obama vs the truth - those evil oil companies

[herbivor]

Wow, a tax rate of 42% is crazy high for a company that supplies a much needed commodity to the world. If we tax them that much, the costs just get distributed directly to the consumer. After all the price of gas is determined by the fee market, and not governments or speculators, so taxing them directly effects what we have to pay at the pump. Not to mention, taxes are bad because it makes our government too big. And big government takes away our freedoms. In fact I think we should do away with all taxes to corporations because that way they'll pass the savings along to the consumer and make our country more attractive for foreign investors thereby creating more jobs. Less taxes=smaller government=more jobs and money and freedom to the people.

Now the progressives might say "Well what about them welfare capitalist Scandinavian countries? They have the highest tax rates in the world and yet they have budget surpluses, the lowest income inequality, the lowest unemployment rates, and statistically the happiest people in the world while maintaining high GDPs." Well I say, that's socialism and takes away individual freedom and therefore is evil.

Does that sound about right?

[gwb72tii]

how many people do you know yearning to immigrate to the scandanavian countries?
ever talk to anyone that lives there?
i have and do, and the statistically happier is BS

[M-technik-3]

Thinking on the lines of if the Obama administration ends the tax breaks for big oil then he does not stand a snowball's chance in Hades, when it comes time for his re-election bid.

[Vedubin01]

he does not stand a chance now.... I think he is starting to understand that

[kronus]

how many people do you know yearning to immigrate to the scandanavian countries?
ever talk to anyone that lives there?
i have and do, and the statistically happier is BS

yes, your circumstantial evidence trumps statistics. That's how that works.

[M-technik-3]

he does not stand a chance now.... I think he is starting to understand that

stranger things have happened. It's coming soon enough to find out.

[Farbin Kaiber]

he does not stand a chance now.... I think he is starting to understand that

Well, if this is the case, we better get ready for all sorts of cram-it-through legislation until he gets evicted.

[87e30]

Just read an article on cram it through debt plan being in Obamas best interest. Interesting, eh?

[Farbin Kaiber]

^ There is a whole mess with this debt plan. The 14th Amendment stuff, the FED Reserve's standpoint, Both sides of Congress wanting to give Obama the say to increase the debt in three chunks that Congress has no right to fight, and if they do pass legislation against it, Obama still have veto power over their wishes...

[joshh]

what? none of that was in discussion until you mentioned it just now.

here's a link with some actual info...

You brought it up, I was pointing out the obvious.

[herbivor]

how many people do you know yearning to immigrate to the scandanavian countries?
ever talk to anyone that lives there?
i have and do, and the statistically happier is BS

I think the question is how many Scandinavians do you know yearning to immigrate to the states? I don't know any personally. I'm sure they are out there, but I have yet to meet a Scandinavian immigrant. The only ones I meet are during my travels abroad.

[87e30]

I think the question is how many Scandinavians do you know yearning to immigrate to the states? I don't know any personally. I'm sure they are out there, but I have yet to meet a Scandinavian immigrant. The only ones I meet are during my travels abroad.

I would imagine this is a difference in culture and personal taste. Personally, being born and raised here, I love the "American" system. I'm sure they feel the same way about theirs. Not that both couldn't work for each of us.

[CorvallisBMW]

get rid of the tax loopholes

"The top three oil companies in the United States are ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Chevron. According to the SEC filings of those companies, as analyzed by Forbes, ExxonMobil’s pretax income in 2010 was $52 billion, from which it paid $21.6 billion in income taxes worldwide, leaving a net income of $30.5 billion. That equals a tax rate of 45 percent, which is 10 percent above the statutory corporate rate of 35 percent.

ConocoPhillips earned $19.8 billion in pretax income in 2010 and it paid $8.3 billion in taxes, leaving $11.4 billion in income. That equals a tax rate of 42 percent. Chevron made $32 billion and then paid $12.9 billion in income taxes, leaving a net income of $19.1 billion, which equals a tax rate of 40 percent.

ExxonMobil’s total tax bill, worldwide, was $89 billion in 2010, comprised mostly of sales and excise taxes. ConocoPhillips, for comparison, paid an additional $16.8 billion in “other taxes” beyond its income taxes, reported Forbes, and Chevron paid an additional $18.2 billion in “other taxes” in 2010."

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/top-3-us-oil-companies-paid-428-billion

so, what is "fair" in your book?

what? none of that was in discussion until you mentioned it just now.

here's a link with some actual info...

Oh snap.

yes, your circumstantial evidence trumps statistics. That's how that works.

Fuck, it's not even evidence or even based in fact. It's just circumstantial theory. "Well sure that works great in practice, but how does it sounds in theory?" I've noticed that a lot of contributors here are high in theory and dogma but short in reality and fact.