We expect this from big business Republicans (and Bill Clinton) but here are the names of the Democrats who support the loss of US jobs, factories with no environmental regulations and slave labor with no rights. Yes, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken will be able to open restaurants in Central America putting out of business small family owned restaurants but I don't see how that benefits me. The only good that comes from CAFTA is that Fortune 500 companies stock prices have an oppurtunity to edge up a quarter point. It solves no problems in Central America, it only creates more.
Thanks guys! Now the rest of the country can look like Detroit.
The following Democrats are responsible for the loss of your job:
Melissa Bean, Illinois (8th District): 202-225-3711
Jim Cooper, Tennessee (5th District): 202-225-4311
Norm Dicks, Washington (6th District): 202-225-5916
Henry Cuellar, Texas (28th District): 202-225-1640
Ruben Hinojosa, Texas (15th District): (202) 225-2531
William Jefferson, Louisiana (2nd District): (202) 225-6636
Jim Matheson, Utah (2nd District): (202) 225-3011
Gregory Meeks, New York (6th District): (202) 225-3011
Dennis Moore, Kansas (3rd District): (202) 225-2865
Jim Moran, Virginia (8th District): (202) 225-4376
Solomon Ortiz, Texas (27th District): 202-225-7742
Ike Skelton, Missouri (4th District): 202-225-2876
Vic Snyder, Arkansas (2nd District): 202-225-2506
John Tanner, Tennessee (8th District): (202) 225-4714
Edolphus Towns, New York (10th District: (202) 225-5936
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Tell Your Senators to Keep the Estate Tax!
Do you think the US doesn't need 30 billion dollars in tax revenue per year?
Do you think Paris Hilton deserves to be rich more than someone who works 50 hours per week, just because of her last name?
Did you know that the Estate Tax (AKA Death Tax to Republicans) only affects estates worth over 1.5 million dollars?
Did you know that the Estate Tax never exceeds 50% no matter how rich someone is?
Did you know that the Estate Tax only affects approximately 2% percent of the entire population, but this small percentage accounts for over 45% of the wealth in this country?
Did you know that 8 of the 15 richest people in this country inherited all of their wealth, and never worked a day in their life for it?
Did you know that in 1982 the wealthiest 400 individuals in the "Forbes 400" owned $92 billion? By 2000 their wealth increased to over $1.2 trillion.
Did you know that Bill Gates alone has as much wealth as the bottom 40% of all U.S. households? (He is one of the few who actually worked for it)
Did you know that you will never be this rich and that you personally will never have to pay an Estate Tax?
Would you whine and complain if someone handed you a free check worth over $750,000?
Did you know that because of this country's lax trade policies, its defeat of European Communism, its lenient tax laws, and its welfare system which protects rich people from hordes of poor people roaming the streets looking for their next victim, that rich people in this country get richer every year, and are only allowed to do so because they live in this country to begin with?
Don't you think it's about time they show a little gratitude and realize they owe their success to the United States of America and the American workers?
If so, click this link below and tell your Senators to keep the Estate Tax in place!
http://www.usalone.com/estatetax.htm
The repeal has already passed in the House of Representatives!
Do you think Paris Hilton deserves to be rich more than someone who works 50 hours per week, just because of her last name?
Did you know that the Estate Tax (AKA Death Tax to Republicans) only affects estates worth over 1.5 million dollars?
Did you know that the Estate Tax never exceeds 50% no matter how rich someone is?
Did you know that the Estate Tax only affects approximately 2% percent of the entire population, but this small percentage accounts for over 45% of the wealth in this country?
Did you know that 8 of the 15 richest people in this country inherited all of their wealth, and never worked a day in their life for it?
Did you know that in 1982 the wealthiest 400 individuals in the "Forbes 400" owned $92 billion? By 2000 their wealth increased to over $1.2 trillion.
Did you know that Bill Gates alone has as much wealth as the bottom 40% of all U.S. households? (He is one of the few who actually worked for it)
Did you know that you will never be this rich and that you personally will never have to pay an Estate Tax?
Would you whine and complain if someone handed you a free check worth over $750,000?
Did you know that because of this country's lax trade policies, its defeat of European Communism, its lenient tax laws, and its welfare system which protects rich people from hordes of poor people roaming the streets looking for their next victim, that rich people in this country get richer every year, and are only allowed to do so because they live in this country to begin with?
Don't you think it's about time they show a little gratitude and realize they owe their success to the United States of America and the American workers?
If so, click this link below and tell your Senators to keep the Estate Tax in place!
http://www.usalone.com/estatetax.htm
The repeal has already passed in the House of Representatives!
Monday, July 25, 2005
Guns and Alcohol Should be Tax Exempt too!
According to the Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations, on the IRS' website:
"Congress has enacted special tax laws applicable to churches, religious organizations and ministers in recognition of their unique status in American society and of their rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States."
If religious organizations get tax exempt status based on their protection under the Constitution then guns and alcohol should be Tax Exempt too. What better way to celebrate our freedoms than getting drunk and shooting each other and then going to church the next day to repent.
Although my father was an IRS agent for over 25 years, Sec. 501c of the IRS tax code was not his specialty and he has no good answer as to why churches don't pay taxes and is as just as baffled as I am. So if anyone can help shed some light on this subject I would like to hear your educated view on the actual laws governing tax exempt organizations under the US tax code.
I always thought churches were tax exempt because most of them were "charitable organizations", or at least claimed to be. However, what I gather from the above statement is that because freedom of religion is protected under the constitution, the government doesn't have the right to interfere with its practice and finances. But, if Alcohol is protected under the 21st amendment, doesn't it stand to reason that it would be unconstitutional to tax alcohol, or guns for that matter since they are both protected under amendments in the Constitution? And while we are at it, Time, Newsweek and other forms media should not be taxed since they are also protected under the same amendment as religion. Unless of course a member of the press refuses to give up their source, then that is clearly not protected (<---sarcasm).
Why does one get special exemptions and the others don't? Are they saying that one amendment is more important than any other amendments? If so, who decided this? If not, why the special treatment for religious organizations and charities but not for other thing protected under the Constitution?
And as most people know, tax exempt religious or charitable organizations cannot condemn or support a candidate for political office. I guess that means Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, The NAACP, Westboro Baptist Church (Rev. Phelps), Ronnie Floyd and all the Southern Baptists and Focus on the Family should all start paying taxes.
"Congress has enacted special tax laws applicable to churches, religious organizations and ministers in recognition of their unique status in American society and of their rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States."
If religious organizations get tax exempt status based on their protection under the Constitution then guns and alcohol should be Tax Exempt too. What better way to celebrate our freedoms than getting drunk and shooting each other and then going to church the next day to repent.
Although my father was an IRS agent for over 25 years, Sec. 501c of the IRS tax code was not his specialty and he has no good answer as to why churches don't pay taxes and is as just as baffled as I am. So if anyone can help shed some light on this subject I would like to hear your educated view on the actual laws governing tax exempt organizations under the US tax code.
I always thought churches were tax exempt because most of them were "charitable organizations", or at least claimed to be. However, what I gather from the above statement is that because freedom of religion is protected under the constitution, the government doesn't have the right to interfere with its practice and finances. But, if Alcohol is protected under the 21st amendment, doesn't it stand to reason that it would be unconstitutional to tax alcohol, or guns for that matter since they are both protected under amendments in the Constitution? And while we are at it, Time, Newsweek and other forms media should not be taxed since they are also protected under the same amendment as religion. Unless of course a member of the press refuses to give up their source, then that is clearly not protected (<---sarcasm).
Why does one get special exemptions and the others don't? Are they saying that one amendment is more important than any other amendments? If so, who decided this? If not, why the special treatment for religious organizations and charities but not for other thing protected under the Constitution?
And as most people know, tax exempt religious or charitable organizations cannot condemn or support a candidate for political office. I guess that means Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, The NAACP, Westboro Baptist Church (Rev. Phelps), Ronnie Floyd and all the Southern Baptists and Focus on the Family should all start paying taxes.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Tax Exempt Theme Park?? Florida Still Sucks!
Washington Times article
There is a Biblical theme park in Orlando, FL that recently won a court decision exempting it from paying taxes. The activist Circuit Judge Cynthia MacKinnon decided that "Holy Land Experience" should be tax exempt due to its religious nature.
The thought of religious organizations not paying taxes is disturbing and the thought of a religious theme park in general is even more so. But now, a theme park based on a religious theme somehow gets to avoid the $786,343 property tax bill and all future tax bills, which would be over $1 million per year. Even if the parent company is involved in religious publishing and missionary work how can a theme park sitting on a 12 million dollar piece of property, that charges $29 for admission, be considered a religious entity?
This precedent has given me a few ideas:
1. I am now going to start a religion called Toadism; Toadism is actually a non-denominational, all-inclusive religion which will encourage religious belief in general, not just one specific denomination. I will start a non-profit religious organization based on Toadism which promotes religion through missionary work and religious literature. I will then spin off the following subsidiaries to further all religious education and make them all tax exempt whilst paying myself a 3 million dollar per year salary. Since the parent company should be bringing in 3.1 million dollars per year in revenues I will spend the .1 million left over after my salary on all the religious literature I publish and use the rest to support my religious missionary, me.
2. I will also open a theme park but instead of Christianity, mine will be based on Islamic extremism. This theme park will be called Jihad Island and will include rides which mimics riding in a public bus in Jerusalem as it gets blown up by a suicide bomber, and one where you are a US marine riding around Baghdad in an unarmored Hummer dodging RPG's, small arms fire and IEDs. Since the theme park is religious in nature, I will not have to pay any federal taxes from it's revenues and have enough left over to give myself a nice little raise.
3. The next subsidiary will be a religious-themed condom manufacturer with a picture of Lot on the front talking about how he wished he had condoms back when he had sex with his two daughters. I could also put Biblical scripture on the back from the book of Samuel which explains the homosexual affair between Jonathan and David. Since the proceeds will be used to further the cause of my religion, this should qualify as a not-for-profit, tax exempt organization.
4. I will also start a nail manufacturing company that sells oversized nails for the "big jobs". What better spokesperson than Jesus himself. After all, he knows all about quality nails. The slogan would quote Jesus saying "If they were strong enough for me, they're strong enough for you." Since there is a depiction of a religious figure on my product, that should be enough to keep this one tax exempt as well.
5. Next I would like to make a boxed wine company which would put out products similar to He-Brew which will have a picture of Jesus at a party turning water into wine and Noah getting blasted after the flood waters receded. Of course all profits (after my 3 million dollar salary) will go to support my missionary work and my missionary, which just happens to be me.
Now doesn't a religious based theme park filing for tax exempt status seem just as ridiculous?
IRS explanation of "church"
There is a Biblical theme park in Orlando, FL that recently won a court decision exempting it from paying taxes. The activist Circuit Judge Cynthia MacKinnon decided that "Holy Land Experience" should be tax exempt due to its religious nature.
The thought of religious organizations not paying taxes is disturbing and the thought of a religious theme park in general is even more so. But now, a theme park based on a religious theme somehow gets to avoid the $786,343 property tax bill and all future tax bills, which would be over $1 million per year. Even if the parent company is involved in religious publishing and missionary work how can a theme park sitting on a 12 million dollar piece of property, that charges $29 for admission, be considered a religious entity?
This precedent has given me a few ideas:
1. I am now going to start a religion called Toadism; Toadism is actually a non-denominational, all-inclusive religion which will encourage religious belief in general, not just one specific denomination. I will start a non-profit religious organization based on Toadism which promotes religion through missionary work and religious literature. I will then spin off the following subsidiaries to further all religious education and make them all tax exempt whilst paying myself a 3 million dollar per year salary. Since the parent company should be bringing in 3.1 million dollars per year in revenues I will spend the .1 million left over after my salary on all the religious literature I publish and use the rest to support my religious missionary, me.
2. I will also open a theme park but instead of Christianity, mine will be based on Islamic extremism. This theme park will be called Jihad Island and will include rides which mimics riding in a public bus in Jerusalem as it gets blown up by a suicide bomber, and one where you are a US marine riding around Baghdad in an unarmored Hummer dodging RPG's, small arms fire and IEDs. Since the theme park is religious in nature, I will not have to pay any federal taxes from it's revenues and have enough left over to give myself a nice little raise.
3. The next subsidiary will be a religious-themed condom manufacturer with a picture of Lot on the front talking about how he wished he had condoms back when he had sex with his two daughters. I could also put Biblical scripture on the back from the book of Samuel which explains the homosexual affair between Jonathan and David. Since the proceeds will be used to further the cause of my religion, this should qualify as a not-for-profit, tax exempt organization.
4. I will also start a nail manufacturing company that sells oversized nails for the "big jobs". What better spokesperson than Jesus himself. After all, he knows all about quality nails. The slogan would quote Jesus saying "If they were strong enough for me, they're strong enough for you." Since there is a depiction of a religious figure on my product, that should be enough to keep this one tax exempt as well.
5. Next I would like to make a boxed wine company which would put out products similar to He-Brew which will have a picture of Jesus at a party turning water into wine and Noah getting blasted after the flood waters receded. Of course all profits (after my 3 million dollar salary) will go to support my missionary work and my missionary, which just happens to be me.
Now doesn't a religious based theme park filing for tax exempt status seem just as ridiculous?
IRS explanation of "church"
Friday, July 15, 2005
Time to end Socialism in the United States!
Handouts for the lazy, the criminals, and the backwards must come to an end before we end up with a hammer and sickle on our flag.
So how do we do it, how can we help fight socialism in the US? How do we keep people from getting free handouts for doing nothing and not working? How do we force people to start carrying their own weight? How can we eliminate our budget deficit and eliminate waste in our federal government that rewards and breeds laziness?
We stop giving them free money and make them pay their fair share of taxes!
So where do we start, how do we identify these leaches? The first place I would look would be Washington DC; DC is full of welfare recipients, but what can you expect from a city whose Mayor smoked crack? It’s easy to find these people.They are all over the place in DC. All you have to do is go to any street corner and find a guy wearing a suit and tie who either lobbies for an industry or works for a Fortune 500 corporation; he is the one stealing the bread off of your table and keeping your taxes high. What, you thought I was talking about some fat black lady with 3 kids, didn't you?
Welfare:
That's right, if the US eliminated corporate welfare the government would be able to provide annual tax cuts twice the size as the ones handed out in 2001. In 2002, the US spent 93 Billion dollars to subsidize US business and industry. In the 1940's, corporations paid 33% of all federal taxes, yet by the 1990's they were only paying 15% of all federal taxes meanwhile individuals saw a 60% increase in their tax burden. In other words, not only are they having us make up for the corporate tax decreases, but they are actually handing our cash to the wealthiest people in America. This is the exact definition of income redistribution.
The "Big 3" auto makers received 333 million dollars of our tax money while posting profits of over 13 billion dollars in 1995. You may say that is needed in order to keep people working or to develop new technologies like hybrid vehicles, right? Wrong- since 1979 the "Big 3” have laid off over 350,000 US workers and only put out one Hybrid vehicle between the 3 of them while both Honda and Toyota have opened several US plants, and each put out more than one Hybrid vehicle without the help of the federal government. In approximately the same time period, average CEO pay for Fortune 500 companies has gone from 40 times the amount of the average worker to 411 times the amount of the average worker. In Japan the ratio is more like 20 times that of an average worker. Another big welfare recipient is GE; their CEO earns over 8.5 million dollars per year. Do you really think he would quit if they only paid him 1 million per year and diverted that money towards R&D? Remember Jeff Skilling of Enron, the corrupt subsidized energy company, he earned 84 million dollars in 2000 before committing one of the biggest acts of corporate fraud in history. These companies clearly do not need these welfare checks to survive, they just need to trim the fat and produce a product that works- one that people want.
Farm Subsidies:
The fattest recipient of federal welfare is agriculture. The US budget for the department of agriculture is over 35 billion, 2.5 billion of that is in the form of crop insurance so farmers/farming conglomerates don't have to take any risks in their business and get compensated for any failed crops. Does this mean that the government should start subsidizing bartenders when they have a bad tip night due to a blizzard? Over 20 billion dollars of this budget gets paid out as farming subsidies which mostly go to big corporate, profitable farms, including tobacco growers. Mostly, these are companies such as ADM who grow corn (an unprofitable subsidized crop) which is converted into corn syrup which is one of the main culprits of putting fat on the asses of Americans, contributing to our nations healthcare crisis. In other words, Hoosier Ma and Hoosier Pa who own their own small family farm have no lobbyist to petition on their behalf for these handouts; that’s what Farm Aid was all about. So if you are a small family farmer and are wondering how to survive, grow corn, call Mellencamp, get your own lobbyist.
Logging Subsidies:
And for all the people out there who are being plagued by the mounting surplus of trees in this country, you will be happy to know that logging and timber companies receive over 50 million dollars per year in order to pave our nation's forests. You can't really expect them to provide their own infrastructure when depleting all of our forests can you? This is America. We are Capitalists! The government should not interfere with commerce and business, unless it's giving them money in order for them to cut their costs and make more money. Anything else is socialism! This, by the way, is a drop in the bucket compared to what the mining companies get.
Free cash handouts for people who don't work:
8 out of the 15 richest people in this country had their money handed to them and did not work a day in their life to earn it. So, why is it ok for the Walton family or Paris Hilton to do nothing and get free money handed to them but it's not ok for a shoeless single mom in Tennessee to get money which she didn't work for? Why do poor and middle class Republicans fight for these people? Do you really think Paris Hilton cares about how much tax you pay to the federal government? Do you really think she would fight and lobby for you to keep more of your money? Then why are you so adamant about fighting for her, do you really think she deserves it more than a guy who works 50 hours per week and still can't afford to pay the bills? The Estate Tax (AKA the Death Tax to spinster Republicans) only affects 1.5-2% of the population, so who cares if someone has to pay more than 50% of their 19 billion in taxes to the federal government? The Estate Tax only applies to Estates worth over 1.5 million dollars; I hardly think that anyone will go hungry if they only inherit half of that. Hand me a free check for over $500,000 and see if I bitch about it. If we can't tax dead rich people, who can we tax, the poor living people?
Wealth Redistribution:
Most of the states in the union are on welfare. Chances are, if you are guy in a "red state" who bitches about socialism and crack moms in New York bringing down America, you are a benefactor of this welfare and wealth redistribution from progressive, liberal states who actually make money and can support themselves.
California annually pays out over 25 billion dollars more in taxes than it receives in federal subsidies. My state of Illinois also pays out almost 25 billion dollars more of its tax revenue than it receives in federal subsidies. In contrast, Alabama receives 10 Billion dollars more per year than it pays out in taxes because it is unable to sustain itself with its current tax rates and tax base. Indiana and South Carolina received 4 billion and 5 billion more than they pay out respectively. California's GDP is the same as all former Confederate states combined. So why is it, with all this money, do you hear about California having to live through blackouts and water shortages every year, yet you never hear of these shortages in Mississippi, a state that constantly loses money?
For all of you Libertarian "flat taxers" out there, does this mean that we can make someone in Rural Alabama pay the same sales, fuel and alcohol tax that I pay in Chicago? Apparently I pay 8.75% in sales tax so Mississippi can keep their tax rate at 4%. On top of all this, Mississippi residents get a $12,000 tax exemption for married people when New Jersey residents only get a $2000 dollar exemption. If Mississippi kept $10,000 of that exemption, would they still need New Jersey's money? For every dollar Mississippi pays out in federal taxes it gets $1.84 in return, New Jersey only gets $.57 back for every dollar it sends to Washington, we here in Illinois get $.77 back in subsidies for every dollar we pay in taxes. Welcome to the motherland of the Union of American Socialist Republics, or U.A.S.R.
Final Thoughts:
I understand the concept of helping someone when they are down; I had no problem with the US bailing Chrysler out of their slump in the 80s as they quickly paid back all their loans. But when companies like GM, Ford, etc., do develop hybrid or hydrogen vehicles, and start to make a profit on them, are they going to give these subsidies back? When the price of corn peaks, does ADM plan on giving their subsidy money back, or are we just creating a culture of welfare where these companies can cook their books, find tax loopholes, pay for their CEO's weddings and we, the middle class, flip the bill allowing the rich to get richer, and diverting this money away from people who actually need it?
Sources: CATO Institute, Office for Social Justice, Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, US Census Bureau, Levy Economics Institute, Sierra Club, Retrovsmetro.org, Federation of Tax Administrators
So how do we do it, how can we help fight socialism in the US? How do we keep people from getting free handouts for doing nothing and not working? How do we force people to start carrying their own weight? How can we eliminate our budget deficit and eliminate waste in our federal government that rewards and breeds laziness?
We stop giving them free money and make them pay their fair share of taxes!
So where do we start, how do we identify these leaches? The first place I would look would be Washington DC; DC is full of welfare recipients, but what can you expect from a city whose Mayor smoked crack? It’s easy to find these people.They are all over the place in DC. All you have to do is go to any street corner and find a guy wearing a suit and tie who either lobbies for an industry or works for a Fortune 500 corporation; he is the one stealing the bread off of your table and keeping your taxes high. What, you thought I was talking about some fat black lady with 3 kids, didn't you?
Welfare:
That's right, if the US eliminated corporate welfare the government would be able to provide annual tax cuts twice the size as the ones handed out in 2001. In 2002, the US spent 93 Billion dollars to subsidize US business and industry. In the 1940's, corporations paid 33% of all federal taxes, yet by the 1990's they were only paying 15% of all federal taxes meanwhile individuals saw a 60% increase in their tax burden. In other words, not only are they having us make up for the corporate tax decreases, but they are actually handing our cash to the wealthiest people in America. This is the exact definition of income redistribution.
The "Big 3" auto makers received 333 million dollars of our tax money while posting profits of over 13 billion dollars in 1995. You may say that is needed in order to keep people working or to develop new technologies like hybrid vehicles, right? Wrong- since 1979 the "Big 3” have laid off over 350,000 US workers and only put out one Hybrid vehicle between the 3 of them while both Honda and Toyota have opened several US plants, and each put out more than one Hybrid vehicle without the help of the federal government. In approximately the same time period, average CEO pay for Fortune 500 companies has gone from 40 times the amount of the average worker to 411 times the amount of the average worker. In Japan the ratio is more like 20 times that of an average worker. Another big welfare recipient is GE; their CEO earns over 8.5 million dollars per year. Do you really think he would quit if they only paid him 1 million per year and diverted that money towards R&D? Remember Jeff Skilling of Enron, the corrupt subsidized energy company, he earned 84 million dollars in 2000 before committing one of the biggest acts of corporate fraud in history. These companies clearly do not need these welfare checks to survive, they just need to trim the fat and produce a product that works- one that people want.
Farm Subsidies:
The fattest recipient of federal welfare is agriculture. The US budget for the department of agriculture is over 35 billion, 2.5 billion of that is in the form of crop insurance so farmers/farming conglomerates don't have to take any risks in their business and get compensated for any failed crops. Does this mean that the government should start subsidizing bartenders when they have a bad tip night due to a blizzard? Over 20 billion dollars of this budget gets paid out as farming subsidies which mostly go to big corporate, profitable farms, including tobacco growers. Mostly, these are companies such as ADM who grow corn (an unprofitable subsidized crop) which is converted into corn syrup which is one of the main culprits of putting fat on the asses of Americans, contributing to our nations healthcare crisis. In other words, Hoosier Ma and Hoosier Pa who own their own small family farm have no lobbyist to petition on their behalf for these handouts; that’s what Farm Aid was all about. So if you are a small family farmer and are wondering how to survive, grow corn, call Mellencamp, get your own lobbyist.
Logging Subsidies:
And for all the people out there who are being plagued by the mounting surplus of trees in this country, you will be happy to know that logging and timber companies receive over 50 million dollars per year in order to pave our nation's forests. You can't really expect them to provide their own infrastructure when depleting all of our forests can you? This is America. We are Capitalists! The government should not interfere with commerce and business, unless it's giving them money in order for them to cut their costs and make more money. Anything else is socialism! This, by the way, is a drop in the bucket compared to what the mining companies get.
Free cash handouts for people who don't work:
8 out of the 15 richest people in this country had their money handed to them and did not work a day in their life to earn it. So, why is it ok for the Walton family or Paris Hilton to do nothing and get free money handed to them but it's not ok for a shoeless single mom in Tennessee to get money which she didn't work for? Why do poor and middle class Republicans fight for these people? Do you really think Paris Hilton cares about how much tax you pay to the federal government? Do you really think she would fight and lobby for you to keep more of your money? Then why are you so adamant about fighting for her, do you really think she deserves it more than a guy who works 50 hours per week and still can't afford to pay the bills? The Estate Tax (AKA the Death Tax to spinster Republicans) only affects 1.5-2% of the population, so who cares if someone has to pay more than 50% of their 19 billion in taxes to the federal government? The Estate Tax only applies to Estates worth over 1.5 million dollars; I hardly think that anyone will go hungry if they only inherit half of that. Hand me a free check for over $500,000 and see if I bitch about it. If we can't tax dead rich people, who can we tax, the poor living people?
Wealth Redistribution:
Most of the states in the union are on welfare. Chances are, if you are guy in a "red state" who bitches about socialism and crack moms in New York bringing down America, you are a benefactor of this welfare and wealth redistribution from progressive, liberal states who actually make money and can support themselves.
California annually pays out over 25 billion dollars more in taxes than it receives in federal subsidies. My state of Illinois also pays out almost 25 billion dollars more of its tax revenue than it receives in federal subsidies. In contrast, Alabama receives 10 Billion dollars more per year than it pays out in taxes because it is unable to sustain itself with its current tax rates and tax base. Indiana and South Carolina received 4 billion and 5 billion more than they pay out respectively. California's GDP is the same as all former Confederate states combined. So why is it, with all this money, do you hear about California having to live through blackouts and water shortages every year, yet you never hear of these shortages in Mississippi, a state that constantly loses money?
For all of you Libertarian "flat taxers" out there, does this mean that we can make someone in Rural Alabama pay the same sales, fuel and alcohol tax that I pay in Chicago? Apparently I pay 8.75% in sales tax so Mississippi can keep their tax rate at 4%. On top of all this, Mississippi residents get a $12,000 tax exemption for married people when New Jersey residents only get a $2000 dollar exemption. If Mississippi kept $10,000 of that exemption, would they still need New Jersey's money? For every dollar Mississippi pays out in federal taxes it gets $1.84 in return, New Jersey only gets $.57 back for every dollar it sends to Washington, we here in Illinois get $.77 back in subsidies for every dollar we pay in taxes. Welcome to the motherland of the Union of American Socialist Republics, or U.A.S.R.
Final Thoughts:
I understand the concept of helping someone when they are down; I had no problem with the US bailing Chrysler out of their slump in the 80s as they quickly paid back all their loans. But when companies like GM, Ford, etc., do develop hybrid or hydrogen vehicles, and start to make a profit on them, are they going to give these subsidies back? When the price of corn peaks, does ADM plan on giving their subsidy money back, or are we just creating a culture of welfare where these companies can cook their books, find tax loopholes, pay for their CEO's weddings and we, the middle class, flip the bill allowing the rich to get richer, and diverting this money away from people who actually need it?
Sources: CATO Institute, Office for Social Justice, Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, US Census Bureau, Levy Economics Institute, Sierra Club, Retrovsmetro.org, Federation of Tax Administrators
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
CIA Leak and Karl Rove
"I didn't know her name and didn't leak her name"- Karl Rove
"If Matt Cooper is going to jail to protect a source, it's not Karl he's protecting." -Robert D. Luskin, Karl Roves Attorney
"He was not involved" -Scott McClellan about Rove and the CIA leak
"The President knows that Karl Rove wasn't involved," "It was a ridiculous suggestion," and, "It's not true." - Scott McClellan
"If someone in this administration leaked classified information, they will no longer be a part of this administration, because that's not the way this White House operates, that's not the way this President expects people in his administration to conduct their business." -Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary
So we know this administration lied about WMD, and now we know they have essentially committed treason and lied about this as well; I wonder what else they aren't telling us?
Intelligence Identities Protection Act:
SUBCHAPTER IV--PROTECTION OF CERTAIN NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
Sec. 421. Protection of identities of certain United States
undercover intelligence officers, agents, informants, and
sources
(a) Disclosure of information by persons having or having had access to classified information that identifies covert agent
Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified
information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any
information identifying such covert agent to any individual not
authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the
information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the
United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert
agent's intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined
not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both
I like the idea of prison more than the 50,000; he puts more than that in the collection plate at church every Sunday!
"If Matt Cooper is going to jail to protect a source, it's not Karl he's protecting." -Robert D. Luskin, Karl Roves Attorney
"He was not involved" -Scott McClellan about Rove and the CIA leak
"The President knows that Karl Rove wasn't involved," "It was a ridiculous suggestion," and, "It's not true." - Scott McClellan
"If someone in this administration leaked classified information, they will no longer be a part of this administration, because that's not the way this White House operates, that's not the way this President expects people in his administration to conduct their business." -Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary
So we know this administration lied about WMD, and now we know they have essentially committed treason and lied about this as well; I wonder what else they aren't telling us?
Intelligence Identities Protection Act:
SUBCHAPTER IV--PROTECTION OF CERTAIN NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
Sec. 421. Protection of identities of certain United States
undercover intelligence officers, agents, informants, and
sources
(a) Disclosure of information by persons having or having had access to classified information that identifies covert agent
Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified
information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any
information identifying such covert agent to any individual not
authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the
information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the
United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert
agent's intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined
not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both
I like the idea of prison more than the 50,000; he puts more than that in the collection plate at church every Sunday!
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