SOTU 2014

[guido911]

First thing to do when you walk in on a circle jerk:

1.  Look supervised.  Don't worry, you will be

THAT's what Biden was pointing at. Thanks T.

[guido911]

They are trying really hard but it's obvious they are finished carrying water. MSNBC and CNN also offered faint praise. I think everyone is suffering from BS fatigue.

I didn't think he did that bad.

[Gaspar]

Don't forget, he wants to take the $4billion they give to petroleum producers, and give it to this industry.....

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

When you subsidize failure you get more failure. When you subsidize success, you get a decrease in quality.  Subsidy in general, produces negative outcomes wherever it is applied because it circumvents market forces.  Of course this is contrary to the concept of an imperial government.

The economic miracle that has been the United States was not produced by socialized enterprises, by government-unon-industry cartels or by centralized economic planning. It was produced by private enterprises in a profit-and-loss system. And losses were at least as important in weeding out failures, as profits in fostering successes. Let government succor failures, and we shall be headed for stagnation and decline. – Milton Friedman


It is much cheaper and enormously more profitable for the special interests to purchase the regulatory favors of Washington's political harlots than to compete in a fair, unsubsidized markeplace. – Lee Robinson

[AquaMan]

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

When you subsidize failure you get more failure. When you subsidize success, you get a decrease in quality.  Subsidy in general, produces negative outcomes wherever it is applied because it circumvents market forces.  Of course this is contrary to the concept of an imperial government.

The economic miracle that has been the United States was not produced by socialized enterprises, by government-unon-industry cartels or by centralized economic planning. It was produced by private enterprises in a profit-and-loss system. And losses were at least as important in weeding out failures, as profits in fostering successes. Let government succor failures, and we shall be headed for stagnation and decline. – Milton Friedman


It is much cheaper and enormously more profitable for the special interests to purchase the regulatory favors of Washington's political harlots than to compete in a fair, unsubsidized markeplace. – Lee Robinson

So, having read all that, one would surmise you and dbacks don't like petroleum industry subsidies like the depletion allowance or the ones that favor roadbuilding over rail, the coal industry, the electrical industries et al.? Shouldn't we try to stay somewhat fair about it all?

BTW, I didn't watch either. I was afraid to see one of our delegation start throwing their shoes.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

So, having read all that, one would surmise you and dbacks don't like petroleum industry subsidies like the depletion allowance or the ones that favor roadbuilding over rail, the coal industry, the electrical industries et al.? Shouldn't we try to stay somewhat fair about it all?

BTW, I didn't watch either. I was afraid to see one of our delegation start throwing their shoes.

I was being sarcastic, because the end result of all the money pumped into solar has not produced the desired results.

I am in favor of Keystone XL because we will have access to that oil as well as some of it being exported. More dino can be disturbed by pipeline than by rail and road.

You can't kill off the coal industry because it's used for more than just power generation, it's also used in the production of steel products. Also you can't shut down coal fired electric plants because there is not enough hydro, natural gas, and nuclear to take up the slack.

Wind power is a good supplement but it's not the all to end all either.

There is a prosed natural gas facility planned for Coos Bay, it was originally designed to be an import terminal, but with the abundance that we supposedly have they are working on a solution to make it an import and export terminal. It would create a number of construction jobs, as well as a number of permanent jobs, and increase the number of good paying jobs in the area, but all you hear is, "Yeah and the first problem they have will wipe out the area when it explodes" from the locals, and the environmentalist's are screaming that it will destroy natural lands and wild life.

[DolfanBob]

All I got out of it was a chance to watch channels other than Networks. Oh and Willie Robertson and his Wife Kori were there. I almost forgot. 

[AquaMan]

I understand. However, you may want to question some of your assumptions. If you've been assured that our current system is safe, the most productive it can be and that environmentalists are kooks driven by liberal fanatics then those assumptions make sense. Many of us consider the source of those assumptions and match them with a different reality.

Energy is not the exclusive domain of the current players. That is why they object to any direction but what they provide. They see Boone Pickens and others who leave the fold as heretics to be shunned.

Coal is not an absolute. It can't be, and shouldn't be, totally eliminated and neither can petroleum. But, the rest of the world is moving away from coal and petroleum in favor of solar, wind, water, hydrogen, nuclear and even geo-thermal. A package of energy sources. It is astounding that we cannot see the future as well as they do. Maybe our blinders are being supplied by the promise of jobs, the political ownership by monolithic industrial interests and simple faith in things we don't understand.

[Gaspar]

So, having read all that, one would surmise you and dbacks don't like petroleum industry subsidies like the depletion allowance or the ones that favor roadbuilding over rail, the coal industry, the electrical industries et al.? Shouldn't we try to stay somewhat fair about it all?

BTW, I didn't watch either. I was afraid to see one of our delegation start throwing their shoes.

You are correct!  

There is this impression that we give $4 billion in Subsidies to oil companies, and if that was true it would be ridiculous and outrageous!  None the less, it is the narrative that the left enjoys pushing, because to them taxes are the opposite of subsidies, and when you allow a company to keep earnings, you are therefore subsidizing them.

Crazy, I know, but here's how it works. Energy companies have access to $4 billion in tax cuts, and the majority of these cuts are the same that all other companies (large & Small) have access to.  These include Equipment Depreciation, Expensing of R & D, Percentage Over Cost Depletion, Capital Expenditures Credit, and Fuel Tax Exemptions.  

Outside of these typical deductions, there is one primary federal program that oil companies receive revenue from.  This is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.  The Oil industry is paid $1 billion a year to purchase oil that the government stores in the reserve.  I know, I know, it's not really a "subsidy" by definition, but this is as close as we get to the definition of subsidy, beyond some small (mostly local) programs that oil companies take advantage of,  so lets run with it.  Should we eliminate it?  Sure.  Let the oil companies maintain their own reserves.  It is in their best interest to safeguard their industry by safeguarding the energy supply.  Anywhere that we can subtract government from the equation is a plus.

So the argument becomes, should we tell an industry that "you are not allowed to take any of the tax deductions that other businesses take because we don't like you?  Or should we just do away with all of these tax deductions for all companies?  I think we should do the latter.  No deductions for anyone!  Of course we would need to drastically simplify our tax code, and any proposal to do that would never pass congress.  Of course now that we are doing away with the Legislative and Judicial branches, we could probably get it done with just a pen.

So this is why this argument is great political fodder, but no one on either side will actually tackle it, and I don't expect even an Imperial President to make such a decree with the swipe of his pen.

[Townsend]

Gov. Mary Fallin Responds to State of the Union Address



http://maryfallin.org/video/gov--mary-fallin-responds-to-state-of-the-union-address

Friends,

Tonight some of you may have heard President Obama's State of the Union Address. In it, he predictably offered more of the same failed policies his administration has been pushing since he took office: more taxes, more spending, more debt, and more government.

Like many Oklahomans, I believe the president is leading our great nation in the wrong direction. The Washington Way isn't working. The chaos caused by Obamacare and its failed launch is just the latest example of federal overreach and incompetence.

While the president continues to stubbornly borrow 40 cents out of every dollar Washington spends, his policies are also stifling our free market economy - meaning less jobs for American workers.

Here in Oklahoma, we're going in a different direction. We believe in lower taxes, less government, and responsible spending. We believe in more freedom, not less.

We're fighting back and doing things the Oklahoma Way -- and as a result we've created tens of thousands of jobs even as the national economy remains stagnant.

[AquaMan]

You had me at "crazy".

We arrived at the same conclusion, though I haven't enough information to know if your remarks are credible. The conclusion is this....if we no longer have an interest in a managed economy that helps incentivise for the public good and dis-incentivise to avoid known pitfalls, then yes, a fair playground means everyone loses their coveted gravy ladles.

I'm not sure there can ever be a parity in the rules for non essential and essential industries (farming, energy, transportation, water vs. printing presses, homeowners interest deductions, technology grants etc) especially when the people making the rules are an integral part of the cost of doing business. Even good graft is expensive stuff and you can't write it off.

[AquaMan]

Gov. Mary Fallin Responds to State of the Union Address



http://maryfallin.org/video/gov--mary-fallin-responds-to-state-of-the-union-address

I think Sauer might be her speechwriter.

[Gaspar]

You had me at "crazy".

We arrived at the same conclusion, though I haven't enough information to know if your remarks are credible. The conclusion is this....if we no longer have an interest in a managed economy that helps incentivise for the public good and dis-incentivise to avoid known pitfalls, then yes, a fair playground means everyone loses their coveted gravy ladles.

I'm not sure there can ever be a parity in the rules for non essential and essential industries (farming, energy, transportation, water vs. printing presses, homeowners interest deductions, technology grants etc) especially when the people making the rules are an integral part of the cost of doing business. Even good graft is expensive stuff and you can't write it off.

We're getting closer, even though were coming from opposite directions.

Our current tax code is designed for graft.  It has become a game of who can buy the rules to punish their competition through taxation and regulation.  The idea is not to incentivise for the public good, safeguard industry, or level the playing ground.  The idea is to erect barriers and shut out competition. 

As long as the game is played this way, it matters not whether you have a D, R, or I behind your name. 

[dbacksfan 2.0]

I think Sauer might be her speechwriter.

Uncle Kimchi's reaction to her speech......

[Gaspar]

Guess I wasn't alone.  According to Nelson, only 33 million viewers.  The only SOTU with less viewership than that was Bill Clinton's final one after diddleing the help.  Bush even beat that on his way out.  DAMN!

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Guess I wasn't alone.  According to Nelson, only 33 million viewers.  The only SOTU with less viewership than that was Bill Clinton's final one after diddleing the help.  Bush even beat that on his way out.  DAMN!

Biden has that "Told you so" look, and Boehner looks half tanked, and he possibly smooted himself.