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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
April 3, 2009 / 9 Nissan 5769
The long arm of Uncle Sam
By
Jonah Goldberg
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It's that time of year again. Uncle Sam takes off that gaudy blue coat, puts on his white smock and snaps that all-too-familiar rubber glove into place. And we, the taxpayers, must gird ourselves for intrusions of proctological magnitude and glacial duration by the revenuers.
This year I'm getting started early on my taxes. Well, early for me. As with the man subjected to a rusty guillotine prone to getting stuck on the way down, the chief benefit is that I get more time to contemplate the inevitable and undesirable. I will also finally get to vent about taxes in a column that will appear before April 15, which is a bit like getting the opportunity to say, "Hey, this guillotine is in a terrible state of disrepair!" seconds before Ben Franklin's adage that nothing in the world is certain other than death and taxes is proven once again.
As if you couldn't tell already, this won't be an exercise in green-eye-shaded wonkery. I no more care if Schedule C of this is correctly tabulated for Chart 13 on that than passengers of the Titanic cared if the evening's unpleasantness meant that the shuffleboard tournament would be canceled the next day.
But unlike the passengers of the Titanic, I want this ship to go down. Throw the whole thing away and start over.
For starters, no more purchasing the Leviathan State on layaway. And that means: Get rid of withholding, a World War II measure intended as a temporary policy to pay for the war instead of putting it on a credit card. Even a system of mandatory quarterly payments for those who are self-employed is no good. Why is Uncle Sam entitled to an interest-free loan just because it makes things more convenient for him? If the feds want to borrow money from citizens, they should sell bonds.
Take out your calendar. Notice how tax day and Election Day are conspicuously far apart? And note all the holidays involving gifts, booze and sleep-inducing meals (turkey good ... losing ... consciousness) interspersed between the two occasions? Mightn't this be to encourage forgetfulness and reduce buyer's remorse? Of course, as they used to say in the old Time-Life "Mysteries of the Unknown" commercials, this is "dismissed as coincidence."
Whatever. I say let's have Election Day on tax day. Let's get what we're paying for. Sign the check for the full amount and write in your preferred candidates on the back of the same check.
Abracadabra ... smaller government, here we come.
Not only should we get rid of payroll taxes, let's get rid of tax brackets (or, in a brief nod to reality, reduce the number of them). The top half of earners already pay something like 96 percent of all income taxes. The top 5 percent pay 54 percent.
But Barack Obama says the rich are getting away with murder, which is one reason why he wants to revive actuarial grave-robbing known as the death tax. Joe Biden questions the patriotism of anyone who doesn't want to pay higher taxes. Well, as Joe himself might say since we know he could say pretty much anything at any moment slap my fanny and call me Benedict Arnold.
Last fall, Mr. Biden invoked "Catholic social doctrine" to justify hiking income taxes on the "wealthy" even higher. Actually, that's fine by me. The Catholic Church has long held that rich and poor alike should tithe which means giving a flat 10 percent of your money to good causes. That sounds pretty good.
But not to Pope Biden the First and others who say a flat or flatter tax would be immoral because it would reward the rich and punish the poor.
Obama, famous for his belief that the government should "spread the wealth around," said in his address to Congress that Bush's tax cuts amounted to a massive "transfer (of) wealth to the wealthy," as if that wealth belongs to the government and starts out in Uncle Sam's bank account. Now the president wants the deduction for charitable giving reduced, which is what you would expect from an administration in which Joe Biden is considered to be morally infallible.
Yes, I want to keep more of my money because it's mine. But there are people who don't see it that way. The problem with those people isn't simply that they're wrong. It's that they are in charge.
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