Quote :

"I think it's comical that Romney is considered strange for being a Mormon. As if other religions aren't strange."

I can agree with you there. But Mormonism takes all the weirdness of the Abrahamic relgions, then adds a bunch more weirdness on top of it.

9/21/2012 3:22:03 PM

Quote :

"Just to be clear, you do realize the Mormon church does a huge amount of philanthropy work?"

Yeah, like throwing millions at California to keep homosexuals from marrying there.

9/21/2012 4:21:25 PM

if i had as much money as he did, I could find many better things to do with my time instead of running for President...just me though

9/21/2012 4:29:00 PM

http://bluemassgroup.com/2012/09/romney-paid-more-taxes-than-he-owed-in-2011-which-according-to-him-makes-him-a-bad-candidate-for-president/

Quote :

" You could not possibly make this up. This afternoon (a Friday afternoon, it should be noted), Mitt Romney is releasing his 2011 tax returns. And numerous reporters are saying that the Romneys intentionally failed to deduct about $1.75 million in charitable contributions in order to keep their effective tax rate above 13% (according to this reporter, had he taken the full deduction to which he was entitled, his rate would have been about 9%). [UPDATE: Here is the statement from Romney's tax guy explaining that, yes, the Romneys limited their claim of a deduction in order to increase their effective tax rate.] That’s an obviously political move, since he’s talked a lot about paying a 13% tax rate and it would look bad for him now to release a return showing that he actually paid a lower rate last year. But what’s much, much worse is this quote from Romney himself earlier this year: At an NBC debate in January, Romney argued that there’s nothing wrong with minimizing taxes. “I pay all the taxes that are legally required and not a dollar more,” he said. “I don’t think you want someone as the candidate for president who pays more taxes than he owes.” Uh, OK. So Romney doesn’t think someone who pays more tax than he owes would be a good candidate for president. Yet that is exactly what he just told the world that he did in 2011. Holy Toledo. Did nobody in the campaign remember that Romney said that? Have to agree with Peggy Noonan on this: the Romney campaign is a “rolling calamity.” UPDATE: It’s even worse. Romney, in an interview with ABC in July, actually said that someone who overpays his taxes is not qualified to be president. I don’t pay more than are legally due and frankly if I had paid more than are legally due I don’t think I’d be qualified to become president. Unbelievable. "

[Edited on September 21, 2012 at 7:06 PM. Reason : .]

9/21/2012 7:06:07 PM

^ lol, jesus

9/21/2012 7:41:07 PM

Didn't the House just send a bill to the Senate allowing people like Warren Buffet to pay all the taxes they want?

I'm only seeing Romney saying something else stupid, big surprise, and again not doing anything wrong?

Why are heads again exploding? Liberals hate Romney, okay, duly noted.

By the way, this isn't a defense of Romney's stupid ass, this is a critique of chronic overreaction regarding this man. We all understand you want Obama to win.

Just go vote for him and try to keep your blood pressure lower in the meantime.





Ahahaha, this is just so goddamn ludicrous. Maybe he just didn't deduct his enormous church contributions? Maybe that's it! I mean, my grandma doesn't deduct her sizable (relatively) church contributions. I asked her about it one time and she said it didn't sit right with her.

Oh yeah, and just today there was a government fellow standing at the end of my road. He was giving out free donuts. I did not stop and get a box, and I was surprised when I got to the gym.

Everyone there called me a fraud! They said I was artificially skinny because I refused donuts I was entitled to!

Again, Romney said something stupid, it's fairly commonplace.

But you fucking people who have been complaining about Romney not paying his fair share are now complaining he PAID TOO MUCH.

Ahahaha, that's the bullshit you just can't make up. You people are at least as comical as Romney himself. I guarantee you Obama won't touch this in the debates.



[Edited on September 21, 2012 at 8:17 PM. Reason : -]

9/21/2012 8:03:46 PM

^ kinda with willy on this one. I couldn't give a shit what his tax records say so long as he didn't blatantly cheat them. It's the system that lets him get away with paying so little; can't blame him for that.

But it's still funny that he constantly says the dumbest shit and makes himself look bad.

[Edited on September 21, 2012 at 8:12 PM. Reason : ]

9/21/2012 8:11:34 PM

Oh, and Romney's full tax history still being a "mystery" is horse shit.

His campaign has already said they're releasing returns from at least 1990 this week.

Still not enough?

9/21/2012 8:22:20 PM

Dude chill

I just thought it was funny how he gaffed again

That's like 3 in less than a week

9/21/2012 9:00:00 PM

So he's releasing them. Finally a smart move. Better to let the truth out than to let rumors and assumptions that are probably worse than the truth persist. I'm half expecting any damning things to be redacted, though.

9/21/2012 9:52:55 PM

He released 2011 (where he chose not to take certain deductions that could have been deferred until 2012 anyway). He had always said he would release 2011 once they were finished.

He released a statement from PriceWaterhouseCoopers regarding previous ones. It cannot be verified, and it doesn't really mean anything.

Interestingly, none of Romney's 2011 earnings appear to be income. It's all investment/capital gains. Welcome to the 47% Mr. Romney!

[Edited on September 22, 2012 at 12:34 AM. Reason : .]

9/22/2012 12:33:55 AM

No, he had income.

Quote :

"Romney listed making $190,350 in “author and speaking fees.” He received $11,475 from Holtzbrinck Publishing, $178,500 from American Talent Group and $375 from The New York Times Syndication Sales. He also listed $260,390 in “directors fees.” The directors fees were delayed payments from his time on the Marriott International Inc. board, from which he resigned in 2010 but from which he collected delayed compensation from 2009 and 2010, according to his campaign."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81528.html?hp=l1

9/22/2012 12:55:22 AM

There is nothing wrong with Romney choosing to pay more taxes, but it just makes him look even further out of touch that he has the "luxury" of NOT getting an extra 1.25 MILLION $ back on this his taxes merely to be able to say he paid at least 13% every year.

He could have gone with the reason was that he donates to charity for the charity, not deductions, or he wanted to contribute to the lower deficit, or some other plausible reason that didn't make him look more out of touch/scummy, or any number of things.

It's pretty fascinating to see a campaign crumble like this, i have to say.

Unless Obama shouts allah ackbar during the debates, there's no way Romney is going to win.

Even at my work where no one ever talks about politics, people are pretty openly mocking Romney's 47% thing with disgust-- even the people who hate Obama.

9/22/2012 12:57:20 AM

It's his choice. He can and will do what he wants. But I can't even fathom the wealth and mind of a person who would deliberately pay an extra $1M+ in taxes purely for the sake of appearances.

To me it seem desperate to me.

9/22/2012 1:25:23 AM

Quote :

"But I 99.99% of people can't even fathom the wealth and mind of a person who would deliberately pay an extra $1M+ in taxes purely for the sake of appearances. To me it seem desperate to me."

9/22/2012 1:37:50 AM

It's all for nothing now, the damage has been done

9/22/2012 8:13:35 AM

There is no way in hell Romney will win. It is pretty evident that the GOP is going the way of the dinosaurs.

[Edited on September 22, 2012 at 11:07 AM. Reason :  ]

9/22/2012 11:06:38 AM

Most of the people in the GOP ARE dinosaurs.

9/22/2012 1:44:47 PM

It's frustrating when people recognize that the current GOP is garbage, but then mistakenly believe there is salvation in the Democratic party.

You're just like every other citizen in every other bloated empire: completely helpless and at the mercy of the ruling class. It's fun to think we have input, isn't it? It's like a slave that believes he will get to sit at the master's table if he works hard enough.

9/22/2012 2:34:40 PM

That's a massive assumption on your part in regards to my political views about the Democrats and a complete ignorance of the trajectory humanity has evolved individual civil rights through history.

9/22/2012 2:46:42 PM

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/22/romney-campaign-demanded-rules-change-to-stack-univision-forum-with-supporters/

According to BuzzFeed’s McKay Coppins, the Romney campaign asked the town hall’s organizers to be exempt from a previously agreed upon rule that tickets to the event be given mainly to college students. Tickets to the event were split between Univision, the University of Miami, who co-sponsored the event, and the two campaigns, with both sides agreeing to give their tickets almost exclusively to university students.

But when team Romney ran into a dearth of college supporters—they gave some of their tickets to conservative groups on campus and still had plenty of extras left over—they asked for an exemption to the rule. According to one of the moderators, Maria Elena Salinas, the Romney campaign then upped the ante, suggesting that if Univision did not grant an exception, then they would potentially need to “reschedule” the event.

Univision relented, and the Romney campaign was allowed to bus in boisterous supporters from around Florida to pack the town hall and cheer on his performance. The result was clear to viewers, who saw Romney drawing loud applause at various points during his interview. By contrast, President Obama, who sat down for the same forum the following night, received far more tempered reactions from the crowd.

9/22/2012 3:01:34 PM

Quote :

" It's like a slave that believes he will get to sit at the master's table if he works hard enough."

Wait, isn't this the whole deal with the GOP?

9/22/2012 3:21:19 PM

Quote :

"That's a massive assumption on your part in regards to my political views about the Democrats and a complete ignorance of the trajectory humanity has evolved individual civil rights through history."

I'm not assuming anything. If I had to guess, I'd say you'll hold your nose and vote for Obama because you believe that he'll be better. I'm arguing that the difference is insignificant. It's like shooting someone at point blank range, but giving them the choice of being shot in the mouth or the temple. There's going to be catastrophic damage in either scenario.

Tribal governments started out brutal but barely able to hold onto territory for much time at all. Now, governments are extremely stable, hard to change, but they've granted people civil rights because those rights ultimately make the people more productive. Productive people yield a better return when your goal is to extract wealth from them. A farmer doesn't keep their livestock happy because he cares about their well being, he does it because their value as a commodity will go up.

Quote :

"Wait, isn't this the whole deal with the GOP?"

Pretty much. People imagine that they'll be someone like Mitt Romney some day. Of course, they won't. Even if they're an entrepreneur, there are so many regulations in place (typically created by the larger industries that don't want competition) that they'll likely fail or, if they're lucky, make a modest living. I mean, most large corporations spend more on lobbying than they pay in taxes. If you want to get filthy rich, you're gonna need to roll in the mud, and that means selling your soul in Washington DC.

[Edited on September 22, 2012 at 3:44 PM. Reason : ]

9/22/2012 3:41:47 PM

Quote :

"[Jefferson] knew about the power of the East India Company, which was reaching the zenith of its power in driving British foreign policy, and he also knew about the great South Sea Bubble crash, which destroyed the British economy"

9/22/2012 3:52:57 PM

So countries with higher class mobility than the US must have fewer regulations?

9/22/2012 3:54:01 PM

The East India Company was the kind of company that would get the entire nation of China hooked on Opium just to create a market for their product.

9/22/2012 3:56:27 PM

Sounds like the iPhone 5

9/22/2012 4:04:27 PM

Quote :

"Pretty much. People imagine that they'll be someone like Mitt Romney some day. Of course, they won't. Even if they're an entrepreneur, there are so many regulations in place (typically created by the larger industries that don't want competition) that they'll likely fail or, if they're lucky, make a modest living."

LOL, what fantasy world are you living in?

Quote :

" if they're an entrepreneur, there are so many regulations in place (typically created by the larger industries that don't want competition) that they'll likely fail "

Fixed.

That shit is a fact of life - not the evil government's regulations.

[Edited on September 22, 2012 at 4:41 PM. Reason : ]

9/22/2012 4:40:57 PM

Places with a smaller average business size don't see as many small businesses fail.

It's not the creed of God that small business fail at such a high rate. It's a product of our particular circumstances. Most startups we hear about are specific to fairly risky and very new areas, that's really fundamental to the competitiveness of our economy as a whole. But small businesses in general need not be the graveyard that it is.

Something made it easier for larger companies to survive. True, some of it is a natural consequence of growing complexity of the economy and economies of scale. Perhaps that's given a pass to our various levels of government to not worry too much about the impact of their decisions on small businesses.

Japan's economic success was heralded as a model example, in part, due to the flexibility of the workforce in small businesses. They had an entrepreneurial culture running up to their boom. America has culturally seen that slip away, at least somewhat.

9/22/2012 5:51:25 PM

Quote :

"Pretty much. People imagine that they'll be someone like Mitt Romney some day. Of course, they won't."

I hate people with this attitude.

Of course I have an extremely high opinion of myself and my abilities, and I don't imagine someone like Mitt Romney exceeds my capabilities in any way.

If you think yourself and those around you are pitiful that's your problem.

Maybe you chumps could "solve" a lot of your "problems" by going after estate/inheritance taxes?

9/22/2012 8:41:12 PM

Quote :

"I hate people with this attitude. Of course I have an extremely high opinion of myself and my abilities, and I don't imagine someone like Mitt Romney exceeds my capabilities in any way."

No one here thinks Romney is any better than they are. The fact is, it doesn't fucking matter how hard you try or how good you are at something, everyone can't "be somebody."

You can complain about the government holding you down all day, but shed the government, and people are still going to be failing left and right.

[Edited on September 22, 2012 at 9:20 PM. Reason : ]

9/22/2012 9:19:36 PM

Still, the attitude isn't very becoming, even if it is maybe realistic (depending on your situation).

Don't you remember the song at the beginning of "Reading Rainbow?"

9/22/2012 9:46:39 PM

Can't say I do. I was forbidden from watching government funded tv.

Also people will always find an excuse for why they are not where they want to be.

9/22/2012 9:51:56 PM

I blame minorities, gays, and godless atheists, myself.

9/22/2012 9:53:25 PM

Guys, the bell distribution curve exists for a reason. so no, we cant all be as rich as romney, or as good in bball as barkley . It is impossible.

9/22/2012 11:29:51 PM

Well it seems Dave Grohl is as rich as Romney so it's wide open.

9/23/2012 12:39:08 AM

I just wanted to say that the Reading Rainbow theme song was about the merits of reading books, not that anyone can be anything.

9/23/2012 1:43:08 AM

^but don't take his word for it.

9/23/2012 1:59:02 AM

hahahahaha

9/23/2012 2:30:25 AM

AHAHA

9/23/2012 1:39:17 PM

9/23/2012 2:31:39 PM

well, that 60 minutes segment gave pretty much no insight into anything of substance

"hey how come you have changed all your beliefs"

"well the president did it too"

and won't give a straight answer to anything tax related

[Edited on September 23, 2012 at 8:38 PM. Reason : .]

9/23/2012 8:31:21 PM

Romney is irrelevant. Let's get ready for 2016

9/23/2012 10:13:37 PM

Quote :

""hey how come you have changed all your beliefs" "well the president did it too""

The only dem in recent memory that changed up as much as him was Kerry. Other than that I would say that they have been fairly consistent.

9/24/2012 2:21:13 PM

I hear a lot of Romney ads that claim he will stop the cheating (with reference to China). Here's an example that references the commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayRrmyzyEwg

I hear that quite a bit when referencing China, always "cheating" or "cheaters." Just curious, what cheating is he referring to?

[Edited on September 24, 2012 at 2:28 PM. Reason : -]

9/24/2012 2:27:21 PM

I was thinking the same thing "We need to stop the cheaters". But isn't it a fact that Bain sent jobs to China?

9/24/2012 2:30:50 PM

Even so, how would sending jobs to China be considered cheating? Odd word choice I guess.

9/24/2012 2:34:31 PM

No, I'm saying Romney's company sent jobs to China, yet he has an election commerical talking about stopping the "cheating" of china. But I too was wondering what exactly he's referring to when he says "Obama had 7 chances to stop China from cheating, but he didn't do it."

[Edited on September 24, 2012 at 3:08 PM. Reason : ]

9/24/2012 2:44:06 PM

Obama won't install punkbuster.

9/24/2012 2:50:03 PM

Quote :

"I hear that quite a bit when referencing China, always "cheating" or "cheaters." Just curious, what cheating is he referring to?"

It’s common for the Chinese to ignore intellectual property and purposely infringe on patents. In my industry we have to watch out for the Chinese “knockoffs”. For example, I may spec a 3M silicone sponge material for a gasket but may get the Chinese knockoff, complete with poorly copied 3M logo and all. It’s very sketchy.

9/24/2012 3:17:40 PM