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Sheekamoo needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 31 designs submitted by 8 freelance designers.
Our company is in need of a re-design of our site. The site is a bodybuilding forum that caters to the average or natural bodybuilder (as in, no steroids... so no one is abnormally huge). We are in need of a new header/footer as well as a forum sub-header graphic (the sub-header graphic is explained in more detail in the description).
We want something that is updated and looks more "modern." We've had our current design for the last 3-4 years and it has started to look dated for a website. We will be upgrading our forum software from one version to another and want to incorporate a design change with the update of the new forum software.
Our current site can be seen here: http://www.discussbodybuilding.com
The new look of the site (the way the forum will be displayed) can be seen here: http://www.aspplayground.net/v3/
I mention the aspplayground site because I want you to see how the forums will be displayed (ignore the header and footer of the aspplayground.net site).
Notes on the Header
- We would like the height of the header to be between 120-155px. We need the width of the header to be able to stretch dynamically. So, we need to have an image, and to the right of that image we need a small image we can repeat to fill the rest of the right side of the screen.
- No buttons are needed in the header (we will be removing them with the upgrade to the new forum software).
- Colors should be built around our logo (red and blue). We don't need the header to match them, but we would like our logo to naturally fit into the header. We're different from other bodybuilding forums because we're not hardcore. A lot of sites are black backgrounds or pictures of guys with veins popping out of their skin. That's not what our site is about. If you are going to use a picture of a person or people, we need them to be natural (in shape... but not "hardcore"). I'd say it's preferable to not have any real life people in the background of our header. The simpler the better.Notes on the Footer
- The footer needs to tie into the header and we just need something small (or possibly nothing at all if it looks best with your design).Notes on the Forum Sub-Header Images
- Along with the header/footer we also need a design for the forum sub-headers. I'm referring to the headers you can see on Aspplayground.net: http://www.aspplayground.net/v3/. I've also created an image of the headers here to better explain what we need edited: http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/…Header.jpg
- That sub-header image is actually 3 images. There's the left image, the middle, and the right image. We need to keep each image the same size and we also need to background to remain the same (the silver color). But, you are free to change the design/look of them so they match the header you design. For example, you could change the blue line at the top of the center image to match the main color of the header you create. Or, on the right image you could place the 3 colored lines with something of your own. Or, on the left image you can remove the blue circle looking button and put your own artistic idea in there. All I ask is that the backgrounds stay the same so it blends in with the rest of the site.
- Also keep in mind that these forum sub-headers can be opened and closed. Notice on the ASPPlayground.net site there's a "+" icon to the right of some of the headers (near the right image)? If you click on that "+" icon it will expand or contract the forums visible. When you design the 3 images above, make sure that when the forum is compacted the bottom images will blend in with your design.
- You can see a forum window open here: http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/…r_Open.jpg
- And closed here: http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/…Closed.jpg
- I've included the 3 images that you need to re-design below. The images you create need to be the same size as the current images.Other Details
We don't need anything coded, we just need the PSD files.
Download our logo: http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/…B_logo.zip
Download the forum header images: http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/…eaders.zip
- Modern design
- Something clean and simple
- Complex designs with lots of colors


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A Soupçon of Science: Creativity at the Interface of Chemistry and CuisineActivity by Gwen Lawrie | added on Jul 13, 2011 | Australia
Sponsor(s): BrisScience, The University of Queensland (SCMB), The Science Teachers Association of Queensland, and New Zealand Institute of Chemistry
A/Prof Kent Kirshenbaum (NYU) will present a free public lecture providing an engaging exploration of the world of cooking from a molecular perspective. The audience will have opportunity to engage in the topic through samples circulated during the presentation.
NYU Chemistry Professor Kent Kirshenbaum gives a fascinating lecture-demonstration on the chemistry and physics of food. A master in the art of doing things with and to food, (such as stretching ice cream and using industrial processes to turn cheese into airy delights), he combines science, food and showmanship to rival Heston's Feast. He co-founded the Experimental Cuisine Collective and is associated with the website Cooking for Geeks.
Date: Monday 22nd August
Time: 6:30 pm (Doors open at 6pm)
Venue: Long Room, Customs House, Riverside, Brisbane (no need to book and no entry fee)
We are very pleased to host Kent in Brisbane as part of the BrisScience series after his outreach tour of New Zealand. Celebrate the International Year of Chemistry by spending an hour with some gastronomic molecules! His presentation will appeal to all members of the community and you are guaranteed to leave with new insights into the food we eat.
|celebrating chemistry, seminars, demonstrations, chemistry education
|general public, professors, educators, teachers, secondary school students, secondary schools, professional chemists, tertiary students
Wow chemistry of food is really intriguing!!
The chemistry and physics behind food opens up a whole new dimension of science.I would love to know more on how chemistry is helping to solve the world food crises.
Want to submit your own activity or comment?
In order to do so you need to be part of the IYC network. Please log in or sign up now.
Join the IYC Network
Professor Kent Kirshenbaum

subset: commoncrawl


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Police, Verizon and Philadelphia Water Department crews were called to address a water main break this afternoon that was spewing gallons of water in a steady stream down Stenton Avenue and blocking early rush-hour traffic both ways.
The water gushed from the sidewalk and road just above Roumfort Road and flowed for two blocks to Woodbrook Lane where it flowed into a storm drain.
Residents in the area reported interrupted water service.


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Ontario Masters in Marketing Degrees On-Campus Programs
Through on-campus marketing master's degree programs, you could enhance your knowledge of marketing methodologies, theories, and practices while engaging in-person with classmates and professors. For many students, this kind of direct, personal interaction facilitates learning and could help them better grasp materials.
GradSchools.com Top Schools with Campus Marketing Masters Degrees*
Format / Location - Online
Total Enrollments - 1,040+
Student / Teacher Ratio - 11:1
Format / Location - Online
Total Enrollments - N/A
Student / Teacher Ratio - N/A
Format / Location - Online
Total Enrollments - 276+
Student / Teacher Ratio - 13:1
Format / Location - Online
Total Enrollments - 5,293+
Student / Teacher Ratio - 14:1
EducationDynamics maintains business relationships with the schools it features.
On-campus programs may also provide students with more structure through their scheduled classes. And, outside of the classroom, students may benefit "in real time" from campus resources, such as libraries, study groups, and on-campus professional or academic clubs. Students on-campus may also find networking opportunities with other marketing students and professionals in the area easier. Sound like a perfect fit for you? Read on to learn more about pursuing Campus Masters in Marketing Degrees.
What Campus Masters in Marketing Degree Could I Pursue?
There are three types of master's degrees in marketing that students might pursue on campus: the Master of Art (M.A.), the Master of Science (M.S.), or the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.). The type of degree you pursue depends on your learning and career objectives.
The Master of Art and the Master of Science in Marketing Degrees
If you want to pursue your masters in marketing, the M.S. and M.A. in Marketing are perhaps the two most popular options. Both the masters of science and the masters of art in marketing emphasize foundational knowledge and skills and offer specializations through core and elective coursework. Through these programs' curricula, students commonly learn about marketing tools, theories, and techniques and how to apply them to common and complex marketing and business issues. Students might learn basic and advanced information about marketing through their core curricula and specialize their knowledge in marketing through elective curricula. Many students graduate from their programs ready to pursue a career in marketing or enhance an existing one.
Students typically pursue a Masters of Art or Masters of Science in Marketing over the course of one to two years. They might attend their on-campus program part-time, full time, or through an accelerated format. At the end of their programs, students might write and defend a thesis, participate in an internship, or take a comprehensive exam. They might also work alongside a mentor for a portion of their programs.
The Master of Business Administration in Marketing
Some students opt to pursue a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing. The core curricula of M.B.A. marketing programs typically center on business and help students learn about key business theories, principals, and practices. Through their elective curricula, students might learn about key marketing principals and methodologies, or they might focus on a particular aspect of marketing. Students may emerge from their marketing M.B.A. programs ready to begin or enhance their careers in business and marketing.
Many students pursue an M.B.A. in marketing over the course of one to two years of part-time, fulltime, or accelerated on-campus coursework. At the ends of their programs, they might participate in an internship, write and defend a thesis, or take a comprehensive exam. Depending on their programs, they might engage with a mentor from the field of business or marketing. In some programs, students may need to have a minimum number of years' experience in business to apply.
EducationDynamics maintains business relationships with the schools it features.
What Might I Study in a Master's in Marketing Degree Program?
As mentioned above, the core curricula of M.S. and M.A. marketing programs commonly present key marketing tools, theories, and applications. Students might study subjects such as marketing management, digital marketing, marketing research, marketing strategy, business and marketing analytics, marketing theory and models, marketing metrics and assessment, consumer behavior and insights, and ethics in marketing.
Through their elective coursework, students in M.S. and M.A. programs might study more specific areas of marketing such as marketing communication, marketing strategy, digital marketing, customer experience management, or entertainment marketing. Some more specific subjects they might study through elective coursework include:
- Marketing management
- Product development
- Branding strategy
- Pricing strategy
- Global marketing
- Digital marketing
- Visual storytelling
- Business intelligence and big data
- Marketing and public policy or politics
- Organizing and mobilizing communities
This should give you a sense of what you might study in an M.S. or M.A. marketing program. However, the subject matter or your core and elective curricula will ultimately depend on your program.
In M.B.A. marketing programs, students commonly study business foundations in areas such as management, accounting, finance, microeconomics, operations, law and ethics, and marketing. Study in these and other business-related subjects give students their business administration core.
Through elective coursework in M.B.A. marketing programs, students dive into a deeper exploration of marketing than that offered through core curricula. They might gain more in-depth knowledge of marketing broadly, or they might study a specific area of marketing. Some examples of subjects students might study through their elective curricula include:
- Social and nonprofit marketing
- Marketing analytics
- Visual marketing
- Digital marketing
- Multicultural marketing
- Product management
- Data analysis
- International marketing
- Brand management
- Marketing communications
- Music, sports, or retail marketing
These are just some of the subjects students might study in their marketing M.B.A. programs.
In on-campus M.A., M.S., or M.B.A. marketing programs, students might engage in group work, facilitate group projects, study cases in the field alongside classmates, and participate in other in-person exercises that give them a sense of marketing's theories and practical applications.
What Skills Might I Develop in a Marketing Master's Degree Program?
Marketing professionals may need a variety of skills. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- "Advertising, Promotions, or Marketing Managers" should have analytical skills, communication skills, decision-making skills, interpersonal skills, and organizational skills. They should also be creative, according to the BLS.gov.
- "Market Research Analysts" should have similar skills and be critical-thinkers and detail-oriented.
- "Public Relations Specialists" should have some of the above-mentioned skills and also be adept at problem-solving, public speaking, and writing clearly.BLS.gov
Coursework in M.A., M.S., and M.B.A. marketing programs may help you develop skills like these. You might develop these skills further through in-person interaction with classmates, professors, and other people when attending an on campus program.
Depending on your campus masters in marketing programs, you might also develop your skills specific to marketing. For example, you might learn how to identify target audiences, determine your audiences' needs, shape product development, and create marketing strategies to influence consumer behavior. You may also learn how to develop effective marketing plans using advertising, promotions, sales, and distribution of products. In some programs, you may learn how to analyze data and evaluate and improve the outcomes of marketing campaigns. Finally, you may develop skills to market digitally and in small, medium, or large scales and further refine your previous knowledge. By the end of your Campus Masters in Marketing program, you may know how to use key marketing tools, frameworks, concepts, and theories to design, implement, and assess marketing strategies.
GradSchools.com offers 1 Campus Marketing Masters Degree Programs
If you want to go to graduate school for marketing, why not pursue your M.A., M.S., or M.B.A. in marketing? Depending on your goals, any of these programs could provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to enhance your career and advance your knowledge. As you're browsing through your options, click on program titles to learn more. You can also request additional information from masters in marketing schools directly.
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- Guelph, ONGuelph, ON
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Consumer Studies
Multi-disciplinary examination of consumer behaviour and marketplace phenomena.
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|Version 34 (modified by ktpedre, 4 years ago) (diff)
Hot Links
NOTE: Please see Kitten repository at GitHub for latest source code (link)
Kitten is a lightweight kernel (LWK) compute node operating system, similar to previous LWKs such as SUNMOS, Puma, Cougar, and Catamount. Kitten distinguishes itself from these prior LWKs by providing a Linux-compatible user environment, a more modern and extendable codebase, and a virtual machine monitor capability via Palacios that allows full-featured guest operating systems to be loaded on-demand. For a more detailed introduction to Kitten, please see this presentation:
Kitten: A Lightweight Operating System for Ultrascale Supercomputers
Be warned – there are rough edges and missing functionality (a polished job load mechanism springs to mind). However, there is also a solid foundation in place on which to build and experiment with new system software ideas. We have found that LWKs in general often allow more effort to be directed at the true issue being explored, rather than working around complex Linux kernel internals and maintaining non-standard Linux patches.
Highlight Features
- Open Source (GPL)
- New LWK codebase partially derived from Linux, familiar organization and build process
- Linux user-space ABI support (partial, similar to IBM's CNK)
- Guest OS support (via V3VEE project's Palacios hypervisor)
- Uses standard GNU toolchains and system libraries such as Glibc
- Multiple processes and threads per core, uses standard Glibc NPTL POSIX Threads implementation
- SMARTMAP address-space to address-space mapping support
- Qthreads API support
Kitten Releases
- 1.0.0, Dec. 8, 2008
- 1.1.0, May 1, 2009
- Integration with Palacios VMM, allows guest OSes to be loaded alongside native Kitten applications
- Initial support for POSIX threads and OpenMP user applications
- 1.2.0, Jan 27, 2010
- Updated Palacios interface, matches Palacios 1.2.0 release
- Added SMARTMAP test application
- Added experimental Open Fabrics Infiniband stack
- Misc. bug fixes and improvements
- 1.3.0, November 14, 2011 Current Release
- Initial cut at ACPI SRAT table parsing, make NUMA topology information available to user-space
- Added SwitchCores() thread migration mechanism, similar to V1 algorithm described in Fast Switching of Threads Between Cores
- Prototype job launch tool for IB clusters (in kitten/user/runtime)
- Misc. updates to stay current with Palacios and Linux


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These delicious truffles could not be simpler to make but they do require a bit of planning as the ganache needs time to chill properly in the fridge. I was inspired to make these after Mr CC and I were served them with our tea/coffee at the end of very nice dinner to celebrate Mr CC's birthday.
Peanut butter and chocolate is a lovely combination for anyone who enjoys that salty/sweet flavour mix. I challenge anyone to stop at one truffle! I tried cutting one in half to try and convey the rich, dense texture but it looked a bit crumbly because I cut it straight from the fridge thinking it would give a cleaner cut. Moral of this story? When in doubt, bite it in half:
Ganache making is a wonderful process; I never quite trust that the chocolate will mix in but it's wonderful how it does!
I used a small melon baller to scoop the ganache into individual truffles. You can tidy the balls up by rolling them in your hands but don't waste a lot of time on this because, once they are rolled in cocoa or crumbs they look smooth and round anyway. I made mine quite small – I like a truffle that you pop into your mouth whole and treat like a shot! This mixture made me over 60 truffles....hurray! Don't limit yourself to serving them as chocolates - how about using them as decadent cupcake toppers, or cheesecake decorations....in fact, any chocolate dessert?
6-8 tablespoons smooth peanut butter – depending how peanutty you want it
200g dark chocolate, broken into squares
100g milk chocolate, broken into squares
8 digestive biscuits
6 tablespoons cocoa powder, you may need more


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With its headquarters in Shenzhen, widely considered Chinas Silicon Valley, DJI benefits from direct access to the suppliers, raw materials and a young, creative talent pool necessary for sustained success. As a privately owned and operated company, DJI focuses on its own vision, supporting creative, commercial, and nonprofit applications of its technology.
Today, DJI products are redefining industries. Professionals in filmmaking, agriculture, conservation, search and rescue, energy infrastructure and more trust DJI to bring new perspectives to their work and help them accomplish feats safer, faster, and with greater efficiency than ever before.
Creativity is at the heart of every dream. Every idea, every groundbreaking leap that changes our world starts with the vision of talented creators. DJI give these creators the tools they need to bring their ideas to life. DJI platforms empower people to capture images that were once out of reach. Flying and camera stabilization systems that redefine camera placement and motion. Amazing photos and video, treasured personal memories, and high-end professional imagery are captured every day, in every corner of the world using DJI products. DJI technology does more than simply enable creators. It pushes visionaries to go beyond the limits of what is thought possible, inspiring them to inspire the world.


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This is the perfect QUICK gift, and the recipient can customize his or her own piece! This gift certificate is worth $55 at Ritzy Misfit. We can set up a listing for a gift certificate of any amount. Take a look at our other listings, or simply send us an email at email@example.com!
The gift certificate will be emailed to you with instructions and a code for redemption.
Just like any gift card, if the recipient chooses a piece that exceeds the value of the gift certificate, the recipient will be responsible for the extra amount during checkout. If the purchase is less than the value of the certificate, the balance will remain until the expiration date. Gift certificates will expire 12 months from the date ordered. Balance on gift card may be used for shipping if there is enough.
Thanks so much and have a wonderful day!


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Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Hero or Hypocrite? "The Buffett Rule" Then and Now
24 comments:
- Anonymous said...
I am surprised Buffett lets his NY Times Op-Ed be twisted so badly for political gain. Since most have probably forgotten his #1 rule from that piece:
"Job one for the 12 is to pare down some future promises that even a rich America can't fulfill. Big money must be saved here."
Revenues were a distant second to entitlement reform, as anyone who understands our nation's long term fiscal picture already knows.
- Anonymous said...
To clarify your comment on Buffett's 1963 letter, it should be placed in the context of the time. The top tax rate in 1963 was 90%.
see- http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/course/Labortaxes/taxableincome/taxableincome_attach.pdf
Many high income people with ordinary income don't understand that the folks who make their income from long-term capital gains and dividend income do pay around 17% in US income tax.
Play with Turbotax, and it's easy to see that this is the case without Mr. Buffett needing to disclose his tax returns. To judge from today's Wall Street Journal editorial, the editors seems utterly incapable of grasping that unreasonably low tax rates exist for some people.
That said, while narrowing the gap in tax rates between short and long term gains rates by maybe 5% would add revenue, it doesn't solve the problems.
- Thinking Out Loud said...
Is this Buffett's way to announce his retirement and get his company to buy back his own shares by private buy-back. What a wonderful unselfish way to prepare the path and gift his shareholders.
- Jeff Matthews said...
Re: Thinking Out Loud's questioning whether Buffett is letting Berkshire buy in his own shares as a means of going private...the answer is, of course not! That would trigger capital gains taxes for Buffett. Better to avoid capital gains taxes (and inheritance taxes) altogether by gifting his shares to Bill Gates' foundation.
Re: Anonymous who points out the top marginal tax rate in 1963 was 90%... It was actually 91%, and the advantage of running a hedge fund, as Buffett did, was even bigger back then than it is now. Read "Secrets in Plain Sight."
Re: Anonymous who gripes that Buffett "lets his NY Times Op-Ed be twisted"... Buffett said flat out he'd raise taxes on the wealthy, and that nostrum has been incorporated by the President into what he called "The Buffett Rule." So blame the President, if you like.
- Kyle said...
I'm about half way through reading your book. A pleasure to read entertainment and education wise. If you had to recommend a second biography on Buffett what would it be? As far as taxes are concerned I take the view that I don't like paying taxes but I'm thankful that I do. I like clean water, and relatively nice roads. I like turning on my GPS and having it work anywhere in the world. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in those regards and countless others but it seems like a lot of people get furious every April 15th out of proportion to what they get in return. I really liked Elizabeth Warren's comments on paying taxes they seemed to strike the perfect balance between being a shareholder in society while still being able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Any suggestions for a better tax system? I would like a flat tax and even though it's not in my interests capital gains brought in line with the income tax.
- Jeff Matthews said...
Kyle: Thanks very much, glad you're enjoying the book. Roger Lowenstein's biography ("Making of An American Capitalist") is excellent. If you want a view of how Berkshire's various companies are managed (hint: without much interference, but without much capital) read Bob Miles' "The Warren Buffett CEO."
As for tax policy, a flat tax would be a boon to the country and American competitiveness by getting companies off corporate welfare and government out of the pay-to-play system of selective tax deductions. And if pigs could fly...
Again, thanks for reading.
- The Steel General said...
Fact is, that countries with a normal taxrate on the wealthy are better able to take of their weakest members: Canada, Switzerland, Japan, 1950s1960s America.
You don't see shanty towns in those countries, like they are here.
Now, a nineteenth century kind of system, is perfectly workable and stable.
a welfare state is too: see Canada.
Personally, I don't wanna live in a neo-feudal society, but I guess that's up to those with the best propaganda machine, oops, i mean the voters, of course.
Americans will vote for Repubs everytime because a. they can't imagine a better life where wealht is more equally distributed, and b. Dems are not mean enough to fight them on it.
Until Americans stop believing that progressive taxation is fair, that taking care of the weakest should NOT be left to whimsical charities, but to the objective and rational government, nothing will change.
Oh and that the wealthy are job creators, instead of job exporters.
- The Steel General said...
I'm curious. How would a flat tax get companies off corporate welfare?
WHAT corporate welfare?
And with Rick Perry's corporate cronyism, that wouldn't change a thing.
Bottom line: flat tax doesn't solve any problem, except for the rich.
I'm sure you don't want to get a Somalia type country.
- Jeff Matthews said...
Steel General throws a lot of data points around, the biggest howler being an "objective and rational government." We won't get into the corruption scandals surrounding Medicare, Medicaid, DOE loan guarantees here, but suffice it to say the "objective and rational" label wouldn't fit any of those programs.
As for identifying specific acts of "corporate welfare," well, the sugar tariff, crop support programs and ethanol subsidies are the tip of the iceberg. A corporate and personal flat tax with no deductions, no subsidies, no nothing, is the idea. How anything else would be "fairer" is hard to fathom.
- Anonymous said...
More duplicitous than the tax on earnings was Mr. Buffet's public support of inheritance tax a few years ago, after setting up trusts to avoid it with his own wealth.
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- Jeff Matthews said...
We're getting a LARGE number of URGENT comments with VERY political/uninformed statements accent with important stuff IN CAPS. Whether from the LEFT or the RIGHT we have no interest in turning this comment section into a Yahoo message board, so post 'em on Fox or MSNBC please.
And when you do comment, be specific and, preferably, cite facts whenever possible.
- Anonymous said...
Well, JM, what goes for the goose, should go for the gander, innit?
Please do qualify your statement that "a flat tax would be a boon to the country and American competitiveness"
As for my statements on income inequality, for I do hope you got that they were about that see here:
Yes, it's wikipedia, and they are well sourced article.
Anyhow, the statement that the income inequality in the US is larger than that of the Canada/Europe should not come as a surprise.
One of the biggest contributors to a worsening income inequality would be your flat tax.
In short, what you propose is this: After giving the wealthy everything they wanted, for 30 years, you want to give them an even bigger piece of the pie, right? 30 years ago, shoveling money towards the wealthy had never been really tried, so they had some reason to make us believe that if the rich got richer, we'd all benefit. Not no more.
The average F500 CEO used to make 75 times Joe Sixpack, now that is about 450 times good ol Joe. I refer you to the NYT article, which has excellent links to Forbes.
Anyway, I somehow don't think you're capable of ingesting that information, if you cavalierly propose a flat tax as a "boon".
- Anonymous said...
I've noticed that in your mentioning of examples of governmental wrongdoings, the two Repub-started wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are conspicuously absent.
To remind you: these were wars which weren't paid for and which he kept OFF the books, so he wouldn't look so bad ...
A clearer example of governmental misdeed can't be found.
Or, it must be the torture in Gitmo, the Patriot Act.
If you want this blog to be "fair and balanced" and not some Yahoo message board, you should at least have mentioned some of those.
And, why are leftwing causes labeled "political" and right wing fancies not?
I think you honestly believe that stuff like advocating for a flat tax is decidely NOT political, but some natural order thing. Am I right?
Do you really believe that all progressive causes are "controversial", "activist" and therefor irrelevant?
I'm just curious about middle class people like yourself proposing to give even more money to the rich, when that clearly hasn't worked.
- Jeff Matthews said...
Anonymous would be wise to switch to decaf. We posted these last comments to show what readers are missing. Unlike the writer, we have no ax to grind against left versus right, or right versus left, and in fact never discussed parties in this post, or left vs right and vice versa, for that matter.
As for why a flat tax would be a productivity boon, fact one is the efficiency cost of the tax system (as per the GAO) is $240B-$600B (that's the cost of the ridiculous, loophole-ridden system a flat tax would replace); fact two is that the US corporate tax rate is second highest, behind Japan...and if you don't think corporate tax rates drive investment, you haven't noticed the loss of 6mm jobs to other countries during the so-called economic recovery of 2009-2010.
Which brings us to the subject of jobs and job loss: we're hearing about recent, specific layoffs at various firms (for example, 150 people at a New York State electronics firm). We'd be interested in hearing other examples of what may, unfortunately, be a trend in the making.
- Anonymous said...
A different Anonymous here:
A quote that I'd love to have more information on:
"fact two is that the US corporate tax rate is second highest, behind Japan..."
Well, yes. And the highest income tax is well above 20%, yet the top 400 earners pay less than 20% on their incomes, for reasons already mentioned.
So a fairer statement would be how much do American corporation REALLY pay in income tax relative to other countries? Considering tax loop holes and corporate welfare mentioned, I suspect (but do not know for a fact), that the relative rankings will be different once all that stuff is taken into account. And of course, that would mean taking into account similar accounting tricks and corporate welfare shenanigans present in other countries.
- Anonymous said...
On the one hand, I don't want to begrudge Buffet's being ready, willing and able to get Berkshire Hathaway great deals that have government backing (e.g., the Goldman Sachs preferred deal).
Also, if he wants to express his views on taxes, and admiration for Bernanke, Hank Paulson, Tim Geithner, etc. -- the Bailout Engineers I'll call them -- well, fair enough.
I should say that I unequivocally disagree with Buffett about what happened in the lead-up, during and in the aftermath of the bailout. I think it was a great crime against the American people. Regardless of how one feels about the necessity of the bailouts, they did not have to be engineered in a way that was so kind to the culprits.
But what I think folks need to realize when Buffett speaks on these matters is that he has an awful lot of skin in the game and it seems to me like all of these bailout measures and deals came out his way.
And, again, this is America, so if a guy wants to work the system, well, I guess that's the way it's always been. Crying about how unfair it is -- even if it is unfair -- won't get the cry baby anywhere.
But I think that people really ought to consider that Buffett's motives aren't so pure when he waxes political. Like maybe he's an "Operator" just like others who don't garner even a fraction of the trust or respect that he does.
Maybe Buffett has just been talking his book all these years, with some fair-sounding tax talk thrown in to keep the folksy image going.
In other words, while maybe it's wrong to judge Buffett for what he has said and done, maybe we should take a harsher assessment of how much trust we've put into his political and economic advice (not talking about investment advice).
Anyway, I realize that this comment is factless. Just wanted to get my two cents in.
- Jeff Matthews said...
Regarding how much US corporation "REALLY" pay as an effective tax rate, not just theoretical, there's a lot of data around on just that topic, and you can find it online. It's higher than for their peers
Suffice it to say companies wouldn't move to Ireland or Switzerland or Bermuda otherwise.
- Anonymous said...
I don't think you can find any credible sources for your statement that a the usa has the highest corporate tax rate after Japan.
otoh, you still haven't responded to the statements about income inequality being far worse in the usa, which are too, well sourced.
Assigning a single explanation to any phenomenon is always foolish, as you do with saying that corp. taxes causes job losses.
Especially when there such clear examples where high taxes aren't "causing" joblosses, like Germany, NW-Europe, Canada.
It shows your ignorance about anything outside the US.
Maybe you should lay off the Kool-Aid?
And if you're so independent, I'd like to hear which progressive policy, you support.
- Jeff Matthews said...
Start with the following. Then give us your data as we're still waiting for it.
- Don said...
Does Warren pay any taxes at all, other than FICA on his salary? I would think that, given the scale of his charitable donations, his tax rate would be 0%.
So of course his secretary pays a higher rate... or am I missing something?
- Jeff Matthews said...
Don asks a very good question.
For the answer, understand that you have to listen to (or read) what Buffett actually says, because (and this is what makes him worth listening to when he talks about investing, because he listens to questions and answers them very specifically) Buffett is precise about language.
So in the case of his "I pay less tax than my secretary" argument, what he actually says is some form of "I pay a lower tax rate" than his secretary--the "rate" being the key.
For example, in 2007 he told a Hillary Clinton fundraiser he was taxed at 17.7% on the $46 million he'd made in 2006, while his secretary, who made $60,000, was taxed at 30%. He did not talk about taxes net of deductions, or the effective rate net of deductions.
In short, what Buffett is talking about is the rate at which his income is taxed, and because it mainly comes from dividends and capital gains, it's a lower rate than his secretary, even if it turns out he actually pays no tax at all given his charitable deductions.
Keep those cards and letters coming.
- Jeff Matthews said...
We're getting a lot of Yahoo Message-Board style comments that will not be published. Clean up the language and clean up the thought process. Leave your politics at home--or, better yet, take it to the message boards.