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[quote=”puravidatexan”]Spoken like a true Socialist. Just add a few government takeovers and kickbacks to the labor unions that supported the candidates and you got a great little system called Marxism.. You probably think Gov’ment Motors and their takeaway from the shareholders to give to the unsustainable union contracts was a good thing. The fact that a working family of 4 living in the U.S. has less expendable income than the non-working family of 4 does not seem to bother you. You enable someone to get unemployment checks for 99 weeks because it’s easier to sit at home. You hand out food and drink (via the Lone Star card), cell phones and free minutes, housing subsidies, free medical care, and the redistributive Earn Income Tax Credit. There may be other benefits as well. My church gives out food, blankets, and coats to all that ask for help. Yes, all of these things could be available on a “safety net” basis, not for the dependency for which they were created. Our Department of the Interior (through the Nat’l Parks Service) places signs “Do not feed the animals. It will lead to a dependency on humans”. The same people are feeding the humans at a record pace through Food Stamps.
The illegitimate birth rates for black kids is around 70%. People are being rewarded for not working. We are ignoring an influx of illegal aliens and “anchor babies”. Poverty level families have 2 cars, cell phones, 2 TVs, and more. We are now approaching 2 generations of the non-working, heads-of-household. I have a student that I offered a job for $8.00/hour for raking leaves and he turned me down. I blamed him for a few days until I found out that his 35 year-old Dad was on disability, but belonged to a Club basketball and football team. The student had no work ethic to relate to. I have hired people for almost 40 years. It is now unusual to find someone to work an unskilled job for minimum wage. This is the main reason that I have sold out my degree and my business, to work in a government school. I do have my roots and I never complain about my teacher pay. I’ve endured 25 years of payroll taxes, unemployment taxes, workman’s comp, and health insurance costs. I’m definitely not a good enough business man to overcome these obstacles. I now get a 2 week Christmas vacation, a Spring Break, and almost 3 months off in the summer to get my work done and see the beautiful country of Costa Rica.
For those of you that are living the dream in CR, I envy you, but I can’t close my eyes to the problems in the States like you can. Many of my students are dressed in designer clothes and tennis shoes. They have unwed parents and one of my group has a “baby momma” in the 8th grade. They have iphones, flat screen TVs, and nice cars. Ugly, but expensive and totally unnecessary tattoos adorn them; even though they have to cover them up at school.
Perhaps you might read some of my favorite black Conservative writers like Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, Ken Blackwell, and Star Parker. Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz (TX) are my latest heroes to come to forefront, as the old, white men are too busy playing golf with the President. These Conservatives have their roots in work ethics, racial problems, and the American Dream and will perhaps lead some out of the wilderness. Or you chose to ignore them. “Don’t confuse me with the facts—my mind is made up!”
I’m leaving you today with a quote from Margaret Thatcher – “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money. “
[/quote]If there was a like button, I would have hit it until it broke.
You touched a main point there about the work ethic, I equate that to no moral compass anymore. No one is accountable for their actions anymore, burn yourself with hot coffee get $10 million dollars, the coffee is hot stupid! Murder 2 people, get off because of good lawyers. Someone offends you, sue them! Take away someones right because it does not “mix” with your beliefs. Break the law?, get a slap on the hand because daddy didn’t hug you when your where 2.
The government is no better, they are not accountable for justification of taking your money. I’ll step down of my box now, thank you for shopping at Kamrt.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]First off, there are plenty more givers than takers and, for their sometimes greater investments (and sometimes not) the givers get a lot more than the takers. Just look at Scott’s corporate negative income tax data. Those companies are hardly unique.
Second, if there are “documented cases” of those you characterize as “takers” making more than the average business owner, please provide the documentation. I’m just dying to hear about the average business owners you can point to who are forced to live on a Food Stamp budget and haven’t the resources to be able to access medical care. How many of these average business owners are living without heat. Please name them.
Further, when you characterize someone as a “giver” rather than as a “taker”, are you accounting for the public support those “givers” receive? When a corporation receives billions in negative tax payments and pays nothing, does that make the a “giver” or a “taker”?[/quote]
Well, I am not pointing to corporations per se. Although, corporations are owned by people, example, my company is owned by me and my partner. We are taxed on the profits of the company. I will say that 3 years ago, I had to pay taxes almost 1.5x’s my take home pay. In essence, I payed well into 6 figures for taxes, which baffled me that I paid more in taxes than I took home.
I agree with you on the big companies should be paying taxes. Look there, we agree! I knew I liked you. Unfortunately , the government has created a system that gives certain companies (albeit through campaign contributions) a tax advantage or loopholes that keeps the revenue “inside” the company to be used at a later time (campaigns).
Until this is fixed, life will continue as status quo. I do disagree with the flat out raise taxes on those that have make more money than you, it creates class warfare which is not a good societal place for the US to be in. Nothing good will come from it.
[quote=”VictoriaLST”]:D After all this time, dare I say: “DOG FIGHT!” ???[/quote]
Not at all Victoria…..David and I are going to have Christmas dinner together! Just because I may have a different view or opinion from someone does not mean I dislike them. I find these “debates” invigorating and enlightning. I may learn something or I may teach something, anything is possible!
David, I like my steak medium rare sir!
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]The fixed cost of driving ten miles to work, as a percentage of total income, is far greater for someone earning the minimum wage than for a high income earner. That cost is further exaggerated by the fixed cost of the gasoline tax which they both must pay. The same can be said for every other flat (read: “regressive”) tax.
If you think that the population generally is better off when minimum wage earnners are supporting their families on $4.00 per hour (take home) while a rather small strata are struggling along on $400.00 per hour, then you’re an apologist for regressive taxes. If, on the other hand, you believe that the society is healthier when income is distributed a little more evenly (just a little), then a progressive tax structure is more to your liking.
Me? I’d be happier if the President and Congress made the tax structure much more progressive and if that cost folks in my circumstances a little more of their discretionary income. True, I might have to go downstairs to write this on my iMac, rather than upstairs on my iPad, but if the United States’ many poor and undernourished children ate a little better, or if more of its 50 million citizens without health insurance got covered, it would be worth it.[/quote]
David, I appreciate the fact that a lower income family has a greater impact for the taxes charged for “everyday” living. Common sense is that one with $10 and one with $100 is effected differently by a tax of 10%. One has $9.00 and one has $90.00. But does that constitute justification to charge someone that makes more than their neighbor a higher percentage for taxes? What is the motivation for someone that is “penalized” for making more money to start a business that employs 15 people. When there is documented cases of “government assisted” folks making more than the average business owner?
My argument is when you have more takers than givers, what motivates the givers anymore? When that happens, the givers are more apt to become takers at that point. Human nature is to take the path of least resistance. What happens when the givers become takers? Total economic meltdown, which I am very afraid of, this will be the demise of the greatest economy in the world. This very reason is why I am working harder and hedging my bet to move before this happens.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Kwhite1, it’s only true that the famous 47% don’t pay [u]federal income taxes[/u]. They still pay federal wage taxes (from which the rich are largely exempt), state and local sales taxes (the ultimate in regressive taxes), gas taxes (also regressive), real estate taxes (regressive), excise taxes on things like phone service, etc.
All those taxes fall most heavily on low income individuals and families because, once they are paid, much less is left to sustain the lives of poor taxpayers than is left for the rich.[/quote]
A question David…why would the low income families pay more federal, local sales, gas tax, and excise? Don’t they pay the same as everyone else when making purchases?
I understand that it takes a bigger toll on lower income families in terms on money at the end of the month, but if you agree that the “wealthy” should pay a higher percentage than the “blue collar” guy, isn’t that promoting class dirential, or in other terms class warfare? Why should a more successful person be treated differently than a less success person? As understaand it, every man is created equal?
Don’t get the idea that I am a multi millionaire (at one time I was, the real estate bubble cost me several million), but if one class of people are held to a different standard than others, how is that “fair”?
[quote=”sprite”]I will repeat this because it appears that nobody sees it or believes it; Income tax does NOT got towards infrastructure. It goes directly to the banksters. It is a theft by the banks of our wealth. It is part of the harvesting and hollowing out of our society. If you are happy to pay that tax to the criminals who confiscate it, then you are a dupe because it has nothing to do with the costs of maintaining the society in which you live.
[/quote]
So you are saying that my property taxes that I pay, do NOT go the the multitude of items complete with milliage rates for, road, fire, schools, ect? If that is the case, then they have pulled off the biggest and longest fraud in the history of the world. How does the government pay for anything if all of the tax dollars go to the banking system?
Sprite, I think you and I have the same jandra of thinking, but I am confused about your last statement.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]
I thought it ironic that these guys don’t want to pay their taxes but they’re plenty happy to drive on the roads their law abiding neighbors pave for them.
[/quote]Just thinking out loud, would that statement be true for the same for people who don’t pay taxes (the famous 47%) at all, or who actually get a refund on taxes they did not pay?
I don’t have an issue paying taxes, the government needs the money for defense, infrastructure and the like. My personal issue is paying a higher percentage rate than my law abiding neighbor, who pays a lesser percentage because he does not make as much. Percentages should be the same across the board, whether you make $10,000 or $1,000,000.
“Pay your fair share” is the talking points lately, I have trouble understanding the logistics behind that, if the ones being talked about pay a higher percentage and the others pay a lower percentage, and the ones paying a higher percentage are being told they are not paying their fair share, I don’t understand that logic. What is a “fair share” amount? 50%, 75%, or 100%??
And I ask not being confrontational, I ask to gain knowledge and another point of view because I don’t understand this issue as it stands.
[quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”kwhite1″]
I have a Verizon IPhone 4S, because I am a long time subscriber they unlocked my phone and I have the international data plan. It worked in Haiti and Belize while on mission trips. I just checked with Verizon and they state it should work in Costa Rica as well. The key might be that it is unlocked, but we will see. Worst case I can buy a local mini SIM card and get it to work that way. We will see said the blind man.[/quote]It may work, but you won’t like the rates. Best bet is to buy a prepaid sim card in the airport upon arrival![/quote]
I agree with you on the rates, I can turn off the cell phone portion so I do not receive calls and just use the data part for GPS, texting and email. It has worked everywhere I have been so far. Verizon has an unlimited international data plan for $25Us a month, you can turn it on and off at your will.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]I’m afraid you have it right, Bill. It’s not just a matter of the iPhone having been “subscribed” (your term) to Verizon. The electronic components inside the iPhone which commit it to use on a GSM system or on a CDMA cellular system are incompatible. There’s nothing you can do to one of them to make it functional on the other system.
This isn’t an administrative issue of who sold the iPhone or what its internal software settings are. It’s a matter of the nature of the two cellular systems (GSM and CDMA), how they operate, and the frequencies they operate on.
[/quote]I have a Verizon IPhone 4S, because I am a long time subscriber they unlocked my phone and I have the international data plan. It worked in Haiti and Belize while on mission trips. I just checked with Verizon and they state it should work in Costa Rica as well. The key might be that it is unlocked, but we will see. Worst case I can buy a local mini SIM card and get it to work that way. We will see said the blind man.
[quote=”sprite”]Knowing the above, why would anyone pay income tax? Because if you don’t, the IRS will use force against you to seize your property and possibly your person. Can anyone tell me why this does NOT make you a slave?
Whatever the extent of corruption in Costa Rica, it does not seem to be as offensively open and in our faces as it is in the US. Income disparity in the US is at an historically high level and when these unfair tax comparisons are added to the mix, I have to wonder why we have not seen a violent American revolution yet.[/quote]
Didn’t they just hire 21,000 new IRS agents? They are actually tracking your spending habits (credit cards), so it can be used in some way, shape, or form. Not sure why me buying a 12 pack of beer, chips, and an onion at the grocery store is any concern of theirs, but I guess it has become their business. That’s why I use cash as much as possible, hard to track those habits. Craigslist is great for buying certain items you don’t wish to have a paper trail.
On a separate note, any good suggestions for a nice hilltop ocean view hotel in the Jaco, Herraduro, Hermosa area? The wife wants to spend some time looking at water.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”][quote=”critterhill”]
Another issue is the expense of setting up a trust/partnership which I’ve been told can run in the $5 – $10 thousand range. If taxes don’t break you, lawyer fees will![/quote]
The figure you quote, $5 – $10,000 to set up a revocable trust is much more than what I think I’ve been given to understand [b]as things were in Michigan a few years back[/b]. Nevertheless, spending $10,000 to avoid a 55% tax on kwhite1’s mother’s $800,000 land value in excess of the pending $1 million exemption seems like a bargain.
Lessee . . . $800,000 x 55% tax = $440,000 in tax minus (say) $10,000 attorney’s fees = a net savings of $430,000.
Yup, it’s a bargain!
[/quote]Sweet! My mom is leaving me $800,000! Guess I will send her a card this year for Christmas after all.
My father in law set up an irrivocable trust and I think he told me is cost somewhere in the $5,000 range.
I too get strange looks and whispers about my living style, people think I am nuts. Best case, nothing happens and I just have a lot of things I will use eventually, but is it does go bad, my family’s chances are 10X better than my neighbors and friends. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
[quote=”Scott”]Of course, but you will still have to go through hoops with the Costa Rican banks to show the “source of funds.”
For more on that, please see this article [url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/3954.cfm]U.S. Laws Causing Huge Delays For North Americans Investing in Costa Rica Real Estate With US Dollars.[/url]
And funny you should mention HSBC (although HSBC Costa Rica has been acquired and is now known as [url=http://www.davivienda.cr/]Banco Davivienda[/url] because …
If you bring more than $10,000 into Costa Rica without reporting it, you’ll have serious problems but in speaking about HSBC in the words of Matt Taibi:
“Here we have [url=http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33313.htm]a bank that laundered $800 million of drug money[/url], and they can’t find a way to put anybody in jail for that. That sends an incredible message, not just to the financial sector but to everybody. It’s an obvious, clear double standard, where one set of people gets to break the rules as much as they want and another set of people can’t break any rules at all without going to jail.”
It’s a wonderful world…
Scott
Money makes the world go ’round.
But if the $ is set up in the US (Miami) in Costa Rica denominations, the withdraws in CR should not be an issue. My father in law did that with the Panama Dollar (Balboa) and did not have an issue?
[/quote]
[quote=”davidd”]Scott
I turn to your financial acumen often at times because I am such a newbie regarding the decisions of the FED most of the time.
I think its because i use too much common sense maybe
I don’t know
but can you assist??
I thought the fed was to print $40 billion per month
now it looks like $85 billion???
have I read this correctly???
is this a good thing for the american people??
thanks
David[/quote]
David, the printing of $85 billion monthly is nothing short of the devalue of the dollar on steroids. My suggestion is to convert all your US cash into metals, and quickly. Specifically silver, gold could be subject to confiscation, silver however is used in an industrial source. Confiscation would be unlikely, and the value would continue to rise.
The QE4 is a entry way to the totalitarian regime the current administration is seeking. I personally an heavy in silver and lead (the kind with gun powder behind it), that metal too with be very tradable in the very near future.
[quote=”Scott”]… and if you are caught leaving the U.S. on your way to Costa Rica carrying more than $10K in cash which you have not declared, the Homeland Security Gestapo will confiscate it. Or is the word steal? I always get those two mixed up…
… and if you declare the fact that you are bringing $XXX,000 into Costa Rica you don’t think that the United Police States of America will hold you for hours for questioning?
“For your protection” of course…
… and don’t forget that to change money in Costa Rica you’ll have to explain the “source of funds” to the bank where you change your money and again, if it’s over $10,000 the bank in Costa Rica will be asking you a lot of questions and your account will probably be frozen until they are satisfied.
We must remember that the U.S. is trying to completely control, and keep track of all U.S. dollars moved in and out of the country by their citizens.
You have no financial privacy – nada – and in case you were not aware of it, you can NOT hide from the U.S. taxation authorities… They are in bed with every financial authority in Costa Rica and they’re on top!
Scott
[/quote]
Scott, is it possible (although a bit of hassle) to open a HSBC account in the specified denomination you prefer, then the extraction of the funds is not an issue?
