Not Enough One-Percenters

Josh Barro explains the death of Obama's proposed tax on 529 college savings accounts and deplores the dearth of one-percenters:

A ‘Rich’ Person Is Someone Who Makes 50 Percent More Than You

Why Obama’s Proposal for 529s Had No Chance

The first rule of modern tax policy is raise taxes only on the rich. The second rule is that your family isn’t rich, even if you make a lot of money.

President Obama’s State of the Union proposal to end the tax benefits for college savings accounts ran afoul of these rules, which is why he abandoned it, under intense pressure from both political parties, within a week.

Tax-free college savings accounts, like the mortgage interest deduction and the state and local tax deduction, principally benefit people who range from affluent to wealthy. In pushing its proposal, the White House pointed to Federal Reserve data showing that 70 percent of balances in the college accounts were held by families making at least $200,000 a year. In theory, tax reform is supposed to be built around cutting back preferences like these, in order to pay for some combination of lower tax rates and tax preferences aimed at people with lower incomes.

But in practice, politicians from both parties have made a point of holding the group you might call the “merely affluent” harmless from tax increases. If you make $150,000 to $225,000, you make about two to three times the national median income for a married couple. The list of occupations that can get you into this income bracket — government official, academic, lobbyist, journalist — can sometimes make it hard for people in political circles to remember that 92 percent of American married couples make less than $200,000 a year.

So in other words, after all the heated progressive rhetoric about yachts, private jets, offshore accounts, buying the political system with max donations of $32,400 and "one percenters", Obama ran into trouble by trying to tax the "eight percenters" earning over $200 per annum. It's the classic rhetoric-policy mismatch driven by pesky arithmetic - those one-percenters and even five-percenters don't earn enough to pay for all of Obama's proposed free stuff.

Comments

[Thomas Collins]

From '79-'81, CH. Kucinich was mayor, Dorothy Fuldheim was in her prime, the Indians played in Municipal Stadium, and Lorin Maazel was music director of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.

[Captain Hate]

The Mavs went on a 37-2 run tonight to turn a game they were losing to the Heat into an absolute blowout. And Utah held on to beat Golden State meaning that there is the LEAGUE LEADING ATLANTA HAWWWWWWWWWWWWKS.

[henry]

RE Walker, I have met the man, and know the Senate and Assembly leaders as well (along with most of the R's in the legislature). Scott Walker does appreciate the individual. This overrides groups like "illegales" or blacks. If any issue can be decided on respect for the individual vs respect for the group he selects individual every time. (This conforms to my understanding of God's plan). Thus, worker over Union, taxpayer over government, and Latino over La Raza. Look at anything Walker does, and this will unify it. The current legislature is with Walker on this principle. For campaign reasons he may hedge, but he is true to the principle of individual over state in all things.

[Threadkiller]

TC, do you think that sort of high level deception is possible from a team that did not know there was air inside the football?

:-)

[Captain Hate]

So you were here for the Cardiac Kids.

You've gotta come back, TC. I'll take you around to everything that's changed for the better; it'll take a half hour max and then we'll go to Lizardville.

[Thomas Collins]

OK, CH. I'll let you know when I'm in the area.

[Danube on iPad]

I stand with Walker.

Nytol.

[Danube on iPad]

Suggested Walker campaign slogan: "This Has To Stop."

[Porchlight]

Not at all, DoT. I just think that the simplest and most straightforward explanation, the one that comports with the known facts as well as the history of the past predilections and behavior of the players, is the correct one.

Montana, Aikman, Bradshaw and Jim Harbaugh - all people in a position to know how the ball behaves in real life and who are intimately familiar with NFL QB practices on the field and behind the scenes, as opposed to MIT physicists who do not and are merely guessing at possibilities, agree with me.

Here is what you said on January 23rd at 3:45 pm:

I believe three things without a shadow of any doubt:

1. A deliberate action was taken that caused the balls to be underinflated by haltime (I don't rule out intentionally inflating them with hot air);

2, This action was taken with the knowledge and approval,of Tom Brady.; and

3. At least one other person besides Brady knows what was done.

If this is all true, Brady is in considerable peril. A National Enquirer cash grant, a guilty conscience or plain old loose lips could send the whole thing crashing down. At that point Brady is not only exposed as a cheat, but I yhink he crossed the Rubicon yesterday into liar territory as well. His reputation will be totally and permanently destroyed. He might now be wishing he had said "yeah, I like a softer ball so we let a little aur out. I thought everybody did that."

If some awful truth comes out prior to the Super Bowl, I don't know what the hell I'd do if I were Goodell.

I think it was true then and I think it's true now.

[Extraneus]

I stand with Porch and DoT.

[Extraneus]

An official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement testified Friday during a discussion on immigration detention facilities, hosted by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, that transgender individuals are guaranteed “a right to hormone therapy.”

“With respect to treatment while in detention – the medical care standard – the standards guarantees a right to hormone therapy for individuals who need it for treatment, and even in facilities that are not covered by that standard. Our ICE House Service Corps is very vigilant on that issue to ensuring that individuals receive necessary hormone therapy,” said Kevin Landy, assistant director of the ICE office of detention policy and planning.

[GUS]

It still seems somewhat unreal that Scott Walker, a guy I've known for years, is being considered a viable candidate for President.

[Porchlight]

henry, GUS, I have always appreciated your personal insights on Walker. I stand with him too.

[GUS]

Hi Porch! Scott Walkers home in Wauwatosa is directly across the street from my best friends childhood home. And it's a mile and a half from MILLER PARK home of the Milwaukee Brewers.

[Porchlight]

Good times Gus! Love the Brewers.

[Extraneus]

This must end.

Professional wrestler ejected from Wing Bowl

Professional wrestling star Mick Foley was ejected from the Wing bowl after being caught stuffing uneaten chicken wings in his fanny pack.

[Miss Marple]

Morning, all. Will be gone all day to an auction. Will catch up this evening.

[anonamom]

@porchlight---I don't disagree with a word you have written, but what I find completely plausible from years of working on a "team,"
is that whoever it is that takes physical care of the balls--the guy carrying the bag--may very well have done this all himself.

(IF anything was done to them, which, if the measurements were taken at half time, seems likely. I haven't seen a link to that info though.) In part cause I hardly care---but if we are going to keep this alive:

At some point along the way, at a practice, he may have heard TB say he wished balls didn't have to be at 12.5 psi--that he likes a softer ball. TB may have even just made that comment to some one else, and the guy overhears it.

Being very anxious to please--or being one of those many people from MA that I met who made a lasting impression on this Michigan girl-- they kinda have a bit different orientation to what is right and wrong, legal and illegal, no offense intended---but just watch The Town if you don't understand--or read anything about Whitey Bolger and the fellas. Then throw in everybody else who looks away, or is their parent or sibling or cousin.

TC, Jane, you catch my drift here, right? Or have you never spent any time with us" bland midwesterners?"

Honest to God, I'd never even seen anybody run a red light til I moved there. I mean--you could KILL somebody doing that!
But I was doing it on Saturday mornings by the half way point of my intern year--I was the only person up at 6am, and they didn't have the lights computerized. I wasn't going to be the sap who sat there for 80 seconds.
See how easy it is to slide down that slippery slope??

So, ball boy wants his team to win, to please TB, to win the money he regularly puts down, whatever. He ON HIS OWN INITIATIVE figures out how to comply with NFL inflation policy---and then how to soften up those so TB is happy.

So, BB doesn't know, TB doesn't know.
Or maybe it's BB doesn't "know" and TB doesn't "know"---but I think WE'LL never know either.

[Jane on Ipad]

Yikes! I am truly stunned by you guys. Porch KNOWS 3 facts that have not been proven, and Anonamom knows people from MA lack character.

Oh and the tea party is racist!

[anonamom]

@TC--catching up, I see that while I was learning that "regular people" could be criminals in Boston, you were learning just how bland people could be in Cleveland. Which is big exciting city for the midwest!
(written by a proud midwesterner) (and a supporter of dull and bland ;-)

fwiw---the overwhelming reason so many of us lived lives of crime in Boston is what Insty notes---there are rules and regulations about EVERYTHING!
Lots of opportunities for corruption.

[Jack is Back (on his iPad)]

Reading that NYT's article on Romney's departure (Drudge Headline today) leads me to believe Walker has a hurdle unlike Bush: Money.

It seems to me there are two distinct class of donors: Crony Capitalists and American Patriots. The Cronies want something personal for their money and the Patriots want something good fo the country. Read that article and tell me which kind are Jeb's and which kind that leaves Walker.

I don't see Walker being the type to promise and practice Cronyism just to raise money but I do Bush, Christie and ex-Romney.

[Jane]

Obama has agreed to 80 percent of Iran's demands in nuclear talks, Israeli officials tell Ch. 10

I'm confused. What exactly are we supposed to be getting out of these talks?

[FTL]

I'm confused. What exactly are we supposed to be getting out of these talks?

Once you accept that "we" does not include Obama, it all makes perfect sense.

[anonamom]

Oh Jane--I said no offense! Doesn't that mean I can bare my soul with impunity???

I also gave an explanation that completely clears the two people you have vehemently defended these LONG 12 days. No credit for that???

Your posts have forced me to wonder why I--and , oh every single person who has mentioned it to me ---immmediately believed BB &/or TB cheated.

And how was this not different than the Duke lax team's situation, with so many on campus believing the liar's story?

So--why? Because of previous behavior!

MY experience of MA was that regular people--this regular person included--rationalized living lives of crime.

I shall clarify that to be "all the regular people I knew the five years I lived there" in case I just happened to have a really weird cohort.

And they were most gracious about helping me be able to do so as well--garages that would pass inspection on our old cars, streets that the cops never ticketed wrong sided parking, even the guy at that DMV repeated "I need your wife's signature" often enough that my poor harried husband figured out that I did not need to SIGN the car title, but the clerk needed my name to be written on it.

Well, to be honest, the clerk had to point out to my husband that there was a shelf for signing papers over on the wall--then he got it.
But I shall never forget that kindness to a stranger!

[Extraneus]

I guess that could explain the fumble data, if they've had the same ball "boy" since 2007.

[Extraneus]

Too late to catch MM before the auction?

19th-century painting sold for $5,000 fetches $5.2M just over a year later

[Janet]

http://www.wnd.com/2015/01/secret-planting-of-up-to-75000-syrian-muslims-begins-in-u-s/

"Refugees accepted through the United Nations refugee program are put on a fast track toward U.S. citizenship and are eligible for a full range of government welfare programs, including housing subsidies, Medicaid, food stamps, Women, Infants and Children as well as refugee assistance loans and tutoring from language experts who will help them bridge the language gap in public schools.

The nine resettlement agencies all have strong presences in Washington and often lobby on behalf of the U.N. high commissioner on refugees, pushing for more foreign refugees to be resettled in America, which results in more federal grants flowing into their coffers."

and -

"WND has documented in previous stories that more than 90 percent of the money used by Lutheran Social Services, the Catholic Bishops and other religious charities for their refugee resettlement work comes from government grants."

You get to pay for all of this!

[daddy on a bender in japan]

"You know how to whistle don't you JOM? You just put your lips together, and blow."

[Captain Hate]

My life has been so much better by ignoring the Super Bowl and just enjoying the NBA, a well run league that has more than a complete screwup as a commissioner now that Stern went away.

[Captain Hate]

Welp daddy, have you figured out how to whistle loudly by putting the planes on autopilot and practicing away?

[Ben]

"now that Stern went away."

And if the Refs would stop shaving points for Vegas and the NBA. Stopped watching foosball decades ago; Baseball after the Dodgers stopped being a family owned company; Basketball after Phil Jackson chased Jerry West out of LA with his inter-office philandering.

I still like Rugby though.

[Captain Hate]

Basketball after Phil Jackson chased Jerry West out of LA with his inter-office philandering.

Whoa, there's something I hadn't heard. That would certainly explain why Mr Clutch left the team he'd always been associated with to produce success in Memphis and Golden State.

[Jane]

Oh Jane--I said no offense! Doesn't that mean I can bare my soul with impunity???

Of course you can, and so can I. I wasn't offended, but the generalizations are pretty stunning. Every time Porch posts something like that, I substitute Obama for Brady and Belichick and I feel better. We all have our biases. Frankly I'm shocked that I feel so strongly about defending them. But I just don't see the facts that prove the allegations.

BTW next time you come to MA stop in Sturbridge. It is an incredibly friendly town, made even moreso by the tornado. I cannot imagine walking by someone on the street and not saying "hello", or stopping to help someone.

[Ben]

Yeah. Jackson was dating Jeanie Buss and was continually interfering (through her) in the office operations. West is a genius and it was a tragic loss for the organization, as we've seen in the past 10 or so years.

[Jane]

BTW it is 423 degrees below zero here today. The wind is howling. We are expecting 12 - 18 inches of snow tomorrow and Monday, and the Superbowl party has been cancelled.

[Ben]

Here's something I didn't know.

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun/17/sports/la-sp-ln-phil-jackson-jerry-west-leave-locker-room-20130617

Would love to hear the other side, but West is a total professional.

[Soylent Red]

Once you accept that "we" does not include Obama, it all makes perfect sense.

One of the greatest takedowns/explanations of Obama Admin foreign policy I've ever read, via The DiploMad.

[sbw]

Breitbart has a piece "Milo Yiannopoulos: Powerful Silicon Valley Elite ‘Almost Entirely Unaccountable’"

Cataclysmic changes in technology produce Andrew Carnegies why try to control not only their businesses, but their monopolies, and their countries.

Patterns repeat. This particular batch, also living in excess, is only different in that their background of non-education molded them leftist.

[Ben]

Ouch !

"Jerry West is basketball royalty. He’s won championships as a player for the Lakers; he detests coaching, so he also put together the coach and players that became the Showtime 1980s Lakers; he drafted Kobe Bryant and traded for Shaquille O’Neal, the pieces Phil Jackson used to win another three-peat at the start of the millennium.

So when Jerry West says he’s “never seen a better coach than Gregg Popovich,” that’s slinging some mud at Jackson by process of omission.

http://dimemag.com/2014/06/spurs-owner-jerry-west-shade-phil-jackson/

[henry]

Jane, more snow kinda let the air out of the Super Bowl plans. (couldn't resist). We get 6-9 inches of snow tonight through tomorrow night, with lots of wind and drifting. Normal winter here. 12-18 is a lot of snow.

[AliceH]

I spent many, many hours the summer of my 13th year trying to perfect either the two- or four-finger whistle, but results were never better than sporadically successful.

Yesterday, I spent 3 minutes practicing before the cat came tearing into the room and attacked my ankles.

Some things are just not meant to be. ;)

[Marlene on the phone at the cabin]

Morning! Very cold and windy here and still snowing! The woods are beautiful.
Here's a thought...maybe Richard Sherman's girlfriend will go into labor tomorrow afternoon. :)

[Ben]

Jackson's Triangle Offense was successful only because of the overwhelming advantage of players.

Offensive rebounds were anathema to him.

[GMax]

BTW the poll on Hillary unfavorability, was a Registered Voter Poll with a D + 2 sample done by PPP ( Public Policy Polling ) as Democrat an organization as exists run by a rabid Democrat. There is some speculation that Democrats who favor Fauxcohontas paid for and released the poll, for what its worth.

And one more small indicator. The special election for Rep Grimm's seat in Staten Island that was suppose to be a target of the Democrats? They cant convince anyone to run against the prosecutor who refused the indict any of the cops on the Garner shooting. That must give thinking Democrats pause, a republican resigns after pleading guilty to tax fraud in a district that is behind enemy lines and no current Democrat officeholder will step up to run. The atmosphere is toxic for them except in districts with disproportionate levels of minorities or college campuses...

[daddy on a bender in japan]

I've been trying like crazy, Captain!

Still coming up with "wheets" and "whooshes" but no real whistles yet:(

Oh well, practice may make perfect.

It brought to mind a fun little whistling sequence in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" (based on Michener's stories) that I really enjoy musically much more than I enjoy the show itself. It comes across better on the tape, but the whistling bit is here starting about 3:50 on the tape.

Watching this 1958 production on Youtube, it strikes me that there is a black guy displayed as just one of the regular joes. This has me wondering if there were any earlier productions prior to this, following on "Gone With The Wind," that intermingled blacks and whites and had blacks appearing as just regular equal chums in the current society of the time.

Michener I know was smitten with the racial equality question in his own life, and Rodgers and Hammerstein's amazing You've Got to be Taught obviously built on that.

Is there a movie or broadway production, prior to South Pacific, that showed American Whites and Blacks intermingling together as normal humans, and the matter of race not being something you keep getting hit over the head with by a 2 by 4?

Just wondering.

[anonamom]

Jane --I LOVE MA! I was never happier than last year when both boys got to live there--and they are both very open to returning.
Happy days for all of us.

One of my rare regrets in life is that I did not accept your and TC's generous invitation last May---one of my favorite recent vacation weeks in years. Who'da thought--a week in Somerville. Boston is my idea of the perfect metropolitan area.
I am sure Sturbridge is still the same lovely town it was when I was last there some 30+ years ago, and I never said a word about people NOT being friendly--I LOVED being called "sweetie" and "dearie" by anybody over the age of ?40--when I was a overworked and far too responsible for stuff I had no idea how to handle intern.

And I embrace the righteous lawlessness! I now LIVE righteous lawlessness!
I still run red lights occasionally.

The thing about Boston--which my son who lived there five years, and my cousin who was there for four, just after me, both found to be the case---we always felt like outsiders. We were welcomed, but we didn't belong. Though we all held "real jobs" there, after school/training.
That maybe us--we all were there as likely transients, and were very, very busy when there too--not becoming part of our communities,

Jane, since you mentioned that you're "shocked that I feel so strongly about defending them," I 'll continue to bare my soul.

A number of your posts on this topic made me think someone was sock puppeting you. They did not sound like you to me.

But I'm now thinking that the same reason we always felt like outsiders is why you sounded different to me, why you are even surprised at the depth of your defense---

It's not just where you live---it's no small part of who you are.

[daddy recovering from a bender in japan]

Oops, here 's the South Pacific song with the whistling sequence at @3:50---There is Nothing like a Dame.

[Jack is Back!]

Anyone following the Two Eagles ballon trip across the Pacific? Touchdown today in the ocean off Mexico. 6 days is exactly 6 days too long for me.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-31073490?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central

[Jack is Back!]

Also saw this at the BBC.

Looks like Podemos (the Iberian version of Syriaza) wants to drag Spain down the same road as Greece while Merkel says Nein!

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31072139

[Threadkiller]

I read this from Jane:

I'm confused. What exactly are we supposed to be getting out of these talks?

and immediately thought of the sarcastic answer, "more Muslims."

Then I read Janet's 8:41.

DOOM

[Man Tran]

Jane,

You mentioned America's Cup In Newport. The last one was 1983. We were there. MT Jr. was still in HS. The next year we brought him there to enter Navy Prep (Kasich appt.). Then we came back in '86 when he sailed in on a Navy yawl on their way to the tall ship gathering in NYC for the Liberty Centennial. It was all great fun, because we had friends in Warrick that helped us feel like locals.

Old Boston joke:

Midwest papa visits Jr. who's attending school in Boston. While driving Jr. to a place for lunch, someone steps off the curb into traffic and papa hits the brakes. Jr says: "don't bother, they'll stop". After they park, they start crossing the street to the pub and again, papa pauses for oncoming traffic. Jr says: "don't bother, they'll stop".

[GMax]

Well if rats are the first off the sinking ship, then watch for the sinking. Powerline has a post indicating the the head of security under Chavez and eight other members of Maduro's personal security force have defected to the US. How long before bow goes underwater, well based on that I would guess no more than Spring...

[RickB]

Why should Pedro have to pay for a ticket on the EUtanic if Stavros gets to ride for free?

C'mon, Fritz, you've still got money, spread some around.

[Old Lurker]

Me thinks Fritz is tired of paying.

[Janet]

The Dems plan seems to be to spread chaos around the world & then import voters under the term - "refugees".

Illegals crossing the boarder are only part of the problem..our State Dept. is bringing in thousands.

It doesn't seem like "we the people" have any representation at all. The State Dept., the EPA...are just doing whatever they want.

[Jane]

We were welcomed, but we didn't belong

It was the accent. BTW I lost my MA accent when I went to school in Colorado and never got it back.

A number of your posts on this topic made me think someone was sock puppeting you. They did not sound like you to me.

Interesting. I thought the same thing about Porch. I guess we just have to sit on opposite sides.

So when are you coming back?

[Jack is Back!]

RickB and OL,

You're out of money and have to ask her for a loan:)

[GMax]

The Caption for that picture is a single word:

NEIN

[Old Lurker]

Line in a movie we saw last night, when the nice guy businessman has to ask his childhood mob friend for a loan "Oh don't ask me that. You really really don't want to owe us money.

[Threadkiller]

Drew Brees on football preparations:

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/saints-quarterback-drew-brees-on-football-deflation-scandal-super-bowl-and-family/

Skip to about the 4min mark if you prefer.

[Ben]

Oh. The growth doesn't 'trickle down'?

"On Friday Spain’s national statistics institute said the economy had grown at its fastest pace in seven years in the last quarter of 2014, backing the government’s claims of a recovery. “If 2014 was the year of recovery, 2015 will be the year that the Spanish economy takes off,” the prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said last month."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/31/rally-spain-anti-austerity-party-podemos

But many in Spain have yet to see signs of this. There are 5.4 million people unemployed, and 700,000 households have no stable source of income. The number of people on low-paid short-term contracts has soared, while salaries for many have dropped. In the first six months of last year, courts gave the green light to more than 21,000 home evictions, equating to roughly 116 a day.

[Threadkiller]

http://mobile.sportingnews.com/article/4634231-drew-bledsoe-and-former-ball-boy-defend-tom-brady-bill-belichick-deflategate

He wouldn't do it maliciously.

[Jane]

Man Tran,

Newport really is a delight isn't it? I loved that America's Cup - which turned out to be the last one in Newport (and my first one). I particularly loved the Australian keel controversy. Reminds me a little of Brady's balls - ducking.

[Another Bob]

That's good JiB

[RickB]

The Greek commies just got a call from the bank. The due date has been changed to March 1. The commies thought they could run the manure spreader until July.

BTW, she did say NEIN.

Pedro can vote himself an empty treasury if he wants, it will give him something to do while he waits for his SkyDragon investment to pay off.

[GMax]

I would put this response at slightly longer than NEIN, but perhaps should be read as "Hell NEIN":

…A German official earlier on Friday said Tsipras is making unrealistic demands and will end up without a financial backstop unless he honors his country’s commitments to its official creditors. German Finance Ministry Spokesman Martin Jaeger said Greece’s demand for a writedown is “outside reality” and the financial lifeline that has kept the country afloat since 2010 will expire next month unless Tsipras shows a “clear willingness” to meet the country’s existing agreements.

[Captain Hate]

I've been trying like crazy, Captain!

Still coming up with "wheets" and "whooshes" but no real whistles yet:(

Oh well, practice may make perfect.

It was very awkward for me at first and once I thought I'd "mastered" it I felt like a goof by trying to do it in a public setting and ended up with fat nothing. I think I had my first degree of success by using my two pinkies and ultimately ended up just using one hand as I stated yesterday. If you want to do it as badly as Dean Smith craves a cigarette, you will succeed.

At times when we've been separated in a crowd, Mrs H says she can always recognize my whistle.

[Old Lurker]

"Mrs H says she can always recognize my whistle."

But does she then obey?

[Captain Hate]

So when Jerry West says he’s “never seen a better coach than Gregg Popovich,” that’s slinging some mud at Jackson by process of omission.

The Zen Master is very good at getting talented players to work and play well with each other, which isn't as easy as a lot of people think; if it was Doug Collins would have a few championship rings while coaching MJ.

Pop is the gold standard in coaching today though; that shouldn't be up for debate. Atlanta's coach spent 18 years as his assistant and obviously figured out more stuff than Mike Brown did, for example. Some of Steve Kerr's current success is probably related to playing for Pop and being a smart basketball guy anyway.

[rich@gmu]

morning all.

from way back in the comments:

Posted by: exdemocrat | January 30, 2015 at 01:31 PM -

The Clinton Administration was overtly supporting Barak and Labor in the '99 campaign and earlier (since at least '92), although how important it was is debated. The overt support (on all sides actually) was American campaign consultants were brought in and American Jewish support for Labor. In Barak's case, it was Carville et al-Clinton's team from '92- that "Americanized" the campaign. Netanyahu's press-secretary had made statements that the Clinton Administration was coordinating with the Palestinians to help Labor and that they (the US and the Clinton Administration) were engaging in character-assassination.

Netanyahu is probably banking on a "here they go again" boost ... the worse the Administration treats him the better he'll do at the polls.

[Captain Hate]

But does she then obey?

More than you'd think but less than I'd like.

[Captain Hate]

I was outraged when the Clinton Crime Family openly meddled in Israel's elections and the MFM enablers acted like clueless monkeys.

[rich@gmu]

>>> The number of people on low-paid short-term contracts has soared, while salaries for many have dropped.<<<

tell me about it ... was working on my taxes. I made more in the 10 weeks at my old job. There is light, faint, barely visible, at the end of this tunnel.

[rich@gmu]

Posted by: Captain Hate | January 31, 2015 at 11:17 AM -

there are some indications that the CIA might have gotten involved as well but nothing has been proven. It is a bit like the campaign finance fraud that Clinton engaged in for his '96 campaign (or having Chinese agents bring in sacks of cash for him). YIKES!!!

[Danube on iPad]

Porch, I firmly believed what I said on January 23. At that time I was unaware of the physics involved and of the actual experiments that have been conducted. When I became aware of those things I changed my mind.

At this point I have seen no thgeoretical analysis that refuted the theory that the temperature drop and the moisture on the ball caused the drop in pressure. Nor have I seen anyone replicate the experiment without the pressure dropping. If and when someone does that I will be forced to reconsider, but I am very confident that it won't happen. Because it can't.

[Some Guy]

I'm not sure everyone understands Occam's Razor.

The SIMPLE explanation is never a long running elaborate conspiracy.

This really is a Confirmation Bias test.

[Ignatz]

--Oh. The growth doesn't 'trickle down'?--

Not when the government is the one with its hand on the faucet, because the "growth" in that case is largely the redistribution and reallocation of existing wealth, not the creation of new.
And we needn't look to Spain for that example. Barry has given us a very good example of crony capitalism's results; crumbs to the poor, a contraction of the middle and a ballooning of the state and its clients/benefactors. Its the inevitable result of public/private partnerships because that is their aim; enriching those individuals favored by the state at everyone else's expense.

[Lazybusy]

Man, it is a challenge for a guy who works to stay up with all the posts.
DoT, Happy Birthday in a couple of weeks.
Daddy, I can do that whistle. My kids would respond from almost anywhere within blocks of the house. So would a lot of other kids because they got such a kick out of it.
Times are rough when Bill Clinton has to ride share on private jets with porn stars and pedophiles.

[Some Guy]

re: The whistle

I can do it, but I use my index finger and pinkie on one hand. I originally did the two hand version, but adapted it when I used to go to NYC frequently. It was great for hailing a cab, and you could still carry a briefcase.

[Sue]

I'm pretty pissed at y'all. I had given up being able to do the whistle like my brother does, no hands, years ago. Since the whistle discussion began and I shared they info, I have been driving myself and my husband crazy once again attempting the allusive no hand piercing whistle. Grrrr...,

[Threadkiller]

TedWells was hired because of Occam's Razor.

Ted Wells is reaching out to scientists because of Occam's Razor.

And one thing is for sure, thanks to Occam, we must look past the NFL's statement that does not mention any of the Colts' footballs to conclude the atmosphere affected their footballs in an identical manner.
http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/photo/2015/01/23/0ap3000000462480.pdf

Say what?

[Threadkiller]

SG, how does Montana's statement fail the "simplest explanation" test?

[Some Guy]

You mean besides the fact that Montana is speaking with zero knowledge of the actual facts and is just speculating?

[Porchlight]

I do understand Occam's Razor.

The simplest explanation is that the NE balls were tampered with. There was motive and opportunity and the team has a history of this sort of thing. But I recognize that it's hard to prove without someone fessing up.

Jane, I know if I were in your place I would be so annoyed by my posts on this topic. I apologize. I don't like disagreeing with you all.

[Threadkiller]

Facts?

Ok you got me.

Tell me the facts that you are aware of.

BTW, Montana was giving an explanation of what he thought was most plausible in the absence of facts, and it was pretty simplistic.

[Some Guy]

I do understand Occam's Razor.

The simplest explanation is that the NE balls were tampered with.

Like I said, it's a Confirmation Bias test.

;-)

[Porchlight]

Some Guy, I agree with that. ;)

[Threadkiller]

An investigation into one team having used non-regulation equipment is a confirmation bias test.

[Jane]

Jane, I know if I were in your place I would be so annoyed by my posts on this topic. I apologize. I don't like disagreeing with you all.

Right backatcha.

This too will be over soon. We are expecting 12-18 inches of snow tomorrow and Monday and some Superbowl parties have been cancelled. So we are being punished.

[Some Guy]

An investigation into one team having used non-regulation equipment is a confirmation bias test.

No, but your interpretation and/or misunderstanding of what I wrote is.

[Threadkiller]

But your misunderstood of what I wrote is not.

[Threadkiller]

...misunderstanding...

[Danube on iPad]

The information provided by the scientists is the embodiment of Occam's Razor.

I don't understand the sense in which "confirmation bias" is being used here. Would someone explain?

[Porchlight]

Jane, what a drag. Better safe than sorry when it comes to travel, but that sucks.

[Jane]

It won't bother me at all Porch, so no worries.

[Threadkiller]

I don't understand the conformation bias distraction either.

[Threadkiller]

Isn't the information from the scientists based off of assumptions, Danube?

[Danube on iPad]

"The simplest explanation is that the NE balls were tampered with."

Seems to me that the simplest of all is that the balls were inflated, as requested, to 12.5 psi at a temperature of 70 degrees. From that point on, nature took its course.

Still waiting for someone to inflate a ball to that pressure at that temperature, then get it wet at 50 degrees and have it remain at 12.5"

[Porchlight]

DoT, that doesn't explain why the second half balls didn't deflate too.

Who requested that the balls be inflated to 12.5 psi?

The confirmation bias thing is that if you are a Pats h8er you think tampering is the simplest explanation. If you are a Pats defender you think "it's the physics" is the simplest.

[Threadkiller]

What is the conformation bias of the NFL investigating Patriots' s footballs and not Colts's footballs?

H8ters as well?

;-)