Particularly the ones that employers may not itemize, because the federal government has made it illegal for employers to itemize them
The person making $10/hour, or $20,000 a year "gross" on his paycheck in fact has the following additional wage being paid to him that he never sees nor is it lawful to disclose in exact figures on his check stub:Isn't that lovely?* 7.65% x $20,000 = $1,530In other words, the so-called $20,000 a year employee is actually making $21,964 gross - and that's just at the federal level. He's not making $10/hour, he's actually making almost $11 - but it's illegal for me to tell him that when I hire him, and itemize exactly what's being taken from him as a direct consequence, and only as a consequence, of him working for me.
* 6.2% x $7,000 = $434
See, if people knew how much in taxes they were actually paying, they might get angry at the government, because no one likes taxes except for the people who get to spend all the tax revenue.
...if I say what I really feel about all that I'll end up getting no-knocked by the FBI and the CIA and probably the SS just for good measure, so I won't.
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I sincerely doubt that Obama's plan will include tax cuts. Why would it? Obama had to be forced into agreeing to continue the Bush tax cuts another couple years, and the Democrats were hearing footsteps on that issue, else they would have simply expired.
Obama's plan is likely to contain a mix of tax cuts, jobs-boosting construction projects and steps to help the long-term unemployed.The "tax cuts" won't be anything like tax cuts; and the other things are simply spending, spending, and more spending.
The problem we have here is a government which is too intrusive, which is spending far too much money; the solution to the problem is less government...and that's not going to happen. Not now, and probably not after the elections next year, either, because Washington, D.C. has a vested interest in the status quo. High taxes, big deficit spending, restrictive regulatory environment, all of which concentrate and maintain power in Washington, D.C.
None of those idiots is willing to accept that this crap can't continue and that if they don't start demonstrating some discipline, the laws of economics will force them to.
...and their only response is to criminalize people who are trying to prepare for the inevitable disaster. Yeah.
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AoSHQ DOOM! post. As usual.
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Global warming is at it again! Understand that New Zealand is south of the equator; so "going north" is like "going south" here in the US. In New Zealand, the farther north you go, the closer you are to the equator, and the warmer it gets.
It hasn't snowed on North Island in 40 years, so it must be global warming that caused this unusual event!
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When is "the slippery slope" not a fallacy?
The Slippery Slope is not a logical fallacy. It is, rather, a correct use of logic to provide a reasonable guide to choose between possible future events. Advocates of normalizing homosexuality and homogamy argued that their reasoning would not be used to attempt to normalize pedophilia and polygamy. It is worth noting that subsequent events have proven them to be totally incorrect.I don't even need to type out the answer. This Internet fad might just be worthwhile after all.
...I'd wager Vox Day probably gets much the same kind of nonsense posts I've been getting, but in greater quantity. After all, compared with him, no one reads the Fungus.
The comments are worth reading, and this one echoes my own sentiments:
For elucidating a viewpoint highly similar to this one, I'm labeled a "bigot" and a "homophobe".jjc: 8/17/11 7:33 AM:Well said. In an effort to get the collective to bless the profane, homosexual activists, with mascara running into their eyes cry out, "tolerate us, accept us, include us, love us."
For example, consider the lesbian couple in NY that is suing a vermont bed and breakfast for refusing to host their wedding reception - I wonder how many places the couple had to call before they found the one that would say 'no' to them (the owners are catholic). We never get to just look the other way - we have to 'affirm'.
However, most conservative, orthodox minded Christians do love the sinner, they do accept the sinner, they do include the sinner and they do tolerate the sinner. But this is not what the activist really wants - they want us to join then in celebrating their lifestyle, and to teach our children the same.
...
Anything short of this is unacceptable to them.
Fortunately I don't give a rip what they think of me.
Also in the comments, someone mentioned: "Last year the German government issued a pamphlet promoting sexual contact between parents and children and punting it as a positive thing."
...the fuck what? How can anyone justify that? That has to be someone's misunderstanding, because I don't know how any reasonable government can say, "Hey, go ahead and sexually abuse your kids! It's fine!"
Of course, it's possible that the German government is not, after all, reasonable. One would hope they would be, but this is Europe we're talking about. Shit.
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My back continues to pain me, but unpredictably. This is actually an improvement over constant pain.
Yesterday I woke up pain-free, but it came back after I sat at the computer for a while, and went away after I took a nap. So laying down is definitely better for my back than being at the computer, even in my fancy new chair.
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This is VERY interesting. Go find a certain Saab in a boneyard...grab the turbo and the associated hardware...install in Fiero...ZOOM!
You don't need to run a hell of a lot of boost; even 4 PSI would make the Fiero into a rocket and would not significantly reduce the lifespan of the engine.
Hmm.
I'd want to install a high-volume oil pump, though, because the car has a problem with the oil thinning at higher temperatures. When I drove my Fiero between Illinois and Iowa, my oil pressure would crater once I pulled off the highway after driving along at 70 for a couple hours. (Speed limit 65, so I was only going five over....) I mean, it would drop into the "oil light is coming on!" territory.
It was only because the oil was hot; not because the engine was low on oil. (Believe me, I checked!) But going 70 MPH in a car designed to cruise at 55, with a 3-speed automatic transmission to boot (no overdrive) so the engine's running around 3,000 RPM--of course things are going to get a bit toasty.
...but if I were to run a turbo, I would want more oil being forced through the bearings, just on general principles. Also, I'd probably plumb in an oil cooler just to make sure.
Hmm.
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My earliest experience with hot oil leading to low oil pressure came, strangely enough, from my adventures with my Volkswagen 412.
The 412 was an air-cooled VW, of the Type IV series, which was rare here in the US. I've only ever seen two other Type IVs in real life. Mine was a fastback, uglier than a Saab. It had a fuel injected engine (Bosch analog fuel injection!) and a four-speed.
One of the things I fiddled around with was removing the air box from the decklid. I figured it was restrictive and that the engine would run cooler without it; BOY was I wrong. The engine ran hotter, and the only sign I had that it was overheating was when I shoved in the clutch and the oil light came on. WTF!!!
...had to stop and let the engine cool off; then I turned around, went home, reinstalled the air box, and considered the wasted time cheap tuition. In an air-cooled engine, the oil can easily coke up and seize the thing, making the whole operation into a paperweight. (Beetles had this problem with the #3 cylinder, which is why VW changed the design of the "doghouse" to incorporate a larger oil cooler and better airflow to #3.)
But liquid-cooled engines don't work the same way. In the case of the Fiero, for example, the coolant temperature gauge was within the normal range the entire time--on the cool side of normal--and the only indication I had of a problem with oil temperature was when it fell to 5 PSI and turned the oil lamp on. And that went away after a few minutes spent at a gas station, frantically checking my oil level and realizing it was right at the top of the "safe" zone on the dipstick. The lesson of the 412 came to mind and I was able to stop panicking about being stranded in western Illinois....
That's the main reason I keep thinking about a transmission change. Even just installing a 4T60 (instead of the stock T125C) would help this kind of issue; the 4T60 has an overdrive gear, you see.
A 4-speed manual would be more fun, of course, but require a hell of a lot more work. *sigh*
The thing that offends me the most about the auto transmissions is that they're heavy and they don't provide a direct mechanical link between engine and wheels. I forget the actual numbers but the 4-speed weighs at least a hundred pounds less than the T125C; and the 4T60 weighs even more than that. The locking torque convertor is an attempt to make up for the sins of the hydraulic coupling that links engine and gearbox, but it's a compromise at best. No, the most efficient coupling is still a clutch.
Oh well.
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That's about all I've got right now.
There are a bunch of errands I have to run and I don't think I'll get after any of them today. I guess I suck.
Last night I got Bitsychan to lvl 69 and got a good run on lvl 70 (33% of 70 right now) and one of my toons on Hellscream--another version of Ormus--got enough signatures to register a new vanity guild, "Lums Stormtroopers". Should be "Lum's Stormtroopers", of course, but the name field doesn't allow punctuation. Oh well.
Sailor V was amazed that "Lums Stormtroopers" was still available, but I was not; there's not a hell of a lot of overlap between anime fandom and WoW playing--at least when it comes to older titles like Urusei Yatsura. Plenty of WoW players are into things like Bleach and Fumoffu and-and-and, but these are series which you can watch on the right cable channels. UY was never available that way, mainly because AnimEigo dubbed exactly two episodes of it before giving it up as a bad job.
Believe me, this hurts me more than it does you:
...they ain't no wonder they quit after that horseshit. Jesus.
And I own a copy of this tape. To my eternal shame.
Anyway, most WoW players--even if they do identify as anime fans--don't know UY. Trust me; the sub version is hilarious.
AnimEigo later got their shit together with regards to dubs; they did You're Under Arrest! and Oh! My Goddess! dubs which were pretty good.
The OP for YUA! because I happened upon it:
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BTW, it would rule to have a Honda Today G minipat like the "Miyuki Special" in that OP. I'm just sayin'.