Counting down?

[Torsten]

So it's all about who is going to pay more taxes, right? What about the price of oil and the situation at Wall Street?

TOEIC listening, talks: Travel agent gives a customer his travel booking details via voice mail message

[Prezbucky]

about the only silver lining is that we'll once again see that socialism doesn't work and, like Jamie said, the GOP will put forth a reincarnation of Reagan who will save Free Enterprise (and the profit incentive) in this country.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Prezbucky]

congrats to obama. when everyone's taxes are increased but those of the poor, and we become the United Socialist States of America (USSA), and unemployment doubles, prices increase and quality decreases, and even more investment capital leaves the country, I hope the Obama voters realize what they did.

Our economy is not George Bush's fault. It is our fault. We are free to take out lines of credit, but we have become far too dependent on credit. If a bunch of people make stupid financial decisions, is it the president's fault? No. It's their fault.

Obama's election will not change that. If anything we'll become even more dependent on credit as higher taxes lessen the amounts of our post-tax paychecks.

God help us.

At least the military vote was strongly Republican...

Which reminds me:

We are basically able now to declare ourselves (and the coalition who helped) victors over the Iraq insurgency. Let nobody say that Obama won the war. That was Bush's war and we won it because of improved strategy (the surge) but really, more importantly, because Bush didn't run away from it like a wuss. Had Kerry been president, we would have lost and Iraq would be remembered as a defeat for the United States.

I can't afford to pay more taxes. If obama tries to raise my taxes, I hope the Republicans in the Senate defeat it, again and again, until we can elect a Reagan Republican in 2012 who will adhere to our Free Enterprise ideal and respect our individual financial liberty.

I am gravely worried. So many Obama voters are students who have never lived in the real world, or welfare recipients who contribute nothing.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Torsten]

[Prezbucky]

I don't think I said that countries get the government they deserve. But hopefully Obama voters will learn a lesson: never believe a Liberal Democrat when kronk promises tax cuts.

From a Republican standpoint this may be a blessing in disguise because without a burgeoning new industry like Internet technology, if obama is as liberal as I think he is, he'll really run us into the ground, a la Carter. That's if he can get past the Senate Republicans. Clinton was far more moderate than Obama, AND Clinton benefitted from the tech boom (something for which he was not responsible but for which he is still credited.)

About students not being in the real world:
What I mean is that they haven't yet held real jobs, they don't pay all their bills (most don't anyway) -- basically the full-fledged budgeting crunch is foreign to them.

They've never had to look at a $2500 paycheck when the gross amount earned was something like $3200. They're learning all about the wonderful theories of Marx and Engels but they do not realize the effects of those theories on them:

If they are to become the next middle, upper-middle and upper classes, Marxism will not benefit them.

They all have roommates (as few as one, as many as five or more) so they are able to split expenses like electricity, rent, cable, high-speed Internet, pizza and kegs of beer. But man, when you're on your own for the first time, you realize how important your paycheck is... because it's up to you to pay bills.

If you're married, okay, now two of you help pay... but children often follow, basically eliminating the monetary advantage of having such a permanent "roommate".

That is why tax rates are important, why I fear Obama's left-wing voting record.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Torsten]

Tom, if you want to become a true entrepreneur and use all the benefits the free enterprise system has to offer you need to team up with others. I don't of one single millionaire who has achieved their success by just 'paying their own bills'. Entrepreneurship certainly starts by taking financial responsibility for yourself but it doesn't stop there. If you think that you are paying too many taxes you should team up with other entrepreneurs who have the same problem. I can't imagine that in a country like the US it's impossible for entrepreneurs to adjust the tax system to their needs.

As for the millions of Obama voters, are you saying that all of them were clueless students or poor people who don't contribute anything to society? This would mean that the US is full of rather strange people, wouldn't it?

TOEIC listening, talks: Company official informs employees about job cuts

[Prezbucky]

My anecdote was for a new college grad.

In terms of teaming up to start businesses, of course teamwork is helpful. It'll just be (likely) harder to do that under Obama because:

a) Each member of the team will be paying higher taxes and will have less to put into the business and
b) Any business they do start will be taxed more under Obama

Call it a double-whammy for prospective entrepreneurs.

Ah, and concerning tax loopholes, I hope they're not closed to too great a degree. Again it'll be up to the Republican Senators to block any socialist inclinations Obama might entertain.

As for obama's voters, not all of them are google-eyed college students or welfare recipients. But I bet BO (great initials!) got his winning margin largely on the strength of their votes.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Torsten]

What is a google-eyed student?

TOEIC listening, talks: Radio presenter announces latest news including the President's visit

[Prezbucky]

Now, my friend, I have a request of grave importance:

Could you please recommend a great German beer with which I can drown my angst for approximately the next week or so?

hehe

(as you know I've tried Warsteiner and loved it... I'm trying to broaden my Deutsch bieren horizons)
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Foah]

Hi Tom,

I´d recommemnd you "Andechser Doppelbock", a Bavarian dark and strong beer (as far as you can achieve). Try to drink more than one and a half litres and you won´t care the period of Obama´s presidentship any longer and probably awake during the next Rep-presidentship. :wink:

Hope your fellow countrymen don´t dance at a fire then, dressed by loincloth´s only.

All the best

Michael
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"Ho ho!" said the clown

[Foah]

By the way, I lift up my head to anybody who decides to start a self-employment and I also acknowledge the difficulties of self-confident work. And yes, every success depends on a nations policy, at least partly. But on the other hand a self-employment is worth it if the entrepreneur can benefit from it only.

It is an issue of calculation whether one starts a self-employment or not and one of the factors you have to take in account are the taxes you have to pay. That´s the same case everywhere in the world, I think.

The main difference (I see) between the existing capitalism and the former socialism is that the socialism tried to avoid any kind of self-confidence, didn´t it? Does Obama prohibit anyone starting self-employment?

By the way, Ronald Reagan (being made responsible for economic desasters in the 1980´s quite often) was the president of the Republicans, wasn´t he?
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"Ho ho!" said the clown

[Prezbucky]

Michael, thanks for the beer recommendation and i am LOLing at the picture of Americans broken down into tribes/clans, dancing around a fire in loincloths. ROFL!

Yep, Reagan was a Republican. We had an economic boom in the mid-to-late '80s. Our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) skyrocketed.

I think Socialism's original aim was to help the poor by taking from the rich. I just don't see how that can work, because the rich create opportunities for the poor. The more you punish the rich, the fewer opportunities they can create for the poor.

TD
A google-eyed student is one who thinks that the ideals in the classroom are applicable (or beneficial) in the real world. (at least that's one main characteristic of such a person)
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Torsten]

Hi Tom,

In addition to the question how much they have to pay in taxes are there any other issues the American are interested in? I mean why do you think was the turnout the current election at a record high? Was only because such a high percentage of American welfare receivers wanted Obama 'to just spread the wealth'? Is it really that simple to mislead such large parts of the American nation? Also, don't you think it's a major accomplishment that many Americans trust a black man with such an untraditional name to lead them? Not so long ago black people weren't even allowed to choose their bus seat and now one of them is running the country!

Why are American classrooms not part of the 'real world'? I mean those classrooms are organized and run by 'real Americans', aren't they? And those 'google-eyed' students have a family that earns money and pays taxes in 'real corporate America', don't they?

TOEIC listening, talks: Stadium announcement asking fans to remove car from emergency exit

[Lost_Soul]

[Prezbucky]

1. Saddam Hussein is no longer in power as dictator
2. They are moving towards a representative democracy

Those are two tangible things that have been achieved.

As for taxing corporations/businesses, he's not just going to try to punish large corporations (which is wrong in itself -- punishing success), he'll likely also go after small businesses. One way he'll do that is by forcing them to buy into his health insurance plan. Another is by raising their taxes.

He said in his campaign that he would not raise taxes on any household or business making less than $250,000 per year. I don't buy it.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.