Posts Made By: Steve Hoff

March 12, 2009 01:23 AM Forum: Polls

These drugs should be legal and taxed..

Posted By Steve Hoff

Well, if you believe in evolution, it might make a hell-of a deterrent.

March 16, 2009 04:34 PM Forum: Polls

The UN

Posted By Steve Hoff

I am fascinated, why/how do you equate individuals that present the virtues of individual responsibility and the actual roll of The Constitution of the United States with neo-nazis.
As I recall, the Nazis were not about individual liberty and self determination. Even "good germans" had to yield a variety of personal freedoms to the States wishes.

August 31, 2010 12:04 AM Forum: Polls

It's the same price ... I will take a ...

Posted By Steve Hoff

I am now down to three: '85 535i 5sp; '87 325iC 5sp; 2001 z3 5sp; the 91 535i 5sp (amazingly stable at triple digit speeds 8^); and '96 328iC 5sp are no longer with us..
My son had a '74 polaris 02 but had to let it go when he moved..
they can be persnickety as they age, but when everything is working right, nothing can touch 'em (imho)

October 9, 2010 09:36 PM Forum: Polls

The DemocratIC Controlled Congress

Posted By Steve Hoff

unlike spontaneous combustion where when the circumstances are favourable combustion occurs, people have the opportunity to choose how they wish to behave. therefore, one has to choose to behave in a visceral polarizing fashion it just doesn't happen because the circumstances present an opportunity. hence a political poll in a forum can only lead to uncivil dialog if that is the choice of two or more parties (imho).
many of us due to poor schooling or just laziness use Democratic and Democrat interchangeably with no malicious intent (imho).

October 17, 2010 10:31 PM Forum: Polls

Raising Taxes On the Rich

Posted By Steve Hoff

in regards to tax cuts or raising or whatever, I am reminded of a quote that I heard during the debate for the original tax reductions back when Bush 43 was in office. this quote is from Matt Damon, and it is something like this "...I will get XX million in back, I don't need this because I have enough, this doesn't make any sense.."
this quote is out of context, but I think most people will get the jist of it. My point is simply that Mr. Damon, like a lot of people doesn't understand his roll in the country and the economy. First off, if he gets a tax refund, and he thinks he doesn't deserve it (I have family members who say the same thing), he can simply write a check the the IRS, and he can then go about his business. Or, he can take that money and give it to HIS favorite charity, or, he can buy a car, add on to his house (build a house for a homeless person/family), or any of a host of activities that will pump money (his money) back into the economy (which in effect is REDISTRIBUTION, but, this redistribution is at HIS discretion, he gets to choose how HIS money is spent). If he does any of these last items, he will put (or help ensure that some of his fellow countrymen stay employed). People who build cars (or car parts), build or sell furniture and carpet all need jobs.
Most people when they got tax refunds spent it (even if they paid off credit card bills), they didn't "sit" on their money. Now whether or not that solved unemployment or not, I do not know, but why is it my job (or your job) to solve unemployment. the money belongs to those who earned it, and they should decide how to spend it

October 17, 2010 10:11 PM Forum: Polls

Raising Taxes On the Rich

Posted By Steve Hoff

Term limits?? that is another red herring that will solve nothing. Term limits will only shorten the cycle of which corrupt individuals will have to do their own bidding.
A better approach would be to revert back to what is genuinely constitutional and limit the governments power over the people. having term limits creates a whole new cycle of opportunity for new people to come to washington and to learn how to line their pockets. but, by passing laws that limit the power and the perks of those elected we will remove much of their opportunity for thievery

as far as public funding, we have that whenever we or I choose to send money to the candidate that we or I like. while we spend billions on campaign advertising (4.2B) in this last 2 year cycle (that is more than what we spent on yogurt in a typical year, but, less than what we will spend on candy in two consecutive Halloween seasons). so, where should we put our money, in yogurt, or in advertising for our candidates who may take it upon themselves to tell us how much yogurt we should eat? Who gets to decide??

October 18, 2010 03:01 AM Forum: Polls

Raising Taxes On the Rich

Posted By Steve Hoff

while it is always fun to excite people with the phrase "what would you do, eliminate..." and then chastise them that they don't care about old people, or the defense of the country. the reality is that the Constitution clearly dictates what the enumerated powers are of the Federal government are and just because we've been doing something doesn't make it right. It also of little usefulness to pit republicans against democrats when illustrating that both have been irresponsible. the typical outcome is "..you republicans were negligent, so leave us democrats alone..we're spending for something useful and we just want ot be fiscally responsible" or something to that effect (if your budget at home is tight, do you keep spending or do you look for what you can cut?)

did you ever wonder why we have a decaying infrastructure? or why we need all of these "shovel ready projects" if so, did you ever wonder where all of those tax dollars that are on EVERY gallon of gas go? most states (yes, even the red states...like mine) steal that money and send it to general revenue, then everyone throws their arms up and wonder why the the bridges are decaying and omg what are we to do.

bottom line, is, they have plenty of tax dollars and they waste them.

and, if you think that there really are all of these noble activities to spend the money of the American citizen on, then why don't you and whom ever agrees with you "volunteer" and send and extra 10 or 20% to the IRS, who knows, you might start an amazing trendsetting precedent that others will want to emulate.

BTW, what does Beck, Palin, Gingrich and Limbaugh have to say about this?? I work for a living, I don't watch much TV or listen to the radio (or even have much time for astronomy) so I really don't follow them. I do know that Trent Lott wanted to silence Talk Radio because he felt it was instrumental in the demise of the ~2006 immigration reform bill perhaps you and Trent see "eye to eye" on some things?

October 18, 2010 02:22 AM Forum: Polls

Raising Taxes On the Rich

Posted By Steve Hoff

so what if people spend their money at Walmart, who do you think should decide where I or you spend your money?? (where are your blue jeans made? or your astro equipment, how about your computer??), what would you have them do with the fruits of their labor?

the tax policies that the government has passed encourages companies to relocate overseas, (and thereby helping to maintain the trade imbalance (does this sound like wealth distribution??). It is unfair to blame it all on Clinton, (because congress had to pass the bill) but he pushed for legislation that encouraged the importation of cheap chineese products)..likely because he or someone believed that if we became good trading partners they would become our ally (you know, the McDonald's theroy" of foreign policy, does this sound like Realpolitik?)

And, I by no means am I encouraging the notion of trade restrictions. we can solve our trade imbalance by creating a business friendly environment in this country by reevaluating the current "business unfriendly laws" whether they are real estate development/environmental or labor related

October 19, 2010 01:55 AM Forum: Polls

Raising Taxes On the Rich

Posted By Steve Hoff

for starters, I wish Perry had pointed out that our budget is a 2year budget, but, he is correct as is Redstate dot com
(my personal favorite was Debra Medina...yeah, I know she had said some "iffy" things... but at her core, she is "spot-on"

November 4, 2010 11:32 PM Forum: Polls

Mr. Obama Agrees To Renew Bush Tax Cuts

Posted By Steve Hoff

I am curious... where exactly in The Constitution does it say those things? The Constitution is the contract that the government has with us the citizens. You don't like The Constitution in it's present form, then there is a process to follow that allows for "change", the constitutional amendment process. That way you change The Constitution to read/mean what you want it to be.
Further, why do so many always want us to be like every other country?? I've been taught that progressives love diversity, so why do you guys always want everything to be the same?? Shouldn't we embrace the diversity in the world that the U.S. provides??