Someone tell me...
Printed From: Tippmann Paintball
Category: News And Views
Forum Name: Thoughts and Opinions
Forum Description: Got something you need to say?
URL: http://www.tippmannsports.com/forum/wwf77a/forum_posts.asp?TID=189434
Printed Date: 11 June 2026 at 5:56am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Someone tell me...
Posted By: stratoaxe
Subject: Someone tell me...
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 5:06am
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http://blog.heritage.org/2011/11/08/obama-couldnt-wait-his-new-christmas-tree-tax/ - that this is a joke. ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: evillepaintball
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 6:47am
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Which part upsets you? The part about the tax on Christmas trees or the part about a federal program to promote Christmas trees? ------------- 
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Posted By: Rofl_Mao
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 7:31am
| The idea is stupid, but I lose 15 cents to my couch all the time! |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 8:45am
| I dunno, doesn't seem as bad as it's being made out to be. $0.15 once-a-year is nothing, and if it helps to provide services for our nation, so be it. |
Posted By: PaiNTbALLfReNzY
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 10:11am
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I don't buy Christmas trees, but $0.15 isn't a big deal.
However, I do anticipate someone will try to make the argument that he's taxing Christians specifically. |
Posted By: Mack
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 11:25am
fixed . . . . . . and it's not just the 15 cents (I use fake trees anyways), it's the idea that with all the problems facing the nation our "leader" wasted government time/energy/money on something this trivial. Edited: To add the quote marks (" ") around "leader." This is going to now be my version of FE's "++Obama++" or whatever it is that he does. ------------- 
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Rofl_Mao wrote:Posted By: evillepaintball
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 1:01pm
Doing the same crap he does is definitely not ignoring him. I think it's about time we vote out our own leader. WHO'S WITH ME!? -------------
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Posted By: agentwhale007
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 1:05pm
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I don't have much of a problem with it. Tree farms are good for the environment. The statistic I've seen, granted unverified, is that one acre of average Christmas tree farm produces enough volume of oxygen to supply 18 people for 24 hours. They also produce oxygen through sucking in carbon dioxide. They also require very few pesticides to grow. The idea of this initiative seems to be to collect money to promote the live Christmas tree industry in hopes of getting more people to buy real trees - thus causing the growth of 1) A domestic market, and 2) A market that is very environmentally helpful. This will potentially replace some of the market on fake Christmas trees - which are often made overseas (Bad for U.S. markets) and are often petroleum based (Not the best for the environment). The abridged version: PR isn't cheap, and you might as well collect/spend on things overall beneficial.
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Posted By: ParielIsBack
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 1:14pm
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I am 100% sure we have more important things to discuss. ------------- BU Engineering 2012 |
Posted By: evillepaintball
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 1:21pm
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The first thing Adolf Stalin got rid of when he took over Communist Nazi Germany was the Christmas tree. Look it up. -------------
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Posted By: deadeye007
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 2:49pm
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^^ that brought a smile to my face
Edit: Being serious now. "The purpose of the Board is to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry” Isn't this the job of the people selling the Christmas tree and not the governments? This has to be a joke. ------------- Face it guys, common sense is a form of wealth and we're surrounded by poverty.-Strato |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 4:58pm
It's also the job of the dairy industry to sell milk and cheese, the auto industry to sell cars, and the oil industry to sell gas and natural gas, but they all get a leg-up from the US Gov't, so why not tree farms? Let's face it, subsidies aren't anything new, and at least this one is transparent. |
Posted By: stratoaxe
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 5:23pm
Bingo. My issue with this twofold-for starters, it's horrible PR. I don't have an issue with the .15, but the timing is pure crap when the economy is in the tank. Sure, support the tree industry, I'm cool with that. But really, this is my big issue-
Odd. They're collecting a percentage (albeit a small one) from Christmas tree sales that goes to the Secretary of Ag, sounds like a tax. Also, how is this enforced? To Christmas tree sellers have to keep paperwork on their .15 collections? Did we have to devise new papers for them to file? Then who keeps track of the distribution of the money? If it's not a formal taxation, how on earth is it being filed? You see where I'm going? Government initiatives don't come for free, somebody has to keep track this crap.
We sure do, that's the point. Whale-I totally agree with giving domestic industry a leg up, but how much of the proceeds from this go to keeping the program itself alive? I'm not saying I'm 100% right, this could be breath of fresh air to a dying industry. I'm saying I'm incredibly skeptical of the logistics that the idea presents. -------------
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Posted By: agentwhale007
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 5:34pm
I concur with the bold portions as well. Although I may not be incredibly skeptical, I would like to see the breakdown of the $0.15, how much is going to be spent in which ways: PSAs? Outside agencies? How big of a campaign? Etc. A thing to keep in mind is that the tree farming industry largely backed the tax. Of course, http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/11/09/_obama_s_christmas_tree_tax_agriculture_department_scraps_plan_for_15_cent_fee_on_growers_.html?from=rss/&wpisrc=newsletter_slatest - the whole thing has been put on hold because of the poor PR. I cannot argue with that. It was framed as a "tax on Christmas." It really didn't look good, despite being similar to past efforts. |
Posted By: Reb Cpl
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 5:54pm
I just can't fathom how the phrase "We need to promote the Christmas Tree industry" can pass lawmakers lips seriously when they've got a whole economy that G.W. Screwed up staring them in the face.  ------------- ? |
Posted By: agentwhale007
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 6:24pm
I mean, it's the Department of Agriculture, and it was a push to promote a domestic agriculture market, despite how poorly the push itself was proposed. It's not too far off from their job description.
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Posted By: High Voltage
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 6:39pm
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So was this Obama's plan or the Dept. of Agriculture's plan?
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Posted By: Rofl_Mao
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 7:01pm
This depends on if its successful or not.  |
Posted By: Reb Cpl
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 7:47pm
No, I understand that. It just....sounds silly. ------------- ? |
Posted By: agentwhale007
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 8:10pm
No argument there.
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Posted By: stratoaxe
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 8:16pm
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So my dad's watching Fox news, and a guy is holding up a sign that says Obama wages war on Christmas."
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Posted By: Ceesman762
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 8:28pm
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I wonder if he made Santa's "naughty" list....
------------- Innocence proves nothing FUAC!!!!! |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 09 November 2011 at 9:26pm
NB4 "The 15 cents secretly goes to Obama's abortion death camps which are run by Planned Parenthood whargarbl!!!" |
Posted By: stratoaxe
Date Posted: 10 November 2011 at 1:13am
I actually heard the idea thrown out there (totally serious here) that this involved Obama pandering to atheist agendas, to which another talking head had to correct that person and tell them that an atheist would be more likely to resist an effort like this for supporting a largely religious holiday. Leave it to Fox. -------------
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Posted By: StormyKnight
Date Posted: 10 November 2011 at 2:46am
Leftover fetal tissue is used to fertilize the following season of Christmas trees. The $.15 goes a long way to cover those expenses. ------------- 
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Posted By: agentwhale007
Date Posted: 10 November 2011 at 8:24am
| I heard the money is being collected to fund the planting and farming of one enormous Ramadan tree. |
Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 10 November 2011 at 9:28am
Did you hear the follow-up? It's going to be fertilized with the ashes of a million King James Edition bibles! |
Posted By: Reb Cpl
Date Posted: 10 November 2011 at 9:40am
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If only George Bush had done what he was supposed to when he was in office, Barack Obama wouldn't have to be dealing with the mess of the under appreciated Christmas Tree insudtry. I, for one, feel sorry for the man. ------------- ? |
Posted By: stratoaxe
Date Posted: 10 November 2011 at 12:09pm
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Reb, I feel like you're trying to lure FE to this thread. -------------
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Posted By: Mack
Date Posted: 10 November 2011 at 1:38pm
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No, he's not. He's just pointing out that with a fairly new President who is not that far into his term it is normal to still be cleaning up after the predecessor. Which brings to mind the question of who gets blamed if he gets reelected. -------------
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