Comments on Advance Indiana™: Palin Brings The Energy To Indiana

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer an...

2008-10-20T19:27:00.000-05:00

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so: The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings)
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant the men began to compare their savings. 'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!

' 'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!

' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!' 'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even halfof the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. Professor of Economics, University of Georgia. For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

--- You're a freaking liberal kid. Get over it Bob...

2008-10-18T14:42:00.000-05:00

--- You're a freaking liberal kid. Get over it Bobisimo. Don't pretend you're not going to vote for Obama. ---

Thanks for that comment, Jay! Really adds to the discussion.

---I think many news agencies and even Obama himself is missing the point of Joe the Plumber. It's not about his situation or about him actually...it's about Obama's answer to the question.---

That's a great point Kristin (and, later, downtown Indy) and what I was trying to get at in my comment when I said that Joe the Plumber is better as a hypothetical than as an actual person.

My problem is that by continuing to harp on Joe the Plumber as a specific person it fails because Joe has little credibility as an example. It makes me wish McCain had said, "Ya know, Obama, your plan fails because what about a guy who... etc." Instead, he pulled out a bad example. It does miss the point, for both sides, to focus on Joe the Plumber. It allows everyone to ignore the actual issue and their informed thoughts on the actual issues.

---I love how we're selective about the lies we believe.---

ipopa, this is the other point I was trying to get at. The dems are lying all over the place. The reps are lying all over the place. Both parties are awful. If you believe the BS, that's a shame; we should be listening to what is being said - and not how it is being said.

---She has more executive experience than all of the candidates combined.---

Well, yeah. That's because McCain and Obama never held the office of governor or mayor. I don't think that hurts either of them.

---bobisimo and others are forgetting a very important point: Under Obama the Bush tax cuts will expire.---

That's a great point but you may as well finish the statement since it diminishes its honesty when you cut it short:

Under Obama the Bush tax cuts will expire for those individuals making $200,000 or more. Those making smaller amounts will see larger tax cuts.

Again, both sides lie and push misinformation. It's one thing to sell something. It's another to deceive. I'd love if it people could maintain some semblance of honesty when discussing both candidates.

I'm quite sure that after she said "the picket fen...

2008-10-18T14:08:00.000-05:00

I'm quite sure that after she said "the picket fence, for Jimmy" the subject would change and the usual suspects would attempt some other talking point.

Sarah Palin is the ground ball. Joe Biden is Bill Buckner's glove.

bobisimo and others are forgetting a very importan...

2008-10-18T10:22:00.000-05:00

bobisimo and others are forgetting a very important point: Under Obama the Bush tax cuts will expire. Therefore, taxes will be automatically raised (except for that 30-40% who never had pay taxes) from around 34-36% to 39%. He doesn't have to inact a tax increase, taxes will increase because he'll do nothing to stop it.

Sarah is the most impressive and genuine person I ...

2008-10-18T09:56:00.000-05:00

Sarah is the most impressive and genuine person I have ever seen run for public office. She has more executive experience than all of the candidates combined. In Sarah we trust. Integrity, honesty and real American values is in her blood.

Nostradamus even predicted her ascendancy -

With a name so timid will she be brought forth,
That the three sisters will have the name of destiny:
Then she will lead a great people by tongue and deed,
More than any other will she have fame and renown.

.......Nostradamus for the year 2009

Join her team: http://www.teamsarah.org/ or visit http://sarahpalinforviceprez.blogspot.com or http://sarahsarmy.blogspot.com

We Love You Sarah!!

@ipopaI highly doubt that a girl that was the capt...

2008-10-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

@ipopa

I highly doubt that a girl that was the captain of her basketball team never saw "Hoosiers". It practically required watching in highschool if you play basketball.

Your comment actually says more about you and your disdain for middle america, or a contempt for anything you dont see as "high brow" enough.

Again, IPOPA, your partisanship is clouding your j...

2008-10-18T08:28:00.000-05:00

Again, IPOPA, your partisanship is clouding your judgment. Palin gave the "Hoosiers" answer in her interview with Katie Couric. She was simply reminding people of that. She was, after all, a state high school basketball champion team member from a small town. Does it not make sense that she would identify with the movie? Think about it.

I love how we're selective about the lies we belie...

2008-10-18T08:16:00.000-05:00

I love how we're selective about the lies we believe. Palin comes into town and says her favorite movie is Hoosiers, and we all gush. I promise you if you asked her something that anyone who had ever seen the movie Hoosiers would know, she would NOT know the answer. Oh, here it is:

Media: "Governor Palin, what is the name of the play run by the high school to win the state championship?"

Palin: "UH, well, the movie Hoosiers is about pro-Amurica, patriotic Hoosiers doing Hoosiery things. And it's about trade. And creating good jobs like scorekeeper, referee, and popcorn vendor. And the people who want health care for Dennis Hopper, God love ya and your battle with alcohol, and it's about the little Joe the Plumber guys of Amurica who drill, drill, drill while staring down Russia from their farm houses in pro-rural Amurica. You betcha!"

Media: "Governor, you didn't answer my question."

Palin: "Let me go find some for you, and I'll get back to ya on that."

It's not about Joe the plumber's reality, it's ALL...

2008-10-18T07:53:00.000-05:00

It's not about Joe the plumber's reality, it's ALL about Obama's answers to Joe's question. ANYONE could have asked the question.

Obama answered with uncharacteristic honesty. The only way "Joe" factors into the exchange is he was the one who caught Barack off-guard, requiring him to give an unrehearsed answer.

"It's hard to feel sympathy for "Joe the Plumber" ...

2008-10-18T05:35:00.000-05:00

"It's hard to feel sympathy for "Joe the Plumber" when everything about his story is false or, at best, hypothetical. It's also hard to feel sorry for Joe the Plumber when his situation looks like it'd be better under Obama."

I think many news agencies and even Obama himself is missing the point of Joe the Plumber. It's not about his situation or about him actually...it's about Obama's answer to the question. What would he do with the taxes he is about to levy on what he perceives as 'the rich'? Why, he'd 'spread the wealth around.'

This goes against everything America is for. We are not taxed in order to give money directly to those who don't pay taxes (almost 40% of Americans pay no taxes...so Obama's 'tax cut' would actually be a direct payment to these people). That's called WELFARE.

Taxes are paid in order to support government services like infrastructure, military, and the like.

That is the problem with Joe and his real or hypothetical situation. Many people fit into that scenario.

When we start redistributing the wealth we can stop calling ourselves the United States of America and start calling ourselves the United Socialist States of America.

There is a HUGE difference between Obama and McCain. I was never 100% thrilled with McCain as the Republican pick, but there is NO WAY you could get me to vote for Obama. Especially after his 'spread the wealth' comment. It's when Obama speaks off the cuff that his true intentions come out.

You're a freaking liberal kid. Get over it Bobisim...

2008-10-18T03:01:00.000-05:00

You're a freaking liberal kid. Get over it Bobisimo. Don't pretend you're not going to vote for Obama.

And just to elaborate, since I didn't...I'm not vo...

2008-10-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

And just to elaborate, since I didn't...

I'm not voting for Obama. I can't. But I'm about as close to that as I could be.

It's hard to take Palin's criticisms of Obama seriously when both parties are doing the same thing and have been for... ever?

It's hard to feel sympathy for "Joe the Plumber" when everything about his story is false or, at best, hypothetical. It's also hard to feel sorry for Joe the Plumber when his situation looks like it'd be better under Obama.

But that's also the thing about politics I like. The stakes are high. Both parties are willing to do anything to win because the end justifies the actions.

I'm glad both parties have their loyal supporters and are willing to say what they can to appeal to those supporters. But it's also a little scary that people put so much stock in how they speak over what they say.

Politics is so entertaining but so soul numbing.ht...

2008-10-17T22:17:00.000-05:00

Politics is so entertaining but so soul numbing.

http://www.gregpalast.com/rolling-stone-its-already-stolen/

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/10/16/the-real-meaning-of-joe-the-plumber.aspx