Dude flew a plane into an IRS building in Austin

[lifebystereo]

And frankly your friend sounds quite smart how can you hold it against him? He took advantage of rules anyone can take advantage of.

It sounds like he was only ABLE to take advantage of the rules because he was rich, though. Poor/middle-class people can't afford to have a barn filled with horses or whatever.

[sgoodcore]

And frankly your friend sounds quite smart how can you hold it against him? He took advantage of rules anyone can take advantage of.

It sounds like he was only ABLE to take advantage of the rules because he was rich, though. Poor/middle-class people can't afford to have a barn filled with horses or whatever.

Maybe true. The tax code definitely needs some revision. Warren Buffett I think brought it at one point when he discovered he paid less than his secretary. I'm not on board with a flat tax though, I like the gradual system, just need more directly productive write-offs with less frivolous write-offs. But no matter what you do people are always going to find ways to buck the system.

[soysquad]

It sounds like he was only ABLE to take advantage of the rules because he was rich, though. Poor/middle-class people can't afford to have a barn filled with horses or whatever.

Maybe true. The tax code definitely needs some revision. Warren Buffett I think brought it at one point when he discovered he paid less than his secretary. I'm not on board with a flat tax though, I like the gradual system, just need more directly productive write-offs with less frivolous write-offs. But no matter what you do people are always going to find ways to buck the system.

I'm not full opposed to the flat tax system, or at least as a jumping off point. The gradual system I don't see as fair either generally. With a flat tax, at least the usage would be a little more fair. I'll admit freely though, I'm no expert.

What I do know is this. I make 2.5 times more than I did a couple years ago. The rate at which I get taxed went up tremendously, and really, I'm not that far ahead of where I was thanks to it. I don't make enough to start reaping the benefits of loopholes, etc, because I don't have the property/etc to make the loopholes work for me. But I make enough to get bent over hard, and have no other choice but to take it. But I don't fly planes into buildings.

[sgoodcore]

I want some kind of system to implore people to help charities and its one of the main reasons I don't like a flat tax. Plus, I don't think its fair to have everyone contribute the same amount. 15% of 50K can be the difference for some between feeding their family whereas 15% of 5 million doesn't affect someone nearly the same.

As for your specific case, do you get a sizable refund every year?

[lifebystereo]

I want some kind of system to implore people to help charities and its one of the main reasons I don't like a flat tax. Plus, I don't think its fair to have everyone contribute the same amount. 15% of 50K can be the difference for some between feeding their family whereas 15% of 5 million doesn't affect someone nearly the same.

Seriously. I personally have no problem at all with paying taxes in principle, but what the money is being spent on bothers me immensely - the fact that there's no universal healthcare, our education system is completely under-funded, etc.

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

This angers me deeply.

If you want to kill yourself, fine. Just do it in the privacy of your own home and don't disturb the rest of us. How many in Austin were inconvenienced by this? Who's going to pay for the damage?

What a fucking twat. Martyrdom is the last hope of gaining purpose to an otherwise wasted and puny existence.

Holy shit, dude. Between this thread, your remarks in the Kevin Smith thread and your New Orleans thread, you've kind of turned into the board's biggest asshole.

what a fail of a post scott

[adamlikesmusic]

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/528055

[xjustinxschwierx]

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/528055

oh i'm going to the special place in hell for laughing at this...wow!

[steventangent]

Sadly, I think shit like this is going to happen with increasing frequency. Our populace, as dumb, ignorant, confused, and consumed with bloodlust as ever, will turn to misguided forms of protest in vain attempts to elicit change or have their voices heard.

The problems we face - dense, interconnected, complicated webs that our many years of bad habits and destructive choices and vices have unanimously contributed to - have absolutely no simple answers to be offered, by anyone. In an age of fevered egos, of unsustainably high standards of living, of hyper-compressed media and and expectation of lightning-instant gratification, tensions have reached such a rolling boil that people, in all of our intellectually-dishonest and hypocritical splendor, have nigh-completely abandoned reason or the ability to keep our temperaments in check.

Case in point? Look at the popularity of Glenn Beck. Here you have the icon of a multimillion dollar media EMPIRE convincing otherwise "good, honest, hardworking people" to defend and try to maintain a status quo that has actively fucked them. In the ass. With a piece of driftwood.

It's astounding to me. Astounding, and a little frightening. And arousing. Except not that last thing I said.

[sgoodcore]

Did you see Beck at CPAC? Railing against taxes and in the same sentence saying he got his education at a PUBLIC library. That's amazing, just amazing.

[cj]

i hope you guys realize that what he did sort of worked... there are a bunch of people in this thread talking about taxes and changes that need to be made in the tax system.

terrible method of getting his point across, but if it's working on a record collecting website i'm sure its working in more than a few other places as well

[sgoodcore]

i hope you guys realize that what he did sort of worked... there are a bunch of people in this thread talking about taxes and changes that need to be made in the tax system.

terrible method of getting his point across, but if it's working on a record collecting website i'm sure its working in more than a few other places as well

Disagree. A bunch of grizzly record collectors aren't going to get anything changed by talking on a message board. It starts with us but if the topic had come up in any other way we'd be talking about it then too. He methods were grotesque and before anyone started talking taxes most condemned him for being a stupid, self-centered prick.

[cj]

^ i think thats exactly what i just said sammy. it was a terrible method, but you are talking about taxes. i'm not saying that the 3 people on this message board talking about taxes are going to cause a total reform, only that at least it's being a little more widely recognized (and most importantly talked about) that change is needed in the US tax system.

[cj]

i hate that he flew the plane into a building where people were working, but i'm curious as to whether you guys think it would be any less of a terrible thing (but still a dick move) if he would have done it at night when nobody was in the offices?

[scottheisel]

Did you see Beck at CPAC? Railing against taxes and in the same sentence saying he got his education at a PUBLIC library. That's amazing, just amazing.

Saw that on the Daily Show last night. Unbelievable. I wonder how much of what that dude says he actually believes, and how much of it is just an act?

[drabley]

i hate that he flew the plane into a building where people were working, but i'm curious as to whether you guys think it would be any less of a terrible thing (but still a dick move) if he would have done it at night when nobody was in the offices?

Absolutely not.

Taking away the possibility of human death and injury does not make his actions any less despicable.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't people ALWAYS talking about taxes -- especially this time of year? I fail to see what light this brought to the subject, not to mention how it could have possibly been of benefit to anyone.

[sgoodcore]

Did you see Beck at CPAC? Railing against taxes and in the same sentence saying he got his education at a PUBLIC library. That's amazing, just amazing.

Saw that on the Daily Show last night. Unbelievable. I wonder how much of what that dude says he actually believes, and how much of it is just an act?

I just hope the people who listen and act on his madness are a vocal but minute minority.

[lifebystereo]

Taking away the possibility of human death and injury does not make his actions any less despicable.

Haha, what? So you think 9/11 would have been just as despicable if not a single person was in the world trade centers at the time of attack?

[drabley]

Taking away the possibility of human death and injury does not make his actions any less despicable.

Haha, what? So you think 9/11 would have been just as despicable if not a single person was in the world trade centers at the time of attack?

You seem to want to play shit disturber with me for some reason.

Yes, I think 9/11 would have been equally despicable had not a single live been lost or altered through injury. The actions and intent are what is despicable. The aftermath is another story entirely.

I'm not sure I understand your point of view here. Do you support rogue activity as such? Do you believe destruction of property and other violent forms of protest are an effective means to gain attention or momentum to a particular cause -- personal or organized?

Please elaborate.

[lifebystereo]

I'm certainly not trying to "play shit disturber," I've just disagreed with you several times.

As I said earlier in the thread, I do not by any means support terrorist activity such as this. However, I think the human lives affected inherently matter in discussions like these; I don't see them as merely "the aftermath."

If we're talking about intent, his ultimate intent was to be a catalyst for action/change in the tax system, so to me, the actual harm done is what matters, not his intent. Even those behind 9/11 had the intention of doing right by God.

[soysquad]

I'm certainly not trying to "play shit disturber," I've just disagreed with you several times.

As I said earlier in the thread, I do not by any means support terrorist activity such as this. However, I think the human lives affected inherently matter in discussions like these; I don't see them as merely "the aftermath."

If we're talking about intent, his ultimate intent was to be a catalyst for action/change in the tax system, so to me, the actual harm done is what matters, not his intent. Even those behind 9/11 had the intention of doing right by God.

His intent was to cry about being victimized by the government, and give the IRS "his pound of flesh". Literally. And take some out while he was at it. He wasn't saying this was a call to arms, or he hoped to start a movement, and he was martyring himself. His whole diatribe/manifesto is him crying about how he was too stupid to hire a good accountant, and how the IRS was out to get him. He apparently couldn't have been doing that bad since he owned a fucking plane.

Once again. A+1 prick burned his house, leaving his wife and child homeless. Way to stick it to the man...

[lifebystereo]

Again, I'm definitely not trying to defend his actions. That's just my opinion of what his ultimate intent was. He is still absolutely a terrorist for doing what he did, and it's unfortunate that many people don't think so just because he's white.

[steventangent]

...people were already talking about the tax code. He didn't give us any new information. Sure, we're discussing it on this board, but people are sharing their opinions, same as they would be if someone here posted about being audited or whatever. It's not like he's ignited a wave of discussion on the topic nationwide, any more than people already regularly talk about it. Even if he started a bit more than usually for the last week of February, we'll move on to the next thing as soon as major cable news networks and pundits tell us to.

[soysquad]

Again, I'm definitely not trying to defend his actions. That's just my opinion of what his ultimate intent was. He is still absolutely a terrorist for doing what he did, and it's unfortunate that many people don't think so just because he's white.

He's not really a terrorist because what he did was a criminal act, and doesn't fit into a broad definition of what what terrorism is, at least not as defined by the FBI/Homeland Security/our Government.

the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” (28 C.F.R. Section 0.85)

The FBI further describes terrorism as either domestic or international, depending on the origin, base, and objectives of the terrorist organization. For the purpose of this report, the FBI uses the following definitions of terrorism:

l Domestic terrorism refers to activities that involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state; appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. [18 U.S.C. § 2331(5)]

Like I said, his was a criminal act against something he felt slighted by. He wasn't trying to coerce anyone into anything, or further any political or social objectives. His motivations where personal, not political or social. While they may have some ramifications in those areas, it was not what he set out to do.

[sgoodcore]

It seems what he did was criminal and intended to coerce change in taxes and it occurs in the US. The only thing it may not have done was intimidate the population at large.