And the poll says......

Have you ever been part of a Gallup Poll or maybe a Quinnipiac University Poll?  (Is that a real school?  Do they play football?  What conference are they in?)  According to the above poll of pollsters (haha!) they're in the believable category.  Political party polls and news media polls, not so much.

I'm always hearing about how the American people are in favor of or against blah blah blah, but if you look at how Americans say they feel about contemporary issues, and then look at how Congress is representing us with their votes, you'll see a definite disconnect. 

We say we want immigration reform, and our politicians nod and agree, and then passively do nothing, or worse, the exact opposite.

We say we don't want trade tariffs, and our politicians nod and agree, and then just sit on their thumbs.

We have opinions on various gun control measures, ditto.

We tell them how we feel about taxes, and health care, and they tippy toe around them and do nothing.

Here's a typical day for a Washington politician:  They meet for breakfast with a lobbyist who says his client wants X, then meets with a trade group from "back home" who says they do not want X.  He poses for pictures with his constituents, passes out ceremonial Congressional paper weights, thanks them for their opinion, promises to keep in touch, then goes out and votes for X, which is slyly buried in a bill promising to end puppy mills, 'cause, you know, everyone wants to end puppy mills, right?

Then two months later he's the speaker at an event back home, and they treat him as if he was royalty!  People are scared to speak up and hold his feet to the fire, or throw him in the fire, because....I have no idea why.

What's the point of public opinion polls if our public servants (wow....there's an oxymoron!) pay us no attention?

S

New math

We seem to have become a "math challenged" society.  I saw it many times during my 40+ years as a custom homebuilder.  A client would come to me and say they had a hard budget of $    X     .  After learning what they wanted in terms of their amenities, I would advise them they should expect approx    Y    square feet in order to stay within budget.

Then we would all sit down with the architect and they would tell him to cap the footage at    Y    feet, and that they were willing to accept smaller secondary bedrooms, say 100 square feet each...."so make them 12 feet x 12 feet."

That's pretty much how our government has worked for decades.  A succession of congresses and presidents have wanted more than they could pay for.  That's how we got our $19,000,000,000,000 deficit.  We got away with it because no matter how badly we f__ked things up here in America, we were still less f__ked up than the rest of the world.  Smart money "over there" would invest their money here (read:  finance our deficit) because we were still considered a safe, stable country.  It was  all relative.

Tomorrow Prez Trump is going to give Congress his new budget outline.  He's said he was going to dramatically boost defense spending and infrastructure improvement, while not touching Social Security or Medicare.  Oh, and he wants a BIG tax cut, too.  I'm sure the Tea Party is sweating bullets right now!  Their whole reason for being is to cut spending and the deficit, and here a fellow Republican is proposing an increase in both.

"Not to worry" they'll say.  "We're going to increase income by growing the economy by 4% (thereby increasing tax revenues) and by cutting 'waste, fraud, and inefficiency'".

Have you ever heard a competent financial adviser say, "Sure, go ahead and buy that big new vacation house.  You're bound to get a substantial raise any day now.  I hope." And hasn't every president since Calvin Coolidge promised to save money by cutting waste, fraud, and inefficiency?  *still waiting*

The truth is, there are too many powerful constituencies (read: voters, special interests, and campaign contributors) who would scream bloody murder if Congress cut anything that affected them, and if there's anything every congressman loves it's happy voters and campaign contributors, so....

What will eventually happen is there will be, out of absolute dire necessity, a substantial tax increase on the wealthy.  "But how is that fair", the rich will ask?  My answer:  It isn't, but it's sorta like the answer John Dillinger gave when asked why he robbed banks:  "Because that's where the money is."

Fact.

S

And my dossier at the NSA just gets bigger and bigger

I don't understand all the stink about Benghazi.  It seems that in trying to police the world....north Africa in this case....we botched security at one of our diplomatic missions.  A bunch of #$%^& Libyans attacked and killed 4 Americans.

At the time, it seems that an Administration official at some level decided that the American people wouldn't care if they thought our people were killed by a crowd spontaneously angered by some movie or some such nonsense vs an out-and-out terrorist attack, which would be horrible.  So they lied.

Why would one be worse than the other?  Our people are still dead, regardless.  

"Hello, Mrs. Widow.  I have some good news and some bad news.  First, your husband's dead.  But the good news....it was just a spontaneous demonstration."

So a bunch of politicians lied.  Lying is what they do.  *yawn*

Somebody please tell me again why we give a rats ass what happens in Libya?  The f__kers just fight for the sake of fighting.  That seems to be the #1 pastime in that part of the world.  Why don't we seem to get that?  You scramble an ant pile with a stick, you're gonna get stung.

Why was security botched in the first place?  Didn't Congress vote to cut back funding for State Department security to help reduce the deficit?  Then this happened, and they're surprised?  Really?

Attacks on Americans overseas have been happening since the Reagan days, maybe before....I can't remember.  Here's one for you:  How come every time something bad happens in their back yard the Europeans expect the US to come and "fix it"?  Do we ask them to come over here and slap around the drug cartels in Mexico for us?

Republicans are just looking for something to throw in the face of the Democrats, just like the Democrats had a field day complaining about how NJ Governor Chris Christie (R) caused a traffic jam on some bridge to NY.  This whole thing is just sleazy politics.

You're on a slippery slope, Republicans, feigning outrage over Democrats lying about Benghazi.  Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!  You ALL lie!  Nixon lied, Reagan lied, Clinton, Bush, and Obama lied also.  And it is with great confidence that I can predict the president after Obama will lie to us, too.

Instead of distracting us with more Benghazi BS why not get your house in order?  Do your job....let me rephrase that.  Do the job THE AMERICAN PEOPLE sent you to Washington to do.  NOT the job the special interests (think: Goldman Sachs & Friends) are paying you to do now that you're there.

S

And the Merry-Go-Round keeps turning....

Sadly, I wasn't shocked when I read in the paper this morning that Caterpillar Corp, the big heavy equipment manufacturer, has been dodging paying its US taxes.  Over the past 13 years they saved $2.4B  in taxes by funneling a lucrative portion of their business through a sham division set up in Switzerland.

It seems they paid PricewaterhouseCoopers $55M to show them how to slink their way around US tax laws.  I won't bore you with the details, but just know that it was all smoke and mirrors.  But it was all (apparently) legal.  And there's my complaint.  Businesses are paid to maximize profits and minimize taxes.  It's Congress, which enabled these shenanigans, that is supposed to represent US!

But big companies, aided by an army of lobbyists, own Congress, and it's Congress that writes the rules.  Want a unique tax break, a special deduction, permission to avoid taxes by something like....oh, I dunno....setting up a sham division in Switzerland?  A few quiet campaign contributions and your wish can come true.

So the Treasury gives up $2.4B here, $3B there, on and on, and to paraphrase the comical former Senator Everett Dirksen, "Before long you're talking real money." And this, boys and girls, is half of the reason we have the horrible government deficit we do.  

Trouble is, 100% of the effort to cut said deficit seems to involve cutting spending, some of it from places that don't need to be cut.  Why isn't 50% of our deficit cutting effort focused on stopping these sham tax dodges that result from all the Swiss cheese loopholes in our tax laws?

We need a clean-sheet-of-paper tax code re-write!  If you have a chance to talk to a congressional candidate, ask them if they will sponsor a bill to completely re-write our tax laws.  Accept only a "yes" or "no" answer.  If they try to lay a bunch of flowery BS on you (and they will), ask them again for a straight yes or no answer.  And record their answer and put it on YouTube.

Unfortunately, it seems the only way for an up-and-coming politician to gain the nomination of their party and tap in to the financial contributions that will enable them to get elected (and re-elected) is to show they are a "team player", that they will go along with what their senior party elders tell them to do.  

Like granting unique tax breaks, special deductions, and permission to avoid taxes by something like....oh, I dunno....setting up a sham division in Switzerland.

*sigh*

S

Hi....I'm from the government and I'm here to help

This really has me worked up:  Yesterday my friend Joan Perry posted on Facebook how National Flood Insurance Program reform is causing flood insurance rates to go through the roof in her hometown of Charleston, SC, and probably many other places, too.  I mean rates so high people can't sell their homes and many may actually lose them to the banks.

Briefly, homeowners insurance does NOT cover loss due to flooding.  For that the federal government set up an insurance program available at subsidized rates for those living in coastal areas or other low-lying places.  But after hurricanes Katrina and Sandy the insurance fund is flat busted broke.  Congress passed reforms for the program that were meant to build up reserves again, but as usual, they've just f__ked things up royally.

A newspaper article reported one couple who had planned to sell their home for $349K and downsize, using the surplus to fund their retirement.  But then they found that their flood insurance premium has gone up 1,367% to $22,000 a year.  One quote was $38,000!  Now their home is worth exactly $0 as no one in their right mind will buy it.  One of Joan's commentors said her premium went from $1,200 to $8,000.  Joan's premium on her modest home more than doubled.

If the government wants to eliminate the subsidies, that's one thing.  You do it in increments over a few years time, NOT all in one massive blow.  How many people can afford to have their house payment (principle, interest, taxes, and insurance) go up $2,000 a month?  

Lenders understandably require flood insurance to protect their collateral, but if the owners can't afford it, and if they can't sell, do they just let their homes go back to the bank?

This is what happens when the government tries to directly run an insurance program.  Do they invest their excess premium income in times of low losses to build up their reserves like real insurance companies do?  Do they buy re-insurance (to spread the risk) like real insurance companies do?  I doubt they have that much business sense.

Congress....where do we get these morons?  And "the people" get screwed again.

S

Lucy, 'splain it to me....lesson 47

I need a lesson in business / labor relations....somebody help me out here, please.  Congress couldn't put together a budget or agree to raise the deficit ceiling, so they sent 40% of all federal government workers (those considered non-essential) home for 16 days.  Some said the idea was to save taxpayers money ($2 Billion) and curtail government.  Then they worked out a deal, brought everybody back to work....AND ARE GIVING THEM FULL BACK PAY?

So government workers were given an additional 16 days vacation....time off WITH pay?  Am I understanding this correctly?  Is this how things normally work after an employer lock-out, which is essentially what this was, right?

The American Federation of Government Employees thinks it's fair since they've already been hit with a three-year pay freeze and given no more "increases" to their retirement contributions.  "Employees are frustrated at being made the sacrificial lamb of deficit reduction....the federal government is becoming a less attractive employer."

Like they don't already have a cushy deal now?



* NOTE:  The private sector pay chart above is already skewed by outsized pay for corporate executives / CEO's, sports stars, rock stars, etc.

Numerous studies have shown that federal workers already get 25-33% MORE in pay / benefits than workers in the private sector doing comparable work. I don't see bringing their pay package more in line over time WITH THE WORKERS WHO PAY THEM is being unreasonable.   I'm not suggesting they deserve anything less, but just comparable. 

OK, there's my conservative thought for the day.  Now to appease my more liberal friends:

While we need to be very careful to not step over the social safety net fiscal make / break line*, I do think taxpayers are looking to save money in the wrong places.  They're all upset about the costs involved with ObamaCare, and considering how the government mucks up most everything else it touches, I'm not so sure it's the way to go, either.  But still, I do firmly believe in some sort of "universal health care".

Let's be pragmatic here.  Yes, it will be a huge weight off all our shoulders to know that if we are sick or injured we can all receive quality health care without going bankrupt.  And obviously they can't just give it away....we must somehow pay for it.  

But think about how much more competitive this will make us in the new world economy.  A healthier, stronger work force....mentally, emotionally, and physically....is bound to contribute significantly to our national bottom line.  I just don't see how it couldn't.  Instead of trying to tear apart the idea, why not work together to find a way that can make it work?

IMO, not all conservative ideas are bad, nor are all liberal ideas bad.  We should calmly, logically consider them all.

* There is an interesting article in the NYT today highlighting the crushing burden on the French of their cradle-to-grave social programs and how it is busting their national budget.  

OK, rip me.

S

Whore, good; ape, bad. I get it now.

I'm beginning to get a bit clearer picture of the ethical ranking system in Congress.  So far I've learned it's better to be a "whore" than an "ape".

It seems that parts of the financial reforms enacted after the bankers nearly destroyed the world back in '08 are just now beginning to be implemented, and the banks are none too happy about it.  

Right now the bank lobby is working overtime to exempt a wide array of derivative trading from regulation, and also one that would delay heightened standards for firms that would offer investment advice to retirees.  

*Well, DUH!  How are they supposed to fleece retirees, and probably widows and orphans, too, with some regulator looking over their shoulder?*

Both lobbying efforts have received wide bipartisan support (mostly Republican, but some Democrats, too) in the House of Representatives.

Just curious....why would you want to conduct your business in the alleyways and shadows if you were proud of your exemplary behavior?  Wouldn't you want it to be regulated and made public?  

It's sorta like restaurants that fail health inspections....they want it all hushed up.  The ones that make an "A" want it in headlines on the front page for all the world to see.  Hmmmm....I think I've answered my own question.

The banking lobby has gone so far as to submit a list of suitable questions for "sympathetic" members of the House Banking Committee to ask bankers as they testify before cameras and under oath.  It's become so blatant that one House aide sent an email to a House Banking Committee staffer warning that members should be careful to not mimic the talking points from lobbyists.

"I know that some of our members are inclined to whore, but we must not be apes."

So it's whore, good;  ape, bad.  Got it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the absurd to the ridiculous

How could I have missed this?  Did you hear about the new "in thing" among metrosexual men?  Men-only nail bars....places men go to get manicures and pedicures.  This one ^ in LA is called "Hammer and Nails".  $25 for someone to cut your fingernails?  I think that's God's way of telling you you have too damn much money. 

For women, I understand.  They have to cut them, bondo and file them smooth, then mask everything off, prime them, and finally paint them.  That's pretty labor intensive.  

I honestly don't get this....unless it's a front for illegal gambling in the back.  But what do I know.  I don't get out much.

S

"And if re-re-re-re-re-elected, I promise you I will...."

The best case yet for congressional term limits:

In our recent gubment shutdown / debt ceiling crisis, a small MINORITY of hard core Tea Party Republicans called the shots.  It's said that the majority of the House Republicans did NOT share the Tea Party venom, yet were afraid to stand up to the TP bullies.  With their own re-elections coming up next year, they were afraid if they DIDN'T at least pay lip service to the extremists they would face a strong primary challenge from a Tea Party-er themselves. *Holy sheep shit, Robin!*

So they voted, perhaps reluctantly, to "shut 'er down".  Millions of disabled veterans were scared to death their disability checks, often their sole source of income, wouldn't show up.  Same with military retirees.  Same with senior citizens.  Same with veterans going to school using their GI Bill.  (And let's be clear here, these were all PRE-PAID beneifts.)

A small army of gubment workers and contractors (that's a whole 'nuther blog post) missed their paychecks, too, and no doubt many missed paying a few bills on time.

Overall it's estimated the shutdown cost us $24 BILLION dollars.  All this because a group of otherwise reasonable Republicans, who could have voted their conscience but lacked the balls, valued their JOBS more than the citizens....the country....they personally pledged to serve.  

They valued their job, their POWER, their chance to be cut in on some lucrative business deals, more than the country.  And frankly, I imagine if the shoe had been on the other foot, the career Democrats would have done the same thing.

They threw the whole country under the bus in order to save their jobs.  I think it's time we make that job a whole lot less desirable.  A short term limit would be a good start, perhaps followed by a lifetime prohibition on a future career as a lobbyist.  And no lifetime congressional pension or health benefits, either.  In fact no perks at all.  When their term is up, they go back home to the rat race like the rest of us.

I say it's time we throw THEM under the bus for the greater good of the country!

*Cue the music*

S

This is gonna get ugly

Look out Washington.  Here they come!

The Democrats and Republicans have been waging a battle of wills....some would say stubbornness....as they fight about budgets and debt ceiling limits and such. The newspapers and cable TV report it, and some of us bloggers write about it, but odds are it has touched very few people any of us might know personally, if any at all.  

That could change in a big way very soon.  It's said that if the government defaults on paying it's bills (as soon as later this month), Social Security recipients, disabled veterans, military retirees, and others might not be getting their monthly checks.  I don't think the politicians realize what they're letting themselves in for when they start playing pinata with a beehive of Gray Hairs.

It's one thing to heap scorn on a welfare recipient who won't work and lives off his gubment handout and food stamps, yet has a new smartphone, a bottle of hooch and a carton of cigarettes, and a body full of expensive tattoos.  "Get off your ass you bums and get a job!"

I dare you to go up to your elderly neighbor wearing his "WWII Veteran" ball cap, or your grandmother, and tell them to "get a job you bum" because they can't pay for their apartment or food or medicine because their meager savings can't cover the shortfall of them not getting their social security checks.  Or the disabled veteran who is missing limbs because he/she did their time protecting you so you could get your MBA and land that great job on Wall Street, get rich, and join the Tea Party (or any party).

The government checks these people get are NOT welfare.  They PRE-PAID for these benefits by working for decades, paying into a supplemental retirement system every payday of their lives.  Same with veterans, whose terms of employment stipulated that if they were injured on the job they would be cared for.  Unilaterally change their terms of employment and not pay them NOW?  REALLY?

I agree there are lots of worthless programs our government can and should cut to save a buck.  But it would take a pretty cold person who shares a special relationship with the devil to hit on the Gray Hairs.

S

Well played, Pootie-Pooh

It should show up on YouTube any second now and is sure to go viral....Russia's Vladimir Putin tap dancing all over Barack Obama's face.  Admit it Barack.  Students for years to come will be doing their Doctoral Dissertations on the many ways you botched your handling of the Syrian mess, and in contrast how Putin aced his opportunity.

Surely Barack understands the American people are tired of 10+ years of war, throwing our youth and our money into efforts to civilize those Heathens of the East.  There was no way in hell we were going to look kindly on picking a fight with Syria.  

If he had really wanted to punish Syria for their use of chemical weapons he would have just cold-cocked them like Presidents Reagan and Clinton did when they found someone kicking them in the shins:  Executive Order....no telegraphing your intentions....no hand-holding with Congress....just BAM!  Some quick strikes, done.

Instead President Obama popped off and drew a line in the sand, then realized he couldn't cash the check his mouth had written.  "Aw, come on Congress.  Jump in with me.  Then when it all hits the fan I can say, 'Hey, they said it was OK.'"

By contrast Vladimir Putin has pulled a rabbit out of his hat, coming across as a peacemaker.  Imagine that!  Pootie-Pooh, a man of peace.  Ha!  Not only is he getting Syria to put their chemical weapons under international control (really?), but he's putting some of his elite Spetsnaz commandos in to "advise" / fight the Syrian rebels.  That civil war is FINIS.  No one is going to back the rebels now....they're a losing cause.  Assad wins.

Vladimir Putin has effectively baled out Barack Obama.  He doesn't have to press for a vote in Congress that he would have lost anyway.  And we don't have to throw another few hundred million dollars (BILLION dollars?) that we don't have into that sewer we call the Mid-East. 

A lame-duck President has just become even more lame.  Don't look for anything else of importance to come out of his administration for the remainder of his term in office.  He'll take credit for a gradually improving economy, but really he's just along for the ride.   That will be his last hurrah.  He's spent.

Game, set, match;  Pootie-Pooh. 

S

King For A Day

Yes, I've once again put back on my CEO hat for a few days.  I must keep the empire rolling.  OK....I've gotta sit here and wait for the phone to ring.  Don't laugh.  The waiting can be intense.

This month my sister-in-law is having a certain momentous birthday (50), so my bro is surprising her with a trip to a resort in Mexico.  Her family and a few close friends are also going.

Let's review.  It's August.  Yesterday it was 104 in Dallas, and today it's expected to be 108.  And bro is taking a vacation, traveling even CLOSER to the equator.

See, even their logo shows a cactus, a blazing sun, and some little native guy burned to a crisp.

I thought I taught him better than that. *shaking head*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I see in today's news that there is growing momentum in Washington to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two home financing institutions taken over by the Feds back in 2008 when the housing market collapsed.  In the pre-2008 days private financiers made 60% of all mortgage loans, with Fannie, Freddie, and FHA making the other 40%.  More recently the latter have been making 87% of all mortgage loans.

President O'bama recently echoed Congress when he said, "I believe that our housing system should operate where there's limited government role and private lending should be the backbone of the housing market...."  

Good....the "free market" is back!  The banks say they are ready to resume their role as the nation's primary source of home mortgages.

In other news, it was announced today that the Justice Department is suing Bank of America, accusing them of defrauding investors by vastly overestimating the quality of some $850 million worth of mortgage-backed securities.  

B of A now joins Goldman Sachs, Citi, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Barclays, HSBC Holdings, and Credit Suisse, among others, who have/are being sued for similar mortgage securities fraud.

Ummm.....

(What's that definition of insanity?...."Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.")

S

Back In The Saddle Again

I never knew Gene Autry was talking about bankers when he recorded this song.

Short recap:  The banking industry persuaded (bribed) lawmakers into relaxing rules and regulations that had kept them honest for the previous 50 years, allowing them to originate all kinds of highly profitable but also highly risky investments.  After massive profits were skimmed off the top the scheme collapsed, and taxpayers had to step in and take on massive debt to bail them out.

Lawmakers said "never again!" and drafted new rules that put curbs on big banks.  Of course the bankers fought back, wanting to keep their mega-profit machine up and running.  They won.  This was in the news this morning:

WASHINGTON-- Bank lobbyists are not leaving it to lawmakers to draft legislation that softens financial regulations.  Instead, the lobbyists are helping to write it themselves.

One bill that sailed through the House Financial Services Committee this month--over the objections of the Treasury Department--was essentially Citigroup's, according to e-mails reviewed by The New York Times.  The bill would exempt broad swaths of trades from new regulation.

In a sign of Wall Street's resurgent influence in Washington, Citigroup's recommendations were reflected in more than 70 lines of the House committee's 85-line bill.  Two crucial paragraphs, prepared by Citigroup in conjunction with other Wall Street banks, were copied nearly word for word.  (Lawmakers changed two words to make them plural.)

Remember last November when candidates told us if we would just vote for them, they'd get the government out of our lives?  They double-crossed us.  What they really meant was, "Vote for me and I'll give the bankers whatever they want."  And we bought it.  Sure, they'll let us fight over the social issues of the day, but if there's money involved, the bankers call the shots. 

I think George Carlin was right:

Face it....the bankers own us, lock, stock, and barrel.  We're trapped.

S

There's hope for me yet

According to an article I read in Fortune magazine I should be a corporate CEO or top-tier engineer or scientist, or maybe a general or admiral.

Fortune quoted a study titled "A Stupidity-Based Theory of Organizations" which claims when an organization has too many smart people they tend to argue among themselves about who has the best ideas and actually get less done because they can't decide on a course of action.  

Stupidity on the other hand has a unifying effect....it boosted productivity.  People content in an atmosphere of functional stupidity came to a consensus more easily and had greater "roll-up-our-sleeves" enthusiasm to get the job done.

Well, anyone who knows me knows I live in an atmosphere of functional stupidity.  Much of it comes from me, but I have no shortage of stupid friends, too.  According to this theory I shouldn't just HAVE an iPhone, I should OWN Apple.  All of it....mine!

Uber-smart people get bored with work easily and lose interest.  Stupid people who have had to work hard all their lives to get just the simplest chore done know the value of diligence.  Imagine learning to tie your shoes:  The smart kids picked it up easily, the stupid ones invented Velcro.

And look at NASA....they spent years and millions of dollars to invent a pen that could write upside down and in zero-gravity.  The Rooskies just used a pencil.  OK, bad example.

Speaking of rocket scientists, look at the Duck Dynasty boyz:

They AREN'T.  But they ARE rich! 

So carrying this analogy through to its logical conclusion, these are without doubt the SMARTEST people in the country world universe:

We need you Alfred E. Neuman!  ;)

S

Catch me if you can....

In a post a while back I suggested it was likely that, due to the middle class being so squeezed, more and more people will start working for cash and not report their income, or at least not all of it, to the IRS.  More than a few of you commented my scenario was unlikely.  Consider this:

Here are some statistics from a German university study in 2006 showing the size of the "shadow economy" (% of the economy not reporting income/paying taxes) in a number of advanced western countries:

   Greece                 28%
   Italy                      25%
   Spain                    22%
   Portugal                21%
   Sweden                18%
   Germany              16%
   UK, Netherlands   12%
   US                          8%

(There are other more current studies, too, but this one was the easiest to pull numbers from.)

Closer to home let me share a few actual examples I have personal knowledge of:

Last year (2012) I was approached by a guy who owned a specialty grocery store about building him a house.  He wanted to pay me $200,000 in cash and then have the balance documented on a sales contract.  This would make it look like the house cost $200,000 less than it actually did.

I suspected he was skimming cash from his business and needed to burn it off, and/or he wanted to claim his house cost less than it actually did for property tax purposes.  I wanted nothing to do with him and declined.

Today his house is being built by another builder.  Is that builder working under the same terms I was offered?  If he is, is he going to report the $200,000 in cash he received?  I don't have answers to these questions, but the opportunity to cheat is certainly there.

I have a cousin who owns a masonry supply business.  He tells me he has numerous customers who do small brick and stone repairs for individuals on a cash basis only....$200-$300 at a time, several a day....and that's how they pay for their materials, too....in cash.  Do these small one-man operations pay taxes on any/all of this cash income?  I don't know, but I have my doubts.

I know a guy who has a residential window washing business, and he works on a cash basis only.  He quit his full-time career with benefits and made this part-time job his full-time business.  He's single and has no employees.  Whether he pays taxes on his cash income I don't know, but his lifestyle suggests he doesn't.  Regardless, the opportunity is there to cheat.

I have more examples, but I believe these are enough to prove my point.  I think more people than you might imagine would jump at the chance to screw the government out of some taxes if they could.  Look around and you can probably see similar examples where you are, too.

And these are just the small-time tax cheats.  The big boys don't pay their taxes....legally and with congress' blessing....by sending their money to low-tax/no-tax havens offshore.  I recently read in the Economist that these havens hold tens-of-TRILLIONS of dollars from all sources worldwide.

Why should you care?  Because what they don't pay, you do.  Sorta makes signing that tax check a bit more infuriating, doesn't it?

S

Can we just lynch Congress and be done with this? Why not?

NOW we're talkin'!  

(I stole this photo off my friend Kathy Mizell's Facebook page.)

What is it with these wacko nut job Tea Party-ers?  They can't even get along with half of their own Republican Party.  Since the Tea Party gained traction several years ago there have been numerous sitting congressmen from both parties say they would not run for re-election as they were no longer proud to serve in Congress.  They say going to work every day and confronting these Tea Party-ers is unbearable.  

I understand standing firm on moral matters, but nothing Congress does falls in the category of "morality".  That would be the ultimate oxymoron!  They're just a bunch of sleazeballs trying to get all they can while they can for themselves and their fat cat friends.

The American people are NOT extremists.  We believe in compromise.  In fact we founded an entire country on compromise.  It's worked for well over 200 years, but now all of a sudden these Tea Party-ers have a better idea?  They're smarter than our Founding Fathers?  Ha!  I'm surprised they can even walk upright!

Extremism didn't work for the Democrats back in the 80's, and it won't work for the Republicans today.  But until they can be eradicated they are screwing the American people like I've never seen before.

The "austerity" the Tea Party-ers advocate has been ongoing in Europe for several years now and is NOT working.  In fact it's making things worse.  While the goal (reigning in government) is probably necessary, the timing is atrocious.  You start cutting back when the economy is healthy and can afford to absorb the hit.  You don't kick people in the teeth when they're already down for the count.

OK, I feel better now.  Not really, but my fingers are cramping.

Now, go out there and have a great weekend.  Unless you're a Congressman.  Then get your ass to work.  Vacation request DENIED!

;)

S