Try being an Ambassador or an embassy guard under attack, waiting for backup, that was quite available.
This is one of the things I've learned from this site. My Fellow Farriers from countries around the world that I consider Socialist systems, are still able to work enough to pay the high taxes, and have a nice enough life. It's still immoral to punish hard work and reward sloth, but I guess I'll get used to it as we move more and more in that direction.
I just finished the book "1776" by McCullough Monday night and watched the dancing in Chicago on Tuesday night. What a difference.
We are in for some interesting times in the Western World I think, Can we lay it at the door of one man? No I don't think we can, I travel in some of the countries that Denise posted pics of, are they relevant, yes and no, they are just one end of the spectrum and we are the other end. I have no answer to the problems of the third world, I prefer to deal with first world problems. Am I able t put the price up, no! are my materials going up yep! am I worse off than I was I recon I am. But my problems are market forces driven, over training, fall in the number of horses, tired body etc, I have had the best of this trade in the uk, but I have strived to do the best job I can, provide the best service I can, and do it for a price that that service will allow and that has always paid off. I am encouraged to see some of the better younger farriers able to charge good money for a good job, some of them I have trained.The stack it high and sell it cheap guys will always be there in any trade. The truth is it is there time like it was mine but I still strive for that good job and good service. They will keep moving the decimal point to the right for a while longer, then we will have our revolution, where inflation will get a grip, Loaf of bread $2000 dollars, will we starve no!
And greed is still the preeminent sin. There's no excuse, justification or explanation for off-shore accounts for someone making millions and paying less than 15% federal tax, other than greed. All the while he shipped US jobs off to China through his leveraged buy-out activity.
Why should someone making fifty bucks or fifty million bucks more than you pay a higher percentage than you? Theft is theft no matter how it's taken or justified.
Why should someone making millions more than me pay a lesser percent??? I don't agree with or like the policy of taxing folks at higher percentage for higher income, but the whole tax code needs an overhaul. Trouble is, if you simplify it too much you put all those accountant and tax lawyers out of a job......
I have no answers either, but if I start to complain about being "worse off", I have to remember to count my blessings and not my money; and realize how lucky and fortunate I am to live in the greatest country in the world.
I'm not big on posting on the internet, dont have facebook or any other internet social networking. I do look around on this site somewhat often. But this election has really gotten me fired me up. Obama in MY OPINION, is a fraudulent fool. No other president in U.S. history has raised the national debt even remotely close as much as he has. Quite frankly lowering the taxes for the wealthy is not a horrible action. The wealthy are the ones that create the jobs and put money into this economy. If you raise the taxes on the wealthy they will just start spending less money which will cause the plan to backfire. Why should the those that have busted their butts to have what they have give their money to a bunch of lazy government funded welfare sucking slobs. Is it right for someone to sit on their lazy butts with a free cell phone and top shelf food reap the rewards from us that work...Heck no... In America the top 1% of earners pay roughly 43% of the nations federal income taxes, which is nearly double what they paid in the 1980's. Roughly 46% of U.S. households DO NOT pay any income taxes. Obama said in a speech, ""Look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own", bull hockey. I did not come from a wealthy family. When i left the Air Force i didnt hardly have a dime to name and was married with 1 child. When i started building my farrier business i didnt take hand outs from anyone. So how the heck did the goverment build my business; they didnt, i did. I had a thing that has been lost, it's called PRIDE. Being a proud U.S. veteran i am sickened with the events that took place in bengahzi. As far as i am concerned he should be tried for treason and the murder of those people. Posted is an address that shows an interview with Tyrone Woods' father. Tyrone was the navy seal that lost his life saving others in the bengahzi ordeal. Be sure to watch both parts. " This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." ~Elmer Davis http://www.therightscoop.com/glenn-...ather-of-fallen-former-navy-seal-in-benghazi/
Welcome Steven. As to building your business, remember it was because of the (Constitutionally mandated) nice roads you drove on that made your business grow. Nice roads make it more comfortable to drive with sore mussels, broken bones, and exhaustion from 12 to 16 hour days. I suppose you also think that tax policy that has failed every time and every place it's been implemented throughout history, won't work this time? You sound like you don't want to pay your fair share. Seriously though, thank you for your service.
I dont want to come across like that. I have absolutely no problem paying the taxes that i owe, without taxes this country couldn't survive. Though I am very sour that part of my tax dollars go to people that don't want to help themselves, and continue to work the "system". I have absolutely no problem helping someone that truly needs help, but lets face it most of them on the system are just working it. People fall on hard times, but when they don't do there part to try and get out of their hole, it shouldn't be our responsibility to take care of them.
I didn't know roads where constitutionally mandated? Careful Bill, Steven makes Big Poppa look like a mouse. Steven You'll have to forgive Bill he's from California the cool weather affects him.
Steven, I'm with you, we punish the achievers and reward the nonproductive. Justin, The government, in the Constitution, is to build and maintain roads for interstate commerce. I think that's a good idea. I don't think it's a good idea to pay able bodied men to sit on their ass instead of working on those roads. Also, for future reference it's "The People's Republic of California".
I thought the federal gas tax payed for roads, not income tax. The more you use the roads the more gas it takes, so the more tax you pay to fix the roads you're wearing out. Funny how our roads are falling apart and they say we have no money to fix them. Our fine x Governor sold our toll road to a foreign company and created this thing called major moves, which was meant to pay for road improvements. Every construction job in the state in 2009 had a big fancy sign saying this project funded by major moves. Fact was only 3 of the jobs in the whole state where funded by that money. Obama's stimulus put all kinds of money out there for construction to promote job growth, only problem was jobs had to be shovel ready. Which means all the engineering had to be done, costing millions of dollars that states and private entities didn't have before they could receive the money from the stimulus. The stipulations that he put on the money killed jobs. Funny you mention that about guys setting around, the state of Indiana is in the process of building an interstate. There are around 400+ guys on the out of work board at the operators union hall, they are setting at home collecting unemployment, because the state will not let construction companies break new ground until spring of next year. That is a little over 20% of the operators in the union. I cannot comment on figures for iron workers, laborers, teamster, millwrights, pipe fitters, electricians, etc. Point is there is work to be done but it is being held back by the government. Obama's energy policies are already having a devastating impact in my area, there have been three coal mines shut down in my area in the past 4 months. In this area they are one of the biggest employers aside from other business which provide the mines with services. The government give millions if not billions of dollars to establish wind farms, which are not even producing electricity. There is a very large one close by my aunts, over 500 windmills and only about a 1/3 of them work.
Wind farms in Ireland have been a huge success despite a lot of people trying to discourage them for one reason or another. Fact is we need renewable energy. If the maintenance or building has been done incorrectly it is not the core idea at fault. In Ireland we have as Bill described a much more socialist system and have had for a number of years. We have a world famous social welfare system thats being screwed left right and center by lazy bastards who only educate their kids in the ways of fu screwing the system and its breeding generations of dole scroungers. But it is on the other hand an excellent system for those who fall on hard times, for example, a farrier kicked by a horse and out of work with four kids and who was unable to afford insurance is able to scrape by with the help of the state. On the other end of the scale we have Ireland rich and elite, the bankers, land developers and large business and asset owners. The guys out playing golf with our heads of state at the weekends, these guys are also ripping off the system. Using every purposely left loopholes in the law with teams of tax lawyers so as not to be taxable in Ireland or using loop holes through businesses based in tax havens and pension based schemes to screw the country. But as stated above these are the guys who will create jobs in the future. My point is we have a great system its the people that ruin it and they are at both ends of the scale. And after seeing life in a country like Saudi and seeing the divide between rich and poor its sickening, id prefer to pay our high taxes and put up with the scroungers than see the division in society like they have here.
