A successful parasite is one that is not recognized by its host

[phantom power]

[hunter]

1. The tapeworms of our society often fly around in private jets...

... and they've never been felt up by a TSA inspectors or cops, or been told to remove their shoes and belts.

[merrily]

4. There is a lot of room between the unemployed and those who fly only in private jets.

2008 Campaign Obama had good reason to single out those making over $250K a year.

In 2006, there were approximately 116,011,000 households in the United States. The percent of all households had annual incomes exceeding $250,000 was 1.93% .[8] About 12.3% fell below the federal poverty threshold[9] and the bottom 20% earned less than $19,178.[10] The aggregate income distribution is highly concentrated towards the top, with the top 6.37% earning roughly one third of all income, and those with upper-middle incomes controlling a large, though declining, share of the total earned income.[5][11]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States

[bvar22]

11. Hillary calls them the "Middle Class".

[merrily]

14. "for our seniors?" Balderdash.

Our seniors paid in, but the crooks who are supposedly representing us used the "trust fund" for other purposes.

How about the rich pay their fair share for our country?

P.S. No tax increase will ever make them do that. The strain they put on the environment and the infrastructure, the benefits they have already received unfairly-no one is ever going to make them pay for things like that.

[Blanks]

15. I don't know why we stop at $250,000...

In a lot of areas in the country - that's not a lot of money. When they talk about raising income tax on the wealthy - they talk about above that amount as though the people who bring home that amount are wealthy.

What we need is an income tax rate that is 0% up to about $50,000/year but continues to rise up to about $10,000,000 (including capital gains) where it peaks out at 90%. And remove the cap on payroll tax (to include capital gains) - this would serve as a 'parasite removal program' the parasites would be easy to identify - they're the ones screaming like a stuck pig. When they pop their greedy little heads up to scream, just investigate their financial activities and the cells that will be emptied when marijuana is legalized can be filled with these parasites.

[merrily]

16. Why we stop what at $250,000?

In a lot of areas in the country - that's not a lot of money.

So? What does that have to do with income tax? Besides, in no area of the country is $250,000K a year considered anything near poverty.

BTW, I live in Boston, where food in a supermarket costs more than it does in midtown Manhattan.

When they talk about raising income tax on the wealthy - they talk about above that amount as though the people who bring home that amount are wealthy.

Not at all. Taxing only the wealthy has never been a problem in this country . The tax increase proposed was only on amounts over $250,000K and it was only a small percentage of amounts over $250K . I fail to see a problem.

When it comes to income taxes, people seem to feel that anything near their own income should be exempt.* that is not how fair income taxation works. Besides, as I posted, there will never be truly fair taxation.

*Posted at DU not long ago: Bill Maher was distinguishing between people like himself and the 1%, as though he weren't wealthy.

[psiman]

22. Every time we take off our shoes at the airport

Osama bin Laden laughs from the beyond the grave: all that security theater is and always was an exercise in mass psychotherapy for the befuddlement of the stupid.

That's why the private jet crowd has always been exempt.

[merrily]

2. Exactly.

[n2doc]

3. Hedge fund managers

Just sayin'

[merrily]

5. Yes, but the issue is much broader than that relatively small group.

[MannyGoldstein]

6. Uh, Uh... GREENWALD IS AN ASSHOLE!!!

THAT'S what we should be focusing on, people.

[Clyde Tenson]

7. And Benghazi!!

Where there's true enlightenment!

[Avalux]

8. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a successful parasite.

It infects cells of the immune system and uses the DNA within them to replicate, then the cell explodes and dies, and more viral particles pour out into the body and infect other cells, etc. This goes on and on without any symptoms whatsoever, until the immune cells are so depleted the body cannot fight off opportunistic infections (AIDS).

It's a great analogy for the ruling class...add to it that the ruling class is very clever in getting us to destroy each other too.

[raccoon]

9. This makes my day! nt

[postulater]

10. I wonder what percentage of income comes from non-wage income

among people with incomes over $100,000 per year.

Lots of people make lots of money by using other people's money and not from their own labor.

[mathematic]

18. Rough estimate: 60%

100k is top 1/5 of households. (1)

This group makes 1/2 of the national income. (1)

Labor income is 5/8ths of the national income.

Let's say this group makes 4/5ths the capital income. This is an assumption, and it's "about right". I'm sure the data exist for this somewhere but I'm not interested in searching for it right now.

3/8*4/5 = 3/10ths of the total income is capital income that goes to this group.

Ratio of capital income (3/10) to total income (5/10) for this group is 60%.

(1) http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0694.pdf

This is all back-of-the-envelope, so any corrections scholarly (preferred) or otherwise, feel free to chime in.

[bvar22]

12. ...But what would we EVER do without the "Job Creators"?

We did just fine back in the 50s and 60s when the top marginal rate was over 90%.
Instead of taking profits out of their companies as income,
the Ownership Class reinvested that money in their companies,
competing for better workers by raising wages and benefits.

EVERYBODY did better,
and America built the largest, wealthiest, and most upwardly mobile Working/Middle Class the World had ever seen.
We KNOW what works.
Lets try THAT again!

[font color=firebrick][center]"When we all do better,
we ALL do better!"
---Paul Wellstone [/font][/center] [center] [/font]
[font size=1]photo by bvar22
Shortly before Sen Wellstone was killed[/center][/font]

[Enthusiast]

19. We built some shit. We researched a bunch of stuff.

Now we can't even afford to fill a pot hole because taxes are at historical lows.

[Maven]

13. The same could be said about 'third way' and the Democratic Party. nt

[Enthusiast]

20. Shhhh. You're not supposed to tell anyone.

[WCLinolVir]

17. Bravo.

[anti partisan]

21. Great quote, and the truth (nt)

[stuartsdesk1]

23. And the MOST Successful Parasite of All Is: Congressman Paul Ryan

Last edited Tue May 13, 2014, 06:20 PM - Edit history (1)

What does it cost to keep Paul Ryan in Congress? Maybe about $1 million per year?

What has Paul Ryan produced since coming to congress in 1999?

One renamed post office (after Les Aspin, ex. Wisconsin congressman)

One change in tax law exempting ARROW SHAFTS from excise tax (Paul is a bow hunter)

And numerous, failed budget proposals designed to deprive the poor and benefit the wealthy.
Granted, his "go-nowhere" budgets have been described as "marvelous" by Republican colleagues.

Ryan is an incredibly effective parasite. Totally unrecognized by his host (that's the Average American)
for what he is. But deemed a "budget guru" by his rich buddies in congress.

Congratulations Paul, you get the prize for MOST SUCCESSFUL PARASITE.

For a lighter take on Paul Ryan's shenanigans see http://stuartsdesk.com/Oldies_But_Goodies.html

[raouldukelives]

24. One even more insidious is that which causes pain and potentially kills the host when removed.

As we are facing now. Many people set out to work each day, happily, for those leading to the downfall of not just our species, but all species. Without a worry about it.
Still, others are aware of the predicament but feel trapped. They are reliant upon the proceeds of destruction, they are subservient to the system and as much as they would like a better way, they feel financially hogtied.
Much in the same way Thomas Jefferson probably felt about slavery. He knew it was horrible, an affront to all that is decent in humanity, but was financially dependent upon it.
All which only proves that in the end it never really matters how you felt, it matters how you act. That is our only defining legacy. One can stand complacent in the face of corruption, greed and suffering, join with them in exchange for a portion of the proceeds or act on what one knows is right.