When is rich too much?

There has to be a point when even pro capitalist folks and the millions of wannabe millionaires in the US start to think this is absurd.

In my book, NO individual or family on this planet should have wealth valued into the billions of dollars.  I'm not saying governments or mobs with torches and pitchforks should levee laws to prevent this from happening; I'm saying that we a human beings in the global 21st Century should collectively agree on a point when too much wealth is moralistically more criminal than recreational drugs, speeding and gay marriage.

I mean my income has GREATLY increased for the next several months, but it's still what many in the US would consider low, yet I think it's pretty darn good (it's an enlisted person's military paycheck).  It would have to increase again at a rate of ~25 times to equate to a yearly income of $1 million.  Not one person NEEDS an income of that amount (and yes, I'm keeping taxes in mind as I say that--even a 50% rate leaves one with enough to buy a superfluous home in JUST ONE YEAR).  THEN there are thousands that make in a year what even this income would take a decade or three to accumulate.  Even if you're one of the rare few that start a small company from nothing and quickly produces a product that half the US buys at least once, is it that easy to forget where you came from or to have little to no sense of what you could do for your community and fellow human beings?  Is your $20 molded-plastic smartphone cover--that could be profitable at $1--a good enough gift to the people of the world?

Huhhh.  Are people just becoming that greedy or are we losing touch with reality this much???

Historical Income Tax Rates in the U.S. or We Just Like to Believe Rich Politicians

In response to 21 September 2011 episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the subsequent googling of past income tax rates…finally

I like it when Jon Stewart points out when rich people are just wanting ways to get richer, but when it comes to people talking about how we can't POSSIBLY grow economically as a nation any taxes are raised by those that can afford it, he should mention the historical federal income tax rates the U.S. has had. 

It doesn't take much time to research creditable, factual info.  Just to give you an idea of what you may find, from 1932 to 1986 the top bracket was never below 50% and topped out at 94%.  During the boom after the Great Depression and World War II, it was around 90%.  When adjusted for the ever-lovely inflation, for most of our income tax history, if a "married filling jointly" household made between ~$100,000 and $250,000, they paid 50% or more. 

That being said, our infrastructure over the past few decades has increased – as it should to some degree for any growing nation – while our taxes have gone down.  If you use almost any other rich country on the planet as an example, we should be paying more in taxes for the physical size of our country and the amount of App Store-like variations on public services.  I imagine it is mathematically plausible to lower taxes SLOWLY over time if things are being managed REALLY well for the long-term, but we obviously have seen this isn’t good for the long-term stability of the economy.  To me, it’s as if you prefer investing for your long-term future by frequenting Las Vegas instead of an “old- fashion” savings account or investing in shiny metals and rocks that still seem to grow in allure since caveman days. 

Now my personal opinion probably means I should just move to another country that has collectively figured it out better instead of saying we need to manage our money better, pay more in taxes, spend more on education, research, public transportation and healthcare (universal).  To me, it's not class warfare to raise taxes a little on very wealthy people; it's class warfare when you don't and MOST people are doing pretty poorly by comparison.  I don’t need a lot to live a comfortable, nice life.  I also don’t want my nation’s government to take from the rich and just give it to the poor – even though this sharing idea is how things worked before civilization if you wanted to survive often.  You’re doing pretty good and the family in the hut or tree next door isn’t doing so well, you share the extras you have. And when you’re down on your luck and they’re doing swell, the favor is returned.  We probably wouldn’t have made it beyond tribes if we had the mentality many have today.  So much for coming together to help your neighbors (towns and states) and fellow tribe members (U.S. citizens) in which sharing what you had with everyone for the greater good was what you had to do to survive in hard times.    

Taxes and government hoopla aside, I think we've become a much greedier, selfish nation than we were just a few decades ago.  There was a time when it was OK to "get by" or that making two or three times more than the national average was a wealthy/rich lifestyle.  What happened to us that 10, 20 or 100 times the national average isn't enough?  Even if you don’t want to take into consideration how well those that live around the poverty line have it in places like the U.S. compared to billions of others around the world, there’s a point when we need to calm it down with inventing more insanely expensive things to spend the money we think we need.      

I understand getting angry about government spending and poor management with good agencies, but we don't seem to care enough to elect decent "representatives" to congress or establish a better way of doing so, so it's kind of hard to complain about that in turn.  Elect the rich and they will try to protect the rich, i.e. themselves. 

U.S. Income Tax Rates from 1913 to 2011, Actual and Adjusted for Inflation 

When is free speech anything but?

When is free speech anything but?

30 August 2011

Tullahoma, Tennessee

In response to: Do we really need the National Weather Service http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/08/27/do-really-need-national-weather-service/

WOW.  I'm so...I...pffff.  I don't know where to begin. 

I'm so blown away by what some people can say that have a strong outlet for their nonsense.  If there's anything that needs to be shut down, it's Fox "News".  I truly believe there's a point where you lose you right to free speech.  We...AHHHHH.  There's a point when your "speech" becomes malicious.  Sometimes it's because of your ignorance; sometimes it's completely intentional.  Just because the Constitution didn't spell out to a T what its intent was, doesn't mean we can't exploit it to a point when it becomes more harmful that having it.  If I can say all people with dark skin should be rounded up and buried alive and saying it with true conviction, that's not right.  I have something wrong with my brain.  I need to be medically evaluated to see if I'm a safe member of SOCIETY in which almost everyone on this planet lives in now.  If I can't be helped and can function as a member of this society/civilization, I lose certain right afforded to being apart of said society/civilization.  Why bother having LAWS.  Why bother saying murder is "wrong" or something that's forbidden?  We are really missing the point of a lot of things we've established over our existence as a species.

Now I’m not advocating making laws or whatever to take a person’s ability to express their opinion or outlaw saying certain things.  I’m talking about losing your right to do so through certain mediums.  I person can stand in a public place or online with a personal, independent blog and say what they wish – to some degree – but to be allowed to say some things through certain mediums is different.  In this case, this is a NEWS medium.  These people are doing so with the support from a large corporation under the rouse of journalism.  News is not an opinion column.  It’s starting fact.  When a news outlet starts giving opinion, whether in segments away from the main headlines, it grows increasingly dangerous.  More so when you have a viewership this doesn’t do a lot of thinking about the topics for themselves.  Believe it or not, there was a time when what was being reported over the airwaves had to present equal time for multisided topics.  Lobbying took care of that.  Oh, look, big money calling the shots with our news.  Hmmm.  In capitalism, money is in control.  The people with the money generally want to have it where they keep making more regardless of what this means for others.        

We are in some serious trouble if stuff like this can be said and a lot of blind followers take this as something of substance.  It's really becoming painfully obvious a growing number of people have no clue what civilization is and what and how a MODERN functioning state/nation/government works and its function in a society. 

Oh my.  I might be having a stroke right now.  I’m actually having to do controlled breathing right now. 

I'm sorry folks, true capitalism is not a model for the 21st century.  When people were able to live off the land on ALL their own for the most part -- I mean a lot of children didn't survive to adulthood and 40 was old age, and there was a lot of people dying from a lack of the basic elements of human survival -- something like that could work, i.e. paying (more like bartering or trading) for only what you needed.  Our current way of life, it cannot work.  I really think some of these people didn't go to school, or are the greediest people on the planet, or just are not capable of completely thinking through anything.

 

PEOPLE OF THE WORLD: PLEASE THINK MORE!  SPEND HOURS, NOT SECONDS THINKING ABOUT IMPORTANT THINGS.

Wow.

Our Taxes

Our Taxes
9 April 2010
Malmstrom AFB, Montana

In response to Lori Harfenist’s Happy Tax Freedom Day video.
http://www.theresident.net/video/happy-tax-freedom-day/

REALLY. Not one person knows where their taxes go. Wow.

Have you driven on a paved road today?

Did you go to or take your child(ren) to a public school today?

Do you get your water from a non-well source?

Did you flush some bullshit down the toilet today that didn't go into a septic tank?

Did you see a fire truck today? A police car?

Know anyone who has served in the military?

Did you use GPS today (developed and maintained by the U.S. Air Force).

Did you manage not to get sick from eating from one of thousands of providers, whether restaurant or store bought? (food handling and preparation standards)

Go to a park recently?

Blah blah blah blah.

It really does seem the vast majority of people in the U.S. don’t know where their taxes go. Yes, you can’t really know where every penny goes, but it’s not hard to know where it is generally spent.

There are endless examples of where our taxes go. I don't mind paying taxes because I know where they go and what they provide to me. Now I do not like my, and others, money being wasted. I do not mean from a program I don't use or one I think is silly because I understand others may really need it or really benefit from it and that I try not to be a greedy bastard. 

We need to think of taxes as our collective pool of resources to better our national community—particularly since we don’t MAKE SHIT IN THIS COUNTRY ANYMORE!!! They aren't a bad thing. I'm a simple person—for the most part—that grew up in the South in a very conservative, religious, working-class family. I've served close to a decade in the military—well if that doesn't make one feel old now. From living in many different places all over the world, I understand how and why some people feel differently about taxes, government and things they don't have firsthand experience with. I understand why it's hard for a person from a small town in a large state with a small population to get this big picture. Hell, I'm not that social of a person in many regards, but dang it, I believe we all need to look out for each other—and I'm not even a religious person anymore! It kills me when I see all these white, conservative (politically speaking that is), religious people going all teabag crazy. Sounds like someone needs to try not to selectively listen and read at church. If you're going to call yourself a Christian, you best FULLY live it. And from what I remember from the bible, Jesus was quite the socialist (and not the kind some like to group under the Nazi flag, but the more basic tribal type and that are used widely around the developed world). Yeah, think about it before you get all defensive or dismiss me Christians.

As for what to tax, on a federal level I feel to be fair we need to tax everything equally or nothing at all. I really think just an income tax should be all there is on a federal level. Fairest is a flat rate—in thought—but if you make $10,000 in a year, that $1,000 makes a big difference. If you make $1,000,000, that $100,000 is a lot of money, but the remaining $900,000 goes a LOOONG way. With great power—in our society that means money—comes great responsibility (actually, maybe I’m wrong, but I recall the bible saying something along the lines as “to whom much is given, much will be expected”). As for taxing things like goods and services, that can be set by the needs of states and municipalities. With a country of our size and diversity, we need to be flexible to local needs. Plus, this allows people to live in areas that are run in ways they feel meet their ideals. We need to streamline our government and make sure it runs efficiently and with integrity, on ALL levels. I think before people start bitching at the federal government, they best make sure their local and state governments are run well first—then go after D.C. 

I know these thoughts are noble and may be pie in the sky—mmmm, pie—but that doesn’t mean we should give up on them or just ignore the topics that need our attention as citizens of this country. Education first and don’t be an armchair politician.

*A later thought*

Oh, and another way to look at it is like dues for an organization, just with a sliding like many military organizations and events do based on rank (which means pay scale). So you military people should understand it more. Funny how everyone I've ever seen in these circumstances always thought it was a great idea and gladly paid what the could more easily afford.

The Beer Shitlist & Save Rock Art Brewery!

So let's get this started off right!

OK, I've been meaning to do this since April--when I started the list. This list mostly came from the big two's own websites. That's right, TWO breweries own all this "beers" or labels. There are probably more now since the two are getting more and more competition from smaller craft brewers, so they are coming up with fake breweries to fool you--I've even been fooled a couple times since becoming the beer fanatic I am now--but I've been able to recognized short-coming in the taste. If you drink Budweiser, Coors, Miller, ect., you most likely will not notice since even this masked crap is a few steps up.

Also, I just read today (13Oct09) that a SMALL brewery in Vermont, Rock Art Brewery http://www.rockartbrewery.com/, is being sued by the makers of "Monster" energy drinks, Hansen Beverage Company (part of the Anheuser-Busch happy family) for trademark infringement. Seriously, the beer in question is named "Vermonster"--it's ONE letter away from being "Vermonter"!!! I know Monster people cater generally to people of minimal intelligence, but it's a completely different label, product and very state specific.  I have a feeling this is more about beer competition. Why out-brew the competition with a quality product when you can destroy them in court.  Either way, WE CAN'T LET THESE GREEDY, CAPITALISTIC ASSHOLES TAKE COMMON WORDS AWAY FROM US!!!!!!!! TAKE A STAND!!!!!! Or let millionaires and billionaires control your life so they can make more money off of you and destroy the little guys (US!) so that can make more...


*The Beer Shitlist*
Those with an * pretty much means it's crap and those under MillerCoors.  This list mostly is just letting you know where the beer comes from...

Anheuser-Busch* InBev
• Alexander Keith's
• Antarctica
• Aqua Fratelli Vita
• Astika Fine Quality Lager
• BACARDI*
• Baisha
• BagBier
• Bare Knuckle Stout*
• Bass*
• Beach Bum Blonde Ale*
• Beck’s*
• Belle-Vue
• Bergenbier
• Boddingtons
• Bohemia
• Boomerang
• Borostyán
• Borsodi Sör
• Bozicno
• Budweiser*
• Cafri
• Caracu
• Cass
• Castlemaine XXXX
• Chelada*
• Chernigivske
• Diebels
• Diekirch
• Dimix
• Dommelsch
• Double Deer
• Franziskaner
• Kristallklar
• Gilde Ratskeller
• Guaraná Antarctica
• Guaraná Brahma
• Haake-Beck
• Harbin
• Hasserõder
• Hertog
• Jan
• Hoegaarden
• Hop Hound Amber Wheat*
• Hougaerdse Das
• Hurricane*
• Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale*
• Jelen Pivo
• Jinling
• Jinlongquan
• Julius
• Jupiler
• KK
• Klinskoye
• Kamenitza
• Kokanee
• La Bécasse
• Labatt
• Lakeport Pilsener
• Leffe
• Liber
• Löwenbräu
• Marathon
• Michelob*
• Monster* (not a beer, but is owned by AB)
• Mousel
• Murphy's
• Natural*
• Nik
• Niksicko
• Noroc
• OB
• O’Doul’s*
• Oranjeboom
• Ozujsko Pivo
• Paceña
• Permskoye Gubernskoye
• Piedboeuf
• Phoenix
• Quilmes Cristal
• Ray Hill's American Pilsner
• Redbridge
• Red Hook*
• Red Shilliang
• Rifey
• Rogan
• Rolling Rock*
• Safir
• Santai
• Sedrin
• Shock Top Belgian White*
• Sibirskaya Korona
• SkipJack Amber*
• Skol
• Spaten
• St. Pauli Girl
• Staropramen
• Stone Mill Pale Ale*
• Stella Artois
• Sukita Taller
• Tennent's
• Tiger
• Tilt*
• Tolstiak
• Tomislav
• Vieux Temps
• Widmer Bros*
• Wild Blue*
• Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale*
• Yali
• Yantar
• ZiegenBock
• Zizhulin
• Zhujiang

MillerCoors
• Coors
• Extra Gold Lager
• Hamm’s
• Icehouse
• Keystone
• Magnum Malt Liquor
• Miller
• Mickey’s
• Milwaukee’s Best
• Olde English
• Red Dog
• Southpaw
• Steele Reserve
• Águila
• Cristal
• Cusqueña
• Grolsch
• Lech
• Molson
• Peroni
• Pilsner Urquell
• Tyskie
• Blue Moon
• Frederick Miller
• Henry Weinhard's
• Leinenkugel's
• Brand Image
• Sheaf Stout
• Foster’s
• George Killian's Irish Red
• Sharp’s
• Sparks
• Winterfest