Obvious only obscured...

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"The rich, the poor and the middle pay a lot of tax", the title of the Taxpayers' Alliance latest Economics 101 article. It sounds obvious but you wouldn't think so given the media obscurantism: a picture paints a thousand words but sometimes it can paint millions, and this image tends to contradict millions of words in MSM column inches talking shite. The image (left, click to enlarge) tells many tales. "Some people on high incomes do pay less than you would expect in a given year, sometimes even very low figures like under 10 per cent of their income, but that’s because of specific reliefs, including those the Government is planning to cap. Unfortunately some of these reliefs exist to avoid very ugly results..."



 

Obvious only obscured...

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"The rich, the poor and the middle pay a lot of tax", the title of the Taxpayers' Alliance latest Economics 101 article. It sounds obvious but you wouldn't think so given the media obscurantism: a picture paints a thousand words but sometimes it can paint millions, and this image tends to contradict millions of words in MSM column inches talking shite. The image (left, click to enlarge) tells many tales. "Some people on high incomes do pay less than you would expect in a given year, sometimes even very low figures like under 10 per cent of their income, but that’s because of specific reliefs, including those the Government is planning to cap. Unfortunately some of these reliefs exist to avoid very ugly results..."

 

Obankrupt or Orkward?...

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Hilarious. The Economist cover this week has caused some whining but it isn't just 'Skintland', look at the rest (click image to enlarge): the Grumpians, Islay-offs, Null, Edinborrow...all totally childish... and marvellous. "Scotland could probably go it alone now, but the economics of independence are steadily worsening" [Economist]. Oil and gas, renewable energy, the state of the finance industry and the problem of currency choice amongst the problem areas to be 'solved'; "It remains a matter of judgment whether Scotland could go it alone. But after the banking and euro-zone crises, Scotland would be far more vulnerable to shocks as a nation of 5m people than as part of a diversified economy of 62m. There is an irony here: to preserve a distinctively open-handed Scottish social model, staying in the union might be the safest choice."

Obankrupt or Orkward?...

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Hilarious. The Economist cover this week has caused some whining but it isn't just 'Skintland', look at the rest (click image to enlarge): the Grumpians, Islay-offs, Null, Edinborrow...all totally childish... and marvellous. "Scotland could probably go it alone now, but the economics of independence are steadily worsening" [Economist]. Oil and gas, renewable energy, the state of the finance industry and the problem of currency choice amongst the problem areas to be 'solved'; "It remains a matter of judgment whether Scotland could go it alone. But after the banking and euro-zone crises, Scotland would be far more vulnerable to shocks as a nation of 5m people than as part of a diversified economy of 62m. There is an irony here: to preserve a distinctively open-handed Scottish social model, staying in the union might be the safest choice."

Overspending obstipation...

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Some great info HERE. "Information is beautiful: war games". Now, the image to the left is what we all knew right? Well almost: "Amid confusion over the rise in defence cuts, I was surprised to learn that the UK has one of the biggest military budgets in the world"...who knew the UK spent the same as China! But hey, no surprise that the US has the biggest - by a long way - military budget. So what would you say if I said that the USA spends the same on arms/defence as does Sri Lanka or Singapore. It's true! Click on image to find out.



 

Overspending obstipation...

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Some great info HERE. "Information is beautiful: war games". Now, the image to the left is what we all knew right? Well almost: "Amid confusion over the rise in defence cuts, I was surprised to learn that the UK has one of the biggest military budgets in the world"...who knew the UK spent the same as China! But hey, no surprise that the US has the biggest - by a long way - military budget. So what would you say if I said that the USA spends the same on arms/defence as does Sri Lanka or Singapore. It's true! Click on image to find out.

 

Obesity objection...

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"The best thing that coffin dodgers can do for their health and to help animals is to go vegan" said Yvonne Taylor of PETA. Apparently their brand-new billboard (image left) was revealed in Gloucester today to coincide with the official opening of a new mortuary to accommodate the bodies of people who weigh up to 50 stone...don't they all or are there specific fatty facilities? The Beeb report that Gloucestershire County Council said its mortuary was one of many in the country that could take bodies of this size.



P.S. Do vegans not eat pastry? (Update 10 minutes later: Mighty O leads me to guess they do!)



 

Obesity objection...

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"The best thing that coffin dodgers can do for their health and to help animals is to go vegan" said Yvonne Taylor of PETA. Apparently their brand-new billboard (image left) was revealed in Gloucester today to coincide with the official opening of a new mortuary to accommodate the bodies of people who weigh up to 50 stone...don't they all or are there specific fatty facilities? The Beeb report that Gloucestershire County Council said its mortuary was one of many in the country that could take bodies of this size.

P.S. Do vegans not eat pastry? (Update 10 minutes later: Mighty O leads me to guess they do!)