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800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
But seriously, I'm accepting the invite to his fuckwad playland on Mercer Island. See ya there for next year's seder?
Eyman and referendums and actual Washington state tax history for the last 20 years don't exist in this argument's universe, yet there ya go.
@5 had one good point. Name-calling and throwing around the word "fuck" isn't exactly the height of news analysis from someone calling himself a "news editor." Really, is that the best Holden can do?
Your implication that Allan is a "poor-hating" "anti-education miser" is simply childish and reactionary. Do you really think Allen, Bezos and Ballmer are voting against it because they hate poor people, or because they want to line their own pockets? Honestly, you come off as one of those assholes who voted against the Commons because you don't believe in "charity for rich people," or some other brain-dead class warrior horse shit.
That said, will this even matter to Paul Allen. I thought the guy was losing money on bad investments right and left (i.e., not a lot of actual income to get taxed) while owning a ton of property (i.e., that 20% state property tax reduction would help him out).
Perhaps you should encourage your news editor to engage more substantive analysis of the news rather than personal attacks. If he did you wouldn't have to feel "embarrassed" for me.
But then again critical thinking and the ability to disagree with someone without resorting to adolescent name calling is something that one learns in, what's the name of those institutions again?
His income is mostly capital gains (at 15 percent AFTER EXPENSES) and dividends. And REITs.
Which means he pays about HALF to ONE-THIRD as much as a percent of his income as you do, depending on if you have a mortgage or not.
Yes, trips to his properties are deductible from his income.
Rotten: Cienna's exasperation with that tragic asshole commentator was absolutely called for. What's your problem? Your apparent hostility to raising taxes on the wealthy while people in your state need health care, education, etc. is weird. Right now you're the guy defending the selfish actions of billionaires. That's who you want to be? A crabby little toady to the super-rich?
Money talks, bullshit walks and governments need cash to pay for the programs Americans need. Tax the rich more.
Paul Allen left Microsoft BEFORE WINDOWS. That's how essential he was to the products that made them famous. That's what got him his famous house and yacht and museum and helicopter. The man earned almost nothing of it.
"That's who you want to be? A crabby little toady to the super-rich?"
Ugh, grow the fuck up. Believe it or not, people can express a wide spectrum of political opinion without the need to be categorized by schmucks like yourself. Political opinions need not be defined in absolutes. Hopefully when you graduate college you will learn that.
Jeff Bezos of Amazon--gives NOTHING to the community or philanthropy, yet gets a sweetheart deal from the city for Pac Med only to abandon it for South Lake Union
Steve Ballmer--whines about our state's education system constantly and lobbies for tax breaks for Microsoft and against 1098
Fuck them indeed...
@ 24 & 29 I would address your the woeful purple nature of your prose but I don't have the time.
As for my toadying to the rich I am hard pressed to find that in the text or subtext of my comments. Apparently you missed you too missed the class where your English teacher taught the class to examine arguments and positions critically and support your analysis with examples from the actual text.
That being said my position on state income tax I am in agreement with Fnarf. We should have a graduated income tax that applies to all citizens of this state. I also plan to vote to approve this initiative, which is flawed but is still better than nothing and perhaps even a good first step.
Rich people are allowed to constantly fuck over the American people, ruin our lives, take our homes, buy off our elected representatives, send us to war, and poison our children, but we're not allowed to call them on it because it isn't 'professional'.
Thanks for being a tool, Dan in Downtown.
You are welcome!
What's good for the goose is good for the gander. The Stranger's news editor relies heavily on name calling. Why shouldn't we commenters?
"Through the Foundation, Allen awards approximately $30 million in grants annually. Roughly 60% of the Foundation's money goes to non-profit organizations in Seattle and the state of Washington, and 12% to Portland, Oregon. The remaining 28% is distributed to other cities within the Pacific Northwest. Allen has donated US$900 million of his money, as of 2007"
As a percentage of his income, he donates less than most middle class people do to the arts.
FACT.
Whether or not he's correct in that thinking, I believe he's earned enough good will by now.
And on top of the charity, Paul Allen also bought the Seahawks when Ken Behring was trying to move them to L.A, saving the NFL in Seattle. Even if you're not a football fan, you can thank him for all the revenue and civic pride they bring.
Cienna, why can't Dom answer for himself?
A state income tax is not a bad thing. A state income tax which only effects the very, very rich is a great thing.
It's just possible he has well-thought-out reasons for his stand. A lot of people -- most of whom will never be touched by this tax -- have serious reservations about this initiative.
But it's a lot easier for a hack like Dom to just call names and disparage those he disagrees with -- and throw in a few "fucks" to show his debating prowess.
And then he always has toadies like Ciena to attack those who would call him out.
So it's okay to make "rich" people pay for the things I don't want to pay for? Because they make more than me? That's so unfair...
Paul Allen pays much more in taxes than all of us commenting on here combined. I'm sorry if that's not a high enough percentage of his income for you.
And he STILL gives hundreds of millions of dollars to charity every year. Which is really what "rich" people should do -- voluntarily give their earnings to good causes.
Couldn't you find an actual greedy person who makes tons of money and doesn't do anything positive with it but beat up puppies or steal candy from babies?
And you claim not to be a toady for the rich? Bitch, please.
@49,
It's unfair for people who have money to be expected to pay for shit? What the fuck is wrong with you?
Even if it's just 5 lousy bucks a paycheck, everybody benefits from state services and everybody should pay for them, even the poor. Maybe if we all had skin in the game, we could get over all the crybaby name calling and actually improve our state for all citizens.
Gave is a strong word.
It's a profitable team. VERY profitable, and it maximizes his other investments, which you'd know if you ever went to fundraisers and other parties at Qwest like I do.
@21 - if he sells as much stock as he usually does, he'll owe the state around $50 million. That's for one year. So, yes, that $100,000 seems well spent.
I know how each of you would feel once that level of state-approved appropriation sinks down to your tax bracket. Why not let the people keep their money and do with it as they see fit? Or do you really think the powers in government are going to do any sort of a good job spending your money sensibly?
Suddenly the powers that be are gonna decide whether this man deserves his money by how hard he did/didn't work for it? What does any of that matter to the issue? You're making knee-jerk moral calls on something someone acquired in what would seem to be a legal fashion. If one of you hit the lotto tomorrow, are we allowed to scrape it out of your wallet because you didn't "earn it"?
The moral economic mob mentality is embarrassing coming from a crowd that probably regards itself as enlightened.
I mean, just look at this clusterfuck of verbiage in your post: "There have not been many times when I have." It took you nine words to say what any competent writer could have said in three. And then there's this awful, clanging construction: "for commenters for." Just ugh.
(How's that for misplaced vitriol?)
Adjustments are expenses for Capital Gains (which is done on the worksheet - and DO include flying to the nice resort for the annual meeting, staying at the fancy suite, eating the fancy food, and so on).
ADJUSTED means Adjusted.
First thing you do when you get rich (actually before you do) is get a good lawyer and a good accountant. If you didn't do that, you deserve to pay the ONE-HALF what the working poor pay rate.
Well gosh Mr. Postman, perhaps if some of us did not have to pay such a high proportion of our income in sales tax then maybe we could give more to charity. Why the heck should we be grateful when guys like Allen give to charity? What an honor to be able to do so. Jerk!
You're being ripped off by the rich and you're too stupid to know it.
I've paid estate taxes. I've hired accountants and lawyers to minimize taxes.
Seriously, stop being so gullible. You're being ripped off. Mostly by older people who got a free college education and now want to deny you your chance.