One of the ways that politicians compete in the battle of ideas is by defining things. The definition always carries a subtle positive or negative spin such that it sways the casual observer into accepting that spin as the truth, without alerting them to the positive or negative connotations of the spin. One such spin is the "Unearned" label that statists use to refer to income that people earn from investing their already taxed money. Anytime you see that term used it should immediately alert you to the point of view of the user. They wish you to think that investment income is somehow undeserved and should be taxed or otherwise confiscated as if it is some sort of ill-gotten gain. Of course as soon as the statist confiscates the money it really does become "unearned income" for them. They can then turn it around and distribute it to their cronies to further their political cause and buy favoritism. They can also use it to polish their image by giving some amount to legitimately needy people, thereby enhancing their Robin Hood persona while gaining the loyalty of that portion of society. Now that I think of it, none of the people that end up with the confiscated money earned it, so maybe that is where the name comes from. But I digress.
Why is investment income a legitimate form of earned income? Doesn’t earned income require some form of good or service in exchange? The answer is always yes in a free society, otherwise there would be no incentive for the two parties to come together and form the contract that is the investment. So what is the service provided? The main one is risk.
The investor places their money (already taxed as income) at risk with the investment. That risk can vary depending on the safety of the investment. Let’s say the investment is a house. The risk is that the house will be damaged by natural disaster. There is the risk that the value will decrease due to the type of surrounding land use. There is the risk that the local government will tax the property at such a high rate that it becomes too expensive to live in that community. There is the risk that the house won’t increase in value enough to offset the required maintenance. In every case the investor stands to lose some or all of the initial investment. Their willingness to take that risk benefits society by providing somebody a place to live. The taxes on the home help the local community provide services needed by all. If the home is well kept the neighborhood benefits and others enjoy living in the community. All of that is a service that is worthy of the income the investment can produce.
There are many other types of investments. In a free society the diversity of investments is enormous. Anytime two people come together to form a contract where one person gives some form of wealth to another so the other can use that wealth for their purposes, the money returned on that investment is investment income. There is no coercion, as in a tax. It is two entities freely associating for their mutual benefit.
Sounds like a good thing to me. So why does the statist need to put a negative spin on one side of that contract? The answer to that question is a much larger story. The short answer is the statist seeks power, and must get that power through convincing as many people as possible that his motives are noble and his enemy’s motives are not. The statist wants you totally disarmed to their intentions of confiscating that wealth to further their gains. It is nothing short of lust for power and control. So next time you hear the term “Unearned income” I hope you remember this short discussion and are better informed of the motives of the person making the statement.
Investment income is not evil. Investment income represents freedom. Freedom to contract without interference is what our founders meant when they wrote that people have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Virtually everybody will make an investment in their life with no malice in their heart, only the desire to increase their wealth so that they can pursue their personal form of happiness.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Things I love about Health Care Reform
Everybody hates a complainer. There is so much negativity in the news these days I decided to take a few minutes and try to see the sunny side of the national political scene. That said, here is my list of things I love about the new Health Care Reform bill.
Medicare cuts. The bill cuts Medicare by $500,000,000.00 over the next 10 years. This is perfect. I will be retiring in about 10 years and lately I’ve been so worried about Medicare. Will it be there for me given all the unfunded liabilities? Will I be able to find a doctor that speaks English and has a degree from someplace other than the University of Phoenix? Now, thanks to Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems I don’t have to worry any more because this huge funding cut will surely signal the demise of this important piece of social legislation that is Medicare.
Closing the “Donut Hole.” This is a wonderful idea, although I’m sure I’ll never have to worry about this either (see above). I have friends that rely on the Medicare drug benefit for their prescription drug coverage. The problem is when they spend more than $3,000.00 on drugs in one year their coverage stops and they have to pay for the next $4,000.00 out of their own pocket. My friends have had such a hard time with this they have had to shop for the cheapest prices among local pharmacies instead of going to the same grocery store they have always gone to. They have even had to resort to asking for ‘Generic’ drugs just to get by. This is so heinous that it surely had to be invented by a Republican. Now thanks to Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems my friends will get a check for $250.00 to help plug that $4000.00 hole. I’m sure the check will arrive in October so they will be reminded to be grateful for this wonderful change as they prepare to vote in the November elections.
The Slaughter rule. If it had not been for this debate I may have never known of this marvelous method our congressional representatives have devised that allows them to avoid voting for something while voting for it anyway. I am constantly amazed at how inventive and intelligent these people are. I’m so glad they are running the country.
Ending the myth of the “Pro-Life Democrat.” James Tarranto of the Wall Street Journal expressed this in his column "The Best of the Web Today" I paraphrase it here because he made the point so well.
Medicare cuts. The bill cuts Medicare by $500,000,000.00 over the next 10 years. This is perfect. I will be retiring in about 10 years and lately I’ve been so worried about Medicare. Will it be there for me given all the unfunded liabilities? Will I be able to find a doctor that speaks English and has a degree from someplace other than the University of Phoenix? Now, thanks to Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems I don’t have to worry any more because this huge funding cut will surely signal the demise of this important piece of social legislation that is Medicare.
Closing the “Donut Hole.” This is a wonderful idea, although I’m sure I’ll never have to worry about this either (see above). I have friends that rely on the Medicare drug benefit for their prescription drug coverage. The problem is when they spend more than $3,000.00 on drugs in one year their coverage stops and they have to pay for the next $4,000.00 out of their own pocket. My friends have had such a hard time with this they have had to shop for the cheapest prices among local pharmacies instead of going to the same grocery store they have always gone to. They have even had to resort to asking for ‘Generic’ drugs just to get by. This is so heinous that it surely had to be invented by a Republican. Now thanks to Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems my friends will get a check for $250.00 to help plug that $4000.00 hole. I’m sure the check will arrive in October so they will be reminded to be grateful for this wonderful change as they prepare to vote in the November elections.
The Slaughter rule. If it had not been for this debate I may have never known of this marvelous method our congressional representatives have devised that allows them to avoid voting for something while voting for it anyway. I am constantly amazed at how inventive and intelligent these people are. I’m so glad they are running the country.
Ending the myth of the “Pro-Life Democrat.” James Tarranto of the Wall Street Journal expressed this in his column "The Best of the Web Today" I paraphrase it here because he made the point so well.
It warms my heart to see somebody stand up to those in authority based on nothing more than their own principled objections. So when Bart Stupak withstood immense pressure from his own party it was hard not to notice how this handful of pro-life democrats had seized the legislative initiative for the first time since Row vs. Wade, and brought the party of abortion to a screeching halt. Now that Stupak has caved you may ask what good I see in this. In short, it is always good to know who you can count on. When the votes are counted in November the real pro-life democrats (you know, the ones that work for a living, and vote) will now know who they can count on, and who will cave when given a symbolic gesture and a few hundred million dollars in airport subsidies for their home district.
We owe many thanks to Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems.
Health insurance premiums that will go down an average of $2,500.00 dollars. This is a big one. I heard this repeated over and over thanks to Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems as they cris-crossed the country giving speech after speech in support of this health care reform bill. I'm truly looking forward to this and will be sure to track how much my health care premiums go down next year, and every year going forward. That $2,500.00 is about how much I have to contribute to my company’s health care plan. So instead of having my coverage go down and my premiums go up next year I can count on the exact opposite. I won't forget this next year around November as I try to decide which of the new health care plans to select from my employer's annual benefit enrollment package. I'll be keeping track, of this you can be sure.
The end of freedom and limited government. Now that Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems have made it clear that they can force me to engage in commerce and buy something that I may have had no interest in buying I feel a tremendous sense of relief. I’m relieved because I am sure they will not stop with health care reform. Who knows what other decisions they will make for me, thereby relieving me of any necessity to ponder these weighty decisions on my own. If they decide that everybody must buy an ipod or be forced to pay a fine to the IRS, then I’ll have to buy an ipod. Maybe it will be AlGore Carbon Credits, or veggie burgers and soy milk instead of my preferred food choices. Or possibly they'll tell me I need to get rid of my big Texas Toyota truck and buy a Chevy made by Segway. Then my only worry will be how early to get up in the morning so I can make the 15 mile trek to work.
Of course that assumes I’ll still have a job since the new health care bill will cut the number of tests that doctors can run to figure out what is wrong with their patients. That is what Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems said, that this bill will save money because instead of ordering 5 tests, doctors will only be allowed to order one test. Those are the very tests that I help to deliver to the market place. Those are the tests that currently provide over 70% of the information used by health care providers to diagnose their patients. I hope I’m one not one of the 4 out of 5 people that my employer will have to lay off because of the reduced revenue that will result from this policy. I’m not worried about the quality of health care though because I’m sure Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems will be able to tell those same doctors exactly what tests to run. They won’t need to unplug grandma from the life support machines because nobody will be able to figure out exactly what is wrong. Grandma will simply pass away, thereby saving all that money that would otherwise be wasted on the one sector of the American economy that is still vibrant and growing. Meanwhile, the diagnostics and medical device industry as a whole will be forced to pay billions of dollars to the government in order to subsidize this whole health care reform bill. The same thing is in store for the pharmaceutical industry, and the health insurance industry.
I wonder if there are any jobs in China? I hear Singapore is about to get a slew of business and related jobs from the diagnostics industry.
Health insurance premiums that will go down an average of $2,500.00 dollars. This is a big one. I heard this repeated over and over thanks to Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems as they cris-crossed the country giving speech after speech in support of this health care reform bill. I'm truly looking forward to this and will be sure to track how much my health care premiums go down next year, and every year going forward. That $2,500.00 is about how much I have to contribute to my company’s health care plan. So instead of having my coverage go down and my premiums go up next year I can count on the exact opposite. I won't forget this next year around November as I try to decide which of the new health care plans to select from my employer's annual benefit enrollment package. I'll be keeping track, of this you can be sure.
The end of freedom and limited government. Now that Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems have made it clear that they can force me to engage in commerce and buy something that I may have had no interest in buying I feel a tremendous sense of relief. I’m relieved because I am sure they will not stop with health care reform. Who knows what other decisions they will make for me, thereby relieving me of any necessity to ponder these weighty decisions on my own. If they decide that everybody must buy an ipod or be forced to pay a fine to the IRS, then I’ll have to buy an ipod. Maybe it will be AlGore Carbon Credits, or veggie burgers and soy milk instead of my preferred food choices. Or possibly they'll tell me I need to get rid of my big Texas Toyota truck and buy a Chevy made by Segway. Then my only worry will be how early to get up in the morning so I can make the 15 mile trek to work.
Of course that assumes I’ll still have a job since the new health care bill will cut the number of tests that doctors can run to figure out what is wrong with their patients. That is what Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems said, that this bill will save money because instead of ordering 5 tests, doctors will only be allowed to order one test. Those are the very tests that I help to deliver to the market place. Those are the tests that currently provide over 70% of the information used by health care providers to diagnose their patients. I hope I’m one not one of the 4 out of 5 people that my employer will have to lay off because of the reduced revenue that will result from this policy. I’m not worried about the quality of health care though because I’m sure Barak Obama and his merry band of Dems will be able to tell those same doctors exactly what tests to run. They won’t need to unplug grandma from the life support machines because nobody will be able to figure out exactly what is wrong. Grandma will simply pass away, thereby saving all that money that would otherwise be wasted on the one sector of the American economy that is still vibrant and growing. Meanwhile, the diagnostics and medical device industry as a whole will be forced to pay billions of dollars to the government in order to subsidize this whole health care reform bill. The same thing is in store for the pharmaceutical industry, and the health insurance industry.
I wonder if there are any jobs in China? I hear Singapore is about to get a slew of business and related jobs from the diagnostics industry.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
I'm going to Italy Sunday
Sunday was a big day for me. The company sent me to Rome, Italy for a "Global Strategy Conference." I'm still not sure what that means, but I liked what they had to say. When I read the agenda it says things like: "Monday: Breakfast, Program, Reception, Bus tour...." And don't ask me why they picked me to go to this thing. Last year they had this same meeting in Chicago and I wasn't invited then. That said, I went, I participated, I wore some nice clothes, and drank some Italian espresso, even had more than a glass of Italian wine. Airport securith was not to bad until the flight home. We were lucky that some nut case with exploding panties didn't make it onto either of my flights, and I posted some pictures that were not all about the airport and conference center.
Flight over was long. I got over the delays and security hassels and things worked out OK. After we got to Rome we checked into the motel and found an "Authentic" Italian restaurant. After paying more for Italian food than at any time in my life, I went back to the hotel and hit the sack in a marvelous bed that let me sleep an entire 8 hours. When I woke up I was fully acclimated to Rome time so the rest of the week was great.
After breakfast five of us piled into a Fiat Taxi and headed to the Vatican. What an awsome place, even if I'm not a Catholic. Saint Peters Basilica and the Cistean Chappel took most of the morning. That was one of the most awsome tourist things I've ever done. I hope to go back someday and take my family. I've got pictures on the web that I'll share if you e-mail me.
Later that morning we took the taxi to the Pantheon. Again, a great place to see. I was more enamoured with the engineering and architecture than anything else.
From there we went to the Colaseum. We got there a bit late and it was closed for the day, but that was quiet the show as well. I'll go back there again so I can get to see the rest of the ruins around the area.
The weather cooperated to some extent. Monday was cold all day with my Minnesota cold weather gear coming in very handy. The rain held off until the next day when the conference started and that is just as well. We were kept so busy after the conference started that I didn't even see daylight on Tuesday.
To be continued when I'm awake, or m aybe not.
Flight over was long. I got over the delays and security hassels and things worked out OK. After we got to Rome we checked into the motel and found an "Authentic" Italian restaurant. After paying more for Italian food than at any time in my life, I went back to the hotel and hit the sack in a marvelous bed that let me sleep an entire 8 hours. When I woke up I was fully acclimated to Rome time so the rest of the week was great.
After breakfast five of us piled into a Fiat Taxi and headed to the Vatican. What an awsome place, even if I'm not a Catholic. Saint Peters Basilica and the Cistean Chappel took most of the morning. That was one of the most awsome tourist things I've ever done. I hope to go back someday and take my family. I've got pictures on the web that I'll share if you e-mail me.
Later that morning we took the taxi to the Pantheon. Again, a great place to see. I was more enamoured with the engineering and architecture than anything else.
From there we went to the Colaseum. We got there a bit late and it was closed for the day, but that was quiet the show as well. I'll go back there again so I can get to see the rest of the ruins around the area.
The weather cooperated to some extent. Monday was cold all day with my Minnesota cold weather gear coming in very handy. The rain held off until the next day when the conference started and that is just as well. We were kept so busy after the conference started that I didn't even see daylight on Tuesday.
To be continued when I'm awake, or m aybe not.
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