Originally Posted by Air&Road (Post 3307710)

In response to post #23 & 24:

There are so many holes in that statement, I don't know where to start.

Deductions are merely part of the tax rate system. In order to take advantage of one, you are not required to decrease your productivity.

Paying someone NOT to plant a crop should be intuitively absurd to any normal thinking person. Such a program is the government meddling with private business, and worse yet, wasting OUR money in the process.

Agriculture subsidies are nothing more than giving people something for nothing. Another way for the government to gain control of someone.

Trying to belittle someone for buying food, implying that they are immoral for buying food since some of it had to do with an immoral subsidy system is absurd. If I could know what food I buy was subsidized, and what wasn't, I would choose to buy food that was not, because I want nothing to do with such immoral government programs.

Farm subsidies are another immoral way that the government uses to take control of the people. Many folks are fine with that. This is one of the reasons that we are sliding into the ditch. Too many people are perfectly pleased with seeing the country go to hell as long as they are getting their freebies. This gives the politicians exactly the kind of electorate they want, a large group of people that will swallow their bait. Once hooked they continue to buy those votes with TAXPAYERS money. Farm subsidies are a perfect example of this.

Originally Posted by cmbdiesel (Post 3307750)

Considering that his last tour was about 4 dates, which is similar to this year's schedule, and the last real tour he was on was as the opener for the opener with Styx and REO Speedwagon.... I'd say 32K was about all he could possibly command at this point in time. Likely even more than usual, which would account for his being so irked at the cancellation.

Originally Posted by jcyuhn (Post 3307793)

What I am really wondering is who in Longview ever thought that "Cat Scratch Fever" constitutes appropriate entertainment for a family oriented event? Somebody is in the wrong job.

Originally Posted by cmbdiesel (Post 3307754)

Remember, 32k has to cover agent's cut, band salary, crew salary, per diems for everyone, equipment rental and transportation.... Not really much to spread around considering.

Originally Posted by cmac2012 (Post 3307900)

Good points. Much lower expenses for a one man show. Years ago I produced Rambling Jack Elliott in 4 shows in WA state, this in '81. I'd seen him open for Doc Watson a couple of years before and thought he had potential, that he could go bigger than Willie Nelson if managed right.

I was wrong. Guy is a charming head case who can't write songs. At any rate, he was happy, real happy to get $1K to $1.5K a gig, as he usually had to settle for $500 a show. Just checked an inflation calculator, $500 in '81 would supposedly be $1260 now.

He had to hustle to make it pay, but he has, and still is apparently. He does things like feature as a guest for performers such as Beck. Plays the Yoda figure. He is a fascinating guy, an occasionally awesome performer, though often wearily going through the same material, over and over and over. But the experience for me was a good primer on how hard it can be to make music pay.

Originally Posted by t walgamuth (Post 3307777)

Tax deductions are used to encourage behavior that is desired by our lawmakers. Whether it has to do with productivity or not seems completely irrelevant to me. Making it a moral issue is a stretch.

Originally Posted by Idle (Post 3308090)

I've known folks that received these payments. I am not in that line of work so I am not the one you want to ask about this.

The folks I knew always called it "The soil bank" and thought they were doing the government a favor by taking their money. And they didn't care who was in office. They would vote the way they wanted and demanded that anyone who was elected keep the program alive.

Just my small contribution to the discourse.