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On the PB: never had em, never will.

With your [really] old skool cred Billlmoure, you should know this.

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Huh? What point did it make to you? We shouldn't clone people for organ transplant farms? Heavy!

Ishiguro is a craftsman. He develops charecter and tells a story better than any other living writer I'm aware of, but he isn't on any soapbox.

And the crime is that The Remains of the Day isn't on the list. Hello God It's me Margaret makes it?

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Just got my copy of Collapse from Amazon today. I'll read it for the book club, too. Probably not until this weekend, though.

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dissent. There are no minimum standards to post, but I do believe our side works within standards generally. Example: I cannot remember a single R. post that argued a point and used as it's sole support some opinion blog, can you?

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wow ncs. you're really putting together a great fun team!

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now, now Hanky-Wanky. Let me know what you want to read and I'll track that down too.

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Indeed. Sorry you are missing out. Except for the sorry part.

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I reread The Remains of the Day after I read Never Let Me Go (and, in between, another Ishiguro whose name escapes me, which was good), and after NLMG, THotD was utterly frustrating to get through. So.slow.

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First you get suckered by Paigow into reading the latest dreck from one of the most overrated hacks this side of Norman Mailer.

And now you are letting another person con you into reading the unneccesary ramblings from the 4th least annoying NYT Op-Ed person.

:wtf:

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You might want to give "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" another go.

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Be sure to get your subscription through the Lawtalkers link!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

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We had to lower them. Government mandated quotas and all that.

Blume is off the Rose
 

Ping! Pow!!!

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Here's an idea- let's wait until the day after you first spot Spanky hanging in the lobby of your office before you opine on how happy you are with your Club.

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Nice, but I'm sure I'd get bogged down in the thick prose re breast exercises and never be able to make it through to the end.

Point was, NLMG moves more more quickly and fluidly than The Remains of the Day, and after loving the style of NLMG, Remains felt like molasses in comparison (and yes, that was part of his intention).

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No, I didn't mean "point" in the PB sense. "Schtick", or "grabbing theme", or . . .

And I have liked a few of his. But, "Top 100"? C'mon, John D. McDonald has the first 68 or so already sewn up, and that barely leaves room for Michener and DF Wallace.

Uh, not that I've been here to look, but I would have thought I would have heard the screaming over at the FB from you guys over the elimination of the state income tax deduction and the elimination mortgage deduction.

He thinks this doesn't constitute a tax increase? I'm pretty sure I have a good constitutional challenge to the elimination of the state income tax deduction within one year after I moved from a state with zero income tax to one of the highest state income tax jurisdictions. That constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, right Burger?

Are you nuts? Unless you live in NY or CA, or some such place with higher wages, big state income tax rate tables, and huge mortgages, this is a dead-bang winner. Note how he waited until the AMT started to impinge on red-state wage levels? Shrewd . . .

FOR RT . . .
 

"Arrest Warrant Issued for Delay"

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/....ap/index.html

A standard step given the indictment, but you'll hopefully get a chance to see pictures of the booking and fingerprinting. Maybe a copy of the mug shot for your wall.

S_A_M

P.S. His lawyers have tried to subpoena the DA himself and other prosecutors to testify . . . now that's ballsy.

True -- it most impacts the Blue States, but folks in the red states like their piddly little deductions too.

BTW -- Congratulations to you rock-ribbed fiscal and national security conservatives on seizing the pimp-hand from Bush (at least until Harriet is confirmed). See where Bush is now taking tougher public stands on illegal immigration?

He's trying to placate y'all by giving a bit on all the issues you've been unhappy about. we'll see if it lasts.

S_A_M

Only up to that point where TurboTax says "Now calculating AMT" . . . followed by "Please ignore all previously-discussed deductions".

Et tu, Hil?
 

I may have to re-think my estimates for H. Clinton's chances now that Ms. Sheehan is ripping her a new one for her war stance.

Et tu, Hil?
 

This can only help. Her base loves her enough for other things that she can withstand the ire of America's own little Dalai Lama.

(BTW - I liked Limbaugh's suggestion that, now that Ms. Sheehan has dared to cross a Clinton, she will soon "be silenced.")

S_A_M

Et tu, Hil?
 

Et tu, Hil?
 

Your wife ran a 4:30 800? were you married to Fringey?

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I saw him on charles Rose discussing the book. He is very annoying but some of his ideas seemed interesting. I don't read the NYT and you shouldn't either.

How do rules against fraud reduce or harm competition? I suppose one could say that rules against murder harm competition, because it means the mob can't compete using their business tactics. But fraud is the antithesis of competition--it's using misinformation, duplicity, and other forms of untruths to "compete". It's like the old adage about "letting them play" (that is, don't call penalties/fouls)--all that does is let the hacks win unfairly.

The only way rules against fraud harm competition is if they're so broad that it reduces information flow. For example, some securities disclosure rules seem to have led to less overall information (Rule FD, IIRC), because people now instead of telling some people something tell no one anything.

Huh? Not so sure on that, but the reforms made sense. The basic premise of the state tax part is that if you live in a high tax state you probably get high benefits. Why should the federal gov't subsidize that. The problem is compounded by some states' using sales taxes.

As for mortgages, same problem--what do we get from the subsidy? An "ownership society"? The benefits also accrue more to the rich, beyond just that they have bigger mortgages.

Actually, equally to the mortgage industry. What public policy argument justifies my newly increased mortgage deduction as a result of my new car purchase?

Et tu, Hil?
 

Oprah.

2. And why favour home ownership over rental? Without the deduction people may choose to rent and put the down payment et al into investment into productive enterprises.

Technically, are you allowed to deduct home equity interest used for something other than home improvements? Isn't there a significant limit at least on how much of that you do?

But, yeah, it shouldn't be deductible.

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Penske tells me that Friedman is #4. I would have to guess that Krugman, Dowd and Rich are a 3 way tie.

Personally, I read the WSJ, the Economist and Stuff

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Far distant 4th. Comparing Friedman to Dowd, Krugman and Rich is like comparing Dickens to the collective used toilet paper from a multiple asswiping chunky-shitter.

I read the Sunday NYT to stay current on faux intellectual cultural elitism. What would you expect from a Syrah-swilling faux-kilt wearing metrosexxxual?

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Sounds similar to the postings of most of the emptyheaded LeftWing contingent here, except that this board is not in smellvision. Thank G-d.

Okay. Bilmore's for the tax increase, since they only screw Democrats. Check. Nice to know you and the Republican party are getting the back of all Americans.

No, you've left an internal contradiction in your statement.

(Sorry, I just couldn't pass that one by.)

(ETA) - and, no increase. Should be revenue neutral. Just, more taxes on the backs of them what tend to vote for more taxes, and less on those of us what don't. It's like a dream outcome.

No limit at all, as long as you put debt against a primary house. If you can get your banker to loan you ten mil against your one mil house, you can use ten mil for . . whatever. Cars, boats, second homes, vacations, blow, huge under-the-table contributions to local politi . . . . er . . . I mean, birthday presents, airplanes, . . .

Dude, Consult your tax advisor.

Putting aside the $1m limit on mortgage interest deductibility, I'm pretty sure there's a second cap on home equity. But, hey, if you can stick it to the Man, mor epower to you.