Milage is a Thing of the Past

Ford claims innovation but their Model-T got better gas milage then todays cars.

Tax Cuts Give You Choice

Some folks are making a big stink about the recently passed tax cut. They run the same tired argument, It’s only a tax cut for the rich!” But here’s the real story. Very simple, actually. Listen close, if the rich are paying the most taxes and we reduce taxes, isn’t it logical that their share will be reduced the most? Weyrich points out that it’s not even true as “the share of income taxes paid by families with income of $100,000 or more will rise to 73.3 percent.” So the practice is unfair and the complaints are untrue.

Government Snookery
The government has found all kinds of sneaky ways of taxing us. First with income tax. Did you know that before 1913 there was no income tax? When first inacted, it was only 1%. Yep, a flat tax. Then when they needed to raise it during war time, they neglected to return the rate to its previous pre-war level once the war was finished. How considerate of them.

Taxes, Taxes and More Taxes
But I digress. So we’ve got the income tax (insidiously taken from our paycheck for “convenience” sake) and then in 1935 they add the Social Security tax. In the 50′s they grew that and they… wanted… more. Thus in 1965 the Medicare tax was born. All the while, states are already taxing us via sales (consumption) tax. Throw in some property tax, estate tax, and more taxes like on things like: pensions, severance, utilities, accumulated earnings, capital gains, gas, gift, inheritance, license, life insurance, operators license, and the list goes on and on. How many taxes do you want to pay? It’s so far past ridiculous.

Like a Little Cheese, with that Whine?
Now here’s what really gets my goat. Many of the people complaining about the income tax reductions are the same people who are currently paying zero income tax. Almost 35% of all Americans! Many poor not only don’t pay anything but get a check instead. (They can expect $411 dollars of someone else’s money.)

Here’s the kicker: The top 1% is paying more than ten times the federal income taxes than the bottom 50%! That is so not fair.

So go ahead and complain, you bunch of whiners. That kind of attitude will get you nowhere… uh, wait a second… that kind of attitude will get you off the hook?!? Maybe I should sign up?

Freedom to Choose

Many Americans claim that we should all be tolerant and respect the beliefs of those different than ours. The misunderstanding is that we should respect the right of people to choose what they believe while not necessarily respecting the beliefs themselves. Not all beliefs are equally valid.

For example, I respect the right of the motorcyclists to choose whether or not to wear a helmet. If Joe Biker chooses not to wear one, I don’t respect that belief because statistics have shown helmets to improve safety. But since his choice affect him (and him alone) that is completely his right to make that choice.

Thoughts to Ponder is Yahoo! Group run by policeman Ralph Dettwiler, who does a good job explaining many topics related to faith.

Geocaching Is All the Rage

What is it called when 8,000 people hide 52,000+ packages in over 170 countries and then go to look for them? Geocaching! And it’s only just getting started.

Would You Pay for Speed?

On the tax topic, you’d think with all the taxes being extracted from Californians, they’d have a better highway system. Wouldn’t you? But this pay-for-speed plan does sound reasonable.

The Next Tiger?

How young is too young to get a Nike deal? Mark Walker is 3 and he’s got mad-h00p skillz. Lookout LeBron!

Of Gods and Men

Hackers turn to MMORPGs to make themselves gods. Finally. Something challenging and fun for our mischevious computer geeks to focus their attentions upon.

Creeping CSS

Haven’t done a code post in a while, but this voodoo creeping CSS bug (IE only) had me baffled for a couple of hours. Wouldn’t want you to have to endure the same torment.

Macromedia Makes It Look Easy

Next to Apple, Macromedia is consistently coming out with the most slick, easy-to-use products. Their newest offering—Breeze—is centered around training. Make sure to watch the demo. Streaming is a great invention.

Matrix: Reviewed

Here is the best review of Matrix: Reloaded that I’ve read thus far. Mr. Mondschein’s knowledge of religion and philosophy shed some light on several Wachowski choices. Excellent read for those interested in the topic.

Live from the Eastern Front

Even though many (most?) Americans think the war in Iraq is over, we still have soldiers overseas. Lt. Smash continues to write some of the most engaging commentary, being a real soldier in a real war. Spend some time reading Live from the Sandbox and it won’t be long before you join me in sending thoughts and prayers of appreciation to all of our soldiers on foreign soil.

Square Peg, Round Hole

Every day that goes by, the advertisers/marketers who want to reach consumers are losing small battles in the bigger war. As prescribed by Ries & Trout, the positioning battle takes place in the mind of every consumer.

So what is the current status of our grey matter? People hate ads on the Internet more and more powerfully. Sean Carton seems to have grasped this concept and is calling for Applications, Not Ads. Trying to fit the square peg (traditional media) into the round hole (interactive media) just isn’t working.

Dial-up Over Broadband… Are You Crazy?

From Broadband Adoption at Home (.pdf) by the Pew Research Center:

Nearly three in five (57%) of dial-up users say they have no interest in having a faster connection at home, while 38% say they would like to upgrade to broadband.

Now I know America’s school system isn’t cutting the mustard.

Competition is a Good Thing

Competition. Supply and Demand. John Maynard Keynes.

All good things, as far as I’m concerned. All the more scary is the recent settlement that allows Internet Explorer to be the only choice (not really, but most people will think so) for Web surfers.

Go Away, But Call Me Later

For kids today, getting “in the game” requires a cell phone. Popularity can be measured like search results on Google—how many of your peers have your number listed in their phonebook? Sad really, but predictable. It’s a more recent plot point in the trendline for teenage girls, but for guys? More communication might actually be a step in the right direction for our disengaged youth.