Dan J

This might lower the taxes on corporations, but it would increase the effective tax rate on individuals. Many upper income earners although in the 35% bracket, have effective tax rates in the 10%-15% range.

It would at least be revenue neutral, and probably be an actually overall increase in taxes.

Its ironic though, if you disguise a tax hike in the manipulation of the tax system you get more support from the anti-tax crowd.

Yet somehow I am able to in a truck drive all over this country and use none of these companies y'all are talking about and with my Virgin aircard gets usually zooming speeds. I go home and use my card and it is faster than what the cable provides.

Cell companies generally have rather low transfer caps compared to other broadband providers (200 Mb to a 2-5 Gb). With the exception of 4G service which is just starting to get rolled out, the speeds are often less than 1Mb, on a good day.

You get the benefit of being mobile, but its not really a good comparison to regular broadband.

If Comcast wants to stifle their customers streams they can. Those same customers can also find another way to get the content and leave Comcast.

Most places in the US have only one or two high speed internet providers. Due to infrastructure ownership. The only way there will ever be more competition in the ISP market, is if a public/private company owns the infrastructure and private companies provide service on that infrastructure.

These houses are a little too small. I prefer the Japanese version of the microhomes.

Palin is a non issue. The time and energy the left expends on her is really funny. People tend to make fun of the things they fear the most. Those that don't fear her just ignore her. Why are you so afraid of her?

Its politically expedient to paint the Right as incompetent as she is. If people see Republican, and think Palin, Mission accomplished.

You can have a ceremony in Indoneisa as long as you don't take the steps to recognize the ceremony as a marriage. Weddings are conducted within each faith in Indonesia, with the exception of Muslim marriages, you would have to register your ceremony with the government to be considered married (I think its called Catatan Sipil). If you are on a K-1 visa, you would not do that step.

For a Muslim ceremony, you would normally be issued a Buku Nikah (Marriage Book). In that case, you would want to inform the imam performing the ceremony not to do that.

You may be asked questions upon entry about your marriage status/plans. Just use common sense, if you do a ceremony but do not follow through with the legal recognition of it, you are not yet married. They do not need to know about a ceremony that did not change your marriage status. If you do tell them about it, it can cause confusion and problems.

Once you are in the US, you will have to register your address with the local Indonesian consulate/embassy to keep your citizenship. You may also optionally register your US marriage to be recognized in Indonesia. That part is only really necessary if you intent to move back to Indonesia later.

VT will be a magnate for the uninsured. Relocating cost little compared to surgery and medical care in general. I hope they do it. It will take years to determine its success or failure, but I predict failure. I just don't think any one state can do this alone.

It also has a very strong possibility of being an economic boon for the state.

1. Workers are going to be healthier, less lost productivity due to illness.

2. More people willing to take the risk of starting their own business as health care wont be a concern.

3. Less #######, dealing with only one health insurance provider.

Sure it might attract the sick, but its likely to attract a lot of people who are not sick either. If it becomes a problem, they can charge new residents more (for a year or two) unless they were relocated by an employer.

Push for corn based ethanol has been driven by agribusiness (Push up the price of corn) more than environmentalism. While its renewable, its not a very efficient source of energy.

At least research is going into ethanol sources that may provide more efficient sources of energy.

What then is the set of beliefs required by someone who believes in the existence of a God? I'm sorry, but I don't see how they are different from each other in that respect. They are two sides of the same coin - both choosing to believe in something they cannot prove.

Atheism is not a religion, but it is a faith. Its essentially a belief that there is no God, Deity or grand plan for the universe. But like any other faith, it cannot be absolutely proven.

Religion is an organized practice of a faith. There really isn't any organized practice around atheism. You might get close with some of the Humanist movements.

As a citizen yes, but I think siblings fall under the lowest preference category and may have a wait time of 10 years or more.

The latest visa bulletin has a priority date of January 1988 for 4th preference category from the Philippines. You would be looking at 20+ year wait time including the time it takes to become a citizen.

Conservatives really cannot believe that she is not qualified is not a good enough reason. There has to be something else behind it.

Any religion can be taken and twisted to suit objectives of those who wish harm upon others.

Often times religious conflicts are really just about domination and control, religion is often used as a context to dehumanize the opposing side.

Anyone notice where the companies and jobs are moving to and leaving?

Jobs are getting automated or sent to China. But that would happen with or without unions. American workers expect to be paid more than the average Chinese laborer... and machines, well only need maintenance once and awhile.

Even if labor gets more expensive in China. China will see its jobs get outsourced to somewhere that will work for even less.

So you don't want health care from your employer?

This isn't some dude sitting at home, you know. He will be (starting on the day he's sworn in) employed by the government.

Is he actually an employee?

Of course it is.

Any system that allows any type of beauracracy to dictate if it's 'cost effective' enough for you to maybe live another 6 months or so, is promoting 'death panels.'

While that's a bit pusing the terms, sometimes it can be a death sentence.

What about all those times when it says, 'oh this will keep you alive another 6 months' and that 6 months ends up turning into 4 or 5 years...

When you allow the government to do this, you're almost asking or genocide of the elderly. If you're 25 and need that surgery, ok fine.... but if you're 65, hey well you lived your life so screw you.....

We already have death panels. Except the tend to go by different names, like actuaries or claims adjusters. Of course their aim is to maximum profits, not evaluating the cost effectiveness of treatments for the overall health system.

I am not sure if this is the right section of the forum.

We got married in Miami on sept 2008, we applied for the green card and received one on july 2009. We never lived in the US but we travelled back and forth from Italy to US. Last time i entered the US (june 2010) i had been out of the states for 10 months and the officer gave me a hard time at the border and wrote on my italian passport that i have been out of US for 10 months.

Are they allowed to do that?

I will be traveling to the US in december 2010 after i've been out of the states for 5 months. What can i expect at the border?

A green card does have a residency requirement to maintain it. If you are spending most of your time outside of the US, its possible that the USCIS will revoke your card. But it will be up to them.

I guess someone who has a genuine faith in Christ.

A lot of us are kinda born into a faith, we never really embrace it as our own but traditions and culture lead us to feel a link to it.

In these cases, is it fair for the whole of that faith should answer for the actions of someone who is mealy associated to it by habit or perfunctory custom?

It's the same way with these Muslim extremists, if they just happened to be Muslim it would be unfair to highlight their faith.

What makes someone a "Real Christian" is someone colored by the perspective of the person answering the question. There are Evangelicals that find Mormons to not not be "Real" Christians, but many of Mormons probably do have genuine faith in Christ. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church probably feel that they have a genuine faith in Christ, but many mainstream Christian denominations are pretty quick to distance themselves from that group.

There are large amounts of evidence which shows Hitler was no real Christian even if he did use terms and language which might indicate a general Christian faith to add persuasion to his ideas as a leader.

It's no secret he was enamored with the Occult and IIRC even had crosses lowed so as not to be higher than the Nazi emblems. He was also quite impressed with Darwinism

but I don't think it is fair to lay his actions at anyones feet but his own...... as he certainly was not a disciple of anyone but his own poisoned mind.

---------------------------------

Private statements

Hitler's private statements about Christianity were often conflicting. Hitler's intimates, such as Joseph Goebbels, Albert Speer, and Martin Bormann suggest that Hitler generally had negative opinions of religion, although the historical validity of some remarks has been questioned, particularly the English translation of Hitler's Table ...........

Goebbels notes in a diary entry in 1939 a conversation in which Hitler had "expressed his revulsion against Christianity. He wished that the time were ripe for him to be able to openly express that. Christianity had corrupted and infected the entire world of antiquity."[24] Albert Speer reports in his memoirs of a similar statement made by Hitler: "You see, it's been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn't we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? The Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?"[25]

In 1941, Hitler praised an anti-Christian tract from AD 362, neo-platonist and pagan Roman emperor Julian the Apostate's Against the Galileans, saying "I really hadn't known how clearly a man like Julian had judged Christians and Christianity, one must read this...."[26]

In 1941, according to the diary of Nazi General Gerhart Engel, Hitler stated "I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so."[27]

Author Konrad Heiden has quoted Hitler as stating, "We do not want any other god than Germany itself. It is essential to have fanatical faith and hope and love in and for Germany."[28]

[edit]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_religious_views

What makes someone a "Real Christian"?

You don't know people very well do you? Imagine working in an office of all conservatives and you're the only liberal who makes a campaign donation to a questionable candidate. Your co-workers find out and give you ####### about your opinion. While some would ignore it, others would become distressed over it. Not everyone reacts the same to criticism. You should have to risk being criticized for excercising political speech in the way of campaign donations, which is basically silently supporting a candidate without being out at a rally, etc...

1. If the company tolerates that kind of #######, is it really worth working there?

2. Depending on what type of harrasment occurs and what state the company is in, there might be even be an option to file a lawsuit.

Too-may-toe - Too-ma-toe

It's all relative. What's not 'significant' to you, very well might be to someone else. That's the point.

While $0.15 on a loaf of bread isn't a big deal, add that $0.20 to 30 items and that's $24 out of a low income individuals pocket. That's the difference in being able to fill your car up for a week to get to work. That IS significant.

Inflation is natural in any economic system. Especially when constrained by finite resources.

For the poor person in your example, the question is, does their income go up proportionally? Or has it stayed stagnant?

It started kicking in earlier than that, back in 2003 for those born in 1938, who had to wait an extra two months to retire with full benefits.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/agereduction.htm

I know, there were two age increases, one that started to take effect in 2000 (Retirement at 66), other will probably take effect around 2027 (Retirement at 67).

He's absolutely right about this. It's unavoidable that the entitlement programs need to be restructured. Everyone knows it and has known it for years. They're all just too chickenshit scared of the AARP and senior citizen voters to do anything about it. Good to hear some clarity on the subject even if it is from a crackpot.

The age has already been raised. It was done in 1983. It will be 67 for people born after 1959, but it will be several years yet before they begin to retire.

But just raising the retirement age is not going to be enough to close the social security gap. Increasing the cap on income taxable for social security and changes to the benefits structure will also have to be done. As well as finding ways for those at or near retirement to continue to contribute to the economy, although that might affect the ability for young workers to become a part of the economy.

FUD works.

But there are some in the GOP who want to get rid of Social Security and Medicare all together. If they get there way, how long do you think Republicans will stay in power?

I do find some of the campaigning rather ironic though. You have Republicans promising to cut spending, which would mean huge cuts to Medicare and Social Security since few of them are up to cutting the defense budget. But that at the same time, the US Chamber of Commerce was putting out ads critizing large cuts to Medicare in health reform (Which was somewhat a myth).

So if you don't want to cut the big 3 spending priorities, and not raise taxes, how the heck is the GOP planning to balance the budget?

Why do you hate "Real" America?

What is "Real" america? How does one group or another have a claim on it?

Its already called "marriage" ceremony despite if its legal or not. If USCIS only hears the word, "marriage", you will be denied and barred. You need to file a spousal petition.

If the ceremony is not recognized as a legal marriage, then telling the USCIS about it is only going to cause you trouble. Use common sense.