Romney Releases Tax Returns: Pays $6 million in 2 years

Now that is one hefty tax bill.

Bowing to increasing political pressure to provide more detail about his vast wealth, the former private equity executive released tax returns indicating he and his wife, Ann, paid an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent in 2010. They expect to pay a 15.4 percent rate when they file their returns for 2011. 
   
Romney's tax rate is below that of most wage-earning Americans because most of his income, as outlined in more than 500 pages of tax documents, flows from capital gains on investments. 

His tax return was 500 pages? I get mad when I have to file a bunch of K1s for owning ETFs. The idea of having to file a 500 page report to the government is asinine. I think the tax code should be simplified so that someone making $45 million and someone making $45,000 should file the same amount of worthless forms.

Also the idea that he pays only 15% while other Americans pay 35% is stupid. Most Americans pay 0% and actually get money back from the government to the tune of $1000s. I mean all those H&R Block commercials show people getting back like $10,000 or more.

I think every American should pay some income taxes even if it is $1. That way they feel more ownership of the government that wastes billions of their dollars on stupid crap. I would gladly pay more taxes if I am shown that my investment gets a decent return and isn't wasted on bridges to nowhere and to pay bureaucrats to sit around and meet.

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Stocks Look Cheap According to Bespoke Investment Group

Hmm, this rally might just be returning to the mean which in this case is higher from here. The S&P 500 is currently trading at 1316 for purposes of comparison.

To start 2012, the benchmark had an earnings multiple of 13, the lowest since 1990 and below the 80-year average of 15, according to Bespoke. It would take a move back to 1,484 to get the benchmark back to this long-term mean P/E. 

The price-to-book ratio is 2.05, below the average since the late 1970s of 2.43. To get back to that average P/B, the benchmark would need to increase to 1,491.

One more valuation�dividend yield�points to above 1,400, argue the two strategists.

�At the end of 2011, the S&P 500 was yielding 13 percent more than the 10-Year US Treasury,� wrote Hickey and Walters. �Outside of the credit crisis, the last time the S&P 500 yielded more than the 10-Year Treasury was before 1960."

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I Dislike Newt: But He Smashed John Kings Face with a Verbal Shovel during the Debate

Now this is red meat for the Conservatives out there that can't stand the main stream media and how they protect Obama and just want to destroy Republicans. I love the "No, but I will" line myself. I think this might be his "catch up to Romney" moment.

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Facebook Makes You Unhappy? Maybe this explains the Occupy Movement

Well I guess seeing other smiling and happy and doing things that are "cooler" than their mundane crap is affecting some Facebook users.

"Those who have used Facebook longer agreed more that others were happier, and agreed less that life is fair, and those spending more time on Facebook each week agreed more that others were happier and had better lives," wrote Chou and Edge. "Furthermore, those that included more people whom they did not personally know as their Facebook "friends" agreed more that others had better lives."

I wonder is some of the Occupy protestors are bothered by the "life is less fair" part of the Facebook experience. I mean most of them are 20-somethings who are heavily into Facebook and they see that everyone else is getting bailed out and getting bonuses and it "isn't fair" in their minds.

Perhaps Facebook is creating the myth in their mind. Its like that scene from Trading Places where Dan Aykroyd is standing in the rain outside of the restaurant watching all of his rich ex-friends eating. They see the banksters like they see their Facebook friends with perceived better lives than them and it makes them angry and they protest. The problem is what are they protesting against? Do they want to break the window and come into the restaurant? Or do they just want to steal the food from the patrons?

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GOP Finally Finds Some Sense: Pull Out of SOPA Co-Sponsoring

It's not just my Congress-critter but other heavy hitters in the GOP are starting to get second thoughts about SOPA.

Sen. Rubio follows Rep. Ben Quayle (R-AZ), who pulled his name from the list of SOPA co-sponsors on Tuesday. Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) also announced plans to withdrawal is name from the SOPA co-sponsor list.

UPDATE: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has also pulled support for SOPA/PIPA. He writes on his Facebook page: �SOPA: better to get this done right rather than fast and wrong. Stealing content is theft, plain and simple, but concerns about unintended damage to the internet and innovation in the tech sector require a more thoughtful balance, which will take more time.�

I mean what Senator/Congressman wants to be responsible for killing a billion dollar industry to prevent people from pirating old copies of Dr. Who? Especially when the people who are pirating Dr. Who will not be effected by SOPA in the least and just find a way around whatever blocks are put in place.

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In a Targeted Hit Piece Gingrich Looks Like a Lecher

Well, the main steam media strikes again although Newt seems to make this stuff too easy.

In her most provocative comments, the ex-Mrs. Gingrich said Newt sought an "open marriage" arrangement so he could have a mistress and a wife. 

She said when Gingrich admitted to a six-year affair with a Congressional aide, he asked her if she would share him with the other woman, Callista, who is now married to Gingrich. 

"And I just stared at him and he said, 'Callista doesn't care what I do,'" Marianne Gingrich told ABC News. "He wanted an open marriage and I refused." 

Marianne described her "shock" at Gingrich's behavior, including how she says she learned he conducted his affair with Callista "in my bedroom in our apartment in Washington." 

Yes Newt banged the mistress in the marriage bed or so his ex-wife claims. This is exactly why this man is unfit to be running against Obama. Even if these allegations are untrue by the time people fact check them they have already done their damage. 

Gingrich would make the election about him and his screwed up private life. It will not be about Obama failing to lead this country out of economic hardship while racking up massive debt. We would have to hear about Newt the Lech's sex life instead of what he will do to fix the economy while pointing out Obama's many failures.

I have heard people say that they want Gingrich in so that he can debate Obama and wipe the floor with him. I have a feeling that Gingrich would come off as a pompous, mean-spirited asshole. Obama would just have to smirk and stay calm and he would win hands down. 

The sooner this idiot drops out of the race the sooner Romney (sigh I guess this boring doof is going to be our nominee) can start to attack Obama on the economy. I mean Obama should be beaten quite handily but he must be licking his chops as the GOP field self-destructs.

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My Congress Critter; Collen Hanabusa Opposes SOPA

Well at least she is good for something other than being the Congresswoman from Inouye:

Dear Mr. Michels,

 

Mahalo for your correspondence regarding H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I appreciate your input on this important issue. 

 

While I support a legislative approach to combating online piracy, I do not support SOPA in its current form. In addressing the large and growing problem of piracy and counterfeiting on foreign websites, Congress must strike a balance that addresses these issues without inadvertently leading us to the slippery slope of government intrusion on the internet.

 

SOPA elicits vigorous debate and I appreciate you taking the time to contact me about this bill. While I do not support H.R. 3261 as it is currently written, I do applaud the work of my House and Senate colleagues in drafting compromise legislation. I look forward to reviewing the alternative proposals as we move forward. 

 

Again, thank you for expressing your views on this crucial issue and I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind as Congress works toward a compromise. I hope you will continue to contact me on federal matters of concern to you.  If you would like regular updates, please sign up for my e-newsletter at http://hanabusa.house.gov.

 

 

Sincerely,

Colleen Hanabusa
Member of Congress

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Perry Out of Race: Hopefully Gingrich will be Next

Well the hard facts of South Carolina has taken out yet another candidate.

Rick Perry ended his presidential campaign Thursday and endorsed Newt Gingrich's candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

At a press conference in Charleston, S.C., Perry called Gingrich "a conservative visionary who can transform our country."

"Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?" Perry said. "The fact is, there is forgiveness for those who seek God." He mentioned the importance of redemption to Christianity.

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SOPA is a Joke: I'm Embarrassed that a Republican is Pushing This Mess

Well if you don't know what SOPA is then this is the best primer that I have read.

The beating heart of SOPA is the ability of intellectual property owners (read: movie studios and record labels) to effectively pull the plug on foreign sites against whom they have a copyright claim. If Warner Bros., for example, says that a site in Italy is torrenting a copy of The Dark Knight, the studio could demand that Google remove that site from its search results, that PayPal no longer accept payments to or from that site, that ad services pull all ads and finances from it, and�most dangerously�that the site's ISP prevent people from even going there.

This sounds bad so far but it is all done without due-process:

Perhaps the most galling thing about SOPA is that it lets IP owners take these actions without a single court appearance or judicial sign-off. All it takes is a single letter claiming a "good faith belief" that its target site has infringed on its content. Once Google or PayPal or whoever receives the quarantine notice, they have five days to either abide or to challenge the claim in court.

I think this part will make the bill unconstitutional even if it does pass. The idea that there is no due process with the infringer will kill this thing dead with the Roberts Supreme Court. But it shouldn't get this far because SOPA in this form will be the death of the Internet as we know it.

It will strait-up kill the next Facebook or LOLcats with worthless lawsuits. It will cause billions in damage to one of the only truly growing and innovative parts of our economy. The only people that will make out are the bloated content creators who need to innovate or perish and the trial lawyers.

The idea that this blog could get taken down by Google just because I put up a picture of a Coke can without the express written permission of Coca-Cola is so un-American that it isn't even funny. I mean Google would have no choice and I wouldn't even have a chance to appeal their decision. The more I read about SOPA the more I'm convinced it was taken verbatim from an old Soviet Politboro document.

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Packers Lose Due to Sparkles and Clay Matthews Jersey

At least that is what poor drunk Casey thinks. I would blame the poor secondary of Green Bay and not enough pass rush on Eli would be more at fault. Also the Hail Mary at the end of the half was pretty bad deal as well.

But I would think sparkles and not wearing an Aaron Rogers jersey during the most crucial game of the year was certainly a big part of the equation. Casey you let the Packers down with your affinity for sparkles and the wrong jersey choice. For shame Casey for shame!

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Kansas City Chiefs Run Like Soviet State?

This has to be read to be believed.

Paranoid? The Chiefs have adamantly denied that they tap phones or listen in on conversations. But as the team enters another period of transition after elevating defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel last week to head coach, interviews with more than two dozen current and former employees suggest that intimidation and secrecy are among the Chiefs� principal management styles � and that Haley wasn�t the only one with paranoid thoughts.

Their former head coach thought that rooms in their practice facility were bugged and that his personal cell phone was being tapped. Then it seemed their officials went all Warsaw Pact on their employees.

Some of the first changes involved shutting off access and protecting information. Non-football employees, including those who had worked for the Chiefs for decades, were told that they weren�t allowed on certain floors, or in certain areas of the team facility. Business-side staffers with an office window facing the practice fields were made to keep their shades drawn during practices. The team president was no exception. A security guard made the rounds during practices, sometimes interrupting phone calls and meetings to lower shades.

I guess Chiefs officials were afraid of the CIA moles filming their practices and sending them to the Patriots or something. This article also makes Scott Pioli the Chiefs General Secretary of the Communist Party err General Manager sound like someone that would fit right in under Brezhnev or Stalin.

Pioli frequently came down hard on minutiae. Some emphases made sense, some staffers said; others, though, seemed over the top. One executive, who�s no longer with the team, was sent to human resources for casually referring to Pioli by his last name; the executive said, however, that first names were acceptable. Pioli also sent a memo with detailed instructions, including which stairway to use and which doorway to enter, when using the facility�s gym.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/14/3371495/arrowhead-anxiety-turnover-off.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/14/3371495/arrowhead-anxiety-turnover-off.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/14/3371495/arrowhead-anxiety-turnover-off.html#storylink=cpy

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North Dakota Ad Deemed Too Racy: Gets Pulled from Facebook

I guess this is an ad from the "what were they thinking department."

The advertisement was meant to showcase North Dakota's nightlife: Two young men and three women flirt through the window of a downtown Fargo motel bar. Printed next to them is the message: "Drinks, dinner, decisions. Arrive a guest. Leave a legend."

It was meant to be "a little flirty, a little fun," said Pat Finken, president of Odney Advertising, the agency that created the ad.

I guess you leave North Dakota a "legend" by having sex with 3 women passing a bar while rocking a chin-beard or resembling Paul Bettany having an epileptic seizure. I guess that would be pretty legendary. Here is a look at the ad:

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You Dirty Schettino

I hope this cowards name gets used as an epithet from now on. Here is him cruising on a lifeboat while arguing with a Coast Guard guy while the people on the cruise ship are trying to flee to safety.

Coast Guard: My rescue craft is at the bow. Go! There are already bodies, Schettino. Go!

Captain: How many bodies are there?

Coast Guard: I don't know! ... Christ, you should be the one telling me that!

Captain: Do you realize that it is dark and we can't see anything?

Coast Guard: So, what do you want to do, to go home, Schettino?! It's dark and you want to go home? Go to the bow of the ship where the ladder is and tell me what needs to be done, how many people there are, and what they need! Now!

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Newt Gingrich is a Damn Idiot: Dings Romney on speaking French when he Does Himself!

I can't wait until this buffoon runs out of campaign money and slinks back to Fox News to offer his "commentary" on various things. In other words I can ignore him until Krauthammer or Karl Rove of someone else actually says something constructive. Here is his hypocritical attack on Romney and his speaking of hated French.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is hitting Rival Mitt Romney in a new ad, with a voice-over that says at one point, �just like John Kerry, he speaks French, too.�

But it may not be Gingrich�s best line of attack, considering the former professor has a doctorate in European history from Tulane University.

Gingrich�s 1971 dissertation � �Belgian Education Policy in the Congo 1945-1960� � contains a multitude of sources in French in his bibliography.

In total, Gingrich relied upon 143 French-language sources to write his dissertation � including 18 �public documents,� 90 books, 33 published articles and 2 unpublished documents.

Yeah, I guess he either didn't actually include information from these hated French sources or had to read them with a derisive sneer on his lips. The problem is France under Sarkozy is a far different entity then it was when "freedom fries" were popular. 

 

This view also insults GOPers that I guess are supposed to have a reflexive hatred of France that is no longer warranted. This France is one of the things that is keeping Greece and Italy from dragging down the rest of the world economy. This France was responsible for bombing Libya into submission after we led from behind. I'm hoping Conservatives have grown up a little in the 9 years since when we are supposed to hate the French. 

 

In the meantime I would like the people of South Carolina to boot this igoramous out of the race so we can focus on the task at hand. That would be attacking Obama and how he has failed as a president and should not win a second term.

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Groupon's "Clicky" Looks Like Something Culled from the Nightmares of the Damned!

On reading this article I thought Groupons new "Clicky" spin-to-win feature I thought it would be something kind of quirky or cute. Instead we have a creature cribbed directly from an HP Lovecraft novel:

This thing is monstrous even by horror novel standards. With two eyes perched wetly above its horrible golden body. They stare directly ahead with sad hatred etched in its terrible, unblinking hazel pupils. They seemed to bore into your soul and make you wish that its gaze was anywhere else but upon you. For if Clicky gazed upon you it will bring only sorrow rather than savings.

But it's eyes were not its most sickening feature. Situated directly in the center of its body was a horrible maw waiting to rip the flesh and crush the very bones of a luckless woman that happened to enter Groupons benighted land in search of a 20% off Zumba Classes at the Sheboygan Civic Auditorium.

It ghastly lips were mercifully closed but one knew that they hid miles of jagged, crooked, yellow teeth. Each one filed to a gore-ripping white point. One expected discounts when they happened upon Groupon but instead they received sanity-blasting horror served to them from a shuddering beast of the elder ages.

Do not attempt to flee Clicky because it does not sleep, its eyes do not close, its clacking jaws do not tire. It will catch you in the darkness and it will devour you body and soul. Gold was the color of its body but the spurting red lifesblood of the saver was all it desired. They came for coupons but left with nothing. Not even their lives.

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