Americans Elect 2012 Review and Comments

I'm always spouting off about being or getting involved. Even if you don't agree with me you should be engaged in your world and the movers and shakers. A new, to me anyway, method is Americans Elect 2012. I looked it up and signed up just to see what it was all about.

Essentially the site is going to do the things needed to get a non-partizan candidate for President and Vice-President on the ballot in all fifty states. It will do this by havign registered voteres sign up, answer questions about thier views, and vote in an online convention. The winner of the vote will be placed on the ballot in all fifty states. The site believes it will break the gridlock of partisan politics.

Overall I think the site has merit. I think that if their sales pitch actually works it could, over time, become a focus of a growing debate. So, I will see it through just to find out if I am right or not.

After answering 136 questions (there are more but my clicker was asking for overtime cash) I stumbled across one that floored me. Remember that everyone on the site is supposed to be a registered voter. That means they care and actually participate in the process. Your answer, weighted based on priorites you establish, is factored into all the other answers so you get a national and state average.

The Question was: Which of the statements below is closest to your personal view?

The results were:

Option and % Of Answers	Answers
A 13%	It is very important to stick to principles
B 18%	It is more important for politicians in Congress to stick to the principles and values on which they campaigned
C 67%	It is more important for politicians in Congress to work with members of the other party and make consensus policy
D 2%	Unsure

That tells me that I am wasting my breath talking about character. It appears to me that 67% of the registered voters who have been to the site would knowingly elect crooks and liars as long as they reach across the aisle and come to a consensus.

It's no wonder that an Ethics Challenged for Speaker who moonlighted as a Serial Adulterer is gaining in the polls.

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HR25; Fairtax gets a hearing

My Loyal Readers, all three of them, know that I support elimination of the income tax. We all know that the tax is unfair and subject to corruption at any level. I would prefer a simple national sales tax without any frills. After all, just look at how many states operate that way. If I had to, I could live with a flat income tax. A flat tax still leaves a lot of room for blatant violations of taxpayer rights. It still leaves room for corruption as well. But, it beats what we have now.

This last Monday the House Ways and Means Committee finally, after only about a decade, got around to giving the Fairtax a hearing. This is a landmark event. Under the august leadership of Charlie "the taxman never cometh" Rangel, HR25 never got an even break. Even if this version doesn't get a vote it shows a bit of momentum.

If you read anything about politics you know that anyone who goes to DC is corrupt. I'm sure that some, if not all, either mean or meant well. But, the constant compromise and the seniority system pretty much ensure that no one can hold his or her ideals very high. And, taxes are the vehicle by which it happens. Consider if you will the sheer volume of the tax code. Consider if you will who benefits. Every break will help out someone. Every break can be translated into either money for campaigns or votes in November.

On the flip side we also know who suffers on this tax scheme. It isn't the super rich. Taxes to them are naught more than an expense to be managed. And, most of them pay capital gains taxes. It isn't the poor either. The poor do not pay taxes. Instead they are forced to publicly demonstrate every year that they don't have what it takes to succeed. It is the middle class that suffers.

We, the middle class, get to divulge every bit of our personal lives to the IRS. Our employer is required to verify how much we report as income. Just imagine a pissed off IRS employee with access to the last ten years of your life. They know where you live, where you work, how much you made or lost, when you got promoted or demoted. They also know if you rent or own your home, and how often you deal with doctors. If you give to charity, they know it. Can you say Identity Theft?

Anyone with a lick of sense can see that the tax code is broken. The same person can also see that denigrating a system that is already in use in most of the states of the union has to have an ulterior motive.

Take a look at the youtube video of the hearings. Take note of the guys that are most negative. Ask yourself what they have on the table that will go away if the income tax becomes history. I could live with someone being skeptical. I can understand how someone might not be well enough informed to understand just how much of an improvement this legislation is. I mean, it's not like this bill has been held up by this committee for ten years. It aint like there aren't several Fairtax books, best sellers, that break it down to the nuts and bolts.

There is such a thing as loyal opposition. But, I think what we are seeing now is opportunistic opposition. So, take this opportunity to look at people like Bruce Bartlett, Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), or Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.). Find out how they profit by the current system. Then, let them know that they are profiting via your quality of life.

Technorati Tags: tax taxes fairtax hr25 taxation

Identity Theft Risk Elevated by Jury Summons

Igot another jury summons. The last time I did this I ended up as the foreman and we sent a child rapist to jail. Hopefully this experience will go as well for all concerned. Speaking of concerned, do you have any idea how much information you put "out there" even off the internet?

My summons includes a data sheet I have to fill out. And, it isn't like I get to opt out. It has to be filled out and turned in when I report for selection. This means that someone I have never met will know my name, address, marital status, number of kids, age range of my kids, where I work, my number of years employed, my job title, my wife's name (and by default her address), her job title, long she has been employed and by whom. And, that isn't all. I just got tired of typing for a second.

If that isn't bad enough, they get this information whether I get selected or not. I sure hope I didn't cut the county clerk off in traffic. To be honest I don't know for a fact that it'll be typed into a database owned by the government before lunch. Of course, if I were a betting man...

I took the advice I usually give to others. My State Senator and Representative each received an email detailing my concerns about privacy and identity theft along with what I believe a workable fix to the problem is.

And just to demonstrate that this is not idle paranoia... Breach in Texas comptroller’s office exposes 3.5 million Social Security numbers, birth dates | Texas Regional News - News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News

Links to help minimise the chances you take. Minimizing Your Risk of Identity Theft, MINIMIZING IDENTITY THEFT - Wisconsin DOJ

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