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Small is a Relative Term

In the debate over the Bush tax cuts, the Republicans claim that keeping the tax cuts will benefit “small businesses”. However, only 3% of “small businesses” will be affected by the expiration of the tax cuts, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, a nonpartisan committee of the United States Congress. John Boehner’s reply:

Well, it may be 3%, but it’s half of small business income. Because, obviously, the top 3% have half of the gross income for those companies that we would term small businesses.

If that’s true then that 3% must be making some very large incomes. Actually it’s more like 2%:

Included in these “small business” are partnerships, sole proprietorships, and S-corps, which often have only one or two shareholders. These entities are popular because they allow the profits and losses to be “passed-through” to the personal income tax of the owners avoiding any corporate tax requirements.

Privately held Bechtel, with 44,000 employees and $30 billion in annual revenue is such a “pass-through” entity, and would be included in the Republican definition of “small business.”

It actually makes a lot of sense, the usual concept of a “small business”, the small, entrepreneurial kind, couldn’t afford to buy John Boehner or Mitch McConnell. Only that 2% can make the necessary payments campaign contributions.

H/T TPM, Bloomberg, The Guardian.

-David Drumm (Nal)

58 thoughts on “Small is a Relative Term”

  1. The human mind has a tendency to look at a current situation and extend it out into infinity. The truth is that nothing lasts forever. Remember the euphoria two years ago when Obama was elected? It was the beginning of a new age of restoring civil liberties and progressive legislation not seen since Fighting Bob LaFollette, Teddy Roosevelt, and FDR. Today we pick up the morning paper and think, “What did that schmuck Obama do now?” I personally don’t think that the tea party has the staying power that some people fear. Those who have been elected to the House and Senate will quickly learn that they can’t pass laws by shouting platitudes into the microphone on the House and Senate floor. The establishment Republicans may pay lip service to their ideas, but will continue to serve their corporate masters. The tea party folks will learn to do the same, or watch their re-election $$$ dry up. I don’t think Dick Armey and the Koch brothers have much interest in “headless bodies in the Arizona desert” or “mice with human brains”. The tea party folks will also be frustrated by a Senate with a small Democratic majority and a Democrat in the White House, albeit one weakened by his own failings. I think that two years down the road the tea partyers will be as demoralized and disgusted as progressives, civil libertarians, and gays are today. Remember when George Wallace was going to establish a permanent Third Party? Remember when Ross Perot was going to establish a permanent Third Party? Just a fading memory today.

  4. I just got this in an e-mail,I have to share:

    ” Woman shot in the head

    Linda Burnett, 23, a resident of San Diego, was visiting her in-laws and while there went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some groceries. Later, her husband noticed her sitting in her car in the driveway with the windows rolled up and with her eyes closed, with both hands behind the back of her head. He became concerned and walked over to the car. He noticed that Linda’s eyes were now open and she looked very strange. He asked her if she was okay, and Linda replied that she had been shot in the back of the head and had been holding her brains in for over an hour.

    The husband called the paramedics, who broke into the car because the doors were locked and Linda refused to remove her hands from her head.

    When they finally got in, they found that Linda had a wad of bread dough on the back of her head. A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded from the heat, making a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, and the wad of dough hit her in the back of her head. When she reached back to find out what it was, she felt the dough and thought it was her brains. She initially passed out, but quickly recovered.

    Linda is blonde, a Republican and a Palin supporter, but that could all be a coincidence.

    The defective biscuit canister was analyzed and it was determined ,of course, to be Obama’s fault.”

  5. Lk:

    “I’m not sure the Democratic minority has the guts or desire to act the way the Republican minority has acted for the last two years.”

    You mean like this:

  6. Ekeya, bitching about the way Pelosi looks isn’t a very substantial political argument, not with the Tan Man assuming her duties.

    And the Tan Man has said the planned and previously Republican supported ear-mark moratorium is dead. There’s going to be plenty happening over the next two years Buckeye ’cause I’m not sure the Democratic minority has the guts or desire to act the way the Republican minority has acted for the last two years. But then I’ve been saying it’s all one party for a while; I’d liked to be proven wrong but I’m not going to hold my breath.

  7. Look the republicans already pledged to kill WAY more afghans than obama did and that was their second day in power. Bitching about them wanting to give tax cuts to rich people is just pissing in the wind at this point. Also nancy pelosi’s face looks like someone took a lighter to a barbie doll.

  8. BIL:

    “The moral of this story is that it doesn’t matter who you disagree with, but who you get thrown out of a bar with.”

    That just reminded me of a situation a friend of mine and myself were in back in the day also,and we told to leave and my friend in the best possible way he could stand turned around and told the bartender with a straight,and said”I’ve been thrown out of better bars than this anyway.”

  9. What I want to know is – if the DOJ does move on the Bush/Cheney cabal within the next two years, will we hear plaudits from the crowd here or will there be something else to gripe about (like the conservatives always do)?

    They might as well make their move now, if they are going to, cause nothing else is going to happen in the next two years.

  10. SwM,

    Yep … just read the good news.

    There are 3 national politicians I’d go to the mat for: Pelosi, Kucinich, and Brown.

    … honest to god, SwM, just wait till you see some of the antics that Boehner’s goin’ to pull … you will literally be rollin’ on the floor … wait for it … wait for it … blam!

  12. Blouise: Pelosi is running for minority leader. I agree with you. She is much better than all the crooked men we have had, and the one we are going to have now. He is anti-choice and anti-woman. I, for one, am glad you stuck up for her. Now we are back to the good old boys club and crazy Bachman is trying to crash the party.

  15. “The moral of this story is that it doesn’t matter who you disagree with, but who you get thrown out of a bar with.

    I suspect at the end of the evening, we too would be sitting out on the curb talking about what miserable science hating bastards the bartenders were.” (Buddha)

    ======================================================

    Gyges stole my line …

    Sometimes my arguments make more sense at curb level.

    However, some of the brightest ideas I’ve ever had came to me while visiting a tavern’s “Ladies Room”.

  17. lol

    My BP is just fine.

    I’m going to tell you a story about another disagreement I had with a friend in college. We were at a fine local microbrewery near campus sampling their wares. Grub was good too. We stared arguing about relativity. He took the position that the most important lesson of relativity was that energy and mass were the same thing. I took the position that the most important lesson was that reality is dependent upon your point of observation. These are the very simplified versions of the conversation. A conversation that got rather animated. The management came to the conclusion it was time for us to leave. To this day, me and D disagree on this point but I suspect we are still forbidden from discussing physics in said brewery.

    The moral of this story is that it doesn’t matter who you disagree with, but who you get thrown out of a bar with.

    I suspect at the end of the evening, we too would be sitting out on the curb talking about what miserable science hating bastards the bartenders were.

  18. anon nurse
    1, November 5, 2010 at 3:04 pm
    Blouise,

    Re: “I know I stand out here all alone on Pelosi … maybe SwM is with me a little.”

    —–

    I’m with you a little, as well — I just feel that she sold her soul — and sold out the country — when she “took impeachment off the table.” That being said, I laud her for the good that she’s done — for her principled stances on certain issues.

    =============================================================

    Like I said … she has her flaws, and oh boy am I steppin’ into it now, I agree with her on the Impeachment issue … I am now running down to my basement and going into hiding … Buddha, mind your blood-pressure …

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