Want Economic Development – Buy Local

With the news that Bitmain is “Scaling Back Operations,” many in Milam County are asking what’s next? Everyone is looking for the Homerun that will put Milam County back in the positive as far as tax base goes and help lower the tax rate that threatens to still go higher in the near future.

As reality starts to set in, it’s important to realize that a tax base and county-wide gravy train like ALCOA only comes along once in a long while. To continue on with the baseball analogy, and truth be told, any good baseball coach will tell you that homeruns rarely win you the game. It’s when a team puts together the base hits and solid overall offense that the game is won.

ALCOA was a homerun and every since they folded up shop, Milam County has been looking for the next grand slam. It’s time to get serious about economic development in Milam County and that starts, like all things political, at the local level. So, in short, the local level is where we have to start if we truly want to build a stronger Milam County.

I’ve looked around and there really isn’t anything you need, or want, that can’t be found right here in Milam County. From groceries, to clothing, to household supplies, to building materials, to auto dealers, to furniture, to any list of items you could need; It’s all right here in Milam County. I hear the arguments all the time; from it’s too expensive to there’s not enough selection, you make the argument and I guarantee you I’ve already heard it. So what’s the truth?

It’s your money, do what you want with it, but when businesses fold in Milam County we all lose. You might spend a bit more to shop at home and you might not be able to get that exact designer brand you had your heart set on, but when you shop local you are supporting you neighbors, friends, and your own pocket book over the long run. And when you leave the county to do you shopping, the county loses out on the tax money generated by the sales, and in turn so do the Milam County Tax-payers.

When you buy in Temple, Bell county enjoys the windfall of your purchase, Milam County gets nothing. If you buy in Bryan, Brazos County wins; buy in Austin, Travis County gains; buy in Waco and McLennan County adds to their coffers. See the trend?

When you shop out of county for items and stores fold in Milam County, the tax base shrinks. When Milam County citizens leave the county to find work, the county loses a tax-payer and the tax base shrinks. When the tax base shrinks, the tax rate has to go up to pay for county services.

I hear all the time, ”if there was an HEB here in Milam County I’d shop there, but I have to go to Temple/Taylor/Bryan/Waco to use HEB?”

GUESS WHAT…. If we all “sacrificed” some and shopped locally for a while, HEB would notice and build in Milam County. BUT… HEB doesn’t build in Milam County because they know you’ll make the 25-45 minute trip to the nearest HEB. They don’t need to come to Milam County because Milam County will come to them.

We have three car dealerships in Milam County and several used car lots, yet how many people take the trip down the road and buy a car and give their tax money to other counties. That’s a lot of money every year that leaves Milam County.

Home improvements are an always an ongoing occurrence, yet every hardware store and lumber yard in Milam County struggles while you drive to the next county over to shop at the big chain store. I’m not sure, but I think most of the local stores employ local Milam County folks and help sponsor a great deal of the charitable works throughout the county. You don’t see too many of the big chain stores helping around Milam County.

Patronizing local businesses are the base hits that win a game. Sure it would be nice to hit the homerun, but the base hits and the full team press of a shopping local are what makes for a strong tax base, a lower tax rate, greater overall economic development, and a more prosperous Milam County. We might not be able to draw the Home Run, but each of us can make the base hits it takes to keep Milam County Strong.

Batter Up,
Bill

School Choice or Public-Education Abandonment?

Everyone has the right to a free public education – THAT’S IT! No more or no less.

Just as when the United States was created, the Constitution of Texas also allows for the right of a free public education through high school. It also allows parents the right to put their children in a private school and/or to home school if they so choose (at their own expense).

These days we are seeing an even bigger push away from the public education system in favor of other alternatives. Alternatives such as Private Schools (religious or secular), Charter Schools, Alternative Schools, and Home Schooling. All of these options have their positive attributes and all have shown to have positives as well as negatives.

Which is right for you or your children? It’s hard to say because each child, and each family is different. Are public Schools broke? That depends on which schools you look at, but it has as much to do with the community around that school system as it does the school itself.

Not a single school system can be successful without community/parental involvement in the education process. Schooling our children is an active process. It must involve the parents as much as it does the children and the teachers. Unfortunately, far too many parents only become involved in the education process when there is a problem. Far too many parents are absent from their child’s daily school life.

Regardless of the many issues facing Public Education, removing resources from the public education system is not the way to handle the issue. Our problems with public education have come from the state and federal government confusing oversight with micromanagement.

Unfunded mandates, mandatory testing, and financial manipulation by the state and federal government are the root causes of the educational failure in this country and this state; furthermore, robbing the public education system of more resources will not change that. Stripping away at these resources will only serve to deteriorate the already frail inner-city schools, weaken strong schools, and steal from the small-town local education that is a key part of the very fabric of rural Texas.

I hear many folks say that they want to use the tax money they pay for public schools to pay for a private school for their children. OKAY, but there are so many flaws with that system. First, take me for instance; let’s say I pay roughly $500.00 a year in school taxes on my home. That hardly seems enough were I to elect to send my child to a private school, or to home school them. But I have/had 4 kids in school at one time – YEAP – No Where Near Enough!!!

But what if the state or federal government gave me something like the $4,500.00 a year voucher or credit such as Indiana gives out? That sounds great too; however, what about all the hidden fees associated with private schools or home schools. There’s uniforms, books, lunches (no free lunches in private schools or home schools), equipment fees, extracurricular fees, and facility fees to name a few. I doubt that voucher would cover all that.

Then there’s testing! Yeap, testing is an inevitable part of accepting public money. What about the fact that once private schools accept public money they will most likely no longer have the ability to select the enrollment of certain students over others as they do now. Oh the strings that come with accepting “government” money!!!

In all honesty, vouchers tend to favor people who can already afford private schools. Vouchers help to offset their costs. But vouchers really won’t make much of an impact on those who are most affected by the failing public education system.

Instead of stealing resources from public education might I suggest a few items that will make things better:

1.       More emphasis on local control and less (Or No) emphasis on Mandatory testing!

2.       More emphasis on vocational and agricultural education.

3.       Appropriate emphasis on college prep.

4.       Less emphasis on athletics. Do we really need $60 million-dollar football stadiums?

The problems that plague out public-school system can be summed up with the following: Testing over Learning, Athletics over Academics, College Preparedness over Vocational/Agricultural Education, and Parental/Community Management over Government Controls.

Vouchers, Credits, etc. won’t fix that.

Want to know more? When was the last time you asked public school teachers about this?

I bet it’s been too long!

Later,

Bill 

It’s Time for a Reset!

In the past I have used this page to be pretty fair but generally on a right side of the matter. To be fair, I am a right-of-center kind of guy, but I am also a concerned citizen and an American first and foremost. I will not go back and purge this blog nor will I surgically remove blogs that are overly partisan, they are the record of the past and will remain for posterity; however, in the future I will be presenting an approach that will be a lot less partisan and a lot more American.

Be warned, this may offend some and confuse others.  But if you move your tuner around the radio or TV dial you will get all the overly partisan rhetoric you need. It is time to make statements that speak to our future and not recall the tit-for-tat missteps of the past. It’s time to work together on the issues of the day while still holding our values and beliefs dear. We must be truthful to our beliefs but lay down the raw nerves and use our common sense to govern.  

With that said let’s look at the past few weeks. We have been inundated with a series of hearings on the IRS’s targeting of Conservative groups during the application process for tax exempt status. These are important hearings and there is an important investigations going on and we cannot allow these hearings and the investigation become a partisan assault by members of each party.

During today’s congressional hearing Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash) claimed these hearings are a Republican witch-hunt for the purpose of embarrassing the White House and he went on to claim that the groups being targeted shouldn’t have applied for tax-exempt status and this wouldn’t have happened to them. The old me would have wondered if Rep McDermott made the same claim to Progressive organizations applying for tax-exempt status during this time; however, what I really find upsetting is that he would accuse people applying for a perfectly legal status to be the problem instead of trying to come to the crux of the actual problem. That’s sort of like those folks who blame a scantily-clad woman for being the cause of a sexual assault against her – RIDICULOUS.

Truth is the IRS has been used to varying degrees in targeting certain groups at the whim of politicos of both parties; regardless of whether these politicos were members of congress or sitting in the White House (including Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Clinton and Bush-43 to name a few). This must end and we must reform our tax system. At 70,000 plus pages, the tax code is quite possibly the easiest way for a politician to go after organizations and individuals via the government hammer – FEEL SAFE YET?

There isn’t a single member of congress who would state that the tax code and IRS is good-to-go and does not need any reformation. Yet while this is an issue that everyone says needs to be addressed and taken care of, all anyone in Washington will ever do is spout talking points and discuss what needs to happen in the “future.”

I have news for us all; regardless of whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Greenie, Libertarian, Whig, or whatever; if we don’t get the tax system reformed in this country, address the solvency of Social Security and Medicare, reduce the national debt, eliminate yearly budget deficits, and control immigration then there very well not be much of a future to concern ourselves with.

Partisan issues will always be with us. It would be impossible to be a people of varying beliefs and values and not have some partisan issues. But regardless of party affiliation, until those in Washington and Austin become more interested in governing  and less concerned with “scoreboard” or winning elections; NOTHING WILL CHANGE!

More to Come!

Bill

Answering the talking points from those who speak “STUPID”

Since the President and his Lemmings have been going around preaching propaganda for the last few weeks, I have been bombarded with insults and silly accusations from my “friends” on the left. As recently as this morning I was faced with yet another attack of the stupids from another of my unfortunate dimwitted friends.

As a result, I responded to his flagrantly ridiculously unintelligent arguments with the following rebuttal. But once I completed the response I felt compelled to forward it on in a blog post just in case any of you are confronted with anyone spouting any of these inaccurate rants from the ignorant masquerading as the Stupid following the Pied Piper in the White House.

“If the Bush tax cuts were so great then why did our economy tank after 8 years of it?”

The Bush tax cuts helped stabilize the economy after the post-internet bubble and should have been allowed to sunset as it was originally passed; however, both parties were instrumental in its extension and it was a housing marketing scheme initialized during the Carter Administration and strengthened during the Clinton years that actually had more to do with the 2008 meltdown. A scheme addressed for removal by Bush in 2005, but fought for by Barney Frank and his pal Chris Dodd – LOOK IT UP.

“Time to pay the piper for two wars and those brainiacs who got us into this mess.”

I agree that putting two wars on a credit card was a bad idea; however, this one goes on both parties as they both voted for it…before they voted against it.

“I don't understand why so many middle class people want to protect these rich bastards who don't give two shits about you! It's not their sons and daughters fighting for your freedom.”

Actually, participation in the military, and the war, is based on desire to serve and/or better yourself. Statistically, percentage wise the numbers are a wash over who serves and who doesn’t. But service to the country is voluntary and regardless of whether there is a draft or not Democrats will always seek to cry the social justice foul over perceived inadequacies in military service.

“They aren't the ones trying to figure out how they are going to feed their children tomorrow! They aren't the ones sacrificing to put their kids through college!”

How come folks who come to America from thousands of miles away can always work however many jobs they need to meet whatever demands they have to in order to feed their children and put them through school, yet someone on welfare can’t walk their ass across the street to even feed theirs? If feeding children is such a problem, then you think the President would worry more about feeding them and less about universal Pre-K and government sponsored Wi-Fi.

“They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to people who figure out ways around tax codes to save millions! You think that money goes back in the economy? BS”

Republicans have been calling for tax reform and the flat tax for years, which by the way, is the only way to keep the rich from hiring tax attorney’s to get out of paying taxes. And since only about 51% of Americans actually pay taxes then why wouldn’t people who have to pay taxes work to find ways to pay the lowest amount they can regardless of their pay-grade?

Hope that helps a little!

Bill

Even More Less Certain!!

So last year the congress and President passed a bill to raise the debt ceiling, keep the Bush Tax Cuts, and begin the difficult process of cutting spending by creating a “super-committee” to come up with the cuts otherwise we would go through a process called sequestration. A process that was so scary that it would force the elected officials make the changes necessary to make it all work.

Guess What?

It didn’t work!!

Now the talking heads in Washington are no closer to a deal, we are no closer to permanent tax reform, no closer to spending reform, no closer to a balanced budget, no closer to avoiding sequestration, and no closer to anything that even closely resembles and working government.

Want proof? How about this, as of today the federal government has not passed a budget in 1341 days!! That’s right, the U.S. Government has not had a budget passed and signed into law since 2009….It leaves one speechless doesn’t it. NOT ME!!

It completely ticks me off. For the first time ever, after the last few decades of politicians in Washington they are going to leave the future of this country in worse shape than they found it. Are they seriously going to tell us that they can’t find cuts that will save $1.5 trillion over the next decade? The fact is we have to cut the budget and spending in a manner that will balance the budget immediately.

Do we seriously think we can slowly lower spending and that will save it all? Hell no we can’t.

We have to balance the budget NOW, not in the next decade but NOW!!!!

The United States Government takes in roughly $2.1 trillion a year in taxes yet still finds a way to spend $3.5 trillion plus a year and without a budget that number will grow as the spending is allowed to increase because the congress and President signed in a law allowing the spending to grow a little each year making the budget more of an unnecessary guideline rather than a hard-line rule to govern spending that it should be.

“Govern”….sounds like a word that ought to mean something in Washington, D.C. – See the Irony?

But seriously, $2.1 trillion, how can that not be enough to govern the country? It sure seems like it should be but maybe it’s not enough because too many of us in the public who complain don’t actually take the time to pay attention and keep an eye on their elected officials and see how they are doing.

Think your voice doesn’t matter, get with a few friends and call your congressman or send him a letter that you also post on Facebook, or Twitter, or some other social network. Let everyone see what you said to him and then promise to post their response, or lack thereof, and see if they don’t respond.

Today the Senate has come up with a proposal to keep the taxes they are for most Americans but doesn’t address anything else at all. They just want to address the taxes but keep spending where it is – WORNG ANSWER!!

And many of those in the Senate seem good with a lot of it but are they? And if they are let’s get an explanation for it – NOW! This agreement the senate leaders are discussing will just pass the buck down the road and nothing will get done. The national debt will increase and our future will be even more less certain.

Sequestration was supposed to force the leaders in Washington to reform taxes, lower spending, and pass a budget; instead, the only thing that seems to get passed is, once again, the BUCK!!

We must have a balanced budget. Federal government must do their job and nothing more. Congressional leaders should lead for the betterment of the country and not the betterment of their party. If they governed with the future of this nation in the forefront then elections would take care of themselves. Instead they all govern with the next election in mind.

I could care less with the political parties; I care about my children and what the future holds for them. Those in Washington are showing how little they are truly worried about their children and grand-children’s future and more about their own.

I need a breath of air!!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Bill

Some ObamaCare Taxes for You!!

Since its inception, ObamaCare has been advertised as saving Americans money while costing the taxpayer nothing. To be honest that sounds great but how can it be? Well, to put it honestly it can’t. The President and Democrat leaders in Congress sold this to the American Public with the claim that there would be no rise in taxes but that simply is a play on words.

While it might not be paid for simply by raising income taxes, the Congressional Budget Office has made it clear that there are at least 22 new or increased taxes that will affect us all. Here is a list of five new or expanded taxes for you to consider. By the way, according to the CBO, these five taxes alone will cost the American Public a minimum of $257 billion in the next decade.

1.       ObamaCare creates a new 2.3% tax on the gross sales of all medical equipment. And that means everything from pacemakers to prosthetics to Band-Aids to medicine to operating tables to bedpans to those little bowls they put under your chin to throw-up in – EVERYTHING! Guess who will be picking up the tab for those taxes? Each and every one of us will pay for those taxes through higher prices for each of these items. Minimum Total Cost to the Taxpayer – $20 billion.

2.       Currently, out-of-pocket medical expenses can be deducted from your income tax once they reach 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. Under ObamaCare they cannot be deducted until they reach 10% of your gross adjusted income. By the way, this mainly affects senior citizens. Minimum Total Cost to the Taxpayer – $15 billion.

3.       Flexible Spending Accounts or FSA’s have always been a great way for people to save and build money to pay for everything from braces to surgery to special-needs tuition. Currently, money put into an FSA is tax-free as an incentive for people to save and use this sort of fund. Under ObamaCare only the first $2,500 would be tax-free. Minimum Total Cost to the Taxpayer – $13 billion.

4.       Under ObamaCare, Capital Gains Tax Rates for ALL AMERICANS will rise from 15% to 20% in 2013 (conveniently after the election), while dividend tax rates will go up from 15% to 39.6%. Also under the ObamaCare Surtax the top Capital Gains Rates will go to 23.8% and the top Dividend Rate will go to 43.4%. This will affect anyone with investments, retirement accounts, and any other type of nest egg. Minimum Total Cost to the Taxpayer – $123 billion.

5.       Lastly, the new ObamaCare Medicaid payroll Tax. This will affect everyone earning an income and conveniently takes affect only after the 2012 election. Minimum Total Cost to the Taxpayer – $86 billion.

 So there you go, put into simple terms these are only five of the new or expanded taxes that ObamaCare will unleash on the American Taxpayers. So next time you here the President or any of his Liberal surrogates say that ObamaCare will save the taxpayer money just take a look at these five items.

ObamaCare and the SCOTUS!

So this week we got the news that ObamaCare was constitutional because the individual mandate was legal based on it being exactly what President Obama promised us it was not – A TAX!

That’s right, the same thing the president ran around swearing it wasn’t is exactly the only way the Supreme Court said it could possibly be legal. But in reality is this what anyone wanted? NO!

Both Democrats and Republicans are going to claim some sort of victory but in reality NO ONE wins. The Democrats are faced with a law that may turn out to be the single greatest single rise in middle class taxes in history and slaps the very voters Obama said would not be affected; those making less than $250,000.00 a family.

To the Republicans the very fact that the law was left standing is hard to deal with; and not because it was constitutional, but because the constitutionality of it was so hard to find. In Chief Justice Roberts’s opinion he doesn’t even speak to the constitutionality of it until page 52 of his 63 page opinion. That alone shows that this was a result of much digging in the tax code to find something to stand on. And that much digging must have been a strain on the justice, I mean the IRS code is 70,000 plus pages.

But in reality what did the Supreme Court’s ruling actually do? Let’s look at the implementation.

Well, besides the preliminary groundwork for ObamaCare, little else has been done by the states or the federal government to prepare for the execution of ObamaCare. As a matter of fact, it’s doubtful anyone will move on it for a while; at least until November.

That’s because the Supreme Court’s ruling put the proverbial future of ObamaCare ball in our hands. That’s right; the voters are the ones who will make the decision. So regardless of whether you agree with ObamaCare or you are against it, it is up to you and every American to get out and vote this November to help determine the future of ObamaCare; as well as the future of America.

The sad part is that there are good provisions in ObamaCare; however, like all comprehensive bills ObamaCare tries to cover too much and runs all over itself with contradictions and miscalculations in funding and expenses. In short, there has never been a comprehensive bill that has ever accomplished what it was designed to do. ObamaCare is no different than any of those comprehensive bills and anything 2,700 pages can’t be good (unless it’s a Lord of the Rings Book).

Covering those with preexisting conditions and keeping children on their parent’s coverage until their 26 are two of the items the President will tout as positives of ObamaCare – and they are. But in actuality, both of these could have been done with a small five or ten page bill that could have passed a very simply. But these were two planks that the Pelosi/Reid team needed to use to make the entirety of the bill seem palatable.

To repair healthcare in America more needs to be done, but it cannot be done in one comprehensive bill. It must be done in a series of bills that work independently of each other while still working in-line with each other as well to benefit us all. This way there isn’t one large monstrosity that must constantly be amended but a series of laws that could be negated if they fail to work as designed.

Maybe this can be done once the elections are over in November, but until then we shall hear plenty on this subject and regardless of your feelings on this week’s ruling, the choice of whether ObamaCare stands or falls is in the hands of all of us voters in November.

Remember to Register to Vote!!

Bill

Stopping Tax Cheats Starts in D.C.

Was that really Tim Geithner standing up there with President Obama saying how they were going to stop tax law loop-holes and tax cheats? - REALLY!

Now I applaud the notion of making people pay their taxes but shouldn’t it be just as important to lead by example. Yes I know Geithner, after being put on the spot and caught having “underpaid” his taxes, went back and made amends be repaying those taxes, kind of.

I also know that rather than leading by example and making restitution for the full amount, he took advantage of the statute of limitations and only wrote a check for those unpaid taxes that were required. Those that fell out of the statute of limitations were left unsettled. Since he is now the head of the IRS, I wonder how much in fines and interest he was charged for the portion he made good on.

I still find the funniest part was Geithner blaming his mistake on his misunderstanding of how to use Turbo-tax. I guess this year Geithner can ask for help from Tom Daschle, Charlie Rangel or one of the others who are or have served in Washington who, at various times had responsibility for some portion of the tax code, but apparently can’t understand the code that the rest of us are supposed to.

Guess we better get our ducks in a row cause the federal government is coming. Maybe they should start in Washington D.C.?

Wonder how long it will take to read the tax code?
Bill