dkp

Ours has been closed for at least a week now.

I have the 40g PS3 and have never noticed the fan noise. I can hear it when I am powering it on/off but it is inaudible even a few feet away. I have never noticed it during movies, etc. The PS3 is an extremely flexible piece of gear. BD player, cd player, music server, video server, video game console, internet browser all rolled into one extremely nice looking package with very fast start-up times and exceptional "updatability" via the net (hard-wired and wireless internet connections). The extra $100 or so you pay for the PS3 over a dedicated BD player is an exceptional value, IMHO.

From "A Fish Called Wanda" "What was the middle thing again?"

Stock? mmmm........ no that is even more discounted today You are correct, much more so!

Stock? []

MSRP on RF-7 $2200 RC-7 $800 RS-7 $900 (pair) Total for that system is $3900, which makes the price on the RF-83 system approximately 13% higher. Most dealers will sell to you for less than MSRP so your error was in comparing the out-the-door price on the RF-7 system to the MSRP of the RF-83 system.

Tragic. You, your friend and his family will be in my prayers. Best wishes.

Joe-I'm not sure if I have your current cell #. Send me a PM with it when you get a minute.

I had a reply typed out and lost it somehow... grrrrr Hey Joe, thank you for the kind words! Children have a tremendous impact on our lives, healthy or not, and it's great to see you as a daddy! Sophia has improved so much since that last surgery. The difference is really like night and day, especially in her overall energy levels. As a matter of fact, I asked her cardiologist if I could get a remote for her pacemaker so I can slow her down once in a while. She's the first one up in the morning and the last one up at night (of the three girls)! Couple of pics from 2008: BTW, lil Joe seems to be resting comfortably after his "event."

Congrats, Joe. Kids truly are a one-of-a-kind (well, two-of-a-kind if you want to get technical) blessing. Glad to see that everyone is happy and healthy!

They consider that only a temporary inconvienence..... And really, how often can THAT happen to a person? []

Anyone remember getting excited in gradeschool when you walked into the classroom and cast your eyes on one of the most beautiful things in the world... THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHER?!!!!! [6]

fini-that's not a cigar in Obama's hand (in your avatar) is it? Say it ain't so, Joe!!! []

Well then, I guess facts aren't going to change your mind. I think I supported my assertion that the "rate" has little to do with what they pay. You may want to read my post a bit closer. I said nothing of the "rate." Emboldened to make life easier.

mdeneen, A couple of points: One, corporations have a tremendous incentive to pay out most of their profit each year as there are substantial penalties for retained earnings. These profits are often paid out to the ownership of these corporations and taxed at the individual level. Two, since the 90's, many businesses have been using an S-corp. or LLC structure, rather than a full-corporation (C-Corp). These types of corporations are generally referred to as, "flow-through entities," or, "pass-through entities," as the profits flow through to the business owners who pay the tax at the individual level. Therefore, these types would be included in the statistics published about corporations paying no tax. Three, since the corporate tax cut in 2003, the U.S. has had the highest level of corporate tax receipts in over 20 years.

mark, Are you thinking of the viewing angle of the television rather than the range? I believe one of the major drawbacks of DLP televisions is the more narrow viewing angle when watching. (The image gets progressively worse as you move off to the sides).

For simplicity's sake: Wouldn't this also be true with a flat-tax? Ex: Flat tax of 20%. Those making $50,000 would pay $10,000 in taxes. Those making $100,000,000 would pay $20,000,000. I have never understood the fairness of taxing those at a higher income level with a higher percentage of taxes as they are already paying a much larger share than those at lower income levels. This is evidenced by the data I included in some earlier posts. To refresh: The Top 10 Percent of Income Earners Paid 70 Percent of Federal Income TaxThe U.S. tax system is highly progressive. The top 1 percent of income earners, by household, paid 39 percent of all federal income taxes in 2005, whereas the bottom 50 percent paid a little over 3 percent. Further, 32 percent of all tax returns filed in 2005 were from people who paid no federal income tax at all. Source: SOI Bulletin, Statistics of Income Division, Table 6. Zero tax liability figures from The Tax Foundation, Summary of Latest Federal Individual Income Tax Data, Fiscal Fact No. 104.

mdeneen, Just reposting as I have not seen a reply to my original. But the American people are taxed less than many developed countries tax their people. Remember, corporate tax "rates" have little no relationship to how much absolute tax they pay. Some of our most successful corporations pay absolutely no tax. The tax burden in the US is very low. Lower than almost all industrialized countries. The claim that some of our most successful corporations pay no tax is something often repeated. Yet, I have never seen the hard data to back a claim like this up. I'm not arguing, as I am truly ignorant on this, but would venture to guess that the vast majority of American corporations pay a fair share of taxes. Do you have any data to suggest otherwise? Thanks in advance.

But the American people are taxed less than many developed countries tax their people. Remember, corporate tax "rates" have little no relationship to how much absolute tax they pay. Some of our most successful corporations pay absolutely no tax. The tax burden in the US is very low. Lower than almost all industrialized countries. The claim that some of our most successful corporations pay no tax is something often repeated. Yet, I have never seen the hard data to back a claim like this up. I'm not arguing, as I am truly ignorant on this, but would venture to guess that the vast majority of American corporations pay a fair share of taxes. Do you have any data to suggest otherwise? Thanks in advance.

A minor point: It would be 4X.

The Top 10 Percent of Income Earners Paid 70 Percent of Federal Income Tax The U.S. tax system is highly progressive. The top 1 percent of income earners, by household, paid 39 percent of all federal income taxes in 2005, whereas the bottom 50 percent paid a little over 3 percent. Further, 32 percent of all tax returns filed in 2005 were from people who paid no federal income tax at all. Source: SOI Bulletin, Statistics of Income Division, Table 6. Zero tax liability figures from The Tax Foundation, Summary of Latest Federal Individual Income Tax Data, Fiscal Fact No. 104.

Tax Rates for High-Income Households Have Risen Disproportionately The share of taxes paid by the top 20 percent of income earners increased by almost 7 percent between 1983 and 2005, while the share paid by the bottom 20 percent of income earners decreased by almost 53 percent. Source: Rates from CBO's Historical Effective Federal Tax Rates: 1979-2005, December 2007.

Corporate Income Tax Receipts Stay Constant Even as Tax Rates DeclinedThe top corporate tax rate was reduced sharply under President Reagan — from 46 percent to 34 percent. Yet today, with a combined federal and state tax rate of 35 percent, America has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the developed world. Source: Rates from U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, Tax Foundation, Facts and Figures on Government Finance, 1988-89 Edition (Washington, DC, 1988); Commerce Clearing House, 1993 U.S. Master Tax Guide (Chicago, 1993); and SOI Corporation Tax Returns, various years; Receipts from FY 2009 Historical Tables, Budget of the United States Government, Table 2.3.

Income Tax Receipts Stay Constant Even as Tax Rates DeclinedThe most dramatic decline in the top individual income tax rate — from 69 percent to 28 percent — occurred during the Reagan Administration, yet tax receipts remained relatively constant. Top Federal Individual Income Tax Rates and Receipts, 1960–2008Source: Rates from Joint Committee on Taxation publication #JCX-6-01; Receipts from FY 2009 Historical Tables, Budget of the United States Government, Table 2.3.

From Heritage.org: Discretionary spending, the portion of the budget subject to annual review or budget debate, has risen 152 percent since 1965. Mandatory spending, consisting mostly of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which run on autopilot, has risen 759 percent since 1965. Source: Outlays from FY 2009 Historical Tables, Budget of the United States Government, Table 8.1. Total nominal spending has increased 97.6 percent since 1992, while the Consumer Price Index has increased a relatively modest 47 percent, which means that government spending is growing much faster than inflation. Less than half of the increase in federal spending came from defense and homeland security spending. Source: Outlays from FY 2009 Historical Tables, Budget of the United States Government, Table 8.1; CPI-U from Economic Report of the President, 2007, Table B-60. At 4 percent of GDP, defense spending is 1.5 percentage points of GDP below the 45-year historical average and well below Cold War and Vietnam War levels. Source: Outlays from FY 2009 Historical Tables, Budget of the United States Government, Table 8.4.