I'm a Wisconsin native, and cast my ballot for Bush - and let me tell you, I sure felt good when I saw the results, even though Gore won the state. With a difference of only 6000 votes, it wasn't quite as close as Florida, but it was obvious that my vote definitely made a difference. I encourage everyone to think back to this election in four years, regardless of how it comes out, and consider that when it's time to vote again.
The reason Microsoft and any other company got away with not paying any taxes is because of our convoluted, huge, and impossible to understand tax system. Do you have any idea just how many lines there are in the United States tax code? Of course there's going to be loopholes that allow this kind of stuff. And of course the companies with big $ to hire lawyers are going to find them. It's the way of life.
If you want to change all that, we need to start clean with a brand new tax code. I can make it nice and simple for you: Everyone pays y% on their income. Every company pays x% on their profits. There. Problem solved, big companies pay there share, and a fair system is implemented.
As for all the comments on using taxes to punish behavior, I understand China has a working communism - move over there, that should fit your idea of a good government. If something isn't bad enough that we can criminalize it, how the hell can you justify taxing it as a way of prevention? It seems like the long way around to get to the same thing, to me.
And what about giving selective tax breaks? Who the heck are you to tell me whether I'm deserving of a tax break or not? Somebody told my father that he wasn't worthy, and now he's working awfully hard to put his 3 oldest children through college, since we don't qualify for most scholarships or loans, and since he had to pay mucho dollars in taxes thanks to his small business.
Government is there to protect the minority from the majority as well as the majority from the minority. I am willing to pay my fair share of taxes to see that I have roads to drive on, Police to keep me safe from criminals, and an army to keep me safe from foreign tyrants. And I can accept that if I make $100,000 when I leave Purdue, I should pay more of it than someone who's struggling to survive at Mickey D's. However, I do not accept being punished for making more money, which is how I see progressively (there's a misnomer!) higher taxes.
I've got a lot more to say on the subject, but I'll end my rant here. Please try to remember, though, that rich people are people too, and don't deserve to get ragged on just because they earned a lot of money - last time I checked, that was the American Dream....
Would someone please find the stupid gene and fix it???
Lance McGrath
www.lancemcgrath.com
Really, people. They knew when they came here that they had 6 years. There's no reason to feel sorry for them - they chose to work here knowing they'd have to leave eventually. I'm sorry, but if we allow people to stay just because they've been here so long, we're setting a very bad precedent, and like it or not, we have to have strong immigration laws or risk the country being torn apart from within. This should be a non-issue - let them re-apply or something if they want to come back, but send em home for now.
Yes, I understand the whole privacy argument - but really, if I follow everything correctly, all this software does is allow the government to do what any reasonably intelligent geek on your local network has been able to do all along - packet sniff. Correct? If you really want privacy, don't whine about the government having access to your e-mail - encrypt it. They can sniff my e-mail all they want, they're still not getting anything from it.
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I'm a Wisconsin native, and cast my ballot for Bush - and let me tell you, I sure felt good when I saw the results, even though Gore won the state. With a difference of only 6000 votes, it wasn't quite as close as Florida, but it was obvious that my vote definitely made a difference. I encourage everyone to think back to this election in four years, regardless of how it comes out, and consider that when it's time to vote again.
The reason Microsoft and any other company got away with not paying any taxes is because of our convoluted, huge, and impossible to understand tax system. Do you have any idea just how many lines there are in the United States tax code? Of course there's going to be loopholes that allow this kind of stuff. And of course the companies with big $ to hire lawyers are going to find them. It's the way of life.
If you want to change all that, we need to start clean with a brand new tax code. I can make it nice and simple for you: Everyone pays y% on their income. Every company pays x% on their profits. There. Problem solved, big companies pay there share, and a fair system is implemented.
As for all the comments on using taxes to punish behavior, I understand China has a working communism - move over there, that should fit your idea of a good government. If something isn't bad enough that we can criminalize it, how the hell can you justify taxing it as a way of prevention? It seems like the long way around to get to the same thing, to me.
And what about giving selective tax breaks? Who the heck are you to tell me whether I'm deserving of a tax break or not? Somebody told my father that he wasn't worthy, and now he's working awfully hard to put his 3 oldest children through college, since we don't qualify for most scholarships or loans, and since he had to pay mucho dollars in taxes thanks to his small business.
Government is there to protect the minority from the majority as well as the majority from the minority. I am willing to pay my fair share of taxes to see that I have roads to drive on, Police to keep me safe from criminals, and an army to keep me safe from foreign tyrants. And I can accept that if I make $100,000 when I leave Purdue, I should pay more of it than someone who's struggling to survive at Mickey D's. However, I do not accept being punished for making more money, which is how I see progressively (there's a misnomer!) higher taxes.
I've got a lot more to say on the subject, but I'll end my rant here. Please try to remember, though, that rich people are people too, and don't deserve to get ragged on just because they earned a lot of money - last time I checked, that was the American Dream....
Would someone please find the stupid gene and fix it???
Lance McGrath
www.lancemcgrath.com
Really, people. They knew when they came here that they had 6 years. There's no reason to feel sorry for them - they chose to work here knowing they'd have to leave eventually. I'm sorry, but if we allow people to stay just because they've been here so long, we're setting a very bad precedent, and like it or not, we have to have strong immigration laws or risk the country being torn apart from within. This should be a non-issue - let them re-apply or something if they want to come back, but send em home for now.
Yes, I understand the whole privacy argument - but really, if I follow everything correctly, all this software does is allow the government to do what any reasonably intelligent geek on your local network has been able to do all along - packet sniff. Correct? If you really want privacy, don't whine about the government having access to your e-mail - encrypt it. They can sniff my e-mail all they want, they're still not getting anything from it.