Comments on: Perspective http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/2009/03/10/perspective/ “We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done." Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:59:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dad http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/2009/03/10/perspective/#comment-156 Dad Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:27:26 +0000 http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/?p=914#comment-156 You want proof? In this case: Proof by Disgust QED You want proof?
In this case: Proof by Disgust
QED

]]> By: JS http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/2009/03/10/perspective/#comment-155 JS Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:36:10 +0000 http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/?p=914#comment-155 An alternative hypothesis is that a moderate tax increase on wealthy people will have little effect on GDP. Obama seems to believe in the stimulative power of certain kinds of tax cuts, considering the stimulus package is roughly half tax cuts, and his budget proposal contains tax cuts as well. I'm not sure what evidence there is for either view, but your back-of-the-napkin argument that a marginal increase in taxes on wealthy people will devastate the economy doesn't strike me as very convincing. I'd like to see any corroborating evidence - feel free to post links. UPDATE: Actually, it seems like Obama is promising not to raise any taxes in the short term. The way I read his comments (for example to the Business Council today), if the recession persists, taxes won't go up at all. Sounds reasonable to me. An alternative hypothesis is that a moderate tax increase on wealthy people will have little effect on GDP. Obama seems to believe in the stimulative power of certain kinds of tax cuts, considering the stimulus package is roughly half tax cuts, and his budget proposal contains tax cuts as well. I’m not sure what evidence there is for either view, but your back-of-the-napkin argument that a marginal increase in taxes on wealthy people will devastate the economy doesn’t strike me as very convincing. I’d like to see any corroborating evidence – feel free to post links.

UPDATE: Actually, it seems like Obama is promising not to raise any taxes in the short term. The way I read his comments (for example to the Business Council today), if the recession persists, taxes won’t go up at all. Sounds reasonable to me.

]]> By: Dad http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/2009/03/10/perspective/#comment-154 Dad Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:10:22 +0000 http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/?p=914#comment-154 Yeah well nobody has ever to my knowledge thought raising taxes in a recession was a good idea. Except OB -- gotta get those wealthy people before they do something rash, like start a business or something and employ some of the unemployed. Or spend money on some frivolous thing like a new GM car. Same with cap and trade. He's going to make this into a depression ... then the shooting will start .... The political issue will be how long can he keep blaming bushies and get away with it? And when will people actually be able to look beyond his rhetoric and realize there ain't anything actually there?? - D On a lighter OT note: here some more good stuff to know for budding researchers seeking proof of their ideas: http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com /wiki/Proof#Proof_by_Anti-proof I like proof by bijection. But I apply proof by BO more often esp int he PM afternoon after my walk at lunch in the tropics. Yeah well nobody has ever to my knowledge thought raising taxes in a recession was a good idea. Except OB — gotta get those wealthy people before they do something rash, like start a business or something and employ some of the unemployed. Or spend money on some frivolous thing like a new GM car. Same with cap and trade. He’s going to make this into a depression … then the shooting will start …. The political issue will be how long can he keep blaming bushies and get away with it? And when will people actually be able to look beyond his rhetoric and realize there ain’t anything actually there??

- D

On a lighter OT note: here some more good stuff to know for budding researchers seeking proof of their ideas:
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com
/wiki/Proof#Proof_by_Anti-proof

I like proof by bijection. But I apply proof by BO more often esp int he PM afternoon after my walk at lunch in the tropics.

]]> By: JS http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/2009/03/10/perspective/#comment-153 JS Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:06:29 +0000 http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/?p=914#comment-153 Well, taxes are going up to 1990s levels, and I think there were plenty of wealthy people then, so I'm not sure taxes are to blame. McCain has tolerated plenty of pork in the past eight years. His posturing on the issue hasn't led to anything tangible then or now as far as I'm aware. War in and of itself didn't get us out of the great depression. The fiscal spending that accompanied war is the more likely candidate. One party supports a fiscal spending solution. One (modulo David Brooks) doesn't. Well, taxes are going up to 1990s levels, and I think there were plenty of wealthy people then, so I’m not sure taxes are to blame.

McCain has tolerated plenty of pork in the past eight years. His posturing on the issue hasn’t led to anything tangible then or now as far as I’m aware.

War in and of itself didn’t get us out of the great depression. The fiscal spending that accompanied war is the more likely candidate. One party supports a fiscal spending solution. One (modulo David Brooks) doesn’t.

]]> By: Dad http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/2009/03/10/perspective/#comment-152 Dad Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:32:53 +0000 http://www.depthfirstsearch.net/blog/?p=914#comment-152 How low can it go??? If it holds true to 1929, my entire 401K savings plan will be gone in another year. Even more scary is that the only thing that really lifted the world out of the Great Depression is everybody started killing everybody else. Its typically how these things end. Obama's going to raise taxes on wealthy just to make sure there aren't any of those left. And he's going to cap and trade just to make sure that people who can't afford to used carbon anyway, don't get any bad ideas. Of course when WWIII starts we'll see how his politics of Hope holds up. (At least McCain wouldn't have tolerated 400 Bn of pork in a budget of 3.75 Tn.) On a lighter OT note, check out http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/asu1/glossary.html budding researchers need to know the lingo. -D How low can it go??? If it holds true to 1929, my entire 401K savings plan will be gone in another year.

Even more scary is that the only thing that really lifted the world out of the Great Depression is everybody started killing everybody else. Its typically how these things end.

Obama’s going to raise taxes on wealthy just to make sure there aren’t any of those left. And he’s going to cap and trade just to make sure that people who can’t afford to used carbon anyway, don’t get any bad ideas. Of course when WWIII starts we’ll see how his politics of Hope holds up. (At least McCain wouldn’t have tolerated 400 Bn of pork in a budget of 3.75 Tn.)

On a lighter OT note, check out http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/asu1/glossary.html
budding researchers need to know the lingo.

-D

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