gulliver
gulliver's JournalEliminate the Death Tax
Just tax the estates of the wealthy while they are still living. And tax them a lot more than the current death-triggered estate tax. Maybe give them a 20% bonus credit for paying the tax with repatriated funds or funds from the sale of foreign assets. That way no one could argue that the tax encouraged disinvestment in U.S. assets.
This idea would let Dems say we eliminated the Death Tax. Indeed, if a person were taxed at a higher level of net worth than they had at their death, we could refund the overage. It would be a Death Refund.
I also have a Balanced Budget Amendment. Any deficit that Congress fails to cover in a given fiscal year would automatically be paid by an excise tax on the net worth of the wealthy. It would be a win-win. Future generations would not be saddled with debt, and the wealthy would finally have "certainty" about the government's finances. We might even have fewer wars.
Has the NSA metadata program resulted in known harm to anyone?
The Drug War is a vicious mass killer and mass destroyer of lives. Why are people wasting political ammo on NSA programs that haven't been shown to do any harm to anyone? Give us Barabbas?
School me.
Concealed Carry is the root cause, followed by the Drug War.
If Zimmerman had not had a concealed weapon, he wouldn't have dared to confront Martin. On the other hand, if Zimmerman had an unconcealed weapon, the homeowners in his subdivision would have shouted him off of the street (or had the police drag him off). Concealed Carry enables "Stand Your Ground" and turns it into a trap.
What I am wondering is if civil law can be used to put an end to Concealed Carry. We know the Retreat at Twin Lakes paid a large settlement to Martin's family. That means that homeowners or an insurer (or both) were forced to pay for what Zimmerman did. To me, that is the key to getting rid of concealed carry altogether. Someone has to pay for it.
What if every homeowner's association (HOA) simply disallowed Concealed Carry in their by-laws under penalty of expulsion and lawsuit? I believe it would be their right to do so. As a homeowner myself, I know for sure that I don't want my property and retirement savings backing up the actions of a brain dead dirtball like Zimmerman. I also don't feel it is right for residents to have to pay additional liability insurance just because someone else feels they have the right to Concealed Carry. If people want to carry concealed weapons, they apparently have a right to do so, but they don't have the right to make me pay for it. I would love for my HOA to disallow it and quite simply force out (or sue into oblivion) anyone who exercised their Concealed Carry right in my neighborhood.
Then take it a step further. Couldn't/shouldn't businesses refuse to employ people who carry a concealed weapon on- or off-the-clock, on- or off-premises? Maybe every employment application should have a "do you ever carry a concealed firearm?" question. It seems to me that by eliminating these people from employment, a business could both reduce their liability and their exposure to the kinds of people who might carry these weapons. Once again, a citizen would still have the right to carry a concealed weapon. They just wouldn't have the right to be employed while doing so. Indeed, there is no such right.
Behind all of this is the engine of catastrophe known as the Drug War. While all of those burglaries were happening in the Retreat at Twin Lakes, cops were probably out arresting kids for smoking marijuana. Then those kids get a record and can't get jobs. So they commit more burglaries. And the burglaries make idiot dirtballs like Zimmerman want to play cop. People are funny.
Satan Offers Snowden Asylum in Hell
"Satan is bravely confronting authoritarianism with this bold move!" — Glenn Greenwald.
"The Prince of Darkness is a 99-Percenter!" — The Guardian Editors
Reached for comment, Satan (R) reiterated the offer, but said that Snowden "needs to find a way to get here."
Progressives everywhere announced support for the plan.
"If Snowden goes to Hell, I'm fine with that," said one.
"Yes, he'll be free of American hegemony then," said another.
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