Joe Biden 2021

[bad_teammate 13569]

When law enforcement is aimed at the poor and working classes? "Who cares if it is profitable!?"

When law enforcement is aimed at the rich? "WHOA WHOA WHOA BUDDY THINK ABOUT THE ROI!!"

[GRHorn 105]

5 minutes ago, bad_teammate said:

How do you feel about spending on finding welfare/Medicaid scammers?

Probably a waste as well. 
 

3 minutes ago, Captainant said:

It's not really "giving the IRS more money to go after people", it's undoing the systemic defunding that the GOP subjected the IRS to since the tea party took control back in 2012.

But will someone think of the poor IRS! Said (almost) no one ever. 

[GRHorn 105]

1 minute ago, bad_teammate said:

When law enforcement is aimed at the poor and working classes? "Who cares if it is profitable!?"

When law enforcement is aimed at the rich? "WHOA WHOA WHOA BUDDY THINK ABOUT THE ROI!!"

See my reply. Idgaf. 
 

[David Dennison 19573]

12 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

Yeah I don’t believe they’ll get 9x the money back from catching people loose with their taxes. Wealthy people that pay less taxes do so through legal means. Inevitably these resources being provided to the IRS will have to be used somewhere and they’ll likely hassle more regular people than anybody else. But yeah let’s give the IRS more money to go after people. 

Bless your heart.

[jimmyjazz 47361]

25 minutes ago, Captainant said:

It's not really "giving the IRS more money to go after people", it's undoing the systemic defunding that the GOP subjected the IRS to since the tea party took control back in 2012.

Get out of here with facts.

Edited April 27, 2021 by jimmyjazz
cant right

[Js1 87318]

35 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

Yeah I don’t believe they’ll get 9x the money back from catching people loose with their taxes. Wealthy people that pay less taxes do so through legal means. Inevitably these resources being provided to the IRS will have to be used somewhere and they’ll likely hassle more regular people than anybody else. But yeah let’s give the IRS more money to go after people. 

If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.

[GRHorn 105]

24 minutes ago, Js1 said:

If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.

Oof. This is a gross take. Very statist. You’re a dangerous person. 

 

48 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Bless your heart.

I meant to put mostly, but I stand by that statement. 

[TwiceHorn 32121]

18 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

Oof. This is a gross take. Very statist. You’re a dangerous person. 

 

I meant to put mostly, but I stand by that statement. 

If you google tax shelter fraud, you'll find dozens of hits prior to about 2010, and almost none in the last decade.  Kinda make you say "hmmm."

[bad_teammate 13569]

30 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

If you google tax shelter fraud, you'll find dozens of hits prior to about 2010, and almost none in the last decade.  Kinda make you say "hmmm."

the rich are being nice and generous so aren't committing crimes, silly!!!!!!

[Dahobbs 18434]

Paging @Bruh Man 

[Fudge Nuggets 19487]

3 hours ago, GRHorn said:

Yeah I don’t believe they’ll get 9x the money back from catching people loose with their taxes. Wealthy people that pay less taxes do so through legal means. Inevitably these resources being provided to the IRS will have to be used somewhere and they’ll likely hassle more regular people than anybody else. But yeah let’s give the IRS more money to go after people. 

Sounds like something that a tax cheat would say.

[StassneyHorn 6790]

Gina Ortiz Jones was nominated for Undersecretary of the Air Force. Ran twice in Texas 23

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/04/27/for-no-2-air-force-post-biden-eyes-gina-ortiz-jones-gay-iraq-vet-who-nearly-won-w-texas-congressional-seat/

[Js1 87318]

16 minutes ago, StassneyHorn said:

Gina Ortiz Jones was nominated for Undersecretary of the Air Force. Ran twice in Texas 23

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/04/27/for-no-2-air-force-post-biden-eyes-gina-ortiz-jones-gay-iraq-vet-who-nearly-won-w-texas-congressional-seat/

And Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez for ICE Director

[Brisketexan 107056]

22 minutes ago, StassneyHorn said:

Gina Ortiz Jones was nominated for Undersecretary of the Air Force. Ran twice in Texas 23

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/04/27/for-no-2-air-force-post-biden-eyes-gina-ortiz-jones-gay-iraq-vet-who-nearly-won-w-texas-congressional-seat/

 

6 minutes ago, Js1 said:

And Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez for ICE Director

These sorts of moves are really, really, really important.  Why?  They help develop the "bench" of Texas Democrats who have real-world (particularly Federal) government service experience to make them more viable candidates for higher office in the coming years.

Texas Democrats haven't had a lot of chances to develop a meaningful bench with high-level experience because this is still a Repub state.  But if they're going to make a run at changing that, this is one of the ways you develop a roster of candidates to do that.  It's some good long-term thinking by the Biden admin.

[GRHorn 105]

34 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Sounds like something that a tax cheat would say.

I wish. I grew up thinking when you’re rich you don’t pay much taxes. Turns out I was wrong. 

[Captainant 28613]

8 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

I wish. I grew up thinking when you’re rich you don’t pay much taxes. Turns out I was wrong. 

"Rich" is more than a million a year in capitol gains. It's having a seven-figure net income each year. Not pulling down tree fiddy per back cracked or whatever the going rate is

[bad_teammate 13569]

10 minutes ago, Captainant said:

"Rich" is more than a million a year in capitol gains. It's having a seven-figure net income each year. Not pulling down tree fiddy per back cracked or whatever the going rate is

The Top 10% convincing themselves they're in the same class as the top 0.1% is devastating for equality in America.

[elfenix 34802]

rIcH pEoPlE pAy ThEiR tAxEs!

Quote

Rettig told the Senate Finance Committee that the “tax gap” -- the difference between taxes legally owed and revenue collected -- has grown substantially since the last official estimate of a $441 billion annual average from 2011 to 2013.

New sources of wealth arising since then, such as trading in cryptocurrencies, were escaping taxation, he said, as was rising foreign-sourced income and abuses of business income passed through as personal income.

“If you add those in, I think it would not be outlandish, that the actual tax gap could approach, and possibly exceed $1 trillion” on an annual basis, Rettig said.

Rettig said the agency is “outgunned” by increasingly sophisticated tax avoidance schemes, while years of budget cuts have left it with about 17,000 fewer revenue enforcement staff than it had a decade ago.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-treasury-irs/irs-chief-says-1-trillion-in-taxes-goes-uncollected-every-year-idUSKBN2C0255

 

Quote

These strategies include offshore tax avoidance, which may have waned after stricter reporting requirements took effect about a decade ago. But many high-income Americans also use partnerships and similar entities to avoid taxes, and such behavior may be increasing and becoming harder for tax authorities to find and untangle, said Daniel Reck of the London School of Economics, the paper’s lead nongovernment author.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/high-income-tax-avoidance-far-larger-than-thought-new-paper-estimates-11616364001

 

78 pages worth of study:

http://gabriel-zucman.eu/files/GLRRZ2021.pdf

Edited April 27, 2021 by elfenix

[elfenix 34802]

4 hours ago, GRHorn said:

they’ll likely hassle more regular people than anybody else

only because republicans have forced them to waste resources doing so

[Biff Tannen 46221]

9 minutes ago, elfenix said:

New sources of wealth arising since then, such as trading in cryptocurrencies, were escaping taxation

And there it is.  GRHorn is big into crypto.

[bad_teammate 13569]

ban crypto

[Pancho 46392]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

And Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez for ICE Director

Is this a position where he moves to DC? His wife just got the Presidency job at LSC-Kingwood.  Whoops. 

 

[Buzzrock 15164]

Ray-Ban Joe is best Joe.

[elfenix 34802]

7 minutes ago, bad_teammate said:

ban crypto

not until i sell, please

[Js1 87318]

3 minutes ago, Pancho said:

Is this a position where he moves to DC? His wife just got the Presidency job at LSC-Kingwood.  Whoops. 

 

I mean, DHS is HQ'd in DC, so probably. 

[Brisketexan 107056]

9 minutes ago, Js1 said:

I mean, DHS is HQ'd in DC, so probably. 

Seeing as how the V.P. is such a V.I.P., shouldn't we keep the P.C. on the Q.T.? 'Cause of the leaks to the V.C. he could end up M.I.A., and then we'd all be put out in K.P.

[Willfully Horn 8294]

6 hours ago, GRHorn said:

Wealthy people that pay less taxes do so through legal means.

Blanket statement is funny. Funnier that you’ll double down behind it. 
 

Edited April 27, 2021 by Willfully Horn
Moar

[Biff Tannen 46221]

One of the absolute smartest people I know sent me this text this morning:

Quote

 

Two things that have surprised me in the first 100 days post Trump:

1) So much for Biden being a centrist and his commitment to bipartisan governance.

2) Shocked how much power/sway Trump still has within the Republican Party.  Thought his loss and the Capitol riots would loosen his stranglehold.  Nope.

 

I replied diplomatically because I want to give him a chance to explain himself.  But I am pretty stunned.  This person is extremely smart, pays some attention (clearly not enough) and generally votes Democratic.  If people of this caliber are still clinging to the hope that Rs are going to act in good faith, we are lost.

[Js1 87318]

Bipartisan works 2 ways. Kinda hard when Rs offer you peanuts and the balk bc you don’t take them 

[Fudge Nuggets 19487]

I don’t understand why people like that believe Biden was ever going to be a bipartisan centrist.  The GOP said all along he would bring radical socialism to America.  I wish he would hurry up.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Fudge Nuggets

[jimmyjazz 47361]

The Republican Party platform has one plank:  gaslight America.

It doesn't matter that they howled about Biden and Harris being socialists who were going to destroy our country.  Now, they want us to believe that they were tricked into thinking POTUS would reach across the aisle and work with them to come to meaningful centrist consensus.  In reality, Biden has been less aggressive than he promised, and Republicans have done nothing, but to hear them talk, old Joe pulled a fast one.

[elfenix 34802]

New big plan:

White House proposes $1.8 trillion package that would dramatically expand education, safety net programs
By Jeff Stein, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Laura Meckler and Caroline Kitchener

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/04/28/biden-american-families-plan/

 

Quote

The White House says its proposal would provide every American with two years of tuition-free community college; prekindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-olds; and paid family and medical leave for American workers. Among its sweeping agenda items, the plan also calls for devoting hundreds of billions of dollars to fighting child poverty and ensuring affordable child care nationwide.

glad that biden has lots of policy proposals.  bill clinton had two and neither passed (stimulus and a btu tax).  obama got one passed and then spent the rest of his term fighting the deficit.  at some point they're going to have to get these proposals into actual law.  do you do one massive omnibus bill through reconciliation? 

Edited April 28, 2021 by elfenix

[Post Oak 20595]

Fantastic.

[Js1 87318]

18 minutes ago, elfenix said:

New big plan:

White House proposes $1.8 trillion package that would dramatically expand education, safety net programs
By Jeff Stein, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Laura Meckler and Caroline Kitchener

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/04/28/biden-american-families-plan/

 

glad that biden has lots of policy proposals.  bill clinton had two and neither passed (stimulus and a btu tax).  obama got one passed and then spent the rest of his term fighting the deficit.  at some point they're going to have to get these proposals into actual law.  do you do one massive omnibus bill through reconciliation? 

Probably have to do it that way.  I know Biden's legislative guys have been reaching out to Republicans who have put out counter-proposals to try and peel them off on smaller bills within the overall package.  Pass a few bits outside of reconciliation for the smaller stuff, then use your reconciliation bill after 10/1 for the big stuff.  

https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-senators-quietly-meet-white-004711242.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANNTlySkuziYLsrXaekR31wnTStyIxRnlselvGCcaxZdpijgl-Z1b72DvJMvFNFYPKT8CWPJkeZlALSQXr1kMots3qbiI1375ogsmbnMAaB1Tv7BG5CQeupoUwO9oKMlTMJ-pEqFJI0n70CvOUExSDa4Fx41JEgIkycJuIg1tjJT

Quote

• One idea is reaching a bipartisan deal on "Part I" of Biden's infrastructure package — the parts that Republicans consider "traditional" infrastructure, such as funding for roads, bridges and airports.

• That could force Democrats to tackle the second part, focused on child care, health care and climate change, via budget reconciliation.

 

[GRHorn 105]

19 hours ago, bad_teammate said:

ban crypto

Another statist response. 

 

20 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

And there it is.  GRHorn is big into crypto.

More Bitcoin specifically, but ok. 

[elfenix 34802]

when people use the word "statist" on the internet i know they're well-studied in government theory. 

[DonkeyCigars 143]

2 years of free community college is a good, reasonable and sound policy and middle ground. I like it.

[Longhorn_Fan68 34108]

16 minutes ago, DonkeyCigars said:

2 years of free community college is a good, reasonable and sound policy and middle ground. I like it.

it's pretty pussy, if you ask me. like throwing a bucket of water on a house fire.

[DonkeyCigars 143]

22 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

it's pretty pussy, if you ask me. like throwing a bucket of water on a house fire.

It's not going to drastically change things overnight, but it's a change in the right direction that will have big impact 5-10 years from now. But yea, won't do anything for college students now or the last generation who unwisely took out a bunch of debt with bad ROI prospects.

[SydneyCarton 49537]

32 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

it's pretty pussy, if you ask me. like throwing a bucket of water on a house fire.

I don't think everyone should waste time in college for many of the degrees. If 2 years of community college means and supports things like trade schools, to become things like electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, welders and machinists, well, I'm perfectly fine with that concept. Fuck, even bookkeeping programs and whatnot. There's lots of ways to skin the cat, and I think in the long run it might be better than offering free college for everyone so a bunch of people can get degrees in literature and shit that also won't pay anything or offer many jobs, etc. 

[Longhorn_Fan68 34108]

18 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I don't think everyone should waste time in college for many of the degrees. If 2 years of community college means and supports things like trade schools, to become things like electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, welders and machinists, well, I'm perfectly fine with that concept. Fuck, even bookkeeping programs and whatnot. There's lots of ways to skin the cat, and I think in the long run it might be better than offering free college for everyone so a bunch of people can get degrees in literature and shit that also won't pay anything or offer many jobs, etc. 

Agreed, to a point. Education is our best weapon. Making it more accessible and cheaper/free is a hallmark of a great society. Right now we're anything but great.

[SydneyCarton 49537]

2 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

Agreed, to a point. Education is our best weapon. Making it more accessible and cheaper/free is a hallmark of a great society. Right now we're anything but great.

I don't disagree. But I view our biggest educational problems as grades K-12, and then the quality of many colleges. Getting more people shitty degrees from shitty colleges after inadequate HS education isn't any kind of solution to a more educated population, any more than a degree from University of Phoenix is going to get someone an interview at any decent company. 

We've got to fix K-12, for all citizens, before we were about college. Right now people are making terrible college decisions (what major, to go at all, loans to take out, etc) because earlier education has failed them completely. 

[jimmyjazz 47361]

I'm pretty sure we are seeing exactly what happens when we stop making young people commit to those "impractical" studies like literature, history, philosophy, etc.  An increasingly large swatch of society has no idea how to think for themselves.

The problem isn't impractical coursework or even impractical majors, the problem is that costs have skyrocketed and only a few professional degree plans offer high odds of paying back the cost of a college education in a reasonable timeframe.

Edited April 28, 2021 by jimmyjazz

[Js1 87318]

Biden has his first address to Congress tonight and basically no one cares 

[SydneyCarton 49537]

9 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm pretty sure we are seeing exactly what happens when we stop making young people commit to those "impractical" studies like literature, history, philosophy, etc.  An increasingly large swatch of society has no idea how to think for themselves.

The problem isn't impractical coursework or even impractical majors, the problem is that costs have skyrocketed and only a few professional degree plans offer high odds of paying back the cost of a college education in a reasonable timeframe.

This is a fair point. People need diversity of thought and exposure to become well rounded people. But by the time folks go to college, many are on a degree plan from the start where there isn't that much exposure to those kinds of things. Engineers are taking core classes, etc. You can play chicken and the egg with the costs, sure. But we just wanted an entire swatch of people from 2000 on up take out a fuck ton of money in loans for those educations, and I'm not sure society is the better for it. Taking it a step further, I'd argue the baby boomers who did have this cheap and well rounded education available THROUGH the collegiate level and a life of experience have morphed into the greatest percentage of stupid, conspiracy laden magical thinking reality deniers of any age demographic in the country. 

Additionally, there's not shortages of colleges with students filling the admission. They're not all UT quality of course, few are, but it's a lot of people in lots of colleges. 

But anyway, I agree people need diversity of thought. I agree college options should be available to people MUCH cheaper (although the aTm degree mill model isn't doing anyone any favors). But if I had to fix something first, it's K-12. Until then not everyone needs to go to college. 

[elfenix 34802]

the plan was never to get everyone to go to college or only pay for college, why do we keep tilting at that strawman?

Edited April 28, 2021 by elfenix

[SydneyCarton 49537]

3 minutes ago, elfenix said:

the plan was never to get everyone to go to college or only pay for college, why do we keep tilting at that strawman?

If this is referencing my post, I'm not following, so could you please explain further?

[GRHorn 105]

2 hours ago, elfenix said:

when people use the word "statist" on the internet i know they're well-studied in government theory. 

Please educate me. 
 

From the Oxford English Dictionary 

an advocate of a political system in which the state has substantial centralized control over social and economic affairs.

Or put another way as it’s commonly used now, favoring state control over that of the individual. In the example of Bad Teammate, advocating for the ban of peer to peer monetary technology. 

[elfenix 34802]

3 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

If this is referencing my post, I'm not following, so could you please explain further?

 

56 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

don't think everyone should waste time in college for many of the degrees.

great, everyone is in agreement, why do we torture so many electrons jawing about it?

[Biff Tannen 46221]

33 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm pretty sure we are seeing exactly what happens when we stop making young people commit to those "impractical" studies like literature, history, philosophy, etc.  An increasingly large swatch of society has no idea how to think for themselves.

The problem isn't impractical coursework or even impractical majors, the problem is that costs have skyrocketed and only a few professional degree plans offer high odds of paying back the cost of a college education in a reasonable timeframe.

This.  We NEED art degrees.  We NEED music degrees.  We NEED history degrees for damn sure.  This is a massive part of humanity.  Just because something doesn't turn out a widget or invent a new technology doesn't mean it is useless.