I'm reading a book called Winner-Take-All Politics, which argues that the rich in America are being benefited by public policy that protects their earnings to the detriment of our economy. The authors argue that, in addition to loopholes in the tax code that already allow for tax avoidance, corporations are being subsidized to such a degree that the seemingly high corporate taxes they owe are virtually eliminated.
Conflicting opinions by some economics suggest that the decline in economic growth in America is a result of high corporate taxation. They point out that only a few other countries have taxation rates as high as ours. I don't know if this is necessarily an accurate position to take. Brazil's economy is developing more swiftly than ours despite higher taxation rates. Ireland has one of the lowest corporate taxation rates in the EU, but it had negative GDP growth and received a tremendous bailout. You also have countries that are apparently a model of corporate taxation like Singapore, and again, you find negative GDP growth. I don't think lower taxation rates necessarily have a huge impact on GDP growth. There must be other factors that play a larger role in a sluggish or bullish economy.
Time for work.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Articles worth checking out
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/05/201151322834765706.html
Reprisals for the killing of Osama Bin Laden have begun, and of course, Pakistani forces take the first blow. This reminds me of two years back, when a Pakistani police academy was assaulted and 90 officers were killed. What followed was a mass exodus of policemen and soldiers who feared they would be next.
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2011/05/201151014338715787.html
Osama Bin Laden video memoir, with interviews from those who knew/met with him. There are some strange points brought up, including an extended look into the man's alleged kidney problems.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-industry-executives-defend-tax-breaks-2011-05-12
The game of "don't cut my money" begins. How the hell are we going to cut enough money when we have to go through a battle like this every time?
Reprisals for the killing of Osama Bin Laden have begun, and of course, Pakistani forces take the first blow. This reminds me of two years back, when a Pakistani police academy was assaulted and 90 officers were killed. What followed was a mass exodus of policemen and soldiers who feared they would be next.
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2011/05/201151014338715787.html
Osama Bin Laden video memoir, with interviews from those who knew/met with him. There are some strange points brought up, including an extended look into the man's alleged kidney problems.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-industry-executives-defend-tax-breaks-2011-05-12
The game of "don't cut my money" begins. How the hell are we going to cut enough money when we have to go through a battle like this every time?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Top 10 international news updates at FNN!
http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00156794.html
Yet another award winning article, brought to you by the people at FNN, where orphaned animals are higher on the news chain than, say a terrorist attack on Pakistan
Yet another award winning article, brought to you by the people at FNN, where orphaned animals are higher on the news chain than, say a terrorist attack on Pakistan
Sunday, June 7, 2009
A strange dream
I had the weirdest dream last night... not a nightmare because I didn't wake up frightened... just needing to pee.
In the dream, I am travelling by boat at dusk to a small island where a group of people are living in an old wooden house. There, I am laid out on a stone tablet and the men there use a cleaver to cut into my arm. Apparently, it's part of an initiation ritual of some kind. So despite the terrible pain, I endure it. Instead of hacking off the entire hand though, they leave it and let me return back to wherever I've come from. So I board the boat in the dark of night and head back (to somewhere). But the next moment, it's dusk once more and I'm back on the boat heading towards the island. This goes on for some time. After returning to the boat, the arm seems to heal just enough to restore it to full functionality, but deep scars are running all around my arm just below the wrist. At some point I have a conversation with someone about the nature of the ritual. If I am truly going to help these people in the future, wouldn't it be better to remove my non-dominant hand (ie, the left instead of the right)? Good idea, I think. The next night, at the house, I tell them, "Look, can we do this on the left hand... I kind of need the right." And that very instant the house and the people change. The men become fearsome. They have bloody tattoos on their face. Before I can even budge, the fiercest has taken the cleaver and begins to repeatedly hack into my knees. "Why are you doing this?!" I cry out as my legs turn into a bloody mess. But they howl and cackle with glee, refusing to hear me. I wake up.
In the dream, I am travelling by boat at dusk to a small island where a group of people are living in an old wooden house. There, I am laid out on a stone tablet and the men there use a cleaver to cut into my arm. Apparently, it's part of an initiation ritual of some kind. So despite the terrible pain, I endure it. Instead of hacking off the entire hand though, they leave it and let me return back to wherever I've come from. So I board the boat in the dark of night and head back (to somewhere). But the next moment, it's dusk once more and I'm back on the boat heading towards the island. This goes on for some time. After returning to the boat, the arm seems to heal just enough to restore it to full functionality, but deep scars are running all around my arm just below the wrist. At some point I have a conversation with someone about the nature of the ritual. If I am truly going to help these people in the future, wouldn't it be better to remove my non-dominant hand (ie, the left instead of the right)? Good idea, I think. The next night, at the house, I tell them, "Look, can we do this on the left hand... I kind of need the right." And that very instant the house and the people change. The men become fearsome. They have bloody tattoos on their face. Before I can even budge, the fiercest has taken the cleaver and begins to repeatedly hack into my knees. "Why are you doing this?!" I cry out as my legs turn into a bloody mess. But they howl and cackle with glee, refusing to hear me. I wake up.
Friday, June 5, 2009
The hardhitting journalism continues at FNN...
http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00156577.html
How are they even finding these news articles... this can't be making US national headlines. Or is it?
How are they even finding these news articles... this can't be making US national headlines. Or is it?
Monday, June 1, 2009
Quality reporting...
It's hard to see Japan as a hard hitting media source, especially when articles like this keep popping up. How is an article about two bikini clad thieves in Louisiana worthy of the International News section of the FNN website?? I think I may need to change news providers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
