America's Tax System in Relative Terms: Beer

This does a good job accurately portraying the American tax system. Honestly, I don't think it's necessary to tax the rich even more. They pay just enough. More, they may leave America and not pay at all. Less, we wouldn't have as much money. I think things ar okay. Tell me what you think of this portrayal of the system, and try to find any kinks or problems with it.

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.
The group 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 paid $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 tenth 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 important. They didn't have enough
money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, Lorraine, 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.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
-taken from an e-mail from a friend

Polls, etc.

Obama is doing fantastic in the polls. McCain is catching up, but its doubtful he will overtake him. These next couple of years will be interesting with a Democratic Executive and Legislative. Nothing ever good comes when a single party controls both the Presidency and Congress, be they Democrat or Republican. Expect to see alot of bills passed within the first two years as Obama begins his administration of change. Whether that change will be for the best or worst, nobody knows. I hope we won't have to learn the hard way.

Wow.

Obama is going to win the election. As much as I hate to say it, I honestly think that is the reality of the situation. Obama is dominating in the polls, McCain isn't. And honestly, Bush hasn't been doing so hot the last four years, and that public discontent is going to rebound into Barack's waiting arms. I can't say I'm happy. But look on the bright side, right? Maybe we'll have a really cool civil war/anarchical apocalypse and everything will be like The Day After Tomorrow. Excuse me while I go buy ammo for my guns and cling to them bitterly.

Say what you will, but Palin can speak!

I got the chance to watch Sarah Palin give her speech yesterday at Suplizio Field and I must admit that it was a damn good speech. The crowd was totally into it, people were cheering, and it was fun. She has life to her, and to be honest, you have to admire the woman. What she's doing is a pretty impressive feat. I commend her and found myself agreeing with much of what she said.

The Last Debate

Even though Barack Obama has performed equal if not better in previous debates, I believe that McCain finally did what he had to do. McCain was significantly more aggressive in his debating and called out Obama on numerous issues. It was nice to see John McCain stop being so nice and show a little more "fire in the belly."

Obama's Citizenship: Legitimate?

It seems like the longer our friend Barack is exposed to the spotlight, the shakier his foundations become. Here is a news flash for a lot of people, and I'm surprised Democrats aren't a little more outraged: Barack Obama is having a lawsuit filed against him under the charge that he is not a natural born citizen and therefore ineligible for the presidency. The case simply requires that Obama hand over the official documents (birth certificate, etc.), thereby proving his eligibility. To date, however, Obama has been unable to do that.
Before you jump on the argument regarding the so-called "certificate" posted on Obama's website, you need to understand that there are some problems with that as well. I have read numerous articles claiming that the image posted online justifies that Obama is a Hawaiian-born citizen. However, this is an image which many, myself included, believe is only to temporary placate Obama supporters. If it was a legitimate image of the actual certificate, why not just show the document in court and be done with it? That's what John McCain did. When his citizenship was questioned, McCain immediately produced his birth certificate, medical records, etc., none of which has been done by Obama. If Obama has nothing to hide, why make so much trouble with the courts? I believe more Democrats should be demanding explanations and proof. This is a guy whom many of you took time out of your day to help; don't you think he owes it to you to at least be qualified? He certainly does. Only time will tell the result of the case.
To watch a video about this issue visit this link (and actually watch the whole thing with an open mind):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA6_k3NtXZs
--One more thing: please do not fall victim to selective perception and disregard these ideas simply because you do not want to hear them. Do some research and search for the truth. Try to find something wrong with everything you read. Whether you want to or not, you will begin to find blank spots and rather confounding elements. The media never tells us everything.

A funny experience...

I just had the funniest thing happen. This lady calls me and says she's working for the Obama campaign. She asks me if this is my first election to vote in, asks me if I'm excited to vote, and finally who I plan on supporting. I answer John McCain. She asks why. I tell her. I talked to this lady for five minutes straight. I discussed issues like foreign policy, national security, gun control, abortion, the issues regarding Barack's experience and past. I backed everything up. Basically, I handed it to this lady (who seemed very nice, by the way). As soon as I finished, she said, "Well it sounds like you're a very well-informed voter. Good-bye." I hung up and had myself a hearty laugh. Use those dreadful things called "facts" and they back right down. Regardless of whether or not she meant to, this lady implied that she could not sway me in favor of Obama because I was "well-informed." Just a funny story I felt like relating.