It should first be said that even the congressmen who passed the 2000 page bill out of committee have confessed they are not really sure how the whole thing will play out. Once passed, the bill will go to the thousands of government employees sitting in cubicles to clarify the rules and develop enough paperwork to destroy all the trees in the Amazon. You wanted big government, you got it baby.

Here is what we know for sure. There will be many more regulations for the lawyers to salivate over. Companies providing financial services will be paying higher taxes and fees. The Federal Reserve already controls the flow of capital to the banks for lending, but the process will now be more limiting.

Basically, the state will run the banking industry. This is great news for Wall Street (they will never be allowed to fail), and as usual, bad news for main street. This will continue the decline of the smaller banks. They will either die or be eaten up by the Wall Street boys. We, the little people, are promised “consumer protection”.

Consumer protection is a misnomer. There are only two reasons we need protection – first we don’t read, and second we make dumb decisions. This bill promises no more “hidden charges”. There were never any hidden charges to begin with, everything is spelled out in financial documents. The small print and the numbers of pages was the problem. America – start reading! It’s ironic that the bill is 2000 pages. The government, just like the banks, know we will never read it and just trust them to take care of us.

Americans love credit. They knowingly signed on to higher rates just to get the cash. It was unwise for many to do so. It was also unwise for the banks to lend to people unable to pay it back. Try to get credit now. The banks have learned their lesson and the people are cutting up their credit cards like mad. This is the free market is working. Do we really need a huge government intrusion to muck up the works?

The bottom line for us is a more complicated credit system and more fees. If you think the fee system at banks is ridiculous now, just wait. Free checking will be a thing of the past and who knows how many more fees will be passed on to us. All this in the name of “reform” and “consumer protection”.

The economy is like the weather. It comes in cycles. We’re all responsible for the recent economic bust. A free market economy will correct itself. These reform initiatives from the government at best will slow the recovery. At worst, will bury us so far in debt that money will never flow for the finer things in life again. As the government takes more of the pie, the people will have less to spend. Welcome to America, Mr Marx.

I am not racist. I do not oppose Obama because of his skin or even his heart. I actually believe he is a good man and I would welcome him as a neighbor. It is his mind that bothers me. The extent of his belief in government intrusion is alarming, and I believe, a real detriment to economic growth. I don’t care about the “redistribution of wealth”. I worry about the money that I use on necessary travel, mortgage, and food being taken away to pay for bloated government.

I am self-employed and I am struggling because my clients are small businesses. They are scared to death of mandated healthcare laws, future energy taxes, and a host of other “progressive” ideas. They are not opposed to healthcare for everyone or a cleaner environment. They just want to make a decent living. Wall Street and Washington may be crowing about recovery, but small business people are cowering in fear of the next regulation. They are afraid to hire, to build, and to take basic risks that are important in growing a business. Unions, government staffers, Wall Street executives, and even the poor don’t have a clue. It is not because they are stupid or racist, it is because small business is not the big fish making the splash.

There are red light cameras in my town now. I legally turned right on red, but I got ticketed for not coming to a complete stop for three seconds behind the white line. I don’t blame the camera intrusion on Barack, but government is responsible. That tax, I mean fine, will cost me $125. At that very intersection I buy my gas. The local government just raised the tax .02 per gallon. Totally, I will now be paying .50 tax on every gallon I buy. I rent my cars across the street from the gas station. States are moving to impose a huge car rental tax to pay for healthcare, from $2-15 per day per car. At the same time, I am making less money. And there are those with the audacity to question my anger? Or worse, accuse me of racism or ignorance?

Each month I pay more in taxes than anything else. More than the mortgage, ten times more than healthcare, and three times more than food. I don’t take vacations that cost money anymore. I love books and gadgets, but have reduced the purchase of those to almost nothing. I am trying to figure out ways to reduce the cell phone bill and cable TV. I made the mistake a couple of years ago of buying a big HDTV. I should have kept the 27″ basic TV. This is some recovery, huh!

I hear of economic crisis, but I don’t see any change in government. I read of the enormous pensions of government employees, and living in Chicago, there are headlines everyday about government abuse, fraud, waste, and nepotism. Take away government employees and the population of Chicago would be that of Peoria. I wonder if the millions of government employees have reduced travel, purchasing accounts, or any budget line item. Barack’s federal budget was the biggest in history, and so is the debt. By the way, there is no economic crisis for government until the people are out of money.

I don’t see the fall election as any solution. I am not looking for a party of no, I am looking for a nation of no. The spending, taxation, and intrusion of government appears to be unstoppable. But I say we try.

The poop tax is my idea, inspired by watching the creativity of politicians. I am not a regular pooper and it bugs me that some people can go everyday, like clockwork. All this pooping requires too much water and it stains the environment. I think that five poops a week is enough. Every poop over five should be taxed. The money can pay for the greening of American and the IRS can do random poop audits to find the cheaters who fail to pay for their excessive pooping.

If you think this is crazy, let’s look at some real ideas on the table. New York is considering an 18% tax on non-diet soda. Some call it the “fat tax”. There are calls for new taxes on fast food, to protect the children. The government loves to tax Americans addictive lifestyles. Expect higher tobacco, alcohol, and gambling taxes. Oh, and you can bet there will be more building permits given, at a higher fee, to increase the opportunities to sin (casinos).

Believe it or not, there are still a few things that have not been taxed. Many are calling for an internet tax. Main Street is excited about a tax on Wall Street. Capitals gains, interest, and dividend taxes are not enough. Right now trading on Wall street is tax free. There are over a billion trades a day. Imagine the money collected if you put a tax on every trade! Services are not currently taxed. Get ready to pay taxes for beauty salon services, haircuts, gym memberships, and tons more.

Rental cars will be hit with huge taxes soon. Estimates are that a tax ranging from $2 to $15 per day will be added on each car rented. The thought is that businesses pay for most rental cars.

I don’t fish so I am happy to see that fishing license fees will double. Come to think of it, maybe we are looking at this gay marriage thing from the wrong angle. If it were legalized the government could charge enormous fees for the marriage license. It wouldn’t cost me anything. Expect fees for permits, licenses, traffic citations, and government services to soar.

The democrats have done a great job at always promising to tax the rich. Many people vote for a democrat thinking they will be free of new taxes. Don’t believe it! Right now, it doesn’t matter who you vote for we are on an expensive road. Social Security, Medicare, healthcare, wars, debt, and pension for government employees have to be paid for. All the taxes you pay now, will rise.

The government’s addiction to our money worries me. The largest pile of money in the world is the retirement savings of Americans (like a 401K). I would not be surprised at an attempt to nationalize these funds. The government would promise greater returns and reduced taxes for individuals, and they would have immediate access to trillions.

I believe the only way out of our mess is wholesale change. Your vote really has a monetary value. The person you vote for is going to take your money. Maybe we should spend a little more time getting to know these candidates rather than just voting for a party.

I live in an upper middle class suburb of Chicago. Though the majority of residents are conservatives, government is enormous. Even the government here is struggling. They just announced the layoff of teachers. The town council voted for a 2 cent per gallon tax on gas. We now pay a total of 50 cents for tax on each gallon. The state is proposing a 2/3 increase on individuals income tax and a 1/3 increase on corporate tax. We have the income, so they will continue to raise the taxes.

I was mailed a traffic ticket last week which will cost me $125. My crime – a mounted camera caught me failing to make a complete stop at a red light. I was making a legal right turn on red, but that doesn’t matter. I viewed the video online and it’s true, I am guilty of rolling over the white line as I made the turn. The camera is not there for safety, it is there to get cash for the local government.

The federal government is certainly doing it’s share of getting more of our money. I don’t know if you are aware of this or not, but congress just passed a healthcare bill that includes a few taxes. Here is a list:

• For individuals with “Cadillac insurance plans” ( I don’t even know what that means), there is a 40% tax over a certain amount.
• For small businesses with 50+ employees, they will be required by law to provide health insurance for their employees. They will face heavy fines and penalties if they don’t obey. This is a big reason the bill calls for an additional 16,000 IRS agents.
• For businesses in the healthcare industry – pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, insurance, and tanning salons (yep, you heard right); they will face higher taxes and fees. I’m sure they will cheerfully pay those and not pass any costs on to us.
• For those lucky enough to make over $200k per year, you will have a higher medicare tax taken from your payroll check.
• Capital gains, investment, and interest income will have added tax to pay for healthcare.
• It will be harder to get the medical deduction. Until now you could take a medical deduction if over 7.5% of your income went for healthcare expenses. This bill raises that percentage 10%.
• If you don’t have insurance now, by law you will have to buy it or be fined. This will not be a problem if you have income. Actually, it is not really a problem if you don’t have income. Those with income can be taxed and it will be payed for you.

As long as we can keep paying, there will be no healthcare crisis. If this bill does not pay for itself as the democrats promise, no problem, they can tax more of our income.

The New York Times reported that 2010 will be the first year that Social Security benefit payouts will exceed the receipts from taxes. You could take all the money from the three wealthiest American families – the Buffet’s (Warren not Jimmy), the Gates, and the Walton’s and not begin to provide enough resources for the coming Social Security bailout.

Don’t worry, there is still money to tax so there is no crisis. Whew!

I give democrats credit for doing all they can to take care of the disadvantaged. Their method of paying for these programs is the problem. First, they somehow believe that big government spending will help the economy and somehow save money. Their second step is the age old socialist tactic of income redistribution (taxation). Margaret Thatcher said “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” This brings us to the republicans.

Traditionally, democrats spend and republicans pay. Republicans are like the parent at the kitchen table looking over the bills. A good parent will do more than just complain to the family about what they are spending. A mature parent will come up with ways to generate more money. The problem in Washington is that the republicans are now the irresponsible siblings of the democrats and whine because they don’t get their way.

I cringe at these conservative arguments that claim Obama is a socialist, a Muslim, the Anti-Christ, and is not born in America. Is this the best the right can come up with? It doesn’t matter, WE still have to pay for this healthcare bill. Have republicans forgotten about capitalism? Do they even know the story of the industrial age, telecommunications, railroads, gold rush and mining, energy, and technological advances through American entrepreneurs? It wasn’t Social Security that made this country great, it was the freedom to dream and work toward a better life.

I have listened to republicans whine over the last year because the democrats would not listen to their healthcare ideas. I’m glad they didn’t listen! The republican ideas were as bad as the democrats. The free market is the only hope that we will ever see basic needs met for every American. The free market is the only hope that we will again see a vibrant economy. The free market is the best solution for joblessness. This should be the message of republicans.

At one point, Obama heard the cries of the republicans and invited them to a one day healthcare summit. Instead of begging for his crumbs, they should have held their own “grow the damn economy” summit every day until small business in America was confident to invest, hire, and take risks again. By the way republicans, we are still waiting.

The democrats have made profit into a dirty word. The republicans need to make Americans feel sexy again for makin’ money! We are not looking for a program or a handout, just protect us from the heavy hand of government and the stifling power of big business.

Charlie has a few minor tax issues that he has been dealing with. He forgot to report a little income from different sources. He owns a Villa in the Caribbean and failed to report income estimated at $75,000 per year. I believe Charlie likes the Caribbean. It’s a shame that he can’t getaway from the taxes on his getaway! Paul Krugman, economist from the New York Times, excused this by saying “it really has no national significance”.

Charlie sold a building on 132nd Street in Harlem for a cool million dollars and forgot to report that to the IRS, too. Along the same lines he did not report income from rental properties in New Jersey. I will refrain from any New Jersey jokes here. One of the excuses given by a friend in media said that Charlie was never really good with paperwork. I find that terribly amusing considering that Charlie is the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee – the group that writes the federal tax laws!

The next time I have trouble with the law or the IRS, I wonder how far I will get with the excuses of ignorance or not good with paperwork. It worked for Charlie. Another miscue was not reporting a Credit Union account with $250-$500K on deposit. The IRS allowed him to go back and check the appropriate boxes and just pay the taxes owed. And guess what, they were kind enough to dismiss the penalties and interest. Isn’t that what they do for everyone?

I have some other excuses for Charlie and other politicians to use.

• There is a whole bunch of stuff with his name on it in Harlem. It just wouldn’t look right.
• He is not dead yet. Everyone knows that being a congressmen in Washington is a job for life.
• He is 79 years old. Imagine the banquets and celebrations we would miss on his 80th birthday, June 11th. I hear that 80 years in Congressional years is only 40 in human years.
• He has won 20 elections in a row. He always runs unopposed, that democracy thing just slows him down. Power is much more impressive than paperwork.

I don’t really mean to hang Charlie out here alone. I could have written this about most of the career politicians, republicans or democrats. I wish we could wake up to the fact that though a person may enter politics for the noble purpose of public service, there is a point where the service turns personal. Why do we continue to vote the same people in over and over? We don’t need constitutional term limits, just vote!

I used to have employees. My business was providing marketing research, sales consulting, and sales services to small technology companies. All my employees worked from home and were located in several states. The work was all on computers and phones. It seemed so simple.

Enter the IRS. They have rules. You can buy the 20 volume “US Code of Federal Regulations” written by the IRS from the Government Printing Office for $974. This does not include around 100 volumes of the court tax cases nor individual state tax laws. If a business has employees they are required to know the latest tax rules and pay federal taxes, state taxes, social security taxes, and employment security taxes for each employee. If you happen to make a mistake you could face interest, fines, and imprisonment.

I had one employee in Oklahoma who I had to let go due to tax issues. Oklahoma could not agree on how to classify my business, so they were going to charge a tax on my services. It is really important to know which box to check on these government applications!

Deductions are another wild ride on the IRS train. I guess it is made complicated by all the big shots paying for legislators to give them loopholes. I spend a lot of time looking for loopholes. For example, take the vehicle deduction. Everyone I know uses the per mile formula for getting their deduction. It is certainly easy. Did you know there is another way to deduct your car? It is called the Actual Method. You deduct all expenses of the vehicle including depreciation. It is complicated to do, but you will have a much larger deduction. IRS = time and money. Good for lawyers and accountants, bad for small business.

Enter the Obama administration. They were elected on the promises of higher taxes, nationalized healthcare, and Cap and Trade. All the stimulus money given to Wall Street and state governments are just late additions to the power game. All of this spells death to the small business. Thank goodness we are still a capitalist economy with the hope of large profits to cover massive government intrusions.

Now that the banks have been saved, everyone wonders why people are not lining up to borrow money. I can answer that – small business owners are scared to death! Why would they take a risk and borrow money knowing they will have to adjust their business to every whim of this gigantic government?

If I need help now, I pay independent contractors. A 1099 form for each contractor at the end of the year and it’s done. It’s not the best way to do business, but it’s safe. Nationwide, this is not good for the economy.

Small business is not looking for a government handout or bailout. We just need the government to get out. If the government really wants people working and the economy to grow, look to small business. Reduce the tax burden, relax the rules on employment, and stop protecting big business.

A welfare state is when a country assumes primary responsibility for the welfare of its citizens. At a minimum, it is a “safety net” with varying degrees of welfare. Some would say that its the middle ground between communism and capitalism.

The best example of a successful modern welfare state is Denmark. Citizens in Denmark have healthcare provided for them, retirement, education, and much more. Education is paid for all the way through graduate school. Studies reveal that Denmark people are happy with their system. They have low unemployment since 38% of the people work for the government.

The big negative to any welfare state is taxes. Denmark has the highest taxes in the world. They have a 25%VAT (Value Added Tax) tax. This is a 25% tax on everything you buy. Income tax is 40-60% depending on how much money you make. The automobile tax is 180%. Add the VAT and the taxes on a $10,000 car is over $20,000. Gas is $10 per gallon because of taxes. Not surprisingly, most people take public transportation or ride bikes to get around.

Before you think that the US can join in this fun, let me remind you of some differences between the 2 countries. Denmark is a geographically small nation with a total population equaling about half that of Chicago metro. Economically, they produce their own oil and export about 6 times more than they use. They don’t spend much on military. In WWII they surrendered to Hitler in the first 2 hours of the invasion. I doubt they will be much help against any threat today.

The real cost of a welfare system is economic freedom. Most of your money will go to the government for redistribution to its citizens. People in the US want the benefits of a welfare state, but without the cost. We must be willing to sign over our checks to the government, trust them to provide good services, and submit to their decisions regarding personal issues. I oppose this and it explains why conservatives are against a national healthcare plan.

I also believe America is unique. Liberals despise that attitude. America has been the most successful capitalistic enterprise in the history of the world. Where would Europe be today without the capitalism of America? It provided the resources necessary for a victorious campaign in WWII and the Marshall Plan, paid for by Americans, to rebuild Europe after the devastation. If Hitler had won, where would Denmark be today?

We don’t want any citizen to go hungry or live with inadequate healthcare. I believe the answer is capitalism. To get the full benefits of capitalism the government needs to start with tax reform. Instead of our complex, outdated, and unfair system we could do something like Denmark’s VAT. Do away with all taxes and then establish one tax with no loopholes. It would be a consumption tax paid at the point of purchase of any product or service. Proponents of this “FairTax Plan” say that  to pay for current government expenses it would take around 25%. As people and businesses prosper they will buy more and the government will have more money.

Honest capitalism should raise that standard of living for every citizen and even foreign business partners. Instead of traveling the world and apologizing for America, Obama needs another summit to study what made America great. Obama campaigned on the promise to grow the welfare state. Is this really what we want?

I respect Ted Kennedy and I feel bad about bringing this up. However, this is the way government celebrates a person’s life, take half their wealth after they die. There have to be other, more compassionate ways to soak the rich. Can you imagine being the IRS guy that has to knock on the family’s door to collect this one?

I hear the chorus of voices saying, “but they won’t pay this tax, he had it in trusts”. I am not smart or rich enough to know the ins and outs about trusts and other loopholes, but it really bothers me if this is true. Why even come up with a tax if there is a way out of paying it? One benefit of wealth is the ability to hire attorneys to avoid legalities.

Worse than the Estate Tax is a system allowing the very people it targets to get out of it. If Ted Kennedy championed the tax and then made sure his family did not have to pay it, that is criminal.

I do not support the Estate Tax. If the government must have it, then there should be no loopholes allowed. The politicians writing these bills should be the first to comply. Obama promised to make government more transparent. Start with those in elected positions being open about their own financial practices.

The wealthiest Senator currently is John Kerry. He is another supporter of the Estate Tax. While still living, he should make a public statement gladly giving half his wealth to the government upon his death. At least confess the trusts and other financial shannigans employed to diminish his responsibility.

A true progressive tax could be created. A simple formula could define what percentage of the total tax bill the rich would pay monthly. Maybe the poor would not have to pay any taxes if our country were prosperous enough. A gallon of gas where I live carries with it a .48 tax to governments. It angers me that the poor guy struggling to get food on the table for his family pays as much gas tax as does the guy who can fly his family on a private jet to a fancy Paris restaurant.

The monthly bill plan would make everyone a little more interested in what our politicians are proposing. Earmarks and handouts would not be so easy. I wonder what would have happened to the Wall Street bailout if Obama had said that each citizen would be required to pay an extra $200 per month over the next year?

You have hopefully heard of the “Flat Tax” and the “Fair Tax”. These are better tax programs that what we currently endure. My idea is called the “Fact Tax”. Let’s demand transparency from our leaders and get “just the facts, ma’am”.

Image the benefit to employers not having to do payroll taxes. The IRS could be re-engineered to serve the people rather than fine and imprison them. For the first time, the poor could be helped and the rich could be fairly billed. There would be no more inheritance taxes, capital gains taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, or soda taxes. The Fact Tax – take the total of all government services and divide it among the citizens to pay monthly.

Taxes are right and necessary, but should not be shameful. Too bad congress is so weak. When is it time to vote again?