FoxwolfJackson

I dabble in a few instruments, mostly accoustic, if that helps this hypothetical collab. I got some multi-tracking recordings that I do in my spare time, such as these: Sure, can do! I love having a good match of Smash, especially if I'm outclassed (I always like having a goal to work toward to improve in something I enjoy).

So, I read an article about how Namco Bandai is having a new DBZ related RPG called "Project Fusion". I'm actually really curious about this, but I can't read the Japanese in the screenshots. Anyway, curious on what you all think about this upcoming game? Source: http://www.geekpositive.com/dragon-ball-project-fusion-announced/

My bad. I automatically assumed that since this was a serious discussion and the topic was tax codes that people would have know at least the basic, rudimentary aspects of the tax code. Here, I'll share some links to support my argument. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_bracket#Tax_brackets_in_the_United_States (American Tax Brackets) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_deduction#Basic_standard_deduction (Standard Deduction in recent years) (Yes, I am aware the above links are Wikipedia, but the numbers are taken straight from the government sources and I figured Wikipedia's interface was more familiar to move around and read.) https://www.randpaul.com/issue/taxes (Rand Paul's tax plan) http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/aug/18/warren-buffett/warren-buffett-says-super-rich-pay-lower-taxes-oth/ (Fact-checking that the rich do indeed pay less taxes than most of the lower classes) As for your mother making less than $40K and still not paying taxes, it could be because she's part of the Earned Income Credit (not sure of the financial situation, but it's possible), which is also included in Rand's tax plan. I also included my financial situation because you had stated that only the super-rich would support or care for a flat tax, which is simply not true at all. In fact, most people who work as freelancers and contractors in America are taxed a lot more than people who make a lot more and work regular jobs, due to having to pay the payroll tax out of their own pockets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payroll_tax (Source of what the Payroll Tax is, since you'll probably ask for it.) Busses? Public sector. I'm fine with private sector doing what it wants, but like I said above, public sector is a totally different story, since it is funded by the general public and thus should be a representation of the public itself. If you really think that non-discrimination laws are going to prevent issues from happening, you really should take a look at how inefficient our judicial system is. Supposing that your theoretical laws were in place to protect the minorities from being discriminated against, a person should have it resolved in civil court, yes. However, do you know how long that process takes? It takes many years. In that time period, while waiting for an attorney to be hired, the case to be built, and an eventual court date down the road that spans multiple court days, a person could really ruin a business and potentially put it out of business through word of mouth, yelp, newspaper editorials, getting a news station to report on it and other forms of media. By the time the court date arrives, if a person really puts in the effort, they could really damage the business long before legal action can even be taken. Again, anything the public sector can do, the private sector can do better. : ) ... except foreign policy and international relations. We do need a government for a reason, after all. That's what friends are for. : ) Seriously, though, if most people asked a person with a car, "Hey, I need a ride to the grocery store, can you take me? I got gas money.", most people would be like "Yeah, sure! When are you free? We can work together and maybe I can get some groceries myself." That's what being a community is about. Only reason someone wouldn't get help was if they weren't liked in the community, honestly. I have a car, and I'd help people who needed a ride. My girlfriend's even worse in helping random strangers who ask for rides and giving them a ride somewhere. The "location" thing is really a moot argument, unless the WHOLE town/city is like that. In which case, why are you even living there in the first place?

I'll address each point individually: I'm not sure what mathematics you are using, but statistically, a flat tax is the most fair and balanced tax there is for many reasons. First: The rich would be hurt the MOST by the flat tax. On the surface, yes, the highest brackets are taxed at a greater percentage than the lower tax brackets, this much is fact. However, with our convoluted tax code, people who make the most money also abuse tax loopholes, deductions, and the like to lower their tax obligation. This was a big issue a few years ago when left-winged liberal business owner and economic "guru" Warren Buffet claimed that many rich individuals and businesses were abusing tax laws to the point that they actually paid, percentage-wise, LESS than the middle class. This is because there are so many ways to reduce tax responsibility that are available to the super-rich that the lesser income people have no access to. A flat tax would actually harm these people more than help, because they would officially have no loopholes or deductions to hide from. Ergo, logically, it is fair to say that compared to the current tax code, a flat tax IS more fair. Second: If you had read Rand Paul's tax plan (which you can google), you would see that he does include a standard deduction in his tax plan. According to his plan, a family of four will have a standard deduction of up to the first $50,000 of the household income. In the current tax plan that we have, a couple filing jointly only has a standard deduction of $12,600. That is an inequality of $37,400, where families between the incomes of $12,601-$49,999 would have a tax obligation whereas in Rand's flat tax plan, these people would not. Third: Rand's flat tax is a flat out 14.5% tax rate. The current tax brackets have a household who has more than $17,850 in taxable income, which is an annual household income of $12,000+$17,850 or $39,850, paying a 15% tax rate. Might I repeat that a household who makes $39,850 in Rand's flat-tax plan would have zero tax obligation, rather than having to pay almost $3,000 in taxes in the current plan. Fourth: Rand's flat tax plan would eliminate other miscellaneous taxes. Using a personal anecdote as an example (and not as a statement of fact), my income is a perfect example. In the 2014 tax year, I made roughly $27,000. After applying the $12,000 standard deduction, my taxable income was $15,000. On the surface, the tax plan says I would only have to pay 10% in taxes, or $1,500. However, this ignores the fine nuance of my tax return (and I can guarantee other people/families have similar nuances). Part of my income come from dividends from mutual funds (taxed at 35%), capital gains from selling and re-investing stocks (also taxed at 35%), interest paid from my savings accounts (not sure of the tax rate on this, but I think it's taxed similarly to dividends), and self-employed contractor income. The contractor income was about $1,200... and of that amount, about $350 of that was taxed (good rule of thumb is that if you're middle class and self-employed, you're actually paying somewhere around 40% in taxes, not 15%). Self-employed people have to pay a payroll tax on top of their income tax obligation. I'm not exactly sure what my tax obligation was last year, but someone such as myself last year would have had absolutely ZERO tax obligation in Rand's tax plan. In summation, it is safe to say that a flat tax like the one Rand Paul proposed is MUCH more effective than the current tax plan. In addition, I skimmed the link you provided. Normally, I would have been skeptical, because Daily Kos is about as reliable as Huffington Post in publishing unbiased articles (read: they're not). As I skimmed the article, I find that many of the points that make Rand Paul's tax plan more efficient is actually outlined in the Daily Kos article. Yes, there is a wealth inequality, but the flat tax is FAR superior to the archaic and convoluted tax code we have now in making sure people are paying their fair share. Clinics, such as Planned Parenthood, should not be funded by federal funding. Aside from the controversial leaked video of the members of the organization speaking of the fate of aborted fetuses, Planned Parenthood is registered as a tax-free 501c-3 not-for-profit organization. This becomes an issue, because Planned Parenthood does make profit from the services they provide since they do not provide all their services for free. Also, Rand is similar to his father in the abortion debate. He personally is pro-life, but like Ron Paul, he respects the fact that it is not his choice to legislate morality on a federal level and believes it is up to the states and the individual whether an abortion can be done or not. Beliefs in any direction should never be legislated, because something as relative as morality and ethics should not be clad in the concrete absolutes that we have as the nation's law. Grocery stores can and SHOULD have every right to discriminate in any way they want. This applies to any business that is not government service. They are not public sector; they are private sector. If you do not agree with the business's practice, simply do not patronize the business and go somewhere else. I disagree with a company's businesses practice, but I respect a company's choice to run a business how they wish. I do not condone the ethics that Wal-Mart employs in treating their employees; therefore, I never shop at Wal-Mart and do my business elsewhere. A famous example that happened would be Geno's cheesesteaks in Philadelphia (famous in the area and to a lesser degree in the rest of the country for having an eternal rivalry with Pat's Cheesesteaks for having the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia). After 9/11, Geno's refused service to Muslim customers in retaliation for the attack on the Twin Towers. This controversial practice made national headlines and many people condemned the business for their xenophobic actions. The result? Many people who went to patronize Philly for their cheesesteaks went to their big competition across the street, Pat's Cheesesteaks. Geno's lost a great deal of business over their unpopular business practice. This type of free market philosophy in allowing the consumer to choose where to go and naturally let the bad businesses flounder and potentially die is a prime example of why a business should be allowed to perform whatever practice they wish. EDIT: Creepy that this post is post #666...

Jigglypuff With that said, I'm sad I missed out on the Palutena discussion, as she's one of my other mains.

Not sure how relevant it is to the current discussion, but replying in regards to the OP, my thoughts on the race is that it is shaping up to be a Bernie Sanders/Donald Trump general election. I'm not a huge fan of either--actually, just not a fan at all--but, that seems to be the inclination. It's still relatively too early in the primaries to say anything, though. Last election this time around, Santorum was in the lead for the GOP and Bachmann was in the lead in the straw poll in Iowa, but Romney took that nomination eventually. The election before, McCain's run was looking to be a joke about this time and Obama was a nobody (and everyone thought Clinton and this other guy was the two likely candidates for election). Poll numbers are very hard to trust, because they do not represent the millenial generation. How many of us have our own place with a landline? That's the primary function when polling on these official news stations in the mainstream media. When doing internet-related polls, numbers are clearly very, very different. I personally support Rand Paul and will vote for him in the primary, but if he doesn't make it into the general election, I am definitely voting for Gary Johnson.

Hello everyone! I've been lurking around these forums here and there for a while years and always wanted to join a Fire Emblem community. The only other Fire Emblem forum I've ever been a part of was Fire Emblem Empire (I think it was called?) a long, long time ago, and I kinda miss having a community to chat and geek out with! With that said, hello there! I'm FoxwolfJackson. I'm a huge fan of the earlier Fire Emblem games, I am a growing fanatic for JRPG's, I dabble in FPS games (got dragged into Battlefield Hardlines, Advanced Warfare, and Black Ops 3), I do a bit of writing both original and fanfiction, and I write music. I also am a huge fan of Smash Brothers and always love having a good match with people! Not sure what else to say. So, hi there!