Messages the Gubmit has sent me recently
 

I should not buy a house within my means to pay back the loan, because the gubmit will see that I can't pay it and they will push for rate cuts and the Chairman of the Fed will push for my bank to cut my principal.

Corollary, I should not invest in financial institutions cause the Fed will push for interest rate cuts and reductions in principal on loans, screwing me with a lower return on my stocks.

I should not make so much that I won't get a tax incentive rebate (I won't get one god damn dime). But everyone who made less than me, including people like my son, who works part time while a student will get one. He didn't even have any tax liability!

I can't get a Pell Grant for my son's education because I make too much money, but I'll get to pay for some other kid's Pell grant.

I shouldn't restore and maintain an old car and sell it because the gubmit, between the state and Feds, want 25% of my net proceeds. Funny, I don't remember an IRS agent under that car in the freezing cold and rain, filthy dirty with oil and antifreeze soaked into his hair, not even once, and I must have done that dozens and dozens of times.

I shouldn't move my money around too much because it could constitute unusual activity (even less than $10K) and require the bank to report to the government that type of suspicious activity (think Elliott Spitzer).

In California, the state says that if you live with a women, married or not, you can't use DNA to refute child support of a kid born while you lived with her, but if you don't live with her, she can force a DNA test to prove paternity. What's the message here from the Government? Screw your neighbors wife!

I shouldn't put money away for retirement cause if I do, the government won't give me Medicaid until I've exhausted all my retirement money first.

I should smoke because the state has a special tobacco tax that goes to fund health care for kids, not smoking denies those kids the health care that they desperately need.

As a foreigner, if I want to have my kid get a great college education, the kid should enter the country cause he can get in state tuition in many states, but if you come from New York to California and your legal, you have to pay out of state tuition.

You should enter the country illegally cause you can jump to the head of the line and wait for "Amnesty Reform".

SmileWavy

Thanks for the tips! I gotta make some changes!

What brand of cigarette do you recommend? I'm gonna blow my retirement savings on them.

Did you come up with these, Hugh? Good stuff...

Pretty much. The other one is that stupid, reckless and irresponsible gets subsidized and the subsidy is funded by the smart, restrained and responsible types.

I'm very close to declaring this country a lost cause. The next 5 years will tell the story, and ultimately decide if I stay or go.

Yeah, I did, while doing my taxes.

Sweet!

Sounds like something from the AWM thread :)

Although it appears your post is ironic, it's not. It's spot-on.

None of these are "mine" in that I collected and put together thoughts from reading PPOT.

That's all that went thru your head? I came to the conlusion this afternoon (seeing my taxes paid, and the liability that's still due...) that I need to refinance the snot out of my house. Or my wife quits her job.

I'm sooooo motivated to work hard and be a legal productive member of society.

On the taxes part, don't get me started:mad: If one more politician talks about no tax breaks for the "Rich" and I'm not paying my fair share, I may go postal.

I seem to remember a quote from some 7+ years ago akin to "only the top 2% of wage earners pay all the taxes..." and thinking huh?

Then I got a tax bill for ~ $7500 due to cap gains on some property. I was comforted to know that I was in the top 2%. At least as far as the IRS was concerned. Reality? Now theres another story......

I had a "Falling Down" moment when I got that return from the accountant.

Sounds like you are very one fortunate man. Nothing to be thankful for, whatsover.

Clearly you don't "get it" Hugh.

Working is for suckers. Go on the Government teat. You can still afford most of the luxuries you have now, but you will never again have to deal with "the man" taking a huge cut out of your earnings.

Hell, you won't have to pay for most things, like food, shelter, college for your kids, healthcare...

Ice,

I think about 50% of American households have no Federal Tax liability, not 2%.

Yeah StevePaa, I have plenty to be thankful for. But that doesn't mean I should be pulling the wagon ALL the time. Those who are riding in the wagon should get out and pull sometimes as well.

You're pretty close:

http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/542.html

Anyone who thinks America is not a socialist country ought to have their head examined.

"Broadly speaking, the 42.5 million zero-tax filers are: low-income, young, female-headed households, part-time workers, and beneficiaries of the $1,000 per-child tax credit or the Earned Income Credit. "

I think they have enough in their own wagon to pull with 1/5 the horsepower we have. Hopefully they will improve, but I don't want to throw more weight in their wagon.

Hugh, obviously since you have been so "lucky" in life, you are responsible for supporting those who are "unlucky". You know, the ones who don't work, pop out kids from different dads on a yearly basis, and spend the day on the couch watching their stories.

You know, I was hoping this thread involved black helicopters and tin-foil hats. Damn you for dissapointing me!

It's always good public policy to reward bad choices and punish good choices.

That is a silly sound bite. So how does it apply?

You would have to show how people who are doing the best they can and only make 30k have made a bad choice.

If you can't afford to feed your family without the government's help, then you shouldn't have had that family in the first place.