More accurately, we have removed an artificial and illogical influence on "value" from the equation. Governmental drag isn't a natural factor that we simply accept like location, and its removal isn't an activist event. I don't get credit for healing your wounds simply by not smacking you anymore.

Fitzgerald Poll
 

Nobody. I don't see Fitzgerald charging anybody with just perjury, and perjury is the only charge I think they can gin up at this point.

This is all just a sideshow anyway. The real story is Bush at 39% and sinking, and the GOP running from him like SARS.

Fitzgerald Poll
 

Old and busted: SARS

New hot freshness: Avian Flu, coming to a port of entry near you

Uh, you'll see them limit mortgage interest deductions around the same time you'll see George Bush nominate Alan Dershowitz for the SCOTUS.

Just cause some panel recommended the practically and politically absurd doesn't mean its suddenly gone from fantastic to possible.

Removing that tax break would create upheaval we'd from which we'd never recover. You think any politician in his right mind is going to get behind something like that?

I think bilmore is heavy into paying off principal now so its not helping him. I'd betting about year 26 of a 30 year.

I suspect the invisible hand of the interest deduction is still helping him out.

Assume he plans to downsize and buy a Florida condo, and so intends to sell his Mansion, buy the condo, and put the rest toward his retirement.

A prospective buyer is going to say, hmmm, what can I afford. In answering this question, they will factor in the mortgage interest deduction.

The day the deduction is eliminated, his dreams of quitting work and moving to Clearwater will be deferred by a year or two because of the drop in value of his home.

Fitzgerald Poll
 

Hey now.

Not running. Me and Penske are just walking rather briskly.

I'm suggesting that the tax code be structured to do that one thing for which it truly exists - to raise revenue in an efficient and fair manner. Considerations such as "we need to encourage home ownership", or "let's get folks to buy ethanol cars" don't belong in that arena. So, no, there's no absolute purity, but we can get a lot closer to that end of the scale.

Gooooo, Flat Tax!

Yep.

Now, if we have problems with that, and decide that we want to limit it a bit - amend. But to simply say that we're going to "read" these exceptions into the C that aren't there - well, might as well not have a C.

Perhaps you could help out this historian-wanna-be then, and explain why the federalists, the very people who drafted the constitution, enacted the Alien & Sedition Acts. Because I read it the same way as you. What did those damn drafters know that we can't see?

Two These Things Are Not Like The Others
 

Not in the cases I'm speaking of. A pure walk-away from med mal in certain states, with no other subsids taking the slack.

The big car dealers don't compete with each other? They don't cancel models, change prices, switch directions?

Problem with your analysis is, there sometimes aren't any doc-nsurers left to go to in certain areas. Ask the docs- it's getting grim for them, and for the patients who can't find a surgeon or ob/gyn when they need one without going out of state.

Because, you know, you never want, like, TOO MUCh free speech, right?

Thank goodness for Jefferson and Madison. The first of the textualists.

Fitzgerald Poll
 

Probably right - Fitzgerald announced that there would be no final report, suggesting indictments are likely.

Ah, yes, them. Why didn't they try to get the Alien & Sedition Acts declared unconstitutional?

Pigs Flying By
 

Wow. You and Burger are sounding almost like me.

Interest on HELOCs is deductible up to $100K.