe Jack can hit a Lincoln Day Dinner:)
I’m disgusted and horrified by Markell’s tax proposals, and I’m a bit disappointed that DL didn’t designate a full blog post to it. (I’m hoping that’s in the works.)
While state employees are receiving significant benefit cuts, languishing without any type of COLA, public service agencies are going without necessary supplies, and services to the poorest among us are being cut and cast aside, my DEMOCRATIC governor proposes tax reductions for the upper class? After he proposes that recently found funds be used for one-time expenses so as to not add to budget burdens, he cuts an important source of revenue?
Cut taxes for the moderate/poor poor if you want to cut taxes.
I thought Jack was a different type of leader. Sadly, I have been proven wrong.
Those who actually care about people who live at 40k per year and under need to wake up and Holler! May as well bring back Pete DuPont! over 3000 human beings with hearts souls and feelings slept out doors in New Castle County last night. Enjoy your tax cuts!
I’m wondering What is the difference between Markell and those guys.
Well, these aren’t
BushObama-style tax cuts that take already-low taxes and slash them to the bone. These are incremental tax cuts and still well within the boundaries of a Democratic world view.While I don’t buy it at all at the national level, I can buy into the concept that cutting taxes for businesses might have some positive effect on jobs in Delaware (along with the token cut for income tax). This is much more likely to be true in the confined space of Delaware than at the national level.
jp’s point about 3000 people living outdoors is well taken though. And no doubt there are other tragedies I can’t even think of right now. So it is true that any benefits for the wealthy or business should not be handed out without some form of agreement to start relieving the suffering immediately.
But if these tax cuts work and actually help create or retain jobs, we will all be better off in the long run.
Jobs in Delaware are like a community of endangered animals – when the numbers go below a certain tipping point, the community crashes fast.
The tax increase was on Gross Adjusted Income “IN EXCESS” of $60,000. Any individual who earned less than $60,000 taxable income did not pay a red cent more to the state than at the previous bracket. The .2% cut would be on any income over that individuals $60,000.
For example someone making $70,000 taxable income (after deductions) would have been burdened with an additional $100 in taxes for a full year and under the administrations proposal that will drop to an additional $80 per year.
A person making $100,000 per year taxable had been “crushed” with an additional $400 obligation that will be reduced to an additional $320 compared to last year if the tax cut package passes.
Also the News Journal did not have my full remarks so let me record them here. I disagreed with prematurely cutting back on the tax increases since they are due to sunset in 2013 and I further remarked that after 8 consecutive tax cuts (predominantly during the Carper era) there was hardly an ounce of political courage to increase them by anyone last year, (we were lucky to get 1 pt. over 60K) and if we hit a double dip going into an election year nobody has demonstrated the willingness or guts to raise taxes on the wealthy moving forward. That’s the sad reality of too hastily restoring tax cuts unless you have a pledge written in blood that they will have the b_lls to address it in an election year if needed.
John Kowalko
You tell ’em John!
John Kowalko is spot on with his comments.
I supported Markell in 2008. I can tell you that this tax cut for the wealthy and banks while screwing the little guys is just one more example of how duped many of us were by Markell’s campaign act.
With no opponent in 2012, he will win. But he won’t have my vote!
So DL when’s the next round table with old jackie boyz?
Here is a well-reasoned article that explains precisely why cutting taxes for the rich and for big business does NOT create jobs.
http://www.nypress.com/article-22306-tax-the-rich_.html
I think most people around here know by now that the only people that benefit from rich peoples tax cuts, are the rich.
Jack Markell is cut from the same cloth as Obama. They believe in trickle down economics and truly buy into the bullshit. It’s exceedingly obvious at this point.
John Kowalko for Governor
If you are indoors right now, you are crazy. If you are indoors reading blog comments right now please seek professional help ASAP.
Moved from here to this presumably more civil thread:
I don’t think I thought I’d see — actually buying into the fairy tale that tax cuts create jobs.
I agree with this principle. However, comparing Federal tax cuts with state tax cuts is apples to oranges. There is a very good case that state business tax cuts can benefit Delaware jobs. States are not simply a smaller version of the Federal government.
Fungibility is easy at the state level; difficult at the Federal level. Moving your Delaware banking operation or your small business to China is not likely, but moving it to New Jersey or some other state is something companies contemplate every day. In Delaware, when you talk about “the rich” or “business” you are talking not about a category, but about specific people. It is likely Markell is hearing from specific companies about specific jobs.
They don’t, of course, otherwise the 2000’s would have been way more robust than they were.
Huh? Delaware didn’t have any tax cuts in the 2000s.
Tax cuts targeted at the top rate make no sense at all. (Full disclosure, I would benefit from this tax cut.)
Nearly half of Delaware households would. The bracket in question starts at $60K.
Remember, Markell raised that tax 1%, and is now dialing it back by two tenths. It is still a net increase on the rich.
And the whole increase is going away when it sunsets in a few years anyway, so what’s the big deal? Point your mighty analysis engine at the legislators who installed the sunset, not Markell. If Jack can buy a few brownie points by cutting the temporary rate by two tenths, good for him.
Going outside now.
Hi Selander! I kid… But seriously, Delaware’s business race to the bottom is economic development bullshit on toast. How long will this tax cut lie need to be debunked before it sticks?
Check out Vermont as an template and leave Mississippi tot eh obese idiots who eschew passport ownership.
In a few years all the taxes reset to where they were prior to Markell. But Markell will still keep his political capital he got from these cuts. That is a win. Markell will get genuine crossover support going forward from Delaware’s Republican businesses and fat cats. Considering that major portions of Delaware policy are constructed as private-public partnerships, this support is essential. Compare that to Obama getting nothing for his tax cuts.
Unlike the Federal tax cuts, I think these tax cuts are not about siding with the rich on everything, but about specific deals cut with specific people and businesses. That is how Markell operates. That is how Delaware operates. I think we will see job results. If not, I will change my mind.
I hate the Obama tax cuts for all the reasons that are now suddenly being discovered in that other thread today. But if Obama had let the Bush tax cuts expire and then cut them back two tenths of a percent, I would be the biggest supporter of Obama tax policy you could find.
If you want taxes raised on the rich, go after the legislators who forced the sunset.