Berkeley CSUA MOTD:2005:October:11 Tuesday <Monday, Wednesday>
Berkeley CSUA MOTD
 
WIKI | FAQ | Tech FAQ
http://csua.com/feed/
2005/10/11 [Uncategorized] UID:40041 Activity:very high
10/11   Good Morning!
        \_ Hello.
           \_ Bonjour!
              \_ Hallo!
        \_ get yer hands out of your pants
           \- I'm not wearing pants. --emk
2005/10/11 [Computer/SW/OS/Windows] UID:40042 Activity:nil
10/11   Two of the most annoying computer companies get together!
        http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/12875727.htm
2005/10/11-13 [Reference/Military] UID:40043 Activity:nil
10/11   http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051011/ap_on_bi_ge/spitzer_stun_guns
        Taser/stun guns illegal in NYC? So much for the duel.
2005/10/11-13 [Reference/Tax] UID:40044 Activity:high
10/11   "President Bush's tax advisory commission indicated today that it
        would not propose replacing the income tax with a national sales tax
        or a value-added tax but would recommend modifications in the popular
        tax deductions for mortgage interest and employer-provided health
        insurance."  http://csua.org/u/dp4
        \_ What the hell.  That whole article reads like "ok, what can we
           fuck with?"
        \_ Yay, let's make the tax code ten times more complicated than it
           already is!
                \_ As long as Paris Hilton's accountants can have her pay
                   almost no tax ... "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED"
                   \_ "The generous mortgage-interest deduction in the law
                      [that the commission is proposing to reduce] now helps
                      rich people the most, leads to larger houses and
                      encourages borrowing..."  Why cut back the deduction?
                      Because "the commission agreed to recommend abolishing
                      the alternative minimum tax for individual" and the
                      commission has "a mandate to develop an overall proposal
                      for changing the tax system that is revenue neutral."
                      \_ This doesn't account much for those parts of the
                         country where you spend 75% of your take-home on
                         housing.
                         \_ I have this suspicion that the parts of the country
                            that spend 75% of take-home pay on housing are
                            the parts of the country that bitch loudest about
                            AMT.  Of course, reducing the home mortgage
                            deduction screws one group of people within those
                            parts and likely rewards a different group, but
                            that's what the income tax is all about anyway.
                            Where did you think the offsetting revenue was
                            going to come from when you MOTD types were
                            bitching about the AMT?
                            \_ By not giving the uber-rich tax breaks? Yeah
                               I know, it's just a fantasy.
                               \_ Certainly Teresa Heinz and her ilk are
                                  undertaxed relative what I pay (since I pay
                                  the same order of taxes as she does and I am
                                  worth 2 orders of magnitude less).  But
                                  you might find out that taxing the uber-rich
                                  yields less money than you think, simply
                                  because there are so relatively few of them.
                                  In the end, to get the big tax bucks, you
                                  have to tax the upper-middle class.
                                  \_ I am worth one order of magnitude less
                                     than Heinz, but I still consider myself
                                     upper-middle class.  I consider you
                                     lower-middle class.
                                     \_ You're worth multiple million, and
                                        think you're middle class?  Ha.
                                        Check some statistics on the
                                        average wage in the US.
                                        \_ No, no, no.  I am worth multiple
                                           TENS of millions.  A mere multiple
                                           million still brackets you within
                                           the lower middle class.
                                           \_ You're probably worth 2 orders
                                              less than Teresa Heinz if your
                                              net worth is in the tens of
                                              millions.
                                              \_ Does that mean I am still in
                                                 the lower middle class?
                                                 \_ Only if you live in Palo
                                                    Alto.
                            \_ At least in: http://csua.org/u/dp7
                               The cap on interest deduction to $300,000.  If
                               you're paying $300,000 in interest per year, you
                               *are* the uber-rich.
                               \_ You misunderstand.  The cap of $300,00 is
                                  not on interest paid per year, but on the
                                  principal owed on the mortgage.
                                  \_ Show me where this is the case.  I'm
                                     unable to find that anywhere. -pp
                                     \_ Not from where you picked up the $300k,
                                        but earlier in that article "the
                                        current $1 million cap on deductible
                                        mortgage interest should be reduced,
                                        possibly to about $350,000".  From
                                        http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc505.html
                                        we learn million cap came from "you
                                        can deduct the *interest* [emphasis
                                        added] ... [if the debt] totaled $1
                                        million or less".
                   \_ ^Paris Hilton^Teresa Heinz
                      How did she do it anyway?
                      \_ Well ^X^Y syntax really is short hand for !!:s so,
                         it was pretty straight forward once she had that down.
                         \_ Paris Hilton bang bang Teresa Heinz? i likes me
                            some ultra rich girl on ultra rich girl action.
                            \_ Teresa has her heart set on becoming the First
                               Lady.  Your chances of her dumping Kerry and
                               going for some hot girl-girl action with
                               Hilary are much better.
                               \_ She stands a better chance of becoming
                                  first lady as Hillary's gf than with Kerry.
2005/10/11-13 [Finance/CC, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs, Recreation/Humor] UID:40045 Activity:high Cat_by:auto
10/11   "I Can't Afford My Gasoline" (has sound)
        http://toccionline.kizash.com/films/1001/178/index.php
        \_ Once we hit $6/gallon, those hybrids will start to look attractive,
           too.
           \_ It's been over $6/gallon in Europe. Cost me 34 Euro for a half
              tank of gas on a Ford Fiesta (rental car) 2 weeks ago. Figures
              it would cost around $85 for a full tank. And we're taking puny
              car.
              \_ do you have a choice?  how about Ford Ka?
                 \_ I don't buy cars that chops heads off of cats.
                 \_ I probably did, but didn't know how to say it in Spanish.
              \_ Where in Europe? Get a SMART.
                \_ Was in Spain (Madrid), I don't think Avis has SMART; besides
                   I don't know if I'd fit in it (too tall).
                   \_ A colleague of mine drives one.  He's 6'6", about 250lbs.
                      He got it because of the leg room.  -John
                   \_ Take the train.
2005/10/11 [Uncategorized] UID:40046 Activity:nil
10/11   For those who don't follow http://ucb.computing.discussion 27 Oct is Sun
        Day at Cal - you can register at:
        http://www.suneventreg.com//cgi-bin/register.pl?EventID=639
2005/10/11 [Uncategorized] UID:40047 Activity:nil
10/11   The ultimate bling for your r1c3d out c1v1c:
        http://www.shoplaser.com/index.html
        \_ What a great way to bring down MPG.
Berkeley CSUA MOTD:2005:October:11 Tuesday <Monday, Wednesday>