AP picks up Factcheck.org 'timber' story

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=703&e=3&u=/ap/20041009/ap_on_el_pr/debate_fact_check

but the article is unfortunately titled "Bush, Kerry Mangle Facts on Taxes, Jobs":


One of the night's most bewildering exchanges resulted from Bush's claim that Kerry's plan to raise income taxes on the richest Americans would increase the tax burden on 900,000 small businesses whose owners claim the profits on their personal returns.

An analysis by the Annenberg Public Policy Center's FactCheck.org and other independent groups found that the Bush campaign is counting every rich person who has even $1 of outside business income as a small business owner, even if they have no employees.

The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center projected that nearly 1 million people would fall into this category, but only half get most of their income from the business and only 471,000 of them have employees.

Kerry startled Bush by saying that even the president is counted as a small business for tax purposes because he once earned $84 from a timber company he owned.

"I own a timber company?" Bush asked. "That's news to me." Then he paused and added, "Need some wood?"

The Annenberg analysis said Bush qualifies under that definition because he reported $84 in income from his part-ownership of a timber enterprise on his 2001 federal tax return.

with having all the facts. :thumbsup:

...sounds like a lounge lizard pick-up line from middle Texas. "Hi Doll, I'm in the lumber business. Need some wood? <smirk>

is that anything like 'laying pipe'?

here in Massachusetts! Can you tell? I'll bet GWBush knows that now.



. . . . . . . . .

When Kerry said that both he and w had "strong convictions" I believe I read the Senator's thoughts "and I am expecting w's particular convictions to show up about 2006 if we treat him in the same expeditious fashion as they did Martha Stewart."

and he's not just good, he's been damned great -- this is a trial over the course of weeks, live on the TeeVee with the American public as a jury that can then go out and actually verify your evidence (their credibility increases and then can bring out the really shocking stuff and be believed) -- this is a prosecutor's wet dream!

To the point, with the lumber thing -- it just hung there in the air, caught w totally flat-footed and he gave an outright denial and I thought "I just heard a big-old claw trap snap shut on that faux cowboy's ankle." It was too specific for Kerry not to have the goods and it was stupid for them not to catch it (B/C 04) but they fell into it and there it is. It was a perjury trap, ah the irony. w never had lumber with the tax code. Another easily verifiable lie, obviously to play the tax code for a few more measly, and he's so unaware of his OWN deductions and holdings he doesn't even remember it. WOW! a kick to the nuts on so many levels, and w won't figure it out for days (his posse, I mean, w will never figure it out...)

Their strategy is subtle and marvelous and I love watching it play out. I want to see w in full-on two-year-old limbs-flailing calling for Mommy tantrum mode by the end of the third debate. I wouldn't bet against it.

It looks like Kerry is a studious prosecutor building a case against * in these debates, I expect Kerry's closing arguements on Wednesday to be explosive. * has no idea that he's on trial, Kerry is doing a great job.

that you don't even know what you own.