We're almost at a flat tax anyways…

“How Progressive is the U.S. Federal tax system? A Historical and International Perspective” Emmanuel Saez and  Thomas Piketty, Journal of Economic Perspectives , 21(1), 3-24, Winter 2007

“Striking it Richer: The Evolution of Top Incomes in the United States”, updated August 2009

With the estate tax currently suspended, the tax burden is currently shifted even further downward.  Online tax revolts aside for a moment, Carly Fiorina, the candidate challenging Boxer for the Senate, is also proposing to eliminate it permanently:

The plan also includes the elimination of the estate tax. “I think we should abolish the estate tax. The estate tax hits small businesses particularly hard. It hits agriculture particularly hard,” Fiorina said. “I keep stressing small businesses and family-owned businesses because they create two-thirds of new jobs in this country, they employ half the people. When you have a family-owned business that estate tax weighs heavily.”

“Small businesses”

March 8 (Bloomberg) — Lobbyists for small businesses, construction companies, manufacturers and other trade groups are racing the clock to convince Congress to reinstate the federal estate tax they’ve fought for years to abolish.

The National Federation of Independent Business and more than 40 business organizations wrote Senate and House leaders last week asking for quick action on a proposed 35 percent levy on inheritances worth more than $10 million per couple. The Associated General Contractors of America is urging members to contact lawmakers about the plan.

The groups have changed positions in a bid to head off higher taxes on the horizon: Unless Congress acts, current law would raise the tax next year to 55 percent on estates after they exceed $2 million per couple, from nothing this year.

“Clearly, we can’t live with what’s going to come in 2011,” said Chris Walters, an estate-tax lobbyist in Washington for NFIB, the trade group for small businesses.

And the wingnuts conflicted about social security and medicare are one thing, but this is something else entirely:

FROG JUMP, TENN. — But for one important detail, Stephen Fincher could be a perfect “tea party” candidate: a gospel-singing cotton farmer from this tiny hamlet in western Tennessee, seeking to right the listing ship of Washington with a commitment to lower taxes and smaller government.

The detail? Fincher accepts roughly $200,000 in farm subsidies each year.

With all of the screaming about “socialism” coming from these quarters, I suggest we at least show it to them.  A plan devised by two Swedish economists named Gosta Rehn and Rudolf Meidner would be a good start:

Rudolf Meidner’s share levy, unlike so many modern taxes, was extraordinarily difficult to evade. On the other hand it was not at all punitive. Unlike traditional corporate taxation, it did not subtract from the cash-flow or resources which the enterprise needed for investment. It diluted shareholder wealth without weakening the corporation as a productive concern. According to the original plan every company with more than fifty employees was obliged to issue new shares every year equivalent to 20 per cent of its profits. The newly issued shares — which could not be sold — were to be given to the network of ‘wage earner funds’, representing workplaces and local authorities. The latter would hold the shares, and reinvest the income they yielded from dividends, in order to finance future social expenditure. As the wage earner funds grew they would be able to play an increasing part in directing policy in the corporations which they owned.

Guardians of the Free Republics threaten all governors

Even the half-man, half-machine governors like mine. Who are the Guardians of the Free Republics? Just another bunch of crazy mo-fos who think the US government made deals with Satan and so they formed a committee to become the new government. Is it just that easy (I am sure Susan Herbert thinks so…)

So here is an article detailing the FBI is now investigating these guys:
As of Wednesday, more than 30 governors had received letters saying if they don’t leave office within three days they will be removed, according to an internal intelligence note by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The note was obtained by The Associated Press.

The FBI expects all 50 governors will eventually receive such letters.

Governors whose offices reported getting the letters included Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Chet Culver of Iowa, Dave Heineman of Nebraska, Jim Gibbons of Nevada, Brad Henry of Oklahoma, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Bob McDonnell of Virginia, and Gary Herbert of Utah, where officials stepped up security in response to the letter.

So just who the frak are the Guardians of the Free Republics? Are they like the Guardians of the Galaxy? And if so, do they have a blue guy like the Guardians of the Galaxy do?

Let’s go to the official site of the Guardians of the Free Republics and do some investigative journalism.


Private web site under non-corporate venue.
This seal conveys immunity from public scrutiny, discretion, regulation or trespass.
Trespassers beware.
Co-claimant fee applies to impairment


Uh… Accept!

Okay, we’re in! I hacked that Gibson like a 1337 pro!

On their official site, they have the Restore America Plan! It contains such gems as:

-Terminate illicit corporations posing as legitimate governments, in particular the territorial jurisdiction United States Federal Corporation (corp. ref. 28 U.S.C. 3002) posing as the de jure United States of America.
I’m not sure that’s how that works…

-End the foreclosure nightmare (for borrowing against one’s own credit).
I guess even defense for the free market ends when you can’t pay your housing payments!

-End the perversion of marriage into a commercial system of state-issued privileges through the so-called “marriage license” whereby incorporated “courts” presume the “right” to trespass on families and kidnap children.
Someone got their children taken away from them!

-Reabsorb all de facto actors into lawful de jure capacity
What about reality TV show “actors”?

-Quietly mirror the strategies of 1933 thereby using their (our) institutions, military and public officials to undo eighty years of subterfuge without provoking alarm, controversy or armed conflict.
Oh, let’s do all this in secret, guys! Don’t tell no one!

-Forgive all corporate actors who repent for their State-sponsored crimes against mankind. Remove the recidivists from office.
If you beg on the altar before the Guardians of the Free Republics, you may find mercy. Or get thrown into the Sarlacc!

-Do all of the above, and more, peacefully, discreetly, quietly and honorably, behind the scenes, without public proclamations or provocative actions against a general public that is mostly unaware of the hijacking of their free de jure American republics, and their hapless media.
Seriously, don’t talk about Fight Club!

Why are they doing this? Let’s look at their Rational

For those who are concerned about opening the door to satanic forces, permit me to reassure you. The Guardian Elders deliberated with great sobriety the wisdom of sitting on our hands while the march to World War III continues. We asked ourselves if we could continue, in good conscience, to do nothing while so many of our friends and colleagues are suffering hardship. We asked ourselves if we are enjoined by the Book of Revelation from acting on behalf of freedom and mankind. After much prayer and soul-searching, we concluded unanimously that the need for action was self-evident. We are called to action.

Guardian Elders? World War III? Is this someone’s bad fan-fiction?

We debated how best to accomplish our goals. Could we reasonably expect to restore Biblical law to a devoutly secular population that cherishes television, promiscuity, physical debasement and electronic devices with religious fervor, and that suffers the warped belief that advertisements for personal hygiene products and Viagra in our homes does not debase our children?
If children learn about tampons, the devil wins!!

Could we convey consciousness regarding matters of Law to a society that breaths “Cops” and “Law & Order” and worships the bar associations “legal” system franchise where once the law of the Land reigned supreme?
Hey, you better not mess with Detectives Stabler and Benson!

Eventually we concluded that “agreeing with thine enemy” was the ONLY prayerful way to bring the Lord to the people. The Restore America Plan capitalizes on THEIR belief system as a vehicle for relieving corporate tyranny. In due time, the higher goal of salvaging the souls of mankind can be addressed.
In due time=when we get around to it, we’ll save mankind, but first we’re going to conquer the country and ban tampon commercials!!

We decided that restoring, in principle, the Constitutional institutions through December 19, 1860 was the approach MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED (and that’s the bottom line, failure being unacceptable).
HAHAHAHA! They want to restore Slavery!

Rather, we follow a simple formula:

WE DECLARE – UNDER GOD – IT IS SO – WE ARE BACK

exactly the same formula used by the original declaration of 1776. That’s what we mean by “understanding who we are.”
Guess who’s back? Back again? Shady’s back. Tell a friend!

Introduction
Replace corporate government and restore the American republic
… by March 31?

Oops! I guess you’re a bit late there, buddy.

If you are tired of being subjected to a corporation posing as a legitimate government that would arrest you for refusing to pray to corporate courts or give up your land or pay taxes to the Rothschilds or exhibit a state-issued confession of subject-class citizenship, then we invite you to take a moment to read the one page
Rothschilds? I knew we’d hit conspiracy paydirt!

After a year of face-to-face negotiations with high-ranking members of the armed forces of the united States of America, the leaders of the freedom movement have joined together to bring you a four step comprehensive remedy—the Restore America Plan—whereby the military has agreed to follow the orders of the legitimate de jure government upon proper restoration and execution.
Really??? You REALLY met with the military, and they agreed to stop everything and follow YOU? Who is your drug dealer?

The four step Restore America Plan was proposed by high-ranking members of the military who are tired of taking orders from a corporate CEO, and who recognize the People as the last chance to avoid a third world war.
No, wait, now the military met them and proposed to them the new rules!

But have you ever wondered how the bankers were able to replace de jure government around the world in 1933 without a hint of protest?
What religion are these “bankers”?

The Restore America Plan is a war college restoration strategy for regaining control quietly, efficiently and quickly without provoking controversy, ridicule, violence or civil war. In fact, the need for expediency eliminates any thought of making public proclamations. Restoration will occur behind the scenes in a manner designed to get results, not glory. We will NOT utter public statements which make us feel good but provoke ridicule and conflict. We will NOT attempt to re-educate an unconscious population that was raised on corporate slavery.
Being quiet did nothing, so now you got attention! Here comes the ridicule and conflict!

As you will see by the Warrants and Orders, the De jure Grand Juries will work behind the scenes, methodically dismantling the satanic institutions and rituals of 1933 and 1865.
So winning the Civil War and ending slavery=Satanic Pact. Helping poor people with public aid programs=Satanic Pact. Claiming to want to end slavery by restoring actual slavery with an 1860 Constitution=Mission from God. Got it!

To preserve spiritual purity, the Restore America Plan features forgiveness. At its core, it is peaceful and non-violent. Having so ensured our dominion over all the earth, actors who repent their crimes against mankind will be forgiven. With forgiveness as our hallmark, we do not waive our legitimate and necessary right as lawful authority to arrest, try and sentence those incorrigibles who use de facto power to impair de jure authority, or otherwise attempt to hijack the lawful de jure office. And we will use the very public institutions that once prosecuted us to execute those orders as needed.
Kneel before Zod!

ORDERS TO THE GOVERNORS AND THE MILITARY

The Declaration is a mere one page, and has been written to stand alone among history’s milestones. It is followed by Warrants and Orders of the De jure Grand Juries, each meticulously planned to solve your problems and issues (travel, diplomatic status, foreclosure, taxes, unlawful prosecutions) through cooperation rather than resistance. We are mindful that initiating a financial crisis, violence, or banker’s retaliation could be fatal to the cause. So every step has been debated and crafted with outcome in mind.
I didn’t know you could order all the governors and the military by writing on your blog. Hey, Arnold, buy me some McDonald’s Ice Coffee!

HOW TO JOIN

4. Subscribe two original copies of the covenant of office document with your signature and seal (red right thumb print).

5. Affix your signature to five (5) separate signature pages in blue ink only. The authors functioning as Guardian Elders will be compiling these pages into four original documents (and one backup), and certifying the signatures with our own.
Remember– only red ink for thumbs, and blue ink for names…because…1860 Constitution!

Well, I guess we’re boned. These guys did have a meeting, so that means we have to do what they say. Unless we have our own meeting!

Proud to be Tim McVeigh

Or at least the Teabaggers all are. So says Sean Hannity when he isn’t pocketing all the money going to his charity. And then he gets applause from the teabagging idiots he just called domestic terrorists. Sigh…


(as an aside, the text ads in this post were about Voodoo Revenge Hexes when I previewed. I don’t know what that means…)

Upcoming Japanese films

Gothic And Lolita Psycho

Director Go Ohara (Geisha vs Ninjas) and effects man Yoshihiro Nishimura (effects on Tokyo Gore Police and Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl) will bring us Gothic And Lolita Psycho.
Rina Akiyama stars as the Gothic and Lolita Psycho, named Yuki. Ruito Aoyagi, Minami Tsukui, and Yourei Yanagi also star. You might know Rina Akiyama from her numerous photos of her butt. She seriously has so many photos of her butt they call her Oshirina, which is a nickname incorporating the Japanese word for “butt” and Rina’s name. She was in a bunch of Kamen Rider stuff, so if you like that stuff you probably found this post by googling her name.

Official synopsis:
Gothic and Lolita … the fashion reflects her dark and childish mentality. YUKI, the heroine, saw her mother killed by cruel gangs. She vows revenge! Knock off the enemies with her transformable umbrella. So gorgeous and so savage…

Who killed mother? What the hell are the gangs? What is the truth and purpose that father knows? Her coming terrible destiny is going with the dead bodies.

Basically, Yuki becomes a Gothic Lolita dressed agent of revenge after she gets demon powers and has a magic umbrella. So like Mary Poppins, if she killed people. So like Mary Poppins. Everything these guys have made that I’ve seen has been fun, so this one will probably be as well.
So I ganked some pics from NipponCinema and a gravure shot or two of Rina Akiyama:
gothic-and-lolita-psycho.jpg
rina-akiyama-galp.jpg

Mutant Girls Squad
Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), Noboru Iguchi (Machine Girl) and Tak Sakaguchi (Be A Man, Samurai School) joined forces to co-direct Mutant Girls Squad, which promises more gore, more schoolgirls fighting, and more weird Japanese stuff.
Poster one-sheets here

30 second teaser trailer (NSFW for brief boobage flashing)

In non-Japanese news,
via HKMDB
Wong Jing’s Naked Soldiers to be directed by Cash Chin Man-Kei features Tang Yifei

Gotta love that Naked Killer advertising method still being used 18 years later! Will this be good enough to stand with Naked Killer, or be terrible like Naked Weapon and Lethal Angels was? Only time will tell…

Bad Blood

Bad Blood (Review)

Bad Blood

aka Mit moon

2010
Directed and written by Dennis Law Sau-Yiu

Bad Blood is a Hong Kong crime film that is about Triads and betrayal and having too many characters to give enough of them proper character development. And it isn’t very good. It is saved from being completely boring by one character going absolutely crazy and by Jiang Luxia beating up lots of dudes.

Granted, the only reason I even bothered to see this film was Jiang Luxia was in it, and from the trailer and description it made it look like she was going to be a deaf evil hit girl. And though she is deaf and dumb, she isn’t an evil hit girl and her character actual does stuff and is likeable, more than in Coweb, but no one still has bothered to use Jiang Luxia in a real capacity. Someone get of your duff and do it right, before I fly to Hong Kong and then quickly fly back home after having breathing problems in the bad air quality.

But Triad films are still the rage thanks to affairs of the infernal kind and dudes who are youthful and menacing. So for every HK Triad film you will sort of remember, there are many more that you will not. This might qualify as a film you will remember, but not because of the intriguing Triad relationships.

Audrey Lok (Bernice Liu Bik-Yi) – Audrey Lok is the female heir of a crime family who wants to go straight. Or does she? Beware, for when she cuts her hair she goes from normal to insane! No one will stand in her way. Bernice Liu’s picture was on the wall of a dim sum place I was eating at soon after I watched Bad Blood, so now she is following me and soon will try to tie me to an SUV and set me on fire as well. Too bad she has to wait in line for that chance!
Funky (Simon Yam Tat-Wah) – The default new leader of the gang who presides over most of the gang getting killed and himself killed. What a great leader! Simon Yam was on TarsTarkas.NET before with Fatal Termination and Future Cops.
Calf (Andy On Chi-Kit) –With a face deformed by a birthmark, this illegitimate son of a hooker is the heir to the crime family that is only barely tolerated by the rest of the family. Finds Dumby and takes care of her, but he is used by Audrey to get revenge on everyone. Andy On was Jet in Lethal Angels, so he’s got that going for him.
Dumby (Jiang Luxia) – Dumby is deaf and dumb, hence her name. Dumby talks via texting and sign language. She knows kung fu, having been trained by Calf who found her as an orphan on the streets. Spends her spare time doing amateur super-heroish work. Is not related to the Seven Dwarves or Gumby.
Brother Zen (Michael Chan Wai-Man) – An older gang member with grey hair and smart enough to figure out things despite being a lower-tier guy. But he gets killed regardless. That’s what you get for being named “Brother Zen”!
Kong (Xiong Xin-Xin) – Kong is a gang member who also runs a gym. That’s about it for his character, and then he’s killed. Xiong Xin-Xin has probably done action choreography in many films that you have seen. Or maybe not, because I don’t know what you’ve been watching. He also directed Coweb.
Hung (Ken Lo Wai-Kwong) – Another member of the gang who does stuff and then gets killed. You gotta love characterization like that! Ken Lo has been an HK actor for decades, and has made appearances on TarsTarkas.NET in Future Cops and Nobody’s Perfect.

FOX News and The FOX Nation: We ARE the Tea Parties

FOX News, Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch, again and again and again you tell us that it’s completely incorrect to associate the coverage and pundits on FOX News with the actions and protests of the Tea Parties/Wingnut Birther crazy movement. Despite the fact that you ran plenty of promos advertising the Tax Day Tea Party protest, constantly interview Stewart Rhodes of the Oathkeepers, have Griff Jenkins and other FOX anchors whipping up and encouraging protesters, and have hired the crazy princess Sarah Palin to give informed opinions on the network, among so many other infractions, you still dismiss any suggestion that you’re trying to pander to the Tea Party crowd and make money off of them as “left-wing lame stream media propaganda”.

So if everything you’re saying is true (we know what a complex relationship FOX News has with the truth) and FOX News genuinely doesn’t mean to associate themselves with the violent, racist, crazy crazies, then what the fuck was this shit you featured on The FOX Nation to celebrate The FOX Nation’s 1 year anniversary? (Click the link for the video, I can’t embed their content).

Yup, that’s right. Glenn Beck has only been on the network for a year too, but by far, FOX’s worst offender for giving a voice to the crazy is celebrating its first birthday. To me, the tone of FOX fundamentally changed a year ago when they brought on Glenn Beck and opened up The FOX Nation for their loving hateful fans. It also changed pretty drastically when President Obama was elected into office at roughly the same time, but of course a political institution like FOX wouldn’t simply change up its coverage just because a Democratic president is now in office, right? Just to make sure they covered all their crazy bases (FOX Nation would lose a lot of fans if they didn’t happen to feature every single aspect of the nebulous Right Wing crazies to make everyone happy) all of the following are a part of the short “Happy Birthday” video for the FOX Nation:

  • An introduction from Michelle Bachmann
  • Soundbite from Bill O
  • Tea Party protesters and signs
  • Stephen Baldwin blowing a kiss?
  • Glenn Beck juxtaposed with Geraldo (see, FOX News is fair and balanced!)
  • Geraldo saying “FOX believes in the American dream” then immediately cutting to footage of angry Tea Party protests
  • More Tea Party footage
  • Mitt Romney saying how much he loves the FOX Nation
  • Andrew Breitbart admitting how he reads FOX Nation and get upset when they scoop him
  • Juan Williams (didn’t they fire Juan Williams for being too much of a Communist?)
  • More Tea Party protesting
  • A colonial Tea Party guy
  • American flags
  • The “I can cure gay people with therapy” guy, Richard Cohen
  • And a closing statement by Rick Perry mentioning that “FOX Nation is the place for information”

Notably absent from the video:

  • Ron Paul and/or Rand Paul
  • Sarah Palin (she’s their leading talent after all!)
  • Joe The Plumber
  • Pat Buchanan (probably not featured because he’s more of an MSNBC guy these days)
  • Mike Huckabee (FOX News host and potential presidential candidate, very surprised he didn’t make an appearance since that’s like a two-fer)
  • Trig Palin (Trig has had a hard year being in the spotlight, no sympathy from FOX?)
  • Dr. Orly Taitz Esq. (if Palin is the princess of FOX News/the Tea Parties then Orly is the Queen. IS FOX LEGITIMIZING THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY BY NOT HAVING ORLY ON?)
  • Hard-working Americans (FOX Nation is supposed to be for hard-working real Americans, but besides the chants from Tea Party protesters and the Right-Wing celebrity fest, this video features not one regular Joe just trying to get by in America)
  • Black people (also a hard-working segment of America that is notably absent from the video. Juan Williams doesn’t count)

Pretty much just as crazy as the people the video was meant for. But why does FOX News continue to pander to and use footage from the Tea Party movement and protests yet at the same time vehemently deny any connection between the network and this fringe “grassroots” group? Does this mean that FOX News, Roger Ailes, and the rest continually lie again and again straight to people’s faces without any regard or backbone?

Is this behavior by FOX anything new to you? Go FOX Nation, congratulations on one whole year of circular-babbling crazy.