The Goat Pen

Basically the 15% bracket is the same except the low earners have been carved out into a new 10% bracket. The 28% has dropped to 25%, the 31% has dropped to 28%, the 36% has dropped to 33%, and the 39.6% has dropped to 35% plus the CG drop. The dollar amounts of the brackets are higher now but that basically reflects the fact that you were the same salary 10 - 20 years ago was a comparatively richer salary.

"It is not rare. It happens all the time, and still does. one fourth of my "millionaire clients" didn't even go to college."

one fourth of how many? Again, you are deluded if you think most millionaires didn't start off with plenty of advantages. And again, there's nothing wrong with that. I can't understand why you seem to need to live with this romantic fantasy that most people who are rich started from scratch with no help from fambly or wealthy friends, they just started out as poor tenant farmers with no connections and became rich thru sheer willpower. I'm sure it happens, but it's rare...

"BTW, "millionaire" is not a wealthy benchmark anymore. The top 1% are worth at least $6 million."

I don't know if that statistic is correct, but I still call anyone who is a millionaire successful...

BTW, Clinton tax rates were legislatively set to return in 2011. The Dems didn't have to pass a thing for this to happen. It was the Obama and the Democrats who voted for the Bush tax cuts to be extended.

sardis wrote:It is more like $8 million

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/ ... ot-income/

Heh. Nice change of metric. On an income basis it's roughly short of $400K.

sardis wrote:BTW, Clinton tax rates were legislatively set to return in 2011. The Dems didn't have to pass a thing for this to happen. It was the Obama and the Democrats who voted for the Bush tax cuts to be extended.

You realize this was part political wrangling with the obstructionists and part consultation from the government economists saying a tax reset during the tepid recovery could be a hindrance to growth? It wasn't worth it for the Dems to do allow all the rates to move back to Clinton levels, especially during an election year. They were trying to only hit the upper brackets and leave the middle class alone (the middle class, the real job creators in our economy...they are just working too much to hire good PR -i.e. politicians - to get the truth out there in force).

The Queen, getting all Trayvon up in her Range...

The monarchy are the original gangstas...

Owlman wrote:No internet since yesterday am. No electricity for past hour.

As for the Kennedy's. Never tried to pass themselves off as strugglingl financially. At the same time, they didn't hide from military service which was dramatized. The younger Kennedy's don't have that advantage.

Spacer, I met a young man yesterday (I have already forgotten his name) from Baton Rouge. OFA sent him to Wayne County for the campaign. I was at a meeting at county headquarters last night and happened to strike up a conversation with him. He doesn't know you directly but said that he had met you once and that he considered one of your colleagues a mentor. He was (or is?) a judge and is on the faculty at your school. I can't remember either name though. If I see him again, I will be sure to obtain both.

Hey Idiots! When they tell you it's mandatory that you leave, FUCKING LEAVE!!!! You should be the last to be saved.

DooKSucks wrote:

Owlman wrote:No internet since yesterday am. No electricity for past hour.

As for the Kennedy's. Never tried to pass themselves off as strugglingl financially. At the same time, they didn't hide from military service which was dramatized. The younger Kennedy's don't have that advantage.

Spacer, I met a young man yesterday (I have already forgotten his name) from Baton Rouge. OFA sent him to Wayne County for the campaign. I was at a meeting at county headquarters last night and happened to strike up a conversation with him. He doesn't know you directly butU said that he had met you once and that he considered one of your colleagues a mentor. He was (or is?) a judge and is on the faculty at your school. I can't remember either name though. If I see him again, I will be sure to obtain both.

Thank u I-phone. Probably our Chancellor. Former Judge Pitcher

Wayne County? Who did Owlman's friend piss off to be get that assignment?

Condi Rice playing the 9/11 card right off the bat. Feed that fear, baby...

LOL! Somebody is actually watching this convention on TV.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941 version with Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman) just ended, I flipped over. Casablanca starting now...

Watching it too. Love TCM.

Bogart insisted on chess scenes in many of his movies. He was quite the chess aficianado. By most accounts, he was a strong A-class player and used to hang with many grandmasters.

I hear Birmingham is a favorite travel destination for Mexican grandmasters. I can't imagine why....

The greater Bham area -unfortunately- does not have a GM, Mexican or otherwise. We had a one-time US Champion named Stuart Rachels who is an IM (international master) which is one rung below GM. Sadly, he moved to Tuscaloosa and is teaching philosophy at the University of Alabama full-time after giving up chess completely.

To become a GM, you have to achieve a certain number of "GM Norms". That is, performing in a major tournament as well as the average of all grandmasters in that tournament. If the average GM scored 4.5 wins, and you had 4.5 wins or more, you achieved a GM norm.

Anyway, I believe Stuart was only one or two GM Norms from being awarded the title of GM.

"The greater Bham area -unfortunately- does not have a GM, Mexican or otherwise."

That's why it's so mystifying that it is the preferred vacation destination of so many Mexican grandmasters. Maybe they go there for the type of authentico mexican fare that they just can't get back home...

Plausible.