Ding Dong, the witch is dead

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

and my super rich parents will now pay taxes on the money they already paid taxes on when they die. Their financial planner estimated that their estate was worth about $300k before. With the inheritance tax subtracted, it's worth far less. I can't remember the number, but they told me last night that when it was divided amongst the 3 kids, we'd have enough for a downpayment on a modest house each.

Boo freaking hoo. Maybe Jesus will give your 'rents a tax break. You'd sneak him into this thread sooner or later, anyway.

[Elspode]

Found a button there, did he, girl? You've completely trashed my view of you as a demure, shrinking violet type. (these are jokes, okay?)

Anyway, Missouri tossed out Rightist sycophant Jim Talent and installed a gritty, less than sparkling replacement in the form of our hometown girl Claire McCaskill. Claire has her warts, but she's got moxy, and she's always dealt with the nuts and bolts of our population. Past County Prosecutor, current State Auditor, and always very accessible and open. I'm looking forward to seeing if she can stick out the tough freshman stint in the Senate.

We also passed our stem cell research initiative, with about the same narrow margin of victory that Claire had. Strictly a party-line, sanctity of life/cutting edge research issue, so no surprise there. We squelched the tobacco tax, sending a message to our legislators that enough is frigging enough. It wasn't just about taxation, either, because numerous local sales taxes and school taxes passed statewide.

Change is good.

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Found a button there, did he, girl? You've completely trashed my view of you as a demure, shrinking violet type. (these are jokes, okay?)

Yep, definitely found a button. I'm the nicest person in the world, until something makes me angry. I'm the last person you'd want to back into a corner, that's for sure. I went camping once in the Upper Peninsula and the joke was that no bear would dare mess with me! Kind of like Chuck Norris (damn cross posting again.)

[SteveDallas]

Yikes! AP is reporting that Rumsfeld just resigned.

[Shawnee123]

Hopefully more rats will leave the sinking ship.

[wolf]

Marry in haste, repent at leisure, or whatever folksy aphorism is appropriate.

I, however, will be able to say, "It's not my fault."

[glatt]

Originally Posted by wolf

I, however, will be able to say, "It's not my fault."

It must be a relief to be able to say that now.

[Elspode]

I've been saying that for the last 12 years or so.

Bush is now making a speech wherein he is saying some relatively conciliatory things, making it sound as though bipartisanship is all of the sudden more important than it was yesterday.

[mrnoodle]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Boo freaking hoo. Maybe Jesus will give your 'rents a tax break. You'd sneak him into this thread sooner or later, anyway.

My parents worked their asses off for every penny they ever made. They worked long hours, often past midnight, to provide for us. Not to mention, dad has just had a really difficult battle with a bad disease. He deserves far more than he's getting. No, I don't want freeloaders and welfare queens getting a dime of it, and that's the Dem base. I resent your insulting my parents a great deal, and it's really really difficult not to join the rest of my hypocritical Christian friends and tell you what I'm trying not to think of you. Welcome to my ignore list, at any rate.

[Stormieweather]

Katherine Harris LOST bigtime in Florida..whew!

Democratic candidates for House of Delegates in Legislative District 34A (Vote for two)

Harford County - Maryland

Jerome Foster 995 (9.9%)
Mark F. Franz 843 (8.3%)
Mary-Dulany James (Won) 3,581 (35.5%)
Marla Posey-Moss B. 2,066 (20.5%)
Daniel Riley (Won) 2,611 (25.9%) <-----my father in-law

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

My parents worked their asses off for every penny they ever made. They worked long hours, often past midnight, to provide for us. No, I don't want freeloaders and welfare queens getting a dime of it, and that's the Dem base. I resent your insulting my parents a great deal, and it's really really difficult not to join the rest of my hypocritical Christian friends and tell you what I'm trying not to think of you. Welcome to my ignore list, at any rate.

You accuse ME of being a welfare queen then take offense at jabs at your silver spoon? God you are something else. I'm SO sad you will be ignoring me.
What a piece of work.

My point was I work hard, too. YOU BEGAN THIS. Don't try to deny it. No wonder you make so many people sick.

Oh, and since I do'nt hide behind Jesus and Christianity like you do, I'm putting YOU on my buddy list.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

You'll get a bigger check if you're on welfare. If you pay taxes, though, you will pay more when Democrats have the reins. Wait, that's not entirely true this time around.....Republicans were spending money like drunken sailors. But now the death tax will come back, and my super rich parents will now pay taxes on the money they already paid taxes on when they die. Their financial planner estimated that their estate was worth about $300k before. With the inheritance tax subtracted, it's worth far less. I can't remember the number, but they told me last night that when it was divided amongst the 3 kids, we'd have enough for a downpayment on a modest house each. Thank goodness we have had all that extra ill-gotten gain taken from us and given to government programs. Now YOU can have some of it. Buy me lunch, at least?

You should check your facts, and get a new financial planner. This anti-death tax site's assessment in 2000 says

Although the history of the estate tax in the United States dates back over 200 years, the current features of the tax were put in place by the Tax Reform Act of 1976. Since that time, the United States has employed three taxes-the estate tax, the gift tax, and the generation skipping transfer tax (GSTT)-which comprise the United Transfer Tax. The logic of the tax system is straightforward. The value of the estate is taxed at increasing marginal tax rates ranging from 18 percent (for a taxable estate of zero to $10,000) to 55 percent (for taxable estate value of $3 million or more).1 An important feature of the tax, however, is the "unified credit." In effect, this provides a credit against the tax liability associated with the first $675,000 of taxable estate. This has two effects: the first $675,000 of the estate is exempt from tax and the effective marginal tax rate schedule begins at 37 percent. Because all interspousal transfers are exempt from tax, each spouse, in effect, takes the unified credit in succession, leading to a total exemption of $1.35 million of estate value.

So they would pay nothing in taxes on their $300K.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

... He deserves far more than he's getting...

What do you mean by this?

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

No, I don't want freeloaders and welfare queens getting a dime of it, and that's the Dem base. ...

What about the cut that'll pay for the repubicans' "bridge to nowhere" and Jack Abrahmoff's portion? Don't even start me on the cost of the ill-advised war in Iraq.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

But now the death tax will come back, and my super rich parents will now pay taxes on the money they already paid taxes on when they die.

No they won't. You will (or you would if the total was over $1.35 million), on money that is otherwise a freebie for you. It is organized to come out of the inheritance directly because that saves administrative effort and saves you money - if it counted as a straight gift, or other income, you would pay a lot more. And it is not money that you've already paid taxes on.

[mrnoodle]

Spexx is right -- I checked, and the $300k is only the investment half of my parent's "holdings". There is also their house + 1 acre, and my grandparent's 28 acres of grass in TX. But that doesn't change the fact that every single dime of it was made by a guy who was told by his parents that he was too stupid to finish high school. He went into the navy, got the GI Bill, used it to start in college, and worked 2 jobs while getting a doctorate in industrial technology. He entered the highly lucrative world of teaching at that point. I remember when the best we could do for dinner was weiners covered in the cheapest cheese that could be bought. Not the same as digging in dumpsters, but humble enough beginnings considering where he ended up. He got a consultancy in the mid 80s that enabled him to make a better living in the summer, so he invested what he could and put 2 1/2 kids through college (I had to pay for most of mine because my grades were worse than they were willing to pay for ). Lots of hard work, lots of late late nights for many years. And yet they were both always around. That's a pretty remarkable achievement in my view. But apparently Shawnee wants a cut. Not just for her, but for those she feels are "owed" by the "rich". When she hears someone disagree, she takes personal shots at people who she couldn't even approach in terms of decency and kindness.

Enough arguing. I'm tired, and due for a little Cellar break. That will come as a relief to some of you, but I hope the rest take a look at who, consistently, are the players when hate starts getting thrown around. See you later, when I replace the layers of normally thick skin that people have been trying to fillet off for the past few weeks.