Chapter 44

America , the world’s cop                                                                                            

I strongly favor our ability to provide a national defense but, there are at least three points that concern me regarding this issue: 1. Our intrusion into any other countries’ civil affairs. One wonders how we would feel if another country decided that they needed to invade our borders because they deemed that we were not treating a segment of our citizens fairly or in an inhumane manner. 2. Putting our boys and girls in harm’s way, resulting in the deaths of many. In addition to the death toll we need to recognize the high cost of rehabilitation of those who have been wounded both physically and psychologically. 3. The cost to the tax payer and the impact it has on the budget deficit.

Our intrusion into other countries: The valid argument here is that people are being killed for what we determine are good reasons. It is unfortunate that there are still evil rulers that see fear and murder as a valid weapon to secure and retain power. We all hope for a world where this is not the case. How and where do we draw the line on intrusion into another country’s affairs? Will our intrusion insure that the next ruler will be an improvement? Will our intrusion prevent it from happening again in another (or the same) country?

Killing and maiming our boys and girls:  In Iraq there have been 4,419 deaths, and in Afghanistan – 3,347. The wounded represent more than 5 times these numbers. According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas as a result of incidents of terrorism from 2001 to 2013 was 350.                                                                                                                                                          Using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we found that from 2001 to 2013, 406,496 people died by firearms on U.S. soil. (2013 is the most recent year CDC data for deaths by firearms is available.) This data covered all manners of death, including homicide, accident and suicide, with suicide representing approximately 2/3rds of the total deaths by gun and extremely few in defense of home and property.

The cost to the tax payer:

The U.S. war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans and expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest. The war in Afghanistan has cost the United States nearly $1.2 trillion — or $1.172 trillion, to be exact — since its inception in 2001 through July 31, 2012, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

Chapter 41

Do I really have to pay for this?

Have you noticed the plethora of TV commercials that encourage you to allow their company to assist you in not paying income tax that you owe? They gleefully display lists of people who owe large amounts, but who only ended up paying a small fraction of what they owed (they do not tell you what the fee was for each of these transactions!).

I am not a fan of the IRS or the current status of our income tax system. There is an extensive discussion of this topic in an earlier blog posting along with proposed solutions. What ticks me off is that over 95% of tax payers faithfully pay their tax liability whether they agree with the system or not. These folks subsidize the folks who manage to weasel out of what they owe and an entire industry, complete with TV advertising funds, has risen up to assist them in screwing you and I. It is both disgusting and legal.

To make matters worse, the group that is taking advantage of this situation are folks that exist the in the upper 10% income group. With very few exceptions the middle class is subsidizing the wealthiest segment of society.

All that considered, I suspect that what we see on TV are a small minority of the outcomes and many are situations where large past incomes have not continued and the IRS considers the debt largely uncollectable. In this regard, these firms are using these rare examples to attract commissions from folks with large tax bills who would like to avoid the tax.

If I was relocating from another country to the USA and saw this occurring it would cause me to suspect both corruption and a lack of ethics. I wonder if this is the way we want our country to be viewed?

Chapter 40

Accountability & Reputation

Regardless of your social or economic status the most important asset you will ever earn is your reputation. I say earn because that is exactly the case. This is one element in your life in which you have total control. Whether your reputation is positive or negative will determine your “quality” of life.

What factors do we need to consider in creating a “positive” reputation? One key factor is accountability. Simply stated this is doing what you say you will do when you said you would do it. The sad fact is that most folks are not accountable both to themselves and therefore not to others. The first step in becoming accountable is to take responsibility for your life and your decisions. It has often been stated that if each individual would take complete responsibility for their lives it would solve the majority of the ills that face society. Spend time making good decisions about how you live your life and little or no time worrying about others. Control the life that you have!

In addition to accountability there are other factors that will enhance your reputation:

• Look for the positives in others and recognize them publically
• Treat others as you expect to be treated
• Display honest behavior at all times
• Actively participate in community projects
• Consume in moderation

Your reputation will determine your success in life. You only have one, protect it with diligence!