...to increase book sales.

Does anybody really believe anyone "wins" these things. If so shouldn't the winner be the first person that says, "Your mama!"

Meanwhile as a my contribution to humanity, I am buying a copy of each book and putting it in a time capsule. People in the future can then determine whether their idiots are better or worse than present-day idiots.

The DOJ is going after James Bond next - it is not clear for what; sexual discrimination, torture, or just plain old murder.

Observers do not believe the "I was protecting freedom and democracy" defense is going to fly, but regardless, Hollywood is lobbying the DOJ to go softer on the report. A harsh DOJ report could severly endanger the 007 franchise.

There are about 9 ka-zillion deductions, exceptions, dips and curves in the tax code and we all of us ,including corporations do all we can to "avoid" taxes, by taking advantage of those rules. Americas corporate tax rates (35%) are the highest in the world, but then allow 9 ka-zillion opportunities to reduce it to 2%.

The anger is over the fact that a corporation pays at a 2% effective rate while a waitress pays at a 10-15% effective rate, which is pretty ridiculous, if not disgraceful.

Obama threatening to ask Congress to further muck up the tax code (when has Congress passed a tax law that did not further complicate and obfuscate the tax code?!) is not going to fix anything. Furthermore it is disgusting to use taxes as political re-election tools, bargaining chips or for social engineering. Disgraceful. Disgraceful. Disgraceful.

Chuck the tax code wholesale, replace it with a flat tax. A flat tax is not completely fair but it is fairer that what we have now. Everyone should contribute something to the tax burden. Having 50% of earners pay ZERO taxes is as unacceptable as a mulliti-billion dollar corporation paying at a 2% effective rate. When Christians came up with the whole tithing thing, they basically said STFU and give me 10% off the top. The simplicity of that approach I must say is divine.

Then as a side benefit, a whole subset of lawyers get phased out of the labor force at the same rate as manufacturing labor.

presidents ran the economy the way economies are tied to their terms.

The market is up the presidents a genius, the market is down the presidents an idiot. Simple financial/political equation.

The market ytd did bottom out three months into his administration so he was a an idiot. And now is coming back but still about 5% down ytd. Hence Andrew applying the simple financial/political equation he remains an idiot, hopefully for not too much longer. ytd anyways.

The number of tax experts posting.

I mean with a tax code only a ka-zllion lines long, it is easy enough for anyone to understand.

End sarcasm.

The changes Obama proposes is campaign rhetoric, (I thought the elections were over?) If a law ever actually does get passed, it will just add to the complexity and incoherence of the tax code. What the effect actually is will take an army of analysts and 10 years of data to figure out.

Here's a fukkin' idea. Simplify the stupid goddam mess.

How much civilian collateral damage occurred in Iraq 1 and then in Iraq 2?

How much did we chastise or try to prevent Israel from going on its civilian mass killing sprees in Lebanon and Palestine? Excuse me, military defensive operations.

Currently we continue to “accidentally” kill civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

We dropped Atomic bombs on two cities filled with civilians; we firebombed cities and leveled German cities with conventional bombing in WWII.

I am not arguing whether these were valid acts in support of national defense, but instead asking why would a nation who killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, leaving hundreds of thousands more homeless and is currently still killing civilians get squeamish about torture?

In support of national defense, why is maiming and killing men, women and children by aerial bombing acceptable but torture of suspected terrorists not?

Just asking.

Those limos with armour and all probably get at least 1.5 mpg.

Actually if our fearless leaders need so much protection, we should just have them carted around in tanks.

It was legally elected representives of America who sanctioned torture. Unless Obama is prosecuting, making this public is stupid.

What is the message? "Yeah sure we tortured, but golly gee willickers, you can feel good about us admitting it was not a nice thing to do, even though you know technically we don't think you know it was illegal or anything." Simple international translation: We'll torture if and when we determine the need.

Politically this is valueless - except of course as red meat for the rabid left and rabid right. Another crash and burn for the uniter rhetoric.

...with economists and their predictions is that they and their supporters only speak of the predictions that come true. Any other predictions are swept into dark closets and never heard of again. Or they just keep predicting the same thing year after year until eventually they get it right.

In this way they are not much better than tabloid astrologers.

...and they will come. Just because it works for mouse traps doesn't mean it'll work for trains.

In countries where train transporation grew vibrant there was a need for cheaper transporation then otherwise available and affordable to the general populace.

Train transporation waned in America to it's current decrepit state because of lack of need, there were other preferred transportation options easily affordable to the general populace.

I get the awful feeling that the driver for this effort is not sound economics or a thought out solutions to clearly identified transporation demands, but instead a frivolous amour of trains as novelties.

In which case a train between Disney and LA makes the most sense.