The Decline And Fall Of The American Empire

48 Replies to “The Decline And Fall Of The American Empire”

1. Stoopid …… the definition of the word and put a picture of Obongo beside it.

2. It’s about time somebody did something about christmas tree injustice…makes me sick…

3. At least they acknowledge that the holiday of “Christmas” exists.

4. That is getting close to the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. How to destroy Christmas – appoint a marketing board – he is a Muslim.

5. Here’s to hoping they don’t try to promote my industry by taxing it.
   Why not tax fake trees from China and give that to the tree industry

6. Shouldn’t that read “Festive” tree or “Holiday” Tree?
   Why do I get the feeling this is just the thin edge of the wedge?

7. ward >
   My thoughts exactly, it’s a holiday tree. Obamba should also tax Burka’s & Latte’s, hemp and coffee beans are being underrepresented.

8. Thank god we are finally seeing some “change we can believe in”, for the good or bad I was getting a little worried.

9. Explain to me again why there’s an Occupy Wall Street and not an Occupy White house?

10. It’s like he’s able to channel Trudeau somehow.

11. Read my lips. NO.NEW.TAXES.

12. B Hussein Alibama taxes Christmas trees…well, that is just a little coinkidink i’m sure.

13. James
    Yep, right on the nose.

14. But think of all the jobs this will create –
    Christmas tree inspectors and SWAT teams raiding nurseries suspected of ‘arbouring unauthorized trees.
    Junkets to Saudi Arabia to promote Christmas tree sales.
    A 1000 page tome regulating the colour, height, and circumference of Christmas trees.
    Shouldn’t be skeptical anymore, but still, is this press release really for real?

15. U.S. Constitution 12th Amendment:
    The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
    This Federal government Christmas Tree Promotion Board and it’s 15cent/tree tax are illegal.

16. I felt like Rip van Winkle waking up on April 1 when I read that.
    Whatch you talkin bout Willis???

17. Tax on Christmas trees…oh for shame, that is an Obama-Nation(tm).
    What is wrong with Christmas trees as it is?
    Other than some flaming fire bugs who want to incinerate your creche due to some trumped up twaddle about the separation of church and state.
    The people who want a tree will get tree; levy or no levy.
    I suppose the Obama-Nation(tm) is hoping for a sack full of gold to balance his Christmas budget…
    Cheers
    Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
    1st Saint Nicolaas Army
    Army Group “True North”

18. And another question who is going to be appointed Xmas Tree Czar?
    Cheers
    Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
    1st Saint Nicolaas Army
    Army Group “True North”

19. That’s the trouble with socialists. They always start to nickle and dime us … literally!

20. There are approximately 25-30 million Real Christmas Trees sold in the U.S. every year.
    30 million times 15 cents is $4,500,000, if my math is correct.
    It will cost more than this to operate the board to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information for Christmas trees.
    This has got to be a democrat operation,
    in desperate need of a future government stimulus bail out..
    Sheeesh!
    (Vote for Obama and save/hug a
    Christmas tree)..

21. I can only imagine the cost of this operation is going to be 7 billion in a wink. 3000 employees sitting around doing SF-all

22. If it saves just one pine cone…
    15 cents won’t even cover the cost of implementing this load of crap.

23. THIS IS A JOKE RIGHT.

24. One of Obummers friends must have been upset that they didn’t have a political appointment with excellent pay and benefits and an endlessly deep expense account…. how very remiss of the federal department of patronage appointments.

25. What they need is a Christmas Tree Board, granted monopoly market rights in the Christmas Tree producing states.
    Hint for Team Obama: there’s a vast pool of Librano taxation and free enterprise fuddle duddling experts living just to your north. I am sure some are available for consultation. Count your fingers after you shake hands, though.

26. I wonder what it costs to collect 15 cents from the sale of something? More than 15 cents, I’m thinking.
    Which really is the base of the Conservative contention, isn’t it? Inefficiency.
    Furthermore, I doubt this tax gets collected at the end-user stage. More likely at the production stage. So Barry just boosted the Christmas Tree farm industry for ~$5 million bucks. Like they can afford that, right?
    Possibly those guys didn’t pony up their dues at election time, know what I mean? “Nice farm ya got here. Shame if something would… happen to it.”
    Which would be of course the OTHER Conservative contention. Crookedness.

27. This is a hoax right? Sure smells like one. Obama can’t be this stupid. Can he?

28. ..but you have to see the BIG PICTURE……..

29. Its a Christmas tree before you tax it – a holiday tree after you tax it. Its kinda like a transition tax. Only Christians will pay the tax.

30. And this is how the government bureaucrats keep themeselves emplyed.
    Another scheme to suck more money out of the working people.
    It’s because they can.

31. to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace
    What’s the Christmas Tree’s competition, the Holly, the Coconut Palm??
    I wonder who gets the loot.

32. I wonder if Canadians have to pay the tax on imported Christmas trees.
    It is a big export industry for them … would be good though … we have enough here in Canada.
    “At least they acknowledge that the holiday of “Christmas” exists.” Posted by: Dan Tappin
    I’m surprised that he did not tax the word “Christmas” every time it is displayed/said publicly. He could raise a trillion dollars easily … the Christmas Card industry is next.
    He would not tax anything related to Islam [to promote the “religion of peace.”]

33. I was hoping your “via” would link to The Onion, the concept of taxing Christmas trees being just that ludicrous.

34. The next press release will be that since the initial plan was such a total failure, they are going to tack a $10 ‘image enhancement fee’ onto the sale of every Christmas tree, to improve Christmas tree sales.

35. The bureaucracy to implement this nutty idea will cost more then the tax brought in.
    On second thought I get it now. This is part of Obama’s jobs creation program, thousands of new jobs to collect the tax, do studies about the size, shape, color, methods of doing humane cutting down of fir tree,etc. The list of new government jobs that can be created is almost endless. Just think, a whole new field of human endeavor that has never been bureaucratized or regulated. WOW, the genius of this whole proposal is mind boggling.

36. Now there’s an incentive to buy if ever there was. Tax the trees to make them more expensive. Did the allegedly brilliant Obozo ever take a basic economics course?

37. I was hoping your “via” would link to The Onion, the concept of taxing Christmas trees being just that ludicrous.
    Posted by: Mark at November 9, 2011 9:08 AM
    That was my assumption also, Mark.

38. For those that are wondering, it’s not the Onion, it’s for real. I was able to find “Federal Register /Vol. 75, No. 215 /Monday, November 8, 2010 / Proposed Rules” on the usda web site.
    For those that wondered what competition there is, there is artificial trees and import trees. The following tells you everything you need to know about the import trees.
    “According to U.S. Department of
    Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign
    Trade Statistics, imports of Christmas
    trees from 2006 through 2008 averaged
    about 1.9 million trees. During those
    years, imports from Canada accounted
    for 99.72 percent of the total imports.”
    So, basically this is protectionism against the evil Canadian tree producers.

39. I thought Congress had the power to levy taxes, not the Christmas Tree Board. This is illegal, but that won’t stop them.

40. How can you even parody this?

41. Those damn Canadian Christmas tree producers,
    We need a fence..
    **********
    He would not tax anything related to Islam
    [to promote the “religion of peace.”]
    I just saw that..
    LOL

42. This really sounds like some of the stuff Lyle Walker used to write about in Grainews. This is too big for the Dept of Agriculture. A new secretatiat is clearly needed.

43. Lorne >
    “Obama can’t be this stupid. Can he?”
    Obamba golf, takes a vacation each month and throws allot of Motown parties at the Whitehouse.
    His handlers on the other hand seem to have a vested interest in tearing down what many consider to be “traditional America”. This is simply the implementation of a cultural “death by a thousand cuts”.

44. to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace
    What’s the Christmas Tree’s competition, the Holly, the Coconut Palm??
    I wonder who gets the loot.
    Posted by: Robert of Ottawa at November 9, 2011 8:49 AM
    Is Kwanza getting there own tax too?
    How about Ramadan Energy Tax on all the natural resources like electricity and natural gas and BBQ briquettes used at night for all the cooking and partying during peak energy use hours for Muslims?
    …ain’t gonna happen!!!

45. Only Christians will pay the tax.
    Posted by: a different bob at November 9, 2011 8:38 AM
    Holy Smokes. It’s jizya. It’s the jizya tree!
    We’ve all come to see that Monty Python could not get off the ground today. Too much competition from the “real” world.
    The Onion must be very worried.

46. I think the blow back finally even penetrated his thick head. He canceled it.
    The older I get the more outrageous Politicians become.

47. Obama = Grinch
    Come to think of it, he does look a little like that not-so-venerable Dr. Seuss character.
    A better idea: sell the EPA to China.

48. If this item is true, the purpose is not to aid the Christmas tree industry, the purpose is to get more socialist parasites on the public payroll.