I saw this today at shtfplan. I have seen it before over the years and it is a good reminder of how our tax system works. I don't know if the author is known.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for a beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.00
The sixth would pay $3.00
The seventh would pay $7.00
The eighth would pay $12.00
The ninth would pay $18.00
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.00
So that’s what they decided to do. The men drank in the bar every day
and seemed quite happy with arraignment, until one day, the owner threw
them a curve.
“Since you are all such good customers, he said, I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.00.
“Drinks for the ten men now cost just $80.00
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so
the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But
what about the other six men – the paying customers? How could they
divide the $ 20 windfall so that everyone would get there “fair share?”
They realized that $ 20.00 divided by six is $3.33. But if they
subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth
man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner
suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the
same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay!
And so:
The fifth man like the first four, now paid nothing ( 100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of 12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid 14 instead of 18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before! And the first four
continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men
began to compare their savings.
“I only got a dollar out of the $20“ declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got $10!”
“Yeah, that’s right, shouted the seventh man. “why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”
“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in union. “ We didn’t I get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine
sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the
bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money
between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalist and college professors, is how
our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most
benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being
wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might
start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Garden Tour
We have had wild July weather episodes here in the PNW and prior to that, a cold, wet, windy spring. My garden is late. But let me take you on a tour and show you how my veggies are coming along.
My green beans are starting to climb.
First sweet pea flowers.
Baby broccoli
Last year's onions gone to flower.
Flowering oregeno
Chives gone to seed
Hungarian peppers
Tomatoes (still babies at this point, not growing very fast).
Raspberries
Corn (what's left after the wind and hail storms). See how it's bent over.
Potato flowers
Spaghetti squash
Zucchini that is finally growing.
Lemon cucumbers (I have one regular cuke hanging on).
Potatoes
Lemon balm gone wild.
Roses
Mint
That's what I've got going on in my garden. We should have a bumper crop of potatoes and tomatoes. The rest will be for good eating. Strawberries are done for the season. I may get a stray one now and then. I also have radishes coming up but the carrots are no-shows at this point. In addition, some romaine lettuce and spinach are peeking out of the ground. They are in the same bed as the radishes and tomatoes. How is your garden doing?
My green beans are starting to climb.
First sweet pea flowers.
Baby broccoli
Last year's onions gone to flower.
Flowering oregeno
Chives gone to seed
Hungarian peppers
Tomatoes (still babies at this point, not growing very fast).
Raspberries
Corn (what's left after the wind and hail storms). See how it's bent over.
Potato flowers
Spaghetti squash
Zucchini that is finally growing.
Lemon cucumbers (I have one regular cuke hanging on).
Potatoes
Lemon balm gone wild.
Roses
Mint
That's what I've got going on in my garden. We should have a bumper crop of potatoes and tomatoes. The rest will be for good eating. Strawberries are done for the season. I may get a stray one now and then. I also have radishes coming up but the carrots are no-shows at this point. In addition, some romaine lettuce and spinach are peeking out of the ground. They are in the same bed as the radishes and tomatoes. How is your garden doing?
Albacore Tuna
While visiting the WA coast, we picked up a couple of fresh Albacore tuna to can. We cooked up a couple of pieces on the barbie for dinner while we were there, and saved the rest for the canner. The two tuna came to 25#, which netted 12 lbs. of meat. I got 12 pints and 4 half pints, so a total of 16 pints. One full canner load. The total cost was $75, or $3/lb whole, $6.25/lb. net. Dividing $75 by 16 pints, I get $4.69/pint. Most tuna you buy at the store any more are 5 oz. cans. They used to be 7 oz. That would be about 3 store bought cans to one of my pints which don't have any added water or broth. You can pull out whole pieces of tuna. We love home canned tuna! It is firmer and much tastier that the flakes and shards you get from the store. If you ever get a chance, buy a tuna and can some in your pressure canner. Or buy tuna canned at the docks by a small processor. We bought our tuna from the Seafood Connection and they also sell online at Canned Albacore Tuna.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Been at the PNW Coast
I've been away from my blog but I hope you'll all understand when I show you where we've been. Let me share some of what my family has been up to. We visited the beautiful Washington coast for some rest and relaxation.
I love how our beaches in the PNW are not crowded like California or the East coast.
Here we are enjoying an IPA on the beach. We loved this beach because you could drive right down onto the sand, set up your chairs and enjoy the day!
See the closest person is a comfortable distance from us. We don't do well in crowds.
Here Cooper is loving the attention and the surf with our daughters.
Some people are surf fishing, probably for perch. They didn't have any luck while we were there.
If you visit a fishing port you have to go down to the docks and get the FRESHEST seafood. We bought a couple of Albacore tuna in Westport and had the guy fillet it up for us. I'm canning most of it when we get home. If you've ever had home canned tuna, you will never go back to store bought canned tuna from Asia. Our tuna is caught with a hook and line, is smaller than Asian tuna and your jar is full of tasty tuna, not water. It is simply delicious!
My DD17 just caught this fresh tuna! What a catch!
Well, she caught it from the green barrel that she's holding the tuna over.
What do you have for dinner when you are at the coast? Fresh seafood, of course.We also bought some Dungeness crab and oysters. Dinner was green salad, fresh picked crab, oysters and a bite of tuna. Oysters on the barbie.
Picking fresh crab.
No room for salad on the plate right now. Time for the important protein food items like crab and oysters! Add fresh lemon for sprinkling and melted butter for dipping. Yum!
A random vegetarian showed up for dinner at our campsite. He wasn't interested in sharing our bounty. Too bad... that just means more for the rest of us.
That's how we've been enjoying our time. Enjoying the beach, browsing tourist shops, looking at boats on the docks, walking along the beach, and loving life.
I love how our beaches in the PNW are not crowded like California or the East coast.
Here we are enjoying an IPA on the beach. We loved this beach because you could drive right down onto the sand, set up your chairs and enjoy the day!
See the closest person is a comfortable distance from us. We don't do well in crowds.
Here Cooper is loving the attention and the surf with our daughters.
Some people are surf fishing, probably for perch. They didn't have any luck while we were there.
If you visit a fishing port you have to go down to the docks and get the FRESHEST seafood. We bought a couple of Albacore tuna in Westport and had the guy fillet it up for us. I'm canning most of it when we get home. If you've ever had home canned tuna, you will never go back to store bought canned tuna from Asia. Our tuna is caught with a hook and line, is smaller than Asian tuna and your jar is full of tasty tuna, not water. It is simply delicious!
My DD17 just caught this fresh tuna! What a catch!
Well, she caught it from the green barrel that she's holding the tuna over.
What do you have for dinner when you are at the coast? Fresh seafood, of course.We also bought some Dungeness crab and oysters. Dinner was green salad, fresh picked crab, oysters and a bite of tuna. Oysters on the barbie.
Picking fresh crab.
No room for salad on the plate right now. Time for the important protein food items like crab and oysters! Add fresh lemon for sprinkling and melted butter for dipping. Yum!
A random vegetarian showed up for dinner at our campsite. He wasn't interested in sharing our bounty. Too bad... that just means more for the rest of us.
That's how we've been enjoying our time. Enjoying the beach, browsing tourist shops, looking at boats on the docks, walking along the beach, and loving life.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Micro Apartments
How would you like to be forced to live in a 275-300 SF apartment (adAPTS) because you are single or empty nesters? That is the plan presented by Mayor Bloomberg in New York. At the 20 min. mark, listen to the boobs reminisce about their experiences when they first were starting out and their apartment life and doing laundry in the basement. And at min.mark 31 where he says how walking is the simplest, most basic form of transportation. This model parallels what Agenda 21 is promoting. It is all about control of your life and sustainable development. In order to build these match boxes, Bloomberg said that zoning regulations will be waived. Soon, there will be 500 SF apartments for families.
Sustainable development sounds all good and nice until you realize that it means the city, county and federal governments are all working together to eliminate your middle class way of life. It means that middle class families and rural landowners will lose their land and homes, and the seized land will be "restored to it's original state," so the elites can enjoy wildlife and camping in the manufactured wilderness. Meanwhile, you will be shuttled into high density vertical housing sprawl, as opposed to horizontal sprawl that eats up precious land where Bambi lives. These micro apartments will "make good use of shared space" and will be close to mass transit. There will be no garages for cars and you will be forced to walk, ride your bike or use mass transit. Meanwhile, the rich elite, will live on large spaces of land in large homes. They won't be forced into these cages to live because they have too much money.
What is our way of life going to look like? We won't be able to afford the carbon emission taxes, higher property taxes, ObamaCare taxes, and all the taxes they are stealing from us. The government also has their eye on your 401K and IRA's. Yes, it's true. It has been planned that the government plans to confiscate your IRA's and 401K's. How will you retire? Maybe that's their plan to force you into these micro apartments.
Sustainable development sounds all good and nice until you realize that it means the city, county and federal governments are all working together to eliminate your middle class way of life. It means that middle class families and rural landowners will lose their land and homes, and the seized land will be "restored to it's original state," so the elites can enjoy wildlife and camping in the manufactured wilderness. Meanwhile, you will be shuttled into high density vertical housing sprawl, as opposed to horizontal sprawl that eats up precious land where Bambi lives. These micro apartments will "make good use of shared space" and will be close to mass transit. There will be no garages for cars and you will be forced to walk, ride your bike or use mass transit. Meanwhile, the rich elite, will live on large spaces of land in large homes. They won't be forced into these cages to live because they have too much money.
What is our way of life going to look like? We won't be able to afford the carbon emission taxes, higher property taxes, ObamaCare taxes, and all the taxes they are stealing from us. The government also has their eye on your 401K and IRA's. Yes, it's true. It has been planned that the government plans to confiscate your IRA's and 401K's. How will you retire? Maybe that's their plan to force you into these micro apartments.
Car Sales Are Up- So economy in Recovery
GM posted sales for the month of June showing an increase in sales of 36%. Wow, that is great! Consumers are confident about the economy and their salaries are able to afford them the cost and expense of a new car. But wait! The manipulated bailout of GM by Obama cost us taxpayers 50 billion plus 45 billion of tax credits. And guess what? The government purchases of GM vehicles went up 79% in June of this year.
How convenient. One of the strategies that Marxists such as Chavez and Castro used to usher in communism is to nationalize major sectors of the economy. This has been done in the form of bailouts such as GM and the banks. The government then attempts to ease the pain to the fleeced citizens with false charades of economic recovery. Don't forget that Obama cheerily stated that his plan was to redistribute wealth. And he also stated he would institute a "national civilian security force" which is the equivalent of Nazi brown shirts and will be run by FEMA Corp.
How convenient. One of the strategies that Marxists such as Chavez and Castro used to usher in communism is to nationalize major sectors of the economy. This has been done in the form of bailouts such as GM and the banks. The government then attempts to ease the pain to the fleeced citizens with false charades of economic recovery. Don't forget that Obama cheerily stated that his plan was to redistribute wealth. And he also stated he would institute a "national civilian security force" which is the equivalent of Nazi brown shirts and will be run by FEMA Corp.
The Nazi Germany Dictatorship got started this way. "Hitler asked Hindenburg to grant him
emergency powers in view of the 'communist takeover'. Using the constitution, Hindenburg agreed to pass the
Law
for the Protection of the People and the State.This law gave Hitler what he
wanted - a ban on the Communists and Socialists taking part in an election
campaign. The leaders from both parties were arrested and their newspapers were
shut down. To 'keep the peace' and maintain law and order, the SA (the Brown
Shirts) roamed the streets beating up those who openly opposed Hitler" And according to Jerry Boykin, this security force is written into Obama's Health Care Plan. The video is about 12 min. long but this point is addressed at about the 9:20 min. mark.
The manipulation by our government and the lies it is spewing forth are staggering. Do your research and don't let the government try to take God out of your life and make you dependent on the government for your well being. Your job in your life now is to know God, love God, and serve God, so that you may know, love and serve God in your next life. It is about the salvation of your soul.
P.S. Why can't I get the font to be the same size? Suggestions?
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Summer Chores
Been busy trying to stay cool in our heat. We had 101 degree temps on Sunday and a wild electrical storm that night that lit up the sky and blew trees over on homes. I haven't wanted to transplant my tomatoes because we had such cold, wet, windy weather, but this morning I transplanted 17 tomato plants, 2 zucchini and 1 cuke. Most of my seedlings never took. No lettuce, spinach, cucumber (save one, and another that sorta sprouted but then stopped), no carrots, radishes, or peppers. Actually, I think I do have 1 or 2 pepper plants but they are only 1-2 in. tall. Strawberries are coming on and I got 7 small raspberries today. I'm not sure what is up with my strawberries. Some are shiny and sweet as can be, but others are dull and bitter. Ideas anyone?
Here are the tomato transplants. Sorry, they're the tiny specks of green in the middle of the pic.
Potato plants...doing well.
My raspberry bush is producing! Ha, ha, can you see how small these are? This is my abundant harvest I picked this morning. They are on a small saucer. Oh, earlier I said I picked 7 berries, I guess one must have slipped into my mouth.
So, I decided to make a snack out of them and added them to some yogurt I made this weekend. I made the yogurt in my crockpot this time, and it was easy because I just let it sit overnight all bundled up in a bath towel in the oven.
Two years ago I told my DH how much I wanted a clematis plant with the pretty flowers to put out in front of our porch. I saw them at Bi-mart the other day so we went to buy one. There was only one left. It was this tiny stick of nothing. I bought it anyway. Here it is two years later! I love it!
You can see it is even encroaching on the garage door to the right and DH had to build a second support trellis and put it on the other side of the plant because it had morphed into the clematis plant on steroids.
The chicks are growing and I think around the end of the month I'll introduce them into the rest of the flock. Eggs anyone? I am making breakfast for dinner because now that I am off for the summer, I am not selling eggs to the teachers at the school where I teach and there are too many eggs. Hahahaha. Breakfast will be served at 6:00 p.m. and all are welcome to join us. Scrambled eggs or omelettes, fried potatoes, strawberries, and of course, BACON! Please RSVP.
Here are the tomato transplants. Sorry, they're the tiny specks of green in the middle of the pic.
Potato plants...doing well.
My raspberry bush is producing! Ha, ha, can you see how small these are? This is my abundant harvest I picked this morning. They are on a small saucer. Oh, earlier I said I picked 7 berries, I guess one must have slipped into my mouth.
So, I decided to make a snack out of them and added them to some yogurt I made this weekend. I made the yogurt in my crockpot this time, and it was easy because I just let it sit overnight all bundled up in a bath towel in the oven.
Two years ago I told my DH how much I wanted a clematis plant with the pretty flowers to put out in front of our porch. I saw them at Bi-mart the other day so we went to buy one. There was only one left. It was this tiny stick of nothing. I bought it anyway. Here it is two years later! I love it!
You can see it is even encroaching on the garage door to the right and DH had to build a second support trellis and put it on the other side of the plant because it had morphed into the clematis plant on steroids.
The chicks are growing and I think around the end of the month I'll introduce them into the rest of the flock. Eggs anyone? I am making breakfast for dinner because now that I am off for the summer, I am not selling eggs to the teachers at the school where I teach and there are too many eggs. Hahahaha. Breakfast will be served at 6:00 p.m. and all are welcome to join us. Scrambled eggs or omelettes, fried potatoes, strawberries, and of course, BACON! Please RSVP.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Losses
I went out to feed the chickens this morning and to leave the gate open so they can forage and one of my black sex links was just standing there. Her comb was limp and flopped over. She had a messy behind, her eyes were sad. I knew she was sick but had no idea what was wrong with her. She is one and a half and older chickens don't usually have a problem with a pasted vent. She was not straining like she was egg bound. All the chickens seemed fine last night when I put them up. Or maybe I didn't pay close enough attention. I was due to go into town and wasn't sure what to do. Try to clean off her rear end? She actually let me pet her. Then, she walked over against the wall and laid down, sort plopped, actually. I had a feeling.
I got home 5 hours later and she was gone. Sigh....
I got home 5 hours later and she was gone. Sigh....
Thank you and Welcome
I would like to thank TinCan Assassin for hitting my follower button. Check out his blog at Nine Pound Sledgehammer. Some ice tea?
Thursday, July 5, 2012
When Security & Protection Go, So Do Our Lives
Our president is getting together with the UN to sign a small arms treaty to regulate gun control. This is about getting guns registered so the gov't knows who owns guns, so down the road they can come and seize your guns. Next, we will need an ammunition permit. But then I guess I won't need ammunition if I don't have a gun anymore.
Now, if this isn't bad enough, officials are blaming guns for numerous wild fires this year. What better guise or ruse to confiscate guns? Louinda Downs, a county commissioner in fire-prone Davis County, Utah, stated, "When your pleasure hobby is infringing or threatening someone else's right to have property or life, shouldn't we be able to somehow have some authority so we can restrict that?" she asked. What an excuse.There's no proof that guns started these fires.
There is an investigation going on over the federal operation, Fast & Furious, that allowed weapons from the U.S. to pass into the hands of suspected gun smugglers so the arms could be traced to the higher echelons of Mexican drug cartels. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which ran the operation, has lost track of hundreds of firearms. This debacle was discovered and the cat let out of the bag before the real intention over Fast & Furious was implemented, which was gun control.
The wildfire blame game on guns now has me wondering if this isn't another ploy at gun registration, gun limits, gun restrictions, and ultimately, gun confiscation. Which government in history has ever totally gotten control of their population if the citizens still owned arms? Once Hitler got control of his citizen's guns, we all know what happened in Germany after that. Don't forget that Stalin's genocide in the Ukraine in the 1930's was an intentionally induced famine to prevent the country from becoming independent.
If we lose our 2nd Amendment rights, we will be bound to lose everything.
Now, if this isn't bad enough, officials are blaming guns for numerous wild fires this year. What better guise or ruse to confiscate guns? Louinda Downs, a county commissioner in fire-prone Davis County, Utah, stated, "When your pleasure hobby is infringing or threatening someone else's right to have property or life, shouldn't we be able to somehow have some authority so we can restrict that?" she asked. What an excuse.There's no proof that guns started these fires.
There is an investigation going on over the federal operation, Fast & Furious, that allowed weapons from the U.S. to pass into the hands of suspected gun smugglers so the arms could be traced to the higher echelons of Mexican drug cartels. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which ran the operation, has lost track of hundreds of firearms. This debacle was discovered and the cat let out of the bag before the real intention over Fast & Furious was implemented, which was gun control.
The wildfire blame game on guns now has me wondering if this isn't another ploy at gun registration, gun limits, gun restrictions, and ultimately, gun confiscation. Which government in history has ever totally gotten control of their population if the citizens still owned arms? Once Hitler got control of his citizen's guns, we all know what happened in Germany after that. Don't forget that Stalin's genocide in the Ukraine in the 1930's was an intentionally induced famine to prevent the country from becoming independent.
If we lose our 2nd Amendment rights, we will be bound to lose everything.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Cherry Pickin' Time in the PNW
I would like to welcome John Wheeler and thank you for hitting my follower button. I hope you enjoy reading my blog and feel free to leave your thoughts.
DD19 went to her boyfriends aunt and uncle's orchard and helped sort cherries. I was generously given a 30# box of fresh Bing cherries! Thank you, Lord! I am always sure to give thanks when I am blessed with abundance and the generosity and kindness of others. Needless to say, I have been busy. Besides eating these delicious morsels that were lucky enough to be picked before our torrential downpour of rain, I have been drying, canning, making jam and freezing them. Cherries are very finicky about rain. They throw a fit and split at the tiniest drop of rain. Not only did cherry farmers wring their hands over their precious and delicate fruit, many farmers had their hay down on Saturday when the rains came. Check out our rainfall.
I am hoping that summer rains are gone and summer will finally be here. While much of the rest of the country is in scorching heat, we are having a very cool and wet start to summer.
DD19 went to her boyfriends aunt and uncle's orchard and helped sort cherries. I was generously given a 30# box of fresh Bing cherries! Thank you, Lord! I am always sure to give thanks when I am blessed with abundance and the generosity and kindness of others. Needless to say, I have been busy. Besides eating these delicious morsels that were lucky enough to be picked before our torrential downpour of rain, I have been drying, canning, making jam and freezing them. Cherries are very finicky about rain. They throw a fit and split at the tiniest drop of rain. Not only did cherry farmers wring their hands over their precious and delicate fruit, many farmers had their hay down on Saturday when the rains came. Check out our rainfall.
I am hoping that summer rains are gone and summer will finally be here. While much of the rest of the country is in scorching heat, we are having a very cool and wet start to summer.
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