Tired of Taxes.........................................

Accounts Receivable Tax
Alternate Minimum Tax
Building Permit Tax
Capital Gains Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Court Fines (indirect taxes)
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax Interest expense (tax on the money)
Inventory tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Local Income Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service Charge Taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Taxes (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Road Toll Booth Taxes
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Toll Bridge Taxes
Toll Tunnel Taxes
Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
Trailer registration tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

COMMENTS: Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and our nation was the most prosperous in the world, had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened?

Parasitism

A friend just sent me an article dated early 2000 regarding the common threat to the left and right and that is globalism through multinational corporations. The old enemy of the left was capitalism and of the right, socialism. At the end of the article was a description of the various "-isms" that currently plague our society albeit one... parasitism. I found that to be a very profound omission since this strikes at the very core of many of the "indefinable" problems and societal ills we face on a daily basis.

I shall define chronic parasitism (as applied to society) as any situation where the public sector consumes more than 20% of a country's GDP (Gross Domestic Product). In the U.S., this level is sitting at about 40% and is rising steadily. The 20% is based on several studies where a flat tax or a value added tax could be implemented and cover the cost of government. At first blush, one must wonder where that other 20% is going and what would happen if it were summarily eliminated. Since government is a necessary evil, if you will pardon the expression, we must assume that the other 20% is going to bureaucratic parasites.

On a smaller scale, look at the problems the new governor of California is having cutting the pork.

Everything in our society is run on some sort of balance mechanism. If conservatives get too heavy handed with their policies, they are swept out of office. The reverse of this situation as related to liberals is now the current case. The fact is that we need certain socialistic functions for the common good, BUT we cannot let this become some sort of trend, such as socialized medicine.

The fundamental problem in the liberal spectrum is it believes in massive forced income redistribution which stifles income generation which in turn cause parasites to appear due to social aid programs, etc., etc. This is amplified by a severe blindspot regarding economic theory and, simply, where money comes from.

The fundamental problem in the conservative spectrum is unbridled capitalism yields the Tyco, MCI, and Enron's of the world.

So what to do?

There is a nearly unstoppable trend in our society to make virtually every aspect of our life risk-free. This is mainly driven by liberal trial lawyers and liberal do-gooders for the children and all those starving (overweight) Americans. This creates an atmosphere where people DO NOT take responsibility for their actions as they can easily blame it on someone else with legal assistance. This lackadaisical attitude lowers peoples' guard and allows these large corporate scandals and other rip-offs to continue to happen. In short, we are being stripped of our street smarts and to what end? So we can easily be manipulated by those in power (carefully not defining left, right, up, or down.)

Since the left and the right are both guilty of growth in government or growth in parasitism without giving real value for government services, every effort must be made to reduce parasitism before if bankrupts our government and society. How many different ways do we have to give warning signs...The Soviets with large military expenditures and nearly all the rest in parasitism brought it down. Germany and France have created horrible parasitic worker benefits that are financially imploding the two countries as well as strangling the businesses therein.

Folks, it is simply a case of not getting what we are paying for by a factor of two. Think about that the next time you vote for a new bond issue.

Reference:

Schurmann, Franz, 14 April 2000, How Globalism Became Public Enemy Number One For Both Left And Right, This article is available for reprint. For rates and information, call (415) 438-4755 or e-mail pacificnews@pacificnews.org

What Do You Think?

The following exchange took place between two people who shall remain unidentified. The first message was sent in response to and e-mail being sent around the Internet. The “offending” message and resulting dialog follow thereafter.

Jane,

You send this stuff around like the bumper sticker of the day. If you and your like-minded friends cannot forward project where this is leading, I pity you. Self-righteousness has nothing to do with it. There are rules of nature and then the Laws of the Tanakh. Of course, since you are a liberal Jew, the Tanakh is nothing more than a story book that can be interpreted as a "living breathing document". The liberal left suffers from moral incrementalism always trying to irritate people for their own selfish ends. Many people are willing to live and let live in society, but why does the demographic feel so oppressed and continue to push people where they refuse to go. Who is really intolerant in this picture? Where is the line drawn? What standards do we pass on to our children?

We have people being blown up in Spain and the gay marriage issue gets top placement in the Chronicle. Don't you ever think that there is something wrong with people's priorities?

It is very clear to me that when people focus more on what is between their legs, than what is between their ears, they are regressing to a lower being running on instinct. When I was an idealistic kid, I thought it was supposed to go the other way. I dreamed of humans reaching some higher level of consciousness, but it was soon shattered when the guru of the month was caught fornicating with everything in sight.

Not a pretty situation

John

####

The “offending” document

Advice for the self-righteous
For the self-righteous: vow to quit meddling
By Beth Quinn

Times Herald-Record in North Carolina

I was going to leave the gay marriage issue alone just to save myself some grief. But then I thought, what fun would that be? Somebody's got to irritate the self-righteous folks who tell the rest of us how to live, and it might as well be me. You know who you are, so get your writing implements ready because you'll want to damn me to hell by the time we're done here.

For me, there is one central question in the whole gay marriage controversy: What do you care? What difference does it make in your own life if two gays or lesbians get married? It simply mystifies me that you feel threatened by this. What possible harm could it do in your personal, little life whether the two guys living at the end of your block say "I do"?

I keep hearing the same pat answer from your prophets of doom that allowing homosexuals to marry will "destroy the institution of marriage." Well I gotta' tell you, a lot of gays and lesbians have been getting married in San Francisco lately, and so far my own institution of marriage is doing just fine. I checked. When I heard they were lining up for licenses, I asked my husband if he felt our marriage was going downhill on account of it. He just ignored the question and wanted to know what kind of perennials I thought we should put in this spring. I took that as a good sign. Perennials are an investment in the future, so I figure he's sticking around despite what those homosexuals are doing.

So, self-righteous folks, I guess I'm wondering what's wrong with your own marriages that you feel so threatened by another couple's happiness. Are you unable to sustain a good sexual relationship knowing that two gay guys are sleeping together in wedded bliss? Are you unable to have an intimate conversation with your spouse because you're distracted by the notion of two women going off on a honeymoon?

Because if your marriage is that unstable, you should stop worrying about what others are doing and tend to your own problems before your divorce contributes to the decline of the institution of marriage. I've given this a lot of thought, and I've completely failed to come up with ways that gay marriage will have an impact on your life. It won't raise your taxes.

It won't cause the kid who shovels your driveway to quit. It won't make your laundry dingy. It won't alter the weather. It won't cause your dog to start passing gas. It won't affect your relationship with God. It won't cause you to develop a tumor on your head.

Those of you who would talk about grand concepts like society and institutions and pillars and guideposts and moral fibers and whatnot, I say this is just your excuse for meddling. And history has shown us that nothing good ever comes of meddling in other people's affairs. Every time Christians showed up to mess with heathens, for example, we just ended up with a lot of unhappy heathens with syphilis and smallpox. Those of you who would point out that the dictionary definition of the word "marriage" involves a man and a woman, let me point out that the dictionary is a living, breathing document that changes as word usage changes. If you doubt it, look up the word "dot" in a current edition.

We the people get to decide what's in the dictionary. The dictionary doesn't get to dictate our societal conventions. Your hair isn't going to catch on fire if the definition of marriage is eventually changed to read, "two consenting adults" instead of "man and woman."

As for the Bible, which is always the last refuge for those of you who want to impose your will on us savages, we're not all reading out of the same book. More fundamentally, the Bible is not a legal document. If it were, those who fail to love one another would be rounded up and thrown in jail.

The prison budget would go through the roof what with all the new cells we'd be needing for the neighbor haters.

I have only this advice to offer those of you who oppose gay marriage: Don't marry a homosexual. If you're a man and you don't want to marry another man, for crying out loud, stick to your guns! That would be a terrible idea. You'd be miserable! Same for women. Marry someone of the opposite sex if that's your personal preference.

After all, no one's got the right to meddle in your private affairs.

####

John, if you had read this with an open mind you would see that what you've written is inaccurate. Whether gay people marry has NOTHING to do with you. It's not being forced on you. It's happening between others. I really feel sorry that you can't see beyond your own ideology to the happiness of people who want to commit to one another. I would remind you that the same sorts of outrage greeted interracial marriages when we were small children. They were considered against the laws of God and nature and the were definitely against the laws of this land.

As I can't relate to fundamentalist Muslims' ideology or that of fundamentalist Christians, I can't relate to the beliefs of fundamentalist Jews. They have no bearing on me unless someone attempts to force them on me. As for gay marriage taking precedence over the bombing in Spain, that's absurd. The bombing has been on the front page, above the fold since it happened. You create a straw man and then you bat at it.

Jane

####
Jane,

Did you ever hear the Biblical admonition about throwing pearls before swine? I hate to do this, because I really do enjoy your jokes that you send out, but could you kindly remove me from all mailings?

Thanks and take care,

John

####

John

I've enjoyed most of our conversations and am sorry you've decided to take yourself off the list.

Be well,

Jane

####

Jane,

At the end of the day, two individuals must have a shared sense of right and wrong, good versus evil, and then get into the details of life. The new AMERICAN liberal mindset has gone so far afield and is so poisoned by its own political and social goals that a high level of intolerance, racism, etc. is strangling it. There is no discussion of the issues that matter to the little people, only the issues that matter to the "intellectual elite" with personal agendas.

A sage told me that one must cut and run or get crushed by the inevitable collapse and that is what I am doing.

John

####

What do you think??

Reliability

I have suddenly come to the conclusion that GM and Daimler-Chrysler are secretly the same company. How do I know this?

1. My ignition key "fits" in either my Chevy pickup or my Chrysler mini-van leading to a certain frustration in the dark when the darn things won't turn on.
2. Both vehicles' dual horn system seems programmed to fail at about 40,000 miles and both are conveniently excluded from the extended warranty and they both cost a small fortune to replace. When is the last time YOU had to replace a defective horn?

What do you think?

The Pain In Spain...

The kneejerk results of the just completed Spanish election masks the fear and resulting appeasement of the northward movement and invasion of illegals from the North Africa and the Middle East. Leaving the "M-word" out of the discussion, the EU had better get some backbone and quick or a new definition of Balkanization will be entered into our vocabulary.

California Propositions

Here come the sour grapes... Why? Because I voted no on ALL the measures in the California primary. Why?

1. The school bond issue (56) was an ongoing plea to spend more money in an educationally bankrupt system and putting the state further in debt. Turning the clock back to when papa was a boy, the classrooms were much larger and the kids got educated. Now, we have private schools with 10 to 1 student/teacher ratios that cost a fortune in tuition and we have public schools hovering around 20 students to 1 teacher the ARE leaving kids behind. The whole system has gone nuts. Why should the elite or wealthy have to have a 10 to 1 ratio? Why can't their kids survive in a less coddled environment? Why are the kids in public schools having to deal with unnecessary things and missing the 3 R's?

2. Proposition 56 regarding a simple majority rather than a 2/3's majority to pass tax legislation was soundly defeated, which is good, but the irony continues to play out that the sheeple voters continue to vote for more spending and don't give the legislature power to implement or pay for the spending.

3. Selling the Bonds (57) is not the correct way to go. We need to cut spending considerably on wasteful programs but the porkbarrel legislature "convinced" the "governor" that the children and old people would suffer and NO ONE would feel their pain. It should have been defeated to send a belt-tightening message back to Sacramento. Silly sheeple!

4. Proposition 58 was tied to 57 so my opinion was the same. From my perspective, they've always had to pass a balanced budget, but...