Not very 'stimulating' for the rest of us

Most people have an idea that the 'stimulus' money went to some people that frankly did not deserve any help.
Now we find that some of those who got stimulus checks were (and may still be) delinquent on their taxes.
According to a GAO, one company that received $100K was more than $9M behind in payroll taxes from as far back as 2001.
"The report said the tax delinquents accounted for nearly 6 percent of the 63,000 contractors and grantees examined, and it cautioned that the real number might be higher because the known tax debt does not measure such factors as income underreporting."


Your tax dollars at work...for someone who never paid them.

Proposition 25 end run to increase taxes

Proposition 25 is not getting a lot of attention.
It allows for budgets to be passed by simple majority and provides legislature pay penalties for late budgets.
The proponents of the bill are touting it as a fix for the broken budget process and stressing the penalties for lawmakers if they miss their deadline.
Opponents point out that a simple majority passing the budget will allow the majority to insert tax increases into the budget as amendments or force increases through unfunded mandates.
The legislative analyst hasn't cleared the air as their interpretation focuses on the wording of the bill by stating that it does not "say" anything about increasing taxes within the budget and therefore does not have to be labeled as a vehicle for easing increases.

Unfortunately for California taxpayers, polling suggests they will vote for this pig.

Smokers and Shooters help keep Govt. solvent

The US government collected billions in revenue from smokers, drinkers, and shooters in FY09.
$20.6 billion dollars were collected by the treasury for alcohol, tobacco, and firearms sales.
Collections were up by $6 billion and this was mostly attributed to increase taxes on cigarettes, but another portion of the spike was due to a rush to buy guns and ammunition as people who believed Obama would restrict or ban sales of guns and ammo.

So why isn't Obama taking credit for this?
Why isn't the press tanking us for "clinging" to our guns and keeping the revenue flowing?
We know they will never thank us; they never thank the smokers or drinkers, but they would criticize them if they all stopped and "hurt the children".

Limbaugh makes millions leaving NYC

Rush Limbaugh just sold his New York City apartment for more than $12M after purchasing it in 1994 for under $5M.
The apartment, complete with maid quarters, takes up an entire floor and overlooks Central Park.
Transfer taxes on the sale alone are more than my house was worth before the crash.
Rush made a profit and thumbed his nose at a short sighted state while helping Florida by making it his state of residence and work.
Rush was right when he predicted New York's increased taxes on the rich would lead to an exodus of the "rich" including himself and they have not been able to come close to solving their fiscal problems by taxing people more.
They have helped surrounding states by sending people and businesses across the border.

BTW, Rush also predicted that LeBron James would likely pick a state like Florida (he did) to avoid high taxes.

Hillary lectures the Rich

Hillary Clinton has shown appalling ignorance and hypocrisy again by lecturing the "rich" in the Americas about unfair taxation and tax evasion.
Apparently, the poor will save the economies of North and South America if they can have more of the rich people's money.
Hillary needs an intervention. A little economics "re-education" would help her a lot!
She claims that tax systems unfairly burden the lower classes and that the rich should pay more and evade less (is she talking about the Obama cabinet and Democrat Congressmen/Senators?).
I can just see all of those poor people generating piles of capital through hard work and investment and not spending it selfishly like the rich do.

Oakland lurches farther left

Oakland has decided to allow more pot growers and shops to open and to tax pot to try offsetting their deficit.
The workers at one pot club have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
Now Oakland residents will have double incentive to buy pot outside of Oakland to save money.
"Progressive" stupidity abounds.

Still Think Unions Are Good?

This story and video show exactly the type of thinking that is pervasive in public employee unions.
If you can watch this and still think unions are great, there is no way to save you an maybe no way to save the country.
I cannot abide by the continued refusal of unions and too many of their membership to share our pain in an economic crisis when we are paying their salaries and benefits.
They are choking the goose because the golden eggs aren't getting larger even though the goose has less to eat.

Next Year's Tax Plan

This plan from Dan Shea at American Thinker sounds great (and legal). Even with estimated tax payments, you don't make your first installment until April 15th. So Dan proposes that we (those still actually paying taxes) max out our exemptions starting in January and save the money in a savings account until April 2011. This will have an interesting affect on the 2012 election run up (and certain corporate slush funds).