Posted on 07/09/2010 1:02:03 PM PDT by Michael Eden
RUSH: If things are on schedule, representatives of the New York Knicks are meeting with LeBron James who today becomes a free agent in the National Basketball Association. Now, many of you are saying, "Oh, come on, Rush, stick to the issues. Football's bad enough, golf's even worse, now, we gotta talk NBA?" No, we're not talking NBA. The New York Knicks and the New Jersey NetsYou want to keep LeBron James or, say, that company that hires lots of workers, or those rich people whose property taxes benefit the community? LOWER TAXES.both want LeBron James. The Cleveland Cavaliers want him to stay in Cleveland, of course. Here's the decision LeBron James has to make, and let's just use his current contract. His contract just expired, was five years, $96 million. If LeBron James had earned that money in New York he would have had to pay an additional $12.34 million in state and city income taxes than, say, if he played in Miami or for the Dallas Mavericks or wherever there is no state income tax. So here you have these poor schlubs that run Madison Square Garden that own the Knicks and they're going to try to persuade LeBron James to move to New York to play for the Knicks and they gotta tell him, "By the way, you're going to pay about 12 to 15, maybe $20 million more in taxes in New York than you would if you --" they won't tell him but his agent will.
Now, I have a question for all of you do-gooders out there, what should LeBron James do? Should LeBron James decide to play for the Knicks and pay the additional taxes to show his compassion and to show he's willing to give something back, which is what we demand of our athletes, or should he not sign with the New York Knicks or the Nets, sign with the Miami Heat and pocket and use the additional money for his own economic stimulus? What would you do if you were LeBron James and somebody was going to offer you in excess -- remember, his old deal is $96 million over five years. Let's just make it up. Let's say somebody's going to pay him $140 million over five years. I don't know what it's going to be, but let's say that new number is gonna -- and, you know, taxes are going up next year, federal taxes going up, New York taxes are going up, if he goes to play for the Lakers, it's the same kind of situation. I don't think the Lakers are in the running, but regardless, what would you do?
Now, I'm going to make a prediction. (interruption) What, Snerdley, what, what? Yeah, okay. Snerdley says you are making my prediction come true even before I make it. Snerdley said, "Well, there's more to New York than just the taxes. New York versus Miami? Come on. Yeah, I've made that call, and where am I?" In fact, for a guy like LeBron Miami is more -- I mean you got South Beach down there, you got Dwyane Wade down there playing for the Heat. Here's my point. A lot of you are probably saying, "I would go to the team that I really wanted to play for regardless the extra taxes because even at $140 million, even if I have to pay an additional 15 or $20 million, look at what I will have left over." I know a lot of people will say that. Until you earn it, and then you will totally change your mind about it. But my question to you is, is LeBron James, if he chooses to play for the Miami Heat or the Mavericks, I don't know if they're in the running -- let's say if he chooses a team with no state income tax, and saves 12 to $20 million dollars a year in taxes, is he being smart, is he being selfish, is he not being a good citizen? What is he?
Smart people avoid high taxes. They leave those for STUPID people to pay.
That's something Democrats will just never get. They foolishly keep thinking that raising taxes won't change people's behavior. And they foolishly keep thinking wrong.
If you want less of something, tax it.
Unfortunately, the state of Ohio decided it wanted less LeBron James.
By the same measure, Democrats want fewer businesses, fewer jobs, less economic growth, and less productivity. It's as simple as that.
There's another entirely unrelated political nexus here, with LeBron James and Barack Obama sharing a common arrogance that sounds good but means nothing.
First, LeBron, whose rather recent remark (during the NBA playoffs) sounds pretty pathetic in light of last night's news that he's abandoning Cleveland:
BOSTON -- LeBron James is bowed and bruised but not beaten. Asked why the Cavaliers fans should still believe, King James said yesterday after practice, "Because they got me."If I were a Cavalier fan I'd be pissed at "King" James. Arrogantly talk crap. Then lose. Then walk away.
Now Barack:
Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark., fears that these midterm elections are going to go the way of the 1994 midterms, when Democrats lost control of the House after a failed health care reform effort.Ah, yes, another bogus promise for idiot liberals to believe.But, Berry told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the White House does not share his concerns.
They just dont seem to give it any credibility at all, Berry said. They just kept telling us how good it was going to be. The president himself, when that was brought up in one group, said, Well, the big difference here and in 94 was youve got me. Were going to see how much difference that makes now.
I don't see things going any better for Democrats with their arrogant "messiah" than they just went for the Cleveland Cavaliers with their arrogant "king."
Mind you, LeBron James clearly is arrogant given his above remark and his hour-long self-promoting ESPN infomercial, but he's got the actual abilities in his job to back his arrogance up with performance. I think the last year and a half rather shows that Obama doesn't.
My point is this — His endorsements are not going to be lessened if he were to play in Miami instead of NY.
While Florida, (and other states) have no state income taxes, Im comfortably certain they make up the difference in other ways. Yes, no income tax concerns... but higher fees, gas prices, property taxes, etc probably eat the majority of the difference away.
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People like Tiger Woods, Rush Limbaugh, and now LeBron James who have millions of dollars seem to disagree with you, as do the millions of retirees who have moved to Florida to stretch their retirement incomes.
Gas prices on average are lower in Miami than New York.
I checked here :
http://gasbuddy.com/GB_Price_List.aspx
Here’s more for comparison :
NEW YORK
State Sales Tax: 4.0% (food, prescription and non-prescription drugs exempt); Other taxing entities may add up to 5.00% in additional sales tax.
Gasoline Tax: 44.6 cents/gallon
Diesel Fuel Tax: 43.6 cents/gallon
Cigarette Tax: $2.75/pack of 20; New York City adds an
additional $1.50.
Florida
State Sales Tax: 6% (food, prescription and non-prescription drugs exempt). There are additional county sales taxes which could make the combined rate as high as 9.5%.
Gasoline Tax: 34.4 cents/gallon
Diesel Fuel Tax: * 29.6 cents/gallon
(Local taxes for gasoline vary from 5.5 cents to 17 cents, plus there is a 2.07% gasoline pollution tax.)
Cigarette Tax: 33.9 cents/pack of 20 ($1.00 surcharge added on each pack in 2010)
From what you demonstrated with LeBron James supporting Obama, you’re right.
Limousine Liberals think that OTHER people should pay the taxes that they claim that everybody should pay.
Which is kind of saying that LeBron did to the I.R.S. what he did to Cleveland.
LeBron - in leaving for a lower-tax environment - might be a hypocrite, but he ISN’T an idiot.
LeBron may purchase property in a state with low property taxes and high income taxes.
People tend to have more patience with idiots than hypocrites, however. Something Mr. James might want to keep in mind...
I don’t know, at least from my own experience:
I get angry at both groups at about the same rate.
I remember learning that John Kerry - after pitching that we all needed to pay much higher taxes - was doing everything he could to shelter his own money from taxes. Whereas George Bush, who said Americans should pay lower taxes, actually personally paid double the rate that hypocrite Kerry did.
I don’t know how much LeBron James pitched Obama. The more he did, the bigger the hypocrite he is now.
No, Cuomo’s show failed. You want to audition big boy?
His former teammate, Delonte West, screwing LeBron’s mother didn’t help Cleveland’s position.
Lebron is an egotistical twit. He is dead to me now.
“Is that old wind bag still on the air ?
“
You’re still on FR.
LeBron had also been dealing with the fact that Delonte West was having sex with LeBron’s mother. That had to be a distraction.
I did not know that.
And I kind of wish I STILL didn’t know it.
If mommy slept with a Cleveland Cavalier, mommy might sleep with a Miami Heater, too.
I remember the aforementioned Boston-Cleveland playoff series in which a woman in white got up and shouted at Paul Pierce for a foul, and LeBron shouted at the woman, “Sit your butt down!”
That woman was later identified as James’ momma.
Thank God for my mom, is all I can say.
I think LeBron’s mom has some psychological issues which may have also contributed to his decision to go to Miami rather than New York. If he had gone to NY, one of the papers would have eventually reported on it the first time LeBron had a bad streak.
Strident granted, but nothing like the vitriol spewed when the original Cleveland Browns (owned by Modell) pulled up stakes and went to Baltimore, becoming the Ravens.
Yup longer than you
Thanks for the nibble
The best player would continue to prove that he’s the best, even when the game is a lost cause.
LeBron is the most gifted; he’s still learning.
I hope that he does well in Florida.
I agree.
I’ve been a huge Laker fan since I was a kid (though I became a Blazer fan when I lived in Portland until moving back to California).
My two favorite players are Derek Fisher and Pao Gasol. Fish certainly wouldn’t quit.
Kobe Bryant is not the easiest guy to like, but he wants to win, will do whatever it takes to win, and would NEVER have given up in the way LeBron did.
Here’s one take on the game:
“LeBron was also one turnover away from a quadruple-double. He dribbled the ball off his foot. He threw lazy, bad passes. When the team needed big baskets, he settled for long jump shots. And in the end, he and teammates simply gave in. Down nine, with just over a minute to go, they couldn’t even be bothered to go through the time-honored charade of fouling to extend the game. The effort was lacking, as they say.”
From my point of view, they still had a shot in that game (albeit a disappearing one), and they just sleepwalked to the end of their season.
Here’s a sports link that joins the Cleveland owner in being HARSH on LeBron over his infomercial.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-lebrondecision070910
All that said, one can be the best player and still not be the best player.
LeBron is the best player if you look at his stats, his physique, his skill.
But he’s not the best player if you talk about being a proven winner who can be trusted to lead a team. At least not yet he’s not.
I remember Allen Iverson. As an individual player, he was as good as you got. But he was a selfish brat who put himself and his “numbers” before the team and victories. And so for all his ability he never amounted to anything.
Just whom are you referring to?
What’s your take on the Gilbert letter?
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