Tax Comedy
May 10, 2009
This is only tax comedy in the sense that it is presented as such. I found the below video via Left Coast Rebel, and thought I’d pass it on.
Taxation has become pervasive. When you earn a dollar, it is taxed, when you spend it, it is taxed again. At the same time as you are being taxed for spending it, someone else is being taxed for earning it. These taxes are increasing, and not just by total value, but by percentage, which is unaffected by inflation and thus unjustifiable in a digital age which should be lowering the cost of governing.
When you think of the nature of income and sales taxes, it becomes clear that the government makes a lot of money, not on the saving and responsible use of money, but on its momentum. The next time you hear someone in power speaking of the need to get consumers consuming again, think of what their true motive might be.
Torture, Religion, Life, Death, and Fear
May 3, 2009
A doomish title if ever I’ve penned one. As seen in the video below, a recent poll has shown a strong link between churchgoing and the approval of torture.
While this comes as no surprise to those of us who have been paying attention, I think it deserve some further scrutiny. The obvious conclusion would be that religion causes a desire to torture, but I think that may be backwards. Another recent study showed the religious as being far more likely to seek extreme life prolonging measures when deathly ill. What does all this have in common? A fear of the unknown extreme enough to lead people to oppose the values they claim to have, just to scrabble at a scrap of hope. It is religion that is an irrational safety blanket for some very rational fears, that provides the self righteousness and justification for the commission of atrocities that were already desired by those susceptible to it’s pull of absolution. It is the dichotomy of hope and fear that got both Bush and Obama elected by the same electorate. While hope and fear are polar opposites, they are two sides of the same coin.
It is as if the whole country is in a Kübler-Ross model of the stages of grief.
- Denial: This is where we were between WWII and the Bush years. We were the greatest country on earth. It was our birthright, not just a side effect of being the last manufacturing power standing after the war due to the distance of our homes from the front lines.
- Anger: We clearly transition from denial to anger early in the Bush years. We believe all of our problems are external in nature, that it isn’t our fault. The Axis of Evil is the source of our pain. Wars ensue on multiple fronts.
- Bargaining: Hope. Perhaps if we elect a Democrat, they will fix everything. We will give the banks whatever they want, bail out the manufacturing industry, borrow money, whatever it takes. The final days of Bush and the first 100 days of Obama.
- Depression: This is where we are now. consumer confidence is low, the parties are fragmented, the future unclear.
- Acceptance: This is where we are going. We need to accept that our problems are fundamental and widespread, that the middle east won’t have peace, China isn’t going away, and the Dollar isn’t intrinsically strong. Our economy isn’t in a downturn, it has seen a correction, and we aren’t going back to the golden age of the 1950′s any time soon. It is time to pick up the pieces, make some hard choices, and begin to move forward.
We are a government of the people, by the people. It hasn’t led us here, we have led it here. We can take it back, but we can’t do it without a majority. Our next president should be a Ron Paul.
latest pig flu news
May 2, 2009
There is a debate raging through the country as to whether the pig flu is a scary plague of DOOM, or merely a bunch of media hype. The answer, I believe, lies in part at one end of the spectrum, and in part at the other. If you watch the media lately, they seem to have switched sides to try to calm the public. This is never a good sign.
The good news is that the pig flu is responding to treatment. It isn’t cutting a swath of death and destruction, now that we know what it is. That’s where the good news ends.
The bad news is that it is already spreading worldwide. It isn’t just something passed from pigs to people, it also goes from people to people, and likely from bird to bird, bird to human, etc. I really believe it is far past the point of eradication. Due to immune overreaction, it strikes the strong the hardest. Keep in mind that the purple dots on this map are confirmed cases. By the time a case of pig flu is confirmed, it generally has been in a person’s system for a few days, and then after they manage to see a doctor, it tends to take several more days to confirm. What I’m saying is that this map is lagging. This is a snapshot of the pig flu as it existed nearly a week ago. I think it is worth keeping an eye on, because most of us will likely get it, if not this year, then next, or the year after.
Our primary adversary in this isn’t the piggy flu, it is fear, and the overreaction in the populace. It isn’t the media’s fault. We don’t need their help to panic. The worry here isn’t riot, it is economic. If we shut the schools, restaurants, and other workplaces in fear of influenza, the loss of wages will push those who are already teetering in this tough economy over the edge. We need to try to slow the progression by social distancing, without shutting everything down.
What we need the public to understand is that there is a flu going around. We can treat it, but not immunize (yet) against it. It is a nasty flu, but not likely deadly. It is a time to be wary rather than fearful or dismissive.
I’ll keep this post updated with resources as I find them. If you have any thoughts or links, please post them in the comments.
Latest numbers 06-08-09: 25,288 cases, 139 deaths.
The most recent swine flu map I’ve found.
Good post on The Umlaut about the nature of this type of influenza.