Sunday, July 18, 2010

Taxes, Rvevenue and the Deficit

Some may think that “Tax the rich, feed the poor, Till there are no rich no more” are only lyrics from the Ten Years After song “I’d Love To Change The World”. Unfortunately, there may be some truth in those lyrics.
There is little debate that our country has a deficit that, if continues, could spell disaster to our economy. How to solve the problem continues to be debated. Cut spending? Tax the wealthy? Leave tax rates where they are in hopes to bring our country out of its economic malaise?

The growth of government and its runaway spending needs to be curtailed. All the taxes in the world won’t solve our problem if spending continues at its current pace. Unpopular decisions will need to be made and some pain will be felt throughout our country. That will be the price we pay to get us on the path of financial security.

Increased tax rates is not the solution. A thriving economy is. A robust nation will produce more employment, more successful companies, new companies, entrepreneurship and a better feeling of self worth. This will produce more consumer spending and a flow of capital. This type of economic recovery will greatly increase the revenue to the coiffeurs of the federal and state governments. It’s not the tax rate that is important, it is the tax revenue. All revenue will increase. Federal, state, local income tax, FICA tax, etc… They will all see an increase.

Increasing federal taxes on the top few percent in our country would be counterproductive. There would be less incentive to make purchases, expand business, invest in a business, hire more workers and even pay taxes. Yes, pay taxes. As the tax rate increases there is a greater incentive to find ways to avoid paying taxes. It is the same group, that some want to tax, that have the ability to find ways to avoid being taxed.

It’s time our leaders make smart tough fiscal decisions and stop going for the day’s sound bite.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

More Quotes to Waken the Brain

A fondness for power is implanted in most men, and it is natural to abuse it when acquired. - Alexander Hamilton

The member (of Congress) who is not making a career of politics looks quite differently at the world. - Robert Novak

A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy... - Alexander Fraser Tytler, Scottish lawyer and writer, 1770


...Mr. Speaker, how can America be bankrupt? There are airport taxes, highway taxes, excise taxes, estate taxes, gas taxes, property taxes, income taxes, sales taxes, luxury taxes, nanny taxes, old taxes, new taxes, hidden taxes, inheritance taxes; there is even now a tax called a sin tax. I say to my colleagues, no wonder the American people are taxed off...
...The truth is that Congress as a Congress that taxes everything ultimately will tax freedom and will not balance anything. What is next? A budget tax? Is it any wonder that the American people are saying, kiss my taxes...?
...Beam me up, Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my taxes... Jim Traficant

I fear for our nation. Nearly half of our people receive some kind of government subsidy. We have grown weak from too much affluence & too little adversity. I fear that soon we will not be able to defend our country. We have debased our currency to the point that even the most loyal citizen no longer trusts it.- A Roman Senator in A.D. 63

We have fifty million laws trying to enforce Ten Commandments – Unknown Author

Saturday, July 10, 2010

By the Numbers - You may not like what you see

Our parents and grandparents were appalled when the Government’s spending and debts were put in numbers as Billions and Tens of Billions. Now our government expects us to accept Trillions as the norm.

Approximately 9,000 earmarks costing about $8 Billion were included in the 2009 Omnibus Spending Bill. If the $8 Billion was excluded, the tax bill for 800,000 families would be reduced by $10,000 each, a real tax relief to America’s Middle Class. And that example was just for the Omnibus Spending Bill in 2009. In fiscal year’s 2008 Total Federal Budget, there were approximately 11,500 earmarks totaling about $16.5 Billion for the year. This means in 2008, 1.5 million families could have saved over $10,000 each in taxes.

In order to get the health care bill passed a sweetener needed to be added for a southern state. It was reported to be $300 Million. 30,000 American families will have to pay $10,000 each for one state to benefit

The $75 Billion intervention by the Government to ease the burden of homeowners takes $10,000 away from 7.5 Million homeowners. These 7.5 million homeowners would like to use those funds for the betterment of their own families.

This is our money and our children's, granchildren's and great-grandchildren's debt congress is spending. It's time they start to appreciate that.

What's that expression:
A Billion here and a Billion there and pretty soon you're talking about real money! Of course, when that was first uttered they were taling about Millions. How long is it to Trillions?

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Profiling

There can be a fine line between profiling and using intelligent, deductive reasoning. Training of law enforcement officials, regarding profiling, is now extensive and their on the job training is comprehensive. This was not always the case. We have made great strides in eliminating widespread profiling. Also, the makeup of the law enforcement community is more diverse than in previous years.

In one way or another, the majority of people profile. Children, looking to play sports, go to athletic fields, look for kids wearing basketball sneakers, and seek out those who talk sports. They look for athletic types. That’s profiling. At a convention, party, or other gathering, attendees look around to find someone who might be interesting to talk with. They look for outgoing, smiling types. That’s profiling. Little league coaches seek out players whose siblings are known to be good athletes. Science students hang around labs, or look for other students with science books. That’s profiling. Law enforcement agents notice people who look suspicious to them, seem nervous, appear out of place or act in a certain mannerism, and then they take appropriate action. That’s profiling.



Police put themselves at risk when they stop or question someone. There could be physical risk, such as being shot or accosted by the person stopped. There is also the risk of being accused of profiling. Knowing these risks are real, would law enforcement agents indiscriminately confront individuals? Would the majority of police want to put themselves at physical risk, the risk of losing their job or the risk of a lawsuit? Probably not. However, doesn’t our society run a greater risk if law enforcement agents stop using their training and “gut feelings” to detain or question someone?

Profiling is not improper; improper use of profiling is.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

A Fun Walk Down Memory Lane

No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us, WE ARE AWESOME!!!! OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF!!!! To Those of Us Born 1930 – 1979. TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930s, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints...We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight…WHY? Because we were always outside playing...that's why! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on…No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill; only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. We had friends and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?
---Attributed to author Roy Lee Wells

Friday, July 2, 2010

Immigration Amnesty? What would our ancestors think?

                                                     ELLIS ISLAND

Generations ago immigrants came to this great land for the opportunity to live in a free land and to work hard. They wanted a better life for themselves and their children. Immigrants were proud to be accepted,legally,as an American. It was something to be proud of. They were proud to learn English and be a contributor to their community. We are now in a time where people come to America for the social programs our government provides. Too many find it easier to come illegally than legally. Becoming a "legal" American isn't that important as long as they receive the benefits America has to offer. They would prefer to be a beneficiary instead of a contributor.