Thursday, July 24, 2008

"When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic"

Although found nowhere in the national archives or known writings of Benjamin Franklin, it is widely accepted that he once said “When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.”

According to the most recent data from the Congressional Budget Office, the bottom 50% of all income earners pay just 3.4% of the taxes collected! Conversely, the top 20% of income earners pay a whopping 85% of the taxes collected. In other words, 80% of income earners contribute a miserable 15% of the taxes collected! When you consider that this lower income bracket is totally dominated by politicians that overwhelmingly favor wealth redistribution, Americans are now able to “vote themselves money.” One is left to wonder if we have already begun to “herald the end of the republic.”

Let’s not forget plank number two in Karl Marx’s ten planks toward communism in his Communist Manifesto, which is “A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.” Years ago, I came across a great analogy to our system of taxes. The story has been printed and e-mailed many times in different formats, but the basic concept remains unchanged. Although the origins of the story are unknown, everyone agrees that the good ole federal government clearly provided the inspiration.

Here it is:

Every evening, the same 10 friends eat dinner together, family style, at the same restaurant. The bill for all 10 comes to $100. They always pay it the way we pay taxes:
• The first four are poor and pay nothing.
• The fifth pays $1.
• The sixth pays $3.
• The seventh, $7
• The eighth, $12.
• The ninth, $18.
• The 10th, (the most well-to-do) pays $59.

One night the restaurant owner announces that because they're such good customers, he's dropping their group dinner bill to $80. Let's call that a tax cut. They want to continue paying their bill as we pay taxes. So the four poorest men still eat free. But if the other six split the $20 tax cut evenly, each would save $3.33. That means the fifth and sixth men would end up being paid to eat. The restaurant owner works out a plan: The fifth man eats free; the sixth pays $2; the seventh, $5; the eighth, $9; the ninth, $12; and the 10th guy pays $52. All six are better off than before, and the four poor guys still eat for nothing. The trouble starts when they leave the restaurant and begin to compare what they reaped from the $20 cut. "I only got a dollar of it," says the sixth man, "but he (pointing at No. 10) got $7." The fifth guy, who also saved a dollar by getting his meal free, agrees that it's not fair for the richest to get seven times the savings as he. No. 7, grousing that the wealthy get all the breaks, points out that he only got two bucks. "Wait a minute," the first four poor guys yell in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!" The nine men jump the 10th and administer a severe beating. The next night he doesn't come for dinner. They shrug it off and eat without him. The customary $80 bill comes. Surprise! They're $52 short.

Yes, those who pay the most taxes get the most back from tax reductions. But tax them too much — punish them for the wealth they may have — and they just might stop bringing their money to the table.

I guess this is why American businesses have about $10 trillion in offshore deposits. You can’t blame them. After all, they got tired of getting beat up to forfeit their “fair share.”

Friday, July 18, 2008

Terms that Drive Me Nuts! (Part 2)

Climate Change – This term is a beautiful reinvention from the hip and cool term “Global Warming.” As it turns out, the meathead environmental nut jobs began having a hard time a few years ago when evidence from all sides proved the earth had actually cooled slightly in recent years. Never mind that humans are not causing a darn lick of any of it (hot or cold). This presented quite a dilemma for this anti-capitalistic scam of a movement called “global warming.” Accordingly, the term “climate change” was born. If you think about it, this is pretty smart on their part. They can never be wrong. Of course the climate is going to change! And yet, millions of Americans are drinking the climate change juice like it was Budweiser at a NASCAR race. The only fact here is that the earth is about 1 degree warmer than it was 100 years ago. That is it….no more facts beyond that other than a ridiculous documentary from Al Gore that is riddled with proven lies, falsehoods, and flat out fabrications. The rest is anecdotal at best. Yes, I know….so called “scientists” have theorized it is being caused by man, but there are many of those scientists that will openly admit they have no proof. Don’t forget, so called “scientists” are also strapping fart meters to the backs of cattle to figure out the level of greenhouse gasses they are pooting (not putting) into the atmosphere. You have GOT to be kidding me! Seriously! Check it out here.


I guess man caused that little thing called the Ice Age also right? Hey, maybe that theory about a meteor causing the Ice Age is wrong after all. It was probably caused by dinosaur farts! Although virtually ignored by the liberal media, there are scores of other scientists that will tell you that it is absolutely NOT being caused by man, but rather just one of many cycles that have occurred naturally in the earth for gazillions of years. In fact, there are over 31,000 scientists who have signed a petition debunking the theory of man made global warming. Click here for the list. Of course, you will not hear anyone in Hollywood or the liberal media talking about this list unless it is to try and discredit it (which is a badge of honor in my book).

Dr. William Grey is a well known tropical meteorological research expert for over 40 years who has dared to speak the truth about the global warning hoax as evidenced in this recent article (click here for the article). Granted, the entire Atlantic and Caribbean coastal communities hang on his every word just prior to hurricane season each year, but the liberal media does back flips to bury him when he speaks out against the global warming hoax. This esteemed and decorated scientist can predict within 50 miles where a hurricane is going to make landfall 72 hours before it hits, but he doesn’t know a thing about global warming?

Another key figure in calling out the global warming hoax is the founder of The Weather Channel, John Coleman. Follow this link for a summary of his comments to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce late last year. This is a very good summary of his views, which are based upon FACTS.

Follow this link for a very thorough and in depth presentation of John Coleman’s educated and factual views, which are untouched by the liberal media.

Does anyone remember that load of bunk in the 80’s about the ozone layer deteriorating and we were all going to die? When was the last time you heard about the ozone layer? I guess since the government outlawed Freon and we all started using pump hairspray that big hole in the ozone built itself back up right? Give me a break. Don’t miss the fact that banning aerosol hairspray single handedly ushered in the death of 80’s big hair bands. It just isn’t the same watching a heavy metal band rock the house and head banging with a bald cranium. Oh well, just like the ozone hoax went away and came back reincarnated as global warming, maybe we can do the same with big hair. My beautiful wife kept her big hoop earrings just in case.

Leave it to me to look for the good in anything.

Friday, July 11, 2008

This Story is Disturbing on soooo Many Different Levels

Oh yeah, you are going to love this one. This is a 7- year old kid that swiped his grandmother’s keys off the counter, stole her SUV, and went for a ride with a buddy. In the process, he hit several cars and wrecked the SUV before being apprehended by the Police. Yeah, he was pretty scared alright. You are just going to love the answer he gave when asked about his motive in stealing the car. I will give you 3 guesses. Oh come on…it will be fun.
a) “I learned about the combustion engine in school and wanted to see how it compared to the hybrid.”
b) “I noticed my Dad left his lunch on the counter when he left for work and I just wanted to take it to him.”
c) “I just wanted to do hood rat things with my friend.”

Click this link for the answer along with the other disturbing observations to this story. When you are done watching the video, read on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhs8hHvolM0



Did you get the answer to my quiz? Dang you’re good!

So how many disturbing things hit you while watching the video? He was mad at his Mother so he swiped an SUV? I don’t blame him for being mad at his Mother. She gave custody of her son to her Mother who is too scared to spank a 7-year old for stealing her SUV and wrecking four other vehicles. Of course, Grandma gets extra stupid points for putting those sweet rims on a Dodge Durango. Now, I would really like to think that Mom forfeited custody as a practical matter while away at Harvard Law School, but the interview just doesn’t cover it. Regardless, the Cop goes on to speak to the boy in a similar tone as my 8 year old Daughter’s Sunday school teacher. Of course, we all know the Cop would have been fired if he had yelled at him. When the sissy speaking Cop informed him that his “Grandmother was going to have to pay for those cars,” Latarian responded, “Can my Mom help out?” In all seriousness, that is the heartbreaker. Out of everything in this story, however, my favorite part is the reporter wrapping up at the end. He explained that although Latarian is being charged, there is no juvenile facility that can accommodate a 7-year old. Okay, that part I understand, however, the reporter goes on to state, “the Police say they want to get him into the system so they can get him some type of help.” Perfect! That will straighten this kid out. The Government! How pathetic of a future does this poor kid have? His Mom is out of the picture, his Grandma is an idiot, and the Government is going to step in and “get him some help.”
UPDATE****UPDATE****UPDATE
You are probably not going to believe this, but after I wrote the comments above, I decided to do some Google searches on cute little Latarian to see if there may be some updates (the SUV incident occurred a few months ago). You know, since the Government was going to give him some help with his problems, I figured I would find him on the school website after receiving high honors for his project on global warming, gun control, oil company profits, or the need for a national heath care system. Unfortunately, that is not the case. A few weeks later, poor little misunderstood Latarian beat up his Grandma in the local Wal-Mart. Why? Because she wouldn’t buy him chicken wings! Okay, I know his Grandma is stupid, but the chicken wings at Wal-Mart are not all that great so I am pretty sure she didn’t deserve to get beat up by a 7-year old. Here is the news link: http://www.wpbf.com/news/16255951/detail.html?rss=wpb&psp=news

No conclusions here, other than disbelief and sadness. If we were to do a “Where Are They Now” T.V. special 20 years from now on children who made the news, what do you think the story on Latarian will look like? Do you think he will still be doing “hood rat things with his friend?”

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Terms that Drive Me Nuts! (Part I)

Like most people, there are a handful of popular terms, words, and phrases that strike me as odd. Of course, once that identification process takes place, I have to fight to not roll my eyes every time I hear or read them. This will be the first in a series until I get tired of writing about them.

Earned Income – What other kind of income is there? Do you have any income that you do not “earn?” I sure as heck don’t. Just so you know, if you risk your money and invest in a stock that actually increases in value and then you sell it for a profit, you did not “earn” anything according to the government. In this scenario, you actually “gained” something they like to call “capital,” which is a fancy word for money. Let’s get this straight: if you operate heavy equipment or go to the office and work for “the man,” it is actually income that is “earned,” but if you risk your money to invest in a stock and actually earn a profit, it is not to be considered as “earned.” Let’s face it, the reason the IRS distinguishes between the two is so the political influence of the most recent regime can tinker with one or the other (earned vs. capital gain). Of course, they do this in order to penalize or reward the have’s or the have not’s. The government also takes great pride in deciding if you actually “earned” your income, or if you “gained” it from evil, capitalistic means.
If we can implement the FairTax (H.R. 25), none of this matters (I am still not ready to rant about The FairTax, but take some initiative and read up on it yourself, will ya? I recommend you start with the book and also the actual Bill itself, which you can find online. It is H.R. 25, also called “The Fair Tax Act”).