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From: zen cycle <funkmasterxx@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Tariffs and bikes
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2025 07:53:39 -0400
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On 4/5/2025 11:16 AM, AMuzi wrote:
> On 4/5/2025 9:37 AM, John B. wrote:
>> On Sat, 5 Apr 2025 08:35:17 -0500, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
>>
>>> On 4/5/2025 4:43 AM, John B. wrote:
>>>> On Sat, 05 Apr 2025 04:19:45 -0400, Catrike Ryder
>>>> <Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Sat, 5 Apr 2025 00:08:53 -0400, Frank Krygowski
>>>>> <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 4/4/2025 10:30 PM, AMuzi wrote:
>>>>>>> On 4/4/2025 9:03 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 4/4/2025 12:26 PM, AMuzi wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> You can have whatever opinion you like but not your own facts.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Heck, I thought it was fashionable to have "alternative facts" 
>>>>>>>> if you
>>>>>>>> don't like the look of normal ones! Wasn't that made clear during
>>>>>>>> Trump version 1?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> USA has among the most steeply sloped tax regimes on earth, 
>>>>>>>>> such that
>>>>>>>>> the top 1% of earners pay roughly half of all income tax.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> https://usafacts.org/articles/who-pays-the-most-income-tax/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The USA also has some of the highest income and wealth disparity of
>>>>>>>> developed nations. Granted, not as bad as many small 3rd world
>>>>>>>> countries - but I think we should not be striving to emulate those.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/issues/economic- justice/ 
>>>>>>>> income-
>>>>>>>> and-wealth-inequality/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'd say that means our tax structure is still insufficiently 
>>>>>>>> progressive.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> And what should we be trying to achieve anyway? ISTM our nation was
>>>>>>>> founded on the idea of doing away with a privileged class 
>>>>>>>> lording it
>>>>>>>> over those purportedly of less worth. Also the idea of everyone 
>>>>>>>> (well,
>>>>>>>> as long as their complexion wasn't too dark) getting an equal 
>>>>>>>> shot at
>>>>>>>> prosperity. If nothing else, those ideas, if implemented, work 
>>>>>>>> toward
>>>>>>>> keeping the masses content enough that they don't literally rebel.
>>>>>>>> Rebellions are messy, unpredictable, and bad for bike shops.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> We now have a new privileged class, one that can rake in 
>>>>>>>> millions per
>>>>>>>> year and pay lower rates than struggling middle Americans, in part
>>>>>>>> because of clever deductions. Remember Leona Helmsley? "Taxes 
>>>>>>>> are for
>>>>>>>> little people."
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> And of course, any money made over $170,000 per year is free of 
>>>>>>>> Social
>>>>>>>> Security duties. Because hey, one's third mega- mansion is much 
>>>>>>>> more
>>>>>>>> important than better food for the family making $50,000 per 
>>>>>>>> year. Why
>>>>>>>> should the ultra-rich help to keep Social Security afloat?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The 'disparity' is a myth in that it counts only taxable earnings,
>>>>>>> ignoring that fully half the country pays no income tax.  Many of 
>>>>>>> those
>>>>>>> receive 'negative tax' payments and in fact dos very well on relief,
>>>>>>> much better than many working people.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "The disparity is a myth"??  The GINI index for the U.S. is higher
>>>>>> (worse) than for Britain, Italy, France, Austria, Canada, Australia,
>>>>>> Ireland, Sweden, Albania, Croatia, etc. etc. etc. Yes, it's not as 
>>>>>> bad
>>>>>> as South Africa, Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia, but it's hardly a myth.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Regarding wealthy citizens, we do indeed have some inherited 
>>>>>>> wealth but
>>>>>>> almost all the top earners are self made ...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That's irrelevant. I was not restricting my comments to inherited
>>>>>> wealth. I'm basically saying that our current laws and tax structures
>>>>>> favor the wealthy and especially the very wealthy. That includes
>>>>>> corporations, for which it's not that unusual to pay next to zero
>>>>>> federal taxes. Tax shelters are available to those with tons of 
>>>>>> money.
>>>>>> Helmsley's "little people" have no access to that trickery.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Your snarky racism comment is ridiculous.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I said a big idea for the new nation of the U.S. was that everyone
>>>>>> should get an equal shot if their skin wasn't too dark. Did you 
>>>>>> somehow
>>>>>> forget that black slavery existed back then? Slaves did not get an 
>>>>>> equal
>>>>>> shot.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yes, I know you (especially you!) can come up with anecdotes about
>>>>>> modern black guys who have gotten rich. But surely even you don't 
>>>>>> think
>>>>>> it's as likely for a young black guy to succeed as it is for a young
>>>>>> white guy.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> There are 224 times more black millionaires in USA than the top 19
>>>>>>> countries of Africa combined.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Go stick your racism somewhere else.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I was not comparing black Americans to black Africans. I was 
>>>>>> comparing
>>>>>> black Americans to white Americans. And in my original statement, 
>>>>>> I was
>>>>>> comparing those groups in 1776.
>>>>>
>>>>> The Leftists racism nonsense is not working any more as more and more
>>>>> non-white people walk away from the Democrat Party. Perhaps they
>>>>> should stop using it.
>>>>
>>>> 'Re Frank's post above... in early  America George Washington, a 3rd
>>>> generation slave owner,  assumed ownership of his first 10 slaves when
>>>> he was 11 years old. At his death there were 317 slaves  at Mount
>>>> Vernon.
>>>
>>> True although most were acquired at his marriage.
>>>
>>> Odd though that people do harp on him, and on Thomas
>>> Jefferson as well, while exempting John Adams and Benjamin
>>> Franklin from that line of conversation.
>>>
>>> And the same people have no time or attention for today's
>>> open slave markets across the Gulf region, into Sudan and
>>> now, with the sudden absence of French special forces,
>>> across the Sahel as the jihadis take over.
>>>
>>> Not to mention massive scale vivisection of political
>>> prisoners by the CCP for their international organ selling
>>> programs.  Oh no, not at all important when bashing Mr
>>> Washington is so entertaining.
>>
>>
>> It is difficult to understand how telling the truth is "bashing". Or
>> has the truth become a sin in modern America?
>>
>> As Winston Churchill (and others )  said, “Those that fail to learn
>> from history are doomed to repeat it.”
> 
> It's true. We all have read multiple contemporary accounts. No 
> reasonable person doubts that truth.

It's too bad these 'unreasonable' people are now in the halls of power.
https://news.sky.com/story/elon-musks-x-removes-holocaust-denial-post-after-days-of-criticism-12944991

> 
> When incessant harping on that, with no mention of his other actions 
> over a long life (and not all exemplary, for example that French and 
> Indian War incident) it may well be called bashing. YVVM.
> 
> Similarly my criticism of the modern education racket is that young 
> people can recount all of our country's sins, which were real, but none 
> of the good we have done.
> 

""That is not only not right; it is not even wrong""