The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

‘No Poor Man Ever Gave Me a Job’

As an impoverished American — hey, buddy, you wanna try raising six kids on a freelance journalist’s income? — I look on in amusement at the self-described “Patriotic Millionaires” who insist that they should pay more taxes. I agree with Moe Lane: “Raise Your Own Damned Taxes.” Contrary to all the class-warfare demagoguery pouring forth from […]

Word of the Day: Sharing!

Just as I predicted, Obama’s Big Deficit Speech was big on sharing: As a country that values fairness, wealthier individuals have traditionally borne a greater share of this burden than the middle class or those less fortunate. . . . To meet this challenge [i.e., ballooning deficits], our leaders came together three times during the […]

Oh Sure, Right After I Got Wrecked Converting The Traditional IRA To A Roth

by Smitty (via Insty) Mrs. The Other Smitty and I this year listened to the financial adviser and converted the modest Traditional IRA to a Roth. By making the optimal choice on what to do with the sudden profit, we managed not to get completely destroyed on income tax. The amount of money in question […]

The REAL Budget Battle (UPDATED)

Yeah, I know everybody’s riveted by negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over the federal budget, but what is far more urgent — at least to me, personally — is the battle over my own budget, which involves negotiations with Mrs. Other McCain. If you think this is leading up to me asking you to hit the tip […]

If I Had A Dollar For Every Time Someone Like A Fat Film Maker With A Baseball Cap Blathered About Insufficient Taxation, I Could Buy A Death-Porn Doorstop

by Smitty (title allusion) Stephen Edwin King: Sierra Tango Foxtrot Uniform. “As a rich person, I pay 28 percent tax… what I want to ask you is, why am I not paying 50?” Balls. Why don’t we, as a thought experiment, separate the gentleman from all of his property. All numbers are morally equivalent after […]

Tax Time

Please excuse the relative shortage of blogging this afternoon, because I’ll be at the accountant’s office, going through my annual ordeal. If there’s one thing a self-employed freelance journalist/blogger dreads, it’s tax time. Back in the old days, when I had a regular job with a salary, my taxes were simple enough that I could do […]

From the Dept. of Obvious Headlines

Low-tax states attract budget-conscious Americans Gee, ya think so? You mean to tell me that, given the choice, people would rather live where taxes are low than where they are high? Put that story at the top of A-1 and phone the Pulitzer committee! Update (Smitty): “Those bitter, Klingon, unpatriotic swine!” Vice President Biden was […]

The Governor California Deserves

Wrecking the state in the name of civil rights: Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday called education funding a civil rights issue, defending his plan to eliminate redevelopment agencies as necessary to reduce California’s yawning budget deficit and to push more tax revenue to schools and public safety. “We take from redevelopment and we put $1 […]

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