How to Live Large, and Largely For Free – Interesting story of a woman who makes a living as a secret shopper. Interestingly, she hooked up with it through one of those spam solicitations promoting this.

Is a tax cut really so bad?

Step-by-Step Tax Reform

State Tax Hikes Pick Up Steam, Undermining Bush Stimulus Plan – This was inevitable and predicted by just about everyone.

Eyman wants Washington State to slash property tax – Illustrating once again the different ways in which overall tax burdens can be measured, the Rulers in the State of Washington recently enacted a $4 billion hike in transportation taxes; so the effort is to offset part of that with a decrease in property taxes.  

GOP Hopes to Start on Congress’ Spending – The only way to really address the deficit problem is to cure our rulers from their spendaholic ways.

Fight or Flight? G.O.P. Split Over Tax Credits – Refusing to give away $400 per child of additional welfare to people who don’t pay any income taxes would be a good step towards holding the line on spending.  However, it will be hard for some in the GOP to avoid wimping out in the face of the media onslaught of their typical leftist propaganda claiming that the recent tax cut allows evil rich people to literally steal food out of the mouths of starving babies.      

No such thing as ‘perfect’ investing

Money Talks and Everything Else Walks

The mercenary free market side of me really likes to see stories like this, where people who are in a hurry can pay for access to faster moving lanes on the highways.  They are even looking at this kind of thing in England, to go along with their recently enacted “congestion tax” which charges a toll for people entering the city during its busiest hours.

As I’ve always realized, money is one of the absolute best ways to motivate human behavior.  These ideas are very similar to an approach we have been using with clients who want their work to jump to the front of the line.  If they are willing to pay double our normal rates, we will drop everything and work on their stuff right away.  Not surprisingly, around 80% of the people in a panic rush are willing to wait their turn when presented with that choice. The other 20% are able to justify the doubled rate. 

NBC Uses Military Families to Distort Tax Cut for Non-Taxpayers – Even with their fear over the growth of FoxNews, the leftist media outlets are not slowing down with their propaganda efforts on behalf of the DemonRats. 

Jury: Texas Man Must Forfeit $12M Lottery Winnings because he used drug proceeds to buy the lottery ticket.  There is just something very weird about this verdict.

Beware the pyramid party scheme

Proposition 13 25th Anniversary

Having lived through the fights surrounding the property tax revolution in the PRC, and its aftermath ever since it passed, this is an issue on which I try to stay as current as possible.  The lessons we all learned from the Proposition 13 battles can be applied to all tax jurisdictions around the country, as we tried a few years ago here in Arkansas.  As I said then, it was a true case of deja vu, with everyone predicting the end of the world if government were to ever be deprived of even one less penny in tax revenue.  Those arguments were used in the campaign against Proposition 13 in 1978, and we all know that the PRC is still in existence.     

The First Shot.  Proposition 13 is where the Reagan Revolution began.

Bill would allow local income tax. Backers say cities would benefit; foes say it skirts Prop. 13.

Editorial: Reform Proposition 13

Unexpected results. 25 years later, Prop. 13 still keenly felt

Editorial: Anniversary brings no joy

Jarvis troops still proud of ’78 feat

Taxpayer rights. Prop. 13, 25 years later

Proposition 13 still popular as it marks silver anniversary

Prop. 13 facing attacks at age 25

True Fiscal Discipline.  Congressional critics need a few lessons in economic reality.

The Bush tax-cuts have set the stock market on fire.

Democrats Pressure House GOP to Pass Child Tax Credit

Senate Approves Child Tax Credit in Lower Bracket – The Left’s Class Warfare rants are working to shame the GOP into converting the nonrefundable child credit into a refundable one.