| WIKI | FAQ | Tech FAQ | |
 http://csua.com/feed/ | |
| ||||||
| 2008/7/10-11 [Politics/Foreign/Asia/China, Computer/Rants, Politics/Foreign/Asia/Others] UID:50528 Activity:kinda low |
7/9 Why do foreign companies like Toyota start new manuafcturing plants
here in the US? Should they be going to China or Thailand or India
where blue-collar labor costs are much lower and regulations are
looser?
\_ It is a way to get around protectionist US import quotas.
\- YMWTFG(Voluntary Export Restraints)
\_ It's good public relations. More recently, some manufacturing
work is moving back to the US due to the higher costs of
shipping product from overseas.
\_ It's cheaper to build it here when you're selling it here.
\_ Which is key. The parts are built out of country. Parts are
easier to ship and easier to do JIT delivery over long time
frames. Labor savings are not as important as being local when
it comes to the finished car. (Also us workers, while costly
are also pretty damn educated and OSHA laws actually have huge
benefits when it comes to not losing educated workers or time.)
\_ I didn't know these. Thanks. -- OP |
| 2008/7/10-11 [Uncategorized] UID:50529 Activity:nil |
7/10 The Labor Secretary was just on CNBS yesterday and said you should
all be putting money into your 401(k). Buy buy buy!
\_ You should be putting your money into your 401k. The question
is what to invest in. You can put your money in TIPS if it
makes you feel good (I have a lot in TIPS myself) but overall
I believe in the strength of equities. Most of us have 20-30-40
years until retirement.
\_ make sure you put it in targeted retirement ETFs. Snap! |
| 2008/7/10-13 [Reference/Tax] UID:50530 Activity:high |
7/10 Prop 13 is always a big topic around here:
"Back before Proposition 13 the revenues were cyclical, with
years of big increases, then stagnant revenues," said Auerbach.
'Now you get at least a small increase even when the real estate
market slows down.'"
\_ you only get a small increase because the amount you're getting
is so depressed. I'll take 5% average return over 2.2% consistent
return any day. -tom
\_ Aren't you the one who wants to derive more revenues from
property tax because it's more consistent than income tax
and allows for better planning?
\_ no, you must have me confused with your straw man. -tom
\_ I distinctly remember someone making the argument
that relying on income tax revenue is bad because it
is not reliable. This was when I pointed out that tax
revenues are about the same now as they ever were.
Maybe there were multiple people in that thread and
you weren't the one to make that claim?
\_ it probably was a corporatist who made that argument,
if anyone. The wealthy are not big fans of income
tax. -tom
\_ So to be clear *you* support income tax as opposed to
property tax. Therefore, Prop 13 is great from
your POV as it comes closest to abolishing
property tax. You would support raising the income
tax rate if it meant abolishing property tax?
\_ They're different things. Property tax is local,
income tax is state/federal. If you were to
change property tax to local income tax, you'd
get landlords who live in places with no/low
income tax, so the city that provides the
services which support and protect that
property would have no income from it.
And my biggest problem with Prop 13 is
that it applies to corporations; there's no
reason corporations should get any breaks on
property tax. -tom
\_ Ah yes, those *evil* corporations.
\_ my biggest gripe with prop 13 as it applies to
corporations is that corporate-owned property
rarely changes hands, making it a huge tax break
for them over time. At least property owned
by a person is forced to change hands at the
end of that person's lifetime.
rarely changes hands, making it a huge tax
break for them over time. At least property
owned by a person is forced to change hands
at the end of that person's lifetime.
\_ If they upgrade the property, it gets
reassessed. The corporation pays it's
employees, so any tax savings the corp gets
goes into personal income anyway.
\_ Horse manure. Prove it. -tom
\_ Pshaw. It goes into shareholder pockets.
\_ Where it is taxed. I'm sure Tom
would be fine with rents rising
for poor people, though, when
their landlords (often
corporations) are forced to
raise rents to recoup higher
property taxes.
\_ It's funny how this money transfer
happens in only one direction.
In the crazy corporatist world,
lowering taxes on corporations
and raising them on people is
good for people, because people
work for corporations so if
corporations have more money
they'll give it to people
(despite lots of evidence to
the contrary). But lowering
taxes on people and raising them
on corporations is bad for
corporations, because presumably
the people will not use their
money to buy anything that
corporations make. -tom
\_ So I see you have no problem
forcing the poor out of
their homes.
\_ uh, what?
\_ Eliminate Prop 13 on
corps. and watch
rents rise in response.
\_ whatever.
\_ As long as you
are okay with
poor people
thrown out into
the street in
the name of
higher tax revenues.
\_ One problem with corp tax is it
hurts the competititiveness of
the company globally. Anyway,
I think the FairTax would be
preferable to either. There's
no good way to try to separate
the corp tax from individual
tax, and what that balance
should be. Why penalize or
incentivize a corp vs. a
personal business? Moving to
a consumption tax fixes the
problems. You tax the economy
at only the one point: sale
of goods and services. Then
you tune the "prebate" for
progressivity. And you promote
saving instead of wasteful
consumption. And it saves people
tax prep cost, and rich people
can't lawyer their way out of
taxes if they buy stuff.
\_ Sales tax is among the most
regressive taxes, and for
the wealthy, among the
easiest to avoid. This
is definitely an example
of how for every complex
problem, there's a clean,
simple solution that won't
work. -tom
\_ I like how you glibly
ignore all the details
and simply declare
a contrary view. How
do the wealthy avoid
sales tax? Are they
not going to live in
a house? Buy a car?
\_ Ignore what details?
All you've provided is
a statement of
ideology. The wealthy
avoid sales tax by
buying stuff from other
countries. -tom
\_ You just ignored
my house comment.
You ignored the
rebate aspect of
pro/regressivity.
Buying stuff form
other countries
doesn't avoid tax
except small scale
stuff. Look at EU:
they collect tax
on imported goods.
How do you get
"among the easiest
to avoid"? There
is no 100% anti
fraud solution
without Big Brother
tactics.
\_ Trickle down economics is a
crock of shit.
\_ Shareholders are only taxed when
they sell, and at advantages tax
they sell, and at advantaged tax
rates. Also, the tax basis of
stock is adjusted upon the owners
death, meaning that for the wealthy,
it is often not taxed at all.
death, meaning that for the
wealthy, it is often not taxed at
all.
\_ Um. Shareholders are taxed
when they receive the income.
\_ Which income? Do you mean
capital gains? Dividends?
\_ Do you know what "income"
means? It's a pretty
well-defined term.
\_ Then you are wrong.
If I inheret GE stock
that my father bought
for $1/share and sell,
I pay no taxes on the
gain. "Income" means
\_ That's a capital
gain, which has
very little to
do with profits
(directly). Savings
from Prop 13 are
plowed into profits,
not share prices
unless you consider
something like
stock buybacks.
Where do you think those _/
corporate profits end up?
Either in dividends or stock
price. This should be obvious.
Have you ever heard of
"retained earnings?"
a different thing to
an accountant than to
the IRS, btw. Do you
know the difference
between net income,
gross income and pro-
forma income? They
all mean different
things.
\_ You do realize that if properties fall to a point where
they are below the artifically low amount they are taxed
for by prop 13 then you can get them reassesed and you
don't have to pay an extra 2% a year. Prop 13 puts a
ceiling on tax rates but no floor. So yes, the increase
is more perdictable but that's only because properties that
have been held onto are so below the inflation curve that
even a long period of recession isn't enough time to catch
up. This Auerbach is talking nonsense.
\_ You mean Auerbach the LA County Assessor? I don't think
people generally worry about tax floors. What's the
tax floor for income tax?
\_ Tax floors would be the only reason taxes would
drop below current rates. And that would happen
even post prop 13. Two options, you can have
a random about of money between 100-200 dollars or
you can have 100 dollars. Which do you pick?
\_ Which are you saying happens in which case? Why?
\_ Property tax *is* a much more reliable source of revenue than
income tax. Income tax actually goes down in a recession, while
property tax just increases less. Pre Prop-13, property taxes
made up a majority of the state's tax source, now it is sales
and revenue taxes, both of which are cyclical. -!Tom |
| 2008/7/10-11 [Consumer/Audio] UID:50531 Activity:nil |
7/10 Is the new iPod 3G coming out tomorrow?
\_ ^Pod^Phone. yesh. |
| 2008/7/10-13 [Academia/Berkeley/CSUA/Troll] UID:50532 Activity:nil 60%like:50550 60%like:50552 |
7/10 motd boob guy do i have a link for you
http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/286/index.jsp
\_ best wii ad ever. NSFW
http://www.sexyandfunny.com/watch_video/shay-laren-plays-wii-better-version_35636.html |