Stop Pulling the Wagon

I keep hearing that the “Rich” or “Big Corporations” or (“insert your favorite target”) are not paying their “Fair Share”.

I don’t care what your politics or belief system is, can you define for me what is a “Fair Share”?

If 90% of the income taxes are being paid by 10% of the population, I very well might like it.  Especially if I am part of the 50% who pay no income taxes or one of the 40% who pay 10% of the income taxes.  Having admitted that, can anyone call that “Fair”?

Lets say my neighbor and I go out to dinner and at the end of the meal the bill comes.  Now lets say I take the bill and look my neighbor in the eye and say “Okay Tom, I think you should pay your fair share and that will be 90% of the bill and I will pay the other 10%”.  Do you think it is just possible that Tom might think that his paying 90% of the bill does not represent a “Fair Share”?

How about those who refuse to work or do anything productive and prefer to live on “Welfare”  and the efforts of those who do work.   Where is the “Hue & Cry” for them to do their “Fair Share” of the work?

I just heard a commercial calling for the “Big Oil” companies to pay their “Fair Share” of taxes to help preserve “Educators” jobs.  Here is a “News Flash”.  “Big Oil” (and other) companies don’t pay taxes.  They collect taxes for the government from the people who buy there products and those taxes are built into the price of the product you buy.  It has to be this way.  Otherwise the “Big Oil” (and other) companies don’t make any money and go out of business.  Oh, and the jobs they were providing also go away.

It seems to me we really just need to say it the way it is.  We really don’t want the “Rich” or “Big Oil” to pay a  “Fair Share”.  We really want them to pay the “Lions Share” or the “Biggest Share” or “Nearly All” the taxes.  At least this would be honest.  Of course we would also be admitting that we don’t want to pay “Our Fair Share”.

Maybe we can’t handle that kind of honesty in todays world where it is more politically correct to point fingers than to look in a mirror. 

A world where “Capitalism” is an ugly word but “Free Enterprise” is an agreeable alternative.  A world where “Abortion” is a “Negative” expression but “A Right To Choose” is a “Positive” phrase and socially acceptable.

Maybe our whole “Economic System” won’t “Explode” or “Implode” but rather will experience a “Rapid Deconstruction”. 

The inmates are running the Asylum!                                

Just something to think about.               ……..Bob

I’VE GOT A QUESTION.  DID WE AVOID DISASTER SIMPLY BECAUSE THESE AL QAEDA AND TALIBAN WANNABES ARE SIMPLY MORE IMCOMPETENT THAN THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION OR AM I MISSING SOMETHING?

ACCORDING TO PUBLISHED REPORTS:

THE FIRST BOMBER WAS UNABLE TO SET HIS UNDERWEAR BOMB ON FIRE PROPERLY.  I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT AL QAEDA WOULD HAVE TAUGHT THIS DURING MATCHES AND FUSES TRAINING  l-O-l.

THE SECOND BOMBER, AMONG OTHER THINGS: DID NOT LIGHT THE FUSE PROPERLY, FORGOT TO TURN THE PROPANE BOTTLES ON AND LOCKED THE KEYS TO HIS GET-A-WAY CAR IN THE SUV HE PLANNED  TO USE AS HIS CAR BOMB.   TALK ABOUT FORGETTING YOUR CHECKLIST!  

AND STILL, HE NEARLY MADE IT OUT OF THE COUNTRY.  THE TSA WAS PROBABLY BUSY STRIP SEARCHING SOMEONES SWEDISH GRANDMOTHER WHILE HE (THE BOMBER) WAS BUYING A ONE WAY TICKET, WITH CASH AND NO LUGGAGE, ON (ARAB OWNED) EMIRATES AIRLINES TO DUBAI (IN THE MIDDLE EAST).

-BOB

I WATCHED A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE “WOLF’S LAIR” WHICH WAS THE COMMAND POST OF ADOLF HITLER DURING PART OF WORLD WAR II. 

The Germans went to great lengths to camoflage it from arial attack.  After the Allies successfully attacked Germany’s heavily fortified submarine pens with advanced bombs the Germans added further fortifications to the Wolf’s Lair in order to protect Adolf Hitler. 

The Germans did not know that by 1943 General Eisenhower and the Allied Command knew not only the exact location of the Wolf’s Lair and its fortifications but had advanced heavy ordinance (bombs) with which to destroy it and likely kill Adolf Hitler in the process. 

General Eisenhower, in conjunction with Allied Command, made the decision that it was better not to kill Adolf Hitler because Hitler’s lack of ability to make good tactical decisions was hurting the German Army’s ability to defend against the Allies war effort. 

Hmmmm.   I wonder if America’s enemies might be thinking that they don’t need to attack us because this bunch we have elected to govern us is doing a better job of destroying our economy and power than they could by attacking us themselves?

Just a thought………                                                Bob

 

WHAT DOES THE MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES OF GENERAL MOTORS AND THE GOVERNMENT AND EMPLOYEES OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY HAVE IN COMMON?

                                           ONE OF MY FAVORITE MATH PUZZLES

THREE MEN RENT A ROOM FOR A MEETING IN A CONVENTION CENTER FOR THE MORNING.

THE DESK CLERK TELLS THEM THE ROOM WILL BE $30.00.

THEY EACH GIVE HIM A $10.00 BILL.

AFTER THEY GO TO THE ROOM THE MANAGER FINDS OUT HE OVERCHARGED THEM AND THAT THE ROOM IS REALLY ONLY $25.00.

THE MANAGER GIVES THE BELLBOY $5.00 TO GIVE TO THE MEN AS A REFUND.

WHEN HE GETS TO THE ROOM THE MEN DECIDE THEY CAN’T DIVIDE $5.00 EQUALLY SO THEY GIVE THE BELLBOY $2.00 AND EACH OF THEM KEEPS $1.00.

SINCE THEY EACH ORIGINALLY PAID $10.00 AND NOW HAVE $1.00 BACK THE ROOM REALLY ONLY COST THEM $9.00 EACH.

LETS SEE.  $9.00 X 3 EQUALS $27.00 WHICH IS WHAT THE NET COST OF THE ROOM IS TO THE MEN. 

THEY GAVE THE BELLBOY $2.00. 

$27.00 PLUS $2.00 EQUALS $29.00.  SINCE THEY ORIGINALLY PAID $30.00 FOR THE ROOM, WHERE DID THE OTHER $1.00 GO?

JUST FOR FUN……….                                BOB

4-4-2010  POSTSCRIPT:  I have received quite a bit of feedback both verbal and by email about this “puzzle”.  I really just posted it for fun but it does serve a purpose  to demonstrate how our government does math.  For example, they will create a program or entitlement with an anual escalator clause to increase funding by 10% a year and when there is a an outcry against deficit spending they will “cut” the increase to “only” 5% over the previous year and then proudly announce they have cut spending.  Or, they will come up with  “fuzzy” numbers of projected costs and “expected” savings, such as in the new Health Care program, that neither we nor they can ever figure out exactly what it is going to cost.  As my Dad used to say to me:  “Figures Lie and Liars Figure!”      …………Bob

                                            TRUE FREEDOM REQUIRES SELF DISCIPLINE

What we are practicing as a nation is a system where our leaders can obtain and retain power by promising to give selected groups what they have taken from you and your neighbor in the form of taxes.   Should I say stolen, since it is usually taken without your or their consent?   And these same leaders also “pay” with more dollars borrowed from strangers (example: China).  Dollars that will have to be re-paid with other dollars not yet earned by our children and grandchildren who will live under slavery’s yoke of debt.  

Do we really want our progeny not yet born to arrive in this world as slaves? 

Debt is a form of slavery.   Slavery takes away our freedom, dignity and self esteem.

On an individual basis debt can be tragic both to the individual and family.  

For a nation to be in debt, except in time of external threat (example: World War II),  it can be catastrophic and in my view it is a criminal act on the part of those who rule the nation.  They are enslaving us.

They are spending money we do not have and so must be “borrowed”.  They are doing it in the name of “fairness” and “income redistribution”.  No matter which side of the equation you are on, can anyone explain to me what is “fair” about one half the population paying 97% of all income taxes?

These leaders think they are playing Robin Hood by taking from those that “have” and giving to those who “have not”.  They don’t seem to consider that the overwhelming majority of the “have nots” do not have because they lack the will to work hard, save and discipline themselves.  Most of those who “have” got that way through hard work, saving  and self discipline.  (I am not asserting that we should not care for those who are truly needy through no fault of their own.)

To paraphrase our founders Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton: “America will remain free until  its citizens figure out they can vote themselves funds from the public treasury”.

Have we reached that point as a nation where we have sacrificed our freedom and become slaves to debt through lack of discipline?  Are we on the edge of  becoming “The Late Great United States Of America”?      -Bob