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I know we've had a fair share of convos here about Authoritarianism, fascism, and a possible constitutional crisis. I'll just go out on a limb and suggest that if Trump actually tries to fire Mueller, and pardon his buddies from Mueller's microscope, and if Ryan and McConnell let him do it, it'll be a very bad sign of where we've gone and I'll begin to believe Timmy's Alarmism was actually Realism. If this is allowed to happen, and I don't necessarily think it will, things could get very, very ugly.
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Constitutional Crisis?
SoxIlliniRob- Bova!
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SoxIlliniRob wrote:I know we've had a fair share of convos here about Authoritarianism, fascism, and a possible constitutional crisis. I'll just go out on a limb and suggest that if Trump actually tries to fire Mueller, and pardon his buddies from Mueller's microscope, and if Ryan and McConnell let him do it, it'll be a very bad sign of where we've gone and I'll begin to believe Timmy's Alarmism was actually Realism. If this is allowed to happen, and I don't necessarily think it will, things could get very, very ugly.
I think there are enough Republicans in the House that are saying "he better not fire Mueller or pardon anybody" that an impeachment would be more likely. As of 9:00 this morning, Trump is not taking the advice of psycho Bannon and is not moving to fire Mueller. We'll see what happens after the cock crows.
SoxIlliniRob- Bova!
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alohafri wrote:SoxIlliniRob wrote:I know we've had a fair share of convos here about Authoritarianism, fascism, and a possible constitutional crisis. I'll just go out on a limb and suggest that if Trump actually tries to fire Mueller, and pardon his buddies from Mueller's microscope, and if Ryan and McConnell let him do it, it'll be a very bad sign of where we've gone and I'll begin to believe Timmy's Alarmism was actually Realism. If this is allowed to happen, and I don't necessarily think it will, things could get very, very ugly.
I think there are enough Republicans in the House that are saying "he better not fire Mueller or pardon anybody" that an impeachment would be more likely. As of 9:00 this morning, Trump is not taking the advice of psycho Bannon and is not moving to fire Mueller. We'll see what happens after the cock crows.
This is what's giving me SOME peace of mind, but I suspect that the GOP is so hell bent on getting their rich guy tax cuts done that they might just overlook this if they thought doing otherwise would throw a wrench into their plans. There's talk that the rich donors are putting huge pressure on them to get a tax cut done as repayment for all of the $$ they've put into campaigns in the past 10 yrs. Supposedly, they've told the GOP that there'll be no campaign $$ for 2018 if they don't get the tax cuts done. Repealing ACA was going to accomplish a good part of this, because ACA raised their taxes quite a bit. Once that failed, it sounds like they put an ultimatum out to their side of congress.
That said, I still lean toward your thoughts on this. Lindsey Graham said Trump would have hell to pay if he fired Mueller. Several others have noted that there's no way he'll fire Mueller, but haven't said he'd pay a huge price for doing so. You'd have to think the noise would be unbearable if he tried it.
alohafri- Bova!
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And can anyone tell me why Manafort has three passports, each with a different number and why the other guy keeps changing his banks every few weeks, sometimes using a fake name?
And, if Papalapadoppontakasalous was such a "low level" volunteer, why is there a picture of him sitting around a table with Trump and Sessions? I was a low level volunteer on the Perot campaign in 1992. No pictures exist of him and me in the same state, let alone at the same table.
And, if Papalapadoppontakasalous was such a "low level" volunteer, why is there a picture of him sitting around a table with Trump and Sessions? I was a low level volunteer on the Perot campaign in 1992. No pictures exist of him and me in the same state, let alone at the same table.
SoxIlliniRob- Bova!
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alohafri wrote:And can anyone tell me why Manafort has three passports, each with a different number and why the other guy keeps changing his banks every few weeks, sometimes using a fake name?
I think you can use your teacher brain and figure this one out on your own. There is no way Trump didn't know the kind of guy Manafort was and still is. Manafort is a federal criminal and will be serving some hard time in the clink.
alohafri- Bova!
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SoxIlliniRob wrote:alohafri wrote:And can anyone tell me why Manafort has three passports, each with a different number and why the other guy keeps changing his banks every few weeks, sometimes using a fake name?
I think you can use your teacher brain and figure this one out on your own. There is no way Trump didn't know the kind of guy Manafort was and still is. Manafort is a federal criminal and will be serving some hard time in the clink.
Noooooo! I don't believe it! They come so highly recommended!
cream919- Fanboy Apprentice
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No pictures exist of him and me in the same state, let alone at the same table.
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Perhaps...but I have some pictures of you and him that people might find of interest. Heh Heh Heh
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Perhaps...but I have some pictures of you and him that people might find of interest. Heh Heh Heh
alohafri- Bova!
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cream919 wrote:No pictures exist of him and me in the same state, let alone at the same table.
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Perhaps...but I have some pictures of you and him that people might find of interest. Heh Heh Heh
What are you doing here? I thought you'd be disrupting Stephanie Abrams' wedding this weekend.
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alohafri wrote:And can anyone tell me why Manafort has three passports, each with a different number and why the other guy keeps changing his banks every few weeks, sometimes using a fake name?
And, if Papalapadoppontakasalous was such a "low level" volunteer, why is there a picture of him sitting around a table with Trump and Sessions? I was a low level volunteer on the Perot campaign in 1992. No pictures exist of him and me in the same state, let alone at the same table.
Good discussion on a very important topic ...I didn't know about Aloha's information above, but as he infers, could all 3 of these guys look more guilty if it was tattooed on their chest? I've always thought, that no matter how shitty a situation was, or how bad anything got, that "good" people would rise to the occasion and have the moral integrity to stand up and do what was right - I based this on experience (slavery, McCarthyism, Watergate, etc), on reading about the lives of our past leaders - Lincoln, Jefferson, Adams, FDR, Truman, Teddy Roosevelt, and about the American people - WW2 soldiers, the Space program, Civil rights leaders, etc. Maybe its age, maybe its cynicism, maybe its having MORE experience, but the fear is that there aren't enough "good" people with enough "moral integrity" to do the right thing. Certainly I don't think Ryan and McConnell have it, I'm just hoping enough of the remainders do ...This isn't about taxes, or abortion, or nominating supreme court justices, or health care, or welfare, or school vouchers ...all of those things are minor issues compared to the preservation of the constitution, and more importantly, the rule of law.
cream919- Fanboy Apprentice
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I thought you'd be disrupting Stephanie Abrams' wedding this weekend.
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I give it a year. BTW....did you know Carfagno is actually 2 years older than Abrams? Carfagno is 41, Abrams just turned 39. Carfagno looks 10 years younger than Abrams.
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I give it a year. BTW....did you know Carfagno is actually 2 years older than Abrams? Carfagno is 41, Abrams just turned 39. Carfagno looks 10 years younger than Abrams.
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alohafri wrote:And can anyone tell me why Manafort has three passports, each with a different number and why the other guy keeps changing his banks every few weeks, sometimes using a fake name?
And, if Papalapadoppontakasalous was such a "low level" volunteer, why is there a picture of him sitting around a table with Trump and Sessions? I was a low level volunteer on the Perot campaign in 1992. No pictures exist of him and me in the same state, let alone at the same table.
My first ever vote for president.
blondy28- Bova!
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SoxIlliniRob wrote:alohafri wrote:SoxIlliniRob wrote:I know we've had a fair share of convos here about Authoritarianism, fascism, and a possible constitutional crisis. I'll just go out on a limb and suggest that if Trump actually tries to fire Mueller, and pardon his buddies from Mueller's microscope, and if Ryan and McConnell let him do it, it'll be a very bad sign of where we've gone and I'll begin to believe Timmy's Alarmism was actually Realism. If this is allowed to happen, and I don't necessarily think it will, things could get very, very ugly.
I think there are enough Republicans in the House that are saying "he better not fire Mueller or pardon anybody" that an impeachment would be more likely. As of 9:00 this morning, Trump is not taking the advice of psycho Bannon and is not moving to fire Mueller. We'll see what happens after the cock crows.
This is what's giving me SOME peace of mind, but I suspect that the GOP is so hell bent on getting their rich guy tax cuts done that they might just overlook this if they thought doing otherwise would throw a wrench into their plans. There's talk that the rich donors are putting huge pressure on them to get a tax cut done as repayment for all of the $$ they've put into campaigns in the past 10 yrs. Supposedly, they've told the GOP that there'll be no campaign $$ for 2018 if they don't get the tax cuts done. Repealing ACA was going to accomplish a good part of this, because ACA raised their taxes quite a bit. Once that failed, it sounds like they put an ultimatum out to their side of congress.
That said, I still lean toward your thoughts on this. Lindsey Graham said Trump would have hell to pay if he fired Mueller. Several others have noted that there's no way he'll fire Mueller, but haven't said he'd pay a huge price for doing so. You'd have to think the noise would be unbearable if he tried it.
The tax cut plan is HORRIFIC. I would imagine, Rob, that you, like me, would see an increase in taxes. I've calculated our increase to be $4,000 a year...no small potatoes. On the campaign trail, Trump and others talked about closing the loopholes that "people like me and other rich people" use that the middle class don't get to use. So he eliminates the personal exemption? State and local taxes? Medical deduction? Last year our exemptions and write offs totaled $50,000, and he eliminated $30,000. So I will end up taking the standard deduction. I have three kids in college, and had deductions for that. I don't lose that, but they fall under the $24,000. It's total bullshit that a couple without kids gets the same deduction that I do. All of us parents who postpone medical treatment, or car repairs, etc. because we're waiting for our tax return and now that'll be pretty much wiped away...we're fucked.
alohafri- Bova!
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cream919 wrote:I thought you'd be disrupting Stephanie Abrams' wedding this weekend.
************************************************************************
I give it a year. BTW....did you know Carfagno is actually 2 years older than Abrams? Carfagno is 41, Abrams just turned 39. Carfagno looks 10 years younger than Abrams.
Wow! Abrams certainly has been ridden hard and put away wet!
alohafri- Bova!
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sharpy wrote:alohafri wrote:And can anyone tell me why Manafort has three passports, each with a different number and why the other guy keeps changing his banks every few weeks, sometimes using a fake name?
And, if Papalapadoppontakasalous was such a "low level" volunteer, why is there a picture of him sitting around a table with Trump and Sessions? I was a low level volunteer on the Perot campaign in 1992. No pictures exist of him and me in the same state, let alone at the same table.
Good discussion on a very important topic ...I didn't know about Aloha's information above, but as he infers, could all 3 of these guys look more guilty if it was tattooed on their chest? I've always thought, that no matter how shitty a situation was, or how bad anything got, that "good" people would rise to the occasion and have the moral integrity to stand up and do what was right - I based this on experience (slavery, McCarthyism, Watergate, etc), on reading about the lives of our past leaders - Lincoln, Jefferson, Adams, FDR, Truman, Teddy Roosevelt, and about the American people - WW2 soldiers, the Space program, Civil rights leaders, etc. Maybe its age, maybe its cynicism, maybe its having MORE experience, but the fear is that there aren't enough "good" people with enough "moral integrity" to do the right thing. Certainly I don't think Ryan and McConnell have it, I'm just hoping enough of the remainders do ...This isn't about taxes, or abortion, or nominating supreme court justices, or health care, or welfare, or school vouchers ...all of those things are minor issues compared to the preservation of the constitution, and more importantly, the rule of law.
Someone, I think a former State Department official, said on CNN the other day that it isn't that unusual for someone who travels frequently to certain areas of the world to have more than one passport. Some nations won't accept someone with a passport stamped in, say, Israel. What this person said that was more unusual was the cell phones and email addresses registered to fake names.
alohafri- Bova!
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blondy28 wrote:SoxIlliniRob wrote:alohafri wrote:SoxIlliniRob wrote:I know we've had a fair share of convos here about Authoritarianism, fascism, and a possible constitutional crisis. I'll just go out on a limb and suggest that if Trump actually tries to fire Mueller, and pardon his buddies from Mueller's microscope, and if Ryan and McConnell let him do it, it'll be a very bad sign of where we've gone and I'll begin to believe Timmy's Alarmism was actually Realism. If this is allowed to happen, and I don't necessarily think it will, things could get very, very ugly.
I think there are enough Republicans in the House that are saying "he better not fire Mueller or pardon anybody" that an impeachment would be more likely. As of 9:00 this morning, Trump is not taking the advice of psycho Bannon and is not moving to fire Mueller. We'll see what happens after the cock crows.
This is what's giving me SOME peace of mind, but I suspect that the GOP is so hell bent on getting their rich guy tax cuts done that they might just overlook this if they thought doing otherwise would throw a wrench into their plans. There's talk that the rich donors are putting huge pressure on them to get a tax cut done as repayment for all of the $$ they've put into campaigns in the past 10 yrs. Supposedly, they've told the GOP that there'll be no campaign $$ for 2018 if they don't get the tax cuts done. Repealing ACA was going to accomplish a good part of this, because ACA raised their taxes quite a bit. Once that failed, it sounds like they put an ultimatum out to their side of congress.
That said, I still lean toward your thoughts on this. Lindsey Graham said Trump would have hell to pay if he fired Mueller. Several others have noted that there's no way he'll fire Mueller, but haven't said he'd pay a huge price for doing so. You'd have to think the noise would be unbearable if he tried it.
The tax cut plan is HORRIFIC. I would imagine, Rob, that you, like me, would see an increase in taxes. I've calculated our increase to be $4,000 a year...no small potatoes. On the campaign trail, Trump and others talked about closing the loopholes that "people like me and other rich people" use that the middle class don't get to use. So he eliminates the personal exemption? State and local taxes? Medical deduction? Last year our exemptions and write offs totaled $50,000, and he eliminated $30,000. So I will end up taking the standard deduction. I have three kids in college, and had deductions for that. I don't lose that, but they fall under the $24,000. It's total bullshit that a couple without kids gets the same deduction that I do. All of us parents who postpone medical treatment, or car repairs, etc. because we're waiting for our tax return and now that'll be pretty much wiped away...we're fucked.
The question I have is do we have a choice? Can we look at itemizing and not itemizing and choose what benefits us best? It's hard to tell from the reports as they keep talking about both.
blondy28- Bova!
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alohafri wrote:blondy28 wrote:SoxIlliniRob wrote:alohafri wrote:SoxIlliniRob wrote:I know we've had a fair share of convos here about Authoritarianism, fascism, and a possible constitutional crisis. I'll just go out on a limb and suggest that if Trump actually tries to fire Mueller, and pardon his buddies from Mueller's microscope, and if Ryan and McConnell let him do it, it'll be a very bad sign of where we've gone and I'll begin to believe Timmy's Alarmism was actually Realism. If this is allowed to happen, and I don't necessarily think it will, things could get very, very ugly.
I think there are enough Republicans in the House that are saying "he better not fire Mueller or pardon anybody" that an impeachment would be more likely. As of 9:00 this morning, Trump is not taking the advice of psycho Bannon and is not moving to fire Mueller. We'll see what happens after the cock crows.
This is what's giving me SOME peace of mind, but I suspect that the GOP is so hell bent on getting their rich guy tax cuts done that they might just overlook this if they thought doing otherwise would throw a wrench into their plans. There's talk that the rich donors are putting huge pressure on them to get a tax cut done as repayment for all of the $$ they've put into campaigns in the past 10 yrs. Supposedly, they've told the GOP that there'll be no campaign $$ for 2018 if they don't get the tax cuts done. Repealing ACA was going to accomplish a good part of this, because ACA raised their taxes quite a bit. Once that failed, it sounds like they put an ultimatum out to their side of congress.
That said, I still lean toward your thoughts on this. Lindsey Graham said Trump would have hell to pay if he fired Mueller. Several others have noted that there's no way he'll fire Mueller, but haven't said he'd pay a huge price for doing so. You'd have to think the noise would be unbearable if he tried it.
The tax cut plan is HORRIFIC. I would imagine, Rob, that you, like me, would see an increase in taxes. I've calculated our increase to be $4,000 a year...no small potatoes. On the campaign trail, Trump and others talked about closing the loopholes that "people like me and other rich people" use that the middle class don't get to use. So he eliminates the personal exemption? State and local taxes? Medical deduction? Last year our exemptions and write offs totaled $50,000, and he eliminated $30,000. So I will end up taking the standard deduction. I have three kids in college, and had deductions for that. I don't lose that, but they fall under the $24,000. It's total bullshit that a couple without kids gets the same deduction that I do. All of us parents who postpone medical treatment, or car repairs, etc. because we're waiting for our tax return and now that'll be pretty much wiped away...we're fucked.
The question I have is do we have a choice? Can we look at itemizing and not itemizing and choose what benefits us best? It's hard to tell from the reports as they keep talking about both.
I can't imagine that we don't have a choice. If we didn't there wouldn't be any write-offs at all...they all would have been eliminated, right?
SoxIlliniRob- Bova!
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alohafri wrote:
The question I have is do we have a choice? Can we look at itemizing and not itemizing and choose what benefits us best? It's hard to tell from the reports as they keep talking about both.
You can always take whichever situation is most beneficial to you, Kev. On Turbotax, the software keeps track of each way and awards you the best one.
SoxIlliniRob- Bova!
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blondy28 wrote:
The tax cut plan is HORRIFIC. I would imagine, Rob, that you, like me, would see an increase in taxes. I've calculated our increase to be $4,000 a year...no small potatoes. On the campaign trail, Trump and others talked about closing the loopholes that "people like me and other rich people" use that the middle class don't get to use. So he eliminates the personal exemption? State and local taxes? Medical deduction? Last year our exemptions and write offs totaled $50,000, and he eliminated $30,000. So I will end up taking the standard deduction. I have three kids in college, and had deductions for that. I don't lose that, but they fall under the $24,000. It's total bullshit that a couple without kids gets the same deduction that I do. All of us parents who postpone medical treatment, or car repairs, etc. because we're waiting for our tax return and now that'll be pretty much wiped away...we're fucked.
I'm only about half way through the info gathering phase of understanding it to a degree where I can speak of it with full confidence. There are certain things I know, which I can share.
I suspect it'll be a tax cut for my household. Maybe not a big one, but I expect there to be one. The analytics in Forbes and Bloomberg say about 1/3 of all household income under $200k will suffer a tax increase. 2/3 will receive a tax cut. The tax cut for those homes earning under 200k will be an average of $1,500 to 2,000 a year. Of course, if you earn over 200k, then there's a 97% chance you'll get a tax cut and a 3% chance you'll pay more. And the average tax cut for people above 200k is more in the range of 5k for people in the 200k to 300k range. People above 300k save something more akin to anywhere from 5k to as much as millions of dollars per year, depending on the income and the situation.
A better way of explaining the law is that it's $4 trillion in tax cuts, and $2.5 trillion in tax increases, for a net total of $1.5 trillion in cuts...meaning that the $1.5 trillion is going to add to the national debt. Analytics say that 75-80% of the tax cuts go to the top 1%. The other 20-25% goes to the remaining 99%, but mostly to the top 5-10%. My household is definitely in the top 10% and thusly, I assume I'm going to have more in my annual take home pay.
I don't feel like I need a tax cut. I don't mind if I get one. Who doesn't want more money? I want more money. You want more. We all want more. Do I need more? Not really. I feel like I could afford to pay more, and if they redid the tax code to raise taxes on the very high levels of income and on people in the upper middle class, i'd accept that and appreciate that. I believe raising taxes on the upper echelons would discourage greed at the high echelons so that they'd accept being rich, instead of wealthy, and either not chase that extra income, or reinvest that additional income back into the business in the form of equipment and salaries. I believe our economy encourages massive greed at the higher end, since they get to keep so much of the income they earn at that high end. They pull that income out of their companies and bank it and save it, and that doesn't overly help the economy grow or thrive. i'm getting in the weeds, so I'll just say I appreciate all forms of economic systems. They all have their upsides and downsides. Capitalism, Socialism, democratic socialism, etc. All have some merit. This tax cut will basically put us where we were in the 20's in terms of how we encouraged massive wealth and financial risktaking. This will most certainly just drive a greater income gap, since it'll encourage the wealthy to become more wealthy. I prefer the European system that rewards the rich and wealthy, but discourages massive wealth to the degree that the wealthy pull off the accelerator a bit, and they end up having a more robust middle class, the way we had in the 50's through the 70's.
This bill takes away deductions for your state income tax, student loan debt, medical expenses, adoption expenses, and a few more that i'll bring up later. It removes all taxes for couples who leave more than $11 million to their heirs, or individuals leaving more than $5.5 million to their kids. Good for Ivanka, Don Jr, and Eric. It dumps the Alternative Min Tax. Also good for millionaires, but also for the upper middle class. I paid something like $7k in AMT a year or two ago.
More in a bit. More reading to do.
Last edited by SoxIlliniRob on Sat Nov 04, 2017 9:21 am; edited 1 time in total
SoxIlliniRob- Bova!
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More info...
At a glance, it looks like I'll probably break approximately even. I remember hearing that families of no kids or one kid will probably get a tax cut. Fams with two kids will be close to breaking even. Fams with three or more will get hit. I get hit for losing a 21,000 deduction for the personal exemptions, but I gain back the AMT I pay most years. That's probably a net/net of $0. My itemized deductions of usually $30k will now be 24k as a standardized deduction. I save a little bit on the change to the marginal rates. In the end, it looks like my taxes won't change much in either direction.
Like I said, I'd accept an increase for a jobs bill, or single payer healthcare, or starting Medicare earlier than 65, or some new infrastructure, or a free college plan. But I hate to see it be for filthy rich people to get filthy richer. It's a safe bet that the additional damage this will do the debt will be used during a Dem presidency by the GOP to push for further entitlement spending cuts cuz of the deficit being so big. That's the whole plan, however. This is the long used Starve the Beast strategy that began a bit under Nixon and grew full speed under Reagan, GWB and now under Trump. Cut taxes and make people happy under GOP leadership and then complain about entitlement spending during Dem administrations when the lower tax revenues can't cover the cost of the remaining entitlements. This tax cut will eventually lead to calls for SS cuts, Medicare cuts, Medicaid cuts, food stamp cuts, etc. Hell, just to make room for this bill, they cut about 3/4 of a trillion dollars out of Medicare and Medicaid. More to come once they scream bloody murder when there's a Dem prez. Mark it down, it'll start about 6 weeks after the next Dem takes office.
At a glance, it looks like I'll probably break approximately even. I remember hearing that families of no kids or one kid will probably get a tax cut. Fams with two kids will be close to breaking even. Fams with three or more will get hit. I get hit for losing a 21,000 deduction for the personal exemptions, but I gain back the AMT I pay most years. That's probably a net/net of $0. My itemized deductions of usually $30k will now be 24k as a standardized deduction. I save a little bit on the change to the marginal rates. In the end, it looks like my taxes won't change much in either direction.
Like I said, I'd accept an increase for a jobs bill, or single payer healthcare, or starting Medicare earlier than 65, or some new infrastructure, or a free college plan. But I hate to see it be for filthy rich people to get filthy richer. It's a safe bet that the additional damage this will do the debt will be used during a Dem presidency by the GOP to push for further entitlement spending cuts cuz of the deficit being so big. That's the whole plan, however. This is the long used Starve the Beast strategy that began a bit under Nixon and grew full speed under Reagan, GWB and now under Trump. Cut taxes and make people happy under GOP leadership and then complain about entitlement spending during Dem administrations when the lower tax revenues can't cover the cost of the remaining entitlements. This tax cut will eventually lead to calls for SS cuts, Medicare cuts, Medicaid cuts, food stamp cuts, etc. Hell, just to make room for this bill, they cut about 3/4 of a trillion dollars out of Medicare and Medicaid. More to come once they scream bloody murder when there's a Dem prez. Mark it down, it'll start about 6 weeks after the next Dem takes office.
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in fairness, I can appreciate the effort to simplify the tax code. I get the idea of removing a bunch of deductions in favor of a larger standard deduction. That's ok. Less marginal rate ranges is fine. It's all reasonable, except that it appears to all be done in the spirit of "oh look, it's so much simpler...this is great....and the millionaires don't have to pay estate taxes anymore, but nevermind that."
My best friend, best man, college roomie dude is a very well off guy that lives right up by you, Pam. He's 51 like me, and is just beside himself because his wife's and his net worth is around $13 million and he's losing sleep trying to figure out how to keep from his kids someday having to pay some estate taxes on some of that. He's absolutely in knots over this with anger. I can't really empathize and have told him as much. I understand not WANTING to pay more. I don't want to pay tax. Nobody does. So I get it. But I also can only dream of a day that I inherit so fucking much money that I have to pay estate taxes on it. That's the world I want to live in...the world where I inherit $5 million bucks and have to pay a 40% tax on the upper $1 million of that $5 million, leaving me with only $4.6 million. Granted, I don't want to pay any taxes on that five mill, but I think I'll be ok regardless.
My best friend, best man, college roomie dude is a very well off guy that lives right up by you, Pam. He's 51 like me, and is just beside himself because his wife's and his net worth is around $13 million and he's losing sleep trying to figure out how to keep from his kids someday having to pay some estate taxes on some of that. He's absolutely in knots over this with anger. I can't really empathize and have told him as much. I understand not WANTING to pay more. I don't want to pay tax. Nobody does. So I get it. But I also can only dream of a day that I inherit so fucking much money that I have to pay estate taxes on it. That's the world I want to live in...the world where I inherit $5 million bucks and have to pay a 40% tax on the upper $1 million of that $5 million, leaving me with only $4.6 million. Granted, I don't want to pay any taxes on that five mill, but I think I'll be ok regardless.
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alohafri wrote:
Someone, I think a former State Department official, said on CNN the other day that it isn't that unusual for someone who travels frequently to certain areas of the world to have more than one passport. Some nations won't accept someone with a passport stamped in, say, Israel. What this person said that was more unusual was the cell phones and email addresses registered to fake names.
Exactly, Kevin. Some international reporters have two passports because they can't have Israel stamps and be allowed into certain Jew-hating nations. Nobody seemed to know why Manafort had three passports.
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SoxIlliniRob wrote:alohafri wrote:
The question I have is do we have a choice? Can we look at itemizing and not itemizing and choose what benefits us best? It's hard to tell from the reports as they keep talking about both.
You can always take whichever situation is most beneficial to you, Kev. On Turbotax, the software keeps track of each way and awards you the best one.
This is why we go to an accountant...not named Kark.
SoxIlliniRob- Bova!
- Posts : 1942
Join date : 2017-05-05
Age : 58
Location : Saint Charles, IL
alohafri wrote:SoxIlliniRob wrote:alohafri wrote:
The question I have is do we have a choice? Can we look at itemizing and not itemizing and choose what benefits us best? It's hard to tell from the reports as they keep talking about both.
You can always take whichever situation is most beneficial to you, Kev. On Turbotax, the software keeps track of each way and awards you the best one.
This is why we go to an accountant...not named Kark.
I'm not even sure if Kark does taxes, aside from perhaps his own. Unless your situation is pretty complex, Turbotax is easy and a great way to save on paying an accountant.
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