“I owed the IRS $10,000 but I went to the firm of Joe Cheat and Associates and I only had to pay back $400.”

This, in my opinion, was the start. People tried to weasel out of their obligations in a semi-acceptable manner.

If you owe the IRS taxes it’s because you made the money. It’s as simple as that.

The problem, however, is the honest guy who sees that ad over and over again starts to wonder why he/she doesn’t do the same.

We have some wonderful examples of our ‘Big-League’ politicians who are doing this on a grand scale.

“Hell, why waste time with Joe Cheat and Associates, I’ll just bypass the middleman and simply not pay my taxes?” 

No one wants to voluntarily give away their hard-earned money but that happens to be the system that we live under.

If you want government services you must pay for them. That’s why we have a system of taxation. To do otherwise is to take advantage of the person who is willing to work and play by the rules.

Remember, money doesn’t come cheap. You trade hours of your life for a paycheck.

You have made a decision to swap part of your life for dollars.

How many hours of your life are you willing to give to someone who would rather go fishing or play golf instead of working because he/she figured out a system to coast at your expense?

A ‘Veteran’ — whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve — is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America,’ for an amount of ‘up to, and including his life.’ That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today, who no longer understand that fact.

I am including in this posting the complete letter that appeared in The Day, our New London, Connecticut newspaper, on July23rd 2008. It was written by Michael Lewis of New London.

“The stars and stripes. What image do those words conjure up? For me it is the image of two tours of duty in Iraq fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. My first tour was seven months. The second lasted three. That’s when the car bomb exploded. I am still full of shrapnel and have more scars than you can count in a day. To see the U.S. flag flying fills me with an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment.

I recently noticed a home improvement store in our area does not display the American flag. I approached the store manager to see what I could do to facilitate a change and was told, rudely, that this company is not interested in securing the necessary permits.

Where has our sense of pride gone? An American-owned store, in America, refuses to fly the flag. I am deeply offended – for me, other veterans and the six men in my platoon who died fighting to provide freedom for others. I am tired of Americans taking this country for granted.

I challenge all American businesses to fly the American flag and fly it proudly. It will be a poignant reminder to all.”

“Michael Lewis.”

This is MY opinion: This is, after all, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Why is it even necessary that anyone who wishes to fly the flag of this country is required to get a permit to do so?

If you live under the protection of the United States and you feel that your neighbor or the super market or the gas station does not have the right to fly the flag of this country then you don’t have the right to live here.

I have heard discussions that it will take away our privacy and our freedom. That it is the final step toward 666, the Mark of the Beast.

Consider where we are today. You must use your Social Security Number every time you are involved in some major financial transaction. Your Social Security Number is required for Medicare.

Try to cash a check without showing your Driver’s License Number.

Every member of the Armed Forces has a Number.

Our Passports have their number also that you must use on forms entering or leaving the country.

We already have a number for almost everything now, why not a uniform identification system that proves our entitlement to benefits, our privilege to drive, to make financial transactions and our right to vote.

It is logical to have one identification number rather than a half dozen.

That card would prove that we are United States Citizens and not someone who had crossed our borders illegally for whatever purpose that they might hope to achieve.

Why not?

A near-miss of two airplanes last week has started a frenzy of fear.
A pilot acknowledged his ATC transmission to ‘hold short’ but didn’t.
So, Mary Peters, the US Transportation Secretary, at 10:45am January 14th 2008 during an interview on FOX news, said that the plans are to update the air traffic control system and charge different rates for different categories of aircraft use at airports.
The cost will have to be passed on to the air traveler.
She also wants ground-based RADAR replaced with satellite-based RADAR.

Just what does that have to do with a pilot not following instructions?

This is an example of the kindergarten mentality that pervades our knee-jerk solution to world problems.
If one kid cuts his finger with scissors while cutting paper in a second grade project class, the school bans all scissors on school property forever and any child stupid enough to bring a pair of scissors to school in his or her backpack is charged with a felony.

The near-miss had nothing to do with ATC or RADAR or anything else except one person breaking a law.

Should we, using the same logic, ban highway intersections because one person ran a stop light and almost hit a bus?

I had always thought that the reason laws are so severe regarding drunk driving was that it was a public safety issue. After considering some other laws, I conclude that it is a moral issue. There are still people out there who are opposed to drinking.

If drunk driving is truly a public safety issue it must be because driving while under the influence interferes with the person’s ability to respond quickly to emergency situations. I assume also that it interferes with a person’s ability to concentrate on the road and avoid going through STOP signs and running red lights. Drunk drivers also do not always keep all four wheels in their lane.

Now let’s consider the person talking on the cell phone. They do exactly the same thing but they are on the road in far greater numbers than drinkers and at peak traffic times.

The majority of drunks are usually on the road after the bars close when traffic is very light and they usually have both hands on the steering wheel.

The penalty for talking on a cell phone is what? Practically nothing. The cell phone talker does not end up in the newspapers and is not therefore publically shamed as the drunk driver is. Cell phone talkers drive right by police cars with impunity therefore driving while intoxicated must be a moral issue.

While on the subject of public versus personal safety, while do the police patrol so stringently for seat belts not being buckled? If a person has an accident without having himself/herself buckled down they are not a danger to someone else. It is a matter of personal rather than public safety.

Think about it, you are required to wear a seat belt in a heavily protected metal enclosure, with air bags to cushion you, but it’s OK to ride a motorcycle without one.

If caught, you will be fined for not wearing a seat belt in your own car where you are the responsible driver but it’s OK to ride on a bus driven by a total stranger without a seat belt.

Public safety laws can be really strange.

Helmets are required in most states for children riding bicycles but it’s OK to ride a skate board without one. Which of the two is most likely to fall and hit their heads?

Some states do require a helmet for roller-blading but then why not ice skating?

Texas, for instance, requires eye protection and helmets for off-road motorcycles. Vermont requires eye protection and helmets on the highway but not off-road where they are more likely to be needed.

I mentioned ‘bungee-jumping’ in the title because where are the limits to be drawn as to what we are permitted to do that is considered a personal risk?

It’s an arbitrary system that sometimes doesn’t seem logical. Maybe we do need to have someone hold our hand while we cross the road.