the fact I was born at an Air Force base means that I owe a thanks to America's military for offering medical care to my mother (based on her relationship to my father, who was in the military at the time), and indirectly to America's tax payers, whose dollars went to supporting the military, and thereby those doctors, nurses, my father's paycheck and my mother's medical care



Our excessive military budget is one of the few things the teabaggers are OK paying taxes for.

I love when teabaggers think restating the same herp-a-derp a bit more forcefully is "proving liberals wrong.'

So you guys DNRTFA and assumed it to be the exact opposite of what it is? Yeah, sounds about right.

Reader, I married her

I don't know who this guy is, but I just fell in love with him.

jake_lex: I love when teabaggers think restating the same herp-a-derp a bit more forcefully is "proving liberals wrong.'

Scalzi is a Tea Partier for saying he's got no problem paying a lot of taxes?

Ricardo Klement: Scalzi is a Tea Partier for saying he's got no problem paying a lot of taxes?

Forget it, he's rolling.

what_now: Reader, I married her

I don't know who this guy is, but I just fell in love with him.

Start here, he's a damn good author and writes a intelligent and fun book.

WTF is going on in this thread?

what_now: Reader, I married her

I don't know who this guy is, but I just fell in love with him.

Reader? I hardly know her!

Odd reaction from the first couple of posters... but anyway, this is pretty much a well-worded retread of things that have been said here many times. I don't care who you are or what you do, you didn't get there "on your own".

No dice, subby. Ever since Scalzi came out as a condescending, racist bigot, I have no interest in him, his opinions, or his fiction.

It's a great article, but I think most of the anti tax types could write a similar article if they were honest (and literate) enough.

You can't run a business without infrastructure to transport goods and services, a legal system and police to keep people from taking your product instead of paying for it, a currency so you can have commerce without having to barter, and lots more along that line.
.

gerrymander: No dice, subby. Ever since Scalzi came out as a condescending, racist bigot, I have no interest in him, his opinions, or his fiction.

citation needed.jpeg

gerrymander: No dice, subby. Ever since Scalzi came out as a condescending, racist bigot, I have no interest in him, his opinions, or his fiction.

Really? What was that about?

RichieLaw: citation needed.jpeg
vpb: Really? What was that about?

I'm guessing gerrymander is just upset that Scalzi wrote a very good article called "Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is" and he disagrees with the concept, even though the article is 100% correct, 0% racist, and very well-written.

I spent most of it waiting for a punchline.
If you take it seriously, you can see how many steps it took for him to become successful, and how many other people where involved or at least supportive of his rise. If you think he was being sarcastic, then it seems he overdid it and proved he is not as successful as he is claiming to be.

Still not sure which way he was really going.

Slives: I spent most of it waiting for a punchline.
If you take it seriously, you can see how many steps it took for him to become successful, and how many other people where involved or at least supportive of his rise. If you think he was being sarcastic, then it seems he overdid it and proved he is not as successful as he is claiming to be.

Still not sure which way he was really going.

The subby is screwing with you. Scalzi's post is not in any way a post about taxes, it's a post in defense of Obama's statement that we all got somewhere through the help of others. It's a serious post, not sarcastic in the least bit.

The confusion people have with this headline and TFA is weird.

How about the rent? Is that OK?

Any tax system that can afford to have people on welfare packing phones that cost more than my last car has taxes that are too high.

/invalidates the invalidation

skinnycatullus: WTF is going on in this thread?

total farkers happened to it

Scalzi is oblivious to the fact the private sector can do all of the things the public sector can do - and more efficiently. Instead of paying high taxes now that will be redistributed by government, he could donate his money through private charities to achieve the same ends. And probably more efficiently.

Oh this Job Creator™ sounds way too much like a Socialist^® to be loved by the right wingers that suck on the dong of the very wealthy.

"Everybody has to pay taxes!"

My taxes ARE to high. The problem is yours are too low.

I still haven't forgiven Scalzi for his rape of the Fuzzy story.

raising taxes in economic downturns generally isn't wise, but they'll do what they're going to do

T L D R

/gots to get workin' so I can pay my taxes!!!

vpb: gerrymander: No dice, subby. Ever since Scalzi came out as a condescending, racist bigot, I have no interest in him, his opinions, or his fiction.

Really? What was that about?

He did a huge post a month or two ago about how being a straight, white guy is playing a videogame on "easy mode". (No. I'm not going to link it, for the same reason I don't link to Stormfront. It's on his website if you care that much.) Apparently, work is easier, cancer kills less, and leggy supermodels are always knocking down the door for anyone holding the Straight, White Male ID Card -- and if you can't make it, what a pathetic loser you must be!

It's one thing to view society through the lens of who has or doesn't have "privilege". It's not a viewpoint I agree with or find constructive, but moral codes have to start somewhere. It's another thing entirely to use that lens as an excuse to denigrate an entire segment of society based on their skin color, gender and sexual preference. And doing that to a sizable fraction of your own core audience in an appeal to that same fraction is beyond stupid.

So, yeah. I'm done, and F7U12, Scalzi. Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

Got no reason, what the heck!
Pay my taxes, pay my taxes;
PAYG my taxes.

"I grew up in a time when the economy wasn't as awful as it is now and the entire family didn't need employment to scrape by. Since nothing ever changes I don't see why people are complaining about taxes"

$meggy $murf 2012-07-23 05:00:00 PM


Any tax system that can afford to have people on welfare packing phones that cost more than my last car

So your last car was a beater off the Fartbama's Buggies 4 Bux lot, huh?

gerrymander: He did a huge post a month or two ago about how being a straight, white guy is playing a videogame on "easy mode". (No. I'm not going to link it, for the same reason I don't link to Stormfront. It's on his website if you care that much.) Apparently, work is easier, cancer kills less, and leggy supermodels are always knocking down the door for anyone holding the Straight, White Male ID Card -- and if you can't make it, what a pathetic loser you must be!

was it when that story came out about wells fargo charging black and latino people higher interest rates than white people?

15% of my pay check for state income alone isn't too high?

/small business co-owner in CA.
//*sigh*

what_now: Reader, I married her

I don't know who this guy is, but I just fell in love with him.

If you like sci-fi at all, read Old Man's War. In fact, even if you don't like sci-fi, read it anyway. It's an excellent book.

timujin: Odd reaction from the first couple of posters... but anyway, this is pretty much a well-worded retread of things that have been said here many times. I don't care who you are or what you do, you didn't get there "on your own".

BU BU BUT INDUSTRIAL GRADE BOOT STRAPS!!!
\0/
|
/ \

No, he didn't. The fact that something is beneficial doesn't mean we owe a blank check. You can be for taxes and still think that they are too high or unfairly proportioned.

tooeasy: raising taxes in economic downturns generally isn't wise, but they'll do what they're going to do

Giving tax breaks at a time of war isn't wise either but that' didn't stop anyone did it.

I couldn't help but notice that he doesn't mention how much extra he voluntarily pays in taxes each year for all of those govt services he took advantage of as a kid.

Successful people always think things work out if you just try.

Oh, and I have no problem with taxes, as long as they are used wisely...and ours are not. Not even if you stay out of Military vs Education, red vs blue, R vs D issues.

I love this strawman liberals are setting up to defend Obama. Nobody is arguing success happens in a vacuum. The argument is what is responsible for a successful business. A lot of hard work goes into creating a business, the government does not get to say they are mostly responsible for that as Obama implies. Taking a long reading of Obama's inference, everyone would be successful merely because roads exist. That is not the case whatsoever. Individuals utilize public shares to the best of their capacity. The web we know today would not exist without capitalists improving on the darpanet infrastructure.

If Obama wants credit for all successful business, he has to take credit for business that fails as well. For every road that allowed the transport of good there is a regulation that made the market to costly for some to enter; whether it is eminent domain, costly regulations, cost of licensing (hair dressers), etc. Government can help or hinder a business. But it takes an individual to CREATE the business, not government. That is what Obama said wrong, individuals do create business.

Smeggy Smurf: Any tax system that can afford to have people on welfare packing phones that cost more than my last car has taxes that are too high

My iPhone 3 was $0.99 since I signed up for a 2 year service plan so I'm not sure what your point is. Are you complaining that people on welfare can afford a phone?

SlothB77: Scalzi is oblivious to the fact the private sector can do all of the things the public sector can do - and more efficiently. Instead of paying high taxes now that will be redistributed by government, he could donate his money through private charities to achieve the same ends. And probably more efficiently.

That's dumb.Just saying something is a fact doesn't make it so. Even trivial analysis shows this is not just silly but frankly delusional.

Freeways, CDC, FAA, the criminal justice system, fire departments, even... dare I say it... the military are not things that can be privately funded. Geez....

/Forehead sore from the enormous slap I just gave it.

"my grandfather told me he would replace it"

And there we have it.

Didn't take long. You must. have. resources. Or else it won't happen.

Very good article showing how success comes not solely from yourself but is achieved with help from friends, family, and a lot of luck. Nobody ever truly makes it to the top with just hard work at some point everybody has gotten a lucky break.

/I imagine the confusion over the headline and article is the fact that people have read to many herp derp articles about "self made men" and didn't read the full thing.

You mean we all don't live in a vacuum?

/Dyson for me

QDW: SlothB77: Scalzi is oblivious to the fact the private sector can do all of the things the public sector can do - and more efficiently. Instead of paying high taxes now that will be redistributed by government, he could donate his money through private charities to achieve the same ends. And probably more efficiently.

That's dumb.Just saying something is a fact doesn't make it so. Even trivial analysis shows this is not just silly but frankly delusional.

Freeways, CDC, FAA, the criminal justice system, fire departments, even... dare I say it... the military are not things that can be privately funded. Geez....

/Forehead sore from the enormous slap I just gave it.

4/6 ain't bad.

gerrymander: vpb: gerrymander: No dice, subby. Ever since Scalzi came out as a condescending, racist bigot, I have no interest in him, his opinions, or his fiction.

Really? What was that about?

He did a huge post a month or two ago about how being a straight, white guy is playing a videogame on "easy mode". (No. I'm not going to link it, for the same reason I don't link to Stormfront. It's on his website if you care that much.) Apparently, work is easier, cancer kills less, and leggy supermodels are always knocking down the door for anyone holding the Straight, White Male ID Card -- and if you can't make it, what a pathetic loser you must be!

It's one thing to view society through the lens of who has or doesn't have "privilege". It's not a viewpoint I agree with or find constructive, but moral codes have to start somewhere. It's another thing entirely to use that lens as an excuse to denigrate an entire segment of society based on their skin color, gender and sexual preference. And doing that to a sizable fraction of your own core audience in an appeal to that same fraction is beyond stupid.

So, yeah. I'm done, and F7U12, Scalzi. Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

Wow. Turns out I was totally right. You ARE remarkably ignorant about privilege. And your reading comprehension sucks if you read any racism or sexism against white males into Scalzi's post.

Rincewind53: RichieLaw: citation needed.jpeg
vpb: Really? What was that about?

I'm guessing gerrymander is just upset that Scalzi wrote a very good article called "Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is" and he disagrees with the concept, even though the article is 100% correct, 0% racist, and very well-written.

Its funny; I have gerrymander favorited as "racist". I don't remember the context but it was a long time ago.

Taxes = theft... What good Might be done with the stolen money doesn't make it moral.
This guy is an idiot.