Japan will be lowering its corporate tax rate. The result will be to make the United States' statutory tax rate (the tax rate on paper) the highest tax rate in the developed world (if you also exclude Japan's added value tax).
What you'll be hearing from Republicans:
“The United States is a world leader in countless ways. ‘World’s Highest Taxes’ is a title we should give up as soon as possible.” - Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)
“This isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke; as of April 1, the United States of America will have reached the inauspicious position of having the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world. I want America to be number one in many things, but having the highest corporate tax rate is definitely not one of them.” -Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
What the reality is: While the US has a high statutory tax rate, it also has one of the lowest effective tax rates for corporations. In fact, in 2011, what corporations actually paid fell to a 40 year low of 12.1%. This means corporations are actually paying less in taxes in the US as they achieve post-recession, record profits.
According to a new Gallup over 2/3 of America is moderately (28%) or very (40%) religious.
The Most Religious States - unsurprisingly, these are also mostly traditionally Republican states. 1. Mississippi - 59% of residents are very religious 2. Utah - 57% of residents are very religious 3. Alabama - 56% of residents are very religious 4. Louisiana - 54% of residents are very religious 5. Arkansas - 54% of residents are very religious 6. South Carolina - 54% of residents are very religious 7. Tennessee - 52% of residents are very religious 8. North Carolina - 50% of residents are very religious 9. Georgia - 48% of residents are very religious 10. Oklahoma - 48% of residents are very religious
The Least Religious States - unsurprisingly, these are also mostly traditionally Democratic states. 1. Vermont - 23% of residents are very religious 2. New Hampshire - 23% of residents are very religious 3. Maine - 25% of residents are very religious 4. Massachusetts - 28% of residents are very religious 5. Alsaka - 28% of residents are very religious 6. Oregon - 30% of residents are very religious 7. Nevada - 30% of residents are very religious 8. Washington - 30% of residents are very religious 9. Connecticut - 31% of residents are very religious 10. Washington DC - 32% of residents are very religious 11. New York - 32% of residents are very religious 12. Rhode Island - 32% of residents are very religious
Maryland is ranked as average with 39% of the state categorized as very religious.
overheard by Stephy Miller drawn by Kate Haberer (click on strip to see larger version) Look for a new Said What? comic in Wednesday's B: The Paper. Available free around town. You can also follow this strip and others at MutantFunnies.com. ---------------------------------------------------- Overhear something amazing? Post them in the comments section (with your email address) or email your overheards (using this format) to: MobtownshankATatomicbooksDOTcom. It could end up as a comic strip.
AQUARIUS: Most likely. PISCES: Very doubtful.. ARIES: It is certain. TAURUS: Most likely. GEMINI: Reply hazy, try again. CANCER: Don't count on it. LEO: It is cetain. VIRGO: My sources say no. LIBRA: My sources say no. SCORPIO: Very doubtful. SAGITTARIUS: As I see it, yes. CAPRICORN: It is certain.
Specialty Bonus Sign OPHIUCHUS: Outlook not so good.
Sunday, March 25, 2012 UP WITH CHRIS HAYES 8-10AM. MSNBC. On Facebook.
Today's episode: Atheism In America Today
Scheduled guests include: - Richard Dawkins - Steven Pinker - Susan Jacoby - Jamila Bey - Robert Wright ... and a Christian Clergyman who will out himself as an atheist.
So what does Wal-Mart have to do with the murder of Trayvon Martin, an innocent child guilty of buying Skittles and an iced tea in Florida (and according to conservatives, also guilty of wearing a hoodie)?
Well thanks to their efforts, similar killings could happen in other states.
Wal-Mart, the largest shotgun retailer in America, chaired the ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) Criminal Justice Task Force. ALEC then adopted Florida's "shoot first" legislation, which Trayvon's shooter George Zimmerman is citing in his defense and has resulted - to date - in him not being arrested for the killing, as model legislation.
After being ratified by Wal-Mart, ALEC and the NRA has since taken this template, armed their lobbyists with it, and sent them into state houses across America to get it passed in a dozen other states.
The Gathering. 5-8PM. Maryland SPCA. Hampden, Baltimore. 3300 Falls Rd.
Today the Baltimore Food Truck Rally is coming to Hampden.
Wine and beer will also be available.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the SPCA.
Some of the food trucks scheduled to be there include: Souper Freak The Gypsy Queen Cafe GrrChe - Gourmet Grilled Cheese Iced Gems Creations Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon South Carolina BBQ & Catering.
Earlier this week, he introduced Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum to his church while making a lot of controversial, inappropriate, offensive and downright false statements to his parishioners (most of which Santorum can be seen applauding).
“This nation was founded as a Christian nation… there’s only one God and his name is Jesus.”
This is a tired line from religious bigots who have had the luxury of having Judeo-Christian beliefs be the (mostly unchecked) dominant belief system in the United States.
The United States was founded as a secular nation. The principles guiding our founding documents were based on ideals from The Enlightenment, not religious doctrine which is why "God" isn't mentioned in said documents. "Creator" sure, but definitely not Jesus Christ.
In fact, the US was organized under democratic principles. If we really want to get into it, Christianity (as most organized religions) is inherently anti-democratic in that there is no voting. There is only the word of god.
"I‘m tired of people telling me that I can’t say those words. I'm tired of people telling us as Christians that we can't voice our beliefs or we can no longer pray in public."
No one is telling him he can't say anything. But if he 's going to say factually incorrect shit, he should expect, from time to time, there will be folks who are going to correct him on it.
“If you don‘t love America and you don’t like the way we do things, I’ve got one thing to say — Get out!”
Y'know, even Merle Haggard is embarrassed by the "love it or leave it" sentiment he expressed in his 1970 hit, "The Fightin' Side of Me".
This comment reminds me of that kid crying, "Leave Britney alone!" But instead of defending a pop star, what Terry is really saying is, "If you don't want America to be a Christian theocracy, get out! Wah!"
"We don’t worship Buddha."
Who is this "we"?
"I said we don’t worship Buddha."
Some of us do. Well, it's really more like following the teachings of... so technically speaking he is correct.
"We don’t worship Mohammed. We don’t worship Allah."
Some of us do. Some of us worship lizard gods and serpents. Some worship the intangible force of nature. Some worship aliens. Some of us don't really see any difference in any of the things people worship - one is the same as the other is the same as the other... whether you worship Zeus, Odin or Yaweh or comets.
"We worship God. We worship God’s son Jesus Christ."
Some of us don't.
“As long as they continue to kill little babies in our mother’s womb, somebody has to take a stand and say it’s not right.”
Oh, by "babies" he means zygotes.
But I'm much more interested in this - who is this "they" who kill babies in "our" mother's womb? What exactly is going on in that sentence? I'm no therapist but...
“As long as sexual perversion is becoming normalized, somebody needs to stand up and say, ‘God forgive us, God have mercy upon us.’”
Normalized? Does he mean like Ted Haggard?
Or does he mean when priests molest little boys and the Catholic Church covers it up? I'm with him on the Catholic Church thing, but I'll go one better. Instead of just asking for forgiveness, I say we prosecute every last one of them and revoke the church's tax exempt status as a punitive measure for the cover-up.
“I believe that Christians in America are the key to revival. I believe that Christians in America is the key to the economy turning around. I believe that Christians in America is the key to the jobless rate continue to go down. I believe it’s a spiritual thing. If we’ll put God back in America, put God back in our pulpits. Put God back in our homes and our statehouse — and then in Washington, D.C. — then we can have revival in America…and mighty things will happen for this country.”
Oh, I see. Terry is laying down some "theological economics" expertise.
According to Terry, the economic slump wasn't caused by years of Republican econmic policies and deregulation and unchecked greed, no, evidently god did it because we aren't Christian enough. Kind of like when he sends tornadoes, earthquakes, fires and floods to kill people for not praying enough or for being gay or for being poor or....
