wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Comments

• [1] Peter from Sunset Park May 06, 2009 - 08:48AM

  Joy Behar has publicly commented that the United States never used torture until George W. Bush took office. But many people have identified torture as more of a lingering or chronic issue that the Bush administration inflamed. Perhaps you could ask Ms. Behar to present some of her research to support her contention that the United States never tortured until Bush took office?

  
  
• [2] Gary from UWS May 06, 2009 - 12:20PM

  Here’s the dirty little secret about how liberals like Joy Behar in the entertainment industry pay their “fair share” of taxes. They pay taxes at the 15% capital gains rate (just like the hedge fund guys that she dislikes) and not at the ordinary income tax rate of 35% like the rest of us poor smucks who get paid with regular paychecks (W2 income). Here’s how it works. Rather than receiving a “paycheck” from ABC, Ms. Behar (and others in the entertainment industry) has her lawyer set up a “product company” (e.g., Behar Productions, Inc.) which receives the income from all of her work. Ms. Behar owns 100% of Behar Productions, Inc. Then, Behar Productions, Inc. cuts Ms. Behar a “dividend” check that’s taxed at the capital gains rate of 15%, not a regular old paycheck that is taxed at the 35% plus 7.65% for the Social Security tax. Ms. Behar might not even know this because she might just be willfully ignorant and “pays whatever amount her accountant tell her to pay.” Isn’t that beautiful? You pay 42.65% tax and she pays 15%. This is the dirty little secret exposed. So she should stop whining about hedge fund managers and big bonuses and look in the mirror.

  
  
• [3] Peter from Sunset Park May 06, 2009 - 12:43PM

  Nice post Gary,

  At the end of the day, Ms. Behar gets paid to exaggerate, to make comments with no factual support and to mislead the public for the sake of entertainment. Ms. Behar is a gossip columnist pretending to be a journalist. But she pretends to be liberal so people like her.

  
  
• [4] Graham from New York May 06, 2009 - 01:22PM

  Apparently she has written a nice book for children. But is the title appropriate, with its triple reference to, er, No. 2?

  
  
• [5] Jane May 06, 2009 - 01:43PM

  Joy Behar is first and foremost a comedienne. You people need to lighten up.

  
  
• [6] Karen from Westchester May 06, 2009 - 01:48PM

  These kinds of comments reflect WNYC's better half, not that the first half is bad. There must be honest Americans any old place in the US, but honest and THIS smart? WNYC, your listeners demand the best - (and the Greene Space has been a brilliant response.)

  
  
• [7] Gene May 06, 2009 - 01:55PM

  The "Spicy Meatball" commercial always has a special place in my heart, as I knew Jack Somak, who played the man.

  Amazing that _both_ actors in that quintissential Italian sketch were Jewish!

  
  
• [8] Gene May 06, 2009 - 01:57PM

  Leonard, you're behind the times; Gov. Rick Perry just appointed a CREATIONIST to head the Texas State Board of Education(!)

  This is a seriously dangerous issue.

  
  
• [9] Gene May 06, 2009 - 02:06PM

  Fun interview. LOVED her impression of Armisen's impression of her. Hilarious.

  
  
• [10] terry May 14, 2009 - 01:26PM

  I agree with Peter and Gary. I also think Joy Behar is disgusting. She is loudmouthed and overbearing and thinks she knows everything. I don't care if she is a so-called comic or not, I do not care for her. I think she is a minus for the show The View.