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Another thing about taxes is that there must be a strong psychological (not rational) component to how people look at them.

If two people pay the same amount in taxes, but person 1 has more withheld so at the end of the year he gets a rebate, while person 2 has to send money in, then person 2 will probably be more pissed off about taxes.

Likewise, for me and taxes, I consider my paycheck every pay period to be what I make. Now technically, there is a part on my pay stub that lists a bigger number, then that, minus taxes, is my check. But what is that bigger number??? I never see any of that money, not even for an instant. I certainly don't remember what that number is; I probably barely even look at that part of my pay stub anymore. It's completely abstract. If my tax was considered zero, and the big number was reduced to my paycheck number, then I'd be doing the same.

Presumably the government does get some money somehow in proportion to what I earn, but I could consider it to be my employer paying the government on my behalf rather than me paying the government. (And if you're being paid by the government, then income taxes could seem like some bizarre shell game)


On the other hand, for someone who is self-employed, you actually do get all the money you made, and then you have to send part of that money -- money that you already have seen and laid hands on and you know where it comes from -- to the government. It's not like only they are paying taxes, but for them, their income tax is less abstract and thus something to feel more emotional over.

Sheesh. It's gonna take forever before we get any definitive results on any meaningful state results.

Elizabeth Dole lost her race after calling her opponent "Godless".

CBS called Ohio for Obama (they earlier called Pennsylvania for Obama). According to 538, that gives McCain a 0% chance of winning the election.


For Ohio, the payday loan thing ... passed, I think? Anyway, it's the one with the result of limiting interest rates.

The casino one failed.

It seems as though there's no reporting yet on any local (county) issues.

Michigan medical marijuana law is passing. (FO and I saw ads for that when we went to the Motown museum) So is "allow stem cell research" (but it's closer).

Locally, it looks like our science museum will reopen. FO and I both voted for it, but we thought it would suck if it just opened like before. We went there for about 4 years, and the last couple of times, it had no new exhibits! But now several new exhibits will be added, so it sounds like it's all good.

Another thing is that Obama very well could be a bona fide political genius.

His charisma is obvious, as is his intelligence. He's articulate and literate. It's pretty amazing that he won without stooping to any mudslinging.

But beyond all that obvious stuff, he must have a calculating mind with the way he played the electoral system, a pretty abstract thing if there ever was one, like a game. And people thought that was a well-understood thing. There hasn't been a new state in 50 years, so the system seems set. But he bucked conventional wisdom and blindsided not only McCain, but Hilary during the primaries, too.

And yet he never seemed calculating. Bomberguy said that Hilary's naked lust to be President was obvious. So was McCain; he was accused of saying anything he needed to to win.





At the risk of being presumptuous, I'm gonna predict that Obama will be re-elected in 4 years.