Whtalks-THE OFFICIAL SITE Whtalks

How is raising taxes during a time of economic troubles going to help the middle and lower classes?

Has anyone heard that he wants to raise fed. income taxes from 26% to above 30%?

Or that he wants to raise capital gains taxes from 25% to 38%? This would discourage people from investing in the stock market in my opinion.

And how does "ending tax give aways to oil companies" going to help? Does anyone else realize these are AMERICAN oil companies getting the tax giveaways, and they will only PASS THE COST ON TO THE CONSUMER, and we will end up paying what the europeans pay for their gas, -6 a gallon. That isnt a good thing for the lower and middle class.
Federal taxes apply to everyone. Just look on your last paycheck, if you have one…

Capital gains tax applies to everyone too. Thats a tax for the money you can make in the stock market. Any profit made would get taxed that much more. This could discourage individual investors who might not be willing to risk their money if 38% of their future profits are being taken away. It applies to everyone, you dont have to make 300k a year.

Incoming search terms:

• renni1010
• will raise in capital gains tax apply to everyone

The first few paragraphs in this opinion piece made an interesting observation.

The news media (whose job it is to fact check the people making the laws) gets most of their advertising dollars from major drug companies. These major drug companies are represented PhRMA. PhRMA protects the interests of the industry. The White House cut a deal with PhRMA in 2009 that basically insured no cheaper prescription drugs in the near future (protect their profits) in exchange for PhRMA’s support of this "reform" bill.

Interestingly, the MSM seems to have selective memory when it comes to backroom deals included in this bill. Isn’t it odd they never mention the price of prescription drugs during a debate about "health care reform" ??

Could this be a primary reason why??

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rory-oconnor/health-care-reform-needs_b_504352.html?view=print

American broadcasters, magazines, newspapers and other publishers take in more than four billion dollars a year in drug advertising. The drug money is a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal downward revenue spiral for media of all types. Last year was a horrible year for advertising spending in this country, which fell 12.3 percent. Spending in seven of the top ten leading ad categories fell compared with 2008. The only exceptions were in the industry categories of telecommunications, food and candy, and pharmaceuticals, which showed the largest increase of all.

Wonder why? Perhaps it’s because the US is one of only two countries in the world — along with New Zealand — that permits direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs. Yes, your country is one of only two outliers when it comes to allowing those incredibly annoying and ubiquitous "ask-your-doctor" spots. But if you were hoping a modicum of media reform, aimed at reducing health care costs and delivering better services, might be packaged among all the other goodies and giveaways in the Obama Administration’s forthcoming health care reform bill, you can forget it. Lobbyists long ago succeeded in turning back all efforts to end the special interest business-tax deductions that Big Pharma drug makers can take for advertising.

In an early round of reform negotiations, the drug industry actively considered giving up the advertising deductibility as part of the billion dollar deal they made with the Obama crowd to reduce pharmaceutical spending over ten years. But media lobbyists quickly swooped in and killed the idea, turning back nascent efforts in both the House and the Senate. "Advertising deductibility safe!" American Advertising Federation executive Clark Rector wrote in a press release late last year, when the deal went down. Ending the tax break for drug spots "would be a disastrous choice, both economically and politically."

I currently drive an 06 Jeep Liberty. Looking to upgrade to a different SUV. I want a Toyota 4Runner (05 or newer) or a Nissan Pathfinder, but both are relatively expensive, even used.

Because of my age and credit, Im limiting myself to a loan of 15,000-16,000 and the rest will be my downpayment in cash. However, because of my area, I’m seeing a lot of our 4Runners reselling in the 20-25k range, depending on miles and such.

I am hoping to broaden my searching- I have read and heard amazing reviews on both the 4runner and the pathfinder. I am partial to buying an imported car since my American-made Jeep has done nothing but disappoint..

Is there a list or a website where I can see the highest consumer rated SUVs on the market? I know that everyone has a different opinion on makes and models, so I’d like to find a website that includes many reviews, not just a few.

It’s ‘Labor’ Day, Not ‘Union’ Day

by MARK MIX Guest Columnist

4 days ago

Labor Day is a celebration of the efforts of America’s workers. However, the celebration is hollow for millions of American workers because of compulsory unionism.

Throughout the United States, over 12 million workers labor under contracts that require them to be a member of, or financially support, a union as a condition of employment.

Additionally, millions of more workers are required by law to accept union bosses’ so-called “representation,” thereby losing the right to negotiate their own employment terms.

Big Labor thrives on this system of government-granted special privileges based on coercion. Compulsory unionism makes union bosses more unaccountable to rank-and-file workers, as their financial support is absolutely mandatory.

This arrangement breeds union boss corruption, extravagance, and abuse.

Despite the “feel-good” rhetoric about standing up for workers’ rights, union bosses commonly target independent-minded workers who stand up to them and exercise their individual rights. Such retaliation often takes the form of harassment, firings, and even violence.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is fighting back for thousands of workers.

Compulsory union abuse involves a wide array of tactics. In one recent example, a Hartford, Connecticut-based employee named Patricia Pelletier of the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation became the target of a local union’s harassment campaign after being dissatisfied with the union’s presence in her workplace.

Simply for exercising her legal right to circulate an employee petition which allowed Pelletier and her coworkers to ultimately vote out the unwanted Communications Workers of America union local from their workplace, union operatives forged her signature on numerous magazine subscriptions and consumer product solicitations.

Pelletier’s home was then flooded with hundreds of unwanted magazines and advertisements. Not only was Pelletier forced to spend several hours each day canceling individual subscriptions, she was also billed for thousands of dollars by various companies which often turned her over to collection agencies. Union agents then raised the stakes by planting cocaine in Pelletier’s office in an effort to frame her.

With free legal help from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Pelletier filed a fraud and civil conspiracy suit, ultimately forcing a satisfactory settlement.

In over 200 cases nationwide, the National Right to Work Foundation is helping workers take a stand for their rights in the face of union boss intimidation, coercion, and even violence. These cases underscore the extreme lengths to which union operatives will go to retaliate against those who do not toe the union line — and are a direct result of compulsory unionism.

This Labor Day, big labor bosses will dish out their usual Labor Day propaganda about how awful our lives would supposedly be without them. The reality is that millions of workers and indeed our economy are continuing to suffer greatly under the scourge of compulsory unionism.

Yet, there are signs that folks are realizing the truth: cooperation is a healthy alternative to compulsion and is the best way to enhance individual liberty while achieving economic progress and raising workers’ living standards.

Labor Day should be about honoring the hardworking Americans who make our country’s economy prosper — not union bosses who rely on forced unionism privileges for personal and political gain.

Mark Mix is the president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.

http://www.williamsondailynews.com/pages/full_story/push?article-It%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Labor%E2%80%99+Day-+not+%E2%80%98union%E2%80%99+day%20&id=3521528-It%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Labor%E2%80%99+Day-+not+%E2%80%98union%E2%80%99+day&instance=secondary_opinion_left_column

Incoming search terms:

• national right to work legal defense foundation

This is for my business class. I’m supposed to get everyone’s opinion on this.

New York Times, August 2007. Who doesn’t like a shopping spree? There’s one going on that we should be watching. China currently has .33 trillion in foreign exchange reserves and a booming economy. The world is its shopping mall.

So where will the Chinese invest? They recently expressed an interest in acquiring Seagate Technology, one of only 2 U.S. manufacturers of disk drives. (IBM invented the disk drive in 1950 but sold its disk drive business to Japanese-based Hitachi in 2002. This left only 2 U.S. companies: Seagate Technologies and Western Digital).

U.S. officials are quietly expressing concern over China’s ambitions to improve its military abilities and its advanced technologies for industrial and consumer uses.
There is no prohibition on sales of these advanced technologies today, so the Chinese are well within reason to inquire after them.

“If a Chinese company does make an actual bid for an American high-tech company,” a former government official said, “and that bid is blocked for political reasons, then Chinese companies may become even warier of investing in American companies. And the government in Beijing may begin to suspect that Washington so distrusts China that it is trying to throw roadblocks in the path of its economic development.”

Is this something for the US to keep our eyes on?

Part I:

Your first task is to read about, and then identify important terms. These terms provide some basic economic concepts that will help you develop and organize the information that you gather.

Identify the following:

World Trade Organization
GATT
NAFTA
Free Trade
Most Favored Nation
Tariff
Globalization
Outsourcing
GDP
GNP
Recommended References:

Global Industries and Enterprises
FACT SHEET: North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
World Trade Organization: What is the WTO?
Part II:

Your next task is to analyze an international trade based scenario, research the scenario topic, evaluate and draw conclusions. Choose one of the following scenarios and then complete the task associated with the scenario.

Scenario A: In the last 20 years China’s economy has experienced rapid growth. Since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, the increase of exports and imports between China and the U.S. has more than tripled. The U.S. Commerce Department reports that China is the United States’ largest import partner. With this increase in trade has also come a growing concern over product quality and safety as well as copyright issues. Both China and the U.S. recognize the many benefits of continuing and developing this trade relationship. They also recognize the importance of U.S. consumer confidence in Chinese products. As a representative of the U.S. International Trade Administration you have been asked to research the background of the various trade concerns with China and the actions that both countries are taking to increase product safety and quality. You will need to summarize your findings and give your recommended next steps in an official memo to be submitted to members of Congress.

Please visit What is a Memo? to learn more about this type of document and to obtain a Memo template to use for this assignment.
Recommended References:

Fact Sheet U.S. Trade Representatives and China Joint commission on Commerce and Trade
U.S. Secretary of Commerce – Remarks at the China-U.S. Innovation Conference
Import Safety
The US-China Business Council
Scenario B: You are a reporter with one of the most prominent investigative news magazine shows on television today. You have been assigned to conduct an investigative report on large U.S. corporations which outsource many responsibilities to other firms in different locales around the world. The effects of outsourcing on the United States have become a growing concern amongst American citizens. You will need to research this topic and present your findings in the form of a script. The script will be read by the anchor of a national news program as a feature story. You will need to explain the background of outsourcing, the costs and benefits of this practice and your editorial opinion on this hot topic. Your script should be at least two pages double-spaced with no spelling or grammatical errors.
this is the answer for number one.

WTO : World Trade organizations

Aimed to promote free trade, progressively abolish protectionist tariffs, quotas and subsidies, regulate international trade to make it fairer, negotiation of trade agreements.

GATT : General agreement on tariffs and trade, replaced in 1994 by the WTO

NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement
An agreement of free trade between US, Canada and Mexico

Free trade : Trade without barreers, tariffs, quotas, subsidies. With fair competition and free market.

Most Favored Nation : status awardes to another nation in international trade, MFN is a country that will receive all advantages from its trade partner, all MFN are treated equally.

Tariffs : A Tax on import that forces up the price of a good making it less competitive towards national products and also less attractive to import. Measure to protect local industry.

Globalization : integration of national economies into an international economy by international trade

Incoming search terms:

• as a representative of the u s international trade administration you have been asked to research the background of the various trade concerns with china and the actions that both countries are taking to increase product safety and quality
• Trade Administration you have been asked to research the background of the various trade concerns with China and the actions that both countries are taking to increase product safety and quality
• Identify the following: World Trade Organization GATT NAFTA Free Trade Most Favored Nation Tariff Globalization Outsourcing GDP GNP
• In the last 20 years China’s economy has experienced rapid growth Since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 the increase of exports and imports between China and the U S has more than tripled The U S Commerce Department reports that China is
• research the background of the various trade concerns with china
• world trade organization gatt nafta free trade most favored nation tariff globalization outsourcing gdp gnp

If a person is a republican, he/she is ignorant or he is against the interest of the majority of the American people. Does that person knows that the republicans were against Social Security, Medicare, Banking laws designed to protect the consumer, the child labor laws, the right of women to vote, against the equal rights for women, against usury laws, the republicans have been found against all laws against consumer protection, clean air, clean water, safe meds, safe foods, you name it. A republican who is a good person does not know what his party is and what it represent.
To say that all politicians are crooked is like saying all humans have 2 legs. That is the intellectual refuge of the ignorant, the lazy who has not done its home work. If you are not rich, the democrats are working for you and the republicans are working against you. Your opinion?

Incoming search terms:

• are all republicans bad

Whether you be poor, rich, or even middle class, cap on trade is here. Amazingly enough most people do not know about it or do not fully understand what it will do for them. The basic idea is that the Federal Government will create a figure that it thinks is an appropriate amount of carbon emissions. It will then create a hefty tax for any additional carbon emissions.

So what are the results?

Coal, natural gas, and anything that emits "greenhouse" gases will be taxed. This is not only going to effect your electricity costs. Corporation use gasoline and energy to produce everything from tampons to food. There will even be a tax associated with tilling a field because of the carbon the soil will release.

Inevitably corporations will transfer the tax onto the consumer. If you don’t believe that to be true, listen here to our genius of a President openly discuss that fact:

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/11/02/obama-ill-make-energy-prices-skyrocket/

We are not talking about a few buck here. We are talking about trillions of dollars that our liberal, progressive, moronic government wants to spend in order to fix a problem that is not even scientific fact. There are numerous problems with Gore’s assertion and also with the ways we are trying to rectify the energy crisis.

Whether you are liberal or conservative, no matter what you believe, exposing yourself to opinions that are in contradiction with your own is not a bad thing. It ensures not only that you will be educated enough to comment on something, it also ensures that you understand the entirety of the issue you are discussing. Because of this I would ask anyone that wishes to respond to this discussion to at least read a few pages of the following link to see what many scientists are saying about our government’s new policies and ideas about anthropogenic warming:

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=83947f5d-d84a-4a84-ad5d-6e2d71db52d9

In an hour or so your congress will put to vote a bill that will cost every American thousands of dollars each year. If you think for a second that you will be okay because you are poor you are sadly mistaken. I currently make 35-40,000 dollars a year. I own a 1500 square foot house that was built 70+ years ago. Because of this my house is under-insulated. If I were wealthy and this bill passed, I would buy solar panels and switch to geothermal heating. Unfortunately because I am merely middle class, I will not be able to afford the immense increase in my taxes, food costs, transportation cost, etc, that will be inevitable if this bill passes.

So what I ask is this: can anyone honestly say that they believe this to be the correct course of action. While you are being bombarded with Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett stories, you congress is about to pass a bill that will put an IMMENSE financial strain on families that are already struggling. I am asking that no matter what your beliefs that you take a few moments to look at these two links. If you are one of those people that has an opinion that is based on little more than what you have been taught via unqualified public school teachers, or by our politicians, or by the media, please, take a few moments to look at those links and share your opinion about what is about to happen.

Here is a phone number that will allow you to contact your congress person’s office. This is URGENT. This bill goes to vote in a matter of minutes. Good luck getting through.

2022243121

The following link will allow you to contact your local reps via online form. This is probably the best method as the phone lines are swamped with angry voters:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

Enter your zip at the right of the page, click on the representatives name, and then click on online contact form.
I’m willing to bet none of you even bothered looking at the links. That’s because what you are spewing is "meaningless political jargon"

Choose the best answer for each question.

1. Which community value helps us to tell the truth and to fulfill our end of a contract?
respect
civility
obedience
honesty

2. What describes trying to find an answer to our questions such as organ transplants and deciding how long to keep someone alive because we know how to do it?
ethics
act
law
theort

3. Which of the following non-profit agencies is least likely to be an advocate for a no-smoking
campaign to keep our lungs and babies healthy?
American Cancer Society
Meals on Wheels
March of Dimes
American Lung Association

4. Which of the following is not a function of the school nurse?
teaching maturation programs
performing screenings for hearing and vision
facilitating CPR classes for students and faculty
maintaining fitness records for teachers

5. Which of the following is generally not a function of community health departments?
providing emergency care for accident victims
overseeing public pools
keeping records of communicable diseases
regulating restaurant procedures

6. Which of the following is not a sign of a medical scam?
There is a promise of a miracle cure.
There are several testimonials that express how amazing the product is.
A single product is advertised as a treatment for a wide assortment of medical problems.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the product.

7. According to the lesson material, what term best describes anyone who buys or uses goods and
services of any kind?
patient
shopper
consumer
practitioner

8. What organization originally developed the Patient’s Bill of Rights?
United States Congress
National Institute of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
American Hospital Association

9. Which of the following is not a right listed in the Patient’s Bill of Rights?
the right to informed consent
the right to know what risks or complications may occur
the right to know the doctor’s credentials
the right to refuse payment

10. Which of the following is not a reason to seek care from an emergency department?
The person is experiencing symptoms of a stroke including right sided weakness.
You suspect your two-year-old sibling has consumed a bottle of flavored vitamins.
Your mother says she is having a difficult time seeing the television screen.
The neighbor’s arm is cut and spurting bright red blood from the wound.

11. Which of the following statements could make you vulnerable to medical scams?
Be wary of any statement that claims something is a cure all for disease.
Believe all statements that use pseudo-medical terms to describe the cure.
Disregard claims that all diseases are caused by nutritional deficiencies.
Get a second opinion when a surgical procedure is ordered.

12. Which law helps to allow donation of organs without cost to the donor?
Good Samaritan Act
HIPAA
Uniform Anatomical Gift Act
DSHEA

13. Lucretia is having abdominal pain and decides she needs to have certain points in her foot massaged to control her pain. What type of unconventional medicine is she using?
acupuncture
iridology
reflexology
naturopathy

14. Marcus is complaining of a headache and his friend suggests to him that he should have a spinal adjustment to make the pain go away. What form of unconventional medicine is this friend most likely suggesting?
homeopathy
chelation therapy
iridology
chiropractics

15. Which of the following does not contribute to homelessness?
substance abuse
catastrophic financial event
domestic violence
medical insurance

16. What government agency helps homeless people find shelter?
FDA
FAA
HUD
CDC

17. Which policy helps protect patients’ privacy and insurance coverage?
FDA
HIPAA
OSHA
CDC

18. You stop at the scene of an accident and notice a woman face down in a puddle of water. You turn her over and determine that she is unconscious. What law enables you to proceed with emergency care?
Good Samaritan Act
Uniform Anatomical Gift Act
Controlled Substances Act
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.

19. What law prevents heroin from being prescribed by physicians and health care providers?
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Workers’ Compensation Fund
Controlled Substances Act
Dietary Supplement Health an

Incoming search terms:

• right sided weakness
• What describes trying to find an answer to our questions such as organ transplants and deciding how long to keep someone alive because we know how to do it?
• which community value helps us to tell the truth and to fulfill our end of a contract

Forbes magazine said the United States is now facing perhaps the worst financial crisis since the banking panic that former President Franklin Roosevelt faced in 1933.

To help grease the financial plumbing Monday, the Federal Reserve pumped a total of billion ( billion and then another regularly scheduled billion were injected in temporary reserves) into the nation’s financial system through open market operations to help ease credit stresses.

Lehman Brothers, the country’s fourth-largest investment bank, filed for bankruptcy protection. A weakened Merrill Lynch, deciding it couldn’t go it alone anymore, found help in the arms of Bank of America. Now, the insurance giant American International Group (AIG) is dangerously wobbling. Against this backdrop, Wall Street on Monday plunged 500 points, the most since the September 2001 terror attacks.

"Fed pumps B into nation’s financial system"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080916/ap_on_bi_ge/fed_credit_crisis

"Wall Street is now at the mercy of Washington."

"Facing reporters at the White House on Monday, Wall-Street-titan-turned-Treasury-Secretary Henry Paulson deflected questions about whom to finger for the meltdown, saying simply: “I’m playing the hand that was dealt to me.” So is Wall Street, and it’s folding."

"No matter who’s elected, the next administration might have a much easier job of watching over the investment banking industry simply because it will be so tiny."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080916/pl_politico/13486;_ylt=AkuWHsbzw.Qro8y4ZaffrHms0NUE

On the trail… latest from our future leadership…

McCain: Fundamentals of Economy Remain Strong
On the campaign trail, Senator John McCain said that the fundamentals of the economy remain strong.

Sen. John McCain: “You know that there’s been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street. And it is—people are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult time. And I promise you we will never put America in this position again. We will clean up Wall street. We will reform government. And this is a failure.”

Senator Barack Obama accused McCain of subscribing to the same economic philosophy as President Bush.

Sen. Barack Obama: “For eight years, we’ve had policies that have shredded consumer protections, that have loosened oversight and regulation and encouraged out-sized bonuses to CEO’s while ignoring middle-class Americans. The result is the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. And I certainly don’t fault Senator John McCain for these problems, but I do fault the economic philosophy he subscribes to, because it’s the same philosophy we’ve had for the last eight years.”

All this has been happening since yesterday when the stock market dropped over 500 points and the ripple effect being felt around the world. Economists are all warning us this is a huge problem, it may be hard to get loans for cars, houses, etc. The state of the economy could get exponentially worse. People are being encouraged to withdraw from the banks and sell their stocks, etc.

I wrote about this last night (per FDIC not being able to deal with the trillion dollars potentiall at risk, etc.), and got some very interesting answers, please refer to that too for some keen insight and additional information…
Is American in trouble? Are bank deposits for once at risk?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Api3DBdrJ1_y2c_kH0Rmw9Xsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080915212838AAJlEea

What I want to know is… Are we really in this deep of trouble, What the economists are saying.???..

"Once in century kind of phenomenon!"
"This is the financial storm of the century!"
"Congress must recapitalize FDIC immediately!"
"1 trillion at risk, FDIC can only cover billion!", etc…

Someone please explain what is going on and what is going to happen, or your opinions on this please.

Incoming search terms:

• financial crisis im facing
• is the world facing another great depression
• us economic crash