Help get the word out (more poor messaging)

I was listening to the Ed Schultz Show (radio) last week and a guy calls in, says he makes $255,000, and won't vote for Obama because his taxes are going to go up about $8000 if Obama gets re-elected. He calculated that by taxing *all* of his gross income at 39% versus taxing *all* of his gross income at 36%. A soft ball, right? Ed's going to hit this one out of the park? Right?



The guy -- who I initially assumed was a Republican tool when he threw out the $255,000 number -- then asked something reasonable (paraphrasing), "I'm confused, is it *all* of my income or just the amount over $250,000? If it's the latter, then that's not a big deal at all." Ed farted around and then told the guy to suck it up. What an opportunity lost! I called his show but couldn't get through, so I emailed and tweeted him.

Fortunately, someone calls in and *almost* explains it correctly. He explained that the 3% only applies to the $5000 over $250K. Ed says, "That's what I understand." So this caller says that the guy will only pay an extra $150 in taxes (3% of $5000).

Hopefully, every single one of you reading this have already noted that this explanation misses the mark, too.

What I was hoping to hear Ed say was something like this:
Dude! Your taxes won't go up at all! Surely your taxable income is well under $250,000. Right?! Heck! You can make $270,000 and probably not be affected! First, the tax rates aren't applied to your gross income, they are applied to your *taxable* income (AGI). Second, the tax rates are *marginal* rates. So, the 39% tax rate will be applied to just taxable income above $250K. In other words, if you make $270,000 but have $25,000 in deductions, your taxes won't go up at all!

Bigger than Benghazi? Oh yeah...

Typical Republican, "Look over here" slight of hand. And, per usual, the media, Democrats, and President look over there. Had this guy succeeded in detonating this bomb, Obama's presidency would be over! But the Fed's got him on Obama's watch!! And on our own turf, no less!!!

For fuck's sake, why have we let this one get away?

October 17th, 2012

<snip>

(Nafis) met an undercover agent that supplied him with what he thought were explosives on Wednesday morning. After meeting up, they both traveled in a van to a warehouse, the Justice Department said.

That’s apparently when Nafis told the agent he had a "Plan B."

If Nafis felt his attack was about to be thwarted by cops, he would invoke the back-up plan, which involved a suicide bombing operation, the criminal complaint alleges.

When the pair arrived at the warehouse, Nafis began putting together what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb inside the van. Then they drove together to the target: The New York Federal Reserve Bank. As they drove, he armed the purported by putting together the detonator and the explosives, the criminal complaint says.

The van was then parked next to the bank. The pair went to a nearby hotel, where Nafis apparently recorded a video statement meant to be shown to the American public in connection with the attack.

"We will not stop until we attain victory or martyrdom," he said, according to the criminal complaint.

He then tried, several times unsuccessfully, to detonate the device, which was actually inert explosives.

Nafis was then arrested.

Republicans get away with this shit...

...because Dems are flat out terrified of them. They get away with bloody murder because they know if Dems try to respond they'll be accused of being...fascists, totalitarian, a mob of angry black men (just fill in the blank). And it sticks! By contrast, the Rs truly are a mob of fascist, totalitarian, angry white men...because Dems are terrified to call them out on it. Imagine if Pelosi had gone after Rove. Of course she stood down like a good Democrat. Now imagine if the shoe was on the other foot. We know what the Rs would do. And the Dems would serve our own up on a platter a la Anthony Weiner.