A Tea Bag

What a wonderful idea, I just wish it had been mine. I have a feeling that USPS is going to have a hell of a lot of tea to contend with, after all it only costs 42 cents to send a message, hopefully heard round the world!!!

So please mark your Calendars

There's a storm a brewin'. What happens when good, responsible people keep quiet? Washington has forgotten they work for us. We don't work for them. Throwing good money after bad is NOT the answer. I am sick of the midnight, closed door sessions to come up with a plan. I am sick of Congress raking CEO's over the coals while they, themselves, have defaulted on their taxes. I am sick of the bailed out companies having lavish vacations and retreats on my dollar. I am sick of being told it is MY responsibility to rescue people that, knowingly, bought more house than they could afford. I am sick of being made to feel it is my patriotic duty to pay MORE taxes. I, like all of you, am a responsible citizen. I pay my taxes. I live on a budget and I don't ask someone else to carry the burden for poor decisions I may make. I have emailed my congressmen and senators asking them to NOT vote for the stimulus package as it was written without reading it first. No one listened. They voted for it, pork and all.

O.K. folks, here it is. You may think you are just one voice and what you think won't make a difference. Well, yes it will and YES, WE CAN!! If you are disgusted and angry with the way Washington is handling our taxes. If you are fearful of the fallout from the reckless spending of BILLIONS to bailout and "stimulate" without accountability and responsibility then we need to become ONE, LOUD VOICE THAT CAN BE HEARD FROM EVERY CITY, TOWN, SUBURB AND HOME IN AMERICA. There is a growing protest to demand that Congress, the President and his cabinet LISTEN to us, the American Citizens. What is being done in Washington is NOT the way to handle the economic free fall.

So, here's the plan. On April 1, 2009, all Americans are asked to send a TEABAG to Washington , D.C. You do not have to enclose a note or any other information unless you so desire. Just a TEABAG. Many cities are organizing protests. If you simply search, "New American Tea Party", several sites will come up. If you aren't the 'protester' type, simply make your one voice heard with a TEABAG. Your one voice will become a roar when joined with millions of others that feel the same way. Yes, something needs to be done but the lack of confidence as shown by the steady decline in the stock market speaks volumes.

This was not my idea. I visited the sites of the 'New American Tea Party' and an online survey showed over 90% of thousands said they would send the teabag on April. Why, April 1?? We want them to reach Washington by April 15. Will you do it? I will. Send it to; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington , D.C. 20500.

Forward this to everyone in your address book. Visit the web sites for more information about the 'New American Tea Party'. I would encourage everyone to go ahead and get the envelope ready to mail, then just drop it in the mail April 1. Can't guarantee what the postage will be by then, it is going up as we speak, but have your envelope ready. What will this cost you? A little time and a 40 something cent stamp.

What could you receive in benefits? Maybe, just maybe, our elected officials will start to listen to the people. Take out the Pork. Tell us how the money is being spent. We want TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Remember, the money will be spent over the next 4-5 years. It is not too late.

Of course, if you agree with the way things are being done now, don't bother.

The Dreaded T-Word

We’re being warned these days of huge budget deficits for years to come – even by President-elect Obama. The economy is in a precipitous downturn and no one, right or left, is advocating tax increases that would jeopardize a recovery. Bob Herbert, Op-Ed Columnist for the New York Times wrote in his column this morning that we are spending money as fast as we can on TARP and the proposed stimulus program plus the overhaul of the way we pay for health care. Even China is getting antsy and has been prompted to keep more of its money at home. Not good news for U.S. borrowers. Let’s face it, sooner or later we’re going to have to face the dreaded T-word – taxes.

However, according to Mr. Herbert, there’s a good idea out there that takes its cue from Willie Sutton. Why not go where the money is?

Dean Baker, an economist, is a strong advocate of a financial transaction tax. This would impose a small fee – perhaps 0.25 percent on the sale or transfer of stocks, bonds, and other financial assets, including the seemingly endless variety of exotic financial instruments that have been in the news so much lately.

Baker says that the fees would raise a ton of money, perhaps $100 billion or more annually. I think the government sorely needs that kind of money.

Herbert also brings up another intriguing element – while the fees would be a trivial expense for what the general public tends to think of as ordinary traders, that is people investing in stocks, bonds or other assets for some reasonable period of time – they would amount to a much heavier lift for speculators, the folks who bring a manic quality to the markets and who treat it like a casino.

Also according to Baker, “For the typical person holding stock, who is planning to hold it for a long period of time, paying a quarter of one percent on a trade is just not that big a deal.”

The beauty of the transfer tax; it tends to curb at least some speculation. “It’s a progressive tax,” Baker said, “that discourages nonproductive activity.”

The rampant irresponsibility of the Bush years by the White House, Congress and the general public when it comes to matters of finance, the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were placed on credit cards and off the books. Their ultimate overall costs will be in the trillions. And yet, incredibly, Bush and Congress cut taxes in wartime! I have to agree with Herbert; that is totally insane!

The only remedy for fending off the Great Depression II has been deficit spending on a scale that’s over the moon. And baby boomers about ready to retire? Maybe all these deficits will just disappear; maybe a more prosperous future generation will just happily clean up the mess we left for them. But if none of that is true just maybe we should start looking for some other answers. A stock transfer tax just might not be a bad place to start.