tax

The outrage grows a thousand fold each day
- where to start?
Let’s start with: THE SMIRK TAX CUT –
(Let me just say in light of being in the tail end of the Baby Boomers and not having put away a dime for retirement since I haven't had Julia Robert's fortunate career, and since the Social Security pot will most likely be historical theory by then and I will end up in one of the wandering tribes of old people who populate the earth - I really think there should be no tax cut, and the surplus - being that it is also merely projection - should, if it really comes to fruition after paying down the debt, be earmarked specifically for Social Security and programs that assist the elderly.) But since 90% of the population do not think that putting away money for a 'rainy day' very economically sound - on to:
                                              ~THE GREAT TAX CUT OF THE 21st CENTURY~
If I had a family of four, which I don’t, I would get $1600 over ten* years. That is $160 per year, or $13 per month. Three months ago that was paying my Natural Gas bill. No more, it is now $40 per month.
So how can I take my windfall of $13 per month (even though as a single adult I get about $2.29 per month instead) and stimulate the economy? *(Now, I have heard it's one(for the rich), five, but mostly TEN years, so we'll go with that. Even at FIVE years - $26.66 per month! I still can't afford to do much more than pay my Arrowhead -no arsnic- Water bill.)

BUY A HOUSE – Median home price in L.A. County, which in November 2000 was $298,990. To save for the 10% down payment it would take 192 years, so I guess that’s out. ($1600/5 years=$320 a year=93 years for $30k.)

BUY A CAR – Average car price = $20,000. To save for the 10% down of $2000, it would take over 12 years, almost 13. And that is not including the additional tax & license fees. Let’s say you have great credit and qualify for no down payment – just the tax, license, and destination charges – usually around another $2000 – still back to square one of 12 years to save for that amount. OK, no new car. ($320 a year - 6.25 years.)

GO ON VACATION – ok, where? Let’s say Hawaii! The least expensive I could find (ok for only looking for a few minutes on expedia.com) is - Includes: Roundtrip airfare to Honolulu, 4 nights' accommodation at the Westin Hawaii Prince Hotel, flower lei greeting, airport luggage handling, and roundtrip transportation between airport and hotel. From LAX as low as $986. Saving for that would take 6 ½ years. Ok, just get me to Hawaii, I’ll worry about food & lodging later - Round trip for 1 adult from LAX to OGG (Maui – so?) $544 rt on Hawaiian Air = Only 3 years, 4 months! ($320/year - ok, so I go to Hawaii ALONE next year, leave Hubby & two kinder behind, and don't eat.)

Not exactly stimulating the economy RIGHT NOW is it? So what can I buy with my $13/$320? Well, Virgin Megastore was having a sale last month, but I should really buy food/save for my two kids college fund/start a 401k), since those are a priority. So how can anyone representing ANYONE who makes $30k per year support this abomination? (They don’t because they have been body-snatched by the Pod People.) Smirk’s argument that the rich deserve more of a refund because they pay more taxes doesn’t hold any water. Maybe if the plan included a 25% refund of what you actually paid the feds last year in income tax, but that means someone would actually have to look up what you paid – payroll deductions +/- the check you either wrote or received from the Feds.

The truth is the Super Rich don’t pay much in taxes because they have the means (money) to afford shelters for their taxes; i.e. real estate, charitable contributions (didn’t Bill Gates give something like $8 Billion or some other obscene amount to something last year, not to mention Phillip Morris helping all those sympathetic families in those bogus commercials?), investments in business & industry so they can claim a business ‘loss’? And I am sure many others I can’t even imagine since I struggle to pay my auto insurance. To top that off, in order to give the 46% of the tax refund to the rich 1% of the population - he is cutting $15.7 million a year set aside to investigate the 900,000 children per year who are victims of abuse and neglect, AND another $200 million for child care funding. Abortions are bad - but those kids can fend for themselves once they enter this world.

The rich don’t deserve a refund of the money they didn’t pay in the first place. Period.

Either the Bartcop Tax Plan, or mine. But until Congress pulls its collective head out of Smirk’s ass long enough to get a clue that they are on the verge of another American Revolution, I have another suggestion regarding -
                                                       YOUR 2000 INCOME TAX RETURN:

If you OWE the FEDS money for your income tax, and haven’t sent them a check/filed yet, here is my idea:
I am all for supporting a government that is LEGALLY ELECTED by THE PEOPLE, not illegally appointed by the HIVE OF FIVE.
1st – Change your withholding to the most possible (9?) so you have the money, and can earn interest on it, not the illegal appointistration.
2nd – Put the money into the largest interest yielding account you can find. Don’t spend it. Or in this case (2000 Federal income Tax), take the amount you OWE, and deposit into the same account – HIGH INTEREST EARNING. And write a letter to send with your forms – stating that you are all for supporting a LEGALLY ELECTED government, especially in light of the PROOF that Smirk neither won the popular vote NOR the ELECTORAL vote, and it would be treasonous to support an illegal one, making you guilty of acting as an accomplice to said treason. Explain that the money is in an account for safe keeping, and as soon as a LEGALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT – BY THE PEOPLE, and according to the LAWS set forth in the CONSTITUTION, is in place - you will be more than happy to send the money – with whatever interest it has earned by the time said LEGAL GOVERNMENT is securely in office.
          I don’t owe this year - so I can’t claim I’d have the cajones to do this – but it’s a thought, eh?