Tax our way out?

One of the best pieces of advice I was given early in my career was to live as if you did not just receive a raise.

It is the American way to spend the money that is available. While that is not the wisest thing to do sometimes that cannot be helped. Young families and individuals right out of college need their entire pay check just to make ends meet. Inevitably a person gets a raise and buys a new car or moves into a bigger house starting the cycle of overspending. Between the first raise and the second raise it is unlikely that the new car or the house is paid off, but the need for bigger and better escalates as the years go by.

Enter the New American way.

At some point the individual is no longer spending the money they are making but they are now spending credit on what they “will be making”. We are seeing now what happens when there is a job loss or a pay cut.

The government has been living beyond its means for a generation and they want more from the American people. But where will that money go? Will it be used to pay off the debt that we owe? Doubtful, the raise will be used for pet programs and social services under the guise of job creation and jumpstarting the economy.

Until we elect responsible officials to office any raise that we give will be spent to up the lifestyle of those in office.

To my Democrat friends (yes I have some):

You are right. Conservatives are up in arms about the amount of money being spent by this administration. There were no Tea Parties during the past administration when spending was out of control.

My question to you is where were you?

Don't we need to start somewhere?

It would be a real shame when Republicans gain control of the house and senate again if the Tea Parties disappeared.

This country is caught in a vicious circle of political corruption on both sides and someone needs to break that cycle.

Economics 101

I have written in the past about what government officials should be required to read. I would like to add to that list Economics 101. McCain and Obama both support a windfall tax on oil companies due to the profit margin.

Let us examine for a moment what happens when costs rise for a manufacture. If I am selling cookies and the price of sugar goes up, I have to charge more for my cookies in order to make the same profit. If oil companies are being taxed they are going to pass along that tax to the consumer.

Leave it to the government to create a bigger mess.

I may be in the minority but I don't fault oil companies for making a big profit. Companies in all markets charge the highest prices that the market will support. There is nothing wrong with that philosophy. In other market places a big company charges obscene amounts of money for a product or service until a new, smaller company comes in and undercuts the market. Prices go down and quality goes up. Markets are constantly balancing themselves out when left alone to do so.

In the gas wars that market balance is not possible due to the many, many environmental laws prohibiting the drilling of domestic oil.

If the candidates truly want to be part of the solution they would fight to allow Alaskan and offshore drilling. Tax incentives should be given to any domestic company willing to truly become an international player.

It is time that the United States becomes a producer again.

The government is not going to be the solution to this escalating issue. The private market holds the only solution and hope for our future economic independence from foreign oil.

Another Recall

In two weeks we have seen three product recalls for products made in China. These recalls beg the question what’s going on?

There are several theory’s floating out in the media ranging from China trying to kill us to a coincidence that the products have been found in the past few weeks and products from China are safe. Both theories seem equally far fetched in my opinion.

China realized a long time ago that Americans want the highest volume at the lowest cost no matter what the quality. That is exactly what we have been getting. Does no one but me wonder why products that were made in the 40’s and 50’s are in fantastic shape and things made in the last 10 years are falling apart. I realize that material things do not last forever, but it seems to me that with advances in technology material goods should last longer than they once did. I can have a pair of jeans that my grandfather wore to work in the fields 40 years ago in fantastic condition – but the jeans that I purchased last year have lost the original shape and are coming apart at the seems. Something is wrong with that picture.

We have a major problem on our hands and it has been ignored for some time because it is going to cost us all very dearly to fix it. We depend so heavily on foreign factories to make inexpensive low quality products that when the US starts making toothpaste again and we have to pay $8.00 a tube there is going to be a huge backlash. Not to mention we do not have the labor sources that we once did, most Americans do not want to work for $9.00 an hour.

The most alarming question is who is to say that if the products were made in the US the quality would be better. Sure harmful materials like lead based paint would not be used but would the quality be better?

Free Ride

King’s Island tried to discontinue free transportation for employees this season. Gasp! What’s the big deal? It makes sense that King’s Island no longer needs to bus employees in from the city, population is dropping. The Mason, Lakota and Kings School districts are able to support the staff that King’s Island needs to run the park. But the city of Cincinnati stepped in and put pressure on the park to keep the bus service running.

What other employer provides a way to get to work? Isn’t the whole point of a summer job as a teen to problem solve? How am I going to get to work? How am I going to pay for gas or bus fair? A free ride to work was a perk of the job, it was not an entitlement. But that is what we teach the youth today – entitlement. When you are young it’s a free ride to work as people get older it’s free healthcare. What is next?

I have news – someone is paying for all of the free stuff, and you better believe it’s not the people who are using the service.

PS3

The PS3’s are retailing for between $500 and $600. People have been in line since Wednesday to purchase them.

Topher and I were going to buy one and sell it on eBay, but waiting lists are 200 deep and we were not about to camp out for something that we were not going to keep.

EBay has set up new rules that will make an impact on those putting the PS3’s on for sale. Sellers can only have one PS3 per account and must have positive comment from at least 50 people so it’s a good thing we did not buy one.

Wedding Vendors

I went online yesterday in search of bridal resources and today my inbox is exploding with links to vendors from across the country. I appreciate the initiative but why knowing the location of the wedding in Flordia and our location in Ohio … would a florist from California sent me her information. She even states that she can fly to our location for the small cost of her airfare and $100.00 per day??? Is there a shortage of florist in Destin, hardly I received 3 emails from local stores. My biggest question is not whether people actually pay this woman to fly across the country to attend their wedding (see Bridezilla) , but does she bring her own flowers?