Posts Made By: Michael Koons

The Goldman inquiry will be...... I'm thinking there could be a few tendrils leading to DC of a few administrations.........

How about this Arizona law!!!!
I hope she signs it and things start changing down there, and Obama is dead wrong, if they are illegally here, out with them!

Redux,

"CATERPILLAR SPOKESMAN:From Our Point Of View, A Tax Increase Like This Cannot Come At A Worse Time."WSJ 3/25/2010

"Caterpillar Inc reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday and raised its full-year sales forecast "4/26/2010

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36776486/ns/business/

And a fantastic reason to buy any of the companies who whined when their corporate welfare bottle was taken away....

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2010/03/29/what-do-these-health-care-reform-charges-at-att-and-others-mean-for-your-portfolio/?mod=msn_money_ticker


They are just fine with a few less of your pennies in thier pocket....

Mike

Well,
my little place a few miles from Cherry Springs is well, full of wells now. Natural gas, Marcellus Shale type. As the gas rush floods into our little neck of the woods we find all types of neat things, contaminated wells, dead fish, vegatation, the roads are simply taking a hammering. There have been a number of efforts to slow this beast down but big money has come into play. Here's the latest interesting tidbit, the crap they put down to fracture the shale has around 48 different chemicals, and interestingly enough the drilling guys are the "ONLY" ones who are exempt from listing the junk they are shooting into the ground like everyone else is

"Unfortunately, a provision included in the 2005 Energy Policy Act exempted hydraulic fracturing from compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. The oil and gas industry is the only industry to have this exemption."

I cannot tell you how many Halliburton trucks I see up there now, but it simply is not turning out well.

Here's a link to some of the bad news, I'd be indebted if any right or left leaning astro dudes would call their congressmen or shoot them a note urging passage of the "Frac Act"

http://www.donnan.com/Marcellus-Gas_Hickory.htm


Thanks
PS Figured this might fit in with politics since we had both Repubs and Dems who voted to exclude specifically and only

SEC. 322. HYDRAULIC FRACTURING.
Paragraph (1) of section 1421(d) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300h(d)) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(1) UNDERGROUND INJECTION.—The term ‘underground injection’—
‘‘(A) means the subsurface emplacement of fluids by well injection; and
‘‘(B) excludes—
‘‘(i) the underground injection of natural gas for purposes of storage; and
‘‘(ii) the underground injection of fluids or propping agents (other than diesel fuels) pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities.’’.

SEC. 323. OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION DEFINED.
Section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1362) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(24) OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION.—The term ‘oil and gas exploration, production, processing, or treatment operations or transmission facilities’ means all field activities or operations associated with exploration, production, processing, or treatment operations, or transmission facilities, including activities necessary to prepare a site for drilling and for the movement and placement of drilling equipment, whether or not such field activities or operations may be considered to be construction activities.’’.

This Bites :C

The government is and has been knee deep in healthcare for a long time. Not for profit hospitals must provide substantial care for those not able to pay(not because some of the staff takes a Hippocratic Oath). What percentage of say 16.7% of GDP(total healthcare bill) is for people not legally in the country?

Any studies, analysis, your thoughts...........

Scott Satko said:

It seems that Pelosi has been busy urging Catholic priests to preach from their pulpits about immigration reform, encouraging their parishioners to support it.

http://politics.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=23888&external=279560.proteus.fma

Now, whether you're for or against the Democrats plan for immigration reform, isn't the act of the gov't telling a religious organization to preach a politically-motivated message something that we're not supposed to be doing in this country? Can you imagine the outrage there would have been if GWB had asked Protestant leaders to convince their congregations to support any of his policies? Haven't we all heard about churches being threatened with removal of their tax-exemption status if their pastors failed to cease preaching politically-oriented messages (always ones in favor of the "wrong" party, of course)?

Scott,
her quote includes this is her response when approached by those clergy, not as if she is going out soliciting this. When asked can she help, she tell's thm to help themselves. I wouldn't worry about the Catholic Church banging the pulpit over immigration reform. They have more than enough to deal with.
Mike

Well all the people screaming for the government to help like BO really has any options to help are finally answered. The US and military alike have no real help for 5000 feet and 2200 psi under the water. No kidding! But now everyone is screaming and the US is investigating for criminal investigation. Wonderful, lets just kick the Sh%$ out of BP while they are down, lets take them for the 16 billion or so that they are worth. Why don't we just focus on clean up and containment and then concentrate? No, we'll force BP to focus on the legal end of things too. Well, I wonder how much cash we'll get if they go under.......I know they are big but who knows. The real problem was the 30 day review of new site plans (insane) and not requiring relief wells concurrent with drilling. That in a nutshell IMHO is the real culprit. Who expedited the 30 day reviews......congress, heck I can't even get a building permit on ole terra firma back home in 30 days. Who could have required relief wells (the only sure fire fix historically but a long time in drilling), congress. Sure Trans and BP screwed up but history should have indicated we mandate relief wells.
Please help vote all incumbants out and pardon my rant.
Mike
PS Check out Ixtoc 1 if you would like an instant replay.

Cleaning up beaches, there should be a ton of work and OSHA is allowing 10 minutes of work per hour because of the heat. At that rate it will take 5 times the number of people and a ton more of BP's money to get cleaned up. Unbelievable................. OSHA s%cks!!!!!!!!!! 8O

Have major or minor unintended consequences on AZ's fragile housing market? Just thinking aloud.... :S

Under the current tax policy, is it true, that Hedge Fund managers pay tax not under the income tax rate, but under the capital gains rate? If that is correct, then can they pay 15% rather than the 35% that someone that makes over $373,000 a year.

If so, can someone explain to me why their work and vocation doesn't count as income that is taxed under the marginal rates and the rational for this.

Is their income also exempt from FICA, State and local tax as well?

Will this change if the current "expiring" tax cuts expire?

Can you help me find any vocation that I can have an adjusted gross income over $34,000 and pay only 15% other than investing without tricks like going overseas or just sitting on dividends that I don't have.

Thanks for your help and clarification,

Michael