Overhaul The Current Tax System...

With April 15th looming on the horizon we all have to pay the price for living in this great county. Taxes are due along with all the headaches and aggravations that go along with filing the 1040 forms. How did the government and IRS allow this requirement to get so complicated and unfair? How did they let all of the loopholes? Why are there so many variables when it comes to deductions and tax rates? Why does it take an accountant or computer program to do you taxes? Who can argue that the status quo is a good system? It is a mess because Congress is gutless to say no to lobbyists and their own members special interests and pork. That’s another whole posting by itself.

I have felt for many years that a huge overhaul of the tax system is needed in this country. I think I got interested in 1992 when Ross Perot kept bringing up the need for a simplified tax system during the Presidential campaign. I like the idea of a National Retail Sales Tax. I think this would raise more money because it eliminates loopholes, shelters and people who cheat on their taxes. There is a good essay on this subject at http://www.wunderkraut.com/ and you can read it here. There are a lot of other good common sense reads there too.

As much as we need an overhaul of the tax system I doubt there is a Republican or Democrat that would ever give it the time of day. Their bread and butter is promising tax cuts or raise the taxes on the wealthy. Until the time comes when people create and support a viable 3rd party it will never get a thought…

Get A Living Will...

I think the whole Terri Schiavo episode is very sad and tragic for everyone involved. That being said I also feel that the courts have done the right thing. If Terri Schiavo had requested of her husband not to be ever be in a condition like she is now it is his responsibility, as her guardian, to see her request honored. I can understand why people are upset but the decision is not up to them. We have laws in place to address situations like these and we are a nation of laws, not of men. Some people are complaining that the courts are rushing this, ignoring the fact that it has been ongoing for 15 years already. Many courts and judges have heard the case and the decision is always the same.

She is in a persistent vegetative state. This is defined as a permanent and irreversible condition of unconsciousness in which there is:

(a) The absence of voluntary action or cognitive behavior of any kind.
(b) An inability to communicate or interact purposefully with the environment.

Now it is really sad that this has become a political issue. Congress should not have tried to intervene. This was just grandstanding. Lots of last minute “evidence” keeps popping up to delay the inevitable. I feel that both fanatical conservatives and liberals are refusing to budge for fear of the “camels nose getting under the tent”. The one thing I think everyone can agree on is the need for a living will…

Solvency First…

Today the U.S. Senate voted 100-0 to make Social Security a priority. I am not real confident that this is anything more than theatrics. The Republicans and Democrats are miles apart on what to do. The Republicans are against raising the ceiling for payroll deductions and personal accounts. The Democrats have suggested nothing other than it’s not a crisis and no personal accounts. From all I have read, none of these options is going to make Social Security solvent. Personal accounts are going to create a huge shortfall in the short run. If a person were to take advantage of the proposed 4% amount into a personal account that is money that will not go into the fund for current Social Security recipients. Where is this difference going to come from?
The Democrats want to do nothing and saying its not a crisis is like ignoring a toothache. We all know the day will come when Social Security will be in serious trouble. They also are arguing what the actual year it goes into the red. Does it matter if its 2017 or 2020 or 2022, as they argue in Congress? What if they are wrong and it turns out to be 2010? It needs to be put on the path to solvency.

Democrats, quit saying it’s not a problem and put a few ideas and options on the table.

Republicans, stop pushing the private accounts until the system becomes solvent. If private accounts don’t help the issue of solvency, take it off the table.
If raising the ceiling is what it will need, put it on the table.

Stop spinning your wheels on this issue and put solvency first…

The Congressional Steroid Joke...

What a joke this Congressional steroid hearing is going to be. It is a few members of Congress grandstanding and going after an issue that should not be handled by them. John McCain made a fuss about steroids a few months ago and it went nowhere. What makes this a joke is whom they have subpoenaed or maybe whom they didn’t. Bringing retired players and guys at the end of their career is not going to discover anything. Where is Barry Bonds? Why does he get a pass on this?
Why don’t they subpoena NFL players and body builders? They don’t use steroids according to these grandstanders. How did players in the NFL get so much bigger than they were 10 years ago? Mr. (and Ms.) Universe contestants are huge and they get a free pass. Why do they even have an “All Natural” category in many contests? Why go after a few guys that have been hitting home runs their whole career? Why not look at the 2nd baseman that weighed 150 pounds and hit 4 home runs a few years ago and now weighs 190 pounds and hits 24 homeruns a year? This just tells me that once again Congress won’t deal with the important issues and try to tell us that this is good use of our tax dollars. This is an issue for baseball to deal with and not a few grandstanding politicians…

Stop at the Checkpoint the Next Time...

What in the world was the car containing former hostage Giuliana Sgrena, the 56-year-old journalist for the communist newspaper Il Manifesto, driving full speed at a military checkpoint in Iraq? It’s very unfortunate that the Italian agent lost his life in this incident. The agents in the car with her had been in Iraq for quite a while and had to know about the Rules of Engagement involving checkpoints. American authorities said the soldiers shot into the engine block only after trying to warn the driver to stop by "hand and arm signals, flashing white lights and firing warning shots."

Now the Italians and the press watchdog group Reporters Without Borders called for a U.N. investigation into the shooting. It seems to me the question is why is a communist newspaper sending a female into a war zone? I can’t imagine that the US military ever got any favorable press in her paper. She is selfish and put not only herself but also many others in danger by her even being there.

Another thing that really bothers me is that an Iraqi official has said that a $1,000,000 dollar ransom was paid for her release? Did the Italian government pay this? It is outrageous that ransoms are being paid to the terrorists. $1,000,000 can buy a lot of AK-47s and RPGs. There are some saying that she was not kidnapped at all but the whole thing had been staged to get money directly to the terrorists. She said she had not been mistreated while held captive, yet she pleaded for her life on a video. She also said she communicated with them in French. FRENCH!!! What does that mean?

Italian officials have already said that a $1,000,000 ransom had been paid for the release of 2 women aid workers last September. So now the terrorists have extorted $2,000,000. No wonder they have been able to keep getting arms.
I feel they should arrest this woman and file charges on her if any of this it true…