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FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

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Re: FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

#21

Post by maurycy »

vaksel wrote: post #4
newaccountname2 wrote: post #3

>We absolutely have to cut the corporate tax. Our current tax rate is about 38%. Even Germany has a 25% rate. This is so disingenuous; Germany also has a 19% VAT, and also has stronger regulations on industry. >If we had a lower corporate tax rate with the ability to expense capital expenditures, guess what? We'd buy more triple sevens. He wants to be able to write off the purchase of planes as expenses? What? They a…

yeah regulation in europe is insane. You fire someone in Europe you have to continue paying their full salary for a whole year or until they get a new job. Here its wham bam thank you mam, don't forget your box and enjoy living on $1500 a month that you get from unemployment.

In what country you have to continue paying full salary of a fired employee?

Re: FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

#22

Post by plinkplonk »

Prrometheus wrote: post #14
lutorm wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? Trade: small win for Obama. Taxes: small win for Obama. Subsidies: small win for Obama. Healthcare: big win for Obama. Energy: insanely large win for Obama. Foreign policy: insanely large win for Obama. Civil rights: big win for Obama. In fact, I seriously doubt the mental state of any intelligent person thinking of voting for McCain.... but then again, that's just my opinion . Not fact.

Most economists (~90%) think free trade is a huge net positive for the world. Paul Krugman, the most prominent living left-wing economist, is a unabashed supporter of trade. Obama demonizes it. Krugman is much closer to McCain than Obama on free trade. Obama wants to raise taxes because there is no place to cut a $3 trillion budget. In fact, he wants to add many new expenditures to that budget. Many smart people seem…

"I hadn't realized that Hacker News had turned into reddit, and that any comment against the one with the Kennedy smile was worthy of downvotes"

I suspect you are being downmodded not for the content of your comments but your condescending and sneering remarks, eg, the "your savior" bit or this - "Saunt Obama".

I suspect anyone sneering at the opposite side ("Caribou Barbie" or "McShame" for e.g) would be downmodded too.

If one must discuss politics on HN (and there are good reasons not to), I would hope the standard of discourse to be much higher than on a political site (or even reddit).

Assuming that people holding opposite an opposite view is intelligent and have good reasons to do is probably a good starting point.

Likewisw for those downmodding you.

"Your savior" (for e,g) smacks of condescension and implicitly tries to paint the author of the comment you were responding to as some kind of cult follower.

My personal opinion (fwiw) is that HN should avoid these political discussions. But then what do I know? I am not a United States citizen and so am much more detached from the elections. Another 10 days and the excitement should die down.

Re: FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

#23

Post by timr »

DanielBMarkham wrote: post #16
logjam wrote: post #7

I did consulting work for FedEx. Instead of asking America to bail him out like we've bailed out banks, Fred might want to look at his company. I've never actually encountered a more inbred group of incompetents. They, like Microsoft, happened to become lottery winners....and like Microsoft, they will watch themselves slowly lose to more agile organizations. He (and McCain) are completely backwards looking.

I mailed a FedEx letter once. I don't believe that running successful business is like winning the lottery. If I did, I wouldn't spend so much time learning about how to form and run startups. FedEx is a tremendous success story. Created an entire business niche where none existed before. You can either have more of that or less of it. I know where I stand.

I agree. We should promote entrepreneurship by doing things like funding universal health coverage -- with the money we save from rolling back the corporate welfare state.

Giving more money to companies that are already successful doesn't encourage innovation; it encourages hoarding.

Re: FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

#24

Post by netcan »

vaksel wrote: post #4
newaccountname2 wrote: post #3

>We absolutely have to cut the corporate tax. Our current tax rate is about 38%. Even Germany has a 25% rate. This is so disingenuous; Germany also has a 19% VAT, and also has stronger regulations on industry. >If we had a lower corporate tax rate with the ability to expense capital expenditures, guess what? We'd buy more triple sevens. He wants to be able to write off the purchase of planes as expenses? What? They a…

yeah regulation in europe is insane. You fire someone in Europe you have to continue paying their full salary for a whole year or until they get a new job. Here its wham bam thank you mam, don't forget your box and enjoy living on $1500 a month that you get from unemployment.

reference?

Re: FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

#25

Post by vaksel »

vaksel wrote: post #4
newaccountname2 wrote: post #3

>We absolutely have to cut the corporate tax. Our current tax rate is about 38%. Even Germany has a 25% rate. This is so disingenuous; Germany also has a 19% VAT, and also has stronger regulations on industry. >If we had a lower corporate tax rate with the ability to expense capital expenditures, guess what? We'd buy more triple sevens. He wants to be able to write off the purchase of planes as expenses? What? They a…

yeah regulation in europe is insane. You fire someone in Europe you have to continue paying their full salary for a whole year or until they get a new job. Here its wham bam thank you mam, don't forget your box and enjoy living on $1500 a month that you get from unemployment.

here is the reference http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displays...

if links doesn't work the main pic: http://media.economist.com/images/na/2008w39/Sacking.jpg

WTF with all the downvoting? First it was +5 now its 0. If you don't believe the post...google to find out if its true or not

Re: FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

#26

Post by mattmaroon »

Prrometheus wrote: post #6

That's pretty much the case against Barack Obama: Trade (BIG BIG BIG win for McCain), Taxes (small win for McCain), Subsidies (big win for McCain), Healthcare (big win for McCain: got to address cost, not access), and Energy (slight win for McCain). Barack on the other hand is better on avoiding World War III, Big Brother, and Theocracy. It's a depressing choice.

Most economists disagree with your assertions.

Re: FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

#28

Post by Prrometheus »

plinkplonk wrote: post #22
Prrometheus wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most economists (~90%) think free trade is a huge net positive for the world. Paul Krugman, the most prominent living left-wing economist, is a unabashed supporter of trade. Obama demonizes it. Krugman is much closer to McCain than Obama on free trade. Obama wants to raise taxes because there is no place to cut a $3 trillion budget. In fact, he wants to add many new expenditures to that budget. Many smart people seem…

"I hadn't realized that Hacker News had turned into reddit, and that any comment against the one with the Kennedy smile was worthy of downvotes" I suspect you are being downmodded not for the content of your comments but your condescending and sneering remarks, eg, the "your savior" bit or this - "Saunt Obama". I suspect anyone sneering at the opposite side ("Caribou Barbie" or "McShame" for e.g) would be downmodded…

I'm sorry, I was responding to the weights given our initial comments at the time of making my second one. It was frustrating for me to see a simple (though unsupported) opinion of mine given many downvotes because it expressed concern about the stances of Obama, while the following (also unsupported) comment had an equal number of upvotes for praising Him. That is how the mass-opinion moves.

It was unfair of me to attack the motives of Obama supporters. I do get frustrated living in real-world surroundings where there are 40 Obama bumper stickers for every 1 for somebody else, and an online world that is, if anything, more biased.

I would edit out the flippant remarks if I could, but alas, too much time has passed and HN doesn't let me. It is also my personal failing that I am unable to let a political discussion progress without getting involved. It is a further personal failing that I cannot do so while remaining dispassionate, although I have in the past. I may have just been worn down by Obamamania, it following me from the ground in pre-primary New Hampshire to university in San Diego unabated for nearly a solid year.

I also look forward to ten days from now when the excitement dies down, and our representatives in the great tug-of-war over the wealth of society that is democracy has been decided.

Re: FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

#29

Post by mattmaroon »

mattmaroon wrote: post #26
Prrometheus wrote: post #6

That's pretty much the case against Barack Obama: Trade (BIG BIG BIG win for McCain), Taxes (small win for McCain), Subsidies (big win for McCain), Healthcare (big win for McCain: got to address cost, not access), and Energy (slight win for McCain). Barack on the other hand is better on avoiding World War III, Big Brother, and Theocracy. It's a depressing choice.

Most economists disagree with your assertions.

For proof of that btw: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/16/dilbert.economy/index...

http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm...

"Even among Republican [economist]s Mr Obama has the edge: 46% versus 23% say Mr Obama has the better grasp of the subject

Re: FedEx's CEO on McCain, free trade and the tax bias against capital-intensive industries.

#30

Post by netcan »

Prrometheus wrote: post #6

That's pretty much the case against Barack Obama: Trade (BIG BIG BIG win for McCain), Taxes (small win for McCain), Subsidies (big win for McCain), Healthcare (big win for McCain: got to address cost, not access), and Energy (slight win for McCain). Barack on the other hand is better on avoiding World War III, Big Brother, and Theocracy. It's a depressing choice.

Question.

As a non American, I wonder what brings US to a (relatively) extreme position on Health. Technicalities aside, most places consider health as part of the suite of public responsibilities.

Does a significant portion of the opposition to the public assuming responsibility for health also oppose the public assuming responsibility for education? I ask because it seems a close parallel.

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