A Tax Joke

Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes Are the rule.

Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts Anyway!

Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat. Tax his ties, Tax his shirt,

Tax his work, Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he Tries to think.

Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries, then Tax his tears.

Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways To tax his PASS

Tax all he has Then let him know That you won't be done Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers, Then tax him some more, Tax him till He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in Which he's laid.

Put these words upon his tomb, " Taxes drove me to my doom..."

When he's gone, Do not relax, Its time to apply The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road UsageTax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax


Courtesy of Michael R.

Thank You Michael!!

Why Rich People Give to Charity/Causes

There was a time I would have frowned upon one of those 'futile' causes (e.g spending U.S $20 millions to build a refuge for abused tigers) advocated by rich people. Today, I believe I know why rich people, regardless of their level of richness give more money to charity or causes than their fellow human beings as individual. Man (this is Man with capital M) is a fundamental wicked untrustworthy creature. Here is a story to illustrate my point. A guy, always in financial trouble, time to time one of his friends or relatives (I don't quite recall) will always bail them out, and each and every time the guy would come up with an excuse not to pay off his debt until one day, over a disagreement with his bailsman friend, he pulled out a gun and shot the friend. Ok, fine it's a fictive story, nevertheless it demonstrates the point according to which, Man in general is just a dishonest creature (of course there are exceptions to the rules). Some of us at some point in life we've faced a similar situation where borrowed money has not been paid back and as my dad always says "De bons comptes font de bons amis" which means "Good counts make good friends". Situations which have made giving to fellow human being difficult. I don't remember the last time I was charitable to a human being but I sure do remember the last time I gave out to a cause: Hillary's Campaign is on top of the list and one of my friends cancer or AIDS walk (I don't remember which). In any case, when it comes to the green monster, I always say: "Money is the root of all sort of evil, help out with the money you don't need and you'll spare yourself some headaches, and give out the money you don't need and you'll get it back in your taxes".

Freedom Writers

For the most part, I disdain inspirational movies. They give you this evaporable feeling of vincibility, one that says 'I'll go out and change the world!' or 'I'll go out and be a better person!'
Freedom Writers is about this dedicated high school teacher who made a difference in the lives of her students through the power of books. The students were very hostile towards each other because of their assumed differences: differences in race, differences in taste, differences in appearance. The teacher, Ms G., as they called her made them play a game in which they find out they have a lot more in common than they thought. She made them read books in which they discover they're not the only ones throughout history to being marginalized: They're not alone.
Books cause the revolution of the mind, sometimes a revolution in a good way, other times a revolution in a bad way. Are books the only way to revolutionize one's life? Certainly not. They're definitely a mind opener. Sometimes I try to imagine the type of person I would have become, was I not able to read, to evade myself in an ocean of knowledge and erudition. I stumble, I can't imagine a reality different from what I currently live. Now, how does one translate that into a weapon of change? My friend Hamilton who is a teacher, gives us an insight. But for us who are not inspiring educators, or Oprah, what can we do?

Pain

Random House Webster Unabridged Dictionary has nine different definitions of the word pain. The third one is the one I'm interested about: mental or emotional suffering or torment. Pain is one of those emotions, when related it creates into your interlocutor a feeling of empathy. However regardless of much descriptive one can be about their experience of a painful situation, pain remains as intimate and personal with oneself as is the experience of sex. When you think you're alone, its quiet presence reminds you of otherwise, it stares at you and you have no other choice but to stare back. When you share it with other people, it sits at a corner of a room, listens to you and when the people are gone, it comes and sits at the center and challenges you. It's a feeling of helplessness close to depression but not quite, a feeling of hopelessness close to dejection but not quite. It results from the impossibleness of controlling a situation and the worst of pains is the one that one did not choose to face, the one with the source close to your heart, close to a definition of oneself. The process of that feeling is unique to each individual, but common to all is the solitariness that all must face in the experience of it.
If pain was a color, it'd be black and red: Black to represent darkness, sadness, unhappiness; Red to represent: vivacity, stridency, authenticity (people can fake their joy, their happiness but not their pain or sorrowfulness).
If pain was a choice between God and the Devil, I'd probably choose God - God because He claims to be author of everything, including pain.
If pain was a medication, it'd be the "Nivaquine" - Bitter in the mouth and the stomach but strengthening the immune system.
If pain was a coding tool, it'd a compiler - no need to explain.
If pain was an institution, it'd be school - a hassle in itself but a mind sharpener, a character builder.

Spitzer 's style

The Spitzer "scandal" lasted a whole 24 hr as the NYTimes front page story a few days ago. When I heard about it, I told myself 'here we go again, another one'. Perfect wife: attractive, intelligent, a professional (Silda is a corporate lawyer) and a mother. Perfect Kids: going to school, not involve with drugs, behaving just like kids with latest video game (whoohoo...PS3!!!). Perfect Job: I mean being a governor, and not some governor of some state hard to locate on a map like Wisconsin or Idaho, Governor of New York!! Come on guys, have a grip!! Anyway, I'm not here to beat upon you. I'll like to focus on the women. More often, we'll hear about the man infidelity and I'm asking myself what about the women? It's not like those men cheat by themselves, most of the times it happens with other women and definitely with married women as well (I'm excluding the gay clan here). Now, I don't understand the deal with married women but from my own analysis, women will cheat for these reasons:
- they're not getting any from their husbands/boyfriends or
- they're rejected by their husbands/boyfriends or
- they're mistreated by their husbands/boyfriends or
- they're complete sluts or
- All of the above
I watched the latest episode of 'Jungle Lipstick' and in there Nikko (a big magazine chief editor) is being unfaithful to her husband, hides it from her friends at first, then tell them and reassure them it's over, then start the affair all over again and hides it again from her friends. Then her best friend who is a mom, discovers it and is completely appalled by it and makes a comment directed to Nikko "Thank God you're not a mom, otherwise what would the poor kids have to live with!"
Do kids pay for the consequences of their parents reckless behaviors? Absolutely! There's so much a parent can teach their kids, but comes a time where the kids plainly imitate the parents actions regardless of what they've been taught.
Now back to the Spitzer's style, “He believed he could do whatever he wanted and not get caught, He had the perfect wife, the perfect children, the perfect job. But there was still self-loathing.”

Unconditional Love? I don't think so

I was having a conversation with someone yesterday and they said that family gives us unconditional love (and we're talking here about the family we have not chosen: mom, dad, sister and brothers, etc...). So it made me think, does unconditional love really exist? In my opinion, it is as existing as the teeth in a chicken mouth. Even God does not love us unconditionally, he requires us to believe in his Son Jesus-Christ in other for us to get in heaven (only applicable to Christians of course). If he truly loved us unconditionally, he could just open the gates of heaven to whoever is seeking them. The same apply for other types of relationships: husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, friendships.
For husbands and wives, they both take "vows", they both set up conditions in which their undying love may truly never die. "In sickness and in health" --> you can be sick but don't get so sick that it'll ruin my finances, or don't get an STD that is not coming from either of us. "For better or for worse" --> as long as the worse doesn't include an irreversible 'offense' such as cheating, or reporting my/your inappropriate behavior to authorities.
For friendship, there is this implicit rule according to which as long as you don't step into my territory, then we can be friends. Or a better one, as long as you don't have something better than I do, then we can be friends. Or as long as you don't steal what's mine, we can be friends.
I'm sure we all can find many instances of any type of relationships we have or had that came with some explicit or implicit conditions. Even a relationship with oneself is not unconditional. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any suicide, as suicide results from the fact that one can stand oneself. Unconditional love? I don't think so.

"2 Legit 2 Quit!!!"

CONGRATULATIONS on your victories HILL!! You're TOO LEGIT TO QUIT!! (<-- Click me)