Days after minimum wage rises, Maine diner near nh cuts staff hours. (health insurance, unemployment)

[Maineac]

"Death taxes" in the context I was using was Estate Taxation, charged against the Estate before any distributions. "Inheritance taxes" are charged to those that inherit from the Estate, at or after distribution, and are only collected in a few jurisdictions. Two different things. I put it in quotes because the term is intended to instill fear and hatred of "taking property someone earned" in those that will never, ever be affected by it.

The "lie" is the old tome about small business, families suffering, losing the family farm, etc. The exclusion for a couple, owning the "family farm," was $10,900,000.00. For an individual's Estate, $5,450,000.00 for 2016, up again this year to close to $6MM. If someone has that much in assets, there are many, many ways to protect those assets from Estate taxation if one desires to do so. Even Lepage repeated (as he often does) the fantasy about "death taxes" and jacked the exclusion from $2MM to $5.45 million. A gift to Maine's wealthiest heirs on a silver platter.

Estate taxation goes back hundreds of years and serves one purpose. To help avoid the "golden rule." To help society avoid the imposition of "kingdoms" on the populous by simple right of inheritance of wealth in a lineage that ultimately owns nearly everything. The theory is that if one family (as actually happened in feudal times in Europe) were to amass all of the property and wealth, only the "golden rule" would apply. They would make the rules, laws, own everything because they could. Everyone else works for "them." They that hold the gold. Under Ronald Reagan, the exclusion was around $660,000.00 and up into the 1990's and the sky didn't fall, did it? Then it became the big political "death tax" lie that got repeated over and over until Congress gave the poor rich folk's heirs more and more and more. In 2010, curiously, there was NO Federal Estate Tax due on people's estates that died that year. I'll bet there's a story in that somewhere in the halls of Congress. Who's relative died in 2010 leaving a theretofore taxable estate? Who's political contact or crony?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Maineac

"Death taxes" in the context I was using was Estate Taxation, charged against the Estate before any distributions. "Inheritance taxes" are charged to those that inherit from the Estate, at or after distribution, and are only collected in a few jurisdictions. Two different things. I put it in quotes because the term is intended to instill fear and hatred of "taking property someone earned" in those that will never, ever be affected by it.

Regardless of how you feel about the use of the phrase, these taxes do exist.

To say they exist is not a lie.

[Maineac]

Hmm. I didn't say they didn't "exist." The term "death taxes" itself is coined by persons against such taxation, when, in fact, it is (generally) actually called an Estate Tax. The "lie" is the ongoing perpetration of falsehoods about all those poor people "losing" the family business, farm, etc. to "death taxes." The persons against such taxation are those that would much prefer the institution of the Golden Rule.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Maineac

Hmm. I didn't say they didn't "exist." The term "death taxes" itself is coined by persons against such taxation, when, in fact, it is (generally) actually called an Estate Tax. The "lie" is the ongoing perpetration of falsehoods about all those poor people "losing" the family business, farm, etc. to "death taxes."

So we agree that death taxes do exist. Your issue with death taxes is your strawman of how you perceive third parties might use the phrase.

... The persons against such taxation are those that would much prefer the institution of the Golden Rule.

Personally I am in favor of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

[Maineac]

Under the IRS and various State codes, "Estate Taxes" and "inheritance taxes" exist. "Death tax" is a term politically coined to have maximum denigrating effect. Potato potatoe.

Your issue with Estate Taxation seems to be more political than actual, which could result in a quite unpalatable situation if the hypothetical extreme is ever reached due to a complete recission of estate taxation.

Edit: Hey, I gotta apologize for all this. Discussion jumped off the rails somewhere awhile back.

[mensaguy]

Originally Posted by Maineac

<snip>


Edit: Hey, I gotta apologize for all this. Discussion jumped off the rails somewhere awhile back.

We'll get it back on track. Thread topic: Days after minimum wage rises, Maine diner near nh cuts staff hours.

I wonder if work hours had decreased generally for Maine Restaurant workers. There should be some information available next week about Unemployment claims in January. If there is something significant about a particular employment classification, that will probably be in the report. We'll soon know if the number of food service workers decreased by a measurable amount.

[roadrat]

Originally Posted by Maineac

"Death taxes"

The "lie" is the old tome about small business, families suffering, losing the family farm, etc. The exclusion for a couple, owning the "family farm," was $10,900,000.00. For an individual's Estate, $5,450,000.00 for 2016, up again this year to close to $6MM. If someone has that much in assets, there are many, many ways to protect those assets from Estate taxation if one desires to do so. Even Lepage repeated (as he often does) the fantasy about "death taxes" and jacked the exclusion from $2MM to $5.45 million. A gift to Maine's wealthiest heirs on a silver platter.

Since when is it a gift to keep what you have rightfully earned? Or pass on to your heirs what you have earned in life?
Are you of the opinion that the State owns everything?

Tell you what, I have decreed that everything you have shall be given to me, Oh never mind I will graciously allow you to keep your things.
Now bow down and thank me for the gift I have given you.

RR
(sorry didn't see the mod post, lets get back to the thread topic)

[roadrat]

Originally Posted by mensaguy

We'll get it back on track. Thread topic: Days after minimum wage rises, Maine diner near nh cuts staff hours.

I wonder if work hours had decreased generally for Maine Restaurant workers. There should be some information available next week about Unemployment claims in January. If there is something significant about a particular employment classification, that will probably be in the report. We'll soon know if the number of food service workers decreased by a measurable amount.

I don't think it will only be loss of workers and lower hours, it going to mean menu price increases that is going to lead to fewer customers.
For the most part wages are not going up for the elderly and middle class, Just prices.


RR

[Maineac]

Can't help it if people don't get why estate taxation exists, and has for hundreds of years in various places around the world. It certainly isn't to bolster tax revenues. Money runs the show. Put it all in one or two family's hands and you become a servant. Go for it. Much deeper thinkers came up with the framework.

My nephew's wife was on TV about the switch-over for restaurant workers and stated she doesn't like it. The deal now is apparently that if they don't make $5.00 per hour with tips over the course of a week, the business makes up the difference. A safety net. The workers don't like the change because stupid people, primarily those against any wage increase, "taught" this position by repetition, think they're all now making $12.00/hour and therefore they don't tip. Yup, with the help of the opposition, well-trained by their masters, a lot of business will be lost and businesses closed. Then they can point the finger. Again, I got no answers, but with minimum wage in 2016 at about 73% of what it was in 1970, who do you think got to keep the difference? Well trained. The frog's been thoroughly boilt. Now it's going to get microwaved over the next 4 years.

[roadrat]

Originally Posted by Maineac

Can't help it if people don't get why estate taxation exists, and has for hundreds of years in various places around the world. It certainly isn't to bolster tax revenues. Money runs the show. Put it all in one or two family's hands and you become a servant. Go for it. Much deeper thinkers came up with the framework.

My nephew's wife was on TV about the switch-over for restaurant workers and stated she doesn't like it. The deal now is apparently that if they don't make $5.00 per hour with tips over the course of a week, the business makes up the difference. A safety net. The workers don't like the change because stupid people, primarily those against any wage increase, "taught" this position by repetition, think they're all now making $12.00/hour and therefore they don't tip. Yup, with the help of the opposition, well-trained by their masters, a lot of business will be lost and businesses closed. Then they can point the finger. Again, I got no answers, but with minimum wage in 2016 at about 73% of what it was in 1970, who do you think got to keep the difference? Well trained. The frog's been thoroughly boilt. Now it's going to get microwaved over the next 4 years.

You keep bringing up 1970....Gee what could have caused wage stagnation to start then? A massive conspiracy between big government and big Business? maybe,maybe.

Or could it have been the tsunami of illegal aliens that exploded into the country at that time, Willing to work for pennies on the dollar.
Funny how this happened a few short years after Ted kennedy pushed through the immigration reform bill of 1965?

But please continue to don your tin foil armour and go tilting at conspiracy theory windmills, When the truth is actually hammering nails up on your roof saying "Si Senior".


RR