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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (358194)	11/12/2007 8:32:59 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 1573697

Property and sales taxes are different taxes imposed by different governments. If my incomes taxes are cut by 10% it is a cut for me. If everyone's federal income taxes are cut by 10% it is a cut, it is tax relief, for all people who pay federal income taxes. But if you change a tax without making a net cut its not reasonable, and maybe even dishonest, to claim its tax relief. Who cares which government level has the burden... same thing net. You really need to think a little deeper about taxes. Your understanding is limited and simplistic. Income tax should be (from your perspective) one of the least onerous taxes. Turn on a light, pay a tax. Make a phone call, pay a tax. Drive your car, pay a tax. On the Internet?; paying a tax. Buy anything, paying a different tax all along the supply line. Every tax based on a decision about what is 'good' and what is 'bad'. Think a little deeper. Whacking the hedge fund managers is a mild adjustment. And probably justified.

To: TimF who wrote (358194)	11/13/2007 10:23:29 AM
From: Road Walker	Respond to of 1573697

Thompson to push for expanding military 1 hour, 13 minutes ago Republican Fred Thompson will call for a "million-member" military ground force and more funding to equip and care for service members and veterans before what's likely to be a receptive audience at a military college in this early presidential primary state. The former Tennessee senator and actor began airing his first television ads in the Palmetto State on Monday and will tell the audience at The Citadel that he wants more modern battle equipment on the ground, in the air and on the water. "The investments we make today provide the means to defend our nation tomorrow. They will make our military personnel more effective and safer," Thompson will say, according to prepared remarks his campaign made available to The Associated Press. Thompson, who is in a close three-way race here with rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney in the Jan. 19 primary, is scheduled to speak at the school prior to an afternoon appearance in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The picturesque college has become a frequent backdrop on the presidential trail. Giuliani spoke at the college's graduation in May, and John McCain was there in September. South Carolina Democrats held their second televised presidential primary debate at The Citadel in July. When Giuliani was there, he called for adding 100,000 soldiers to the Army — 35,000 more than the 547,000 the Pentagon said it wanted. In his prepared remarks, Thompson says he wants a "million-member" ground force that includes 775,000 in the Army and 225,000 Marines, or 23,000 more than the Pentagon seeks. "Too many commitments today leave our Armed Forces capable of meeting too few contingencies tomorrow," Thompson says. It's unclear from the prepared remarks how Thompson would pay for or recruit those forces. Last month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Army's goal could be reached by 2010, two years earlier than projected when announced in January, at a cost of $2.6 billion. But the Army started its recruiting year Oct. 1, with fewer signed up for basic training than in any year since it became an all-volunteer service in 1973. The Army barely reached its goals the previous year, doing so as it pushed recruiters to work harder, offered fatter bonuses and issued more waivers, including for past minor crimes or drug use. In the speech, Thompson compares the amount spent on the military to the Gross Domestic Product, and says the equivalent of 4.1 percent of the value of all goods and services produced within the United States is now spent on defense, including the cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He will call for spending to increase to 4.5 percent of GDP. And that doesn't include spending needed to support fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. Regarding care for current and former service members, Thompson advocates implementing many of the recommendations of a presidential commission on improving the treatment of wounded veterans. He also says service members need better pay and benefits "including a modern GI Bill with educational assistance that will help us recruit and keep our nation's finest in uniform." Thompson also mentions the need to build a "robust missile defense system to defend our homeland, our troops and our allies from ballistic missiles," but does not go into greater detail.

To: TimF who wrote (358194)	11/13/2007 10:33:07 AM
From: Road Walker	Respond to of 1573697

Iraq, Afghan war costs are $1.6 trillion By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer 13 minutes ago The economic costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to total $1.6 trillion — roughly double the amount the White House has requested thus far, according to a new report by Democrats on Congress' Joint Economic Committee. The report, obtained by The Associated Press and scheduled to be released Tuesday, attempted to put a price tag on the two conflicts, including "hidden" costs such as interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars, lost investment, the expense of long-term health care for injured veterans and the cost of oil market disruptions. The $1.6 trillion figure, for the period from 2002 to 2008, translates into a cost of $20,900 for a family of four, the report said. The Bush administration has requested $804 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined, the report stated. For the Iraq war only, total economic costs were estimated at $1.3 trillion for the period from 2002 to 2008. That would cost a family of four $16,500, the report said. Future economic costs would be even greater. The report estimated that both wars would cost $3.5 trillion between 2003 and 2017. Under that scenario, it would cost a family of four $46,400, the report said. Oil prices have surged since the start of the war, from about $37 a barrel to well over $90 a barrel in recent weeks, the report said. "Consistent disruptions from the war have affected oil prices," although the Iraq war is not responsible for all of the increase in oil prices, the report said. Still, the report estimated that high oil prices have hit U.S. consumers in the pocket, transferring "approximately $124 billion from U.S. oil consumers to foreign (oil) producers" from 2003 to 2008, the report said. High oil prices can slow overall economic growth if that chills spending and investment by consumers and businesses. At the same time, high oil prices can spread inflation throughout the economy if companies decide to boost the prices of many other goods and services. Meanwhile, "the sum of interest paid on Iraq-related debt from 2003 to 2017 will total over $550 billion," the report said. The government has to make interest payments on the money it borrows to finance the national debt, which recently hit $9 trillion for the first time. The report comes as the House prepares to vote this week on another effort by Democrats to set a deadline for withdrawing troops from Iraq as a condition for providing another $50 billion for the war. "What this report makes crystal clear is that the cost to our country in lives lost and dollars spent is tragically unacceptable," said Joint Economic Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a statement prepared to accompany the report's release. The report, from the committee's Democratic majority, was not vetted with Republican members, said Israel Klein, a spokesman for the panel. An earlier draft of the report had put the economic cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars at a slightly lower, $1.5 trillion.