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Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Times Two, Over
Oct. 14th, 2011 10:53 amApparently my plan to show travel photos keeps getting overcome by events. Oh well. Here are two "WTF?" moments for your consideration.
Plot to Assassinate Saudi Ambassador
So, you've probably heard of the plot to blow up a restaurant in Washington, DC while the Saudi Ambassador was having dinner in it. What baffled me and many analysts was why Iran was so clumsy about it. I mean, wire $100,000 to a used-car salesman in Texas so he can hire a Mexican cartel to pull off a hit in DC? How stupid can you be?
Then it came to me - this plot was supposed to fail! What was (is) supposed to happen is that the US retaliates militarily, thus putting an end to the street protests. If that doesn't happen, the Quds force has at least, for the low-low cost of $100,000, seriously weakened Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Herman Cain's 999 Tax Plan
So, certain bloggers of my acquaintance argued that Obama wanted to surtax millionaires, even if this pushed unprofitable businesses into bankruptcy. Well, guess what - that's exactly what Herman Cain's 999 Plan does. See, it's explicitly a tax on gross income! The 9% on business is "Gross income less all investments, all purchases from other businesses and all dividends paid to shareholders." Notably excluded? Wages paid to employees.
Also notable is that, per verbal statements made yesterday by Cain (I saw the tape), he would allow businesses to deduct new equipment purchases from their 9% corporate income tax, as long as the goods were U.S.-made. Except, when asked if a computer assembled in the US from foreign components was US-made, he said he had "no idea." What about fuel - half our fuel comes from overseas - do airlines, for example, get to deduct fuel? I think he needs to put this pizza back in the oven for a while.
Plot to Assassinate Saudi Ambassador
So, you've probably heard of the plot to blow up a restaurant in Washington, DC while the Saudi Ambassador was having dinner in it. What baffled me and many analysts was why Iran was so clumsy about it. I mean, wire $100,000 to a used-car salesman in Texas so he can hire a Mexican cartel to pull off a hit in DC? How stupid can you be?
Then it came to me - this plot was supposed to fail! What was (is) supposed to happen is that the US retaliates militarily, thus putting an end to the street protests. If that doesn't happen, the Quds force has at least, for the low-low cost of $100,000, seriously weakened Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Herman Cain's 999 Tax Plan
So, certain bloggers of my acquaintance argued that Obama wanted to surtax millionaires, even if this pushed unprofitable businesses into bankruptcy. Well, guess what - that's exactly what Herman Cain's 999 Plan does. See, it's explicitly a tax on gross income! The 9% on business is "Gross income less all investments, all purchases from other businesses and all dividends paid to shareholders." Notably excluded? Wages paid to employees.
Also notable is that, per verbal statements made yesterday by Cain (I saw the tape), he would allow businesses to deduct new equipment purchases from their 9% corporate income tax, as long as the goods were U.S.-made. Except, when asked if a computer assembled in the US from foreign components was US-made, he said he had "no idea." What about fuel - half our fuel comes from overseas - do airlines, for example, get to deduct fuel? I think he needs to put this pizza back in the oven for a while.