If you currently donate to churches....please...

[SF1900]

WHAT FUCKING THEORY?!

 

[The Ugly]

(Inside Basile joke. Close to the vest, yeah.)

[SF1900]

(Inside Basile joke. Close to the vest, yeah.)

I had a feeling
Basile is an atheist, so it appears that he has some shred of common sense.

[The Ugly]

I had a feeling
Basile is an atheist, so it appears that he has some shred of common sense.

Afraid the narcissist part trumps his atheism, though. He worships himself, which puts him back in the sycophant camp.

[Nomad]

Thats a play for TV Christian or basically a fake more or less. Warren Buffet is probably more Godly then this guy but what do I know.

About as real Oprah show interviews or Goodrums business turning a profit.

[hardgainerj]

this is the only congregation that matters you heathens

[syntaxmachine]

I'm among those who pay higher rates on personal income and investment income now than I did years ago. And I own a small business and also have a trust to shield myself from things like lawsuits, as do most of the clients I work for. Trusts and corps are also taxed highly in the US, and I'm often taxed more than once on some of the same money.

Yes, tax rates have inched up toward the historical mean in most categories.  And most economists seem to agree that the corporate tax needs serious reforn.

Nonetheless, it is useful to put tax rates into historical perspective lest we make incorrect inferences about the magnitude of the tax burden we face (viz., that it is "high" and ever-increasing).

[Howard]

I view most old people as half retarded bad drivers.  They were a generation who was taught to just listen and not question.  With the Internet and many free thinkers, religion is on a decline.  Back in the day, few would question things.  Imagine what the church would have to lose if God was someday disproved by science.  I guess a few billion dollars is all.
At one time I believed in God, then I grew up and realized it was just straight bullshit.  How adults believe in this is mind blowing....uhhh, but it's in the book.  Yikes.

Hmmm, so the old folks generation that endured the great depression , charged Omaha beach, developed the 1st atomic bomb and then put a man on the moon are "half retards"?

Ok, I'm against the mind numbing , brain washing of organized religion.
BUT, the modern evangelical Christian movement is pretty pathetic.

I live in North Ga. and you can't throw a rock without hitting some church LOL.
Plenty of younger folks attend and support mega churches.
My wife is friends with 2 younger woman, that are devoted and tithe fully to their local mega church.
One is the CPA, the other a dental hygienist , so they aren't stupid or uneducated.

Religion is a cultural  thing you are immersed in from birth.
I read, researched and broke away from Christian doctrine years ago.
Today, I simply believe in GOD without being part of any organized faith.

[Howard]

Church membership is down, but it's not just going to dry up.

Religion is indoctrination. Parents believe, which makes kids believe. Every now and again as the child grows up, they see things differently and they move beyond it.

Being a decent person to those around you isn't something that only religious people get to claim.

x2!  Good post!

[Howard]

Just no end to religious retardation.

Since you mentioned Osteen, how come Christians haven't condemned him yet for being a fag?

LOL, I always suspected ol' Joel was a total closet case .
But, his wife is smokin' hot so wtf. it's a good front for PR.

The religious love that tax exempt status.
Hmmm, I'll never understand how these mega church preachers can keep millions tax free? wtf?

[SF1900]

LOL, I always suspected ol' Joel was a total closet case .
But, his wife is smokin' hot so wtf. it's a good front for PR.

The religious love that tax exempt status.
Hmmm, I'll never understand how these mega church preachers can keep millions tax free? wtf?

If my taxes pay for firefighters and police officers, then why does the church have equal rights to these? The church is not paying for these services, so why should they get them? If a church is on fire, let them pray the fire away. Why should they be able to utilize the fire department if they are not paying their salary via taxes?

You would think religions would want to pay taxes. You know, to help with important things like education, roads, bridges, etc, all of which makes life sustainable. They care about life so much, yet they don't pay taxes which can help sustain and build cities. A bunch of hypocrites.

[Howard]

If my taxes pay for firefighters and police officers, then why does the church have equal rights to these? The church is not paying for these services, so why should they get them? If a church is on fire, let them pray the fire away. Why should they be able to utilize the fire department if they are not paying their salary via taxes?

You would think religions would want to pay taxes. You know, to help with important things like education, roads, bridges, etc, all of which makes life sustainable. They care about life so much, yet they don't pay taxes which can help sustain and build cities. A bunch of hypocrites.

100% agree on your logic and side of this tax free topic.

But, I think we'd also agree  for hotty Victoria Olsteen to be tax exempt when performing "lap dances for Jesus" as a church fund raiser.
I know I'd be singin' " He has risen" 

[Skylge]

God created the universe, but could not create a 100 dollar bill.....go figure. Religions always need money!

[Natural Man]

Hmmm, so the old folks generation that endured the great depression , charged Omaha beach, developed the 1st atomic bomb and then put a man on the moon are "half retards"?

Ok, I'm against the mind numbing , brain washing of organized religion.
BUT, the modern evangelical Christian movement is pretty pathetic.

I live in North Ga. and you can't throw a rock without hitting some church LOL.
Plenty of younger folks attend and support mega churches.
My wife is friends with 2 younger woman, that are devoted and tithe fully to their local mega church.
One is the CPA, the other a dental hygienist , so they aren't stupid or uneducated.

Religion is a cultural  thing you are immersed in from birth.
I read, researched and broke away from Christian doctrine years ago.
Today, I simply believe in GOD without being part of any organized faith.

Believing in competition and accomplishment , being driven has nothing to do with a god. The people you re talking about were pretty much elitists who wanted to destroy everything and everyone that was different, and were very efficient at doing so. Did they believe in god? no, they believed in competition, the law of nature, the strongest, fittest, survives. Good values and morals in stable rich families creates strong individuals who dominate weaker, less fortunate individuals coming from shittier families. No need of a god to explain any of it, it s just nature. The strongest, fittest, luckiest dominate the weak.

German Nazis were somewhat as driven and racist as white anglo saxons from north america or russians, they just lost because of bad luck, bad strategy from their leader. They could have won had hitler chosen a different strategy. My point is there is no need for a god to raise driven, valuable strong individuals who will become models for other less fortunate. Proof is that every culture, ethnicity , religion,  produces elites, cream of the crop individuals who will reign on the weakest ones. It s a natural animal process, in all other animal species you have stronger, smarter, faster, fittest individuals, males and females who reign on the weaker ones. And they dont have any "gods".
All gods created by men are always some kind of super natural almighty ...men or women , some kind of perfect role models. It is a construct of the human brain.We adore the best , healthiest smartest looking rare individuals because they simply represent maximum chances of survival.

[Croatch]

Hmmm, so the old folks generation that endured the great depression , charged Omaha beach, developed the 1st atomic bomb and then put a man on the moon are "half retards"?

Ok, I'm against the mind numbing , brain washing of organized religion.
BUT, the modern evangelical Christian movement is pretty pathetic.

I live in North Ga. and you can't throw a rock without hitting some church LOL.
Plenty of younger folks attend and support mega churches.
My wife is friends with 2 younger woman, that are devoted and tithe fully to their local mega church.
One is the CPA, the other a dental hygienist , so they aren't stupid or uneducated.

Religion is a cultural  thing you are immersed in from birth.
I read, researched and broke away from Christian doctrine years ago.
Today, I simply believe in GOD without being part of any organized faith.

When an eductated intelligent person believes in imaginary men, it makes it even worse.  Having a 150 iq and throwing logic away is awful.
You can point to quite a few stories in the bible that are laughable.  If the stories aren't meant to be literal, then you can't take the book as truth.  I used to like the Cat in the Hat, then one day my dad told me it was made up.  Turning 21 wasn't easy.

[hardgainerj]

crazy looking bitch

[The Ugly]

crazy looking bitch

Magic?

[2Thick]

Yes, tax rates have inched up toward the historical mean in most categories.  And most economists seem to agree that the corporate tax needs serious reforn.

Nonetheless, it is useful to put tax rates into historical perspective lest we make incorrect inferences about the magnitude of the tax burden we face (viz., that it is "high" and ever-increasing).

I'm not incorrect, and I'm not one of those people who thinks we should be at 90%. I personally know people who are lucky to take home 37% of what they earn.

This administration has found many clever ways around things, such as the administrative branch of government, the "pen and phone", the use of executive "memos" rather than "executive orders" in some cases, etc.

Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, Net Neutrality, environmental regs, future gas and sales taxes, etc, etc - these things have and will result in more costs to some, most, or all of us and put more of our money in the hands of politicians. I'm sure they absolutely won't cut income taxes when they implement carbon and other additional taxes. They'll just pile them on.

I realize that taxes are a necessary evil, but more taxes do not lead to the overall improvements politicians promise. Most tax dollars are wasted via corruption, crony capitalism, etc. There's no sense in paying $5k to your buddy for each hammer you buy, $1 mil or more for each port-a-potty, or $6 billion for a broken website that private sector experts say they can build better for less than one million. And there's certainly no sense in using that same contractor again for "improvements" to IRS computers.