Category Archives: Current Events

Huckabee's Fair Tax

Soon after my Huckabee post, a friend emailed me about the Fair Tax plan that Huckabee supports. As I read it, 
I realized how good this plan is and how much confusion is out there concerning the Fair Tax plan. To clear up any confusion regarding taxes, it's important that you speak to a lawyer similar to these Canadian Tax Amnesty Lawyers or tax law firms more local to your area. They may be able to answer any questions you might have. 
 
Since this friend did such an amazing job in his email, I decided to post here for all you to see. Laughing  
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Fair Tax: Frequent Criticisms and the Facts to Rebute Them by Rocky
 
1. A flat-rate sales tax is going to kill poor people who have
to spend ALL of thir money buying necessities.

Facts: This is the most false criticism of all, which shows they
haven't read the first thing about it. The people writing the
Fair Tax proposal aren't stupid; they know that would be a
problem, so there is a rebate plan (actually a pre-bate, where
people automatically get the credit beforehand) of refunding the
sales tax rate up to the poverty level income. It is assumed
that people up to the poverty level are probably spending all
they have on necessities, so they will be given the sales tax
money back(in a monthly check) for all of that--they pay NO
taxes.

2. We're going to have a sales tax AND and income tax!
Facts: The Fair Tax bill itself has the specific provision that
it can only take effect contingent on the successful repeal of
the 16th amendment, which enabled the national income tax. (The
16th amendment wasn't actually correctly ratified, but that's a
story for another day.)
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3. That's going to put a disproportionate burden on lower and
middle class than the graduated percentage of income tax where
the wealthy have to pay more.
Facts: The Fair Tax book goes into a couple of chapters about
this "Robin Hood Syndrome", where the lower classes want
graduated tax systems to "take from" the rich. The problem is
that it never works. The lawmakers ARE the rich, and since
they're not in the business of punishing themselves, they write
up the laws so that they LOOK like there are heavier taxes on
the rich, but they write enough loopholes in for themselves so
that they will never have to actually PAY that much. One of the
main points in the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad is that the wealthy
understand how having your own company and using that to avoid
taxes is the most important aspect of becoming rich. That is a
known effect of the income tax system, and Donald Trump himself
said just a month or two ago, that an example of the tax system
being so screwed up is that he pays a smaller percentage income
tax than the receptionist at his office.

4. Can you imagine the rise in price of stuff with that extra
sales tax?
Facts: They address this in the book too.  It's kind of an
indirect cascading effect that compensates for this. They give
the statistics on the multiple billions and billions of dollars
that companies pay just for dealing with the complexity of the
income tax system. They have tons of accountants just to deal
with it, and lots of wasted business time researching and making
business decisions based on the tax implications. If those
expenses go away, they can either make more profit with the same
prices + sales tax, or they can lower their prices + sales tax
to attract more market share and compete with their competitors
who are in the same situation. The book gives an example of a
situation the airlines had, where some huge regulatory fee per
ticket was discontinued. The airlines thought they could just
all keep their prices up and they could make more money, which
happened for a few weeks, but one of them broke ranks and
reduced their prices accordingly. All the rest dropped them
immediately too. So the prices of goods will drop some, and
work about about the same as they were before the higher sales
tax.
Additonal benefits:
1. There is a huge underground economy in this country with 
drug running and many other forms of illegal activity for
profit.
That doesn't go through the income tax system, so there
is no government revenue from it. Those people are still buying
cars and gas and food and cigarettes, though, so it will bring a
large chunk of money back into the economy.

2. Incentives for people to handle their money wisely. With an
income tax system, people are "punished" for working/earning
more.
They are also encouraged to spend all or more than they
have because they're going to get penalized again for any money
they make on saving or investing. The Fair Tax, encourages
people to invest and save for their retirement, and they only
get taxed if they decide to spend it. That deals with the
current quandry: How do you get people to be mature and save
money instead of being spoiled brats and spending it all? Well,
avoiding paying taxes is a powerful motivation for people.

3. A sales tax based system gives people back the power over
their own taxation.
You can see right up front how much tax you
are going to pay for your stuff, so you can decide if you want
to buy all of that. If you want to avoid more taxes, save more
money.

4. It brings accountability back to the tax system.
There are
no exemtions to it and no tax shelter loopholes. There is so
much slop and confusion in the income tax system, that it's a
lobbyist's playground. Also, congress can't hide tax changes in
a 200 page book of tax law reorganization. The Fair Tax is one
single number. If congress wants to change it, they pretty much
have to do it right in front of everyone's eyes, and people will
see it next time they go to the store, so if your congres person
votes to up the number, you can immediately go yell at them.

Mike Huckabee: Thoughts

I promised a friend that I would look at Mike Huckabee's campaign for President. This post is a result of that promise…abit it's a little later then I original planned. =/

Oh – before I continue, please note all polical comments are mine and not my spouses… Tongue out Also note that as Christian brothers and sisters, we should contiune to love and like each other – even if we disagree on how our Federal Government is being handled. I know you all practice this already – but I justed wanted to make sure the guidelines where stated. Laughing

Summary:

I have mixed feelings about Gov. Huckabee as there things I like and dislike about his platform… but then, again, I don't think there's a candidate out there that I agree with 100%. [@more@]

Like:

  • Immigration – I like the fact that he wants to secure our southern border and improve the Process of Legal Immigration
  • Huckabee realizes that we have to repair our nation's infrastructure as it has been in disrepair for many years.
  • Pro-Life – excellent! 
  • Track record: He did cut taxes and fees as Governor of Arkansas. However, is cutting taxes really the issue? Shouldn't we be focused on spending less money on better projects? For example: did Bush's tax cuts really help when he spent a few billion buying an Middle Eastern oil field?
  • Control Spending
  • Huckabee believes we should take steps to curb greenhouse-gas emissions even if he is unconvinced that climate change driven by human activity. It's a start….
  • He emphasizes that there's a religious and moral imperative to conserve resources and protect the earth. Wonderful!!!
  • Track Record: As Governor, Huckabee "signed into law the Arkansas Renewable Energy Development Act [PDF], which requires utilities to offer net metering to both commercial and residential customers." Cool.
  • Second Amendment rights belong to individuals, not cities or states. He opposes gun control based on geography.

Dislike:

  • Immigration – no guest worker permit. I'm not for total amnesty, but at the same time let's not tear up families by deporting half the family while the other half stays legally. I think we need to come up with a plan that allows those who want to stay become legal while removing those who want to go home.
  • I listened to his interview with Glenn Beck and all I heard was the same old Republicans rhetoric that got us into this mess…. We need change!! Not the politics as normal!!
  • Huckabee wants to "encourage the private sector" of health care to "bring down costs". This is like giving a mouse dipped in catnip to a cougar!! We need to totally redo the national health care system – not just encourage companies to do a better job. Ideally I would like for us to go to a not-for-profit health system.
  • Supports raising standards to 35 mpg by 2020 – I don't think this is good enough.. We are in the middle of a serious problem with our dependence on foreign oil. We need to shoot high and hold the car companies feet to the fire.
  • I'm glad that Huckabee wants to supports "alternative" energy sources – but calling for 15% from such sources by 2020 is nothing more then lip service! I'm insulted that he thinks such a 'bone' will appease the masses!!! We need to do more – now, not 100 years for now!! People are dieing from lung cancer, poisoned water and horrible air!!! We owe it to them to clean up our air and energy sources!
  • Huckabee wants to increase the defense budget. Hmm… haven't we spend enough money on fighting the world's battles? Maybe it's time to focus on issues back home!
  • Huckabee said that he supports line-item vetoes for the President "to control spending". I like the fact he wants to "control spending", but via line-item vetoes? To me, this would seem to render the Constitutional Balance of Powers useless (ie. it would make it harder for Congress to balance out the powers of the President)

The Beginning of the Islamic Reformation

History is being made. For the first time in 1,400 years, a document is being published that represents "a revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam." 

Turkey's (a secular nation, by the way) Department of Religious Affairs has commissioned a team of theologians to carry out a revision of the Hadith, Islam's second most sacred text after the Koran.  Posed on a knife edge (just think of what happened when a Danish newspaper ran some cartoons), the team is trying to determine which sayings (or "hadiths") where from Muhammad and which ones where added later on.

The BBC quotes an example by Prof Mehmet Gormez, an offical in the Department of Religious Affairs:

"There are some messages that ban women from travelling for three days or more without their husband's permission and they are genuine.

"But this isn't a religious ban. It came about because in the Prophet's time it simply wasn't safe for a woman to travel alone like that. But as time has passed, people have made permanent what was only supposed to be a temporary ban for safety reasons."

The project justifies such bold interference in the 1,400-year-old content of the Hadith by rigorous academic research.

Prof Gormez points out that in another speech, the Prophet said "he longed for the day when a woman might travel long distances alone".

So, he argues, it is clear what the Prophet's goal was.

Not one to stop half way, the nation of Turkey goes one step further: it has "given theological training to 450 women, and appointed them as senior imams called 'vaizes'." That's right. It has appointed women as senior imams in a religion that sees women as nothing!!

Can you see the radical impact of this?!!! 

"This is kind of akin to the Christian Reformation," he [Fadi Hakura, an expert on Turkey from Chatham House in London, Turkey] says.

"Not exactly the same, but if you think, it's changing the theological foundations of [the] religion."

WOW!! If this "new Islam" spreads over the Muslim world, it will have an immediate and major impact on the way they interact with the Western world. Not to mention the changes in Human Rights that would come about has a result of the new interpretation…..   

Wow… my mind is reeling with the implications of such a reformations…

Note: This article reminds me of another article I recently read in the Jerusalem Post entitled "The development of a jihadist's mind".  This article was written by a Muslim who originally joined a Jihadist group only to realize the error of his ways. He now works to reform Islam as a peace religion by flagging dangerous passages and reinterpreting them to be nonviolent. Similar to what is happening in Turkey.

Republic of Montana? Did I miss something?

There I was – working out in the early morning, minding my own business and then an atom bomb drops from out of no where: "Montana is thinking about withdrawing from the Union"

Thinking it was God speaking, I take out my headphones and listen a bit closer: "39 elected Montana officials have signed a resolution declaring that a court ruling of the Second Amendment is a right of states and not of individuals would violate Montana's compact."

Ah – it's not God, it’s just some DJ on the Eagle… my breathing returns to its normal heaving. Then, it hits me: Montana is thinking about succeeding from the Union!? This is HUGE!!  I mean – the last time anyone THOUGHT about succeeding was…… well, last week?  Ok – besides the Texas Nationalist Movement, the last time was over a 100 years ago and it DID NOT turn out good (for either side).

After pumping some more iron (read: crying and wining like a little school girl on her first day of gym class), I head over to my posh window line, golden glazed office to check on the validity of Boise's radio DJs.  Sure enough, it looks like Montana has issued a warning to the Supreme Court that if they decided that if the Second Amendment applies ONLY to state militias (read "National Guard") and NOT to the individual, then they are gone like a '49 Cadillac, like all the good things… Sorry, got carried away there…

Back on track, that's me – Mr. No-rabbit-trails-or-anything-off-topic – it seems that the Montana statehood contract specifies gun ownership as an individual right: ie. "the right of any person to keep or bear arms… shall not be called in question".  [as noted in the Washington Times]
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Why I don't think the situation will ever come down to Montana actually succeeding, it does make you stop and think. Is individual gun ownership really a right or is it a privilege? The main differences being that a privilege could be taken away, while a right is permanent (well, until the next revolution).  

In my mind, gun ownership is a right given to each individual person as stated in the Second Amendment. Individual gun ownership is what made the American Revolution possible. Without individual gun ownership, our founding fathers would not have had the chance to create a new nation in the vast land of America.

To remove this right is to take us back to the days of tyranny.

The solution: get ready to move to Montana.

"The World's First Real Submersible Car'"

Rinspeed, a Swiss car maker, has just released  'the world's first real submersible car'!  It can rech 77 mph on land and 1.8 mph when under water… just imaige going on a date with this car!

"Hey baby, you want check out the coral at the bottom of this lake?"

Then again, if I had this car eight years ago, it would of made my proposal a bit more romantic..  sigh Undecided

Video clip below or at BBC.co.uk[@more@]

 

$160 million Art Theft in Zurich

Recent news reports show that thieves recently stole four painting worth $160 million from a museum in Zurich. Luckily the police captured the cooks a short distance away from the museum when their van ran out of gas. Baffled, the police asked them how they could mastermind such an amazing heist, yet forget something as simple as a full tank of gas. 

The ring leader replied, ""Monsier that is the reason I stole the paintings. I had no Monet
 
[@more@]to buy Degas

 
to make the Van Gogh."

[A word from the Editor: I must apologize for the actions of my client. The recent $160 million theft of a Cezanne, Degas, Van Gogh and Monet from Zurich is no laughing matter. To imply that the cooks where caught in such a careless way is un-acceptable. Have no fears, I will make sure to punish my client for his behavior. Thank you.]

An International View on the VP Question

Today as I browsed the international news reports, I discovered an interesting article from the TimesOnline.co.uk about who McCain may pick as his VP running mate. The article posted some good suggestions beyond the standard Mike Huckabee answer – especially now as Huckabee starts his comeback tour.

If, and I do mean "if", John McCain does win the Republican primary, he will have to be very careful on who he picks. Tim Hames of the Times Online poses three reason why McCain has too be ultra careful:

1) The US vice-president post has been "revolutionized" under George W. Bush and Dick Cheney from a "pitcher of warm spit” (as stated by John Garner, Franklin Roosevelt's VP) into a de-facto "deputy president". Since it is highly unlikely that any future VP will want to go back to the "warm spit" job, it means who ever gets picked as McCain's running mate will have a lot of work to do.

2) McCain is in his 70's… if he dies, while morbid – it is a possibility, his VP would become president. That means whoever gets chosen as his running mate will need be creditable enough to one day be president.

[@more@]3) Right now the Democrats have the "lime light" in this battle (mainly because of the Clinton-Obama face off). When it comes time for the final election, McCain will need a VP with LOTS of name recognition as he can not afford to waste time educating the American people on who his running mate is.

With those three reasons staring him in the face, McCain has quite the decision to make (assuming Huckabee does upstage him). That is why Mr Hames final pick in his article is so striking – General David Petraeus.

Bodybuilders pluck car from ditch

Here's a great article about some friendly neighbors…ones with strong backs:  Tongue out

From correpondents in Berlin

February 12, 2008 12:36am

News.com.au Article from: Reuters

A GROUP of 10 bodybuilders from a German gym took a break from their normal training routine to help a driver whose car was stuck in a ditch, police said.

The men were training at the Explosives fitness centre in Bad Zwischenahn near the western city of Oldenburg when the 38-year-old driver lost control of his vehicle, veered into a meadow and plunged the front of his car into the two-metre-deep ditch.

"They dropped their sweat towels and water bottles and ran over the road to the crash site," a police spokesman said.

"They then heaved the car out. It only took them a few minutes."

The grateful driver joined the men at the fitness centre to treat them to a round of energy drinks, the spokesman said.

 

Who's going to be VP?

Just for fun – who do you think is going to be choosen for VP on both the Democrats and Replication?

Here my thoughts:

Democrats:

  • If Clinton wins, I think she will pick Obama.
  • If Obama wins, I think he might pick Edwards or maybe Nancy Pelosi

Replication:

  • I think Huckabee will be the VP on either McCain or Romney's tickets.
  • If Huckabee pulls off a miracle and wins, then I think McCain would be his running mate.[@more@]