“Whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower.”
(OK, he said it on April 13, but the media just picked it up today, and thus it was heard round the world on April 14.) As this observer points out, the response by French President Sarkozy to Obama's proposals for unilateral disarmament made Obama look like the wimp he is. "You know we're in trouble when the president of France makes more sense on national security than the president of the United States."
April 14 is also the last day to get your papers organized to do your taxes, and given the current complexity of the tax code (take note of the graph in the video below), it is a good day to highlight the enormous costs of compliance thereby imposed on hapless Americans:
Here are links to some of the papers referenced in the video:
Total Federal Income Tax Compliance Costs 1990-2015 (Projected) -- notice how the costs are spiraling endlessly upward.
Compliance Costs of Alternative Tax Systems II -- testimony before the House Ways & Means Committee on the far lower costs of compliance for a flat tax
737,734,941,858 Reasons . . . and Still Counting: Why a Flat Tax Is Needed to Reform the IRS -- overwhelming case for a flat tax compared to what we have now
Money Magazine's 5th Annual Tax Return Test -- even the professionals can't get it right!
IRS Snooping a Bad Augury -- how the bureaucracy illegally snoops through your tax records
Morality and the IRS -- now, there's an oxymoron!
The Rising Cost of Complying with the Federal Income Tax -- the picture in a nutshell.
April 14, which fell on Good Friday in 1865, also marks this tragic event:
But of all the memories you might wish to associate with April 14, surely none can surpass the fact that it is the birthday of this star performer:
To watch her sing that classic song -- to watch how the audience relaxes and enjoys being rocked in the hands of a timeless master -- is to appreciate real greatness.
Within this administration, I suspect any move toward a flat tax (as referenced in your IRS Snooping link) would quickly morph into an argument for a VAT.
ReplyDeleteApril 14th, the date the Titanic hit the iceberg, (sinking on the 15th) and the date a certain pewster was born.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, Pewster, it's a mixed day. ;)
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to share your birthday with Loretta Lynn! Many happy returns to you, and may you have many more!
Then there's this-
ReplyDeleteApr 14, 1818:
Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language is printed
And we might as well say that on this day, the U.S. gave the finger to our old trusted friend, Israel. Obama has shown that his administration has no intention of defending Israel and will instead defend Hes-bola and the PLO. I can't wait for November!!!
ReplyDeleteEven though someone already mentioned this, I feel obliged to add that we not forget that the Titanic struck its iceberg on the night of April 14. It went down with most of its passengers and crew a couple hours into the next morning. I add this again only because I feel as though there is a relevant metaphor somewhere in this.
ReplyDelete