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Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Touchy Subject

stilton’s place, stilton, political, humor, conservative, cartoons, jokes, hope n’ change, tax reform, pelosi, house, tax cuts
Just ask Al Franken.
The House passed its sweeping tax reform plan yesterday without garnering a single Democrat's vote, despite the fact that the plan offers billions of dollars in tax savings to middle class families and a generous increase in benefits to any family with children - constituencies the Democrats claim to speak for.

Despite the good the tax reform plan might do for their voters, Democrats are unanimously opposed because some cuts go to those who pay the vast majority of taxes (the Evil Rich, who should more properly be hung like piƱatas and beaten with sticks until they explode in a shower of bloodstained wealth) and other cuts go to corporations to encourage them to produce more employment. And if there's one thing Democrats hate, it's jobs.

On Monday, Nancy Pelosi, who has previously praised unemployment for giving people the free time to become artists, writers, philosophers, or meth addicts, was scheduled to speak before a huge rally of angry anti-tax reform protesters. Hilariously, so few people showed up (about two dozen) that Pelosi simply blew off the protesters - perhaps to spend time with her accountant figuring out how the new tax rates will affect middle-class taxpayers like her who have approximately $200 million in assets thanks to "putting a little aside each month" and clipping coupons.

In the end, Democrats are universally against the tax reform simply because Republicans, and particularly Donald Trump, are for it. Because the last thing they want to see for the next three years is America and Americans (of all economic levels) succeeding.

(Note: at the time of this writing, the Senate had not yet voted on tax reform...and the House had not realized that, procedurally speaking, they had screwed the pooch and would need to cast their votes again on Wednesday.)

BONUS: LOST IN TRANSLATION

There's no particular rhyme or reason for this cartoon other than that we've been listening to Christmas music, and this is how our brain works.


33 comments:

kwarkito said...

I like your site. I find it really funny

james daily said...

I love that nitwit Nancy, 77 years old, more money than God's ex wife and a brain that is very mushy. The Senate passed the bill 51/48 so Vice President Pence did not get to vote. Apparently the losers here are the blue states where their skrued citizens that work can no longer deduct paid state taxes. That supplemental was a biggy. Now, they will have to talk the illegals into paying taxes, maybe even on stuff they steal. This will be fun to watch. CA owes like a half trillion that they can never repay, sanctuary cities just took it in the keister, and Mr Trump is STILL PRESIDENT. What a country.

Fish Out of Water said...

While I am happy this President now has a major accomplishment that he can boast of, I am reminded of a mirror image of how things were different when "health care reform" was rammed through both houses again on pretty much a party line vote, and thus who was extolling the virtues and who were losing their minds in anger over its passage.

As a student of history, would we now have a less ideologue-driven political climate had Ross Perot checked his ego, which probably would have consigned the ex-POTUS and outed sexual predator and his still in denial, avaricious, pathological, serial liar and venal grifter spouse to a minor footnote in our history and from there would anyone have heard of the "community organizer" from Illinois?

But alas, this is not the case and I fear the damage done but letting the ex-POTUS and outed sexual predator and his twice defeated and still in denial, avaricious, pathological, serial liar and venal grifter spouse and the "community organizer" from Illinois they begat into our body politic will be long lasting(as evidenced by last night's vote) and in the end bad for everyone.

Judi King said...

You're right. The dimocrats ARE against anything Trump is for....to h&ll with what is right for the majority of the public. I can't believe people are so clueless as to fall for their (the dims.) BS., but I guess they are 'cause they keep voting for them.

Jack Wiegman said...

All kidding aside, Stilt, your kidding is helping. You help Democrats cross chasm.

Thanks, Stilt, for being Stilt.

Boligat said...

@Fish: The Perot fiasco highlights a problem that we have here. Third parties do not have much of a chance, which is what the biggies want. As it is, they, the Dems/Repubs, can pretty much ignore all the minor parties. We should insist that each party choose their candidates according to whatever process they desire, but without using any taxpayer money or resources. Then, have a national primary to winnow the field to two candidates. Then, three to six months later have the general election. This would give time for the two front runners to woo support from the other parties that didn't make it into the general election. And, no, we should not have proportional voting like they do in Australia. There must be enough time for the final two parties to court the parties that don't make the general election.

Regardless of what the polls say, and we know how reliable they are, we really don't know how much support minor candidates would garner if there wasn't have the threat of "throwing away your vote" hanging over the voters at election time.

Pete (Detroit) said...

It's going to be interesting to see how Dems respond to "they voted to NOT let you keep more of your own money!"
Of course, that would require GOP to grow vertebrae, testicles, and a desire to WIN...
As for the RINOs, I think they might finally be feeling the threat of primaries... and I don't think this vote should be sufficient to pull the noose from their necks...

Fish Out of Water said...

Also with the now certain repeal of the Obamacare mandate, believe the occasion calls for a special reprise edition of Hope 'n Change.

Fred Ciampi said...

And, speaking of taxes, in 1980 the IRS tax code was 12,000 pages long. Today it is 72,000 pages long. That's 4.4397558033 additional pages per day ... approximately, counting Saturdays and Sundays. And holidays too. So, here's a suggestion; how about putting about 87 tons of high explosives around the IRS building, blow it to smithereens, and start anew? Now, I'm just a dumb old rocket scientist but I don't really think it takes 72,000 pages of tax code to provide a reasonable and fair method of supporting our fat and bloated (just like teddy kennedy) government. In 1980 I had a friend (yes, I really had a friend once) who was a CPA. He boasted about having actually read the tax code. I don't think that there's a person alive today who has read the current tax code. (Beside Nancy Pelsoi). Or understands it. So at this rate, in another 37 years the tax code will be 432,999.9699 pages long. Approximately.

American Cowboy said...

Somehow the words "sexually" and "stimulation" over a picture of the Botox queen is enough to "make a man shrivel up like a spider on a hot skillet," as D.H. said in Little Big Man.

AmyH said...

Of course they do. Look at Illinois, particularly C(r)ook County. They passed (now repealed) the Soda Tax, they have one of the highest Gasoline Tax in the Country, they have one of the highest Sales Tax in the county and they were put in by democrats. They all go to the voting machine and blindly press "D", then cross the border to Indiana to buy their gasoline, food, and other items. We have gasoline that is minimum .10-.30 per gallon cheaper, sales tax that is 3% cheaper, food that doesn't have a tax on it. They vote for idiots to put higher taxes in then they flock over to Indiana to spend their money. SO & I always joke that the Illinois' border must have been moved 20 miles into Indiana since 7 out of 10 vehicle tags are Illinois.

Bobo said...

Finally, with one major accomplishment under his belt and the country not destroyed by its passage, hopefully Trump can keep the wagon rolling.

Regnad Kcin said...

I'm sure when Dr. King opined that "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity" that he had Ms. Pelosi in mind....

She’s A Beauty said...

"Murray"...

FlyBoy said...

If the tax rate was reduced to ZERO for everyone, the Dummycrats would complain that the middle class was getting screwed because rich folks get to keep a larger portion of their own money!

John the Econ said...

I've always argued that I think it's tragic that we have a major political party in this country that has it in their own self interest that "middle class families" remain economically desperate in order to create demand for their agenda. This is simply because affluent, self-reliant people have little use for the Democrats and big government.

8 years of the abject failure of Obamanomics left the Progressive economic intelligentsia with nothing better to say than "Well even after blowing through 10-trillion dollars and printing trillions more, this is just the 'new normal' where 2% is the best that anyone can hope for from here on out. Obama was a success!" And the beneficiaries of that meager 2% hasn't been the "middle class", but the every growing government and rent-seeking classes. Their message has effectively been This is as good as it's going to get for you here on out, so you'd be happier if you just accepted that along with your ObamaCare.

So the most embarrassing and worst possible thing for the Democrats now is the possibility that we'll sustain 3%, or even higher between now and 2020. Tax revenue would actually increase, and after almost 2 decades of complete failure, the cheap interest, stimulus-spending neo-Keynesians would finally be ushered back to exile (where they were before 2000) where they belong. Just like with Clinton, Trump could grab pussy all day and nobody would care. So the Democrats, fully aware of this, need to sell doom-and-gloom as much as possible in the meantime. It's far easier to sell a recession than to sell a recovery, as they spent the entirety of 2001 through 2008 doing.

And consider this: Post (Bill) Clinton, the Democratic Party converted from the part of FDR to the party of the absurdly wealthy and the absurdly poor. (Before the mid-90s, it was an embarrassment, or at least awkward to be "rich" and a Democrat. The political brilliance of the Clintons was to make being a rich Democrat not only socially acceptable, but preferable) They've done nothing for the middle class other than suck them dry and slowly converting them from "middle class" to "poor".

4sleiborg said...

That doesn't look like Patty Murray to me.... :-)

Colby Muenster said...

Detroit Pete said, "It's going to be interesting to see how Dems respond to "they voted to NOT let you keep more of your own money!"

This concept has boggled my mind for many years. How the hell can politicians like Pelosi and Schumer so vehemently come out against people getting to keep more of their own money, and continue to win elections? I guess it's just more proof that so many people vote strict party line, facts be damned.

If'n I was Trump (yup, "if'n" is a real word where I live), I'd run a little experiment. Announce that I want single payer health care, free college, and to raise the minimum wage to $25/hour. Then step back and watch the Schumer's of the world denounce and oppose it. If it actually passed Congress (which it wouldn't), very publically veto it.

@John the Econ,

I've heard talk of 4%, even 5% growth. If this happens, I can't wait to hear how the likes of Schumer or Sanders find a way to demonize it. I suppose it would something along the lines of, "But it's only rich people benefiting!"

Emmentatler "3rd Person Plural Future Tense" Limburger said...

@Colby, Colby, Colby. It's clear that those who still consistently and violently vote (D) are interested in keeping more of YOUR money, just as you are. The difference is in what person they're speaking from and to. It's a literary thing...

Gee M said...

Like Maggie Thatcher once said "SOCIALIST GOVERNMENTS TRADITIONALLY DO MAKE A FINANCIAL MESS. THEY ALWAYS RUN OUT OF OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY."
... "They then start to nationalise everything, and people just do not like more and more nationalisation, and they’re now trying to control everything by other means. They’re progressively reducing the choice available to ordinary people."

LOL...like Health Care maybe?

Shelly said...

The most beautiful thing (among many beautiful things) about this bill is that it revokes the Obamacare mandate. Because our Chief Justice twisted himself into a pretzel to call the mandate a tax, it can now be eliminated in a tax bill. He took a lot of heat, deservedly, but maybe that's what he had in mind all along. Who knows? But, it's a done deal and I must admit to having a severe case of schadenfreude watching the DemocRATs wailing and gnashing of teeth over it. I watched the presser this afternoon and was blown away by all the praise for President Trump by the Repubs in getting this thing through.

Quail said...

No-bull peace prize fail. Not from the Onion: Israelis are demanding Obama give back his token medal.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-20/israeli-politicians-demand-obama-forfeit-nobel-peace-prize-after-shocking-hezbollah-

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@kwarkito- Thanks! The goal is to give people a laugh as often as possible. It's an odd calling, but we play the cards we're dealt!

@James Daily- I think it's hilarious that the high tax Democratic states are likely to face a voter backlash now that the excessive expenditures of those states aren't being subsidized by the rest of us. You want to live in a crazy socialist state? Fine - pay your taxes without my help.

@Fish Out of Water- No question, these are strange days. Not that long ago, Republicans and Democrats actually cooperated on tax bills. These days, it's hard to think of ANYthing that won't get a purely polarized vote along party lines. Also, as someone who voted for Perot and helped Bill Clinton get into office, let me apologize sincerely for the millionth time. I was younger then, and dumber.

@Judi King- It's not just that people are clueless, they're being lied to by politicians, entertainers, and the "news" media (also entertainers).

@Jack Wiegman- What a nice thing to say! Thank you! And I'd like to coax more Democrats to come our way. I know lots of them and they're good people. We want many of the same things, but disagree on how to achieve those goals. More talk (and humor) and less argument could benefit both sides.

@Boligat- Good points. When we comb the entire nation for leadership and end up with Hillary vs Trump, something is clearly amiss.

@Pete (Detroit)- You can believe that the liberal news media is putting fresh taps on their shoes so they can start the song and dance about how bad America's re-energized economy is - not to mention more money in people's pockets.

@Fish Out of Water- THAT is an outstanding idea! Don't be surprised if you see that here on Friday!

(More responses soon!)

ringgo1 said...

@Regnad Kcin: All Hail! Keep that third eye sharp there, Nick. I'm glad you're still out there after almost 50 years. Is "Carlos" the blacksheep of the family, or just a (weiner) impostor? (My guess is the latter.) Merry CHRISTmas to all!

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Fred Ciampi- You're absolutely right that there's no need for the tax code to be so absurdly long and complicated. Virtually ALL of that extraneous language comes from politicians who are trading favors with fat cats who want preferential treatment. A genuinely fair tax would completely disempower our elected officials to do anything other than the jobs they were elected to do. Which is why I'd love to see it happen.

@American Cowboy - Granted, Dustin Hoffman is now one of those accused of bad behavior - but that statement from "Little Big Man" (an excellent film) still rings true.

@AmyH- I was born a Hoosier myself, so have been glad to see the economic boon that Illinois' idiot politics have been for my birth state. Cook County's soda tax was particularly hilarious, and took very little time in demonstrating its insanity.

@Bobo- I take Trump day by day, but today was a good one and a genuinely substantial accomplishment I, too, hope he can continue the trend.

@Regnad Kcin- I sometimes wonder if Pelosi actually believes the garbage that spills out of her mouth. God help me, but I think she does.

@Section147- I'm pretty sure the Dead Sea Scrolls will bear me out on this.

@Flyboy- Yes! I'm reminded of when Barack Obama was asked if he'd raise taxes on the rich even if it meant the poor would get less money because of reduced revenues. He said yes, because "it would be more fair." The Democrat agenda is NOT about helping the poor (or middle class), but rather punishing those who've had success without government involvement.

@John the Econ- Exquisitely stated, as usual. I've been slack-jawed over the liberals I've encountered who attribute the current economic momentum to "the Obama recovery." Obama impeded the natural recovery for eight years. There's no way it would have taken this long if the government, under Barry, wasn't suppressing natural market forces.

@Pete Madsen- And you should thank me for that.

@Colby Muenster- The answer is simple, albeit stupid: Democrats believe that people with wealth are (in Barry's words) "the winners of life's lottery" rather than people who have worked hard or had brilliant ideas. So in the spirit of "you didn't build that" (again, Barry's words) the Democrats would not agree that the money you "earned" is really yours in the first place. Life and luck gave you more than your share, and the government is simply making a correction.

@Emmentaler "3rd Person Plural Future Tense" Limburger- Again, the Dems don't see it as your money, just your fault for "attracting" it somehow.

@Gee M- Yes, indeed. And I'm particularly looking forward to seeing what chaos is wrought by the repeal of the Obamacare mandate. It's going to be a royal mess - but whether it will end in an improved healthcare insurance system or single payer remains to be seen. Unfortunately, I'm still betting on the latter.

@Shelly- Exactly right- the mandate ONLY got approved as a tax, and taxes can easily be repealed. Obamacare will now collapse - the question is whether the country will accept a marketplace solution or demand a government (single payer) solution.

@Quail- Oh please, please, please make him give back that award! Not because the thoroughly dishonored Nobel Peace Prize means much of anything, but because I want to hear the sound of Barry gritting his teeth in anger at the loss of a display for his presidential library.

@ringgo1- And a merry Christmas to you, sir!

Unknown said...

I have spent 20-3₩ hours ringing bells for the Salvation Army as a VOLUNTEER. Where are you people sitting in casinos feeding the machines when you could spend a few hours as bellringers for the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army quietly serves people around the world. Movie stars do promos for the Red Cross. Save your charitable money. The Red Cross is not a place for your money.

Colby Muenster said...

@Emmentaler "3rd Person Plural Future Tense" Limburger,

I've read the Hitchhiker's Guide "trilogy" many times. Isn't your name taken from one of those incredibly witty books?

And I was being facetious above. I know full well that the Dimtards will fight like mad to keep control of my money, but I still am puzzled how the hell they keep getting elected. I suppose the answer is, the asswipes who habitually vote these socialists in are the same asswipes who don't pay taxes, and want to keep it that way.

@Stilton,
I think Pelosi may have started off her illustrious career by spouting the catch phrases that young liberals so love to hear, but now her shriveled old brain actually believes that tripe. Same for Maxine Watters. What is more scary, brainless, powerful liberals, or snake oil grafter powerful liberals, like Schumer?

Jason Anyone said...

I'll see your "Murray" and raise you one "Franken sense".

https://image.ibb.co/duVeUm/gold_franken_sense_and_murray.jpg

:-)

Fred Ciampi said...

Stilt, this is for you ... and every other Walt Kelly fan out there. I have been saving this since 1963:

Deck Us All With Boston Charlie!
Walt Kelly

Deck us all with Boston Charlie,
Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo!
Nora's freezin' on the trolley,
Swaller dollar cauliflower alley'garoo!

Don't we know archaic barrel,
Lullaby lilla boy, Louisville Lou?
Trolley Molly don't love Harold,
Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!

Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Polly wolly cracker n' too-da-loo!
Donkey Bonny brays a carol,
Antelope Cantaloup, 'lope with you!

Hunky Dory's pop is lolly gaggin' on the wagon,
Willy, folly go through!
Chollie's collie barks at Barrow,
Harum scarum five alarum bung-a-loo!

Duck us all in bowls of barley,
Ninky dinky dink an' polly voo!
Chilly Filly's name is Chollie,
Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!

Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Double-bubble, toyland trouble! Woof, Woof, Woof!
Tizzy seas on melon collie!
Dibble-dabble, scribble-scrabble! Goof, Goof, Goof!

Gee M said...

http://comicsalliance.com/files/2015/08/walt-kelly-03.jpg?w=1613&h=1149&q=75

http://comicsalliance.com/files/2015/08/walt-kelly-06.jpg?w=588&h=820&q=75

Sortahwitte said...

"tizzy seas on melon collie," Truer words have never been penned. I just shed a tear.

I think I have a complete collection of Pogo.
Making sense in an insane world since the 1950s.

Pete (Detroit) said...

@Stilton @Flyboy - Perchance you're recalling Joe The Plumber, who pointed out they'd get more revenue if they CUT taxes, and OBummer replied that it wasn't about raising revenue, it was about redistributing the wealth...
Pointing out what a complete a-hole he was (and still is) and people voted for him anyway.
Twice.
>headdesk<

JustaJeepGuy said...


Tom Waits once recorded "Deck Us All With Boston Charlie". I can't recall if I have that recording anywhere or not, but I wish I could find it.

The reason so many Demo_Rats want to "redistribute" wealth is that so many of them were born into money and they think that's how you get money. Those Demo_Rats are suffering from so much guilt for having gotten so much money without working that they want to redistribute everyone else's money. Not their own, though... If they really wanted to assuage their guilt they'd give THEIR money away but they just can't seem to do that........