dagblog - Comments for "Pandering to the 1%"

Yeah, but he went all

PeraclesPlease — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 23:20:03 +0000

In reply to Well, if instead of Caanan he

Yeah, but he went all Biblical on you and got you worked up. "Go down, Moses", "Absalom, Absalom" - a lot of room for a revival. Foot stomping music - if you're Amish.

Well, if instead of Caanan he

Oxy Mora — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 22:13:42 +0000

In reply to You're ruining his

Well, if instead of Caanan he had picked Lake Winnepesaukee with it's enclave of Wall Street assholes, I would be a lot more convinced of the need for redistribution.

You're ruining his

PeraclesPlease — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 21:56:26 +0000

In reply to Not to carry on about this

You're ruining his disgruntlement, and I suspect he doesn't have guns and religion to fall back on. Then again...

Not to carry on about this

Oxy Mora — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 21:51:28 +0000

In reply to Oxy - if you're in a rough

Not to carry on about this but the issue was are they better off. By idyllic I mean the whole atmosphere, extra land, national forest, some kind of employment for most folks. my impression is that on the whole, life is good there. You've got the Dartmouth medical complex not far away in Hanover, and outreach clinics. New England's protocol and cooperation in heart disease and strokes is a model for the country. And when all else is dire, you cut firewood and hunker down. This town is far better off, imo, than the rural town here in Texas where I am experimenting with owner-built small houses.

And of course there are five houses out of 75 that are for sale below the 100 K level. The flatlanders have grabbed most of the good stock and inflated it beyond the reach of locals and maybe you can correct that with Bernie's policies but I doubt it. One advantage of those flatlanders paying lots of property and school taxes is that I'm betting the school system there is way above average---but that's a guess.

#2 is a sad relic, and unfortunately close to a tear down because the foundation on the original building is shot,and the extensions look pretty sad. My guess is that it's priced for the value of the 15 acres. Still, depending upon equity, $85K cash is more than chump change.

If you're interested I have a house in Vermont that is languishing, circa 1850, original 10 by 10 hemlock beams, and at this point it's full of books. Maybe I should be pushing for Bernie, if he's elected President maybe Vermont will become a hot real estate market.(kidding, maybe i'll move back there, 95 miles from the Dartmouth Medical facility---i'm a careful planner when it comes to health)

HSG — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 20:53:48 +0000

In reply to Hal, they're largely

Poor and struggling Granite staters don't perceive themselves as privileged and neither do I. Since you do, what particular privileges would you take away from them?

Oxy - if you're in a rough

HSG — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 20:21:51 +0000

In reply to Hal, you've been in New

Oxy - if you're in a rough spot, I am very sorry. I certainly did not exaggerate the circumstances of the folks in Canaan. I'm sorry I didn't take some pics to document the situation but I felt it would have been intruding on the privacy of the friendly people I met. Per Trulia, 26% of the homes in Canaan are valued at under $100,000 and 14% below $50,000. Nearly all of the houses that I saw were prefab - some double-wide, some single-wide (hence shotgun).

Here are links to a couple of houses for sale that are similar to ones I saw.

http://www.trulia.com/property/3218186172-112-Graceville-Rd-Canaan-NH-03...

http://www.trulia.com/property/1096313952-395-Fernwood-Farms-Rd-Canaan-N...

Hal, you've been in New

Oxy Mora — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 18:50:51 +0000

In reply to

Hal, you've been in New Hampshire a lot?

You found one or two shot gun cottages there?

From my perspective, Canaan, N.H., is one step away from idyllic. Don't judge a house by the paint. To a New Englander's point of view---frugality---they half-sole their shoes and drive used cars---because that's the way they are---painting a house drives up taxes. I knew a guy who emptied the pool that came with the house and figured out a way to raise fish in it.

For anyone interested, go to Zillow, search Canaan---by the way in New England if you know the territory there is "town" and there is "village", settlements within the town. See if you can find that shotgun cottage.

I'd take away their

PeraclesPlease — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 14:41:54 +0000

In reply to Overpaid Wall Street bankers

I'd take away their guaranteed 1st in line for the caucus/primary season. I'm fine with $12 or more minimum wage, so they might even see a pay raise. I'm also fine with pushing to make ACA universal and other tweaks to lower the threat of health catastrophe and somehow override the governor opt-out.

Most of the folks in these states may not see themselves as privileged, but they are, though you have to ask the question "compared to what?" I specified the overall chummy access to national politicians every 4 years and the relative higher income over other states, and the safer, less threatened economies, and for many the privilege of being white.

BTW - I meant to write how strange it is that the caucus is open vote, so all the agro-factory-farm types know who's supporting the socialist or the establishment gal or part of the Republican tent - no room for repercussions there, right?

Overpaid Wall Street bankers

HSG — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 13:37:33 +0000

In reply to Hal, Wall Street bankéřs didn

Overpaid Wall Street bankers may not see themselves as privileged but they are. I would take away their privileges by taxing them at very high levels on the margins. I would not raise taxes on people making less than $75-$100K notwithstanding your claim that I would "tax everyone up the wazoo". In fact, I would probably cut them since I oppose sales taxes on most items.

What exactly would you take away from privileged Walmart clerks being paid $8.25/hour who supplement their income with SNAP? How about privileged folks who are barely above the poverty line but can't get Obamacare because their Republican governor refuses to accept funds to expand Medicaid? What would you take away from them?

Hal, Wall Street bankéřs didn

PeraclesPlease — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 11:03:00 +0000

In reply to

Hal, Wall Street bankers didn't see themselves as privileged, nor do racist white southerners/supremacists, and you would tax everyone up the wazoo given the chance anyway. What *wouldn't* you take away to give back in a government program?