I'm failing to see how it is not contradictory to bitch and bitch about how little you pay in taxes...and then not pay the taxes, when you clearly can.

I can't speak to Russell Simmons, but I know it's the case with Warren Buffett, and not because of loopholes or anything else. It's because so much of his income is capital gains, which are taxed much less than paycheck type income. He does his own taxes on a basic form, and pays a lower rate than his secretary.

Olbermann's anti-Bloomberg rant is full-on bludgeoning with deeply satisfactory historical references.

Prime Minister Grenville, bitch!

Maybe it depends on what he's saying? Is the gist of his argument "I should be paying more" or is it "Rich people like me should be required to pay a bigger share of their income"? I would guess it's the latter, but haven't read it I don't know.

But I do see your point, Allyson.

So you just have the gravy for putting on the mashies? Huh. Fascinating!

Yep! Gravy is gooood. I add mushrooms, spices and pepper to the jarred Heinz tukey gravy, and we have boatloads of creamy mashed potatoes with evap milk and lots of butter. Caloriffic!

Gud, huh? We've always called those home fries.

This is the meatloaf recipe we use, AIFG. [link]

I like it with ground turkey.

Hey, na, hey, na, my boyfriend's back. But if I were to give KO a tiny note, it would be this. "You're a pig, Sir. Resign immediately or forfeit the dignity of your office," is totally played. So five years ago. Playing in the old-timers rhetoric game...whatever you want to say...you say it to everyone and they never care. Otherwise, an outstanding Comment.

But the point is, there is no law that says that they can't pay the higher tax rate if they wish to do so. They can pay the higher rate.

Now, what Simmons said is that he'd rather give the money to charity than contribute to the "war machine," but I submit that it's a justification. You know what? Me too. I'd rather select just what my money will go to as well. And I could probably write an entire book on why that doesn't really work, and how bananas things could be if people were able to ala carte their taxes.

Either pay your taxes at your secretary's rate AND give more to charities that fall in line with your ideologies, which you can clearly afford, or don't. But don't bitch about it when you can absolutely do something about it. It's disingenuous.

Put me on the home-made gravy train (heh). It's one of the less-onerous Turkey Day tasks, although it's always a crapshoot for me, as I don't have an actual recipe. I just wing it with the fat & the flour & the broth & the spices. It usually comes out okay, and better than canned.

This weekend I will make cranberry sauce (probably with ginger & oranges) and maybe rolls. And today I should order a turkey. We'll have 9 people in total, which means a smallish turkey.

The down side is that I don't get either Wednesday or Friday next week off. I may take Wednesday off anyway so I can start baking...

wrod. I think Oprah Winfrey told her accountant not to use loopholes when she files, which I remember cause she said her accountant hated to do it, but that's just iirc.

But the point is, there is no law that says that they can't pay the higher tax rate if they wish to do so. They can pay the higher rate.

Can you? Wouldn't the IRS just send you a refund?