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19:00:00 01/10/12
5 Views
21:00:06 12/29/11
There's No Mystery About Romney's Taxes and Tax Plan
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 21:00:06 12/29/11
Why is Mitt Romney alone among the Republican presidential candidates in refusing to release his tax returns ? And why is the former Massachusetts Governor also the only major GOP contender not calling for the complete elimination of the capital gains tax ? As it turns out, the answer - horrible political optics - is the same to both questions. Because Romney's continuing millions in annual income from Bain Capital are taxed at the 15 percent capital gains rate, Mitt already pays a much lower share to Uncle Sam than most middle class families . And if he called for changing the capital gains rate to zero, Mitt Romney would have to explain to voters why the $250 million man should pay virtually no tax bill at all .
Despite his famous demand in the 1994 Senate race that Ted Kennedy release his tax returns to show he has "nothing to hide," Romney last week reiterated his own paperwork would not be forthcoming. "We don't have any current plans to release tax returns, but never say never," Romney said, adding: >
"I can tell you we follow the tax laws, and if there's an opportunity to save taxes, we like anybody else in this country will follow that opportunity."
Truer words were never spoken.
In October, Citizens for Tax Justice estimated that the Romneys paid only 14 percent of their income in taxes . (It's no wonder Mitt opposes the " Buffett Rule .") As Time reported: >
Just how much Romney pays in taxes is, for the moment, a private matter. But his income is public knowledge. In August, Romney disclosed that in 2010 he and his wife made between $1.1 million and $2.8 million in royalties, salary, speaking fees and interest, most of which was likely taxed at a marginal rate of 35%, after accounting for deductions. The Romneys made an additional $5.5 million to $37.3 million from dividends and capital gains, which is generally taxed at a much lower rate of 15%.
Two weeks ago, the New York Times shed light on that "$5.5 million to $37.3 million from dividends and capital gains" that represents most of Romney's income. Though Mitt left Bain Capital in 1999, 13 years later his windfall continues uninterrupted: >
In what would be the final deal of his private equity career, he negotiated a retirement agreement with his former partners that has paid him a share of Bain's profits ever since, bringing the Romney family millions of dollars in income each year and bolstering the fortune that has helped finance Mr. Romney's political aspirations... >
In the process, Bain continued to buy and restructure companies, potentially leaving Mr. Romney exposed to further criticism that he has grown wealthier over the last decade partly as a result of layoffs. Moreover, much of his income from the arrangement has probably qualified for a lower tax rate than ordinary income under a tax provision favorable to hedge fund and private equity managers, which has become a point of contention in the battle over economic inequality.
And that creates what Steve Benen aptly called "Romney's 'carried interest' problem." >
In case anyone needs a refresher, there's a tax loophole on "carried interest" -- sometimes called "the carry" -- that taxes private equity and venture capital income at a lower, 15% rate, as compared to 35% on ordinary income. Hedge-fund managers and the Wall Street have fought tooth and nail to protect this loophole -- even after the Obama White House tried to eliminate it -- and so far, they've been successful.
Which is why Mitt Romney has thus far refused to join his fellow GOP White House hopefuls in proposing the elimination of the 15 percent capital gains tax. Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Herman Cain all called for zeroing out the capital gains levy, which is one reason why their tax plans represent such a huge windfall for the wealthy . (Their support for a flat-tax is another.) The Washington Post explained why for the rich that would be "better than any Christmas gift": >
While it's true that many middle-class Americans own stocks or bonds, they tend to stash them in tax-sheltered retirement accounts, where the capital gains rate does not apply. By contrast, the richest Americans reap huge benefits. Over the past 20 years, more than 80 percent of the capital gains income realized in the United States has gone to 5 percent of the people; about half of all the capital gains have gone to the wealthiest 0.1 percent.
For his part, Romney has proposed reducing the capital gains tax rate only for the first $200,000 in income. But as ThinkProgress pointed out, Romney's claim that "The people in the middle...I focused my tax cut right there" is preposterous: >
Romney may think he focused his tax cut on the middle-class, but according to a ThinkProgress analysis of Tax Policy Center data*, nearly three-fourths of households that make $200,000 or less annually would get literally nothing from Romney's tax cut, due to the simple fact that most of those households have no capital gains income.
But while Mitt Romney didn't want to create the appearance of slashing most of his own tax bill, that doesn't mean his proposals wouldn't produce a massive payday for his own and other rich families while piling up yet more debt. Romney's 59-point economic plan calls for extending the Bush tax cuts, ending the estate tax and reducing corporate taxes. The result, as ThinkProgress explained: >
Romney's tax plan includes a $6.6 TRILLION giveaway to corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Meanwhile, Romney's Medicaid cuts are even more draconian than the ones in Paul Ryan plan. Both of their plans end also end Medicare, naturally.
Still, in an interview last weekend the reliably Republican Wall Street Journal wondered why Romney had been so "timid" compared to his rivals. In a rare moment of candor, Mitt revealed that his real preferences would make for very bad politics: >
What about his reform principles? Mr. Romney talks only in general terms. "Moving to a consumption-based system is something which is very attractive to me philosophically, but I've not been able to sufficiently model it out to jump on board a consumption-based tax. A flat tax, a true flat tax is also attractive to me. What I like--I mean, I like the simplification of a flat tax. I also like removing the distortion in our tax code for certain classes of investment. And the advantage of a flat tax is getting rid of some of those distortions"... >
Amid such generalities, it's hard not to conclude that the candidate is trying to avoid offering any details that might become a political target. And he all but admits as much. "I happen to also recognize," he says, "that if you go out with a tax proposal which conforms to your philosophy but it hasn't been thoroughly analyzed, vetted, put through models and calculated in detail, that you're gonna get hit by the demagogues in the general election."
"The president," Romney complained, "will characterize anyone running for office, and me in particular, as just in there to lower taxes for rich people, and that is not my intent." Perhaps, but that's the inevitable impact. As John McCain learned in 2008 , refusing the release the details of his beer heiress wife Cindy's fortune while calling for tax policies delivering his family lottery-sized winning courtesy of the U.S. Treasury is not going to endear you to working Americans. (In Mitt Romney's case, revealing the 10 percent tithe he dutifully pays to his Mormon church probably won't endear him to the GOP's evangelical primary voters, either.)
All of which explains why Mitt Romney won't release his tax returns or call for abolishing the capital gains tax, the love which dares not speak its name. Besides, Mitt Romney wants Americans to believe he's just part of the "80 to 90 percent of us" who are middle class.
And, no doubt, Mitt's willing to bet you $10,000 to prove it.
(This piece also appears at Perrspectives .)
4 Views
21:00:06 12/29/11
There's No Mystery About Romney's Taxes and Tax Plan
[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 21:00:06 12/29/11
Why is Mitt Romney alone among the Republican presidential candidates in refusing to release his tax returns ? And why is the former Massachusetts Governor also the only major GOP contender not calling for the complete elimination of the capital gains tax ? As it turns out, the answer - horrible political optics - is the same to both questions. Because Romney's continuing millions in annual income from Bain Capital are taxed at the 15 percent capital gains rate, Mitt already pays a much lower share to Uncle Sam than most middle class families . And if he called for changing the capital gains rate to zero, Mitt Romney would have to explain to voters why the $250 million man should pay virtually no tax bill at all .
Despite his famous demand in the 1994 Senate race that Ted Kennedy release his tax returns to show he has "nothing to hide," Romney last week reiterated his own paperwork would not be forthcoming. "We don't have any current plans to release tax returns, but never say never," Romney said, adding: >
"I can tell you we follow the tax laws, and if there's an opportunity to save taxes, we like anybody else in this country will follow that opportunity."
Truer words were never spoken.
In October, Citizens for Tax Justice estimated that the Romneys paid only 14 percent of their income in taxes . (It's no wonder Mitt opposes the " Buffett Rule .") As Time reported: >
Just how much Romney pays in taxes is, for the moment, a private matter. But his income is public knowledge. In August, Romney disclosed that in 2010 he and his wife made between $1.1 million and $2.8 million in royalties, salary, speaking fees and interest, most of which was likely taxed at a marginal rate of 35%, after accounting for deductions. The Romneys made an additional $5.5 million to $37.3 million from dividends and capital gains, which is generally taxed at a much lower rate of 15%.
Two weeks ago, the New York Times shed light on that "$5.5 million to $37.3 million from dividends and capital gains" that represents most of Romney's income. Though Mitt left Bain Capital in 1999, 13 years later his windfall continues uninterrupted: >
In what would be the final deal of his private equity career, he negotiated a retirement agreement with his former partners that has paid him a share of Bain's profits ever since, bringing the Romney family millions of dollars in income each year and bolstering the fortune that has helped finance Mr. Romney's political aspirations... >
In the process, Bain continued to buy and restructure companies, potentially leaving Mr. Romney exposed to further criticism that he has grown wealthier over the last decade partly as a result of layoffs. Moreover, much of his income from the arrangement has probably qualified for a lower tax rate than ordinary income under a tax provision favorable to hedge fund and private equity managers, which has become a point of contention in the battle over economic inequality.
And that creates what Steve Benen aptly called "Romney's 'carried interest' problem." >
In case anyone needs a refresher, there's a tax loophole on "carried interest" -- sometimes called "the carry" -- that taxes private equity and venture capital income at a lower, 15% rate, as compared to 35% on ordinary income. Hedge-fund managers and the Wall Street have fought tooth and nail to protect this loophole -- even after the Obama White House tried to eliminate it -- and so far, they've been successful.
Which is why Mitt Romney has thus far refused to join his fellow GOP White House hopefuls in proposing the elimination of the 15 percent capital gains tax. Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Herman Cain all called for zeroing out the capital gains levy, which is one reason why their tax plans represent such a huge windfall for the wealthy . (Their support for a flat-tax is another.) The Washington Post explained why for the rich that would be "better than any Christmas gift": >
While it's true that many middle-class Americans own stocks or bonds, they tend to stash them in tax-sheltered retirement accounts, where the capital gains rate does not apply. By contrast, the richest Americans reap huge benefits. Over the past 20 years, more than 80 percent of the capital gains income realized in the United States has gone to 5 percent of the people; about half of all the capital gains have gone to the wealthiest 0.1 percent.
For his part, Romney has proposed reducing the capital gains tax rate only for the first $200,000 in income. But as ThinkProgress pointed out, Romney's claim that "The people in the middle...I focused my tax cut right there" is preposterous: >
Romney may think he focused his tax cut on the middle-class, but according to a ThinkProgress analysis of Tax Policy Center data*, nearly three-fourths of households that make $200,000 or less annually would get literally nothing from Romney's tax cut, due to the simple fact that most of those households have no capital gains income.
But while Mitt Romney didn't want to create the appearance of slashing most of his own tax bill, that doesn't mean his proposals wouldn't produce a massive payday for his own and other rich families while piling up yet more debt. Romney's 59-point economic plan calls for extending the Bush tax cuts, ending the estate tax and reducing corporate taxes. The result, as ThinkProgress explained: >
Romney's tax plan includes a $6.6 TRILLION giveaway to corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Meanwhile, Romney's Medicaid cuts are even more draconian than the ones in Paul Ryan plan. Both of their plans end also end Medicare, naturally.
Still, in an interview last weekend the reliably Republican Wall Street Journal wondered why Romney had been so "timid" compared to his rivals. In a rare moment of candor, Mitt revealed that his real preferences would make for very bad politics: >
What about his reform principles? Mr. Romney talks only in general terms. "Moving to a consumption-based system is something which is very attractive to me philosophically, but I've not been able to sufficiently model it out to jump on board a consumption-based tax. A flat tax, a true flat tax is also attractive to me. What I like--I mean, I like the simplification of a flat tax. I also like removing the distortion in our tax code for certain classes of investment. And the advantage of a flat tax is getting rid of some of those distortions"... >
Amid such generalities, it's hard not to conclude that the candidate is trying to avoid offering any details that might become a political target. And he all but admits as much. "I happen to also recognize," he says, "that if you go out with a tax proposal which conforms to your philosophy but it hasn't been thoroughly analyzed, vetted, put through models and calculated in detail, that you're gonna get hit by the demagogues in the general election."
"The president," Romney complained, "will characterize anyone running for office, and me in particular, as just in there to lower taxes for rich people, and that is not my intent." Perhaps, but that's the inevitable impact. As John McCain learned in 2008 , refusing the release the details of his beer heiress wife Cindy's fortune while calling for tax policies delivering his family lottery-sized winning courtesy of the U.S. Treasury is not going to endear you to working Americans. (In Mitt Romney's case, revealing the 10 percent tithe he dutifully pays to his Mormon church probably won't endear him to the GOP's evangelical primary voters, either.)
All of which explains why Mitt Romney won't release his tax returns or call for abolishing the capital gains tax, the love which dares not speak its name. Besides, Mitt Romney wants Americans to believe he's just part of the "80 to 90 percent of us" who are middle class.
And, no doubt, Mitt's willing to bet you $10,000 to prove it.
(This piece also appears at Perrspectives .)
2 Views
02:50:56 03/01/11
Harvey's Kitchen Matt Butcher Liars And Thieves
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 02:50:56 03/01/11
The tiles on the roof were scorching hot and somehow a few enormous Japanese bumblebees had found an interest in the chimney stacks and camera equipment we brought with us, adding a spicy kick of nerves and paranoia to the elevated session. There was a scary moment when the tripod supporting my camera slipped rather dramatically and fortunately Carolyn was there to rescue it from a disastrous plummet 2 stories down onto the concrete driveway. I'm not overly fond of heights, but things tend to look more interesting on a rooftop. Matt Butcher, following the critical success of his previous album "Me and My Friends" will be releasing, "Ghostwriting" financed in part by a Kickstarter Campaign beginning in April. ; Many thanks to Matt for the wonderful visit. Here he is performing the Murder Ballad, "Liars and Thieves." Bio: Matt Butcher is no stranger to travelling. Born in England to Christian missionaries, he lived in Amsterdam and Colorado before moving to Orlando, Florida. His love of music began at an early age, listening to his parents spin classic records on the turntable - Van Morrison, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen. Many of these influences would inform his later work. His first band The Heathens, a rollicking country-rock outfit, released their album “Big White House” in 2006. The album garnered favorable reviews and won the group a devoted following throughout Central Florida. The Heathens disbanded in 2007 and Butcher subsequently embarked on his solo career. His debut album, “Me and My Friends,” produced in conjunction with Justin Beckler, saw release in 2008 to uniformly rave reviews. The Orlando Sentinel dubbed it one of the ten best albums of 2008. Colored by pedal steel, piano, and acoustic guitar, the album displayed a somber and mature approach leading Reax Music to call it a “ dewey-prairie mix of wistfulness and confession”. --
10 Views
23:26:09 01/20/11
Changing the Past
[LESS INFO] 10 VIEWS | ADDED 23:26:09 01/20/11
A few years ago my accountant caught a mistake in one of our tax returns. This was during the next year's filing and so we had to amend to previous return, filing against almost two years later to correct an issue. Fortunately the error was in our favor and we ended up receiving a refund.
In most businesses you typically do not change data that was completed in the past unless there is a severe error. For some types of data, such as audit data, you never want to change it. And in many cases, even if there were some change, because of the way that you have operated the business based on those past values, you might decide not to change things.
Read the rest of " Changing the Past " at SQLServerCentral.
3 Views
22:00:07 12/22/10
Tom Tancredo just asks whether military can "segregate in their own ranks" after repeal of DADT
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 22:00:07 12/22/10
Mr. Tom 'Miami is a Third World Country' Tancredo went on radio and just brought up what he feels is a relevant question about the repealing of DADT: That is, can the military segregate the troops based on sexual preferences? What a guy. People like him openly foment hostility, the kind that usually leads to violence.
Political Correction: >
Unsurprisingly, Tancredo, who has made his anti-immigrant views well known, isn't in favor of the DREAM Act (which, he claimed, will give special affirmative action treatment to tons of people sneaking in from Latin America and Africa). He was also skeptical about the "political" repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but fortunately for the large majorities of Americans and military personnel who wanted DADT to go away, Tancredo isn't in charge; President Obama signed repeal into law this morning.
Yet, knowing what was coming, Tancredo clung to hope that our combat troops might be saved from actually having to serve in close quarters with those scary gays. "I wonder," he mused, "to what extent this ruling allows the military to segregate within their own ranks." >
TANCREDO: I have a feeling there may be other problems that develop. Certainly those kinds of things have been expressed by the head of the — by the common head of the Marine Corps. And I would — among other things I wonder to what extent this ruling allows the military to segregate within their own ranks. That is to say, it's okay, just as we said that it was ok to have females in the military but we would segregate them into non-combative roles, then would this be — I wonder if we could do the same thing in this situation, saying that just the environment in combat does not lend itself to having these other pressures on the people that we ask to do the fighting. I don't know. I'm just asking a question. I do not know if that was part of the bill that was passed today by the Senate, whether it really went into that kind of detail. I doubt it. Usually these things go over to the military and you know the military is just simply told, "implement."
Tancredo is already well-established as a vicious nativist who always takes the low road, so what do you expect from him? No wonder he's a Tea Party favorite.
Click here to view this media
In this clip Alan Colmes tells Tancredo that Jeb Bush called him a "nut" because he called Miami a 'third world country'. Tom's response was to of course equate being called a nut was like being called the "N" word if you're African American. >
Tancredo: Did he use the "N" word? We got into an argument into what it means to be a third world country.
Here's a few of his other greatest hits. >
Tom Tancredo to the Tea Partiers: Lack of 'civics literacy test' meant illiterates put 'a committed socialist' in White House
Tom Tancredo Calls La R aza a "Latino KKK Without the Hoods or Nooses"
Tom Tancredo calls Sonia Sotomayor a racist
Tom Tancredo boycotts Univision/Spanish Debate: Attacks their entire viewership
And let's not forget his "bombing Mecca," statements either.
27 Views
22:30:00 11/30/10
Studio Guest
[LESS INFO] 27 VIEWS | ADDED 22:30:00 11/30/10
Our guest this week is Michael Burda from Humboldt University (labor market expert)DW-TV: Mr. Burda, are German companies beginning to do what the state has failed to accomplish, that is create a pool of skilled workers? Michael Burda: Well, German industry has always been involved in education. The system in Germany involving apprenticeships has always had active financial participation of companies. DW-TV: But the state has always been behind that as well. Michael Burda: And the states have been behind that as well. It's a very Germanic, corporatist approach to educating. And it's obvious that industries can see right away where the shoe doesn't fit, where it's time to train more people. DW-TV: But they have been investing lots of money, like creating their own schools, as we saw in that story. Can companies afford to do that? These are huge outlays. Michael Burda: Absolutely, but that just shows how much these people are worth to companies. So having really well-trained workers in the next ten years is going to be an issue for a lot of industries, a lot of sectors, and I think it's very forward looking of German industry to start active participation in that. DW-TV: You know, this week we've heard US President Obama saying education is his top priority now to get the economy going again. Germany is in a much better place economically right now, but has the state, has the government here been neglecting education? Is that what we're seeing now, when companies step in and tried to create their own skilled workers? Michael Burda: Well, there is a lack of spending and active government participation in the university sector, I think. In the OECD league tables, Germany doesn't come off too well but the counter argument is they spend a lot of money on the apprenticeship system, so if you want to become a nurse you don't go to a college like you would in the United States. DW-TV: Right, this shortage, I guess, we've been talking about a shortage of skilled workers, that also shows that Germany's failing to attract foreign specialists. Again, the UK, the US are doing what it seems like Germany should have been doing all along. Michael Burda: There's a problem here and the Germans don't like the idea of discriminating in favor of people who have training, which Canada and Australia have been doing for decades. DW-TV: Maybe they should. Michael Burda: Absolutely. You see it happening already, I mean the fact that I got a job in Germany is because the Germans were willing to give me a long-term visa. I came here 17 years ago. DW-TV: You're an American. Michael Burda: I'm an American. DW-TV: We have to make sure folks know that. Michael Burda: It's always possible to make exceptions but you have to make lots of exceptions. DW-TV: What about freelance doctors and nurses? Is this about a labor force that needs more flexibility? Is that the story here? Michael Burda: The demand for flexibility is there. The hospitals want it. In America it might be easier to lay off doctors and nurses if things get tough. In Germany it's very difficult because of job protection laws. DW-TV: Which makes a hospital more reluctant to hire a doctor. Michael Burda: Exactly. So you have the negative reaction at the beginning. So hospitals are interested in this flexible buffer stock of doctors and nurses who can jump in. DW-TV: I mean, the German economy...we can't really complain about things right now. We've got a graph we want to show folks about unemployment: Germany compared to the rest of the euro zone, and you can see Spain: unemployment now around 20 percent, France coming in at 10 percent. France is pretty on par with the United States and then we have Germany and the Netherlands. Nice numbers there, considering what the rest of Europe is dealing with. How do you explain Germany's good fortune? Michael Burda: Germany went through a wrenching set of changes in the early 2000 decade and the fruits of those reforms are finally coming to be seen and Germany's also done very well trying to give money to companies to prevent them from laying off workers. They call it 'Kurzarbeit', short-time working. And that has tided....think of a tsunami hitting these companies. The tsunami has gone, the water has gone. If you can survive that, you're going to be OK. DW-TV: Is it correct to say that in the future the German labor market is going to have more people doing freelance work; we're going to have fewer people tied to a company but also fewer people with jobs that have benefits? Michael Burda: I think it's a foregone conclusion. I think it's a necessary part of any labor market to have this flexible margin. The most important question is whether the Germans want to accept it. Interview: Brent Goff
0 Views
20:32:32 09/10/10
Hitler Glenn Beck And The Church Part 3 Conservative Fascism
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 20:32:32 09/10/10
For more information go to : http://roarnomore.blogspot.com/2010/09/church-hitler-and-glenn-beck.html Now back to our discussion of the volk. As we have seen, Hitler was by no means a lover of Christianity. A plain reading of Mein Kampf will make this obviously clear. He intended to use the church as an organization for the furtherance of German nationalism, but it had to be in lock step with the Nazi party in order to justify its existence. When Hitler referred to Martin Luther in a favorable light notice he didn't go into any specifics. Martin Luther was a hero of the German people of which about 2/3 were proclaimed Lutherans. Hitler saw the history of Germany and its figures, even the ones he would have disagreed with, as being worthy of study and admiration simply because they were German. This is undeniably, in our country, more of a phenomenon of the right. I myself enjoy the study of history and admire such men as Patrick Henry, Robert. E Lee, and Ronald Reagan. However, the idea of "American Exceptionalism" I fear is all to similar to Hitler's German nationalism. Certain parts of our history are whitewashed in order to prove that "America isn't really all that bad." We are fooled into thinking that when we have made mistakes, that's all they were, and they were somehow caused because of a departure from our "real" values. Some conservative Christians will even say that we are "special," "unique," or "chosen." Rev. Peter Marshall's children's book The Light and the Glory comes to mind. Sometimes when I hear conservatives say such things I want to ask, "What are we, modern Israel?" Fortunately, American Exceptionalism has not been used by conservatives to rally us around the state, at least to the extent that Hitler used it. Of course Abraham Lincoln and Daniel Webster did go in that direction, but I wouldn't consider them anything remotely similar to true conservatives. One of the mainstays of conservatism is that it is antithetical to state control and is instead for federalism and individual freedom. Glenn Beck I think understands this, but he's on thin ice by reinforcing a tool that can easily be used against conservative ideals. Let me offer up a hypothetical. Barack Obama wants a Civilian Defense Force that's as well funded as the military in addition to a Universal Volunteer Civilian Service organization. Mike Huckabee- who I agree with 88% of the time- stated this frightening proposal in his, for the most part insightful book, Do The Right Thing. During the Depression, the WPA provided jobs to lift Americans out of poverty. Today we need national-service jobs so that more Americans can give back out of their abundance; others still need to be lifted out of poverty. A year of civilian service can be a path for those who have dropped out of school or who are trapped in dead-end jobs to gain some marketable skills and make a fresh start. . . If a voluntary system does not work, we should seriously debate making civilian service mandatory. There you have it. A "conservative" and a "liberal" agreeing on something that, if implemented, would erode individual freedom even more. We're talking about a civilian draft for crying out loud! Hitler was supposedly able to reach 100% employment through the similar method of requiring that everyone in the nation be employed in a certain skill. The state would even pay for the training and the vacation expenses. As Mussolini so rightly described fascism, "Everything within the state. Nothing outside the state!" The United States secretary of education Arne Duncan wants every facet of social life to revolve around the government sponsored and controlled public school. Don't believe me? Simply watch his interview on Charlie Rose last year. Here's the point: If somehow the American Exceptionalism of the right is linked to the mandatory state control of the left, we will be witnessing a force for the destruction of the church like this country has never seen. The current rallying cries for state intervention in our lives- the ones coming from the left- have little do with our heritage or religion, and more to do with political correctness. The evangelical church, although it has bought into many politically correct ideas, will not consider this a very compelling rallying cry, and neither will the majority of the American people, at least not at this point. Liberals are always looking for a "moral equivalent to war" as Jonah Goldberg calls it, because war is the one situation in which the nation pulls together under the guidance of a powerful state. The green movement is perhaps the best modern example. We are supposed to re-knit the very fabric of our society for the good of the planet and accept any state imposition to this end. Ironically, Hitler had his own green movement which we will not go into detail about now. The green movement does not see the military as a solution. On the contrary, the military is the problem with their pesky bombs and use of gasoline. German nationalism however was entirely devoted to military service. This is perhaps another distinction between the right and left of the U.S. The left does not have the military fervor of the right and the right lacks the enthusiasm for the state that the left possesses. So what happens when in an effort to save our heritage and honor our military we rally around the state? This is where Glenn Beck's 8.28 comes into play. No it did not cause us to rally around the state, but it had the potential. Let me ask, "If there were a 'conservative' in the white house, how might it have turned out?" Beck held the rally near the footsteps of a giant Bolshevik looking statue of a true statist, Abraham Lincoln, with thousands of supporters flying the American flag and pledging themselves to "restoring" honor. Beck then invoked an "American" ecumenical like God while devoting most of the event to the honor of our military. None of these things is "fascistic" in and of itself, however, something smells awfully suspicious, and it's about to stink even worse. If things don't make sense, keep reading.
2 Views
18:35:59 07/21/09
Improve Your Ball Flight with Peter Krause Golf Video
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 18:35:59 07/21/09
Top 100 Teacher, Peter Krause, explains how to adjust and improve your ball flight. Make sure to you get a stronger grip to compensate for the common golfer's mistake of an extremely high slice to right with no power. The palm of your hand should be facing the target which will allow your wrist and clubface are all on the same plane. Change your swing and improve your ball flight with this quick tip to be just like the professionals on Tour. >> I'M PETER KRAUSE, GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 TEACHER. OVER THE YEARS, IT’S BEEN MY GOOD FORTUNE TO WORK WITH CHAMPION TOUR PLAYERS, PGA TOUR PLAYERS, TOP AMATEURS IN THE COUNTRY, THE 25 HANDICAPPER. NOW, I HAVE THE GOOD FORTUNE OF WORKING WITH THE KIDS HERE AT THE HANK CANDY INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR GOLF ACADEMY. YOU KNOW WHAT EVERYONE OF THESE STUDENTS OF MINE HAVE IN COMMON? EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WANTED TO IMPROVE THEIR BALL FLIGHT. SO I DON’T CARE IF YOU CAN’T BREAK A HUNDRED OR IF YOU’RE TRYING TO BREAK 70, YOU’RE ALWAYS TRYING TO IMPROVE YOUR BALL FLIGHT. WHAT I SEE FOR THE MOST COMMON GOLFER IS THAT YOU TEND TO HIT A BALL THAT’S EITHER TOO HIGH, SLICES TO THE RIGHT AND HAS NO POWER. TO ME, THERE’S THREE COMMON REASONS FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. FIRST OF ALL, MOST OF YOU TEND TO HAVE A GRIP THAT WE CALL TOO WEAK. THE LEFT HAND IS UNDERNEATH THE CLUB TOO FAR, AND THE RIGHT HAND IS ON TOP OF A CLUB AT ADDRESS. WHAT HAPPENS THEN, IS WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR BACK SWING AND GO TO THE TOP OF YOUR SWING WITH THIS GRIP, YOU TEND TO GET YOUR WRIST CUPPED AND THE TOE OF THE CLUB POINTS STRAIGHT DOWN. RIGHT NOW, THIS GOLF CLUB SAYS, I SHOULD HIT THE BALL WAY OVER TO THE RIGHT SO, THE NATURAL INSTINCT IS TO SWING OVER TO THE LEFT TO COMPENSATE FOR THE FACE BEING RIGHT. MANY OF YOU GET A SWING THAT LOOKS MUCH LIKE THIS, THEN. WHEN YOUR CLUB FACE IS OPEN AT THE TOP OF THE SWING, YOUR HANDS, ARMS AND BODY HAVE TO COMPENSATE TO ALLOW THE BALL TO START TO THE LEFT AND GO BACK TOWARDS YOUR TARGET. SO WHAT HAPPENS AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR DOWNSWING IS, THE CLUB HEAD COMES DOWN FIRST, THEN YOUR LEFT HIP BACKS UP TOWARDS YOUR RIGHT TO GIVE YOU ROOM TO SWING TO THE LEFT. AND, AS YOU SWING TO THE LEFT AND ACROSS THE BALL, THE CLUB HEAD, GENERALLY, GETS IN FRONT OF YOUR HANDS TOO SOON, FACE OPEN, RESULTING IN HIGH WEAK SHOTS TO THE RIGHT. YOU USUALLY HITTING AGAIN, BEFORE YOUR BUDDIES DO. LET ME SHOW YOU HOW TO GET RID OF THAT SLICE AND GET INTO MORE OF A DRAW. FIRST THING YOU NEED TO DO IS STRENGTHEN YOUR GRIP. YOU NEED A GRIP THAT COMES MORE ACROSS YOUR HAND WITH YOUR PALM ON TOP AND, THE PALM OF YOUR RIGHT HAND FACING THE TARGET. AS A RESULT, WHEN I GET THE CLUB UP TO THE TOP OF MY SWING, NOW, NOW MY LEFT WRIST AND FOREARM AND THE CLUB FACE ALL LINE UP SQUARE TO EACH OTHER. FROM HERE I HAVE NO REASON TO SWING TO THE LEFT TO COMPENSATE FOR THE BALL GOING TO THE RIGHT. THE KEY THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO CHANGE IS HOW THE CLUB GOES TO THE TOP. MOST OF YOU THAT HIT A SLICE TEND TO SWING THE CLUB ON A LOOP; YOU SWING THE CLUB TOO FAR BEHIND YOU AND YOU PICK IT UP, THEN YOU SWING THE CLUB DOWN AND ACROSS YOU. YOU NEED TO REVERSE THAT LOOP. YOU NEED TO FEEL THAT THE CLUB STARTS UP IN THE BEGINNING, THEN TURN, AND COME INSIDE OF THE BALL, HELPING YOU TO CREATE A NICE, STRAIGHT SHOT TO DRAW. THE EASIEST WAY FOR YOU TO LEARN HOW TO CHANGE YOUR LOOP STARTS BY HOLDING THAT CLUB IN FRONT OF YOU; JUST SIMPLY COCK IT UP ON TOP OF YOUR HANDS, TURN IT TO THE SIDE, BACK TO WHERE YOU STARTED FROM. UP, TURN IT TO THE SIDE, AND BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM. THE NEXT THING YOU NEED TO DO IS ADD A LITTLE ARM SWING WITH THIS SO, AS YOU SWING YOUR ARMS BACK, COCK IT UP, TURN IT TO THE SIDE, BRING IT BACK TO SQUARE. PUT THE CLUB TO THE SIDE, BACK TO SQUARE. THEN, EVENTUALLY, ADD A SHOULDER TURN WITH THAT. THE CLUB COMES UP, SHOULDERS TURN AND THEN, YOU APPROACH FROM THE SIDE. YOU GET THAT MOTION GOING FOR YOU, THEN YOU CAN GET A BALL FLIGHT THAT DRIVES BETTER, FAVORS A BIT OF A DRAW. WHEN MY CLUB FACE IS SQUARE AT THE TOP OF THE SWING, I CAN CREATE THE PROPER SEQUENCE OF MOTION TO BE ABLE TO HIT A GOOD GOLF SHOT. AT THE TOP OF THE GOLF SWING, WHAT HAPPENS IS, MY LOWER BODY CAN START THE DOWNSWING, RATHER THAN MY UPPER BODY WITH A SLICE. WHEN I START MY DOWNSWING, I FEEL SOME WEIGHT TRANSFER FROM RIGHT FOOT TO LEFT FOOT. MY LEFT HIP MOVES BACK UP ON TOP OF THE LEFT FOOT, THEN MY SHOULDER AND MY ARMS, AND MY HANDS GET TO THE BALL FIRST; AND THEN, THE SHAFT AND HEAD LEG A LITTLE BEHIND, ALLOWING ME TO COMPRESS THE BALL CORRECTLY AGAINST THE GROUND. GET THE CLUB FACE TO ROTATE AND HIT THAT BEAUTIFUL DRAW THAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR. YOU DO THAT AND YOU’LL BE HITTING THE BALL AS GOOD AS ANY TOUR PLAYER I KNOW.
0 Views
18:35:59 07/21/09
Improve Your Ball Flight with Peter Krause Golf Video
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 18:35:59 07/21/09
Top 100 Teacher, Peter Krause, explains how to adjust and improve your ball flight. Make sure to you get a stronger grip to compensate for the common golfer's mistake of an extremely high slice to right with no power. The palm of your hand should be facing the target which will allow your wrist and clubface are all on the same plane. Change your swing and improve your ball flight with this quick tip to be just like the professionals on Tour. >> I'M PETER KRAUSE, GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 TEACHER. OVER THE YEARS, IT’S BEEN MY GOOD FORTUNE TO WORK WITH CHAMPION TOUR PLAYERS, PGA TOUR PLAYERS, TOP AMATEURS IN THE COUNTRY, THE 25 HANDICAPPER. NOW, I HAVE THE GOOD FORTUNE OF WORKING WITH THE KIDS HERE AT THE HANK CANDY INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR GOLF ACADEMY. YOU KNOW WHAT EVERYONE OF THESE STUDENTS OF MINE HAVE IN COMMON? EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WANTED TO IMPROVE THEIR BALL FLIGHT. SO I DON’T CARE IF YOU CAN’T BREAK A HUNDRED OR IF YOU’RE TRYING TO BREAK 70, YOU’RE ALWAYS TRYING TO IMPROVE YOUR BALL FLIGHT. WHAT I SEE FOR THE MOST COMMON GOLFER IS THAT YOU TEND TO HIT A BALL THAT’S EITHER TOO HIGH, SLICES TO THE RIGHT AND HAS NO POWER. TO ME, THERE’S THREE COMMON REASONS FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. FIRST OF ALL, MOST OF YOU TEND TO HAVE A GRIP THAT WE CALL TOO WEAK. THE LEFT HAND IS UNDERNEATH THE CLUB TOO FAR, AND THE RIGHT HAND IS ON TOP OF A CLUB AT ADDRESS. WHAT HAPPENS THEN, IS WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR BACK SWING AND GO TO THE TOP OF YOUR SWING WITH THIS GRIP, YOU TEND TO GET YOUR WRIST CUPPED AND THE TOE OF THE CLUB POINTS STRAIGHT DOWN. RIGHT NOW, THIS GOLF CLUB SAYS, I SHOULD HIT THE BALL WAY OVER TO THE RIGHT SO, THE NATURAL INSTINCT IS TO SWING OVER TO THE LEFT TO COMPENSATE FOR THE FACE BEING RIGHT. MANY OF YOU GET A SWING THAT LOOKS MUCH LIKE THIS, THEN. WHEN YOUR CLUB FACE IS OPEN AT THE TOP OF THE SWING, YOUR HANDS, ARMS AND BODY HAVE TO COMPENSATE TO ALLOW THE BALL TO START TO THE LEFT AND GO BACK TOWARDS YOUR TARGET. SO WHAT HAPPENS AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR DOWNSWING IS, THE CLUB HEAD COMES DOWN FIRST, THEN YOUR LEFT HIP BACKS UP TOWARDS YOUR RIGHT TO GIVE YOU ROOM TO SWING TO THE LEFT. AND, AS YOU SWING TO THE LEFT AND ACROSS THE BALL, THE CLUB HEAD, GENERALLY, GETS IN FRONT OF YOUR HANDS TOO SOON, FACE OPEN, RESULTING IN HIGH WEAK SHOTS TO THE RIGHT. YOU USUALLY HITTING AGAIN, BEFORE YOUR BUDDIES DO. LET ME SHOW YOU HOW TO GET RID OF THAT SLICE AND GET INTO MORE OF A DRAW. FIRST THING YOU NEED TO DO IS STRENGTHEN YOUR GRIP. YOU NEED A GRIP THAT COMES MORE ACROSS YOUR HAND WITH YOUR PALM ON TOP AND, THE PALM OF YOUR RIGHT HAND FACING THE TARGET. AS A RESULT, WHEN I GET THE CLUB UP TO THE TOP OF MY SWING, NOW, NOW MY LEFT WRIST AND FOREARM AND THE CLUB FACE ALL LINE UP SQUARE TO EACH OTHER. FROM HERE I HAVE NO REASON TO SWING TO THE LEFT TO COMPENSATE FOR THE BALL GOING TO THE RIGHT. THE KEY THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO CHANGE IS HOW THE CLUB GOES TO THE TOP. MOST OF YOU THAT HIT A SLICE TEND TO SWING THE CLUB ON A LOOP; YOU SWING THE CLUB TOO FAR BEHIND YOU AND YOU PICK IT UP, THEN YOU SWING THE CLUB DOWN AND ACROSS YOU. YOU NEED TO REVERSE THAT LOOP. YOU NEED TO FEEL THAT THE CLUB STARTS UP IN THE BEGINNING, THEN TURN, AND COME INSIDE OF THE BALL, HELPING YOU TO CREATE A NICE, STRAIGHT SHOT TO DRAW. THE EASIEST WAY FOR YOU TO LEARN HOW TO CHANGE YOUR LOOP STARTS BY HOLDING THAT CLUB IN FRONT OF YOU; JUST SIMPLY COCK IT UP ON TOP OF YOUR HANDS, TURN IT TO THE SIDE, BACK TO WHERE YOU STARTED FROM. UP, TURN IT TO THE SIDE, AND BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM. THE NEXT THING YOU NEED TO DO IS ADD A LITTLE ARM SWING WITH THIS SO, AS YOU SWING YOUR ARMS BACK, COCK IT UP, TURN IT TO THE SIDE, BRING IT BACK TO SQUARE. PUT THE CLUB TO THE SIDE, BACK TO SQUARE. THEN, EVENTUALLY, ADD A SHOULDER TURN WITH THAT. THE CLUB COMES UP, SHOULDERS TURN AND THEN, YOU APPROACH FROM THE SIDE. YOU GET THAT MOTION GOING FOR YOU, THEN YOU CAN GET A BALL FLIGHT THAT DRIVES BETTER, FAVORS A BIT OF A DRAW. WHEN MY CLUB FACE IS SQUARE AT THE TOP OF THE SWING, I CAN CREATE THE PROPER SEQUENCE OF MOTION TO BE ABLE TO HIT A GOOD GOLF SHOT. AT THE TOP OF THE GOLF SWING, WHAT HAPPENS IS, MY LOWER BODY CAN START THE DOWNSWING, RATHER THAN MY UPPER BODY WITH A SLICE. WHEN I START MY DOWNSWING, I FEEL SOME WEIGHT TRANSFER FROM RIGHT FOOT TO LEFT FOOT. MY LEFT HIP MOVES BACK UP ON TOP OF THE LEFT FOOT, THEN MY SHOULDER AND MY ARMS, AND MY HANDS GET TO THE BALL FIRST; AND THEN, THE SHAFT AND HEAD LEG A LITTLE BEHIND, ALLOWING ME TO COMPRESS THE BALL CORRECTLY AGAINST THE GROUND. GET THE CLUB FACE TO ROTATE AND HIT THAT BEAUTIFUL DRAW THAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR. YOU DO THAT AND YOU’LL BE HITTING THE BALL AS GOOD AS ANY TOUR PLAYER I KNOW.
16 Views
18:09:14 08/07/08
Chase Jarvis TECH: Photo Shoot In 180 Seconds
[LESS INFO] 16 VIEWS | ADDED 18:09:14 08/07/08
So many of the photography videos out there show great behind-the-scenes footage and tons of gear-related details. This video is more than that. In this Chase Jarvis TECH, I'm responding to the dozens--seemingly hundreds--of emails I've received recently asking me to highlight the various steps that comprise a professional commercial photo shoot. Therefore, follow along in this 3 minute video as I walk you through a recent commercial assignment where I was hired to photograph 3 hot young golf ladies of the LPGA. [And of course I included a lighting diagram and tech specs in the video for you photo geeks out there.] Click the 'continue reading' link below for a more complete description of the shoot, including the 6 core components to almost every commercial gigs, a detailed list of the equipment used, and more. -- We all like to focus on the creative aspects of our jobs as photographic artists. I know that's my favorite part - it keeps us sane and engaged. However, often overlooked are the nuts and bolts, or the framework for what enables our professional creative vision to become a reality. As you see in the vid, it's my belief that nearly every commercial shoot has 6 core components or phases. Roughly, those are: 1. Contracts, creative concepting, and pre-production. In this phase you're putting the deliverables in writing, your flexing your creative muscles with the client, and you (or your producer) are lining up the logistical details of the shoot. 2. Travel. While it's not a component to every shoot (eg, in your studio?), it is a big part of many shoots. Whether you travel across the country, the world, or just your home town, you're still moving bodies and equipment, and thus this deserves your attention. 3. Scouting. Whether you do it weeks, days, or hours in advance, you should--if at all possible--build time into your schedule to visit the location before you shoot. Take into consideration how the light looks, where the sun moves, logistical challenges, etc. Take sample images and look at various angles. Make a game plan. 4. Shooting. This is the fun part where you get to do all the stuff that made you want to be a photographer in the first place. Focus on creativity and executing your vision. 5. Post production. This is the step where you process your images, retouch them according to the client needs, and most importantly add your personal mojo. This is often overlooked, so be sure to build time into the schedule. (See an earlier post for my opinions on this.) 6 Delivery. Whether you deliver online via FTP or via hard drives, DVDs, or whatever media via Fed Ex, it's important that you have a smooth system that works for both you and the client, with special attention to file format, color space, and timeline, etc. Obviously, these 6 components are just a shell meant to act as a guideline. You could thin-slice this to death and include color palette review, stylist collaboration, prepping the models or talent, etc, but I've chosen to sort these things into these 6 larger buckets. Of course you could also add things before and after this set of six, like wooing the client before and following-up after the job with a thank you, etc. Again, I'm truncating these elements in favor of focusing on the big 6 elements so that you catch my drift. Other specs from this job: -I shot using the Nikon D3, and -I shot primarily with the Nikkor 24-70mm 2.8 lens, and -I shot primarily on a Bogen carbon fiber tripod and a Manfrotto head, and -I shot tethered to an Apple MacBook Pro (see Pimped Laptop Case vid), and -I shot directly into Apple Aperture, and -I used 2 Profoto 7b packs, and -I used Pocket Wizards to fire the strobes, and -I used one medium and one small Chimera softbox. The great LPGA golfers I was fortunate to shoot for this gig were: -Erica Blasberg -Charlotte Mayorkas -Irene Cho
