Support NeoGAF

[speculawyer]

That would definitely be a dream come true if we could get a real, extended national conversation about the super rich paying jackshit in taxes, all in perfectly legal ways.

That is going to happen no matter what. It is already happening. I said the day he released some tax returns. When you pay 13.9% on $20Million/year in income, that is scandalous.

Go ahead and use your rationalization, right wing . . . "we need to give them a low rate so they'll invest it". Well what the fuck else are they going to do with the money? Spend it? GOOD! If they spent the money like crazy if we increased rates that would help the economy! If they don't spend it, it is invested. So they are either going to spend or invest it. Either way, the economy benefits. So this "we need to give them a low rate so they invest" is just fucking bullshit. If we are ever desperate for investment money and there are good investments to be made, we can always just lend the money into existence. How do you thing money is created anyway? IT IS LENT INTO EXISTENCE. So the whole 'we need to get them to invest' rationalization is bullshit and always has been.

 

[Black Mamba]

It is not true that my book “Guns, Germs and Steel,” as Mr. Romney described it in a speech in Jerusalem, “basically says the physical characteristics of the land account for the differences in the success of the people that live there. There is iron ore on the land and so forth.”

That is so different from what my book actually says that I have to doubt whether Mr. Romney read it. My focus was mostly on biological features, like plant and animal species, and among physical characteristics, the ones I mentioned were continents’ sizes and shapes and relative isolation. I said nothing about iron ore, which is so widespread that its distribution has had little effect on the different successes of different peoples. (As I learned this week, Mr. Romney also mischaracterized my book in his memoir, “No Apology: Believe in America.”)

That’s not the worst part. Even scholars who emphasize social rather than geographic explanations — like the Harvard economist David S. Landes, whose book “The Wealth and Poverty of Nations” was mentioned favorably by Mr. Romney — would find Mr. Romney’s statement that “culture makes all the difference” dangerously out of date. In fact, Mr. Landes analyzed multiple factors (including climate) in explaining why the industrial revolution first occurred in Europe and not elsewhere.

Mitt Romney may become our next president. Will he continue to espouse one-factor explanations for multicausal problems, and fail to understand history and the modern world? If so, he will preside over a declining nation squandering its advantages of location and history.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/opinion/mitt-romneys-search-for-simple-answers.html?_r=3&hp

OH MITTENS

 

[speculawyer]

Unless he did falsify his gifts by willfully undervaluing them. And I can tell you, this is a very common thing done among the wealthy. So it wouldn't be unlikely.

Well . . . again, the rich white nice guy can get away with little white lies. If you take a 'reporting position' (as my tax law professor put it) wherein you low-ball the value of something, the IRS generally isn't going to bother you unless it is clearly fucking out-of-this-world fraudulent. And yes, I've seen people do it as well. All sorts of games can be played.

His $100 million IRA is a great example. If you were donating at the legal limit and getting typical investment returns, it would take thousands of years to accumulate such an amount. But you shift things around so that your magic winning investments always seem to magically end up in your IRA where they don't get taxed and your big loser investments end up in your normal account so you can deduct the losses. Amazing the way that happens. Sorta like the ways Silicon Valley firms kept back-dating their option grants right around the lows of the stock.

 

[speculawyer]

I hope she isn't getting delusions of Bret Bri...whatever the hell his name way, the coke monkey guy.

Hey now. No drugs were found in his system at death, AFAIK. Perhaps he did drugs in his past, but it is not really relevant. I think an overdose of hate was more his issue.

But yeah, I hope she isn't pimping something that is nothing.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Two items on the jobs report due in the morning.

Calculated Risk has a post rounding up the employment data leading into the report. Consensus is for a gain of 100,000 jobs, with mixed signals in the data.

The NYT Economix blog has a great piece on the seasonal adjustments in July. The adjustment is the largest of any month of the year, and the initial release has a poor track record. And the adjustment might be skewed by the recession, since historical data factors into the adjustment.

In June, for example, the bureau estimated that the economy added 391,000 jobs. But the headline number, after seasonal adjustment, was just 80,000 jobs.

This is a good and important idea. But right now we have a problem: Some economists believe economic turbulence has disrupted the calibration of those adjustments, undermining the accuracy of the bureau’s estimates.

Federal Reserve officials have cited doubts about the accuracy of the monthly jobs number as one reason for their uncertainty about the health of the economy.

As my colleague Floyd Norris explained last month, one possible distortion that has arisen in recent years, thanks to the weakness of the economy, is that “seasonal adjustments make things look better than they are in the winter, when fewer workers are being let go than the government expects, and worse in the spring and summer, when the workers who were not let go cannot be rehired.”

The issue will loom particularly large on Friday, because the report for July is annually adjusted by a larger amount than for any other month save January, when holiday workers lose their jobs.

In the last 10 July jobs reports, dating back to 2002, the agency has added an average of 1.33 million jobs to its original estimate. Last year, for example, the agency estimated that payrolls declined by 1.3 million jobs in July, but it reported a seasonally adjusted increase of 96,000 jobs.

That places a huge premium on the accuracy of the adjustment: A 5 percent error in the adjustment would have shifted the reported total last July by two-thirds.

And even in the best of times, the bureau’s estimates are rarely that accurate.

The government has estimated an average change of 149,700 jobs in the last 10 July jobs reports, but it has since revised those estimates by an average of 92,900 jobs per year. In other words, the initial estimate is generally off by about 62 percent.

In three of those 10 years — 2002, 2003 and 2007 — the agency wasn’t even correct about whether the economy gained or lost jobs.

So take Friday’s report with a measure of caution.

I think we'll see marginal improvement over the past couple months; +100k feels about right.

 

[Shirokun]

Why is it that CNN seems to be analyzing and calling out the political tactics of Democrats this cycle but never seems to do it for Republicans? Is it just me? Have I just not been paying attention?

There are times [Reid] says things off the cuff that make his aides wince, like talking about smelly tourists in the Capitol -- I'm not making this up. This is not one of those times. This is one of those times he knows exactly what he's doing. He's doing it on purpose, he is doing it for political reasons, because he wants this issue -- Romney's taxes -- talked about on programs like yours, wants it to be headlines in newspapers and wants Mitt Romney to respond on this issue which they think is a negative for Romney, as opposed to issues Romney wants to talk about.

It's not like I'm bitter for them talking about what should be obvious to most people, but this sort of analysis never seems to be done the many times the GOP spouts their lies.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...source-_n_1735729.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

 

[GhaleonEB]

Why is it that CNN seems to be analyzing and calling out the political tactics of Democrats this cycle but never seems to do it for Republicans? Is it just me? Have I just not been paying attention?

It's not like I'm bitter for them talking about what should be obvious to most people, but this sort of analysis never seems to be done the many times the GOP spouts their lies.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...source-_n_1735729.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

This is typical.

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

Hey now. No drugs were found in his system at death, AFAIK. Perhaps he did drugs in his past, but it is not really relevant. I think an overdose of hate was more his issue.

Unrefined Bolivian and Columbian hate.

But yeah, I hope she isn't pimping something that is nothing.

Yeah, who knows what (I can't get over how she reminds me of Gozer with her haircut) is up to, be odd if she's playing from Curious Bret's play book.

 

[Stinkles]

Lawyer: Your Honor, my client has evidence that can easily prove his innocence and show the prosecution is lying.

Judge: Well alright lets see it.

Lawyer: Well you see...my client doesn't wish to show you, you're just going to have to trust him.

Judge:.....

Now anywhere outside the warped minds of right-wing voters, a guilty suspect or an insane person would this make ANY damn sense?

I haven't really seen much republican defense of Romney on this. They do what they always do and change the subject to Obama.

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

I haven't really seen much republican defense of Romney on this. They do what they always do and change the subject to Obama.

Best defense is a good offense.

 

[Stinkles]

Best defense is a good offense.

I haven't seen one of those either. But it would be nice to hear for a republican about their candidate, instead of how different and culturally alien the incumbent is.

I also like your use of irony in your reply.

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

I haven't seen one of those either. But it would be nice to hear for a republican about their candidate, instead of how different and culturally alien the incumbent is.

I also like your use of irony in your reply.

Well I should have said the theory is...granted you need an offense too for it to actually work.

I can't see how Obama is losing at this point. Its telling that I see more Anti Obama bumper stickers than I see Romney ones. They'll vote Romney, but that their defined by opposition to a candidate rather than support for one just reeks of John Kerry and all the lack of real dedicated support behind the nominee.

Obama could go on TV and start quoting from Blazing Saddles and he'd be fine.

However Ron Paul will clearly get all the delegates and take back the nomination and win....seriously what delusion is the Cult of Paul spouting now?

 

[AniHawk]

Well I should have said the theory is...granted you need an offense too for it to actually work.

I can't see how Obama is losing at this point. Its telling that I see more Anti Obama bumper stickers than I see Romney ones. They'll vote Romney, but that their defined by opposition to a candidate rather than support for one just reeks of John Kerry and all the lack of real dedicated support behind the nominee.

Obama could go on TV and start quoting from Blazing Saddles and he'd be fine.

However Ron Paul will clearly get all the delegates and take back the nomination and win....seriously what delusion is the Cult of Paul spouting now?

i believe they prefer to be called the league of paul.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Manos returns just in time

The CFA thread beckons

 

[Loudninja]

So did Mitt Romney try his best to pick the wost person to clean up his image om Bain?

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

i believe they prefer to be called the league of paul.

I still fully expect a bunch when Paul dies to off themselves in mass suicides somehow involving Gold and Ann Raynd quotes.

Manos returns just in time

The CFA thread beckons

Oh no, I'm not going into that honeypot. However I can use a Simpsons quote in reference to the thread title, "See? Because of me, now they have a warning" lol

So what's going on there currently?

 

[el retorno]

So what's going on there currently?

Justifications for bigotry.

 

[Mike M]

Oh no, I'm not going into that honeypot. However I can use a Simpsons quote in reference to the thread title, "See? Because of me, now they have a warning" lol

So what's going on there currently?

Title says "Do NOT Gloat About Eating CFA."

Juniors gloat about eating CFA.

 

[The Technomancer]

Oh no, I'm not going into that honeypot. However I can use a Simpsons quote in reference to the thread title, "See? Because of me, now they have a warning" lol

So what's going on there currently?

A fair amount of straight up Biblical "well I believe that homosexuality is a sin but I still love the sinner" type stuff

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

A fair amount of straight up Biblical "well I believe that homosexuality is a sin but I still love the sinner" type stuff

Shit, thats just dumb. I can at least say I'm lazy, selfish, I don't give a crap, it's not hiring or serving discrimination, jobs in community, people hating on the food aren't going to go back if CFA changed,, but I don't need justify their goofy ass and wrong thinking or whip out the bible. Might as well argue by image macros if one is doing justification of views or the bible.

 

[The Technomancer]

Shit, thats just dumb. I can at least say I'm lazy, selfish, I don't give a crap, it's not hiring or serving discrimination, but I don't need justify their goofy ass thinking.

The first several days of the thread were basically that, back and forth of "its a private business and you don't boycott every business that does things you don't approve of" and "but its not just that they're anti-gay its that they actively donate money to anti-gay groups". That went round and round a few dozen times with a few bannings from people coming in and being stupid and then at some point today all of the sudden like three religious posters started taking things in that direction.

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

The first several days of the thread were basically that, back and forth of "its a private business and you don't boycott every business that does things you don't approve of" and "but its not just that they're anti-gay its that they actively donate money to anti-gay groups". That went round and round a few dozen times with a few bannings from people coming in and being stupid and then at some point today all of the sudden like three religious posters started taking things in that direction.

Personally I would have stuck with the don't boycott all things you don't like, because I actually am that way. Regardless, it's not like anyone is winning in there it's like World War I trench warfare on the Western Front.

CHARGE....bish machine gun, Kaboteur BAR trench broom, Stumpkapow Trench Shotgun, and another mod mustard gas.....bans everywhere,

 

[Diablos]

Pittsburgh doesn't care about Penn State.

You'd be surprised, especially as you get into the suburban Pittsburgh area.

Although I agree, it's much worse elsewhere. But we've got our stark raving mad JoePa fans, too.

 

[eBay Huckster]

Personally I would have stuck with the don't boycott all things you don't like, because I actually am that way. Regardless, it's not like anyone is winning in there it's like World War I trench warfare on the Western Front.

CHARGE....bish machine gun, Kaboteur BAR trench broom, Stumpkapow Trench Shotgun, and another mod mustard gas.....bans everywhere,

And the mods are the US Army!

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

And the mods are the US Army!

Or Marines, but considering the Germans tried to have the Shotgun declared too cruel for warfare, I figured use the site with the most powerful weapons that helped break the stalemate.

Look up the legal brief the US wrote on the issue, the Germans actually had threatened to start executing captured US troops found with a shotgun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1897#World_War_I_Protests

 

[RDreamer]

Lol, I love getting emails from my dad on anything now. He always has thinly veiled anger toward governmental things.

In this week's episode, he emailed to warn gas prices are going up:

Gas up your cars The Chicago refinery (our area supplier) was not denied or not issued( not sure why ) a permit for the new blend. (EPA bullshit) Gas is supposed to leap to $4.00 and slowly go up more. Government mandate of 15% ethanol goes into effect that means a large % of corn is mandated to go into the bullshit fuel.

Oh well, could be worse.

Anyone know anything about this ethanol mandate, anyway? Most of the stuff I can find on the E15 stuff is coming from some crazy sites like breitbart and freethinker. I can't find many real news stories other than that. Most I can gather is that the EPA finally approved use of E15 fuel. There doesn't seem to be any sort of mandate like my dad says. They just said that if gas stations want to use it they can now, as long as they put up warnings on what cars can and cannot use it (because it hasn't been tested much on pre 2001 cars, but after that I guess it works). Is that the gist of it?

 

[PantherLotus]

What does that have to do with accusing Romney of something with no evidence lol

Something tells me Romney isn't dumb enough to run for president with 10 years of not paying taxes. Moreover, McCain's camp would know. Just as John Edwards' camp was ready and willing to leak news of his affair if he got close to the nomination, I expect McCain's folks would do the same to protect the party.

What has Romney or his campaign done that has convinced you he's not that dumb? This is the same man that couldn't beat out McCain for the nomination, barely beat Santorum, signed onto Trump-love, and at the time of you actually reading this, is switching his position on something of import.

Other than him looking the part and being extremely wealthy, there's no reason to believe he isn't dumb enough to do everything of which he's been accused.

 

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

What has Romney or his campaign done that has convinced you he's not that dumb? This is the same man that couldn't beat out McCain for the nomination, barely beat Santorum, signed onto Trump-love, and at the time of you actually reading this, is switching his position on something of import.

Other than him looking the part and being extremely wealthy, there's no reason to believe he isn't dumb enough to do everything of which he's been accused.

He did not barely beat Santorum, that was baseless media hype and fearmongering, at no point was he going to lose to Santorum.

 

[GhaleonEB]

He did not barely beat Santorum, that was baseless media hype and fearmongering, at no point was he going to lose to Santorum.

It would be more accurate to say, it took tens of millions and a couple months to beat Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich.

 

[speculawyer]

He did not barely beat Santorum, that was baseless media hype and fearmongering, at no point was he going to lose to Santorum.

But I guess he is still dumb because he couldn't beat out McCain for the nomination, signed onto Trump-love, and at the time of you actually reading this, is switching his position on something of import.

And Santorum was a real competitor. If the Bachmann, Perry, and Gringrich fans all aligned behind Santorum, he would have had it.

 

[speculawyer]

Lol, I love getting emails from my dad on anything now. He always has thinly veiled anger toward governmental things.

In this week's episode, he emailed to warn gas prices are going up:



Oh well, could be worse.

Anyone know anything about this ethanol mandate, anyway? Most of the stuff I can find on the E15 stuff is coming from some crazy sites like breitbart and freethinker. I can't find many real news stories other than that. Most I can gather is that the EPA finally approved use of E15 fuel. There doesn't seem to be any sort of mandate like my dad says. They just said that if gas stations want to use it they can now, as long as they put up warnings on what cars can and cannot use it (because it hasn't been tested much on pre 2001 cars, but after that I guess it works). Is that the gist of it?

"was not denied or not issued" . . . What? With a line like that in there saying "We have no fucking clue as to what we are talking about" . . . how can anyone take it seriously. The Ethanol subsidy is gone but there are still mandates in many states. E15 is pretty much DOA though. There is like 1 place in the country that has it. Pretty much a non-issue right now. Everyone, left and right, has pretty much turned against ethanol. The best thing about it right now is that it is better than MBTE as an additive.

 

[Oblivion]

Have you guys seen Romney's speech today where he gives Obama a "report card"? Aside from it being an extremely stupid, inept and clumsy gimmick that Republicans like to do, I noticed Romney seemed visibly angry the whole time. As if one of his employees came up to him and asked him for a raise or something.

Also, if the Romney team's best answer to Obama's recent attacks on his tax plan is just simply "NUH UH", then it's gonna be pretty damn ugly when the debates happen.

Which is just the way I likes it.

 

[codhand]

It's that time again....

Predictions:
110,000 jobs added
8.2% (unchanged) unemployment rate

 

[Oblivion]

Oh shit, it's PoliNPD day, isn't it?! Let's see if my predictatory powers have any effect this time as well:

180k jobs

Spoiler

532 Vitas

 

[Loudninja]

First on CNN: Massive $77 million ad time buy for Obama

Washington (CNN) – The Obama campaign has taken the extraordinary step of booking $77 million in additional ad time starting Friday and running through Election Day, a Republican ad buying source told CNN.

The new buy is for thirty second broadcast TV spots that will run in eight battleground states.

Here is the breakdown of the new Obama buy:

Colorado: $7,025,120
Florida: $13,355,226
Iowa: $7,315,224
Nevada: $4,939,620
New Hampshire: $4,939,620
North Carolina: $7,647,844
Ohio: $19,533,433
Virginia: $11,582,494

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.co...cnn-massive-77-million-ad-time-buy-for-obama/

 

[Black Republican]

First on CNN: Massive $77 million ad time buy for Obama


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.co...cnn-massive-77-million-ad-time-buy-for-obama/

where is PA?!?! its a swinger!

 

[Tim-E]

Obama has finally realized that PA is a lost hope </diablos>

 

[Officerrob]

where is PA?!?! its a swinger!

I wonder if Romney is going to bother wasting money there

 

[Black Republican]

3mins muhaha

 

[Ecotic]

163,000 awesome! Sucks that the unemployment rate increased though.

 

[codhand]

dow futures up 120
Gub'ment jobs -9

 

[gcubed]

Thank god no PA. I'm tiring of the ads during the Olympics, particularly the Romney saved the Olympics one, but all are annoying the hell out of me.

 

[Black Republican]

predicted 8.3%!

163k real good though, well sorta

 

[codhand]

predicted 8.3%!

163k real good though, well sorta

Better than expected, good for the market, good for Barry, bad for Romney.

 

[Hop]

predicted 8.3%!

163k real good though, well sorta

Better than the 100k being thrown around, so I'll take it.

 

[KingGondo]

Better than expected, good for the market, good for Barry, bad for Romney.

Nah, Mittens will focus on 8.3% and make sure his supporters know that the 4% solution is coming.

 

[Officerrob]

So a mixed bag where each side has something to crow about

 

[codhand]

Nah, Mittens will focus on 8.3% and make sure his supporters know that the 4% solution is coming.

It's nice to want to focus on things.

So a mixed bag where each side has something to crow about

Not mixed, good. Broad based job growth. Crowing will still happen on both sides of course

 

[gcubed]

Better than expected, good for the market, good for Barry, bad for Romney.

Not horrendous being good for Obama is a sad testament to our economic state

 

[Ecotic]

You know it's a decent jobs report when gold immediately tanks upon release of the numbers. A weak report would've meant possible further fed stimulus, weakening the dollar and strengthening gold.