Taxing the rich solves the problem?

In 2009 there were approximately

137,900,000 tax returns that paid $870 Billion in taxes

1,400,000 tax returns with incomes in excess of $340,000. (Top 1%)                                 They paid $318 Billion in taxes or 36.7% of all income taxes paid

6,900,000 tax returns with incomes in excess of $155,000. (Top 5%)                                 They paid $508 Billion in taxes or 58.7% of all income taxes paid                                   Source: Internal Revenue Service

The current annual federal budget deficit is $1,302 Billion        http://www.usdebtclock.org/

If we DOUBLE the taxes of ALL incomes over $155,000 we still spend $794 Billion* dollars more than we take in.

We have a spending problem NOT a revenue problem.  The politicians are distracting the uninformed or misinformed into a class war to hide their malfeasance.

ALL spending not specifically authorized by the Constitution must be eliminated.

VOTE ‘EM OUT  ALL of them.

*revised

The Evil of Compromise

Gee where to begin…

Compromise is the least intelligent political method currently infecting our political process … well it’s among the least intelligent anyway. Compromise is NOT the savior of political movements, it guarantees failure.

If you desire the thermostat set at 80 degrees and I desire it set at 60 degrees the obvious compromise is 70 degrees, a setting that fails us both, it is a fail-fail. If one of those settings is right then all other settings are wrong and the compromise is wrong. There are only a couple of advantages to compromise. First, it offers the appearance of progress where none really exists, practitioners of the deception are seen as moving the issue “forward” (another concept bereft of integrity) when in reality neither position is satisfied.  Second it appears to absolve the participants from responsibility to their constituents, each tried to do the “right” thing but compromise was forced on them.  The truth is directly opposite of the appearance, they have abdicated their sworn responsibility to protect and defend the Constitution and there is no “forward” in compromise.  Compromise is a political lie offered by those devoid of integrity in order to hide incompetence or malfeasance.

Compromise is how we got where we are;

“I want to spend no more than we have.”

“But I want to spend $3trillion more than we have.”

“We’ll compromise by only spending $2trillion more than we have.”

Now I know it didn’t happen in one fell swoop as such, it happened in small miniscule violations of integrity; “I’ll vote for your bill that I don’t support, if you’ll vote for my bill that you don’t support.”  Each representative compromises integrity to move “forward”; each sells his oath to buy the votes of his constituents by promoting his bill.

The above sounds like a malady for the elect only, but it is a disease of the electorate as well.  We demand such compromise in order to move forward because we fear stagnation.  There is no good reason to fear it, most often it is better to do nothing until better or more complete information is available, but that is not our nature.  We demand a move “forward” and decry a “do nothing” position when that is what congress should be doing more often than not.

We, the electorate, are guilty of the most heinous compromise.  We fail to demand the best representation, choosing to compromise our integrity by electing the lesser of two evils, forgetting conveniently that though lesser it remains evil. After decades of such failure of our duty, we are surprised when our government is evil.  Any compromise from good is evil.

The power of the presidency (or “because his lips are moving”)

If a presidential candidate, ANY presidential candidate from any party at any time tells you he will;

cut taxes

raise taxes

cut spending

raise spending

balance the budget

bust the budget

create jobs

or anything related to those

KNOW that he is a liar, lying to you and he knows it.

The office of the presidency has NO authority to do ANY of those things, all of those issues are the responsibility and duty of Congress.  The only control the office of the presidency has over those issues is that of veto, he can sign the bills or veto them.

If a candidate tells you otherwise he’s a liar, do not vote for him.

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From the Constitution of the United States of America:

The President shall

be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states,

have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties,

nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States,

have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.

from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient;

[may], on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper

receive ambassadors and other public ministers

take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States.

Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation:–“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

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http://constitutioncenter.org/633876696043236250.pdf

fair share

When raising children it is common for parents to force them to “share” their things.  That bit of foolish education is now coming home to roost.  Now before you get your knickers in a twist, just how much sharing do you do on a regular basis?  Just how often do you share your house, your car, your money, your spouse, your electricity, your things?  Yeah, thought so, even the Christian tithe is rare in most lives.  And yet we’ve raised a generation steeped in that nonsense, how else can we explain mobs of people complaining that rich people are rich, that they don’t “share” their riches?  Maybe it’s time to put away childish things and point out to these misguided children that life isn’t fair.

Life isn’t fair, it never has been fair, and it won’t ever be so. If someone told you it was they lied. “Work hard and get ahead” is something mommas tell children to get them to do their homework. Some people will work their keesters off and never make enough to buy a dinner out. Hard work is no guarantee of success.  A college degree is no guarantee of prosperity; neither is a masters, or multiple degrees. In fact there is NO guarantee of prosperity; never has been, nor should there be. Sometimes the market shifts, there little need for buggy whips anymore. Sometimes a market glut evaporate profits, sometimes owners sell their share of a market, sometimes people stop buying your product, sometimes technology shifts just enough to kill your sector, sometimes competition from other countries is too much to overcome, sometimes you just make a bad bet.

That said, your odds of success are considerably better if you work hard than they are if you stand in a park with a sign.

Being unemployed in this economy is common for nearly 10% of the working population, finding a job is difficult and I don’t envy that position at all. Standing on a corner in Oakland will not improve that position at all. Complaining about rich people won’t improve that position, neither will complaining about the government. You have a better chance improving your position by buying a lotto ticket than any of those things.

However, there is a chance, a very slim one that working very hard in a new field may, just may, improve your financial position. There is NO chance that complaining about rich people will do anything at all for your economic situation.

Misplaced concern

I’ve been watching this OWS crowd for a month, listening to their spokespeople, visiting their various websites, speaking with their supporters and such, attempting to get a handle on just what it is that has them concerned enough to sleep outside in the depths of … Autumn.

The best I’ve been able to determine from their rather incoherent disjointed grumblings is they have a severe issue with what they see as corporate corruption of our federal government.  Well, to be honest, I also have a bit of a concern there.  Our government pays much too much attention to the contributions of big business.

That is NOT the fault of big business.  Business is in business to make money; for
themselves and their stock holders.  They spend money to make money; on research, development, advertising, and supporting politicians that will enhance their ability to make money.  I am not at all surprised at that and I’m unclear why anyone would be. While on that note, business is not in business to provide jobs for Americans or to be patriotic in some manner.  Some may be, but only as far as it makes money.

On the other hand, elected officials, particularly to federal positions, have sworn an oath to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States”.  That is their business, their ONLY business.

Now, if the OWS crowd has a real issue with corporate corruption of their elected officials, it is the elected officials who have violated their oaths (criminally I might add), and it becomes the duty of their constituents to vote the criminals out of office.  So if they really want to fix the problem, instead of just hurling insults at people who have the audacity to be successful, they will mount a campaign to have those officials removed from office, replacing them with patriots who will “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States”.

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By the way, constitutionally, the federal government is not in business to create jobs for Americans either.  The full extent of their power and authority is defined in the Constitution of the United States.

http://constitutioncenter.org/633876696043236250.pdf

If we revere it as the supreme law of the land, as we should, we should know what it says, and maybe as importantly what it doesn’t say.

CONGRESS is restricted

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of
grievances.