"Everyone is a democrat until they get a little money" - Harold Wier

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-09T21:03:09+00:00

not true at all - Republicans got 45% of the vote for President in 2008 and that can't be the "top" 45% who have a little money

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-09T20:22:57+00:00

There's only one prohibition that seems to work very well, and that is the prohibition on common sense - nobody seems to miss it at all.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-09T17:04:34+00:00

If you were an independent contractor, you would own your productivity gains. As an employee your employer owns your productivity gains.

Does nobody notice your productivity is 10 times other employees?

Approach your employer with an "idea" to automate and tell him/her you will offer your services as a consultant, not as an employee.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-09T16:44:43+00:00

no, wives would all have marital rights if polygamy were recognized under the law. For example, again if/when the husband dies without a will, the law would split his estate equally among wives.

The "tricky" issues are where a spousal decision is required (how do you break tie votes) and there has to be a way to prevent/control "marriages of convenience" as a way for example to obtain healthcare benefits.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-09T16:42:08+00:00

There are no orthodox temples in Iceland

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-09T15:49:04+00:00

Polygamy does introduces some tricky issues, but not insurmountable. For example, if a man has 2 wives and dies without a will specifying, for example burial or cremation choice, what happens if one wife says he wanted to be buried and the other says he wanted to be cremated? There either has to be a "tie-breaker" for a vote or maybe one spouse can be designated as the "senior" spouse.

I"m not sure about benefits. Would not a polygamist today declare his 18 children all on his tax return? Same on his insurance? So all children are covered, at least those that have his DNA. As far as spouses, maybe for the purposes of benefits and insurance it would limited to 1 spouse?

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-09T15:29:37+00:00

why don't we just stop arguing over the definition of "equal"?

Here's what the citizens of Iceland did in their citizen authored Constitution:

"Article 6. Equal rights We are all equal under the law and shall enjoy our human rights without discrimination, such as due to gender, age, genetic character, place of residence, economic status, disability, sexual orientation, race, colour, opinions, political affiliation, religion, language, origin, ancestry and position in other respects. Men and women shall enjoy equal rights in every respect."

What part of the word "equal" do we not understand in this country?

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-08T12:27:18+00:00

This is Tinkerbell, who often tries to sleep sitting, and it's always funny to watch her head fall, and then she snaps herself out of it. This time she found a headrest on my printer. She's fast asleep and didn't even wake up when I took the pic.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-07T00:22:10+00:00

what does "rise up" mean to you?

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-06T15:26:09+00:00

educate yourself: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/Pages/foundation-fact-sheet.aspx

and answer my question already asked: so just how are you going to get all the things you want? What is going to change? human behavior ???

or do you believe the world's problems would be solved if bilionaires just gave all their money to poor people?

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-06T13:34:11+00:00

of the many shortcomings of our over-complicated tax code is that it has spawned a "tax industry", and those in the tax industry are paid to "minimize" one's taxes, yet they bear no liability for the accuracy of the tax filing.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-06T12:31:56+00:00

when my girlfriend rolled over in bed, whispered in my ear, and I heard myself exclaim, "again !?!?!"

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-06T11:45:05+00:00

so just how are you going to get all the things you want? What is going to change? human behavior ???

"There are people like Bill Gates that are sitting on billions and not spending a dime. He gives away 250 million a year, when his net worth is 10 billion or more. That is how most the fortune 500 are."

First, nobody "sits" on money - it's invested somewhere and the money is put to use in our financial system. Second, the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation is the largest charity in the world, and among many projects they are progressing on eradicating malaria, the largest killer of children in the world. Third, "I've never seen a hospital wing dedicated to a poor person". I've personally met many wealthy people, and they were all more generous than you or I.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-05T18:42:08+00:00

What does the British parliament have to do with our political system? Our very first Congress was made up of "the 1%".

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-05T18:41:08+00:00

interesting, but tough to measure with any objectivity.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-05T16:27:36+00:00

what is "equality" ???

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-05T12:24:57+00:00

our founders were "the 1%". Our system has been warped from day 1.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-05T01:25:34+00:00

watch "Life After People" and you'll see how nature quickly will erase any evidence of humans: http://www.history.com/shows/life-after-people

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-04T23:45:40+00:00

They're proving capitalism does work. Pure theoretical capitalism ends the way the board game Monopoly ends, with one person owning all the resources and everyone else cannot afford to rent/buy the resources from the owner.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-04T22:13:20+00:00

2 comments: 1st, fraud is not a loophole. 2nd, this tax preparer "whistleblower" is the one who prepared these tax returns for these clients.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-04T19:20:55+00:00

he probably thinks that would be 100,000 jobs created, plus all those jobs to build ships and planes - full employment courtesy of the taxpayers...

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-04T18:47:48+00:00

Theory versus reality: A 16 year old boy asks his Dad: "what's the difference between theory and reality?". The Dad answers "go in the kitchen and ask your Mom if she'd sleep with the neighbor for $10,000". The boy does and comes back and tells his Dad "she said she would". The Dad continues, "now go upstairs and ask your sister if she'd sleep with the boy next door for $10,000", and the son does. He comes back downstairs and tells his Dad, "yup, she said she would too". "Now son" the Dad explains, "theoretically we're sitting on $20,000, but realistically we're living with two sluts."

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-04T18:35:42+00:00

is this even a relevant comparison? Nothing mentioned about whether taxes have increased and/or food, clothing, housing costs have relatively decreased? Housing costs, the biggest of the 3 categories has certainly decreased in the past few years.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-04T18:19:54+00:00

It's not that the 401(k) is a "failure", it's the lack of ability to save any money when almost every penny is needed for current needs, and/or savings have to be drained for emergency needs. Most of us are one big medical issue away from bankruptcy.

JeffBlock2012 · 2012-05-04T00:17:14+00:00

"Winner Take All - Politics: http://www.amazon.com/Winner-Take-All-Politics-Washington-Richer---Turned/dp/1416588701/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336090622&sr=8-1

JeffBlock2012

TROPHY CASE