Comments on: Prediction

By: sister of ye

sister of ye — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:21:24 +0000

Well, if the dead person is getting the money, then the estate tax is a double tax. But if his/her heirs are getting it, that’s NEW INCOME for them, hence, it gets taxed. Any other way to look at it is total BS.

And of course we have the Obamabots here with their lies about Clinton’s gas tax plan - the one that will REPLACE the revenue it forfeits by a different tax. You know, people, despite what Republicans think, repeating a lie doesn’t make it true.

By: Ron

Ron — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:54:13 +0000

Notice that the one’s throwing about the elitist meme are graduates of elite schools themselves. The estate tax exists to prevent the accumulation of all wealth into the hands of fewer and fewer people. Such a situation is antithetical to Democracy and freedom. Opponents of the estate tax are freedom hating oligarchs bent on enslaving the world.

By: Mold

Mold — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:19:06 +0000

Our aristocrats won’t be happy until they pay no tax at all. Then, we’ll have our own revolution and the problem will be solved.

By: snuzy mandrake

snuzy mandrake — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:49:34 +0000

The estate tax should be repealed since it basically amounts to double taxation. There were taxes payed by the now deceased when the income was originally earned and taxes paid on the property during the ownership. So how is it fair to tax it again when passed on after your death?

the double tax argument is the stupidest argument on the planet. see this cartoon which is really the best explanation of how ridiculous the “double tax” charge is.

the cartoon is directed at the “double tax” label in the capital gains tax context, but exactly the same logic applies here. under our system, every time money changes hands it is subject to taxation. when money is inherited, it changes hands, just as it does when the money is income. the only reason the estate tax is criticized as “double taxation” is because it is a tax on money that changes hands that only applies to rich people, just like the capital gains tax. the same “double tax” charge could locially be applied to virtually every tax ever imposed because if you trace the money back you can eventually find someone who previously paid taxes on it.

By: John

John — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:31:38 +0000

So only the rich pay it, who cares. When did we start to follow Marx, from those according to their means…..

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:30:05 +0000

best prediction of the day:

http://208.76.84.21/thefield/?p=1160

By: steveeboy

steveeboy — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:24:06 +0000

because it only hits the rich trolly,

and all sorts of cash is taxed over and over again.

and the person getting the cash didn’t work for it.

and we aren’t supposed to have an aristocracy in this country.

and few people ever inherit an estate hit by the tax anyway.

and the major supporters of repealing it and those that bankroll the propaganda that you can no doubt regurgitate so well are rich people or people that stand to get even richer by inheriting even more cash–people like gw bush.

hope that helps for starters trolly…

By: John

John — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:16:16 +0000

By: brendancalling

brendancalling — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:09:36 +0000

Adding, the gas tax is meant to prevent situations like this:

This morning, a contractor happened to be driving under I-95 near my part of the city and noticed a massive crack in one of the supporting pillars. (The pillar was scheduled for repair in June, and the inspector was there to see what equipment would be needed.)

The crack had widened considerably since the last inspection, so this morning they’ve shut down I-95. Ground zero? My neighborhood, where they’re dumping all the traffic. So now I have to figure out some way to get to work (and that’s why I also made a decision that as soon as I can, I’m buying a GPS).

I am, however, very grateful that this contractor was doing his job. Because an I-95 collapse would have been a real tragedy.

Short memory.

By: brendancalling

brendancalling — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:06:15 +0000

you mean “the bullshit class” stevee. That’s what Lambert says, because he’s a working class hero.
Never mind that the repealing the gas tax over the summer is about as dumb as blowing up the moon. It’s not going to save any money, and you don’t have to be an elitist egghead economist to figure THAT one out. Not that there’s anything wrong with having a good education, despite what you might hear in some quarters.

I always wonder which is more important: an extra $30.00 for groceries or the fact that without money to maintain the highways, people tend to, you know, DIE when bridges collapse.

but then again, I’m one of those-out-of-touch college boy edumacated types, who has no idea what reality is like because he lives in an ivory tower. Sure the tower’s located in crime-ridden, high poverty Southwest Philly, but I’m safely up in the air, looking down on the proles…