Friday, April 15, 2011

Where do your federal tax dollars go?

April 15.

Tax Day, and my in-laws wedding anniversary. (This year it's their 60th!!)

Today I received an email from David Plouffe, Senior Advisor to the President. (Bet you didn't know I had such powerful friends.)

Here it is:


Good afternoon,

Have you ever wondered how much of your own tax dollars actually go to support foreign aid? To support education? Well, now you can find out – and you might be surprised.

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama promised that this year, for the first time, American taxpayers would be able to go online and see exactly how their federal tax dollars are spent.

So today, we’re announcing the first-ever federal taxpayer receipt. Check it out:



Just enter a few pieces of information about your taxes, and the taxpayer receipt will give you a breakdown of how your tax dollars are spent on priorities like education, veteran’s benefits, or health care.

Sincerely,

David Plouffe
Senior Advisor to the President


I decided to give it a try. Plugged in my Social Security tax, Medicare tax and Federal Income tax. Then I calculated how much of my tax is spent on the military, the courts and the police---the only three legitimate areas of government action.

31%

If government was reduced to its proper function of protecting our inalienable individual rights to life, liberty and property, I could pay 60% less tax. More importantly, I would have 60% less my property expropriated by the very institution designed to protect my property.

Something to think about.

Government needn't be so large and our liberty so diminished.

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Friday, March 25, 2011

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

One Year Later: The ACA is still wrong and must be repealed

One year ago, the PPACA was signed into law. The problems with this law continue to multiply: continued rising health care costs, soaring national debt, replacement of Rule by Law with arbitrary Rule by Regulatory Rules and Waivers--just to name a few.

The Independent Women's Voice held a video contest to help alert people to the destructive effects of the law. My entry is below. Though not as professionally done as the winners, the message is crucial to the fight for our health care freedom.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Vilifying Dr. Berwick — for the Wrong Reasons

My op-ed was published on today's PJ Media:

If you don’t like ObamaCare, you probably really don’t like Donald Berwick, the current administrative head of Medicare and Medicaid.

You know him. He’s the one who’s “in love” with the Britain’s National Health Service, the guy who insists that we “must — must — redistribute wealth,” and tells us that, since rationing is unavoidable, we’d best do it “with our eyes open.”

But in regards to government-funded health care — including Medicare and Medicaid — Dr. Berwick is right, so it does no good to shoot the messenger.

Medicare, Medicaid, and all collectivized medical care require rationing for the simple reason that allscarce resources must be rationed.



You can read the rest here.


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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Public Choice made Entertaining

An economics student at San Jose State University makes economics understandable and entertaining.

If you like this one, be sure to check out his earlier productions here.

Shorthand Politics on Public Choice