So he should pay his taxes, right?

He, who? My partner? He does pay his federal and state income taxes and federal SS taxes. I know so, since I fill out the tax returns.

My question to rightwingprof in #26 remains.

It’s interesting that you, like some others here, seem to want to divert attention from the question that was asked. Let rightwingprof respond to the question(s) in #26.

So he should pay his taxes, right?

Soros is a foreigner, with a focused, and unambiguously anti-American agenda.

Are you a xenophobe? Soros became a US citizen in 1961.

If his having been born in Hungary makes him a foreigner, I guess that means that my partner, who was dragged by his parents from Munich to New Britski Connecticut in 1957 when he was six years old, is also a foreigner. He, like his father, were considered stateless at the time–his father was a Displaced Person during WWII. He–my partner–subsequently became a US citizen.

Now, let me ask you this, what makes you an American citizen? Were you born here? If so, you are an American citizen merely by accident of birth.

Further, does Abramoff base his company in Curacao so he doesn’t have to pay taxes? Was Abrmoff’s money made by crippling the economies of entire countries?

In the last quarter of 2005, Exxon alone reported their annual profits standing at 36.13 BILLION dollars.

Do you know how much of that profit increase might have been a paper profit based on the (probable) increase in the value of their inventory? Recall that, unlike individuals, corporations are taxed on an accrual basis and are required to re-value their inventory (as income or loss) when they report profits. It is not easy to do.

I have objections to the taxation of oil companies, but they are orthogonal to those issues. Oil companies get to basically double-depreciate. They get an oil-depletion allowance, which was enacted long, long ago, to allow them to depreciate the value of their oil fields because it was impossible to know how much oil was in the field to give them a reasonably accurate measure the amount of oil left in the ground at the end of the tax year, and so they could not make use of standard depreciation. More recently, it became possible to get a reasonbly accurate measure, so they began depreciating–but they continued with the oil-depletion allowance. Double-dipping, so to speak. And, of course, they greased the wheels with the politicians to allow them to continue.

The reason I posted on Jack Abramoff the way I did was that I had once known Jack and – at the time – saw his many good qualities. The fact that you would, in your own words, “seriously doubt” I would use the same term to describe a Democrat in similar circumstances shows that you have absolutely no clue who I am. You should know better especially given the passage you cite where you reference my comment on idealistic Democrats.

I have praised a number on the left, indeed, one of my posts which attracted a lot of attention in the blogosphere was when I praised Barney Frank.

I am delighted that my comment motivated you to re-read my post on Jack. That said, I can’t see, how you can honestly stand by your original comment (#10) because you said I offered “ mea culpas and excuses for Jack Abramoff.” I did no such thing.

It’s also a bit hypocritcal to attack Democrats for accepting money then you turn around and write your mea culpas and excuses for Jack Abramoff.

However dirty, Abramoff is an American (and accepting his money laundered through tribal sources doesn’t clean it up — Democrats are just as dirty where Abramoff is concerned). Soros is a foreigner, with a focused, and unambiguously anti-American agenda.

Dirty is one thing. Treasonous is another.

The spending under Reagan was to restore the military to a point where it could actually defend America instead of run around the world doing nation building, as per JimminyCricketCarter’s prior efforts and standard.

That stronger military literally led to the downfall of the Soviet Union –something FDR allowed to gain ascendancy at the expense of millions of innocent lives… a scale of human suffering that makes the Holocaust look like a minor offense.

I don’t see the same thing happening now. What set of glasses are you looking through?? I hear Democrats wailing about cuts to programs… hell, SocSec Reform was killed because the Dems wailed about the hidden agenda to cut benefits… so, go figure?

Put down the koolaid, take some air, and think for knee jerk second.

Isn’t it hypocrytical (in a financial sense) for the current ruling political party to create more and more debt for the country, yet want to cut taxes further at the same time? Seems our leaders need to go to credit counseling. We’re on the same path we were Reagan…make the Dems the enemies fiscally, cut taxes, yet spend, spend, spend. Whoever ends up in the president’s office next (whether they be Republican or Democrat) is going to have a *huge* mess on their hands. (and yes, pork comes from both sides of the aisle)

So, show me on the IPAA website where I can find a list of their members and information on their P&L statements, especially with regard to amount of profit spent in re-investment, R&D and which ones are losing out on the $50m being cut by the Federal Government.

Your post there includes “Democrats are not immune to this weakness. Even some of the most idealistic of their number.” This is the only time I can re-call seeing on this post where someone ascribes the same possibilites to Dems/liberals as your beloved conservatives, but I noticed it’s only done in conjunction with the “downfall” of a sleazy/greedy lobbyist.

You casually left out the part where, according to the IPAA, most of that money goes to small oil companies. Nor do you or any other liberals consider what happens when oil goes below $20/bbl again (and it will). In case you forgot, oil and NG are commodities.

You like to bitch about “Big Oil” when they benefit from capitalism to the point that you want to punish them for it. However, I’ve NEVER seen a liberal mention the fact that there are several industries which profit more than “Big Oil” does.

Just a telephone pole?
I was thinking about a caber toss (fairly close), but figured it was too kind.

Was Charles Grassley the only one who had a problem with the NSA leak today?

And if I had known a Democratic lobbyist as I knew Jack, I would have said the exact same thing, praised his past leadership and grace, condemned his criminal wrongdoing.

Gosh, I do wish sometimes my critics would address the points I raise so we could have a good exchange of ideas.