Zeno is drinking in Italy.

What's the tipping point where they fail to show up?

If 10th guy can find good beer and a better deal in a bar he likes, he should go drink elsewhere. But if he likes the beer and ambiance of his current bar, pony up.

But 10th guy also owns the bar, or the pizza joint next door, so it's not convenient to go elsewhere.

The guillotine was one way.

When David Tepper (big hedge fund guy) moved from New Jersey to Florida, NJ went into a budget crisis just losing his large contribution. And that is just a state and one guy. Imagine if a dozen of these guys went all Ayn Rand and left the country.

all true and thats what those that get a free or cheap ride dont realize. that the ride is subsidized by someone who works harder than they do. but do it because they have to and it helps keep down the resentment.

in the past you were stuck but nowadays you can move easily your residence and business to where you dont get taxed to death.

And I'm still alive!

good i was worried. if you were gone i would only have john to pick on.

No. The people who pay taxes are the people who pay witholding. When they open their mail and see a bill from the government for 6 trillion for Iraq, and 6 Trillion for the subprime bailout, they aren't going to quit their waitress jobs and move to the Riviera. But they will have to listen to all the whining about $80 bar bills.

Many Americans don't pay income taxes after credits, standard deductions, and so on, which is the point of Ray Zee's story.

There is a line where you make $X / year and all of a sudden, you don't get any credits. The line feels pretty arbitrary, like $X just sounded like a bigger than average number or maybe some stupid study called it a "happy number," so let's just hammer this person with taxes to bring their income down to "normal."

What people don't realize is that the people above this imaginary line until some other imaginary $Y are getting squeezed hard with every bit of taxes while other people, who aren't exactly making peanuts, gets nearly everything back.

It's a complicated issue, but the reality of money above this imaginary line isn't what one would expect.

In L.A. watching my oldest, best friend fight to stay alive in a hospital for another day so he can see his grown daughter, who is flying in tomorrow. I'm picking her up at the airport and taking her to him so they can say their goodbyes.

Cancer sucks.

I hope he makes it until his daughter arrives. Sorry, Dom.

To all the great regs in this thread.

Cheers Gentlemen!

uh mack withholding is just tax paid in advance like quarterly taxes. you get it all back if you owe no federal taxes for the year. close to 50% of the pop. doesnt owe federal taxes.
the rest pay it for them as far as i know.. and the highest earners pay most of the tax for all the rest of the 80% of the pop.

thanks RR i wish you would post more often instead of sitting around on your private island drinking pina colatas. and watching all the bathing beauties on the beach.

Ray Zee you are a beauty!!!

So, at the hospital where my friend is, every so often there is a quiet, pleasant, charming “rock-a-bye-Baby” snippet played over the loudspeakers.

Apparently, it’s to announce a newborn baby into the world on another floor.

Life is a circle.

I spent much time in hospitals over the years, and if it was allowed, I'd take a walk to see the newborns every so often. There is comfort there.

ready for the weekend

Thanks, John

Tough year for old friends, Dom. One reason I visited Tahoe and got together with another friend a couple days ago. We think these days will last forever, but as we've been reminded, they don't. And you simply can't replace friends of, in my case, fifty years.

Sorry for the loss of your friend. Be well, my friend, and think good thoughts.

Sorry to hear about your friend. I assume his daughter made in time to have a coherent conversation?

A few years ago a friend of mine since ~3 y/o was in a similar situation. Best wishes for him and his family and friends.

That's Why I'm in Italy, making new friends (I hope) and because live is short and getting shorter all the time. And at least if I die in Sicily it adds some panache and bit of flourish to my demise. Pushed off a sea cliff by the local mafia thug, for example.

Condolences Dom.

Hopefully they were able to?