Taxes, Movement vs. Motion, Ghosts
Taxes
So the two great ass-kissers in the presidential race have, unsurprisingly, the same "fix" for gasoline picres--cut out the almost 19 cents Fed gas tax for the next three months. Leaving aside the fact that every economist thinks this is an idiotic plan, why does this anti-taX crap reasonate so well with people? Reagan gutted the entire middle class by his 'tax reform' fandango. True, he cut tax rates; he also added all kinds of user fees and cut many tax benefits. For example, you used to be able to deduct consumer debt interest from your federal income taxes. Most people paid more in taxes and got less for their investment.
And this relationship b/n what you pay and what you get is my point. I don't think that most people have any problem at all with how much they pay in taxes; they have a huge problem for how little they get for the taxes they do pay. And this second concern has two parts: First, lots of our taxes are wasted--that is, we don't get shit for them. Second, lots of the good that our taxes do fund isn't communicated to us. Iraq is a great example of this. We will see, especially if Obama comes into office and the Congress stays democratic (read: willingness to expose the slimy worms) just how many billions of our tax dollars were wasted in Iraq. But as the politics of that war subside (with the withdrawal of our troops) we'll get a better idea that we probably accomplished far more good than we now know.
Ultimately, when we say "I hate paying taxes" I believe we've abbreviated our claim. We really mean "I hate paying taxes for nothing."
Movement vs. Motion
A recent job adjustment for me, contrasted with a potential job change for me, illustrates this. The first is just motion; kind of an 'SSDD' thing. Different but the same. But if the potential is realized, then there is real movement afoot, real growth. I think the primary distinction lies in this: motion does not change the quanta of potential in your life; movement is measured by how much new potential you unlock.
Ghosts
So after all this time, I learn that a ghost is still involved in a deeply vital part of my life. I don't know whether I feel more attacked or betrayed. In either case, trust, my psychic glass jaw, takes it on the chin. Again.
So the two great ass-kissers in the presidential race have, unsurprisingly, the same "fix" for gasoline picres--cut out the almost 19 cents Fed gas tax for the next three months. Leaving aside the fact that every economist thinks this is an idiotic plan, why does this anti-taX crap reasonate so well with people? Reagan gutted the entire middle class by his 'tax reform' fandango. True, he cut tax rates; he also added all kinds of user fees and cut many tax benefits. For example, you used to be able to deduct consumer debt interest from your federal income taxes. Most people paid more in taxes and got less for their investment.
And this relationship b/n what you pay and what you get is my point. I don't think that most people have any problem at all with how much they pay in taxes; they have a huge problem for how little they get for the taxes they do pay. And this second concern has two parts: First, lots of our taxes are wasted--that is, we don't get shit for them. Second, lots of the good that our taxes do fund isn't communicated to us. Iraq is a great example of this. We will see, especially if Obama comes into office and the Congress stays democratic (read: willingness to expose the slimy worms) just how many billions of our tax dollars were wasted in Iraq. But as the politics of that war subside (with the withdrawal of our troops) we'll get a better idea that we probably accomplished far more good than we now know.
Ultimately, when we say "I hate paying taxes" I believe we've abbreviated our claim. We really mean "I hate paying taxes for nothing."
Movement vs. Motion
A recent job adjustment for me, contrasted with a potential job change for me, illustrates this. The first is just motion; kind of an 'SSDD' thing. Different but the same. But if the potential is realized, then there is real movement afoot, real growth. I think the primary distinction lies in this: motion does not change the quanta of potential in your life; movement is measured by how much new potential you unlock.
Ghosts
So after all this time, I learn that a ghost is still involved in a deeply vital part of my life. I don't know whether I feel more attacked or betrayed. In either case, trust, my psychic glass jaw, takes it on the chin. Again.