Thank you Senator Durbin...

For those of you that have not heard the wonderful news Bank of America, the nations largest bank, is soon to be adding a new $5 a month usage fee for actually using the debit card you they offer. To me it seems the same as buying a gym membership and then charging you to get in to the gym each time you visit, or paying for cable TV only to find out every channel is pay per view. If you don't bank at Bank of America don't worry nearly every single bank has plans to follow suite as well. If this doesn't upset you I'm sure many of the NEW fees banks are preparing to institute will sure to hit a nerve.

The problem is, as usual, congress is sticking it's nose into things it has no clue about, rarely does regulating anything ever save the consumer money in the long run. One industry leader compared it to mandating restaurants give away free soft drinks with the purchase of a cheeseburger, we all know the restaurant would simply charge more for the cheeseburger, did you really save anything from the free drink? The rule going into effect Saturday, known as the Durbin amendment after its sponsor Senator Richard J. Durbin, is a crucial part of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law. Where Congress was looking to cut into the profits banks are making on the backs of every consumer. At the time the law was enacted stores paid banks .44 cents on every transaction, now they pay .24 cents and the additional loss revenue to the banks is made up by the consumer with the brand spanking new monthly fee.

Please congress, create a few jobs, balance your budget, bring our men and women home from over seas, but please don't try to do me any more personal favors like Dodd-Frank, I'm sure I can't afford any more of your help.

I'm not rich but...

OK 75% of ALL taxes are paid by the top 10% of the wage earners in this country, 47% of the people don't pay a single penny of federal taxes. In fact not only do 47% of the people pay zero federal taxes most get a return of more than what was actually collected from their weekly checks, so why is Obama starting class warfare?

With these sobering facts that the upper income folks, the ones responsible for creating most jobs, have to deal with is it no wonder so many have moved their business into countries with more more favorable tax structures? A smart man once told me, "It's not how much you make, but how much you keep".  Maybe it's time for a complete overhaul of our tax system? I really like the idea of a user tax in the form of a national sales tax. Low income folks spend less and would pay less, high income folks spend much more on expensive items and would pay much more in taxes, but everyone would contribute regardless. This would allow for doing away completely with federal income tax collection and eliminating the IRS, just imagine what that would save us annually alone. Some suggest that a national sales tax would even allow for eliminating corporate taxes all together and would result in many companies moving business back to our shores and stop the mass exodus we're experiencing currently. My one fear is having BOTH a national income tax and a national sales tax, even if it starts off as low i'm sure future politicians would slowly grow each one until we boil the death in taxation like a fog boiling in water.

Let the blogging begin!

I've been absent from my blog this summer taking time off to camp, hike, travel the state, and recharge my brain a bit. I was afraid my blog was becoming a bit too political and really I just want to provoke thought and feedback to gain a perspective I might not have considered. My issue , I know,  is I'm opinionated to a point of making others crazy. Maybe I need the blog to help keep me focused as the coming election year will possibly be the most important election in my adult life so far.

So without apology I'm giving fair warning, this is no holds barred blogging from here on out :)

Why not "The Donald"?

Over the last couple of weeks there has been increasing speculation, fueled mostly by Donald Trump himself, that he may go for a run at the presidency in 2012. Of course this has drawn scorn and laughter from the far left and the late night talk show host as he basically represents everything they feel is wrong with America, the rich only getting richer and the poor getting poorer. I myself being fiercely independent in my voting am holding off my judgment of him until I get a much clearer choice of one, who’s running, and two, what do they stand for.

It’s safe to say that the next presidential election will between president Obama and “whoever”, I’d like to know who that “whoever” might be before jumping on the Trump Bandwagon. Part of the reason for “The Donald’s” great polling numbers at this time is he only slightly polls higher than Obama vs. “X”, meaning basically anyone polls better than Obama as his recent lack of leadership in dealing with Libya, the budget, and the looming fiscal crisis we now face has many second guessing their vote in 2008.

Many of us are tired of the same ole’ same ole coming out of Washington and “The Donald” offers at least a fresh perspective on several issues import to fiscal conservatives like myself. He supports having the Iraqi government, that we spent one and half trillion dollar putting in place, repay at least of portion of our war debt seeing how we basically handed them over 14 trillion dollars in oil that they are now marketing throughout the world. He supports “fair trade” not “free trade” practices with countries we do business with, and making our borders safe and secure. I have to say these ideas appeal to me whether they are realistic or not we’ll all know in the coming months as the election process is underway whether we like it or not…

 

Wondering why some folks are so dead set against gay marriage?

Seems odd to me the almost violent way that some people speak about how gay marriage is a threat to traditional marriage. Politically I definitely lean to the right but when we live in a world where so many far more important issues seem to effect everyone’s life on a daily basis like, the price of oil, unemployment, illegal immigration, or in my area the growing Meth problem, I find it hard to feel personally threatened by gay marriage. Saying that because the two people buying the marriage license, which helps local government budgets, happen to be of the same sex cheapens or somehow makes heterosexual marriages less valid or important makes me think that someone is feeling a bit self conscientious about the true strength of their own commitment.

Now of course the bible thumpers will be quick to point out the various evils of the gay lifestyle with numerous examples in the holy bible but at the end of the day, if they are right, wouldn’t it be the gay person’s problem and not theirs? Doesn’t that same bible speak of “love they neighbor”, “judge not least ye be judged more harshly”, “we all sinners”, and of course “God loves all men”, or how about this classic “let he who is without sin cast the first stone”? So from a religious standpoint I’d call it a draw with as many scripture passages for and against gays.

If gay marriage doesn’t affect my marriage, is a split as far as God is concerned, and provides income in the form of additional marriage licenses sold then I say let them get married and be as miserable as most of the other married people I know.

 

State of the Union

The state of politics in our country at the present time can best be described in one word “turmoil”. On one hand we have the Democratic left, which funds most of its successful election campaigns with millions of dollars from public and other various unions.  On the other hand we have the right wing Republican Party determined to do away with the power of the unions. Both parties are treating us like we are oblivious to the “real” motivations that are driving their most recent actions.

For years the public employee unions have threw their money and support in electing the very people it in turn has to face off with across the bargaining table. Someone point out the benefit to the average American how makes sense? We have the deck stacked against us when the parties that “should” be on opposite sides of the bargaining table are sitting hand in hand on the same side. The result of this has been years and years of unchecked increased wages and benefits, to the point where it is bankrupting several states.  

Enter the Republican Party, blowing their trumpet and claiming they have all our best interest at heart in gutting long standing union rights in these financially troubled states. What is their “real” motivation, saving states from financial ruin or trying to eliminate the largest source of funding for the only real competition they have in about every election, the Democratic Party? I guess as non union worker I want to believe they are looking out for my future but in the end we’ll all have to do some soul searching as to what we believe and how we will vote in the future.

 

The role of "social media" in our world today?

What is the role of social media in our world today? Used to be when I thought of the word term ”social media” I thought of MySpace or yahoo and it was just a way to communicate with friends and family for the most part. Today however, through my business contacts, I’m learning if I’m not communicating with my peers or even potential clients through social media outlets I won’t only not do well professionally, I may not even be able to keep my business afloat. So I’m running the gauntlet of social media sites, some aimed at business contacts, others are just to show we have an online presence.

Consider world events of the past month, in the Middle East so called “Facebook revolts” are taking place. People are gathering to protest in groups as large as a million people even at the potential cost of their very lives.  Even in our own country states like Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana, normally almost painfully conservative are making the evening news nightly with massive protests towards their state government’s actions.

So with all the changes going on around us, in our businesses, in our person life, and in the world in general, it’s easy to say social media has changed our world forever.  I think it brings to us all in a single word “communication”. Our Founding Fathers saw the value of communication in guaranteeing the right to have a free press, the right to assembly, and the right to free speech. Today access to the internet and to social sites like Facebook have connected us all as one people and given people in some parts of the world a new freedom to communicate and make changes just as our founding  fathers before us did. The world is vastly more populated than it was in 1776 and its politics much more complicated, but the heart of the people hasn’t changed. As the Middle East reshapes its future governments by people that want what we have enjoyed for generations, and as our own state governments battle to find common ground with their own people, let’s remember to do one very important thing “KEEP COMMUNICATING”.