deadken posted:

why on earth would anyone write an entire book without a publishers advance or at least a go-ahead from 33 1/3 or something lol

because there's nothing better to do.

deadken posted:

discipline posted:

Because they aren't all in it for the money, comrade

this is not a concept i am capable of understanding

so you believe that human effort is structured around the monomaniacal pursuit of profits? that just makes you a good marxist.

deadken posted:

why on earth would anyone write an entire book without a publishers advance or at least a go-ahead from 33 1/3 or something lol

i make more money doing other things than writing

Comparing Apples to Oranges

The NDP has come out swinging against the Conservatives as being "fiscally irresponsible". Anyone who has lived under a NDP government just choked for a second, but somehow Layton is trying sell the idea that NDP promises are "better costed" and prudent. A lot of this comes down to the media taking numbers on faith. For example, the NDP says that increasing the capital gains inclusion rate from 50% to 100% would reap about $2.3 billion more next year. Over the next four years the NDP seems to suggest that this single move would reap in enough revenue to pay for Conservative military promises twice over.

Does doubling taxes on investment produce twice as much revenue? No. If your return on investment is less, you invest less. Not only does that hurt the economy as a whole, reducing revenues in other areas, it also makes the idea that capital gains taxes could be basically doubled seem ridiculous. But it accounts for about $10 billion of the NDP platform.

The NDP's attack on investors does not end there. A new tax on bank profits is supposed to bring in about $7.8 billion over the term. A higher tax rate for people earning over $250,000 is supposed to reap $6 billion. Raising corporate taxes by 25% is supposed to take in $7.5 billion. And if you somehow don't make it through that tax gauntlet, don't worry, they are planning for in new inheritance taxes as well - to the tune of $11.5 billion. When you factor in some other ideas like closing down "tax havens" and a few loopholes, they plan to take investors for over $45 billion in their first term.

If those promises weren't dangerous enough for you, they want to eliminate any debt relief except for a flimsy prudence fund of about $1 billion per year. What this adds up to, without question, is that the NDP would either break their promises on spending or they would return Canada to a deficit. The certainty is that they would seriously injure Canada's position in the world with respect to competitiveness.

All of this comes back to the basic thinking of the NDP. They, with a few caveats, think a 10% tax hike reaps 10% more revenue. They think a 10% tax cut will reduce revenues by 10%. This isn't true. While conservatives can get overzealous selling the point, a tax cut will cost a few cents less than it raises today of current taxes and a tax hike will raise a few cents less.

Which all makes Harper's announcement today that Conservatives would cut corporate welfare to fund tax cuts all the more prudent. By budgeting dollar for dollar with tax cuts to spending cuts, the Conservatives are underestimating the amount of revenue they will bring in. By budgeting with tax hikes on sensitive investment, and slicing out any debt relief and most prudence, the NDP are loading their numbers to create a situation that could only spiral towards danger.

a version of this was then printed in the national post newspaper.

littlegreenpills posted:

Damn u shd a stuck w the Tories, you coulda been a contender

i'll send my consciousness back in time to convince myself:

*THX noise*

Donald. It's you from a possible future. In my world, you spend most of your time posting on an ironic stalinist forum, you haven't had a real job in years, you've never had a good relationship, you think noam chomsky is great, you're fat and a black man is president of the united states. I need you to pull your shit together and get a job in Ottawa. Now, listen very carefully, this part is more important. I need you to get a message to moamar qaddafi.