Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Hey, Flaggy sees a lot of the world from his vantage point in his mom's basement!

All this tax reform talk is a lot of hooey. Instead of a radical revamp of the system, just start eliminating gimmicky BS. Oil company tax breaks for drilling for oil for example? Gone. There a a bunch of them you can come up with. I'd start there and force the special interests and whoever they paid in Congress to carry the water for them to defend the tax breaks in a public hearing.

Tax breaks and sin taxes evolve from one thing and one thing only: Government encouraging the flow of money in certain areas. Any sort of "special interest" is entirely indirect, as you still need to show how a tax rate change benefits the economy as a whole.

One goal is to gain oil independence. How do you do that, while still fulfilling the demand for oil that exists in this country? Drill, baby, drill. How do you encourage people to do that?
Another facet of life is that a number of people judge our economy by the nominal value of the stock market. How do you encourage investment (read: investment, not day trade) there? Special rates for qualified dividends and long-term capital gains, while still realizing that many of that money is being double-whammied.
Another goal is to get people healthier by getting them to stop smoking. How do you get them to stop if you're the government? Tax the hell out of cigarettes.

You want to encourage people to live a certain way, but you don't want to give them tax breaks. You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Oil companies need incentive to drill?

Bull.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Oil companies need incentive to drill?

Bull.

Why pay an arm and leg here, when you can pay probably much less in the Middle East? Just like how manufacturing has gone to China, the concept and resulting execution is no different.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Why pay an arm and leg here, when you can pay probably much less in the Middle East? Just like how manufacturing has gone to China, the concept and resulting execution is no different.

Uh, huh. I agree. That's what's happened. The most capitalistic country in the world has produced capitalists that don't care about their country. It bleeds irony. Thank God there are still some good companies out there that care about things other than just profit.

[trixR4kids]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Generally, if one person says "those people did thing 'x'" and another person replies, "those other people did thing 'x', too" it is a tacit acknowledgement by the latter that, while he agrees with the former, he doesn't want to admit it and so tries to deflect and distract, no?

No that's not what that means seeing as it works fine in other countries and supply side econ has never worked anywhere.

Why pay an arm and leg here, when you can pay probably much less in the Middle East?

Gee IDK, the middle east is pretty stable and all and your workers surely wouldn't get killed or anything.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Uh, huh. I agree. That's what's happened. The most capitalistic country in the world has produced capitalists that don't care about their country. It bleeds irony. Thank God there are still some good companies out there that care about things other than just profit.

If you're not making money, even if your goal is to come as close as possible to breaking even, you're better off not being in business at all. Every single cost is something that has to be offset by the revenue made from the product, whether or not it is passed along to the customer. If you aim for too much profit, though, you open the door for another company to undercut you, so the highest profit is not what companies care about, as much as those nincompoops on MSNBC have spoon fed you.

Want to bring the industries back? Be competitive. Give them a reason to actually set up shop here besides 'murica, because emotion doesn't get you a disciplined investor.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

No that's not what that means seeing as it works fine in other countries and supply side econ has never worked anywhere.

You're both still missing the point. As much as something may have worked in one location, you must take every single fundamental difference between the two locations into account.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

If you're not making money, even if your goal is to come as close as possible to breaking even, you're better off not being in business at all. Every single cost is something that has to be offset by the revenue made from the product, whether or not it is passed along to the customer. If you aim for too much profit, though, you open the door for another company to undercut you, so the highest profit is not what companies care about, as much as those nincompoops on MSNBC have spoon fed you.

Want to bring the industries back? Be competitive. Give them a reason to actually set up shop here besides 'murica, because emotion doesn't get you a disciplined investor.

Do you even pretend to have a clue how much profit oil companies make? Any clue at all. Or, how about how much inflation CEO salaries have gathered? Any clue? Any?

And, another ruined beach in California. Good job, big oil.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Do you even pretend to have a clue how much profit oil companies make? Any clue at all. Or, how about how much inflation CEO salaries have gathered? Any clue? Any?

I know how much oil companies make, given I do carry investments with both harvesters and suppliers, and it's not as high as you'd think.

Hiring a CEO is labour. It's a cost. The value of any sort of labour is the quality of work they do. If someone does better with executive decisions, they're worth more, and sometimes companies will do whatever it takes to ensure they receive the services of a particular person.

Remove the emotion for five seconds and try to understand disciplined economics. Play Roller Coaster Tycoon or a similar game for a little bit. You'll learn a lot about economics.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

I know how much oil companies make, given I do carry investments with both harvesters and suppliers, and it's not as high as you'd think.

Hiring a CEO is labour. It's a cost. The value of any sort of labour is the quality of work they do. If someone does better with executive decisions, they're worth more, and sometimes companies will do whatever it takes to ensure they receive the services of a particular person.

Remove the emotion for five seconds and try to understand disciplined economics. Play Roller Coaster Tycoon or a similar game for a little bit. You'll learn a lot about economics.

Uh, huh. While everyone watches record profits and CEO salaries and depressed middle class labor wages. Whatever, dude.

[St. Clown]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Uh, huh. While everyone watches record profits and CEO salaries and depressed middle class labor wages. Whatever, dude.

The pure dollar value of the profits are high for oil, but the profit percentages in the oil business are not. The profit as a percentage of revenue is only in the single digits, a low figure when compared to a great many other industries.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

The pure dollar value of the profits are high for oil, but the profit percentages in the oil business are not. The profit as a percentage of revenue is only in the single digits, a low figure when compared to a great many other industries.

Uh, huh. I feel bad for them. Especially since the Middle Class has had depressed wages since the '70's.

[St. Clown]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

I'm not worried about the Middle East. They can solve their own issues.

Besides that, American oil companies use very little Middle East oil. Last I read, and this was a few years ago, the US gets about 8% of its oil from the Middle East.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Uh, huh. I feel bad for them. Especially since the Middle Class has had depressed wages since the '70's.

You mean, ever since we got off the gold standard and the Federal Reserve insisted on 2%-per-year inflation just to get people to part with their money faster?

Want to make more in wages? Sell your value. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

I'm not worried about the Middle East. They can solve their own issues.

Besides that, American oil companies use very little Middle East oil. Last I read, and this was a few years ago, the US gets about 8% of its oil from the Middle East.

The top hat has a better price. As does Chavez.