“Any one may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the Treasury; there is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s … Continue reading →
We haven’t commented too much on the effective ending of sequestration, but as always, the public seems to misunderstand what really was happening. Too many conservatives are coming out and gnashing their teeth about this. Yes, the sequestration was powerful … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, About a year ago, Dr. J. wrote regarding the New Atlantis budget which included a 13% property tax hike for Dr. J. Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral. I want cost-effective schools, not excuses. Dr. J. also discussed … Continue reading →
President Obama assumes his standardnegotiation posture with Congress. “I’dlove to negotiate with you, but first, youguys abandon your Constitutional dutiesto me.” Welcome back to ‘Puter Does the Debt Limit! All your Gormogons hope you’re enjoying ‘Puter providing some right smart learning … Continue reading →
A Progressive’s Rendition of a Republican You know how you hear that the Democrats are the ‘Party of the Little Guy’? Republicans are ‘John Q. Monocle’ sporting a top hat and a pipe as they pay sub-minimum wage to children … Continue reading →
As many readers know, several of your Gormogons grew up in Maryland and GorT continues to maintain a residence there. A pointer to this topic came across the Pedabit network pipe into the castle from GorT, Sr.: Three separate, independent … Continue reading →
GorT has many years of experience in working in and around the federal government and if there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it’s that when the government faces a problem it generally puts the same people in change of fixing … Continue reading →
What do the IRS scandal and the Senate’s hearing on Apple’s tax avoidance have in common? Both events lay bare modern American liberalism’s Achilles’ heel. Just like Prohibition, Liberalism dependson Americans’ willingness to voluntarilycomply with laws requiring Americansto do something … Continue reading →
Dr. J. saw this over at IMAO. They poached it from the original source, Hope n’ Change Cartoons.* Don’t have too many Harvey Wallbangers at the Leaping Peacock… By the way, Dr. J. learned how to do transplant-grade nephrectomies back … Continue reading →
The Island Dweller—who cunningly adopts that name because he dwells on an island—writes the Czar to object: O most magnificent Satrap of the Steppes: Fish don’t realize they swim; they think they can fly. I have retired fairly recently after … Continue reading →
Reader SMR wrote in last week in response to this post: To the Magnificent GorTechie: Those who strive to obtain the good graces of a robot are accustomed to come before him with such things as they hold most precious, … Continue reading →
Several of the Gormogons are Maryland natives (technically GorT was a transplant after a year…at least in this time reality) and GorT maintains his primary residence in the People’s Republic of Maryland. However, the recent course of events in Maryland … Continue reading →
If it walks like a tyrant, and talks like atyrant, it’s probably a tyrant. ‘Puter woke up this morning in the Castle’s archives, located several planes of existence below the Castle’s library. Or before the Castle’s library. Or among the … Continue reading →
They didn’t call him LearnedHand for nothing. He was oneof America’s greatest jurists, bar none. After ‘Puter, of course. Here’s several things to keep in mind today as we Fifty Three Percenters suck it up and support the freeloading loafers … Continue reading →
Would you like a side of deductions with that? Gentle Readers, President Obama filed his tax returns. When you calculate his rate ‘Dr. J.’ style, that is Total Tax/Total Income, it comes to 16.2% compared against Dr. J.’s 22.3%. Now … Continue reading →
President Obama is blaming the Republicans for the sequester despite the fact that he’s campaigned while Rome burns, acting like an outsider running against Washington rather than being its chief executive officer when frankly it was all his idea in … Continue reading →
The proper response to Democrats’ profligate spending is to callthem out, make them pay for their beloved programs withoutborrowing. Pictured, House Republicans after passing a balancedbudget bill, taunting the Democrat led Senate as “cabrons.” ‘Puter is sick and gosh-darned tired … Continue reading →
Operative BG writes in from his adventures in the 8th dimension regarding Dr. J.’s coverage of Dr. Carson’s speech: Esteemed Dr. J. – If you speak truth to power and nobody reports it, is it still spoken? My reaction to … Continue reading →
If you merely read a transcript of Dr. Carson’s conservative revival speech, you will have missed a critical nuance. The President was sitting one person over from Dr. Carson as the good Doctor lambasted the entire liberal progressive philosophy operating … Continue reading →
Welcome to the Terrordome! Gentle Readers, Yesterday Dr. J. almost ran off the road in his Imperial Shuttle when he heard excerpts from Dr. Ben Carson’s speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. For those not in the know, Dr. Carson … Continue reading →
The ‘A’ is for affluent. Slut shaming (also hyphenated, as slut-shaming) is defined as the act of making someone, usually a woman, feel guilty or inferior, for engaging in certain sexual behaviors that violate traditional gender expectations. These include, depending … Continue reading →
…in the crap sandwich. …vote for more of the same, get more of the same. There are a legion of opinions on the right regarding congressional and senatoral Republican handling of the so-called fiscal cliff. Indeed, if you ask your … Continue reading →
Sources tell the Czar that there is a whisper campaign going on among the Democrats, in which a group is quietly advising the President to go along with the Republicans on the fiscal cliff issue; that fundamentally the GOP math … Continue reading →
Let’s review a bit of history. Does anyone in the media recall what gave rise to the fiscal cliff? Anyone? Anyone at all? Apparently not. To be fair, ‘Puter shouldn’t judge the Washington press corps for its faulty recollection of … Continue reading →
While I know it isn’t pretty, people should take a long, hard look at California and begin wondering what our future holds. Let me summarize a few data points: The Proposition 30 tax hike (to the tune of $6B) passed … Continue reading →
Your Mandarin was fortunate enough to receive this message from the owner of a business that details the impact Obamacare will have on his employees: Rarely if ever have I expressed my political views to Company X Employees, but I … Continue reading →
A nice Polish lady got to conversing with us the other day, and asked if we had heard anything about Obamacare taxing people selling their homes, starting in 2013. Would this not, she suspected, severely damage home sales just when … Continue reading →
Sometimes it is not good to be the Czar. For example, he is helping his sainted mother translate some paperwork from her father, and needless to say, penmanship was pretty bad in that century. One can hardly tell a ѣ … Continue reading →
During the debate, President Obama crowed that he did not raise taxes on 97% of small business owners. Mitt Romney explained to him, to the Presidents obvious discomfort, that the 3% who suffered the tax hike actually are responsible for … Continue reading →
Operative DT writes in: Oh Hirsute One, I apologize for my infrequent updates. The myrmidons are coming along well, though your suggested airborn/air assault/ballet cross-training has them a bit perplexed. Thankfully they’re only allowed to think on Tuesdays between 21:00 … Continue reading →
Are you spending my future away, Master Progressive? Gentle Readers, Please pass this on to your undecided compatriots. About 15% of the electorate is still malleable. Despite a belief to the contrary, the middle-class and lower-upper class aren’t just about … Continue reading →
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and wise people will listen and consider other opinions before making decisions (at least within reason). GorT has been super-busy at work recently leading up to our company’s annual offsite (nothing big, just a … Continue reading →
The President keeps insisting that Mitt Romney is planning to raise taxes on the middle class, in order to provide for a tax cut for the rich. Why, he even dubbed his challenger Romney Hood, to much laughter. But Romney’s … Continue reading →
Harry Reid, 1974: Any man or woman who will not be completely candid about his or her finances does not deserve to be in public office. Senator Reid was asked about this on Monday. His response: In 1974, I wasn’t … Continue reading →
Esteemed Operative BG, who lately has been ensuring the African Rift Valley continues to rift at the right speed, took time away from that vital tectonic activity to write in: Awful and Awesome Czar – Hmmm… Reid says a Bain … Continue reading →
Like most Americans, the Czar are concerned about who Senator Harry Reid’s source is about why Mitt Romney refuses to release his taxes. Please allow a slight correction. No Americans think Harry Reid has any sources at all. Seriously, is … Continue reading →
Hopefully, we’ll jump out of the car before it goes over the cliff. Of course, by now, you are aware of the “fiscal cliff” that we’re approaching at the end of this year. For those living under a rock with … Continue reading →
The Obama campaign is regrouping after the bungled speech by Obama last week where he belittled business owners and entrepreneurs and is attacking the Romney campaign for twisting the President’s words and omitting key sentences. Let’s revisit the entire quote … Continue reading →
President Obama seems intent on refocusing the debate away from the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) and away from Fast & Furious (that’s still kicking around, right?) and away from job numbers that aren’t even keeping pace with population growth and … Continue reading →
I‘m not Herzog is the kind of guy you can expect to take apart a car, put it back together, and say “Here is how you improve this.” Like just about everybody else, he has an opinion or two on … Continue reading →
The Czar, as you know, is not the kind of guy who relies on hysteria for very long. This evening, he read the Supreme Court’s decision, written by Justice Roberts. What we find there is not a total capitulation, but … Continue reading →
Note: this is actually a combined post between the Inscrutable Mandarin and the Czar of Muscovy. Heads up, Americans: today’s SCOTUS decision is actually good news for conservatives, and Justice Roberts knows the Constitution better than your average Congressperson. Surprised? … Continue reading →
You can’t vote yourself rich, despite what the public sector unions tell you. Nor is any government provided benefit “free,” despite taxpayer funded ads such as these, intended to drum up demand for “free health care” for your kids. New … Continue reading →
Property tax hikes make puppies cry…and when puppies cry, The Czar gets angry(er than usual). Gentle Readers, Thanks to 32 of 40 city councilmen, the citizens of New Atlantis are the proud recipients of a brand new 13% property tax … Continue reading →
Having attended Saturday evening Mass this past weekend, GorT and Mrs. GorT were enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning by watching some Sunday morning news shows over breakfast. One show had Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) on to discuss his sponsorship of … Continue reading →
Cubs fans are a weirdly persistent lot; they would follow their team to the ends of the Earth. So much so that many teams like to play the Cubs at home because their usually empty stadiums are filled with concessions-buying … Continue reading →
Following up from this post, the Maryland budget has cleared the state senate and advanced in the House set for a final vote today, we have some choice reactions from some of the state’s democrats: First up is Delegate Benjamin … Continue reading →
Governor Martin O’Malley (D-MD) and the democrat controlled Maryland legislature passed a budget package last night in a special session. It will raise state taxes on residents earning more than $100,000. Forty percent of the increase would be carried by … Continue reading →
Dr. J. was about to change the station from the AM PM guy to the FM PM guy when he heard him broadcast the audio of this video. All he could say was wow. Inspired by and surpassing Paul Harvey’s … Continue reading →
Dr. J. first heard a heavily bleeped version of this on the radio, this AM, and yes he had the AM station on this AM, and not the FM station this AM. He will have to switch the AM to … Continue reading →
Of course, the Buffett Rule has nothing to do with increasing revenues. It is all, as GorT says, about what sounds good. No, no one expects that the Buffett Rule will produce more than a few thousand dollars in increased … Continue reading →
The wonderful thing about democrat proposals is that they always sound good. Affordable health care for all. Erasing the national debt. World peace through conversations. Yea! However, the devil is in the details and maybe like Joe Boyd from Damn … Continue reading →
So how is the Democratic Party’s class warfare strategy going? Rasmussen knows: A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 58% of American Adults now support an across-the-board income tax percentage. Support for a simplified system like this has … Continue reading →
The left are grabbing at straws. The most recent meme making the rounds with Dr. J.’s lefty Facebook friends (will they ever stop being a never ending source of material?) is this lil Jon Stewart LOL: One big controversy with … Continue reading →
The U.K. instituted a type of “Buffett rule” last year: The new rate will affect the 300,000 highest earners in the UK, out of the 29 million people who pay income tax. It will be levied on taxable incomes greater … Continue reading →
Remember 1000 years ago when the Czar took on the task of reading the entire draft ObamaCare bill? He didn’t receive nearly as much email on that as he is on this subject of film tax subsidies. Amazed and MC … Continue reading →
This is a bit of a non-news-item, but it is worth mentioning. Art Laffer, supply-side economist, Reagan Administration economic adviser, and all-around great guy wrote an article in the WSJ endorsing Newt Gingrich’s tax plan. Dr. Laffer is an economist, … Continue reading →
MC is dying to learn more about tax subsidies. Thanks for the amplification, but I’m still not getting it. The government is still picking winners and losers, and in this case the winner is the film industry. The short-term benefit … Continue reading →
MC has recently returned from the Antarctic, where he tells weird tales of finding a ruined city of giants, with enormous penguins, strange carvings on the wall hinting at terrible events in our ancient past, as well as a Caribou … Continue reading →
Amazed writes in: re: Your post of 1/29/12 about seeing Real Steel. Answer: You’re welcome. My share of the $18.3 million dollar subsidy the gazillionaire producers got in taxpayer money for filming Real Steel for 2 weeks in my old … Continue reading →
ABC News is terrified to report… deep breath… Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income!!!!!!!11!!!$!!!ELEVENTY!!!! !!1 !! The horror, the horror. Allow the Czar to summarize this horrible, horrible story, paragraph by paragraph. You might want to cushion yourselves … Continue reading →
For those who didn’t get the memo. Mr. Romney is crazy rich. He is worth around $200 million, earning $21.7 million dollars last year. He paid $3 million in taxes and gave almost $3 million away to charitable causes. Most … Continue reading →
According to the IRS, just over 98,000 civilian federal employees are delinquent on their federal taxes (this number does not represent any who are on a repayment plan) as of September 2010. The grand total owed is over $1.03 Billion. … Continue reading →
JAB writes in from the Double-wide: Dear Mr. Dr. J: re: “Safe is good (i.e. no protruding glass or rusty nails)…” Why no rusty nails? Experience is a great teacher, isn’t it? And besides, the young’uns these days are vaccinated … Continue reading →
Dr J. provides some good speculation as to Mitt Romney’s reluctance to release his tax forms. There could be another reason that most people, in media and even the politicians, do not realize: Mitt Romney probably has a tax form … Continue reading →
Gentle Readers, There is much ado about nothing regarding Mr. Romney’s as yet and soon to be released tax returns. And, when Dr. J. says soon, he means before Mr. Kerry’s military records and President Obama’s college transcripts and medical … Continue reading →
So the buzz is starting about Warren Buffett’s latest issuance: he’ll match any donation towards the national debt made by a Republican in Congress and he’ll go 3-to-1 with Sen. McConnell. Think about that for a moment as it should … Continue reading →
GorT loves him some email. So here is a great one penned by Operative ME, who is completely in the bag for the Gormogons. Dammit, that pun chip is going haywire, maybe the Mandarin can give it a swift kick. … Continue reading →
Ah, the payroll tax cut debate. A lot of mud is slinging on both sides, so the Czar thought he would clear things up for you, dear readers, on what is really going on. Warning: sausage making is featured. Presently, … Continue reading →
For those of you in the know, Dr. J.’s spirit of choice is Jack Daniels Green Label. Dr. J. was introduced to this product back in his days at Ivy College, before the New Atlantis Flood. A scruffy bohemian chap … Continue reading →
There was much in the conservative blogosphere yesterday regarding Herman Cain’s (Dr. J. keeps wanting to type Herman McCain for some bizarre reason) 9-9-9 plan. J Edmo of @jedmo fame on twitter linked to Dr. J.’s mancrush, Art Laffer regarding … Continue reading →
It’s fitting that Warren Buffett is associated with the Obama Administration as so many of the administration has had tax issues. Well, Buffett is no different: According to Berkshire Hathaway’s own annual report — see Note 15 on pp. 54-56 … Continue reading →
More mail on taxes. Merlin carefully engraved this on a single grain of rice (which was easily the second biggest grain of rice the Czar has seen, as it weighed in around twelve pounds): Oh Great And Mighty Czar, I … Continue reading →
Ken, who insists on the ridiculous pseudonym of “Ken,” is kind enough to add to our recent thoughts on taxation. Ken, unedited and without further ado: Good morning, Dread Czar, I suppose we’ll have to agree to disagree on what … Continue reading →
Ken, who asked to go by the code name of “Ken,” writes in: Good afternoon, Your Czarship, Actually, I agree that a janitor and a billionaire should pay the same tax rate. Income tax, at any rate. Both should pay … Continue reading →
And thus was hay made this weekend, when the President said to the CBC “If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a Jew—uh…as a janitor makes me a warrior for the working class, I wear that … Continue reading →
“Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge. “Plenty of prisons,” said the gentleman, laying down the pen again. “And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. “Are they still in operation?” “They are. Still,” returned the gentleman, “I wish I could say they were not.” “The Treadmill … Continue reading →
GorT has written about taxes, Keynesian economics, and the current economic situation before but I’m always impressed when I read pieces that add a new dimension to it. This is the case with the brilliant piece by Victor Hanson here. … Continue reading →
The Czar stated the following in an earlier post: Last week, Mitt Romney famously declared “Corporations are people, too, my friend.” The media high-fived each other and ran with it. Ha! What a bonehead that Mitt Rom—wait, what is that? … Continue reading →
Dr. J. was trying to avoid the trifecta today, but sadly, here we are. Bernie Goldberg, former CBS newsman and author of Bias, destroys President Obama’s op-ed in the comic book pretending to be a newspaper known as USA Today. … Continue reading →
For those who are focused on the near-term debt limit talks and the swirl that accompanies it, let me throw out a word of caution: the Democrats are salivating over the potential for 70%+ marginal tax rates. Let me explain … Continue reading →
President Obama at his press conference today on taxes and the debt ceiling again has called for an increase in taxes for the “wealthy”. The example that he used to justify why those evil rich people need to pay more … Continue reading →
State and local governments have a big shortfall when it comes to fully funding their pension systems. A study authored by two finance professors, Joshua Rauh of Northwestern University and Robert Novy-Marx of the University of Rochester, estimate that these … Continue reading →
I’m sure The Czar and The Mandarin have thoughts about this, but I thought (h/t GorT, Sr.) I’d put this tidbit on the table for consideration. From the Dow Jones news service: Illinois gained nationwide notoriety in January when Governor … Continue reading →
GD writes in with a couple more arguments and reminders about Corporate Tax Rates (including GorT’s favorite). Sorry: sometimes we assume that you all know this, but GD is right to add this in for our many first-time readers: Dread, … Continue reading →
The next time some weenus says that maintaining obscene corporate profits are why our jobs are moving overseas, point them to this picture: Here is why jobs are going overseas: the corporate income tax rate. Ask them which businesses pay … Continue reading →
Dread & Awful Czar, Tax day passed us by again this year, and for the 55% of us who paid taxes, were were reminded, yet again, of the politics and waste that revolve around the sorry state of our Federal … Continue reading →
If you are like the Czar, you have already used The White House’s online tax receipt calculator to see where your money allegedly goes. Actually, if you’re like the Czar, you already suspect the IRS is gleefully monitoring every number … Continue reading →
Your Awesomeness, So the alternative remains: have the union members pay their own dues. What will happen is that members will immediately notice their paychecks bump up in pay. They will deposit or cash their paychecks, and turn that into … Continue reading →
Paul Ryan delivers a great intro to the battle about to wage in Congress and across the country. Read more here. Now. GorTGorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from the … Continue reading →
Three things to share. First, BG writes in with a great explanation of the President’s opposition to oil company land leases: Dread and Awful Czar – You write that President Obama “…argues that oil companies have plenty of capacity onshore … Continue reading →
Just in case you don’t feel that General Motors received enough of your tax dollars when the “government” bailed them out here is your chance to rectify that situation. Because electric cars are such a great idea, and the free … Continue reading →
I thought I’d pass along a little tax education from GorT, Sr. from a recent dialog with some more liberal folks: Here’s another example of how liberalism distorts the ability to think correctly. Corporations do not pay tax. They collect … Continue reading →
As Barbie once said, “Math is hard!” (Actually, Barbie said “Math class is tough!”, but ‘Puter likes the urban legend version better, so cope). Democrats are the Party of Barbie. Math may be beyond their collective grasp, but spending other … Continue reading →
Recent conversations with some liberals I know included the popular lament that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. While there is a debate over what is really “poor” in the United States, they point at … Continue reading →
Gormogon Operative JS sends a missive from Guadalajara tattooed on the back of an MS-13 underling. JS asks ‘Puter (and the other Gormogons — hint, hint) to opine as to what budget cuts he recommends. Here goes. First, let’s all … Continue reading →
New York is going for it! No longer content to be a meager number 2 in the rankings for states with the worst tax burden, we’re kicking it up a notch! New York is now taxing all of the income … Continue reading →
Ghettoputer’s sane alter ego just completely hammers Illinois. Now airing in radio markets around the state. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Every year since 1984, PNC Financial Services has compiled the “Christmas Price Index” (CPI). It measures the cost of each group* of items in the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (a total of 78 items). They have a nice … Continue reading →
