VAT - One More Step Toward Converting The USA To European-style Socialism

Value Added Tax! This is a concept that most of western Europe implemented decades ago, to bolster failing economies. We can see how well that worked for them... inasmuch as their economies are now in the same dumper as ours. Granted it does raise more money for the government - but it is at the expense of the people! We do not, as a people, benefit from VAT. I mention VAT today only because it appears to have been revived by our Black/White Messiah.

After a bit of investigation, it appears that the average European Union VAT is roughly 20%. Three European nations (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) have a 25% VAT! Inflicting a VAT has been a dream of His Royal Highness Barack Hussein Obama since God only knows when. Grade school? The first documentation I have been able to find on his VAT position was in June of 2008, but that's just documentation of his socialistic desires.

Now add your State, County and local sales taxes to that VAT, and you'll see that it will cost you a bundle at the point of sale. Some EU countries even have VAT on basic necessities, like food, clothing, and shelter. No people have ever been taxed into personal prosperity - but they have been taxed until the government was enjoying prosperity.

At the risk of repeating myself from an earlier posting, we are not Europe! The United States had surpassed all of Europe in only 200 years, by functioning as a free-market, independent republic. The USA had no permanent income tax prior to 1913, and, prior to 1913, personal income was taxed only when our nation was embroiled in a war. What has put us in this financial predicament? Primarily it is the result of poor judgment in our Congress, following the exhortations of Barney Franks, and his League of Financial Morons, for the banks to lend mortgage money to people who didn't meet the minimum requirements established to ensure the loans could be repaid.

Actions such as that remind me of the almost continuous increases in the "minimum wage". Who among us does not understand that the minimum wage is the bellwether (leading indicator) for the cost of goods and services? When the minimum wage is forced upwards, manufacturers and service providers are equally forced to increase the costs of their goods and services in order to maintain (reasonable?) profit margins. There is no gain in personal income - workers just move into a higher tax bracket. Now, couple that cost with labor unions gouging corporations for what is basically unskilled labor (don't try to convince me that working on an assembly line requires more skills than the average chimpanzee possesses - been there, done that - if you have vision and hands, and any connection at all between the two, you can produce assembly line products.) Is it any wonder that 2/3 of our "Big 3" automotive corporations are facing extinction when their average blue collar worker's wage and benefit package costs them an outrageous $81 per hour? Thank you United Auto Workers! I hope those tens of thousands of soon-to-be-unemployed UAW members put some of their money under their mattresses -there's a long period of unemployment ahead for most of them in this economy. Oh yes, and don't forget to keep paying those union dues to the people who helped you become unemployed - while you're out of work! I also hope that the State of Michigan (and several other states) has some serious unemployment benefit money set aside for them.

VAT is not even an American concept, much less a tradition. AVOID THE "EVERYTHING IS FREE" TRAP OF SOCIALISM! It is only free as long as most people are working to support it! And who is dumb enough to keep working to support people they don't even know?

Write, phone, email your elected representatives and demand that they not support any VAT proposal in the USA. What happens if we are given no choice, and VAT is forced upon us? The American Revolution was begun because of unfair and unwanted taxation... ask King George III how that worked out for him.

Taxes On Top Of Taxes!

Oregonians are about to receive a treat from our Governor, the less-than-Honorable Ted Kulongowski. Granted, this is just a specific group of Oregonians to be saddled with an additional tax, but if it can happen to one group, it can happen to us all! Effective 1 April 2009, cigarette taxes will be increased by 59¢ per pack for all vendors, including those cigarettes in existing inventory. That means that cigarettes upon which the prevailing, authorized tax has already been paid, will be taxed again at the new rate! Also, we have another $1.01 FEDERAL tax being added on the same date! Objectively, even non-smokers should see the inherent wrong in such double taxation. The issue is not smoking - it's inappropriate taxation. Also, bulk tobacco, for those who "roll their own", or pipe smokers, will see a tax increase from $2.50 per pound to $25.00 per pound! That's an increase of ten times - or 1,000 percent. There's an additional tax being levied on "smokeless" tobacco as well. Today's assault is on tobacco products... tomorrow's tax hikes may be on all paper products, rubber products, dairy products, or whatever else a mad-dog, tax-crazed Government dedcides. There's nothing to stop them but the outcry from "We the People"!

Is there any question why there will be a nation-wide tax protest on April 15th? Next will be what... alcohol tax? More gasoline taxes? Taxes per mile on your vehicle? If there is a convenience, vice, or pleasure that is not taxed today, perhaps that tax will come tomorrow - the fishing tax, the bicycle tax, the skiing tax, or the television ownership tax. Think about it - we are the ones who must pay those taxes, and we are already paying more than enough. Have you looked at your telephone bill or your cable or satellite TV bill lately? The are about 10 obscure taxes on that already!

Enough is ENOUGH! Stand with those who will protest against unnecessary taxes, and wasteful spending of our tax dollars on April 15th. If you don't there will be a tremendous price to pay in the near future!

There's a remote chance I could be wrong about this ... do you want to take the chance that I'm NOT?

Here's A Crazy Idea ...

If company-provided cars are taxed as additional "income", our government should tax Nazi Pelosi on an additional $3,000,000+ annually for the use of that government-provided Boeing 757. It takes her home to California, and back to Washington D.C., every weekend at $120,000 per round trip in fuel alone, not including the aircrews pay and maintenance costs. How's that for a waste of our tax dollars? Those trips are NOT required to fulfill the duties of her office, they are for her convenience. When the Senate is in session for those 110 days, Pelosi should be required to be in the Washington D.C. area, within one hour commuting time of the Senate Office Building - as should they ALL. If they choose to leave that area, they should do so at personal expense!

Do our military members serving overseas get to come home at government expense every weekend? No. They get to return when their tour of duty is over. That's their job ... just as the job of the House and Senate is to be where they work when in session. Why do we continue to treat our servants as if they are royalty?

I could be wrong about this ... and the Moon really could be made of "green cheese"!