90% Tax on bonuses paid to companies that (home equity loan, house)

[shorebaby]

Your anger should be directed at Barney Frank, Charles Rangel, Maxine Waters et al. Google the community reinvestment act and you will see the seeds of this disaster. Class warfare will not resolve this problem, too much government interference caused it and more will not fix it.

[Lusitan]

Originally Posted by elflord1973

I think the bonuses are a distraction. People are paying way too much attention to where the 165 million is going, and not nearly enough attention to where the 171 billion is going, or where the money in the stimulus package is going.

I agree that the bonuses are trivial compared to all the money that's being wasted/stolen in the rest of the bail out packages (I've lost count at this point). But I still see the outrage over the bonuses as a positive thing. It's a wake-up call to the people about how badly managed this whole thing is, and is only the tip of the iceberg.

I want popular anger to force a change in the criminal behavior our politicians are engaging in.

[xmonger]

Originally Posted by tahiti

I don't find a narrow change in the tax code to be upsetting.

Until they pass a law that moderators on CD will get hit with a special income tax for all the power they wield on such an influential forum.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by xmonger

Until they pass a law that moderators on CD will get hit with a special income tax for all the power they wield on such an influential forum.

now THAT's OUTRAGEOUS!

[xmonger]

Originally Posted by Lusitan

I agree that the bonuses are trivial compared to all the money that's being wasted/stolen in the rest of the bail out packages (I've lost count at this point). But I still see the outrage over the bonuses as a positive thing. It's a wake-up call to the people about how badly managed this whole thing is, and is only the tip of the iceberg.

I want popular anger to force a change in the criminal behavior our politicians are engaging in.

Lus, you have good point but I think it is a distraction for the real questions we should be asking. If history teaches us anything, it's that the real culprits seldom get brought to justice. Appearance over substance is at the root of everything that went wrong and is going wrong. It will ultimately lead us down the path to bloodshed, which is really the only way material change is effectuated.

[xmonger]

Originally Posted by tahiti

now THAT's OUTRAGEOUS!

lol

[Alex Libman]

I'm an "all taxation is theft" kinda guy, but they did accept the bailout...

You sleep with dogs, you wake up with flees...

[Lusitan]

Originally Posted by xmonger

Lus, you have good point but I think it is a distraction for the real questions we should be asking. If history teaches us anything, it's that the real culprits seldom get brought to justice. Appearance over substance is at the root of everything that went wrong and is going wrong. It will ultimately lead us down the path to bloodshed, which is really the only way material change is effectuated.

I agree, but sadly this whole fiasco has given me no reason to have any faith in the intelligence of the American public as a whole. If they need something trivial and silly to latch on to in order to finally grasp the magniture of our leaders' incompetance and greed, then I'll take whatever I can get that will wake them up.

Bloodshed? Americans are too fat and lazy to get up off the sofa, turn off the TV, and shed any blood. But at least they may stop paying taxes or at least vote the bums out of office.

Ever read the Fourth Turning? I think it's clear we're in one now. One group of people are going to get royally screwed, and it's either going to to the the intelligent responsible people, or the intelligent greedy people. It depends on which side is able to direct the anger of the ignorant masses toward the other. But the intelligent greedy have a vulnerability that greed is an easy concept to understand, and so I'm hoping that the masses direct their anger in that direction.

[clevedark]

Yes, I too am sad that we are a nation of idiots.

But it's up to us to call our representatives and senators and let them now what's on our minds. I've called three this morning.

[xmonger]

Originally Posted by Lusitan

I agree, but sadly this whole fiasco has given me no reason to have any faith in the intelligence of the American public as a whole. If they need something trivial and silly to latch on to in order to finally grasp the magniture of our leaders' incompetance and greed, then I'll take whatever I can get that will wake them up.

Agreed. Anything is better than nothing and maybe this thing has legs to get us to the bigger questions.

Originally Posted by Lusitan

Bloodshed? Americans are too fat and lazy to get up off the sofa, turn off the TV, and shed any blood. But at least they may stop paying taxes or at least vote the bums out of office.

Maybe not today or tomorrow...but the way things are going it is going to get a lot worse. If Joe Budweiser can't get his beer at the supermarket anymore cause the supply chain has gone to sh*t he'll be really pissed and remember that he's got a gun a home.

Originally Posted by Lusitan

Ever read the Fourth Turning? I think it's clear we're in one now. One group of people are going to get royally screwed, and it's either going to to the the intelligent responsible people, or the intelligent greedy people. It depends on which side is able to direct the anger of the ignorant masses toward the other. But the intelligent greedy have a vulnerability that greed is an easy concept to understand, and so I'm hoping that the masses direct their anger in that direction.

I'm not liking our chances because we are handicapped by a sense of we must continue to do the right thing. The greedy bastards have no such liability.