Should fuel efficient diesel get equal tax incentive credits?

| November 12, 2011

After reading a recent article in the WSJ discussing the tens of thousands of high paying energy sector and supporting jobs that would be immediately available if the Keystone XL pipeline project would be approved, its clear that politics are more important to President Obama that U.S. jobs. He must have decided that the votes […]

Is Warren Buffett’s tax plan being presented correctly?

| October 1, 2011

I saw a CNBC interview with Warren Buffett the other day and didn’t realized just how twisted the “tax the rich” ideas had become. I’m not saying that I agree with either Warren Buffett or President Obama’s new tax proposals, BUT I was surprised to have them being reported as nearly one in the same […]

About the only thing “certain” is that tax rates are “uncertain”

| September 23, 2011

Much of the political debate coming from Washington DC is focused on cutting the deficit, reforming the tax code and generating more revenue for the federal government. Hopefully those who currently pay federal income taxes (only 52%) are going to be given the loudest voice, but that may not be the case now that we’re […]

Stop the Washington DC gimmickry when it comes to taxes

| August 14, 2011

I’ve been reading a few of the ideas being toss around by congress as a way  to stimulate the economy and “create jobs” (as I recall that was job #1 about three years ago?) The school of thought for most Republicans (at least the last couple years) is to lower tax rates and cut both […]

When talking taxes what is a wealthy American “fair share”

| July 18, 2011

Far be it from me to defend the “corporate jet” crowd, but am I the only one who wonders what numbers President Obama is talking about when they advocate that wealthy in America “pay their fair share.” I’ve looked at most of the numbers and no matter how you slice the pie, those earning over […]

Tax “credit” reform might change who pays taxes

| June 27, 2011

Why do only 53% of the citizenry of the United States of America pay federal income taxes? Something’s not quite right when nearly half of the people benefiting from from living in this country are voting for, but not funding, those who are elected to spend others peoples money. This could change if congress eliminates […]

Procrastination when it comes to filing taxes. Will I ever change?

| April 16, 2011

Tax time is looming and per-usual I’m overly optimistic in thinking the longer I wait, the less I’ll have to pay. As the founder of The Navigators in 1933 wrote: "The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started." Today, and for the last month, I have epitomized the point of Dawson […]

Looking for more ways to tax: cellphones and ebook downloads

| January 1, 2011

According to a Smartmoney.com article by AnnaMaria Andriodis, we could see states and counties increasing taxes on new technology such as cellphones and e-books. Unlike Uncle Sam, state and county governments are required to balance their budgets and as local sales taxes and both the real estate and income tax stream of tax revenue dwindle […]

Crunching US deficit numbers is not very comforting

| September 29, 2010

There are two opposing mindsets when dealing America’s deficit and correcting America’s struggling economy; it is pretty black and white when it comes to opinions. There’s the liberal Democrats position, expressed by the Nobel Prize winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who recommends dealing with our deficit by raising taxes and continuing to increase […]

Washington’s “uncertainty” over taxes – Part 2

| September 24, 2010

Although I may offend some of my hardcore conservative Tea Party friends, I’m in agreement with Charles Krauthammer and enjoy his his columns and commentary (“offend” – in reference to his comments regarding Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell)  I appreciate his bright and intelligent arguments … from a conservative point of view … and was […]

Washington ‘uncertainty’ is hindering business & job growth

| September 14, 2010

Why don’t politicians understand that uncertainty is a primary deterrent to planning for the future, for an individual or a business … but especially for businesses. In order for small business owners and  managers to reinvest and expand … and hire new employees … the political environment needs to be one where the prospect for […]

Training Chinese prostitutes how to drink responsibly

| August 13, 2010

“This week in 1861, the first federal income tax was instituted to pay for the Civil War. These days, we don’t worry about that kind of stuff. Our wars are paid for by our grandchildren.” — Jay Leno I’m not sure if we should laugh or cry when it comes to how government spends millions […]

Arthur Laffer: The Soak-the-Rich Catch-22

| August 2, 2010

Arthur Laffer wrote another piece in the WSJ that again draws attention to the focus some in congress are promoting — “tax the rich.” America would be wise to pay attention to previous administrations and history before once again heading down the path of high taxes and even higher taxes on the rich. Our country […]

John Kasich: To win in November, focus on smaller and local

| July 19, 2010

Candidate for governor John Kasich would be smart to focus his campaign on what is impacting Ohio residents — focus on “smaller and local” needs: Jobs, Economy & Taxes. As the Tip O’Neill saying goes, “all politics is local.” There isn’t anything quite as local as a paycheck and a job … whether one is […]

If you are wealthy, hurry up and die

| July 9, 2010

Not that it impacts the majority  in America, but if you unhealthy and wealthy and having given all that much though to tax planning, perhap you should start contemplating a swifter exit? The math is ugly: On a $5 million estate, the tax consequence of dying a minute after midnight on Jan. 1, 2011 rather […]

Server woes & Dems floating more taxes – the ‘transaction tax’

| July 8, 2010

I’m struggling once again to keep my blog’s shared database running — hassling with tech support on and off today. Hopefully my low cost host will sorting things out. Yes I’ve threatened to leave once before and magically I was moved to a more efficiently running server. We’ll see how long my patience holds out […]

If Tax Collections Matched Spending, 2010’s Tax Freedom Day would be May 17

| May 17, 2010

Federal Spending in 2009-10 Highest Since World War II; Deficit Reaches $13,158 Per Household Recent news reports in USA Today and elsewhere have highlighted the historically low tax collections in 2009 and 2010, confirmed by the Tax Foundation’s annual Tax Freedom Day® calculations of April 8, 2009, and April 9, 2010. “The importance of the […]

Less inclusive airline travel and fees for additional services

| April 29, 2010

It has become challenging to fly commercial airlines in recent year, especially since 9/11. Not only has the process of going through most airports become time consuming with all the additional security precautions, but the airlines themselves have made changes which most agree have become irritating to down right miserable for passengers, I’m thinking about […]

Fresh squeezed OJ – the best way to start a tax preparation day

| April 12, 2010

As a morning routine, I’m a coffee and anti-oxidant grape juice drinking kind of guy, but since we had a few extra oranges left over I’ve been fresh squeezing them for a morning citrus treat. Mmm … sunshine and fresh squeezed OJ … breakfast doesn’t get much better than this! Speaking of ‘the day’ – […]

Bad timing: Lakota Schools are asking too much from voters

| February 18, 2010

It looks like the Lakota Board of Education has decided to place a new levy on May 4th’s primary ballot in our area – LINK – not a well timed request, in my opinion. I’ve been mostly supportive and relatively pleased with the education my kids have received in our local public schools, but from […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog