Birth, Death and Taxes…Well At Least if You’re Poor in the U.S.

I am pleasantly surprised to see one of the top earners in the US take on an unpopular topic for the rich and powerful – tax rates for the wealthy. Warren Buffet claims that he pays 17.7 percent in payroll taxes on income of $66 million, while his receptionist pays 30 percent on $60 thousand.

When asked why there is this disparity, he responded: “…all the rich in one way or another - have lobbyists, you know, coming out of their ears. And are down there whenever something threatens their favored status, they are in Washington en mass. And who is there representing the person that pays the payroll tax? I don't know of any group that is going around saying, ‘It's too tough for these people who - barely eke out a living to be paying 15 percent on payroll taxes.’”

That is a simple enough explanation. If our political system is driven by big business, the politicians will look out for the interests of big business. At some point the wealthy minority hijacked the U.S. government, or maybe it was always set up to protect them solely. One could certainly argue that.

One thing is for sure – the tax system in the U.S. needs to be fixed.

For more on this read this article in the Times or this CNBC interview.

Homeland Security Says Al-Qaida "Most Serious" Threat to US

Like we didn't already know Al-Qaida hates us in the US. A recent Homeland Security report outlines the threat and explains that Bush's 'take the war to them' theory didn't quite smoke 'em out of their holes. As a matter of fact, Al-Qaida leadership has remained almost entirely intact and they have more global support now than ever!

"Today, our nation is safer, but we are not yet safe," said Bush in an accompanying letter with the White House report. -Bullshit. What he should have said was "I screwed the pooch and now generations of American citizens here after will have to pay the price."

Even more disturbing, as reported by MSNBC and Reuters, the report says the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah might consider attacking the US if the US becomes "a direct threat to the group or Iran, its principal sponsor."

So if Bush continues to have his way, he could have everyone in the Middle East against the US by the end of his second term. ...Well everyone except for his Oil buddies in Saudi Arabia. I think they are quite happy with what he has accomplished with the price of crude.

Never Buy BMW

Let me begin by saying that I deeply regret buying a new 2006 325 xi in January of 2006. Because I live in Manhattan, I wanted the smaller series, but loaded it with all the options. I spent close to $50K confidently because I believed the all the BMW brand hype around "German engineering" and the exceptional service the company supposedly provides.

What a mistake. Little did I know, this series and many more, are plagued with serious tire wear and noise problems. To a slightly lesser degree, I liken it to the Ford Explorer debacle a few years ago because when challenged, both companies point to the fact that tires are not covered under warranty (Ford has since changed its tune after killing many people and being sued by many, many more). I regret to say that BMW will not officially admit to me, or attempt to correct the problems around anything mentioned in this article.

From a quick Google search, I found out that my experience is not isolated. My car wears out the inside edge of every single tire that is put on it, as do many others. The tires have been properly balanced, aligned and have had the right air pressure. My car was put on “the rack” to insure the frame was straight twice in 2006. And yet each BMW employee that I have talked to try to tell me that they have never heard of any other car with similar issues to mine. This directly contradicts an internal Technical Service notice distributed internally to BMW service centers in January 2007. So I can only assume that each person I have talked to, some senior level in the service centers, are either liars or incompetent.

The very expensive performance tires I am required to run on my car all wear consistently uneven. The problem is drastic as the insides are eaten away within 7 to 10 thousand miles. The noise is deafening within a few thousand miles and the handling is also highly compromised. Within a year and a half of owning this car, I will have spent over $3K on 13 tires. Local service reps and and BMW North America agents all argue that I should expect to replace my tires every year (although I only drive my car two or three times a month), but adamantly deny that BMW is in anyway responsible for selling me a car that destroys tires and sounds like a monster truck on the highway.

Buyer Beware! People should be honest and stand behind their work and products. Stay away from BMW!!

China has the Balls to Push Mattel for an Apology - Bad Move

I cannot believe the balls some countries have. Take for example President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran coming to the US and sharing his skewed thoughts on the Holocaust. Essentially, he doesn't think it happened, but I am sure if we could convince him it did happen, he would fuly support Hitler's actions.



The next unbelievable act comes from China. This shifty country has recently pushed Mattel to publicly apologize to the world and the Chinese people for all the dangerous toys they have had to recall. These toys threaten the lives of children across the globe, but mainly in the US where we have money to burn on mountains of things to overstimulate our children.



As seen in a Sept 22 Washington Post article, Thomas Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations told Chinese product safety chief Li Changjiang that "Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys." Mattel, with its back to the wall, was obviously coaxed into this apology because future Chinese manufacturing is critical to the survival of the company.



China's argument is that they are getting a bad rap because not all of the Mattel recalls are due to the lead paint and other toxic materials that they like to slip into US-bound products. Some recalls were due to design flaws.



China - shut up. Now is not the time to fight alligations on a global stage. So only 95% of the recalled Chinese products over the last 12 months were directly your fault? Everyday new faulty and dangerous products from China are being uncovered. As a country, you are under a microscope. You should wait until you are no longer poisoning the world, and only then ask for forgiveness, not attempt to redirect blame. Shame on you.

Liberty Fights Back and Punishes Bush

Need I say more? The international community has lost almost as much respect as I have for the current President of the United States. This photo is of a float in a recent parade in Germany. I think George W Bush does deserve some form of punishment for the horrible job he has done in office and the unimaginable scaling back of liberties given to the American public. Blanket wire taps and secret courts? Sounds like Bush is stealing from Putin's playbook, not the US Constitution...

Bush and the De-Evolution of US Conservation

It is interesting to look at our current administration's position on conservation and environmental issues. George W Bush once again represents a de-evolution of thought and principles. One-hundred years ago there was a much greater man in office that clearly saw the toll nations levy on the environment, and ultimately our children and children’s children, as society prospers. Theodore Roosevelt outlined his views in the "Conservation as a National Duty" address to business and community leaders on how we should counteract our negative impact on the environment – before it was too late. Roosevelt is remembered for saving vast amounts of land from destruction by establishing the National Parks system and for fueling the progressive movement that tightened the reins on big business. These and many other very notable accomplishments transpired because he held the interest of the American public as his top priority.

George W Bush on the other hand will be remembered as the idiot president, only in power because of his father, that pandered to needs of big business because of his family's and his administration’s ties to the oil business. His actions and words are completely transparent. His personal interests drove the United States to war with Iraq. One can only hope that the next president will have the strength to pull the US out of the Dark Ages that dim-witted little W has brought upon the Nation.

What Ever You Look For, You Will Find...

I have seen time and time again, people walking through life with blinders on. Whether you are looking for something good or bad, your perception is skewed with this 'selective' recognition. This cognitive filter can make one think nothing else exists. Again, negative or positive, looking for one particular thing can be a self-fulfilling prophesy. Be careful what you look for...

What's in Name?

My Blog is named after a reform attempt lead by a group of academics - the Columbia Spelling Board - at the beginning of the 20th Century. They proposed changing the spelling of many English words to more closely match the way they are pronounced. Many of their recommendations circled around cleaning up old English words that contained many extra or silent letters. The crux of the story is that while the suggested changes would have benefited future generations, the movement failed. Ironically, several of the recommendations were implemented as English in the US naturally evolved over time. While 'Circular number 6' was a great, logical, progressive idea, people could not be forced to accept change, even if they and their offspring were ultimately to benefit.

I feel like I'm contributing to a modern-day Circular number 6 - the bulk of American society is too short sighted to see what is good for them. Need I point to exhibit A, George W Bush?