Kaiser Permanente - Remember Kharma

As I finished my last rant on Kaiser Permanente I got a call from my other brother who is at Parkview Hospital with my brother who has the liver cancer. Kaiser Permanente has ordered he be given pain meds and sent home. The man is in the hospital because his ammonia levels in his liver are now 3X the normal level. Jaundice is trying to set in again, he has lost 50 pounds in a month because of this and what does Kaiser Permanente do to help? SEND HIM HOME WITH PAIN MEDS TO DIE!!!!!!!!!! Way to go Kaiser Permanente. Threaten to sue me Kaiser Permanente - I will not shut up! I'll get it before a jury and counter sue you. I'll make sure it's headline material.

Kaiser Permanente Insurance - Takes your money and let you DIE!!!!!

My youngest brother has this as insurance through the State of Colorado. He is dying of Liver Cancer. He WAS on the Liver transplant list. The Quack Doctors at University Hospital in Denver, for some reason during the 4 years he went there for treatment missed 2 tumors on his liver. Well, they missed them until it was too late. The Doctors at Porter Hospital in Denver say they can and will do the transplant. Kaiser Permanente Insurance say "no" to Porter Hospital. It is not one of "their" hospitals and even though he will die - to quote their representative " we cannot help unless he goes to University Hospital". The guy is sure to die if he doesn't have the transplant. There are many donors lined up willing to donate. University will not do it!!!! Kaiser Permanente is killing my brother. Kaiser Permanente does not care. If they did my brother would be at Porter Hospital getting the life saving transplant he needs.

Re: RNC 08-29-2012

The last time I watched an entire evening of a political convention was the Libertarian Convention on C-Span back in 1991 or '92. Andre' Marrou was the Libertarian Candidate then. Last night I watched from Condoleeza Rice onward through Paul Ryan. Wow, I was impressed with both Ms. Rice and the lady who followed her, New Mexico Governor Suzanne Martinez. I thought to myself how the heck is Paul Ryan supposed to follow those two? He did and boy he did it in fine fashion. I was tempted at a few places to stand up and cheer like the crowd was doing there in Tampa, Florida. I like this guy and he and Romney continue to have my vote. I wonder how the mainstream media is going to spin this tomorrow? My bet is that words like "racist", "homophobic", "Hate-filled" are just a few of the terms used. Divide and conquer seem to be the bylines of the big three and their subordinates.

An awesome, awesome man and an awesome article.

Thomas Sowell is a person of whom I would love to spend an evening with over dinner just picking his brain. It was the writings of Sowell's mentor Milton Friedman that got me to rethinking my then Socialistic/ Communistic points of view along with the fact that my love of history led me to the writings of early Nazi's and Fascists like Mussolini that showed me the Fascists were nothing more than Nationalistic Communists. How can one (Fascism) be condemned while the other (Socialism/ Communism) has been responsible for more deaths than Nazi/Fascism? Both are the epitome of evil, both rely on sheep, fear and threat of death. The Ukrainian genocide was as horrible as the Jewish extermination. Throw in Bergen where American soldiers underwent the same treatment as the Jews also. Oh, you label one as Right Wing Extremism and while in the same breath deny the holocaust/ genocide caused by that very same ideaology. Does that make any sense? Not to me either. How about totally excluding the other group and their atrocities? How about the people surrounding our sitting President espousing the writings of Mao and Mother Teresa? How about claiming Jesus was a Socialist, ignoring the Parable of the Talents completely? All are Tyranny. Boy does Thomas Sowell hit that nail on the head. "Is U.S. Now On Slippery Slope To Tyranny http://news.investors.com/article/537967/201006211813/is-us-now-on-slippery-slope-to-tyranny-.htm?p=full

Wowzers!!!

Wow. Here I promised to do more and instead I did less in this past year on this blog. I get so involved in things and the fact that I never was a very good wordsmith thanks to my invariably bad choices over the years. For that I can only ask forgiveness, but that stuff predates the blog by over a decade. So I guess, as a New Years Resolution I will again endeavor to create something here.

An open letter

Over the years I have been told that one of my weaknesses is my loyalty to friends and family. Well, if that's a weakness, then I am very weak, but rarely wrong in my choices of friends. I blame them, because they helped make me what I am, and I love every single one of you like a brother or sister.
To those who have passed on, Randy Lance, Rodney Rogers, Euphrates Hill, Jeff Warner, Rudy Gallegos, Tom Hubbs, Marvin Massaro, Bobby Pacheco, Uncle Danny (would never tell me his last name, just Uncle Danny), Gordon Raigoza and to those I forget, sorry I am getting old and the fog of time is thick. I just want to say thank you and I do miss you all. Our time together was rich and I love you all.
To all you old farts I grew up with, Elalio Omar, Hector Omar, James Baker, David Baker, Glen Owens, Tony Verdugo, Paul Villegas, Doug (Cricket) Williams, Sammie Lee Moore, Tim Jones, Mark Jones, Billy (Weasel) Martinez, George Rivera, Acquina Rogers, Lisa Lobel, Tammy Carter, Patty Ernst, Nancy Ernst, Jeff Collins, Jeff Sutton, Brett Bennett, Mark Archuleta, George Gallegos, Josie Gallegos, Billy Hegler, Debbie Mayo, Donna Wojtyla, Debbie Wojtyla, Steve Villegas, Lonnie Blackburn, Larry Santistevan, Eloy Vigil - my oldest friend and still my compadre, George Rivera, Tim O'Gane, Gary Schritter, Cliff Brice III, Leon Bayha, Sherry Wood, Tammy Carter, Mark Medina, Karl Bernal, Pat Bernal... wow, this list can go on forever.
Basically, if you are not here, sorry, the fog of time again or if you're like Gerald Garber - buddy, I owe you one - punch and I may forgive, but I do not forget. I trust my friends and when one stabs me or rips me off, oh well, I owe you one, buddy. We will meet again somewhere, sometime.
I tip my hat to you all. Thank you and God Bless all of you.

Tea Party Extremist? Yeppers

Well, I did it. Yes, I am now a Tea Partier. Why? I am so tired of my Congressman and Senators thinking they are above everyone and don't have to answer to us, the LEGAL citizenry. They bend over and spread it for the Illegals and every other crybaby "I want more" group that I now KNOW that they care not for those of us who work, create sale-able goods and instead want a nation of lemmings who know nothing but to fill out welfare forms, demand hand outs and if they don't get them cry "racist".

So to steal a line from the liberals, I did it "for the children". The children who now owe hundreds of thousands to the Chinese and yet they are not even out of diapers yet. The children who have no hope, no future and no life right now as we know it. Their hopes and dreams. if they are allowed in today's public schools to have one, is dashed and destroyed before they can even learn the meaning of the word dream.

Someone has to stand up for their kids and grandkids, and I am now one.

As Admiral Yamamoto said after Pearl Harbor "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve".

Amen, Admiral, Amen.

My thoughts on the Teacher's Union and basically Unions in general.

During the tryst in Wisconsin between the Teacher's Union and Wisc. Gov. Walker recently, I went in with a semi-opened mind. I did not know all the facts and knew that the MSM would not do anything in any way to clear up that muddled picture. I was quite sadly right about that. All the MSM seemed to want to do was show the Union side, get emotional and create the classic "Mob Atmosphere". To the Teacher's Union I will concede the fact that they also, from what I was watching, did all they could to cultivate the classic "Mob Atmosphere" and in some cases mildly succeeded.
One of the things that really cracked me up was a young lady who was doing crowd interviews for, I believe, the CNN cable news channel. She had just finished with an interview with a lady who wanted to "burn down the Capital Building with Governor Walker inside". She looked at the camera and closed her piece with an "as you can see these people only want a peaceful end to this budget crisis" speech. Standing behind her during the speech was a guy holding an effigy of Governor Walker being hung in a noose.

"Peace, peace, we want peace"
"Yes, a piece of this and a piece of that until we have no more pieces to give. Then we die of starvation."
"Then you will finally be at peace, my friend."

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My list of personal reasons why I dislike Unions;
1) When I was young a close friend of mine was horribly burned and at death's door for a full year because of Union BS. He worked for a non-union company and they had a job at the powerhouse of a local baseball field. The city utilities were supposed to go out and shut off the power. They did not go because it would have interfered with their lunch break. Union rules.
Before I continue I must add that the job was supposed to go to a union company, but they could not get to the job for over a week. The three best high voltage men in the city were all employed with my dad, who was number 1 in the state when it came to high voltage work. A high voltage man was needed for this job.
My friend is a high voltage electrician, ranked number three in the state at that time. He and his apprentice went to go do the job. At the job site they called in and were told the men shut the power off an hour before to the ball field. My friend unlocked the power house door which are key only, no doorknobs, and sent his apprentice to get the rest of the tools they may need. While the apprentice went for the tools, my friend began to open the panels and discovered not only was the power not off, but the interior of the power system had shorted, overheated and the interior was now melted. He was blown across the small room into the door and trapped within this hell on earth. He was burned head to toe with only the palms of his hands and feet intact. The coins in his pocket were melted into his flesh. He lived.
The official response as to why the power was not shut off: Union rules, must have a lunch break.

2) I actually tried to join the electricians union once. The head of the union, a man named Ray Johnson told me I had to take the apprentice test and score a 70% or better. I was told there was a "trick" question nobody had ever passed and three "extra point" questions at the end. I had one hour to do the test. Now, I knew there was no real test, but they had these for people they did not want in, and since my dad was the person they hated the most (rated no. 1 High Voltage, excellent reputation, etc..) this was my chance to rub it in their faces. I took their test, and did the three extra point questions well within the hour allotted me. They took the test from me and went into the next room. I watched through the glass and giggled to myself. The looks on the guys faces, the way they talked back and forth was hysterical.
Fifteen minutes later Mr. Johnson emerged with his colleagues who immediately left the room as Mr. Johnson closed the door. "I am not going to give you the typical spiel we do everybody else" he began "I know and respect your dad so I owe him that much. You know full good and well why we gave you this test and I know you recognized the Journeyman's Test when you saw it. When I see your dad tonight in Lodge I will tell him what you did and that you scored 100% and then I kicked your ass out the door."
"I thank you for your honesty Mr. Johnson. You know I don't work with or for my dad so I thought you'd want me."
"Son, you don't know how badly I do want you here. But your dad would disown you and never forgive you." he said as he got up from his chair. He took one or two steps away from me, turned and added "Plus, I'd lose his respect if I let you make this mistake."
I sat there for another minute or two contemplating what Mr. Johnson just told me. The things you learn if you stop and soak it in a moment. The value of respect and friendship are something not to take lightly.

3) I belonged to the Laborer's Union for 2 1/2 years. Total number of jobs I got through them? Zip, zilch, no, none, nada, not a one.

4) I currently belong to a union. I MUST to have my job. Our local consists of mama as the Prez, papa is Secretary, sonny is our Rep. I have contacted my Union Chief Grand High Exhaulted Mystic Poobah because my Local Prez could not help me find an adoption lawyer and the union promises legal help if you need it. Nope, none available - but HEY, remember to vote for Obama for President.

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Lastly, regarding the Teacher's Union. The scandal over the fake tests is nothing new. It will also happen again and again until the NEA is gone, which thanks to DC, will not happen. Soon it will be like Mexico's Union which basically rules the country.
See: http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2011/07/mexicos-teachers-union

Rants, raves and Allen West.

http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=84

I rave about AlfonZo Rachel. I love his work and his beliefs. Go to PJTV and see him and another favorite of mine, Andrew Klavan.






I love Allen West and if he was in my district I would be volunteering to help him. Same with Bachmann and Herman Cain.

If the election were today I'd vote, of those in the race right now, Herman Cain is in 1st strongly. Michelle Bachmann and Ron Paul are tied for 2nd. Paul is my favorite but some of his stuff is a wee bit weird, even for me. Yes, I did vote for him for President when he ran as a Libertarian and if he got the Republican Nomination I would again. In a heartbeat.

How I Feel About This Debt Ceiling Bull

"Don't call my bluff" says it all.




The Emperor has finally succeeded. His minion has succeeded and now the Emperor can complete the mission that the Jedi Knight Ray Gunn temporarily halted over 30 years ago.
"Come, Lord Baiter, we have much work to do" says the Emperor.
"Yes, my Liege" speaks Baiter as he kneels and kisses the Emperors ring.



Christmas will be a bummer this year. All the toys made at the North Pole will now be taxed and import duties imposed. The NLRB has declared that Santa must only hire Union workers and must move his production facility from the North Pole to the state of Washington.
Santa sure looks bummed out.

This pretty much says it all

Wow

I can't believe it has been almost a year since my last post. Just goes to show you what a clusterf*&k the past 10 months have been. New position, new residence and a new life sorta kinda.
Hello New Mexico, hope you're ready for this.
So where do we go from here? I don't know yet, but give me a few and we'll begin the ride.
I have gone from a 3 to 4 bedroom home with a HUGE 6 car garage, grainery building and storage shed to ........ a mobile home. That sucks a big one because I have a big storage shed filled to the rim. My landlord here ranks a -1 out of 10. But since I have to stay here at least two years and 6 months are now gone of that, oh well. I will survive.
I do need to find something to do here on the weekends. A way to meet people of similar thought processes and desires, be it political, economic or just to have someone to bounce ideas off of.
Being here has made it a more enjoyable drive to go to my hometown to see family, friends and even freak a few people out just because I can.

How we got here. Long but worth it.

This is the best piece I have read in a LONG time.

http://www.bitsofnews.com/content/view/5955/

In the year 2017....If man is still alive

A weird thing happened. I was jamming some tunes when Zager & Evans song "In The Year 2525" came on. At that moment I happened upon this article on the Blog "Troy Ounce". Coincidence?


Counterpunch. Paul Craig Roberts (h/t/ Jesse)

It was 2017. Clans were governing America.

The first clans organized around local police forces. The conservatives’ war on crime during the late 20th century and the Bush/Obama war on terror during the first decade of the 21st century had resulted in the police becoming militarized and unaccountable.

As society broke down, the police became warlords. The state police broke apart, and
the officers were subsumed into the local forces of their communities. The newly formed tribes expanded to encompass the relatives and friends of the police.

The dollar had collapsed as world reserve currency in 2012 when the worsening economic depression made it clear to Washington’s creditors that the federal budget deficit was too large to be financed except by the printing of money.

With the dollar’s demise, import prices skyrocketed. As Americans were unable to afford foreign-made goods, the transnational corporations that were producing offshore for US markets were bankrupted, further eroding the government’s revenue base.

The government was forced to print money in order to pay its bills, causing domestic prices to rise rapidly. Faced with hyperinflation, Washington took recourse in terminating Social Security and Medicare and followed up by confiscating the remnants of private pensions. This provided a one-year respite, but with no more resources to confiscate, money creation and hyperinflation resumed.

Organized food deliveries broke down when the government fought hyperinflation with fixed prices and the mandate that all purchases and sales had to be in US paper currency. Unwilling to trade appreciating goods for depreciating paper, goods disappeared from stores.

Washington responded as Lenin had done during the “war communism” period of Soviet history. The government sent troops to confiscate goods for distribution in kind
to the population. This was a temporary stop-gap until existing stocks were depleted, as future production was discouraged. Much of the confiscated stocks became the property of the troops who seized the goods.

Goods reappeared in markets under the protection of local warlords. Transactions were conducted in barter and in gold, silver, and copper coins.

Other clans organized around families and individuals who possessed stocks of food, bullion, guns and ammunition. Uneasy alliances formed to balance differences in clan strengths. Betrayals quickly made loyalty a necessary trait for survival.

Large scale food and other production broke down as local militias taxed distribution as goods moved across local territories. Washington seized domestic oil production and refineries, but much of the government’s gasoline was paid for safe passage across clan territories.

Most of the troops in Washington’s overseas bases were abandoned. As their resource stocks were drawn down, the abandoned soldiers were forced into alliances with those with whom they had been fighting.

Washington found it increasingly difficult to maintain itself. As it lost control over the country, Washington was less able to secure supplies from abroad as tribute from those Washington threatened with nuclear attack. Gradually other nuclear powers realized that the only target in America was Washington. The more astute saw the writing on the wall and slipped away from the former capital city.

When Rome began her empire, Rome’s currency consisted of gold and silver coinage. Rome was well organized with efficient institutions and the ability to supply troops in the field so that campaigns could continue indefinitely, a monopoly in the world of Rome’s time.

When hubris sent America in pursuit of overseas empire, the venture coincided with the offshoring of American manufacturing, industrial, and professional service jobs and the corresponding erosion of the government’s tax base, with the advent of massive budget and trade deficits, with the erosion of the fiat paper currency’s value, and with America’s dependence on foreign creditors and puppet rulers.

The Roman Empire lasted for centuries. The American one collapsed overnight.

Rome’s corruption became the strength of her enemies, and the Western Empire was overrun.

America’s collapse occurred when government ceased to represent the people and became the instrument of a private oligarchy. Decisions were made in behalf of short-term profits for the few at the expense of unmanageable liabilities for the many.
Overwhelmed by liabilities, the government collapsed.

Globalism had run its course. Life reformed on a local basis.

Paul Craig Roberts was an editor of the Wall Street Journal and an Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury. His latest book, HOW THE ECONOMY WAS LOST, has just been published by CounterPunch/AK Press. He can be reached at: PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com

A Word About Glenn Beck

Lately I have been watching a lot of Glenn Beck on Fox News. Not to try and debunk him, though if he is wrong, and at times he is, I will be the first to shout out that he is wrong. It is because I am a person who is a freethinker and I like nothing more than to research stuff.
What I love is that Glenn Beck uses history as a learning tool. Why? Because history repeats itself and it is right now as we speak. One can deny and one can make excuses, but if one has known someone and met people who lived through the previous incarnation they would know.
As I have stated in my earlier posts about Grandma Rose, Mr. Wojtyla and others I have known who were residents of Dachau and Auschwitz. I only wish I could bring up their images and have others hear their stories. I am incapable of vocalizing those stories and warnings like Grandma Rose, Vlad Petrolay and Mr. Huddego. I cannot show them the tattoos, the scars and the marks that these people had upon their bodies. I wish to God I could. I have the pictures my father took when he was a liberator of Dachau with the 3rd Army under General Patton, but to see the pictures and hear the stories is so very different.
It is well known that the Nazi's were empowered by what was accomplished by President Wilson and his cabinet in the field of sterilization and eugenics. To hear Science czar John Holdren talk of "breeding a better human" and praise given to the great Propaganda Machine of Freud's favorite nephew Edouard Bernaise, the designer of those great sayings and propaganda used during WWI.
In the first half of the 20th century, Edward Bernaise became the most sought-after spinmeister of his generation. But when his book, Crystallizing Public Opinion, fell into Nazi hands, Bernaise's groundbreaking ideas became the inspiration for one of the world's most sinister campaigns: Joseph Goebbels' push to sell the Holocaust. The "management of opinion and the 'manufacture of consent," which was a phrase of Bernaise' coinage and soon became one of Goebbels' favorites.
Tonight Glenn Beck brought back Grandma Rose, Vlad and the others when he brought up Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer;

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.

God will not hold us guiltless.

Not to speak is to speak.

Not to act is to act.

Ignore at your own risk. I choose not to.

Hello Allen

Just a short message to a buddy of mine.

Hope you got here after looking at all the other places I gave you.

Now, start your own blog and go for it.

Igor

So, so true

Your Taxes in 2010 and 2011

PLEASE READ the post in the link. There you can expand the size of the boxes, whereas in my reprint for the lazy you cannot.
LEARN what is happening.
All this is Pre-Cap and Tax and Pre-VAT (Value Added Tax) figures. If those pass IT WILL GO UP MORE!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2558744/posts

Directions for Misguided Democrats

by: Larry Walker, Jr.

In my last blog post, 2011 Tax Increase: A Reality Check, I attempted to point out how the Bush tax cuts applied to all Americans at every level of income, and that with their expiration at the end of 2010, income taxes will rise across the board. Although valid enough to ignite renewed interest, I now want to expand on this in a more technical manner with examples.

The following table compares the pending change in tax rates (assuming no change for inflation).

As evident with a quick glance, those in lower income levels will see their taxes increase the most with taxes increasing by 50% (from 10% to 15%), but this doesn’t tell the whole story. Only by looking at effective tax rates, can we see the impact of the pending tax increase on hard working Americans, and small business decision makers. [Note: The effective tax rate is calculated by dividing the amount of taxes paid, by the amount of gross income.]

When it comes to taxes, there are many variables that will effect the calculation of ones effective tax rate, such as filing status, number of children, whether or not one itemizes deductions, and whether one has income from pass-throughs (i.e. Partnerships, and S-Corporations), or from capital gains. So in an effort keep this somewhat simple, the examples that follow assume a married couple without children, without capital gains, who does not itemize deductions, and whose income is limited to $500,000.

[Note: The following tables place income on the cusp of each tax bracket, and thus were prepared on a ‘give or take a dollar or two’ basis. (You may click on each table to enlarge.)]

Example 1 - 10% Bracket: Joe and Jane are married and have combined wages of $35,450.00. In 2010 they will pay income taxes of $1,675 with an effective tax rate of 4.7%. Their 2010 after-tax income is $33,775. In 2011 they will pay income taxes of $2,512.50 with an effective tax rate of 7.1% which represents a tax increase of 50%. Their after tax income in 2011 will fall by $837.50.

Example 2 – 15% Bracket: Lance and Lori are married and have combined income of $86,700.00. In 2010 they will pay income taxes of $9,362.50 with an effective tax rate of 10.8%. Their 2010 after-tax income is $77,337.50. In 2011 they will pay income taxes of $10,200 with an effective tax rate of 11.8% which represents a tax increase of 8.9%. Their after tax income in 2011 will fall by $837.50.

Example 3 – 25% Bracket: Nick and Nancy are married and have combined income of $156,000.00. In 2010 they will pay income taxes of $26,687.50 with an effective tax rate of 17.1%. Their 2010 after-tax income is $129,312.50. In 2011 they will pay income taxes of $29,604.00 with an effective tax rate of 19.0% which represents a tax increase of 10.9%. Their after tax income in 2011 will fall by $2,916.50.

Example 4 – 28% Bracket: Paul and Penny are married and have combined income of $227,950.00. In 2010 they will pay income taxes of $46,833.50 with an effective tax rate of 20.5%. Their 2010 after-tax income is $181,116.50. In 2011 they will pay income taxes of $51,908.50 with an effective tax rate of 22.8% which represents a tax increase of 10.8%. Their after tax income in 2011 will fall by $5,075.00.

Example 5 - 33% Bracket: Ronald and Rhonda are married and have combined wages $392,350.00. In 2010 they will pay income taxes of $101,085.50 with an effective tax rate of 25.8%. Their 2010 after-tax income is $291,264.50. In 2011 they will pay income taxes of $111,092.50 with an effective tax rate of 28.3% which represents a tax increase of 9.9%. Their after tax income in 2011 will fall by $10,007.00.

Example 6 – 35% Bracket: Tom and Tammy are married and have combined income of $518,700.00. In 2010 they will pay income taxes of $145,308.00 with an effective tax rate of 28.0%. Their 2010 after-tax income is $373,392.00. In 2011 they will pay income taxes of $161,127.10 with an effective tax rate of 31.1% which represents a tax increase of 10.9%. Their after tax income in 2011 will fall by $15,819.10.

Does the government deserve 30-40% of your money? From the examples provided, those making over $392,350 will pay between 31.1% up to 39.6% of every additional dollar earned in taxes. This particularly impacts small business owners whose income is taxed at the personal level. It’s hardly worth the effort to expand operations and provide jobs when the government will get 30% to 40% of the paper profits.

All income is not created equal. The federal government should understand that just because a small business has taxable income of $400,000 doesn’t mean that its owner has $400,000 in the bank. Some of that money was used to pay non-deductible principal payments on loans, and some of it is necessary for working capital in order to continue operations. Although the interest paid on loans is deductible for tax purposes, principal repayments are not, so the government really shouldn’t assume that taxable income is the same thing as disposable income.

A tax increase is a tax increase. Those making under $36,000 per year will see the highest tax rate increase of 50%. Although those making between $36,000 and $87,000 will see the smallest increase at potentially 8.9%, a tax increase is a tax increase. For those in the remaining brackets, taxes will increase by approximately 10% to 11%. This is a far cry from Obama’s bold declaration that we would not see our taxes increase by ‘one dime’. Technically it will be more like a dime to fifty cents on the dollar. Yes, income taxes will increase for all who pay taxes, without quick action.

Taxes will rise by a lot more than a dime. When the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of this year, couples making over a nickel and under $500,000 per year, will see their effective income tax rates rise, from between 8.9% to 50.0%. Lower income wage earners face the largest increase. Couples with income above $392,350 will be effectively handing the government 30% - 40% of their income.

Unusual uncertainty is unusually uncertain. The longer Congress delays in giving the public clarity, the more prolonged this period of ‘unusual uncertainty’. Individuals and small businesses are already in process of making plans for the remainder of 2010 and forward, and without knowing for certain whether or not the Bush tax cuts will be extended, planning has come to a halt. Under the assumption that taxes will rise in 2011, plans for further spending in 2010 have been shelved, because those deductions will be of better use next year. Delaying a decision until year-end would not be wise.

What's your total tax bill? Now when you add to the above effective tax rates: State and Local taxes, Social Security and Medicare taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, excise taxes; and possibly new health care and carbon taxes, the situation is not only unusually uncertain, but unbearable and unsustainable. Politicians should listen when taxpayers holler the acronym, T.E.A., which stands for taxed enough already. Congress should not only re-instate the Bush tax cuts, but should consider further cuts in both income taxes and its own out-of-control spending (which leads to higher and higher taxes). Failure to take the public seriously will result in the death of the American economy. Yes, Misguided One, when it comes to taxes and spending, we wish to go backwards, not further into the abyss.

A Potential Solution - One solution would be to extend the Bush tax cuts for another three years with one minor change. There should be an additional standard deduction granted to small business owners. Job creators who own Partnerships and S-Corporations should specifically be granted an additional deduction based on the level of business income reported on their personal tax returns. This incentive would encourage small business owners to expand, will create more jobs, and will improve the overall economy. Let's start putting the incentive where it matters and stop punishing those who drive the American economy.