Terry's 3M's

Well, the primaries are over. Even though it isn't a presidential election year, it is a big election year with the race for governor.

What was surprising to me (and to a lot of people who watch the politicians for a living...the ones who write political commentaries and the ones who do the same on tv), is that Aaron Russo had such a large showing in the primary. Almost a third of the votes.

I think one of the things that he said (there were a lot of things that he said, but, I'm going to focus on just one that would impact a large number of people in this state) gave those who work in gaming and service industries some hope. As governor, he would challenge the Federal Government's policy of taxing tips as income. That he would take the case to the Supreme Court on the grounds that tips are gifts...and gifts that are under x amount of dollars are not taxable.

The logic is irrefutable in my book. But, I don't believe that the governor's office has the power to do that. This would have to be a class action suit. Aren't class action suits supposed to be taken to court by the injured parties? As governor, I don't think that he would qualify as the one to start this.

However, if dealers, waitresses, bartenders, etc. got together and formed a group, and if that group hired a lawyer to challenge the law on their behalf, they just might have a case. If they actually won the case, it would have nationwide reprocussions.

Now there's a bill that I would support! However, I don't think that it's any surprise that it's still stuck in committee. The ramifications of that bill are so great. Yes, I think that it would actually bring more money into the government because there are a lot of people who are in illegal occupations (drug dealers and prostitutes leap to mind) and some of their income would actually go into nation coffers for a change.

On the other hand, dismantling the IRS would put lots of people out of work. I'm not just talking about the workers for the IRS, either. While environmentalists would be happy about the number of trees that would be saved by not printing up the tons and tons of forms and instruction pamphlets each year, there would be loggers and paper mill workers who would get laid off. And just think of the printers who have that particular government contract...and of all the money the government would save by not having that particular expense to pay any more.

What do we do with the people who are in jail for income tax evasion? In Nevada (one of the few states without an income tax), tax lawyers would have to find a new specialty.

The Federal government would also have to have a huge yard sale on furniture, office equipment and computers.

Well, one could go on for days about all the ramifications of that bill. But, wanna bet that it never gets out of committee?