Taxes Explained

Tax Lesson - Let's put TAX CUTS in terms everyone can understand.


Suppose that every day, ten men go out for 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.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement, 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.'

Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

T he gro up 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 his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 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 ten th 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,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar,
too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' 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 unison. 'We didn't 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 i mporta nt. They didn't have enough money
between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists 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.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

For Todd

I wood be board

Just another post

Sweeney Todd

I gave the boys their first hair cuts at home...



I began the process with my beard shaver... not such a good idea. So, I ran across the street to borrow some other shavers. These were working much better. However, the shavers lost their charge soon after beginning.

We charged the shavers and I began again. Apparently, I had inadvertantly adjusted the guard length...



A lot of men have bald spots on the back of their heads!

Cool Bus Training

I have begun my "Cool Bus" Driver Training for Jessamine County. It is a large class of 5! There is a lot of information to cover and contrary to popular belief, not enough cushion on my seat. We will look to begin training behind the wheel this Friday. Sometime next week we will get to go through an obstacle course.



I have heard it can be a little tricky. Please continue to pray for me and my family... and you might add the children of Jessamine County.

Night Security

Rest assured, oh sleepy town of Wilmore, Mark is on patrol. Yes folks, tonight I begin yet another occupation. I will be working Night Security on the Seminary Campus! Let's recap... 1. UPS Driver Helper 2. Construction (who knew!) 3. School Bus Driver for Jessamine County (starting in January) and... (drumroll please!) 4. Campus Night Security!!

Happy Socially Relavant Tradition

Holiday Wishes

For My Democrat Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes. By accepting these greetings, you are accepting the aforementioned terms as stated. This greeting is not subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself/himself/others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wish.

For My Republican And Independent Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!

UPS Bites

Actually, UPS has been rather fun (exhausting, but fun) so far. However, today I was bitten by a dog while the owner was telling me that the dog does not bite... hmm. The bite did NOT penetrate the skin. It was more like a surface scratch, only mildly disturbing the top layer of skin. I believe my pants saved me or more likely my Bass Pro Redhead lifetime warranty socks.

Which I can always use another pair (hint, hint).

My driver and my dispatcher were very upset and flagged the address to warn future drivers (and helpers). The next delivery person will be ready to try for a field goal! I was in shock. I could not believe it. I was watching her larger dog. This was a small Shelty looking dog. It took me totally by surprise. Oh well!

Obituary

Common Sense


Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Author unknown

Words of Wisdom

Crikey!

Crocodile Hunter Meets Ross the Intern
This is one of the reasons people love the Crocodile Hunter. He can tackle any "beast." Hang around for the whole segment... the best (funniest) comments are at the end! Click on the above link & enjoy!

Christmas List (Cont'd)

Scratch the Remington 700 off the list... I think I got one! Hurry only 48 more shopping days left. I believe the "Deer Hauler" is still open & I could use more than one, so don't worry about duplicating that item... See the following link for accurate descriptions of requested items.

MY CHRISTMAS LIST

My Christmas List (Only 58 Shopping Days Left)

Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag 12 gauge

Remington 700 30/'06

Deer Chili

Deer Hauler

Just a few suggestions. Now get off the computer an' start shoppin'!

Deliverance Wars

May the Force Be With You

Click on the "Force" and enjoy the music of John Williams in a way never intended!

"Do or do not, there is no try." Yoda

Potassium Benzoate (To Protect Taste)

I don't know what possessed me to look at the ingredients of the Diet Coke sitting on my desk. It just happened. I was curious to see if their were any ingredients that I was familiar with. Just 2 or 3 sounded vaguely similar to anything I might be interested in consuming. However, what jumped out at me was "Potassium Benzoate (to protect taste)." For those of you who know me, it won't be a huge stretch for you to realize that my imagination would get the best of me. I can visualize 2 chemical compounds at the molecular level wielding samurai swords or better yet light sabers saying "don't go near there." Then, there are a band of Die-T's hiding behind the caramel coloring waiting for a chance to steal to coveted "taste." The Die-T's scream and yell curses of "Weight Watchers" and "Jenny Craig" while charging only to be subdued by the fearless Potassium Benzoates (nicknamed Tassi and Benz). However, Taste being totally subjective makes an emotional decision and forfeits some of his appeal to accommodate the terminally wounded Die-T's.

I thought it was a much more exciting story as to why Diet Coke DOES indeed taste different than regular Coke. So if you ever wonder what I may be thinking, now you know.... Don't ask!