Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Waikiki and beyond
Our arrival in Honolulu was relatively uneventful. We departed Minneapolis late Friday night, arrived and slept in L.A. Fortunately, the gate agent in Minny checked our bags straight thru, so no Baggage Claim at LAX. The flight L.A. to HNL was slightly six hours.
As we had expected it was raining when we arrived, but it didn't last long. We hit the beach both Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. The winds were strong which made for some great body surfing.
The video is the beach outside of the Outrigger Hotel, our one-night stop.
Sunday night we arrived in Kaua'i to steady rain. Apparently, they have gad steady rains for about two weeks! The outlook was daunting.
However, today - Monday - we snuck in a nice sunny (albeit windy) day. Pool and beach at the hotel all day long.
Bill took a surf lesson, and got up a few times. No video of course!
As we had expected it was raining when we arrived, but it didn't last long. We hit the beach both Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. The winds were strong which made for some great body surfing.
The video is the beach outside of the Outrigger Hotel, our one-night stop.
Sunday night we arrived in Kaua'i to steady rain. Apparently, they have gad steady rains for about two weeks! The outlook was daunting.
However, today - Monday - we snuck in a nice sunny (albeit windy) day. Pool and beach at the hotel all day long.
Bill took a surf lesson, and got up a few times. No video of course!
Friday, March 9, 2012
GoPro at Shawnee
Just a raw cut of the kids skiing in Maine using our new GoPro camera which is mounted on my helmet.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Home Hockey
Minnesota may be cold, but it does come with some benefits. Even with the mild winter, the lake stay permenantly frozen. As such, it's fit for a skating rink, and cross country skiing (even though there is no natural snow anywhere else). The kids have taken to hockey pretty well despite the fcat they have never played before.
Our home-made rink:
Kids out x-country skiing on the lake:
Our home-made rink:
Kids out x-country skiing on the lake:
Monday, January 30, 2012
You can deceive some of the people, most of the time
From the Daily, "And the more one looks at the Buffett Rule, the more it looks like a solution in search of a problem.
Buffett says he pays around 17 percent tax on all his income, while his assistant for the past two decades pays more than twice as much, at 35.8 percent. That weird disparity — one that confuses even tax experts unless she makes $200,000 to $500,000 a year — would certainly strike many as unfair, not just a president trying to score political points during election season.
But their example shows how unwise it is to legislate from anecdotal evidence. The U.S. tax code overall is amazingly progressive. The rich pay much higher average effective rates than middle- or low-income folks. According to the Tax Policy Center, in 2010 the top 0.1 percent paid an average tax rate — including income and payroll taxes — of 30.7 percent, right at the Buffett Rule level. By contrast, middle-income voters — defined as those in the middle fifth of income distribution — paid just 12.8 percent. The bottom 40 percent of taxpayers had an average total tax rate of even less, just about 3 percent when you take into account various tax credits.
And if you look at the tax burden by amounts paid rather than tax rates, the system looks even more lopsided. In 2009, the top 1 percent paid 36.7 percent of federal income taxes as they earned 16.9 percent of adjusted gross income. And the richest of the rich, the top 0.1 percent, paid 17.1 percent of income taxes while earning 7.8 percent of adjusted gross income, according to the Tax Foundation. The bottom 50 percent pays just 2.3 percent of income taxes.
There are certainly some rich investors, such as Buffett or Republican presidential contestant Mitt Romney, who pay far less than 30 percent because their income is taxed at the preferential capital gains tax rate of 15 percent. And it’s those folks whom Obama is targeting with this new alternative minimum tax. But to achieve some level of “shared responsibility,” he’s effectively raising the tax on investment income to 30 percent — at least for those who make more than $1 million.
But why would that be a good idea?"
You want to debate whether dividends, capital gains and carried interest tax treatment should change? By all means, let's begin. But to promote higher taxes because it's "fair" or "not fair" is bogus, and using an example that is not at all real-world applicable, is complete populist deception.
Buffett says he pays around 17 percent tax on all his income, while his assistant for the past two decades pays more than twice as much, at 35.8 percent. That weird disparity — one that confuses even tax experts unless she makes $200,000 to $500,000 a year — would certainly strike many as unfair, not just a president trying to score political points during election season.
But their example shows how unwise it is to legislate from anecdotal evidence. The U.S. tax code overall is amazingly progressive. The rich pay much higher average effective rates than middle- or low-income folks. According to the Tax Policy Center, in 2010 the top 0.1 percent paid an average tax rate — including income and payroll taxes — of 30.7 percent, right at the Buffett Rule level. By contrast, middle-income voters — defined as those in the middle fifth of income distribution — paid just 12.8 percent. The bottom 40 percent of taxpayers had an average total tax rate of even less, just about 3 percent when you take into account various tax credits.
And if you look at the tax burden by amounts paid rather than tax rates, the system looks even more lopsided. In 2009, the top 1 percent paid 36.7 percent of federal income taxes as they earned 16.9 percent of adjusted gross income. And the richest of the rich, the top 0.1 percent, paid 17.1 percent of income taxes while earning 7.8 percent of adjusted gross income, according to the Tax Foundation. The bottom 50 percent pays just 2.3 percent of income taxes.
There are certainly some rich investors, such as Buffett or Republican presidential contestant Mitt Romney, who pay far less than 30 percent because their income is taxed at the preferential capital gains tax rate of 15 percent. And it’s those folks whom Obama is targeting with this new alternative minimum tax. But to achieve some level of “shared responsibility,” he’s effectively raising the tax on investment income to 30 percent — at least for those who make more than $1 million.
But why would that be a good idea?"
You want to debate whether dividends, capital gains and carried interest tax treatment should change? By all means, let's begin. But to promote higher taxes because it's "fair" or "not fair" is bogus, and using an example that is not at all real-world applicable, is complete populist deception.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Profits for the People
Reported in the Wall Street Journal today - "The Federal Reserve turned $76.9 billion of its profits over to the U.S. Treasury last year [2011], close to the record amount transferred to government coffers in 2010 amid gains generated in its expanding portfolio of securities."
Hmmm, profits made by the Fed due to "bailouts" put into the country's treasury. That's over $160 billion [billion with a B] the Fed has earned [not returned, EARNED] in profits over two years. Corporate handouts and sweetheart deals and bailouts. It's the best use of government funds the country has seen in three years!
Hmmm, profits made by the Fed due to "bailouts" put into the country's treasury. That's over $160 billion [billion with a B] the Fed has earned [not returned, EARNED] in profits over two years. Corporate handouts and sweetheart deals and bailouts. It's the best use of government funds the country has seen in three years!
New Year
A whirlwind of Holiday activity. After enjoying a belated Christmas in Westchester, we spent New Year's Eve at Boston's family First Night Celebration for the third year in a row.New Year's Day, Emily and I watched the Patriots secure homefield advantage against the Bills in Foxboro.
Our flight home was tough. After connecting thru Atlanta (from Providence), we didn't return home until 1am.
Love my birthday present (which I had a little more than a hand in picking out), but unfortunately, it can't be used for a while. I think I'm switching to celebrate my HALF birthday going forward. Surfs Up!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Bostonians
The week of Thanksgiving we did a few compulsatory Boston activities:
Visited the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium.
City view from the top of the Custom House
Visited the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium.
City view from the top of the Custom House
Make way for those ducklings. They aren't really ducklings anymore...
Monday, December 5, 2011
Christmas is here
No, I can not acknowledge Christmas before Thanksgiving is over, unlike most of the retail outlets of this country these days.
We picked out our tree in October, and cut it down December 3rd, and put it up Dec 4th.
We picked out our tree in October, and cut it down December 3rd, and put it up Dec 4th.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
1927-2011
Sadly, I write that my Dad passed away Early Friday morning [Nov 18]. I flew to Boston Tuesday night when it was clear the end was near. As a family, we had a great 4 days with him in October when he was still highly functional. See my facebook profile, that was taken the last day.
On Wednesday, all 5 kids were there and he was pretty cognitive and we all had or chances to speak. By Thursday, he was mostly out of it and clearly struggling. He passed a 4am with my Mom at his side.
His last words, with most of us there, were to his beloved hospice nurse, who asked how he was. He responded, ok...with faith. Touching and fitting.
Link
Thomas A. Moore, 84
November 19, 2011
SOUTH YARMOUTH — Thomas A. Moore of South Yarmouth, formerly of Waban, died November 18, 2011, at the age of 84. Beloved husband of Mary L. (DeRusha) Moore for 60 years.
Devoted father of Thomas A. Moore Jr. and his wife Sylvie Martin-Moore of South Yarmouth. Paul G. Moore and his wife Donna Gerhauser of Scotch Plains, N.J., Mary A. Hurley and her husband Paul of Naples, Maine, Daniel J. Moore and his wife Fiona of Needham and William H. Moore and his wife Alison of Mound, Minn.
Brother of Ralph Moore of Murphy, N.C., Catherine Carlin of Springfield and the late William Moore and Claire Oppel.
Loving grandfather of 9 grandchildren. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Late retired treasurer of William Carter Company of Needham. Former trustee of Carroll Center for the Blind. He received his BA from Boston University and MBA from Babson College. WWII Navy veteran.
Expressions of sympathy may be made in Thomas' memory to the YMCA Campus, Burgess and Hayward Scholarship Fund, 79 Coddington St. Quincy, MA 02169.
On Wednesday, all 5 kids were there and he was pretty cognitive and we all had or chances to speak. By Thursday, he was mostly out of it and clearly struggling. He passed a 4am with my Mom at his side.
His last words, with most of us there, were to his beloved hospice nurse, who asked how he was. He responded, ok...with faith. Touching and fitting.
Link
Thomas A. Moore, 84
November 19, 2011
SOUTH YARMOUTH — Thomas A. Moore of South Yarmouth, formerly of Waban, died November 18, 2011, at the age of 84. Beloved husband of Mary L. (DeRusha) Moore for 60 years.
Devoted father of Thomas A. Moore Jr. and his wife Sylvie Martin-Moore of South Yarmouth. Paul G. Moore and his wife Donna Gerhauser of Scotch Plains, N.J., Mary A. Hurley and her husband Paul of Naples, Maine, Daniel J. Moore and his wife Fiona of Needham and William H. Moore and his wife Alison of Mound, Minn.
Brother of Ralph Moore of Murphy, N.C., Catherine Carlin of Springfield and the late William Moore and Claire Oppel.
Loving grandfather of 9 grandchildren. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Late retired treasurer of William Carter Company of Needham. Former trustee of Carroll Center for the Blind. He received his BA from Boston University and MBA from Babson College. WWII Navy veteran.
Expressions of sympathy may be made in Thomas' memory to the YMCA Campus, Burgess and Hayward Scholarship Fund, 79 Coddington St. Quincy, MA 02169.
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