Obama's first failed appointment

[TheMercenary]

Rich is a state of mind. When you are there you will know it.

Some very rich people I know have little money.

[DanaC]

I have to say as well, TGRR, much as I disagree with LO on pretty much everything regarding money, for a finance guy he isn't grabby. I've never got the impression he's on a mad crusade for riches, in any way whatsoever. He does his job and (from what I can gather) does it very well, ethically, and to the advantage of his customers.

[lookout123]

The penalties are very different. You can make a strong case that it is racial discrimination in action, if you're the type of person who's looking for a racist behind every woodpile. Of course, an equally strong case can be made that while crack is a derivative of cocaine it is apparently far more addictive, hooks you more quickly and deeply, has insanely wide variations in chemistry, and is more often associated with crimes of theft and assault than ordinary cocaine. I have a little personal experience with the subject. For the record I know more middle class white people who've been addicted to crack than have been addicted to cocaine.

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by lookout123

For the record I know more middle class white people who've been addicted to crack than have been addicted to cocaine.

More whites use crack then blacks but a higher percentage of blacks use crack than whites. Whites dominate in cocaine use.

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/Nhsda/2k3t...6.htm#tab1.38b

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

More whites use crack then blacks but a higher percentage of blacks use crack than whites. Whites dominate in cocaine use.

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/Nhsda/2k3t...6.htm#tab1.38b

In 2002 and 2003 based on their statistics.
They sound pretty legit.

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

More whites use crack then blacks but a higher percentage of blacks use crack than whites. Whites dominate in cocaine use.

huh? How can more whites use crack, but a higher % of blacks use it? That doesn't make sense to me. Are you just saying that as a whole, the black population uses it more? How can more whites use it than blacks then? I'm confused. (this kind of math was always hard for me)

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by sugarpop

huh? How can more whites use crack, but a higher % of blacks use it? That doesn't make sense to me. Are you just saying that as a whole, the black population uses it more? How can more whites use it than blacks then? I'm confused. (this kind of math was always hard for me)

There are more white people then black people.

Lets say we have 100 white people and 10 black people.

If 20 white people use crack and 5 black people use crack, we can say that more white people use crack then black people.

But, we can also so that the percentage of blacks using crack (50%) is higher then the percentage of whites using crack (20%).

[jinx]

There have already been changes in sentencing differences and early releases as a result.
Link

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by jinx

There has already been changes in sentencing differences and early releases as a result.
Link

I think it was a long overdue change that was needed.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by DanaC

They seem like totally different categories to me. For a start I've happily indulged in the one but wouldn't touch the other with a ten foot barge pole.

Well, that's just it--I wouldn't touch either of them with a ten foot barge pole.

[sugarpop]

Never used crack, never wanted to. Did use cocaine quite a bit. That's the reason I got sober back in 1989. I was on my way to an early destruction.

[sugarpop]

ah, I thought it was something like that.

[classicman]

Cheese Itz - Do any of these people actually pay their taxes?

Sebelius admits errors, pays $7,000 in back taxes

Sebelius said she filed the amended returns as soon as the errors were discovered by an accountant she hired to scrub her taxes in preparation for her confirmation hearings. She and her husband, Gary, a federal magistrate judge in Kansas, paid a total of $7,040 in back taxes and $878 in interest to amend returns from 2005-2007.

Was she gonna hire someone if she didn't get appointed?

Charitable contributions over $250 are supposed to include an acknowledgment letter from the charity in order for a deduction to be taken. Out of 49 charitable contributions made, three letters couldn't be found.

Sebelius and her husband took deductions for mortgage interest that they weren't entitled to. The couple sold their home in 2006 for less than what they owed on the mortgage. They continued to make payments on the mortgage, including interest. But since they no longer owned the home they weren't entitled to take deductions for the interest. The same thing happened with a home improvement loan. Sebelius said they "mistakenly believed" the payments were still deductible.

_Insufficient documentation was found for some business expense deductions.

No big deal, but still - shes a Governor and he is a Judge. WTF?

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by classicman

Cheese Itz - Do any of these people actually pay their taxes?
...

Was she gonna hire someone if she didn't get appointed?

Dude. You don't feel even the least bit hypocritical? You directly suggested to me that I fudge my taxes to save money. And yet here you are not only upset (again) that a politician did the same thing, but implying that she should have been honest even if she weren't getting appointed, thus bypassing any "politicians should know they're held to a higher standard" argument.

[classicman]

When did I do that?