I don't want some bearded terrorist-looking foreigner invading our airspace. Thanks a lot, Barry.

ManateeGag: When they do the annual Norad Tracks Santa shtick, are the conservatives going to get their panties in a wad that the evil Mooslim is wasting precious tax payer money?

No they won't. Either you haven't been on this earth that long or you are just stupid.

RexTalionis: The funny thing is, the Christmas Tree Industry asked the Government to collect this to set up a program to promote selling of Christmas trees.

So, you know, the critics of this program are against jobs in the Christmas Tree industry.

The National Christmas Tree Association requested it. This is not the same as the Christmas Tree industry. This is a special interest group who claim to represent an industry. Not the same as the actual farmers who do the work. Don't confuse the two.

sigdiamond2000: FloydA: sigdiamond2000: Sid_6.7: My wife and I are atheists...but we have an artificial tree we bought at a hospice shop. So maybe you're on to something.

What the f*ck is a hospice shop?

A thrift store/resale store that donates its proceeds to and/or is run on behalf of a hospice.

Huh. Never heard of that before.

like the homeless shelter thrift store or animal shelter thrift store.

It's an Obama trick! We need to oppose this dropping of the tax!

In what critics were calling a government attack on Christmas,

And by critics we mean your crazy uncle.

Oliver Twisted: RexTalionis: The funny thing is, the Christmas Tree Industry asked the Government to collect this to set up a program to promote selling of Christmas trees.

So, you know, the critics of this program are against jobs in the Christmas Tree industry.

The National Christmas Tree Association requested it. This is not the same as the Christmas Tree industry. This is a special interest group who claim to represent an industry. Not the same as the actual farmers who do the work. Don't confuse the two.

The National Christmas Tree Association is a trade organization supported by dues paid by Christmas tree growers. The $0.15 fee was requested by the members of this organization to pay for an awareness/advertising campaign on a national level, as the live tree industry is threatened by sales of artificial trees. The fee was supposed to be charged to growers that sell over 500 tress per season. Last year, it was estimated that 30 million live trees were sold for the Christmas season - if EVERY single one of those trees was taxed, it would amount to $4.5 million. This was to go to the Department of Agriculture to pay for the awareness/advertising campaign on a national level.

The opponents of this need to extract their heads from their hindquarters and get over the fact they have to deal with an administration they don't like.

So the Heritage Foundation's attacking a move to countered the market invasion of plastic trees made by the Communist Chinese?

Running dogs for the Reds, that why they're called red states?

Praise Cheesus: Oliver Twisted: RexTalionis: The funny thing is, the Christmas Tree Industry asked the Government to collect this to set up a program to promote selling of Christmas trees.

So, you know, the critics of this program are against jobs in the Christmas Tree industry.

The National Christmas Tree Association requested it. This is not the same as the Christmas Tree industry. This is a special interest group who claim to represent an industry. Not the same as the actual farmers who do the work. Don't confuse the two.

The National Christmas Tree Association is a trade organization supported by dues paid by Christmas tree growers. The $0.15 fee was requested by the members of this organization to pay for an awareness/advertising campaign on a national level, as the live tree industry is threatened by sales of artificial trees. The fee was supposed to be charged to growers that sell over 500 tress per season. Last year, it was estimated that 30 million live trees were sold for the Christmas season - if EVERY single one of those trees was taxed, it would amount to $4.5 million. This was to go to the Department of Agriculture to pay for the awareness/advertising campaign on a national level.

The opponents of this need to extract their heads from their hindquarters and get over the fact they have to deal with an administration they don't like.

To clarify, I don't give a flying fark about the administration. My point is, the producers are not the ones asking for this. A trade association is. You can pretend they represent the growers all you want but the reality is the trade group is in this for their own gain. If you believe that there was a vote amongst all the growers and they specifically asked for this than maybe you are the one in need of a cranial/rectal inversion.

KarmicDisaster: It's an Obama trick! We need to oppose this dropping of the tax!

head asplode

RexTalionis: The funny thing is, the Christmas Tree Industry asked the Government to collect this to set up a program to promote selling of Christmas trees.

So, you know, the critics of this program are against jobs in the Christmas Tree industry.

Why should the gov't tax people to help promote an industry?

Diogenes: GaryPDX: I'm wondering just why and how the Christmas Tree people thought looking for taxpayer dollars for their advertising/marketing program was a good idea. Do the tomato growers get taxpayer dollars to promote tomatoes? Do the dairy farmers get taxpayer dollars to promote milk? Do the quilt makers get tax money to promote quilts?

I think not.

Actually it's been a standard practice for some time now. And in one of the articles about this I saw that the growers said they would pay the tax. I assume it means they'll absorb it instead of passing that extra 15 cents onto the customer.

Baldercrap!

I have it on good authority from the thicker-cotton sockpuppets here that no business, ever, would accept a price increase without passing that cost directly to consumers.

Cleary, 0b0a0m0a0 (zero be upon him) is trying to inject socialism right into Christmas' supple buttocks! Get Chuck Norris on the phone, Mike Huckabee's anger knows NO BOUNDS!!

Diogenes: To give us a competitive edge over products from other countries that artificially cheap.

Sounds like the job of a business association, not the federal government

This is how desperate the Republicans are for a victory?

"Obama is planning to tax Christmas trees!"
Obama: "Um...no. No, I'm not. I never was."
"Yay! We beat the Obama Christmas tree tax! Vote for us!"

This is how desperate the Republicans are for a victory.

I must have missed the part of the Constitution where the President is allowed to levy taxes.

You have to admit, this one's a good one. It combines bigger government with anti-Christian sentiment, while mistakenly pretending the President has powers he doesn't have, all for the benefit of a special-interest group. It's a wonder GaryPDX can hear anything with all those dog-whistles going off at once.

Diogenes: Dr Dreidel: I have it on good authority from the thicker-cotton sockpuppets here that no business, ever, would accept a price increase without passing that cost directly to consumers.

Cleary, 0b0a0m0a0 (zero be upon him) is trying to inject socialism right into Christmas' supple buttocks! Get Chuck Norris on the phone, Mike Huckabee's anger knows NO BOUNDS!!

"Christmas tree growers would pay the fee and say the money is to help their industry with a promotional campaign similar to the ones for milk, beef and cotton producers." [Source].

A self-imposed fee. Not a tax.

Paid for by growers. Not by consumers.

What do you care about Christmas trees anyway, Dreidelman? ;-)

The most obvious "troll" in the history of the universe - you even knew better - yet you bit?

Lady, I am disappoint.

// "troll" in the sense that it was not my actual argument, and only written to expose the stupidity in that argument (increased costs are always passed 100% along the supply chain)
// the trees at least look pretty?
// pretty like a bimbo line-up; it's one artificially dolled-up assault on my eyes after another
// at least the bimbos usually have tits I can stare at - the not-obviously-fake ones, anyway
// bimbos

Diogenes: Dr Dreidel: Lady, I am disappoint.

For one, I'm a dude. Secondly, did you not see my winky face?

I must have you confused with someone else. Son, I am disappoint in my ability to remember farkers' genders. Also in your ability to respond to trolls.

I thought the winky-face was "why do you care about Christmas trees, Jew?"

// this has been a real train-wreck of a back-and-forth
// maybe because one of us is a J-O-O