Here’s a good article on why California (where I called home for 19 years) is such a basket case:
Although I am not so sure about there being “hope” for a tax revolt.
Here is a good article that explains why we have a financial problem, who gave it to us, and what should be done about it:
http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2008/09/in_times_of_crisis_trust_capit.html
It’s clear to me that our pathological aversion to personal responsibility has worked itself so far upward that our entire economy has become based on “no consequences for bad choices.”
1. Drop corporate tax rate to 10%.
2. Repeal Sarbanes Oxley.
3. Drop Capital Gains tax to 0.5% and use all of the revenue to pay off whatever “bailout” plan Congress approves.
4. Freeze the federal budget — no new spending, no budget increases, except maybe defense.
Why:
1. Corp taxes in the USA are the second highest in the world. Drop them to the lowest, and watch the foreign investment soar. Bring money and jobs back to our own country without having to pass more regulation that won’t work. Obama bemoans jobs moving off-shore. Duh! His plan to raise taxes on corporations will only make the problem worse. McCain’s plan doesn’t go far enough. We want to be the best place for companies to come to and set up shop, not the second or third best.
2. SOX is a disaster, not accomplishing its goal and preventing thousands of companies from going public. Like it or not, we have a public market economy; most of us rely on new and profitable companies entering the public exchange for our retirement plans. SOX is a massive hindrance.
3. Removing the punishment of capital gains tax means people will be more likely to invest their earnings, spurning growth, instead of hiding their money away in other areas that aren’t taxed so high but don’t benefit the public on a whole, or sending their money overseas where it doesn’t benefit our economy. Remember, we need growth and investment to raise the value of our currency and make jobs.
4. Obviously, we spend too much.
The answer to getting out of debt; to rising unemployment; to revenue shortfalls (not that we have that), is growth — not more government interference.
Feel free to write my name in for President come November 4.
The senator said she didn’t think all responsibility for solving these problems should be vested in the Treasury Department, suggesting that “once we get through this immediate crisis,” the country should look at some Great Depression-era type of governmental entity to deal with it. –Article
Liberal politicians love these problems, because when things get rough, people turn to “security” in the government. Rather than take the risk that they might have a rough patch, they will listen to the promise of “government entities” set up to protect and provide for them.
It doesn’t matter that the policies of the 90s are directly responsible for financial woes of today (the media will ignore that), and it doesn’t matter that the country still isn’t in a recession (the media will report that people are “worried about possible recession” to give the same emotional effect). What matters is that people will turn to government and vest even more control over their lives in politicians promising to make things easier.
The Great Depression is the perfect example. A downturn in the economy was turned into a disastrous depression by FDR’s policies (extending the depression far beyond it’s natural length) and the scope and power of the federal government was expanded into the private sector like never before.
I don’t worry about recession or depression so much as I worry about the loss of liberty and freedom they will bring as people turn more and more of their lives over to the government for safe keeping.
2 Corinthians 12:14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
As with any verse in Scripture, this one teaches many things. There is the direct application of what Paul was telling the Corinthians concerning his ministry to them, but what is striking me right now is one of the secondary truths Paul states here: that of laying up for the children.
While many Christians are busy claiming Matthew 6 and “taking no thought” of life, food, drink, and clothing, what are they doing to “lay up” for their children? And what of providing for their own house?
1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
As believers in this Church Age, we are to consider Paul first (2Ti 2:7), so let us focus on what Paul tells us to do for a moment.
There is an effort right now that is indicative of the general spirit of the times in the United States. We are poised to elect the most Marxist candidate ever to the presidency, in so doing transferring more responsibility off of the individual to the State. The nation is on the verge of demanding the nationalization of the health care services industry. These are certainly not “providing for his own.” We demand from our government new handouts in the forms of economic stimulus checks and home finance bailouts, and our politicians happily oblige us by borrowing more money from our children and grandchildren — the children laying up for the parents.
While we (and I speak to those of us who are Bible believers) may not have a strong influence on our government, we can certainly do more in our own lives to take ownership of our God-given responsibilities. Paul’s writings in Scripture are not suggestions, so let us take consideration of what we are doing and be sure to line up ourselves with Scripture:
We do not live in a world where doing everything above is easy or necessarily possible all of the time. However, the Bible does not leave us room for apathy on these things. In fact, Paul’s comments here would be regarded as heartless by today’s humanistic standards:
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
When you go before Christ to give an accounting for your life as a child of God, are you going to have to answer for not abiding by the precepts?
Don’t misunderstand me — we have a responsibility to care for those among us who can not care for themselves. That’s not what I am talking about. I am talking about our Biblical duty to care for our selves and not force our children to lay up for us.
Living by the Truth is hard. These precepts are hard and go against the grain of so much modern teaching on the subject that even bringing these truths up can get you shunned by other Christians. But they are there nonetheless.
Are you doing everything you can to live by them?