Raise Your Hand For 5% No Exemptions Necessary

It's really simple, we can begin to lower the debt by getting rid of a bloated and overindulgent tax system. Why is it that we have all these rules? Why can we not have a simple flat tax rate for everyone, regardless of how many dependents they have; how much they donate to charity, or how much interest they pay on certain loans?

If you made $100,000 annually, would it not be extremely simple to know, that no matter what happened that year, you would pay a flat tax? The amount of the rate is still debatable. See, Congress would still have something to argue and complain about.

Don't corporations hire lawyers and accountants to figure out which loop holes benefit them the most? Does not the government have well over 115,000 employees on the full time payroll to process and collect taxes? Tons of people E-file, which I think is fantastic, that's not the problem. The problem is enforcing all the rules. Spending countless hours to ensure you got all your tax breaks. Please, give me a break...pass a flat tax and get rid of the loop holes and deductions!

Back to the rate, let's say that it's 5% across the board. So, if you make $120,000 (like a friend of mine does in Lewisville) then your tax payment would be $6,000. I bet he'd like that, because now his tax payment is $40,000. He's single, no children and owns his own home...no breaks.

I have another friend that makes $1,200,000...which is a considerable sum. He's a small business owner. Under my plan, he would pay $60,000, which is a fantastic break for him since he now pays well over $250,000 in taxes under our inflated ridiculous tax code.

The way I see it, middle America and small business owners finally get a break, big corporations have to pay their fair share, government spending is cut and millions of trees would be spared. I figure it's a win-win for everyone!

Oh, I know what you're thinking...Corporate America would pack up and leave. Let them. I would love to see a come back of the mom and pop businesses. Customer service would increase exponentially, automated systems would go bye-bye (and good riddance!), and people would act more like...well, people. Let's take our humanity back!

Am I being unreasonable? Is there something I'm missing? If I am...I'd like to know. Educate me on this matter, because I can't figure out why it would not work.

That Farm Is Going To Be Mine In Ten Years

A major lawsuit is being brought against the government by a group of Hispanic farmers claiming that the federal government made it easy for white farmers to get loans, but difficult for minority farmers. A similar lawsuit in 1999 was waged against the government by Black farmers which was rectified with a law passed by Congress that funded a billion dollar settlement.

Instead of it being handled as a class action suit, the courts are making each farmer face the government alone. We have seen this same intimidation tactic used by the Big Oil & Gas Industry against the small town of DISH and against the residents of Carter Ave. So, who is taking whose cues? Seems that the Federal Government and the Big Oil & Gas Industry are trying to drain these people of money and generally make them give up.

Guess where the majority of the 82,000 Hispanic farmers reside? Yep, right here in the good old state of Texas, why am I not surprised?

Truly repulsive. Why is it that these Hispanic farmers are being discriminated against? According to the news report, this discrimination began full force during the Reagan Administration and hasn't let up since. These farmers thought with the election of Obama that the change that was promised would finally come to be. That transformation has yet to materialize.

60 Sites In Utah Have Been Spared!

I read an article a few days ago about drilling being stopped dead in it's tracks on 60 sites over in Utah. I was amazed, and I guess it's because I'm so naive, I suppose I gotta stop doing that or being that. Seems like that in the last few weeks of the Bush/Cheney Saga, the administration forced through 77 leases for drilling without following proper protocol. Hmmm...I wonder why?

Only and only because of concerned conservation groups was this challenged. Thankfully, a federal judge fell in line and put an immediate halt to the madness. Seems, once again, that the Bush administration failed to consider the threats to air and water quality and to wildlife. Some of these areas are adjacent to or near Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Dinosaur National Monument.

As I continued reading the article, of course, American Petroleum Institute President, Jack N. Gerard, had this to comment:

“This troubling trend means less revenue to federal, state and local governments at a time when our nation is running a record deficit,” Mr. Gerard said. “It also means fewer jobs at a time our nation is headed toward 10 percent unemployment, and it means less domestic energy available when our economy recovers and demand rebounds.”

He also was quick to blame the Obama administration for stopping him dead in his tracks. And isn't just like an oil man to throw money around in his comments? Well, I live in the smack dab heart of unregulated drilling out here in West Texas and you know what Mr. Gerard? Our economy hasn't improved one iota. Nope, in fact...there are more drillers and riggers that are still not working. More and more families without the basic necessities, unable to give their kids five bucks to go on a school field trip. Indeed, the increased drilling in my area hasn't done anything for unemployment.

I will tell ya that those new wind turbines they've been erecting on the cap rock between Kermit and Odessa have actually created new jobs. Several of our high school graduates have just finished the training over in Sweet Water and are working in a pristine clean healthy environment. Nope, they don't have to wear H2S gas masks, go through HAZMAT Training, or worry about making sure their meters are functioning properly.

H.R. 3200...A Middle Class View

I'm in the process of reading H.R. 3200 which is the National Health Care bill that's on the table for confirmation. I got the idea of reading the bill because of the recent 9/12 protests rallies. I was asked to attend the one over in Odessa, but I declined. My reason for declining was because I wasn't quite sure what I was protesting. I mean, what if this health care bill really is a good one and I'm out there yelling against it, that would be pretty asinine of me.

So far, I've not come across anything that scares the beegeezus out of me. But I'm only at the beginning and I fully intend to read the bill, the entire bill and nothing but the bill...no commentary or someone else's opinion on what he/she thinks it really means. I'm rather tickled with the naysayers and doomsayers.

There are a few things that I really like about the proposal; strong insurance reforms, allowing us the option of a national health payer or private insurance, reduced insurance costs set according to one's income (that's sorta like reduced and free lunches for kiddos at school), but...I'm not so sure exactly what "shared responsibility" is referring to, and that's the one I'm gonna have to read a bit more about. I'm thinking that the "shared responsibility" has to do with the basic concept of our government "promoting the general welfare."

As I kept reading, I came across something truly wonderful and that's this:
Prohibiting pre-existing condition exclusions. That's a big one and a major reason why a lot of people can't get insurance. I worked in human resources for about 3 years. When a person leaves a company, they have the option of continuing their insurance coverage under something called COBRA. Of course, the person loses what employer contribution was being made, and has to foot the entire bill. Most times this is extremely expensive...upwards to about $700 - $800 per month. Some people have no choice, but to keep the insurance due to maybe already having a disease, such as diabetes or COPD. They just can't fore go having insurance until the next job, also they risk being denied new coverage for "pre-existing" diagnosis. It's a horrible calamity.

I also keep hearing (ooops, I said I wouldn't listen to others) that the feds have screwed up medicare. I think medicare works just fine. Medicare claims are paid timely. In fact, years ago, a provider could electronically submit claims to medicare get reimbursement within a few days...an electronic deposit. It wasn't until SOMEONE decided to farm out the management of medicare to some PRIVATE insurance groups such as SECURE HORIZONS that things started getting really messed up.

That's all I've read so far, and I'm only at the beginning. The only thing I've come across that I'm not liking is the tax on people who don't have insurance.

Obama's First Three Way Involving Money, Drugs and Pigs

Listen here to find out about Obama's first three way. It involves money, drugs and pigs...

What's that Clicking Sound I Hear?

I always get a little leery of posting about anything political. My beliefs are all over the place and sometimes change according to what's going on. I find that a person's ideology is shaped by their environment, their parent's beliefs and the local indoctrination of the whatever school or higher education they attended. So, I don't get upset with people if their political beliefs differ from mine, they're the product of their environment...very few people actually do the research and "know" why they believe what they believe.

My brother and I talk to each other every day. He lives in LA and he's 5 years younger than me. When my brother was 19, he ran away from home (my mommy to this day calls it that) and came to live with me in New Orleans, LA. When I moved to Denver, CO...my little brother stayed.

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, my brother wasn't interested in anything political. He was skipping along happily just dealing with day to day life. You see, I also don't inflict my painful views onto to anyone, they have to inflict theirs first. Post Katrina, my brother started listening to talk radio, because that's the only place he could get any information. During his talk radio period, he discovered politics. It was quite funny listening to him get all riled up telling me things I had already known, but it's also a wonderful growing experience that I got to participate in.

So, now our daily talks will include some form of political discussion. It's been fun to mix in a little Texas Secession, Push Over Obama and the Dirty Deeds of Oil Companies. What I have noticed though, that whenever me and lil' bro start talking about Obama...my phone begins to click.