16 February 2005
Politicians are almost funny about our money
12:08 PM
According to Howard Dean Bush's budget does two things: (1) it brings Enron style accounting to D.C.; and (2) it proves that we can't trust Republicans with our money.
I don't know much about who first did it, but worse-than-Enron style accounting was brought to D.C. long ago; so if Bush's budget does bring that type of accounting to D.C., it would be an improvement over the current type of accounting.
Second, I don't want to trust anyone but me with my money. I want to keep more of it and do with it as I think best. Besides, once the government has my money, it is no longer my money; it is the government's money. In paying taxes, we do not place our money with a fund manager. (If my money manager handled my money the way any government handles money I would fire him.)
If Dean weren't serious, he would almost be funny.
Now, while on the subject of taxes and whose money it is, I heard just today (16 Feb 2005) that, because people are buying more fuel efficient cars, government revenues are down in California. Of course, governments don't like having to do with less, so California, I hear, is considering a tax plan which will tax auto owners on the basis of mileage.
Apparently, it will work something like this. Autos will be fitted with GPS locators, which will track mileage. When you go to refuel, a computer in the gas pump will poll your car's on board computer and you will be charged a gas tax according to your mileage. (And, in true liberal fashion, your on board computer will also tell the gas pump computer how much money you make so that you can be taxed on the basis of your income. Obviously, if you are wealthy, you ought to pay more; and if you are poor you ought to pay none.)
It occurs to me that, more than likely, the politicians behind this plan are liberals. The liberals, as we all know, are critical of the Patriot Act because of its curtailments of our civil liberties, like the right to privacy. Now, they want to track private citizens going about their lives for no other reason than to be able to tax them. As I understand (or would, at least, like to believe), normally, the government would be prohibited from GPS tracking someone without a search warrant. Clearly, for liberals, no civil liberty trumps the government's liberty to tax.
This tax idea reminds of the "road tax" idea in the movie Dragonslayer (with Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery and Jason Isaacs). And, like that idea, it would be kind of funny--if this were a fantasy movie.
I don't know much about who first did it, but worse-than-Enron style accounting was brought to D.C. long ago; so if Bush's budget does bring that type of accounting to D.C., it would be an improvement over the current type of accounting.
Second, I don't want to trust anyone but me with my money. I want to keep more of it and do with it as I think best. Besides, once the government has my money, it is no longer my money; it is the government's money. In paying taxes, we do not place our money with a fund manager. (If my money manager handled my money the way any government handles money I would fire him.)
If Dean weren't serious, he would almost be funny.
Now, while on the subject of taxes and whose money it is, I heard just today (16 Feb 2005) that, because people are buying more fuel efficient cars, government revenues are down in California. Of course, governments don't like having to do with less, so California, I hear, is considering a tax plan which will tax auto owners on the basis of mileage.
Apparently, it will work something like this. Autos will be fitted with GPS locators, which will track mileage. When you go to refuel, a computer in the gas pump will poll your car's on board computer and you will be charged a gas tax according to your mileage. (And, in true liberal fashion, your on board computer will also tell the gas pump computer how much money you make so that you can be taxed on the basis of your income. Obviously, if you are wealthy, you ought to pay more; and if you are poor you ought to pay none.)
It occurs to me that, more than likely, the politicians behind this plan are liberals. The liberals, as we all know, are critical of the Patriot Act because of its curtailments of our civil liberties, like the right to privacy. Now, they want to track private citizens going about their lives for no other reason than to be able to tax them. As I understand (or would, at least, like to believe), normally, the government would be prohibited from GPS tracking someone without a search warrant. Clearly, for liberals, no civil liberty trumps the government's liberty to tax.
This tax idea reminds of the "road tax" idea in the movie Dragonslayer (with Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery and Jason Isaacs). And, like that idea, it would be kind of funny--if this were a fantasy movie.
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About Me
- James Frank Solís
- Former soldier (USA). Graduate-level educated. Married 26 years. Texas ex-patriate. Ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.
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2 comments:
You would not only fire him, but he would prosecuted by the government [!!] for fraud.
I read in an investing book that one of the biggest problems people have with their finances is that they expand their spending to meet their budget, even expanding their debt along the way. So when the Government has more money than it needs (and could pay down debt with) it does the same thing. He cites when Reagan noticed the Federal Budget was going to be $100 Billion over, that he got $100 Billion to offset the shortfall, but what did Congress do? Attached riders to bills, added more spending (instead of letting the taxes make up the difference) and kept the deficit growing. This book said look at how the Federal Government budgets and spends, and don't do what they do. The book is High Finace on a Low Budget: 2nd Edition by Mark and Jo Ann Skousen. The information comes from pages 10 and 11.