Comment Elsewhere: Romney's Taxes

In a discussion of Mitt Romney's Friday Afternoon Tax Info Dump, I added:

The letter from PWC is a brilliant piece of work, designed to create headlines that lull low-information voters but not actually inform. I particularly like the part where the "effective federal personal income tax rate" and "effective state personal income tax rate" and "effective charitable contribution rates" don't add up: 20.20%, 8.36%, and 13.45% (3/4ths of which is, presumably, tithing), but the "Total" line is "38.49% of your adjusted gross income for the period."

As others point out, the fact that we're getting 20 year averages rather than year-by-year breakdowns, and that IRS rules about amending and correcting tax returns are so generous (which is, arguably, why Romney was willing to forgo some deductions in his most recently filed return: in a year or two, he can amend and reclaim the money), means that a lot of questions aren't answered. Did Romney pay taxes? Apparently. Did he pay a "fair share"? Not by a long shot. Investment losses are deductible, so investment gains should be taxed at least as much as other forms of income. And there's good economic analysis suggesting that higher capital gains taxes are very, very good for economic growth because they discourage short-term thinking and profit-taking, aka gambling.

Nicest thing anyone's said about me in a while....

Offered without comment (but with context):

Ahistoricality’s right. Psychotic… but absolutely right.

Pictures: Bricks In The Wall: White Stone

Arrogant Worms: Wouldn't it be great if everyone had a gun?

I can't believe nobody I read has posted a link to this yet. This is in honor of Glenn Reynolds, Russell Pierce, and so many other numbskull ideologues. (No, I'm not linking. Find them yourself, but be ready for the unfunny, irony-free version.) The song is the important thing, but this version of the video is brilliantly pastiched, well worth watching.

Picture: Attack Posture

Crows are really eerie birds. They pay attention to us, and they don't like us, and they're pretty big....

Picture: Psychological Self-Portrait

Sometimes You're the Bug.

Pride, or Pardon?

So, we're down to the wire. I've been watching the White House News Site as well as the usual outlets, and haven't seen any hint of pardons yet. What's President Bush going to do? Will he:

1. Issue pardons tomorrow morning on his way out the door? If so, will they be a select few, or a huge blanket pardon? The potential for prosecution is real, and it's their last chance to insulate themselves against the consequences of their actions.


2. Not issue pardons at all? He and Cheney seem so convinced of the rightness and legality of their actions that it would be hypocrisy to pardon anyone. More importantly, someone who is pardoned can't invoke their right to silence in the face of self-incrimination, which means that those pardoned could well be compelled to testify against unpardoned individuals.

I think the latter course more likely, but I'm going to keep watching. What do you think?

Soundtrack: Presidential Rag by Arlo Guthrie.

Quotations #095

"A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent." -- William Blake

"As there is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it, so reasonable arguments, challenges to magnanimity, and appeals to sympathy or justice, are folly when we are dealing with human crocodiles and boa-constrictors." -- William James

"The truth of a proposition has nothing to do with its credibility. And vice versa." -- Robert A. Heinlein.

"The first reaction to truth is hatred." -- Tertullian

"One of the most untruthful things possible, you know, is a collection of facts, because they can be made to appear so many different ways." -- Karl Menninger

"Breach of promise is a base surrender of truth." -- Mohandas Gandhi