Magikusar's daily/weekly musings

[magikusar]

One week away from election day, Mitt Romney’s campaign is assuring voters in the critical state of Ohio that Roe v. Wade, the legal underpinning of a woman’s right to have an abortion, will remain in tact if the Republican nominee is elected president.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/mitt-romney-roe-v-wade.php

msnbc lies convinced women that roe v wade overturned by Mitt

http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/09/24/no-love-for-the-house-compromise-bill/

[Archer77]

ever watch a chris matthews show?

might as well be obama sitting there

I try not too.

[magikusar]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AUTO_SHOW_HOT_WHEELS_CHEVY_SPARK_EV?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-11-27-07-06-15

Nov 27, 7:06 AM EST


GM rolls out new electric mini-car at LA Auto Show

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Auto Writer
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 DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors is giving its Chevrolet Spark a jolt of electricity.

An all-electric version of the mini-car will debut this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It goes on sale this summer in California, Oregon, Canada and South Korea, where it's made. Other markets will follow.

Unlike the Chevrolet Volt sedan, which can run in all-electric mode but also has a backup gas engine, the Spark EV is a pure electric. GM won't say how far the car will go on a charge, but says it will be a top performer among the small number of EVs available. The current leader, the electric Ford Focus sedan, can go 76 miles on a charge.

The Spark EV will also be cheaper than most of its electric rivals, GM says. Exact pricing hasn't been revealed, but the car will start for less than $25,000 in the U.S. when a $7,500 federal tax credit is factored in. The electric Nissan Leaf starts at $27,700 with the tax credit. Like all electrics, though, the Spark is much pricier than its gasoline-powered equivalent. The gas-operated Spark starts at $12,245.

Here are more details about the Spark - on everything from styling to power:

UNDER THE HOOD: The Spark EV is powered by an electric motor and a 20 kWh lithium ion battery. It gets 130 horsepower and can go from zero to 60 mph in less than 8 seconds, which is several seconds faster than the gas-powered Spark. GM says the Spark EV is the first all-electric vehicle in North America to offer SAE Combo DC Fast Charge capability, which can charge the battery to 80 percent of capacity in about 20 minutes. It can also be fully recharged in seven hours using a standard 240-volt outlet, or longer using a 120-volt outlet.

INSIDE: Though it's a mini-car, it has lots of big-car touches, like leather seats and GM's OnStar safety system. The Spark EV will have a smartphone-based infotainment system that gives drivers access to navigation and music apps like Pandora. Drivers with a compatible iPhone can link up their phones and perform tasks - like sending email or texts - by talking to Apple's Siri. The car also has 10 air bags and electronic stability control, which helps keep it steady despite its small frame.

OUTSIDE: The five-door hatchback is tiny, at 144.7 inches long. That's about five inches longer than a Fiat 500. It comes in lime green and other unusual hues.

CHEERS: GM customers will now have an all-electric option that costs less than its chief rivals. The EV could also increase buyers' interest in the gasoline version of the Spark, which went on sale in the summer.

JEERS: Demand for electric cars has been anemic so far. GM and other automakers have fallen significantly short of EV sales targets, especially as gas prices have fallen. Electrics remain expensive, and drivers are concerned about getting stranded too far from a charging station. While the Spark is great for city drivers who need to fit into tight parking spaces, those drivers may not have garages or other spots to charge up their cars at night.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

[magikusar]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/nov/27/jeb-bush-hammers-teachers-unions-education-summit/

“We have a system to reward teachers that’s based on an industrialized, unionized model that is completely inappropriate for the 21st century,” Mr. Bush continued. “There are incredibly fine teachers that get paid less even though they’re doing the Lord’s work consistently over time, and there are teachers that are mediocre that get paid more because they’ve been there longer.”

Read more: Jeb Bush hammers teachers unions at education summit - Washington Times http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/nov/27/jeb-bush-hammers-teachers-unions-education-summit/#ixzz2DSWMZNWA
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

[magikusar]

He's been around a long time with a consistant message. WE WON'T BE FREE IF WE CONTINUE DOWN THIS PATH. Only few will be free controlling the rest. Now, where in the world has this worked! My Russian neighbors are dumb founded as to how we can let us turn into another communist China and Soviet system. Where 10's of millions die for the cause of a totalitarian or dictatorial few opportunists treat life as expendable. China has NO donor program yet 70,000 donor's donate yrly. Who's donating who?

[Primemuscle]

Getting 50 MPG out of a gallon of gas has gotten a lot more expensive over the past 20-something years.

Back in 1990, it only cost $5,995 – $10,614 in corrected-for-2012 Fed Funny Money. That sum would buy you a new Geo Metro XFi hatchback, a car capable of 53 city, 58 highway (43 city/52 highway using the EPA”s latest “adjusted” standards).
 
See here, if you don’t believe me.
 
Today, the only new car that can match that mileage is a Toyota Prius hybrid – the least expensive version of which – the 2013 Prius C – has a sticker price of $18,950 in current Fed Funny Money. So, you’ll pay nearly twice as much to go about as far on a gallon of gas. (Actually, more than that, because it takes about three times the quantity of Fed Funny Money to buy a gallon today vs. back in 1990.)
 
If Uncle really gave a damn about us – as opposed to increasing his power over us -  don’t you think he’d encourage more cars like the Metro? Wouldn’t they “reduce our dependence on foreign oil”? Wouldn’t they contribute less to “global warming” by dint of converting less gasoline into carbon dioxide?
 
Well?
 
In fact, Uncle has done everything conceivable to take such cars off the road. To make them an impossibility. He has  legislated – and regulated – them out of existence. There is nothing comparable to the Metro available new today, nor has there been for at least a decade. Why? Did affordable economical cars (as distinct from today’s hybrid cars) suddenly become unsaleable? Or did government make them impossible to sell?
 
Consider:
 
For the entire history of the automobile, from the Model T to the modern era, there were always cheap little cars that got great gas mileage (in relative and real terms). In the deco era of the roaring ’20s, Blue Light Special Model Ts mingled with Cords and Auburns. In the ’50s, Power Pack dual quad 283 Bel Airs and monstrous Cadillacs shared the road with Nash Metropolitans. In the ’60s, there were agile little Corvairs among the mighty muscle cars – and by the ’70s, Beetles (and Datsun B210s and Civic CVCCs) were literally everywhere.
 
As recently as the ’90s, cars like the Metro abounded. There was the Honda Civic CRX – capable of 52 MPG on the highway (47 MPG, adjusted by the EPA to reflect current measuring methods). The 43 MPG Ford Festiva. The 45 MPG Mercury Lynx. There were literally dozens of them, all makes and models.
 
Now, they’re all gone.
 
And the only way to save money on gas is to spend a lot of it on a new hybrid.
 
A hybrid is expensive because it has to be. You’re paying for two powertrains instead of just the one. A normal gas engine to keep the batteries topped off, plus electric motors and all the stuff associated with their operation. Of course this results in a car that is also heavy as well as expensive. The Prius C – lightest of all current hybrids – weighs 2,500 lbs. The 1990 Geo Metro weighed 1,620 lbs. It’s an inescapable law of physics that you need more and more power to move more and more mass. Thus, the “efficient” Prius C is propelled by a 1.5 liter four cylinder engine – while the almost 1,000 lbs. lighter Metro was able to get around (and get around just as quickly) with a three cylinder, 1.0 liter engine.

cont... http://ericpetersautos.com/2012/10/30/50-mpg-then-and-now/

The average annual wage in 1990 was $21,027.98 verses the average annual wage in 2011, which was $42,979.61.

[magikusar]

The average annual wage in 1990 was $21,027.98 verses the average annual wage in 2011, which was $42,979.61.

do you make twice what you made in 1990? nice!!

[Primemuscle]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/nov/27/jeb-bush-hammers-teachers-unions-education-summit/

“We have a system to reward teachers that’s based on an industrialized, unionized model that is completely inappropriate for the 21st century,” Mr. Bush continued. “There are incredibly fine teachers that get paid less even though they’re doing the Lord’s work consistently over time, and there are teachers that are mediocre that get paid more because they’ve been there longer.”

Let's hope they are not "doing the Lords work" unless they teach at a religious school or institution.

[Primemuscle]

do you make twice what you made in 1990? nice!!

My figures were taken from government statistics, not personal records. Actually, I think I make more than twice today then what I made in 1990. Here is the link: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/awidevelop.html

[magikusar]

schiff is an awesome lower gov spending guy

his ideas would fix the obama recession and turn around usa decline into socialist corny state by getting money outa politics and back into entrepreneurs and consumes hands lwoering restriction of trade

[magikusar]

My figures were taken from government statistics, not personal records. Actually, I think I make more than twice today then what I made in 1990. Here is the link: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/awidevelop.html

government slants stats you know this? yes?

government says no inflation, you know this yes?

the purchasing power of most americans had gone down due to obama

[magikusar]

ok I guess all my posts will be placed within this post for now.

I just hope getbig doesn't become another reddit with only democrat voices head.....

I really wish obamacare gave scholarships to push more MDs aka doctors out into the usa market, of course not letting the docs go outside usa to work, and not giving them to foriegners....

If obama care and obama instead of giving money to the banks for the mortgages that the poor guys didn't pay for, simply trained 1000s more doctors and drive down the medical prices in general mass production style.

use henry ford and demings discoveries to make plentiful those things which are scarce, and make thinks massivly productive usign assemply line and process design moving toward 0 defects

if you are going to be a commy be a good commy and make life better, thats what I say

[magikusar]

Ira Stoll: Treat the 'Tax-Me-More Crowd' to a Voluntary Additional Tax

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/voluntary-additional-tax-Buffett/2012/11/27/id/465550#ixzz2DTnPyyQx

The first article, published at Bloomberg View on Nov. 22, comes from two money managers, Whitney Tilson and Anthony Scaramucci.

 The second article, published by The New York Times on November 25, is by Steven Rattner, who reportedly works managing about $5 billion of Mayor Bloomberg’s money notwithstanding an order by the Securities and Exchange Commission in November of 2010 that barred him for two years from associating with any investment adviser or broker-dealer.

 There’s a certain amount of overlap between these articles, almost enough to suggest a coordinated campaign. Tilson and Scaramucci write, “we believe the tax rate for capital gains and dividends, currently 15 percent, should be raised to 20-25 percent. Finally, while some of our friends might not speak to us again for writing this, carried interest, which is the primary source of income for private fund managers such as Governor Romney and ourselves, should be taxed as the regular income that it is. This is one of the most egregious loopholes in the entire tax code.”

 Rattner calls the current tax rate for capital gains and dividends “absurdly low” and declares, “Personally, I would go further and raise the capital gains rate to 28 percent.” Like Tilson and Scaramucci, Rattner also calls for increasing what he calls “the indefensibly low 15 percent tax rate on the famous ‘carried interest,’ the fee received by private equity and certain hedge fund investors.”

 Rattner ridicules the possibility that such tax increases would drive Americans offshore, damage small businesses, or adversely affect the incentive to invest. But consider that such tax increases would come, as Rattner concedes, in conjunction with a new 3.8 percent Medicare tax. And consider, too, that many states also tax capital gains, at rates that in 2013 will top out at 13.3 percent in California and at 12.696 percent in New York City.

 Under the Rattner plan, the top federal tax rates on long-term capital gains would more than double, to 31.8 percent (28 percent + 3.8 percent). New York or California taxes could bring the total up to the neighborhood of 45 percent. In Hong Kong, Singapore, and Switzerland, by contrast, which compete against America in the global economy, the capital gains tax is zero.

 Buffett himself weighed in again on Nov. 26 with another New York Times piece that also targeted “carried interest” (which is how his competitors get paid) and dismissed concerns that tax increases would deter investment.

 Alas, the “tax me more” crowd wins this debate even if taxes don’t go up. That’s because every minute spent debating higher taxes on capital gains and carried interest (which is just a variety of capital gains) is a minute not spent talking about how the deficit problem is really a spending problem, the result not of revenue shortfalls but rather the fact that an extra trillion dollars or so of annual spending — TARP, the stimulus, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — has now become part of the budget baseline.

 It becomes an argument about “Why don’t the rich pay more?” instead of a discussion about “Why don’t the politicians spend less?” or “How can we increase economic growth?”

 How then, to respond? One way for advocates of lower taxation to reply to the “tax me more” argument is with a variation on what House Republicans call the “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Act of 2011.” Leave the tax rates and rules where they are, but add a line to the tax return for a VAT — not a value added tax, but a voluntary additional tax.

 Call it the Rattner-Tilson-Scaramucci Tax, or the Buffett Tax. The instruction lines could read something like, “If you think carried interest is an egregious and indefensible loophole, please enter the additional tax you would owe on your own carried interest if it were taxed as ordinary income here. And if you think the capital gains rate should more than double, please enter the additional tax you would owe here, too.

 Remember, this means you think the politicians and their lobbyist friends can spend this money better than you can invest it, spend it, or give it away yourself, or that you think for some reason that the politicians are not going to spend this money but are really going to use it for debt reduction.”

 The State of Massachusetts tried a similar approach in 2001 when it lowered its state income tax rate. It added a line to the state tax return that allowed taxpayers to voluntarily pay the old higher rate. The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore reports that each year about 1,000 Bay State taxpayers choose the higher rate; Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren was not among them.

 If a voluntary additional tax at the federal level, like the Massachusetts one, doesn’t raise much at all in the way of revenues, at least it would have the advantage of clarifying that the “tax me more” clamor isn’t really so much about voluntarism as about trying to force others to pay.

Ira Stoll is editor of FutureOfCapitalism.com and author of “Samuel Adams: A Life.”


 © 2012 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/voluntary-additional-tax-Buffett/2012/11/27/id/465550#ixzz2DTo0SNJD

[magikusar]

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/inhofe-taxes-fiscal-cliff/2012/11/27/id/465586


Inhofe to Newsmax: Higher Taxes Not on Table in Fiscal Cliff Talks

 Tuesday, 27 Nov 2012 06:47 PM

 By Todd Beamon and Kathleen Walter
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 Sen. Jim Inhofe reaffirmed to Newsmax TV his commitment to not raising taxes to stem the nation’s march toward the so-called fiscal cliff, saying that his GOP colleagues that have make the party look weak.

 “I have not” conceded, the Oklahoma Republican tells Newsmax in an exclusive interview. “I made it very clear that I was not conceding at all. So long as we look weak on that, then they’ve won the battle.

 “We have to understand that our problem is spending too much, not taxing too little. Most of the people understand that. All of the Republicans did understand that, so I’m a little disappointed in some of the actions of my fellow Republicans.”

 Inhofe, who will be the ranking GOP member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the new term, added that he was sticking to the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” he signed with Grover Norquist, the influential president of Americans for Tax Reform.

 “There may be others out there, so I came out of the shoot saying I am not going to break from that. I made it in all sincerity – and once we do that, we open the door to the concept that we really are doing a good job governing and we’re going to have to have more revenue,” he said.

 Story continues below the video.





 Inhofe said that Republicans also must do what President Barack Obama is doing – take their plan to avert the fiscal cliff into the court of public opinion.

 “Well, we’re not as persuasive as he is, but we have to be more persuasive. We have righteousness on our side. The vast majority of people would rather understand that what we’re saying is true. So we just have to be as persuasive as he is.

 “The problem with that is he has the bully pulpit,” Inhofe added, referring to Obama. “He can go out anytime he wants, and he has access to the vast majority of the media that doesn’t like conservatives.

 “It’s a problem, but we’ve got the right cause. We have the truth – and we should be able to sell our product better.”

 As a leading GOP member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Inhofe said that he will continue to battle the White House over restrictive environmental legislation and an overreaching U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 “If you look at the things that this president’s done to destroy America – you talk about the deficit; we talk about his war on fossil fuels keeping us from supplying our own energy; we talk about his disarming military of the United States – what they don’t know is the cost of the regulations.
 “These are regulations that he put off purposely until after the election, because people had realized what it’s going to cost them. I’m talking about the Ozone rule. That would place 650 counties would be out of attainment in the United States.

 “The hydraulic fracturing: He thought he could get by with this thing and say ‘I’m all for fossil fuels, I’m for oil and gas,’ but we’ve got to do something with hydraulic fracturing.

 “The first hydraulic fracturing was in my state – and that was in 1949, and there’s never been a case of groundwater contamination,” Inhofe added. “But, again, they want to regulate that on the federal level instead of the state level so they can do away with it.

 “What can we do about it? We can do all we can to explain the issues, to identify the issues to the American people. Once they hear about it, once they understand it, once they’re educated to it – then we can win.”

 And, Inhofe reiterated his objection to the possibility of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice serving at U.S. Secretary of State – even more so after she met on Tuesday with GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.

 Rice met privately with the senators and acting CIA Director Michael Morell for more than an hour to discuss her early comments on the cause of the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

 The senators emerged from the session expressing even more questions about the Benghazi assault and doubts about Rice’s fitness as Secretary of State.

 “A story this morning in one of the magazines had quite a misquote on me,” Inhofe began. “I was saying that, in the event that she did not have the information, that she was fed just the White House line and believed it, then I can see why she did what she did starting with the five Sunday shows.

 “So let’s assume that she did not have the knowledge of the truth of what the CIA had uncovered. Still, I would oppose her because of the way that she’s run her office.

 “She, being the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, she has been very consistent in siding with the Palestinians over the Israelis. She has been illegally putting a lot of the money of the United States in UNESCO and the United Nations.

 “There are things that she has done that I would oppose her on anyway, even if it were not for the Benghazi problem,” Inhofe added. “She would have a hard time getting confirmed in spite of the Benghazi thin


Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/inhofe-taxes-fiscal-cliff/2012/11/27/id/465586#ixzz2DTu1v98e

[magikusar]

How long did england enslave the world for?

What were the agreed upon periods?

[magikusar]

oh, brother 

No country can match Canada when it comes to smug self-righteousness.

yeah canadians are like your poor relative who always gives you advice when you make 20x what he does and you help him out all the time

canukz cant get that if they had to pay for DEFENSE their single payer would go bankrupt even FASTER

They also sont get that americans kids from same wealth level as japan dominate over them in writing and math, especailly the home schooled ones.

I wish USA would put massive taxes on japan import to pay for all our defense dollars patrolling that area.

USA needs nothing from japan.

Japan badly needs the USA market.

I am with donald trump: raise import tariffs massively, hek you could finance all the illegals by simply cahring mexico 100k for each one caught and flown back to southern tip of mexico.

[magikusar]

[Primemuscle]

government slants stats you know this? yes?

government says no inflation, you know this yes?

the purchasing power of most americans had gone down due to obama

1. I doubt government could successfully "slant" these figures since they are fairly easy to check using other sources....yes? http://bber.unm.edu/econ/us-pci.htm

2.  If the purchasing power has gone down, I don't think you can attribute it to President Obama because wages have stagnated since before the economy crashed and that happened before Obama was in office. $21,000 has the same purchasing power as $36,000 in 2011. http://146.142.4.24/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=21000&year1=1990&year2=2011

3. Government isn't solely responsible for inflation or a recession, such is what we've been experiencing the last several years. You do understand the a recession is the opposite of inflation, don't you? Inflation normally happens during good financial times....Yes? http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Articles/Inflation_and_Recession.asp

[magikusar]

1. I doubt government could successfully "slant" these figures since they are fairly easy to check using other sources....yes? http://bber.unm.edu/econ/us-pci.htm

2.  If the purchasing power has gone down, I don't think you can attribute it to President Obama because wages have stagnated since before the economy crashed and that happened before Obama was in office. $21,000 has the same purchasing power as $36,000 in 2011. http://146.142.4.24/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=21000&year1=1990&year2=2011

3. Government isn't solely responsible for inflation or a recession, such is what we've been experiencing the last several years. You do understand the a recession is the opposite of inflation, don't you? Inflation normally happens during good financial times....Yes? http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Articles/Inflation_and_Recession.asp

woa not so fast

listen up:

[Primemuscle]

woa not so fast

listen up:

John Allison

He is a major contributor to the Ayn Rand Institute and assigned Rand's Atlas Shrugged to all of his senior executives. Calling Atlas Shrugged "the best defense of capitalism ever written," Allison has seen to it that "the BB&T Charitable Foundation has given 25 colleges and universities several million dollars to start programs devoted to the study of Rand's books and economic philosophy."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Allison_IV

Just want to be sure some of the less informed folk here understand from where John's beliefs and opinions come. Not saying that this is a good thing or bad; just saying.

[magikusar]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Allison_IV

Just want to be sure some of the less informed folk here understand from where John's beliefs and opinions come. Not saying that this is a good thing or bad; just saying.

Exactly, like me he is an objectivist, and the funds he managed had 0, read that again, 0 losses in 2008.

He has other videos had objectivism can make you richer and solutions for the messes of government.

[GigantorX]

Sure. Sounds good to me, scale the Federal Govt. back to what it was supposed to be or around what it was supposed to be. Start paying off debt and reduce taxes accordingly.

Let the states take care of the rest. You know, uh, federalism?

[magikusar]

just amazing this fiscal cliff bullshit

debt is caused by spending more than you take in!!!!

cut spending!!!

[magikusar]

I am confused man.

your posts are mostly democrat with a weird sprinkle of non

[magikusar]

Who changed the Benghazi talking points?

Who within the Obama administration deleted mention of "terrorism" and "al-Qaeda" from the CIA's talking points on the deadly Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi?


It isn't the only unanswered question in the wake of the tragedy, but it's proven to be one of the most confounding.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57555984/who-changed-the-benghazi-talking-points/