which is better - a national sales tax or VAT??

This is an interesting news bit.

Former Chief of Staff to President Clinton, John Podesta, favors the use of a national value-added tax. A Value-Added Tax - VAT - is a tax that is applied to a product throughout its production. A car would have taxes added to it throughout the production process, such as the construction of sub-parts and parts to an engine, the transmission, frame, etc. would all be taxedd and then added to the price of the vehicle. Then the car would most likely also be charged a sales tax and possibly a luxury tax. The problem with VAT is that it becomes part of the cost of production, significantly raising the final retail price.

A VAT tax would not be so bad if all other taxes were eliminated. If they were, it would become somewhat similar to the concept of the Fair Tax. Thus only the consumer would be charged for the consumption of a manufactured item. Of course, the problem is that all of the taxes are hidden into the production costs and the consumer would never really know the actual cost of the product minus the added taxes.

In contrast, the FAIR Tax does eliminate ALL taxes - sales, income, property, etc. - and just charges a sales tax. The consumer has better information regarding the actual production cost of the product. The consumer pays taxes for only what he/she consumes. Purchasers of luxury items like motor homes, yachts, or SUV's would not be perceived as bad people owning expensive stuff. If you want to pay the sales tax on an item, so be it. Go to their web site for a better explanation. But it is a much better and fairer tax.

The problem with Mr. Podesta's suggestion is that the VAT would be in ADDITION to sales taxes. He advocates this to increase more federal government revenue. What this will obviously do is hurt the national economy by discouraging purchasing and result in reduced need of labor - higher unemployment.

He justifies his position saying that Clinton raised taxes on the rich in the 1990's and it resulted in large increases in revenues while also growing the national economy. That is FALSE! Clinton happened to be the beneficiary of circumstances, namely the explosion of the era of technology. Home computers, the internet, and the overvaluation of technology companies during this decade. Once some intenet-based companies died or were bought out by other companies, the economy came back to reality.

Don't buy into VAT. It will do as much to destroy the economy as cap and trade and health care reform.

compare the protesters

It is quite humorous to see what is happening in Pittsburgh this week. Aside from the official events planned for the G-20 Summit, watching the planned protests and police response is very interesting. The city has been boarded up, fenced up, and locked down to control or limit the activities of protestors of the event.


The fear is that violence – whether planned or spontaneous – may spawn destruction or threaten the safety of the summit participants. The ACLU is there defend protester rights. Watch the videos and observe the number of law enforcement officers in the scene and the force they have available to maintain peace.



Now compare that to the march on DC back on 9/12. Protesters everywhere. Hundreds of thousands of participants. Yet, in all of the videos and photos how many police officers were present and how much firepower did they have available? What about all of the tea parties and health care protests around the country? What was the level of police presence? Significantly lower than that in Pittsburgh.

Yet the liberals in control of Congress are more fearful and willing to label conservative protesters as more dangerous to the peace of our country. They say blood will flow in the streets. It takes the Speaker back to the violence of the 1970’s.

I attended a tea party in Fort Wayne, Indiana earlier this year. Hundreds of participants, yet I did not see any police presence. I heard some were there, yet invisible. But this is very demonstrative of the expected behavior of protesters by the police. They don’t fear the conservatives. They are peaceful, yet vocal. They just want to live in peace, trusting that the government will protect them from enemies of that peace, both foreign and domestic.

This is objective proof that conservatives are not the people that the government needs to fear.

Pride in the American economy

Recently, I finished reading the book The Last Best Hope, by Joe Scarborough. Joe was formerly a Republican Congressman from Florida elected as a part of the 1994 wave. He has since left Congress and is now host of the weekday morning show, “Joe in the Morning” on MSNBC cable network. Actually, I like his TV show. He does have a lot of liberal guests on the show, but some of the other regulars do have some centrist or conservative leanings. I do wish Joe would exhibit more conservative perspective. He has spent as much time criticizing Republican policies as he does Democrats’. Given the amount of liberal commentators on television today, every defender of conservatism is needed.

Anyway, back to his book. Generally, it is good. It does take Republicans to task in their need to be the true conservatives they need to be and that America wants. He also points out where common sense should prevail over politicization of an issue. He truly sounds like the conservative I could have a beer with (oh, that’s right, I don’t drink beer).

There is one topic in his book that I do take issue with. He is very critical in the amount of energy America consumes. We consume “a disproportionate amount of the earth’s energy” (p. 101). He favors energy efficiency. While I favor increase in efficiency, there is nothing wrong with the amount of energy we have consumed.

U.S. energy has powered the American economic engine. That engine has created a large amount of wealth, not only for Americans, but also for the rest of the world. It is through our largesse that has been shared worldwide. Annually, the U.S. government sends millions of dollars to foreign governments in the form of aid. We send more emergency relief to disasters than any other nation. Our technology has improved living standards everywhere. Yes, the US of A is great!

We can always improve, but we have no reason to apologize for what our economy has done to improve the lives of people everywhere.

Another federal government spending topic

There is an excellent interview article in the Sept.5 issue of the Wall Street Journal by John Fund of former GAO head David Walker.

The small facts that are included in the article but not given much discussion involves the future obligations of Social Security and Medicare. To the tune of more than $56 TRILLION. Forget health care reform and its mind-boggling future expenses. The government debt is already here and growing faster than we can imagine. (See the spinning numbers of the U.S. debt clock).

The President's desire to reform health care is not about helping people. It's about gaining control of more private money to pay for future federal obligations. This is a shell game. Rob Peter to pay Paul. Dedicated funds for specific projects - don't exist. Well, the line item in the budget exists, but the funds are nothing more than federal IOU's because the money has been raided and used for something else.

To a quote a famous personality, Earl Pitts - "Wake up America!"

The justification of government to further gets its nose under the tent of health reform can't be proven, because it hasn't been able to prudently manage the current programs. Suddenly it can do better!?!?! Get real!

Liberals chide conservatives that the richest nation in the world can't afford to provide basic health care to all of its citizes. Liberals will soon have to face major, major, MAJOR reductions in federal spending. What choices can or will they make?

Find the good in America

I've written about Keith Olbermann before. What a ranting, crazy liberal loon. (Is that all reduntant?) I watch him occassionally on MSNBC in the evening, but for only a few minutes at time. I really can't handle too much at once.

He has a spot each night on his show itemizing the 3 worst people for the day. Usually he lists Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh somewhere in those 3 every day.

What amazes me is his daily pursuit of finding what is wrong with America. Maybe this is what is wrong with America - the fixation on what's wrong. Maybe if Olbermann found the 3 BEST people of the day every day he may actually see his ratings increase.

We need more inspirational stories every day. We need motivation that is positive. I challenge every reader here to find and share the person's story around you.

Let's share that America really is full of really good people.

How did that injury happen??

Recently, I wrote about the life of King David and how his entire life has been under a microscope ever since by people in the church.

There is one event in David’s life that I feel akin to. That would be the famous story of David’s confrontation with Goliath. David had no problem identifying who the enemy was. He stood nine feet tall and daily challenged the Israelites. David took the challenge and won. David knew where the enemy was, what he stood for, how he was armed, and what his intent was.

The problem was that David had an unexpected opposition also. That came from his own family. David had no idea that he had to watch his backside. His brothers made fun of him, ridiculing what he planned to do. Rather than doing the mission the brothers were there to do themselves, they instead attacked their youngest brother.

I sometimes feel like David in that situation. Let me make the comparisons. Am I doing what God wants done? No. Am I facing down the enemy, confident that I can defeat him in God’s strength? No. Am I being attacked from behind by my own compatriots? I feel like I am.

There is a saying that the Christian army is the only one that attacks its own wounded. That is me. I feel I have been attacked from behind and left to slowly expire. I wrote nearly six months ago how my church leadership failed me. Since then, every Sunday I dread attending church. I thought several years ago I could dress and heal my own wounds. I was so wrong!

Unfortunately, when you go to church and somebody asks “How are you?” doesn’t really expect an honest answer from you. You see, if you are an introvert in a very outgoing church you are lost to the background. You are not necessarily looked down upon, but become part of the wall decorations. Remember Milton from the movie “Office Space.” He was always the object of abuse from his co-workers. Sometimes I feel like that character at church. I don’t seek out a lot of conversation with people and so I become a lesser choice from others, if a choice at all. I’m not the pretty folk. I’m not of the folk with glamorous careers. I don’t live in chosen neighborhoods.

I realize this sounds like a self-pity party. And it probably is. And, of course, I’m the only guest in attendance. But, nonetheless, a Christian shouldn’t have to worry about injury from behind.

help!

Do you have any suggestions to make this blog more interesting (other than fire the author and owner) and viewed or recommended to more people? More color, less opinion, more advertising, less widgets, more sports, less ?????

I can handle criticism. It's the unspoken but critical stuff that I can't deal with.

Give me some ideas. I want this to be the first place people go to on the internet. I know my kids come here first already.

Non -christian faith

Sometimes I really believe that people that say there is no God or ridicule those who do exhibit more faith in their lives than actual believers in God do. Let me explain.

Recently scientists have apparently discovered a basic element of life itself on a comet that passed near earth about five years ago.

Based on this small discovery, scientists can extrapolate that those "seeds of life" exist throughout the universe. They exist on comets travelling around the universe and land on planets, thereby planting life everywhere.

What it comes down to is that some of these scientists really believe that life on earth - all that we see around us, plants, trees, vegetables, fish, birds, and even humans - originated from the seeds of comets. These seeds evolved into a living planet. Accidental events that accidentally evolved into other events that evolved into other events that somehow evolved into humans capable of rational thought and animals that live and behave predictably. These people actually believe all of this can happen.

I believe that God was actively involved in creation. He knew what He was doing. Everything created with a natural purpose and behavior. That is really easy to believe. How He did it - I don't know. I don't care. I just know He did it and with amazing detail. There were no accidents or mistakes.

To believe that life was accidental events that came from space somewhere and resulted in what we have today really stretches logical reasoning. And it really begs the question - If life was actually piggybacking on comets, where did that comet pick up those elements? Some really want us to believe that it came from Mars. Ha!

What do you think? Tell me on the comments button below.

Where is my money going?

Man, this will get you eyes spinning around. This site records the U. S. national debt in real time. While the numbers really speak for themselves, I believe the most significant numbers are in the last box - Unfunded liabilities. These numbers will have the greatest impact on the top box - debt.

Remember after Bush 43 was re-elected and wanted to look into reforming Social Security? The democrats went nuts successfully scaring the populace into thinking Bush would destroy the entitlement program. Yet, the inaction is doing more to destroy it. And the dems in charge know they won't be around for the meltdown. It's all about power NOW!

Post Office is dissed by the President

Since I am currently an employee of the U.S. Postal Service, the President made an overwhelming proof that government should not be involved as a competitor as a provider of health care services.



The post office cannot compete with UPS and Fedex because of many factors. One, Congress likes to meddle in post office operations. Two, postal management is raised from within and possess little competitive business experience. Three, postal unions have an inordinate influence in basic business decision making. Four - and my last point, but not THE last point - is the general attitude of government employees that job is not directly tied to customer satisfaction.

I tried my best to do my best at work, but one out 700,000 can only do so much.