Higher State Taxes & Fees

This should be no surprise, with all of the news of state governments unable to balance their budgets. Whether they call them taxes or fees, they are pulling out all of the stops in trying to think up creative ways to squeeze more money out of as many people as possible. The Beatles song, TaxMan doesn’t seem as farfetched any more. Parody becomes reality.

With cigarettes rising to $7.00 per pack in the PRC, it seems like importing them from other states will become a very lucrative business.

KMK

Shady Accounting

Here’s another piece on the crooked accounting long done by our rulers in DC. They have the luxury of being able to declare almost everything as emergencies and thus not counted in the annual operating budget. That is how they can claim to be running a surplus, while still borrowing money. If any real world corporation tried such fraudulent accounting, its executives would be in the slammer. So, what else is new?

KMK

Drive-By Audits

Here’s a good explanation of how the big CPA firms have been cutting corners in their auditing assignments and letting their clients get away with some seriously improper accounting. There are also some good suggestions for improving the quality of certified audits.

We’ll have to leave it to the courts to decide if this qualifies as official malpractice; but it sure sounds like it. When I was in college, there were the Big 8 CPA firms. I’m not sure how many of them will be left in a few more years after paying out for their lousy auditing.

KMK

Cutting My Own Throat

In spite of the fact that I make a very good income from helping people play the tax game, I have always supported the Libertarian Party’s platform policy of eliminating the income tax entirely, as described in this article by Harry Browne, the LP’s presidential candidate in 1996 & 2000.

KMK

Drunken Sailors

In typical fashion, our rulers, of both parties, are on a spending spree; and not just on the area that is crucial, defense.

KMK

Still Feel Patriotic?

I always get a ton of criticism for helping people pay less in taxes. I am constantly being called unpatriotic by those who think that any attempt to send less money to our rulers in DC borders on treason. For those folks, just read this story and tell me how patriotic you feel by sending your hard earned money to DC.

The U.S. Customs Service is admitting to losing 2,251 computers between 1999 and 2001. This report comes just one day after the FBI said it had “misplaced” 317 laptop computers. Customs agents also lost 59 weapons, 613 badges and 572 government credentials

Will anything be done to better control assets bought with taxpayer money? Why should they? There’s plenty of money from patriotic taxpayers to just keep buying more things to replace the ones that mysteriously disappear.

KMK

Dirty Money

There has long been an interesting pattern with the Clinton-Rodham family. On several occasions, they have been exposed as having taken illegal money from criminals. Both Bill & Hillary’s brothers were selling pardons. Hillary has been taking money from several of the corporate executives that are in the news for illegal stock trades and corrupt bookkeeping. She is now promising to donate that money to some charity, to be named later.

I have mentioned the stupidity of this logic on a number of occasions. Since when is it okay to expect no punishment just because you give back illegally obtained money after you have been caught? Can bank robbers just give back the loot and expect no criminal charges?

Here’s where the media double standard (aka bias) kicks in. If these had been Republicans, you can bet that the media would be accusing them of being as crooked as the donors. The media would also be following up to verify that the money had been actually given back. However, with Democrats, they are given full credit for just saying that they intend to give it back. The media never follow up to see that the money is actually returned.

In fact, I have seen seen several stories over the past year or so saying that none of the Clinton-Rodham brothers actually carried out their promises to give back the money they took for selling pardons. I would bet anyone that Hillary will not give back any of the money she has taken from crooks either. At the most, she may move it from one of her slush funds to another, such as from her Senate campaign war-chest to her Presidential one.

KMK