The Way I See ItBy cj pollickCelebrate The Fourth - Have fun celebrating the birthday of the greatest country on earth! Make a resolution to yourself to become more involved in your local community this year. Both you and your community will benefit. Leo Coughlin Reported, Now What - Gazette writer Leo Coughlin has written about three motels that operate in Belleair Beach. Yes, there is no commercial business in Belleair Beach. Nevertheless, what is perhaps most interesting about Coughlin's articles about the Belleair Beach motels is that they are non-profit and one seems to be avoiding huge waterfront property taxes that others seemingly are not (other issues excluded.) Surely someone in tax collector's office, and perhaps others, have been reading what Coughlin reports. Non-profit motels? Suffice that more than one motel owner on Clearwater Beach has called to discuss how they might file as a non-profit corporation. Universal Health Plan Taxation Issues - The Obama administration is looking for ways to fund their federal universal healthcare plan. Of course, this is the same president who promised no new taxes for Americans who earn under $250,000. Times have changed and Obama has forgotten his promises regarding taxes. If universal healthcare is passed, then taxes must be increased for all taxpayers and not just the so-called wealthy. For example, imagine if all workers must pay taxes on healthcare premiums paid by an employer! Or, if people pay their own healthcare premiums you lose the current tax deduction! Thus, tax increases for all people and not just the wealthy. Worse. One of the items discussed to be included in this tax increase bill is an exemption for union workers. Union workers would be exempt from including the employer paid healthcare premiums as income (and taxable.) Over 85% of all workers are not unionized. Imagine the resentment of these non-union workers if union workers receive an exemption from those same contemplated healthcare taxes! Change has come to America. Wall Street Journal And Gov. Charlie Crist - On Monday, the 29th of June, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial by Jim Meyers regarding how Florida's Gov. Charlie Crist has handled hurricane insurance reforms. According to Meyers, "Charlie Crist's veto of a hurricane insurance reform bill could lead to economic disaster if a major hurricane strikes the state." Meyers stated that Crist is running for the US Senate in 2010 and "one reason is that he does not want to be in Tallahassee when the next hurricane hits." The Wall Street editorial also stated that Florida's Citizen Insurance Corp. has "$18 billion unfunded liability and taxpayers could be hit with a huge bill if the program must pay billions in hurricane claims." The bill that Crist vetoed would have allowed private insurers to compete with Citizens and set their own premium rates for coverage. One Florida legislator stated that Florida is only one major hurricane away from economic disaster. Has the State of Florida allowed Citizens Insurance Corp. to become a enormous liability for all taxpayers? Time will tell, but when such an event occurs, Gov. Charlie might be Senator Charlie. Supreme Court Rules For White Firefighters - The US Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling (including Judge Sotomeyer's opinion) and ruled in favor of the New Haven, Connecticut, white firefighters who passed a standardized test for job promotion but were denied promotion since other minorities who had taken the same test failed to pass. The white firefighters were denied the promotion by the city government sued for discrimination. The Supreme Court ruling will also cause other employers to review their hiring and promotion standards in light of the recent Court ruling. The color of one's skin should not be considered as part of hiring and promotion standards. It is about qualifications, as was reflected in the court ruling. Must Read Book: Glenn Beck's Common Sense -Bestselling author Glenn Beck wrote a book titled Glen Beck's Common Sense, inspired by Thomas Paine's book Common Sense (1776.) The book is a case about an out-of-control US government. In one section of the book dealing with debt, Beck states, "Thomas Jefferson knew that government debt was not only bad economic policy but also morally unacceptable because it effectively makes your children responsible to pay for what you bought." For example, Beck refers to our current interest payment to service of current national debt of $11,000,000,000,000 as $26,000,000,000 ($26 billion in interest only debt repayment.) Beck states, "that means that about $300 billion a year will be sent (likely overseas) to our creditors" instead of being used in the US. That, according to Beck is unsustainable. By 2019 our nation's interest only debt repayment would be $806 billion a year. And we are still printing money in Washington without funding social security, Medicare, etc. Tax the big companies, says President Obama. "If total profits of America's top corporations were taxed at 100%, the tax collection would only amount to one-third of the amount needed to pay the annual interest only debt payment. Nothing would be paid on the principal." Tax the rich. No, there is not enough income to tax at the top income earners tax bracket to pay for the nation's growing national debt. Tax everyone to death ... and still do not have enough money to pay for our nation's growing debt. Balance the government budget and cut spending? No, government does not work in that manner. According to Beck, government is the largest supporter of a ponzi scheme. Beck refers us to consider how social security is funded: new investors pay for old investors. And, much like a ponzi scheme, the plan could continue unless there are fewer investors paying into the system. Double or triple payroll taxes to pay for social security benefits? It makes you wonder how younger workers would continue with such a plan. Same for Medicare and other growing government entitlements. Who will pay for all of the government spending? "Future generations might confront a $99.2 trillion national debt just to fund social security and Medicare benefits." At the end of his book, Beck rightfully includes Thomas Paine's book Common Sense (written in 1776.) We all should read what Paine said about the founding of our government. It may remind us more of why we should avoid duplicating the European (socialistic) model of running a government. Freedom? We are unfortunately assigning away our liberties at a record level under the cover of "progressive" politics (as espoused by people like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and Ted Kennedy.) Respect - I would rather see the United Sates respected than loved by other nations. - Henry Cabot Lodge. |