SCREAMING EAGLE-66

----Well not exactly... I hate taxes and I hate my electric bill but I have to pay both... The "working wealthy" are getting beat up a lot (maybe paying up to 33% or 35%) The Warren Buffet types of guys and investment bankers that make their income from Wall Street pay only 15% of their earnings and they are often making millions. In short a doctor/lawyer /engineer may pay $3500 on $10,000 earned while the super wealthy pays $1500.. I don't think you understand what I have been saying... I would not even have a problem with keeping the first $100,000 in capitol gains at 15% but not those earning millions (or billions). Why should they pay a lesser percent than I do.....?? These are the people that really went -"KA-CHING"- when those tax cuts went into place about 2003. Those who needed the tax breaks the least ..got the most. Likely you and I do pay enough damn taxes (your term) .... PS.. General Electric managed to structure theirs this year in a way to pay zero taxes..... zero.... I paid more than they did. I don't think I paid little to nothing...... A lot of cars cost less than what I paid. ..

Reagan....: you must be kidding.... The article is a Grim Fairytale... the national debt almost tripled during his administration...(a larger percent than W. Bush.... if fact his successor, Bush Sr. tried to correct it and got un-elected because he tried.... despite his success in the Gulf War) Reagan spent a fortune during his administration on "Star Wars" and the "Supercollider" ..both of which were never completed ... plus a lot on upgrading the military.. some of which was really needed but some was just a waste..... Let us not forget he was handing Saddam Hussein ( W Bush's swore enemy later) weapons to fight Iran because they represented Islamic fanatics and potential terrorists to us.. Even to this day the largest one-day drop in the stock market (percent-wise) happened during his administration... being fair about it, it did recover fairly quickly but didn't go up any big amount until Bush Sr. came into ofice. ...

Wu is a rat. ..... you can breath deeply again.

--You are absolutely correct... I know Perry claims to have reduced property tax in Texas which is amazing since we doesn't even have a state one. I am not certain but I think there was one until the 1960's when we went with a 4% sales tax instead. Actually Perry et. al. by cutting state funding to schools has caused your local property tax to increase. ---We as tax payers in Texas do take a beating from indigent health care at hospitals [often illegals especially near the border]. Most people don't think of that and that we are already paying for that anyway... Knowing that makes the new federal health care program make more sense.... you are already paying for the poor and uninsured.....which includes births etc. ..

---Looks like an honest article to me... The budget problem is not about his excessive spending [ which he hasn't been other than his residence after the official one burned ]. The problem is mostly due to so many tax cuts to business etc... a lot of which became big contributors. Did most people get any of those tax cuts ... nope.... sales, alcohol, gasoline etc. hasn't dropped a penny. ---He (and the Legislature) apparently did some interesting accounting by moving some expenses from one budget to the next one....(paying in September instead of August or whenever).... this made the first one look ok but eventually caught up with them and we now had a bigger problem....... and education in the state will take a big hit. ----ever waited until after payday to mail a check.??... about the same... but you still owed the money. ..

----I agree... I just they would... we have great potential with the size (and alum size) and location near a huge population center.... if Central Florida etc. can make the jump in a short time to that level, so could we. ---The Big East is way too large..... I think it will eventually split up and who knows what alignment will occur when that happens (if it does). When it does, it could cause a musical chairs situation for a while... I don't see the WAC getting any better in the somewhat near future. ---Being rather successful the next 2-3 years could be a very big deal for us with the Big XII down in size. .

--- All of those bank bailouts occurred in 2008.... before the 2008 election. ---I very much agree with spending cuts.... but not just to programs that were put into place by just the other party which seems to be the big problem. There are two issues to a balanced budget.... more income ( taxes.. I don't want new ones just just SOME of the old ones put back ) and less spending which partly occurred because the unnecessary Iraq war and those insane earmarks really that went crazy. Just don't cut things that should not be cut even if a member of the other party got it passed. --I get tired of hearing those imply the debt problem just occurred after the current guy walked it... it didn't.

---Why discuss losing to anyone... just go into them expecting to WIN. ---Nationally a win over Indiana might be the better of the two wins but statewide it probably will get more attention to defeat Houston.

Agree.... He tried when he was here... I respect that.... He had a valid reason to leave... good luck..

---If you are going to practice in Texas... you may have trouble with passing the bar... the Napoleanic code is very different... (son is a lawyer) .. Those who go to law schools outside of Texas have a lower passing rate anyway. Good luck... made sure and take the bar review courses here when you finish.

Wouldn't vetoing them shown better leadership???

---Most of those "no votes" were because they wanted most of the tax cuts reinstated as well plus cut the crazy earmarks... not just the debt raised.... which went from $5.5 trillion to $11 trillion after those cuts. From 1788 to 2001 $5.5 trillion debt total.... from 2001 to 2009, another $5.5 trillion... how was that conservative??? NOW--- the GOP doesn't want the debt raised, no reinstated taxes, but cut programs that mostly were sponsored by Democrats in the past... but none of theirs. ..

....NO..... NO ....... NO......... HELL NO...!

---Makes no sense... so you are saying if the capital gains tax went back to what it was prior to 2001 (20% instead of 15%) you are expecting people to move out of the USA?? Changing states is no big deal but moving out of the country and changing your citizenship is. Besides most other countries other than third world ones have even higher tax rates. ---Was the economy and the budget really bad in the 90's when the rate was 20% (less than what a lot of working people pay after deductions now) .... NO .. in fact capital gains was the largest reason there was a large surplus prior to 2001. Makes no sense at all. Capital gains could be kept at 15% for the first $100,000 or so of profit to help the smaller investors.. but for those making millions or 10's of millions each year paying 15% is unbelievable since most of us would pay more that that on any pay increase we would receive.... maybe not our total tax bill since much of the early money earned has no tax due to deductions but on increases which really defines what "bracket" we are in. This is why those with very small income pay little or no tax tax... deductions are more than income.... and I would not want to be them since they can barely pay basic expenses. True a lot of us got a small tax decrease in 2002? but many of them often paid millions less and paid a samller rate than you do. ---Wake up to what really happened. The proposed tax increae last December would have done nothing to you unless you earned $250,000 (net) or more and then only on the amount over $250,000. You bought a bill of goods by those who opposed it.. it only helped the "super wealthy" (big contributors) to any extent. It makes a lot of sense for the super wealthy to contribute a fortune to politicians if they save them even more in taxes... they come out ahead.. We get the best government (for them) that money can buy.

---Copper is a very expensive metal now... very little in current pennies, copper coated zink. Old pennies have a lot more than one cent of copper Theft is rampant in abandoned buildings with people taking all the wiring, copper plumbing etc. Here is West Texas copper materials have been taken from oil-well sites and unwatched businesses also..

Nowhere.. lives in Florida Keys so I read.. tried for Maryland job and did not get it.

---We had a surplus in 1999, in Texas and USA,(largest in history in USA and $6 billion in Texas) We lowered taxes or in the case of Texas, taxes were lowered or eliminated for some.... and now we have a problem...both places. None of your taxes in Texas were lowered unless you were certain businesses (often know as big contrubutors). I don't think lowering either helped the economy any either place. It is not so much about actually raising taxes but just restoring what once existed... In Texas that wouldn't be a dime more to most people since they got no cuts to start with. ---Some just don't get that less money comes in is a problem unless other sourses appear or the economy improves GREATLY which in Texas would mean more sales/gasoline tax collected ... which hits all of us and not just the buinesses that got those cuts. It is likely you got zero tax cuts from Texas and even the claims about a tax rate decline in property tax is off-set by increased evaluation..... pay attention... you likely got nothing....maybe higher local property taxes as a result..and these budget problems now and underfunded schools and social services. --- To all those so called conservatives [i think I am actually one, not a so called one] explain why 1788 - 2001 had a total national debt of $5.5 trillion, but after the eight "conservative administration years", 2001-2009, it went to $11 trillion and you say more cuts is a good idea. ... could it be things weren't as claimed. Don't say 9-11... or else also explain WWII debt which was many times more expensive.... even with the difference in the value of the dollar. You are being conned. ..

--- SMU does not want a large state university in their back yard competing with them...... even though they aren't doing very well now in public support. That is the issue.. Sort of like girls not wanting a really beautiful girl to walk into the room and then have to compete with them for attention.....

You are exactly about his salery... BUT it is a minor part to his income.... he pays 15% on his capital gains..... Those working and making a large salery say $250,000 pay 35%.. They are the ones really getting screwed.... Not the super wealthy such Perot and Buffett that get little or no salery compared to their earnings from capital gains.. usually stock... The rest of what you said is correct. You just aren't thinking what it meant to the super wealthy (not the high wage earners). Of course they pay more, they earn more but they actually pay a lower rate.... only 15%.. same as low wage earners. ..... but you seem to think that is fair. AND what happened after that tax cut.... the national debt went wild.... increased as much in eight years as the years from 1788- 2001. THINK... that isn't conservative that is liberal... don't spend more than you take in and try to run down the debt some... you don't do that by passing more cuts which decreases your income.

.. --- You are not wrong...... One of the largest reasons NTSU name survives in sports is Joe Green ...he played for NTSU and not UNT... His memory is partly to "blame" for the name continuing.. Until we get some people in athletics and maybe other people who are closely associated with the UNT name it will continue. I often see obits in the paper that state that the person went to NTSU which technically is correct but I hope mine doesn't say that. ---This also shows how difficult it is for the public to unlearn things once they think it is true. Applies to many sectors including politics. --- The worst I have heard lately ( about three months ago) was a person I know mentioning North Texas State Teacher's College ( 1923-1949)..... Holy-Moly ---- she was about four when that was disappeared and even worse she never lived in Texas until the 1970's... I have no idea how she came up with that name. Old ideas, names, reputations, and beliefs, do not die easily. A few still think the world is flat. Just grin and correct then and tell them that they are bit behind.. and that the NTSU name disappeared about 25 years ago. ---I hope Army of Dad doesn't object to my --- again... I just do it and always have in emails/postings... Some programs will/would not indicate a paragraph and will collapse it to the edge. I don't get his criticism, I guess he just didn't know.. maybe he is just too young or inexperienced to know that.

-- I just hope the new coach doesn't do like Ohio State does/did.... put all those stickers on helmets.... it looks so kindergardenish... Sort of like getting a gold star for whatever. I would hope college players were bit more mature than to be motivated by a "sticker". -- Ohio State is not a great example anyway... they were paying players [giving them equiptment to sell ]. Hope NCAA sticks it to them.. if they don't, I would be mad if I was SMU who got hit hard for what they did. .

---The tax hike that was voted down in December would have raised taxes only on people who made $250,000 or more...... and only on the part over $250,000.... He (your brother)is not all wrong and understands it... The high income people who earn their money with a pay check are paying far more than those whose income is coming from capital gains.... which is is only 15% ... He is likely paying 33%. Twice that rate... I too have relatives making that much... and mostly from a salery. the high income "working class" are the ones really taking it on the chin.... not the Ross Perot, Warren buffet types who pay a lot more because of their higher incomes... but are paying a smaller rate..... that is what matters. He has just cause to gripe some. Healthcare... not exactly... you are paying for it now... indigent health care at emergency rooms .. they show up and get care. All I ask is really think about what has been happening.. Murdoch USA (FOX) is about as honest as Murdoch London (which had to shut down lately) Many British people were claiming he was trying to create a Murdochacy there with all they did. What they present about healthcare here is greatly flawed. You still may not want it... but their claims are mostly garbage. ..

-- A good article.... Now we just need to show them that not so good in Texas is still better than Indiana football.

-- I am one that would prefer Texas State over LaTech. Larger school (about 30K), better location, in Texas, and even a better name, and no bad attitude. ...

--- If we had picked up Texas State, which I wanted to do, to give us an instate team in the Belt... the WAC would have really been screwed. None of the others are even close to a quality pickup especially football. NMSU and LaTech should run wild over that group now.... and will have accomplished very little. .