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I couldn't agree more. Can anyone say Big Brother? At what point are we going to say "enough already."

This is a great article. It is kind of interesting reading about differing perspectives on the topic of responsibility. I don't know how you would handle something like that. I personally believe the Japanese are responsible, but how does a japanese individual grapple with that load. Interesting indeed.

I couldn't agree more. Africa is a truly blessed continent with many great people. It is almost as if it needs a complete overhaul. How, I do not know. But the corrupt ruling class has to be the first to be eliminated and somehow, a repeat performance must be avoided. eFormer - News that Moves

I couldn't agree more. There are problems that can't be avoided, but many can. If you are constantly given when you need, why bother working for it? I know that is extremely basic as there are many more variables at work. But the aid system we have isn't effective in that it isn't delievered to those that need it. Quite a shame.

eFormer - News that Moves

I couldn't agree more. There are problems that can't be avoided, but many can. If you are constantly given when you need, why bother working for it? I know that is extremely basic as there are many more variables at work. But the aid system we have isn't effective in that it isn't delievered to those that need it. Quite a shame.

eFormer - News the Moves

and soros and buffet are always right...right?

I think that is outrageous bull. Yes, there are muslims out there that think as you say, but there are also many others that do as well. It is wrong to group the few in with the masses. The problem we face is the few and understanding them. I do not believe people like those that I am speaking of will likely ever change their views, but that is their perogative. As soon as they start hurting others, that is when I have a problem..and I do now. Unfortunately I don't know of a way to stop the bullshit that seeps from their mouths without hurting the innocent...which is against everything I believe in. As soon as you start lumping masses of people together and assigning the blame of a few to all, you are no better than the most vile individuals in history. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot come to mind immediately.

I have always said that the Euro is doomed to fail. It is nearly impossible to meld so many different nations together into one. They have fought each other for centuries and their differences run deep. This is something that is going to take years to fix, if at all. During this process, Europe will go through a very rough patch so to speak because a single monetary/fiscal policy over such a diverse area takes some getting used to. Countries that have higher inflation such as italy, or those with extreme unemployment need to come into parity. This takes time and pain. Good luck Europe! You will need it!

eFormer - News that Moves

I mean c'mon people. We are supposed to be tolerant, live and let live, do what you want but don't hurt me. But then you come across this nonsense. Reading this not only scares me, but it infuriates me. I know that he does not represent the masses, but he represents someone. That is enough to freak me out a bit. Why do people have so much hatred? What causes this to occur. Is it simple jealousy? Do people such as Omran hide their hatred behind the Koran? Do they use it as an excuse? This happened with christianity throughout the ages, and you know what...that was bull as well. You can find passages that will tell you to jump off the eiffel tower, or passages that tell you to binge drink constantly and then to eat a brownie. When are people going to wake up and start trying to construct a society that harbors unity. For a while I thought it was happening, but now I see things going in an entirely different direction.

eFormer - News that Moves

Yeah...anyone surprised?

eFormer - News the Moves

Hats off to both the UN and Mugabe for being total dicks. My biggest problem with the UN is their inability to a.) assign blame for ANYTHING, or b.) to pull the trigger on anything. Anytime you have a large international body, taking action is going to be slow. The same is true with any large governing body. Inefficiency is a natural part of their existence.

As for more international aid going to Zimbabwe and just about any country in Africa, great concept, but the reality of the situation is that the aid won't get to the people that need it. Just as this article points out, Mugabe diverted aid towards his cronies to gain favor and to line his own pockets. Africa is rife with corruption and it will not end anytime soon unfortunately. We went into somalia to try and prevent famine. We tried to ensure that food was delivered to those who needed it. We were prevented, and many died. A recent article in some newspaper recently claimed that the rulers in nigeria have stolen over 300 billion dollars in aid from its citizens, equal to over 300 years of british aid. Going along with this..the recent Live 8 concert plans on donating the proceeds to help aid poverty in Africa..bravo...but I ask, who will take delivery of this so called Aid? Will the truly desperate? Somehow I doubt it.

eFormer - News that Moves

I know, it is worth it because the end result is termination. Just throwing the hypothetical out there because we might wake up one day and realize that everything we value in our society has been taken away in order to protect us, while at the same time nothing has really changed.

Exactly... The true question is, how effective can we be against people that move as individuals, know how to blend in and act on a whim? This isn't a nation, what we are fighting is a group of people intent on ruining our way of life. How do you stop this? Is it possible? Do we have to sacrifice everything that we covet in order to succeed? Is it worth it?

eFormer - News the Moves

Welcome to the Ken Blackwell Campaign Kick-off Party

First, I feel that Mr. Laffer provides a coherent example of how to change Ohio's tax policies. I do not discount his prior economic findings, nor do I challenge his current theories. But what I do have issue with is that a no name Ohio Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell, has taken his economic prowess and used it to start his campaign for Ohio's open gubernatorial seat.

It has been no secret that Ken Blackwell aspires to be governor: he almost ran against current Governor Bob Taft in the last election's primary. So this is a interesting tactic to start his campaign. Get a well respected economist to co-author an op-ed about your states failing economy, and cite ways to improve it, not a bad idea. I do not think that Mr. Laffer understood the consequences of co-authoring an article with a failed political candidate.

My problems with the actual article are more political than economic. While the ever-growing tax rates in Ohio are a constant problem, they are in their current state due to the shameless politics of our current two term governor. The extreme spending that he has wasted over the last eight years has only lead to newer roads, a stronger aeronautics program, and stricter law enforcement. The core problems of our state still exist; including soaring healthcare and education costs.

The article states that Ohio’s share of the nations personal income has decreased in the last 35 years. This is a true statement, but he uses it incorrectly. The article refers to the ever-growing tax problem, while at the same time it does not cite the job loss or the fact that for years Ohio’s economy has been rooted in industries that are on the decline; including the steel and auto industries. The fact that our share of the nations personal wealth is decreasing is due to the fact that our economic base is shifting from an industrial base to a service base, and during this transition there has been a lapse in income.

I agree with the concern over not keeping Ohio’s traditional corporate tax as the subsequent tax only creates more headaches for businesses. Governor Taft has been a strong proponent of raising “sin” taxes. He has tried everything from raising cigarette taxes over 60% in the last 6 years to putting taxes on SUV drivers. He has also tripled state school tuition for institutions of higher learning. There just seems like better ways to balance a state budget.

While the proposed constitutional amendment does seem to hold the state accountable for its fiscal responsibilities, I question whether it takes into account the extreme need for reinvigorating a declining workforce workforce. To solve a problem of joblessness and economic decline, tax cuts do not seem like a feasible solution.

eFormer - News that Moves

Be careful! Signing away your rights is relatively easy in comparison to the task of regaining them.

eFormer - News that Moves

Excellent...how long do you think they will last until they cave.

Okay, does anybody really think this is going to change anything? 2% is really nothing to be excited about. This isn't going to affect the trade balance, this is only serving to pacify the political pressures here in the US in order to avoid a much stiffer penelty. The chinese have mentioned nothing about the so called basket of currencies they are using to peg the yuan. Transparency at its greatest to say the least. This will serve to have a bullish effect of equities because this should seemingly increase exports...albeit only a tad. It will hurt those corporations that import goods from china. Because the chinese are backing off of their currency manipulation, the debt market will experience the bearish of bearish reactions. Expect yields to soar on this one. Along with this, everything that the chinese buy, including oil will get cheaper for them increasing their purchasing power. Fun stuff...and it has only just begun.

Yeah, so at what point are we all going to wake up and realize that racial profiling, albeit unfair, will get the job done in this case. Not all islamic people are bad, but it also turns out that all suicide bombers are islamic. Seems to be good enough resoning for me.

Tobacco farming along with the great success of the boardgame Monopoly produced by Parker Brothers.