http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:16:22 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/07/16/011621.php#comment-612006 This article has been selected for syndication to <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/newslogs/bookreviews"> Advance.net </A>, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States, and to <a href = "http://www.boston.com/ae/books/blogcritics/"> Boston.com</a>. Nice work! 612006@blogcritics.org Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:16:22 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/07/16/011621.php#comment-611496 The ultimate problem with the entire discussion is the problem of "who decides" about how much of "the other guy's income" should be taxed? S/he who decides has the innate conflict of interest in that s/he is ALSO the one who exploits that tax money to his/her own end (under the guise of "serving the People.") This "conflict of interest" gives free reign to politicians who bargain away tax dollars with lobbyists, special interests, and social engineers - and, indeed, the People suffer (as the subject article acknowledges). But consider the following dimensions of the problem, and then ask yourself, "Do we REALLY want to keep the current tax system?" Where is the outrage over sky-high taxes, regulatory costs? 7/15/07 New Haven (CT) Register by Jim Higgins (Fair Use excerpts) "Reports last week from two nonprofit groups should serve as a wake-up call to Americans to start agitating for tax reform . . . "On Monday, the Competitive Enterprise Institute reported that the cost to consumers of complying with federal regulations exceeded $1 trillion in 2006 . . . almost 10 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. It's nearly half the amount of government spending. "Even more worrisome, the cost of complying with these multitudinous regulations exceeds the amount of individual income tax paid in 2006, about $998 billion, as well as corporate incomes taxes of $277 billion. "According to the Washington, DC-based advocacy group [ Americans for Tax Reform ], the average American had to work through July 11 this year just to pay all federal, state and local taxes, as well as regulatory costs including workers' compensation and unemployment benefits. "Congress should take one of two paths: Either cut tax rates and government spending drastically, or adopt the FairTax, an innovative proposal that would involve abolishing the Internal Revenue Service and its income tax and replacing it with a simple national sales tax." Full article here: http://snipr.com/wherestheoutrage ----------------- The U.S. income tax system and the U.S. economy are inter-related, and are in DIRE trouble. If we, the citizens of these United States, do not act aggressively to spread the FairTax plan with family, friends and associates - our "nest eggs" stand to be devastated through a coming economic meltdown (see Kotlikoff interview, below). Politicians are putting demogoguery and pandering above responsible governing - and they're able to do it because Americans do NOT understand - at the "get go" - politicians' / bankers' hunger for ever-increasing shares of the working person's bi-weekly paycheck; Americans do NOT understand the totality of taxes they pay. The FairTax shines the "light of day" on this, putting citizens back in charge to forcefully demand spending reductons. YOU AND I MUST ACT to mobilize public opinion, and get the FairTax enacted, because the signs point to a probable devaluation of the dollar (for reissuance of an "Amero" ? - under a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hiPrsc9g98">U.S.-sovereignty-busting North American Union</a>? [ NOTE: Does this help clarify your understanding of what's going on globally? a) Bush's persistence on rewarding illegal immigration? b) the North American Highway now under construction in Texas (to stream cheap labor into the covertly-planned North American Union marketplace designed to compete with 21st-century China market? c) the gradual increase in value of the Chinese yuan by China corresponding to China's economic growth? (This will result in the dumping of dollar-denominated debt as its manufacturing economy grows stronger - which guarantees devaluing and ushering-in of the Amero.) ] Keep in mind, this NAU strategy - supported by the "super-rich" (member-owners of the Fed) - together with their politician buddies who want NOTHING to do with FairTax - runs contrary to simply making the U.S. a "tax free zone" for business under the FairTax. Politicians and bankers lose power when the U.S. is returned to a "savings-driven economy" from a "debt/interest-driven" economy). ------------- Read the summary, "Laurence J. Kotlikoff (*) on Long-Term Fiscal Problems in the U.S.," and <a href="http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/1859.html">download the podcast</a>. (*) Prof. Laurence Kotlikoff (expert economist, and advocate, of the FairTax plan) ------------- Powerful "elites," members of political and monied-interest "clubs" reaching into the halls of power in Washington, depend on keeping you and me uninformed of their plans. It is up to YOU and ME to ACT - and not live in a state of denial - based on what we now know is clearly happening to our financial futures. After you consult the Kotlikoff interview (above): • (If you're a member of your State FairTax organization) Contact your state or local <a href="http://www.snipr.com/localftleaders">FairTax Director</a> to learn what you can do. • (If you're just learning about the FairTax bill) Join <a href="http://www.snipurl.com/scrapthecode">FairTax.org</a>. 611496@blogcritics.org Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:59:26 EDT