Gibson also fails to note that most of the stock held by average Americans sits in 401(k) plans which are not eligible for the special capital gains tax rate. The fact of the matter is that 86% of all tax benefit from the reduced rate goes to people making more than $200,000 per year. It is a flat our subsidy to capital. Typical GOP nonsense. Devalue labor, subsidize capital in the tax code and establish monetary and fiscal policy to protect only capital.

Your statements about the number of Jew in Europe are totally wrong. There are 118,000 Jews in Germany alone, 50,000 more in Hungary, 30,000 in Italy, etc. The numbers aren't huge but way more than the 50-70,000 you state.

I'm a Jew and I know precisely what happened. Up yours you disgusting bigot.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/jewpop.html

Good points. Probably shouldn't be arguing among ourselves. Still, I believe that accurate data is the foundation of understanding.

First, anyone who links Madonna with disco is seriously clueless and should not be writing about music. Pop diva, yes, disco queen, no.

Next, the thing that is most interesting about Madonna is that, unlike almost everyone else, she took control of our own career and did what she wanted. She is one of the few who ever took on the music industry and milked them for millions while doing precisely what she chose to do. That is impressive even if her music isn't..

I have a 2008 Mercury Mariner hybrid. Does that count like a Ford Escape which is the model used for hybrids. If you don't count Mercs, you haven't counted all the Ford Explorers.

BTW, the Mariner is a great vehicle. Hybrid with great mileage but big enough for my 4 Siberian Huskies. The ultra-luxury version is about $32,000.

We need to get something straight about Europe. All European countries count everyone not employed as unemployed. We count maybe 50%. Our unemployment rate is roughly the same as France or Germany or Belgium. In contrast to what most Americans believe, the Belgians and the French have the highest productivity per hour of all nations on the planet. They choose not to work the hours that Americans do. It's not on the dole, it's life beyond just work.

My company, a giant bank, does not allow me to access these sites because they are classified as hate organization.

David - Actually, for mosat Americans anyway, Le Guin is easier to pronounce than the oe in Kroeber. If one knows German or Yiddish, no problem, but that umlaut is a nasty for most people.

I'm really not trying to be mean, but have you been living in a cave or something. Nebulous and ostentatious are quite commonly used words. Tautology is not, but you didn't get the meaning correct. It does mean logic. It is an element of logic. A tautology is a compound propositional form in which all instances are true - as in 'Obama will win or Obama won't win'. For the moment, both are true. It can also be used as a rhetorical device - endless repetition of a single idea to skew a discussion.

With regard to 'hors de combat', that expression is a diplomatic expression that has been used by most countries for hundreds of years. It is the phrase used in the Geneva Convention. It is precisely the correct phrase.

Tautology does NOT mean logic.

It is also worth noting that the 'stab in the back' argument was very popular with the extreme right in Germany after WWI. Even though the entire German nation and military were on the verge of utter collapse, the right claimed that Germany had been stabbed in the back by Jews who signed the Traety of Versailles. The parallels are quite striking.

1- Bill Gates did not come from a 'wealthy' family. His family was affluent, upper middle class, yes, but not wealthy.

2- How do you define wealthy? Anyone who makes more money than you? Maybe we should define our terms before we pontificate. Based on the letters, many of you would consider me wealthy but I am not. I'm affluent, yes, but I'm 60 years old, and I can't afford to retire yet.

3- Boomers are not some monolith where everyone thinks the same thing nor were we ever. Those conservatives and super Christians we see now were always there. Have some boomers gone to the dark side over the years, yes, but millions have not. And, no, boomers are not engaging in desperate actions to prolong their working years. Most of us boomers have always assumed that we would have to work to age 65. The oldest boomers are now only 62.

4- Do you really want to have a society without Medicare? In this country, we have an employment based health insurance system. So, when you retire, have your income reduced and have your greatest health care needs, what would you do? Medicare-equivalent private insurance for a person 65 or older would cost around $2500/month plus deductibles and copays. Maybe 5% of retirees could afford that.

That's a start.

Actually, Ralph Lauren and similar brands are not high-end clothing nor are Macy's, Nordstroms, etc. high-end clothing stores. They are certainly higher end than Walmart, but high-end clothing is something quite different. I'm not baiting you or trying to be mean, but things are what they are not just as one's limited experience might indicate.

True high-end clothing is not made in sweat shops. Almost all of my clothing was made in Italy or France by well paid craftspeople. My t-shirts are $45, but they are made in Los Angeles. Clothing is my one major vice - well, pot and armagnac, but that's a different discussion - and I gladly scarifice other toys to indulge in clothing. Just for the record, these brands are the high-end: Brioni, Isaia, Kiton, Loro Piana, Etro, Gravati, some Armani, Montelassi, etc.

Flame away.

Nope. I don't use credit or have debt. I buy only what I can afford for cash.