take your answer off the air...

  • HorsesAss.Org: the straight poop on WA politics & the press
    progressive brilliance from the guy who pointed out Tim Eyman's nascent horse's-assedness
  • Talker's Magazine
    The quirky talk radio trade mag. Check the Talk Radio Research Project- it's not very scientific, but places on the top 15 talkers list (scroll down to Talk Radio Audiences By Size)) are as hotly contested as Emmys (and mean just about as much).
  • The Advocate
    No, not THAT Advocate... it's the Northwest Progressive Institute's Official Blog.
  • Media Matters
    Documentation of right-wing media in video, audio and text.
  • Orcinus
    home of David Neiwert, freelance investigative journalist and author who writes extensively about far-right hate groups
  • Hominid Views
    "People, politics, science, and whatnot" Darryl is a statistician who fights imperialism with empiricism, gives good links and wry commentary.
  • Jesus' General
    An 11 on the Manly Scale of Absolute Gender, a 12 on the Heavenly Scale of the 10 Commandments and a 6 on the earthly scale of the Immaculately Groomed.
  • Howie in Seattle
    Howie Martin is the Abe Linkin' of progressive Seattle.
  • Streaming Radio Guide
    Hellishly long (5795!) list of radio streaming, steaming on the Internets.
  • The Naked Loon
    News satire -- The Onion in the Seattle petunia patch.
  • Irrational Public Radio
    "informs, challenges, soothes and/or berates, and does so with a pleasing vocal cadence and unmatched enunciation. When you listen to IPR, integrity washes over you like lava, with the pleasing familiarity of a medium-roast coffee and a sensible muffin."
  • The Maddow Blog
    Here's the hyper-interactive La Raych of MSNBC. daily show-vids, freakishly geeky research, and classy graphics.
  • Northwest Broadcasters
    The AM, FM, TV and digital broadcasters of Northwest Washington, USA and Southwest British Columbia, Canada. From Kelso, WA to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, BC - call letters, formats, slogans, networks, technical data, and transmitter maps. Plus "recent" news.
  • News Corpse
    The Internet's chronicle of media decay.
  • The Moderate Voice
    The voice of reason in the age of Obama, and the politics of the far-middle.
  • News Hounds
    Dogged dogging of Fox News by a team who seems to watch every minute of the cable channel so you don't have to.
  • HistoryLink
    Fun to read and free encyclopedia of Washington State history. Founded by the late Walt Crowley, it's an indispensable tool and entertainment source for history wonks and surfers alike.

right-wing blogs we like

  • The Reagan Wing
    Hearin lies the real heart of Washington State Republicans. Doug Parris runs this red-meat social conservative group site which bars no holds when it comes to saying who they are and who they're not; what they believe and what they don't; who their friends are and where the rest of the Republicans can go. Well-written, and flaming.
  • Orbusmax
    inexhaustible Drudgery of NW conservative news
  • The Radio Equalizer
    prolific former Seattle KVI, KIRO talk host speaks authoritatively about radio.
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October 20, 2006

Comments

meow

Why burn bandwidth with old stupid cut and paste? We know you can do better - you might as well quote Styblehead for us.

blathering michael

yeah Brian- you've got a mind- write something original, or get your own blog so you can pay for the bandwidth posting old e-mail jokes. It wasn't that funny 3 years ago, when it first made the rounds.

lukobe

I had to cut a check to the IRS and the state department of revenue when my parents died (this was in 2000, before there was *any* reform of the estate tax--my parents' estate was obviously larger than the average American's, but in 2000 the exemption was $675K, not $2M). And I lean libertarian. So you'd think I'd be all for this--but am voting no. I think it's a terrible idea. Why?

1) If there HAS to be an estate tax, let it be levied at the state level, not the federal level.

2) If this passes, the rich will STILL have to pay estate tax to the feds. As it currently stands, state estate tax is mostly credit against federal estate tax--so I don't think this will actually save the rich much, if at all--and the money will go to DC instead of Olympia.

3) Reform is better than repeal in this case, I think... I'd still like to see estates able to discharge their tax liability after death by donation to charity...

joanie

I'd like the cutoff to be around $5 million . . . anybody with property or a small business probably reaches $5 million pretty easily. I know that seems like a lot to those of us who are still working on our first million, but it really isn't. Look at how much real estate and other assets have increased in value in just the last ten years . . .

I don't begrudge families the ability to leave assets behind. I'm for taxing the estates of the really rich which are well beyond even $5 million. But, I think $5 million is still fair to tax.

Also, I appreciate Gates campaign against the repeal of the estate tax. But, really now, does his son have to worry about money? Ever? I think Gates knows he can afford to take the high road here . . .

I am not voting to repeal the tax even if I want it changed.

sparky

Isnt Gates saying that he thinks his kids SHOULD pay taxes on what they inherit because they will have grown up in the lap of luxury?

Mike Barer

You could tax Bill's Children 100 per cent and they would make it with their smarts, wit and education.

joanie

Sparky, that's exactly what he's saying.

I'm saying that Junior would still be a billionire regardless how much money he had to pay for his dad's estate. And his sisters will never have to worry either.

Compare that with the parents of children who expect to take over mom and dad's business or property management or other smaller estate to continue to make it.

That's why I'm concerned that we tax the established wealthy and not ask kids to start over completely or risk losing a small business when parents die.

A lot has been written lately - in response to the disappearance of the middle class and hardship minorities are having building wealth - that wealth is built inter-generationally. One generation gets a house and the next uses the equity in the house to get another one or start a business or whatever.

But it takes an asset to get another asset . . . unless, of course, you are - as Mike sort of said - a very talented person. If your asset is your creativity, talent or some other special means, you may make it anyway. But, a lot of talented people fail just as people who inherit money don't always keep it.

Still, generational help is one way ordinary hard-working people can create wealth that grows as it is handed down.

Also, Bill went to public schools until Lakeside. If you read about Lakeside, you will find that they were on the cutting edge of computers way before public schools had the means to get on board. It was through help from the wealthy clientele of Lakeside that computers and computer training was introduced at Lakeside very early.

Imagine what some of our kids could have done if they had had that opportunity. So Bill's ability to start Microsoft was definitely aided by his financial ability to attend Lakeside - an expensive private school. And, dad's ability as a lawyer, guaranteed a contract with IBM (if my memory serves me well) that was airtight and kept Bill in the game.

I remember discussions in those years how IBM lawyers drew up contracts that weren't nearly so beneficial to subcontractors and others.

So, back to the point of estate taxes, I just don't want to take away from families who are on tract to create lasting wealth that ability to keep building it. Once they get to the $5m or $10m mark, taxing them heavily seems fair to me. By then, the kids should have the money, the assets and the expertise to handle it. A family-estate plan should be sitting next to the business plan.

I don't begrudge these people their money and I don't want to see business/property sold if it can be helped.

Sorry, I didn't intend this to be so long. Wish I had a dollar for every word I've posted on Blather . . . :)

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      Visit the burnt-out husk of one of the seminal right-wing talkers in all the land. Here's where once trilled the reactionary tones of Rush Limbaugh, John Carlson, Kirby Wilbur, Mike Siegel, Peter Weissbach, Floyd Brown, Dinky Donkey, and Bryan Suits. Now it's Top 40 hits from the '60's & '70's aimed at that diminishing crowd who still remembers them and can still hear.
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      Right wing home of local, and a whole bunch of syndicated righties such as Glennn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Lars Larsony, and for an hour a day: live & local David Boze.
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      Syndicated liberal talk. Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz, Randi Rhodes, Norman Goldman fill in the large hole to the left on Northwest radio dial.
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      Syndicated right-wing 2nd stringers like Mark Levin, Bill Bennett, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Dennis Miller and Hugh Hewitt inhabit this timid-voiced neighbor honker for your radio enjoyment (unless you're behind something large like Costco).
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      News, traffic, Ken Schram and John Carlson.
    • Washington State Radio Stations
      Comprehensive list of every danged AM & FM station on the dial.
    • KKOL am 1300 KHz
      Once a rabid right-wing talker, except for Lou Dobbs, it's all business....