More tax frustrations

And this from the editorial of the Deseret News.  How can people argue against these facts?

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This is how I feel on this tax day.  We are people who have worked most of our lives, paid our bills, budgeted consistently, put money away for emergencies, invested carefully, and taken care of ourselves.  Because of our situation, even though we are retired, we have a hefty tax bill.  It wouldn't be so bad if it were going to a government that would spend it wisely.  It's not.  It's going to a bloated bureaucracy whose only interest seems to be the buying of votes.  It's downright depressing.

I forgot that I'd saved an article written by Charles Krauthammer, who explains this same idea in a very clear and erudite way.  This is not the entire piece, just the paragraphs I thought were the most revealing.

Business and Obama

President Obama has had few real jobs.  He was a professor for a short time, but I know of no other real jobs.  Being a Senator or Representative is supposed to be a public service job, but it is not full time (unless you count all the time spent working to get reelected).  Community Organizing is not a job one sees advertised in the classifieds.  If he has actually worked somewhere else, no one talks about it.

So, admittedly, he knows nothing about the difficulties and rewards of creating and maintaining a business--accounts payable, receivable, capital, tax accounting, personnel, materials, organization, etc.

Even ignorance is no excuse, these same entrepreneurs paid the taxes that made everything possible.  Many of them probably worked on some of these things too.

This last comic really sums it up.  

Going to hate this year!

I am going to hate this year. Election years are always filled to overflowing with political rhetoric, accusations, information spinning, misleading and downright false statements. It frightens me that there are vast numbers of people who believe the sound bites and empty promises.

There was an article that stated that if some tax policy was changed, a family making $20,000 a year would see their taxes go up by 60%. But, in reality, a family like that is paying no income tax. They are likely getting the earned income credit--a "refund" of money paid by someone else. 60% of nothing is still nothing. The article was purposely misleading to promote an agenda.

The vocabulary of the political left is fascinating. I believe Thomas Sowell pointed out that the left considers it to be "materialistic" and "greedy" to want to keep what you have earned. But it is "idealistic" to want to take away what someone else has earned and spend it for your own political benefit or to feel good about yourself.

If someone benefits from a hamburger, clothes, an education, a house, who should be forced to pay for it? I agree with Mr. Sowell that the only morally correct answer is that the person who receives the benefit should pay for it. Unless we are thieves who only care only about our immediate enjoyment, and who pays is irrelevant. One of our country's problems is too many Americans want to benefit from things for which they expect other Americans to be taxed.

The French economist Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) said, "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else." He is as correct today as he was 150 years ago.

So much to say!

One reason I've been so slow getting up a new post is there is so much to talk about--where do I begin? Maybe since we just paid our tax bill, and our first quarterly payment for this year, I'll rant a bit about the liberal notion that they should be able to spend even more of the money we earn.

Thomas Sowell discussed the "no tax cuts for the rich" idea back in early December.

Another problem is the definition of "the rich." The term is used by the left as a way to encourage envy by the voters who wish they were. Who is "rich?" According to President Obama, any couple earning more than $250,000 a year. The problem is that includes most of the small business owners, who are the economic backbone of our country.

Walter Williams explains the problem with this notion:

Compounding this fuzzy thinking is the fact that nearly 50% of Americans pay NO income taxes. Who is left? Regular, hard-working people who have spent the time, energy, and thought to building their financial houses.

I heard a radical idea once and I'm sorry I don't remember where. What if everyone got one vote, then people who pay income taxes got an additional vote for each certain amount they paid in? Seems very fair to me.

Sometimes I just have to

Occasionally I just need to pass along a very good article, so those who don't take the paper, or don't get the chance to read it, can appreciate the wisdom or humor presented. I may comment and I may just hit the main points, but there are some very articulate and thoughtful writers out there. This particular article is written by Thomas Sowell and talks about "social justice."

The idea of social justice is a favorite of the liberals. After all, it sounds right--we all believe in justice. Right?

Some would argue that it is not the fault of those that were born into families that didn't value education or hard work, or to dysfunctional parents who didn't prevent self-destructive choices. But now it's not a "social" problem any more, unless one believes that it is society's fault that different families and communities have differing habits and values.

I have had numerous experiences and encounters, made multiple small decisions that have determined the course of my life. I don't blame, nor give credit to, "society" for any of them. For better or worse, they were my own.

Sorry, my teacher side is coming out now. If you want a peek at a different kind of society, read The Giver, by Lois Lowry. Many of my sixth grade classes have discussed it.

9-11

Charles Krauthammer:

Apologies all around

I just saw a news blurb that Tiger Woods had his worst round of golf....in a long time. It made me remember his odd news conference where he apologized for his past poor behavior. Thomas Sowell put it in better words than I can:

He calls the tendency for public apologies "mushy thinking," and I think he has a very valid point. I agree that it comes with the loss of personal responsibility. What Tiger did was the fault of his fame, his money, his popularity, the conditions surrounding him, blah blah. If that were true, then wouldn't everyone who watches golf or spent money on anything that added to his wallet be responsible? Golf lovers everywhere were the cause of his demise? Hardly.

I contend that it was Tiger's own arrogance and narcissism that led to his troubles. I certainly didn't suffer anything and did not need to be apologized to.

The problem is bigger than Tiger Woods or the governor of South Carolina or whoever. The idea that society or our surroundings cause our misbehavior, or is responsible for our crimes, tries to diminish the notions of self-control and responsibility. Again, I defer to the words of Thomas Sowell:

Until next time, I'm sorry that my political attitude is one of choices and consequences, and it might not fit with your ideas about the evils of a "society." Wait, no I'm not sorry at all.

The Mallard Fillmore comic had another take on the same idea:

Dose of Reality from Sonja Schmidt

Mysteries of Liberal Thought

I am often in awe of people who know just the right words to effectively state their beliefs. It is so frustrating to try to explain something and not have the words you want on your tongue. I suppose that is the benefit of writing; one can spend a little time trying to get the explanations clear and understandable.

When I try to comprehend the liberal mind set, I am befuddled by their reasoning. Why do they have such little respect for individual responsibility? Why do they want people depending on government for so much? Why do they think they are entitled to take money from those of us who worked for it and give it to those who didn't (taking a percentage for government along the way)?

Fortunately, there are very articulate writers who say things so well. Writers who understand the strange thought processes of Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Dodds, Rangel (who didn't even know who paid for his trips to the Caribbean--he claims).

Thomas Sowell explains:

A couple of good examples he explores:

Liberal intelligensia would also like us to believe that wealthy people somehow got that way accidentally, while also preventing others from doing the same. That is ridiculous.

Taxes are always good, according to the far left, and there is never enough (not that they are dedicated about paying their own). But what companies pay employees, by mutual agreement, should be of no concern to the government. As soon as government sets rules for how much money we are allowed to earn, we are doomed. Our so-called public servants become our masters.

Clever Bumper Stickers

With so many in this country finding out that the "change" they thought they wanted isn't turning out to be wonderful, there are some very creative folks who have synthesized their frustrations into possible bumper stickers. This is the second bunch I've seen, but a few of these really express my concerns.






My favorite. I would definitely display this one.