Circle the wagons, boys!

It isn't exactly "Breaking News" when I say that people get really touchy when you talk about getting into their wallets.  "It's MINE, I WORKED for it, you CAN'T have it!"  And this, IMO, is why our government today is so dysfunctional and our people are so upset.  One economic class feels they're paying for benefits that another economic class is receiving, and to be honest, it's largely true.  (Their elected political manipulators see this perpetual standoff as their job security.)

TAXES.  Just saying the word gets most people's blood pressure up.  The average middle class guy feels he's working 100 mph to pay for day care, to put braces on his kids teeth, to somehow pay another semester's tuition for his oldest to stay in college, to pay the deductibles and co-pays on his heath insurance, or if he's an "independent contractor", to pay for his family's health insurance that might cost more than his house payment, etc.  It's a struggle for sure.

Meanwhile, in his mind, another economic class gets free child care, food stamps, rent subsidies, college grants (that require no payback), free medical care (via Medicaid) and even a free cell phone, all paid for by HIM!  And then when you interject race into the equation, it really gets nasty!  To the average middle class taxpayer (statistically likely to be white) the average beneficiary of our social safety net is black or brown, and now includes immigrants, too, hence the animosity.  Facts to the contrary be damned!  He simply can't fathom his economic situation deteriorating to the point he might need some of those services himself some day.  These are benefits (he thinks) he'll never receive.

This is where he thinks his taxes are going.

At the other extreme, while he vaguely knows about the massive government subsidies going to the private sector ($37B to Big Oil, $270B to Big Pharma, $18B to Big Ag, $83B to Wall Street, etc) he can't put a face with a $$$$ to know who to direct his anger at.  (I know, I know, a preposition at the end.  Shoot me.  ;) 

This is why the idea of a tax increase to balance the budget, for example, is a non-starter.  "MORE money to give to those bums? Oh HELL no!"  

In their minds they, personally, aren't getting anything for their tax dollars (hello!...national defense, highways, etc?), with the exception of Medicare and Social Security.  Ahhh....don't you love it when a Tea Party supporter holds his sign up high that says "NO SOCIALISM IN AMERICA!!", then says, "but don't mess with my Medicare or Social Security."  *dude, those programs are the epitome of socialism!*  

As long as people don't feel like they are themselves getting anything for their tax dollars, they're going to resist.  Call them anything you want....selfish, greedy, uncompassionate....when you get into people's wallets, the battle lines will be drawn.  Let's just hope the rest of the world stays more f__ked up than us so they'll run over here with their $$$$ and finance our debt.

Just my thoughts. 

S

It's all about appearances....and money

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

This small house is in San Francisco, a locale where real estate is in short supply.  They're used to creative designs like this being plopped onto postage-stamp sized sites.  Except for the fact there doesn't seem to be any provision for car parking, I'd love this.  But here in Dallas, Texas when you say you want a small house this is what people think you're talking about:

This one actually appears very neat and lovingly maintained, but it isn't the sort of place that will turn heads when you're standing at the building permit desk asking if a zoning square footage  exception can be made.  That isn't actually the process, of course, but you say "small" and they just seem to automatically think this and reach for their "DENIED" rubber stamp.  McMansions bring in lots of property taxes; these don't.  That's as far as they can think.

Maybe I need to think more creatively:  I could present a front view that looks like the Palace of Versailles, but have it propped up with 2 x 6's like one of those movie-set facades.  Then behind that could be my little 1000 square foot house.  Think they'd catch on?

And here's how I'll pay for it:

Anyone remember the 'ol Swear Jar?  (Did anyone besides me NEED a swear jar?)

The idea was when you catch someone swearing they have to put a coin in the jar.  When the jar was full the money went to something fun or to a charity, whatever.  

OK, so here's my idea to pay for my new house:  I'll put "Lie Jars" all over Washington, DC.  When a politician tells a lie they'll put a quarter in my jar, and wah-lah....free house!  'Course I can't use little jars.  I'll need 55 gallon barrels.  Lots of 'em.  And with the money left over I'd be very philanthropic....I'd pay off the national debt or something.  Shoot, I'll have $16 trillion dollars by Easter.  What do you think?

S

Lemme think....food, or a dirt bike? Which to choose?

NASA's  unmanned spacecraft  Mars Curiosity Rover is scheduled to land on Mars August 6th where it will perform chemical experiments paving the way for a manned mission to the Red Planet in the 2030's.  And as a warm-up for that mission we're planning to land a man on an asteroid in 2025.


Lemme get this straight....we have a 15 TRILLION dollar national debt, we're tacking on another trillion or so a year, we're trying to decide what we can live without (fix the bridges?...cut Medicare?...delay the Social Security retirement age?...keep the post office open?...)  yet we're gonna spend billions to plant a flag on Mars?  Really?  A flag?  Big f__king whoop!


If you were broke, couldn't pay your mortgage, only had a few cans of beans in the pantry, couldn't get mama the operation she needs, and couldn't buy new school shoes for your growing kids, would you sell your blood in order to get a few bucks so you could buy a dirt bike?


Going to Mars would be cool, just like riding a dirt bike would be fun*, IF we had our fiscal house in order and had some fun money to spare.  But we don't.  This is insane!


S


*so I'm told


  

You know what I'm SICK of?

Pakistan.

  

I honestly don't care if the sun ever rises over Pakistan again.  Ever.  I really don't.  I'm so sick of opening the newspaper and reading Pakistan this, Pakistan that....and none of it is ever good.  All they want from us is the BILLIONS of dollars of foreign aid we send their way every year.  Money we don't have.  The aid we send is skimmed off by a few at the top, and I'm sure the masses never see a dime of it.  And they hate us.  Why do we have to pay 'em to hate us?  They'll do it for free.  SCREW 'EM!


I know, I know.... they have nuclear technology they could pass on to other radical countries/groups who could use it on us.  So why don't we take all the money we send them in aid and instead use it to put a few hundred thousand Americans to work screening everything that comes into this country?  Every plane load of freight, every shipping container....EVERYTHING! Then we would know (well...more than we do now) what was coming in to our country, and we would have some tax revenue from these Americans who are now working, too.


Oh...and Afghanistan.  It is now estimated that 97% of their gross national income is derived from foreign aid, most of it from the US.  Talk about a bunch of parasites!  Any idea how many Americans we could put to work with all that $$$$?  Or how much we could reduce our debt?


So here's my plan:  We all sell our Land Yachts and drive little mini-cars, we downsize from our McMansions to something more manageable, we quit buying stuff we don't need, we put up windmills and solar panels everywhere, etc, then tell Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and all their buddies to go eat camel dung and wash it down with a Big Gulp of oil.  We don't need 'em, and in fact we'd be better off without them. 


Don't I wish it were that easy.  (But I'm serious about cutting off their foreign aid.  That we can do.)


S