Blogroll – Page 85 – third world county

June 22, 2006June 22, 2006

tightÂ·wad, n.

The most common dictionary definition of a tightwad is “miser”.

Vile calumny, I say! A tightwad is one who is regularly able to make at least one complete peanut butter sandwich from a jar others dismiss as being empty. A tightwad would never say, “Who steals my purse steals trash” without first examining the wallet to see if there is any salvageable material.

And more, a tightwad is one who sees the town dump as evidence of the monumental stupidity and waste of his neighbors who lack the ingenuity to see salvageable (or simply repairable) objects of worth and simply toss them out to be destroyed by the elements.

A tightwad, by nature or nurture, is a conservationist, ever exploring new ways to use, re-use, repair, mend, re-engineer and recycle; one who sees the simple wisdom in the old meme, “Waste not; want not.”

Tightwaddery does not exclude spending more for an item of quality as opposed to an item that is poorly made of poor materials, but rather sees the long-term value and ROI in items of quality… even used ones in need of repair.

Above all, tightwads are not swayed by labels, advertising or brand names. Or the opinions of folks who see dumpster diving as something that is somehow repellant. After all, repairing and re-using items others would discard is, as I’ve indicated, a hallmark of tightwaddery. After rescuing some thousands of dollars worth of computer and electronic equipment, furniture, furnishings and appliances from dumpsters over the years–and repairing and putting them to good use myself or giving them away for others who needed them–I sometimes laugh at the folks who are so brainwashed they think they have neither the time or ability to repair their broken things (or that doing so is beneath tghem somehow) that they will instead waste money (which is after all their time in another form) going down to WallyWorld or K-Mugger or some such to buy something to replace the repairable object… something that will likely be less durable than what they are replacing, made by slave labor in China and contributing to the erosion of U.S. manufacturing capabilities.

So, I’m kinda glad I’m a tightwad. Even if it does mean my garage is sometimes a tad messy… *heh*

Sadly, sometimes a discarded item is not repairable, but… once three or four unworking printers, for example, have been stripped of all usable parts to make one serviceable printer, I no longer feel quite so bad discarding the unusable parts… (though I do almost always keep screws, rollers, wheels, whatever might be useful building something entirely new. :-)). And yeh, I do have several jars of bent nails I have not yet straightened. But I’ll get to ’em someday. And there’ll always be more, too.

(Straightening used nails with a hammer and a small anvil is something that can be a relaxing activity, kinda using the body doing a repetitive task to allow some meditation time. Try things like that. Very relaxing. Picked that one up from my tightwad grandfather. :-))

It may seem like a foreign idea in these advertising/consumption-driven days, but what can you “Use up; wear out; make do; do without”?

June 21, 2006June 21, 2006

FairTax

Today’s FairTax screed is from Terry Dillard of The Right Track

As I see it, the main problem with the Income Tax is that it is virtually impossible to enforce completely and fairly. Compliance with the Income Tax depends on taxpayer truthfulness, which generally is motivated either by a) good character, or b) fear of an IRS audit. With the FairTax, the tax is collected when the money is spent, from everyone, with greatly reduced opportunities for non-compliance by the public.

For instance, what about the criminal element in our country? Have you ever heard of the Mafia? Or the drug dealer? Do you think that these people report 100% of their income? Of course not! They get out of paying a huge percentage of their actual tax bill by the simple expedient of not reporting all of their income. But these same individuals still have to pay utility bills, purchase prescription drugs, visit doctors, and buy food. And if they believe in the “high life” of new cars, fancy clothes and jewelry, and new homes, they’re going to pay more than “Joe Six-pack” who chooses to drive a used car, or purchase a home that’s not brand new.

And it’s not just individuals who are managing to avoid paying taxes these days. Everyone in America has heard of the rush to move American companies “offshore”, whether in whole or in part. Think about it — have you ever seen an American-flagged commercial vessel? Oh sure, we’ve got our warships, but what about commercial boats that carry cargo or cruise passengers? Most of these are flying the flag of Liberia or Panama — low-tax nations.

In the mid-1950s, about 33% of all income taxes collected were paid by American corporations. Today that number is down to approximately 10%. From “The FairTax Book” by Boortz and Linder:

“That plunge is a major factor in our recent soaring deficits. Indeed, international corporations are essentially “voluntary” taxpayers today, paying only that amount in taxes that they believe will avoid attracting embarrassing news coverage. These corporations believe that our draconian tax structures make their actions necessary. The OFCs [offshore financial centers, or banks – TD] make their plans feasible” [Emphasis added – TD]

Boortz and Linder make the point that if we eliminated all taxes on capital and labor, (which the FairTax does), the United States would become the world’s tax haven.

We have the most stable economy, the most liquid and trusted markets, and the highest rates of labor productivity in the world — and the trillions of dollars in those OFCs would flow back home to the United States for the very reason they found themselves offshore to start with.

And we’re not just talking about American businesses coming home, we’re talking about wooing corporations based in other countries into America. Think of the economic benefits! More productivity, lower unemployment, higher wages, and all occurring within a tax system that allows you at least partly to choose whether to pay taxes! Buy it new, pay a tax, buy it used and don’t!

The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

Tb-posted @ Diane’s Stuff OTA Wednesday

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