It's Friday!!

I have decided that Friday posts should be light and fluffy since you don't need anything heavy and brooding to send you off into the weekend! So today I'm going to do a look at the LCS (League Championship Series for those of you who aren't familiar with baseball lingo).

Okay, a little politics: what exactly gives Texas Reprehensible Shiela Jackson Lee the right to slam a private citizen on the floor of the House of Reprehensibles for wanting to purchase a (minority) share of a National Football League team? This is part of the problem with our DC overlords; they think that nothing, NOTHING, is beneath their attention or outside of their scope of power. Some are calling for a boycott of the NFL but I think we need to boycott Congress.

And a little more politics. A "Fair" Taxer has defended the proposal in two responses to yesterday's blog and brought up some valid points in favor of it. In my judgment of the "Fair" Tax, I didn't point out what I like about it. I do like an end to payroll taxes that take our money up front. It allows the government to sneak in new taxes since most of us are conditioned to look at the Net amount rather than the Gross. In my system, once a month or quarter you would sit down and write a check to the IRS. It will reinforce just how much you are paying them to do shoddy work and play their corruption games. The reader also points out that the "Fair" tax would be collected by the states and turned over to the Feds so that the DC dunces could not Lord it over state governments and there's a valid point there. But by cutting unfunded mandates and restoring the 10th Amendment, a Federal government put in its proper Constitutional place would not be in a position to 'reward' states for good behavior. Besides, the Constitution does grant the Federal government the authority to levy and collect taxes. Since my vision is as perfect world as the "Fair" Taxers, I envision Social Security and Medicare going away at the Federal level and states, where the lion share of our government should be, covering that.

While I used the "Fair" tax as a springboard for a discussion of tax reform, the reader did reinforce my main point. When told that a consumption tax was regressive, the first thing the "Fair" taxers did to remedy it was to effectively exempt the poor from it (see the hypothetical family of four making $29,000 annually and getting a 'prebate' of $555/month) - making it in essence a 'progressive' tax system - as if the poor are any more special than anyone else. Remember that whole 'equality before the law' thing? That applies to taxes as well. Thanks to the 'Progressive' agenda, we have come to believe that a tax applied equally to all is regressive because it takes a bigger chunk of the poor's meager income. So. A level tax also hits a family making $75,000 harder than those making $150,000 who are hit harder than a family making $500,000. No one likes taxes but like government, they are a necessary evil - the goal is to reign in the evil as much as possible. In addition, poverty is not static. People move in and out of poverty all the time and we should not provide incentive for them to stay there by suspending, rebating, or 'prebating' their tax burden and coddling them with government programs (with agencies always looking to expand their mission) that make American poverty fairly luxurious by world standards.

I don't want to start a fight with someone who is obviously a political ally with different ideas on taxation than mine. For me, a level tax on income is more just than any tax on consumption will ever be simply because it retains the intent of equality of percentage of burden. My "Fair" Tax friend sees things differently and I respect that. Unlike the 'Progressives' who think they are smarter than everyone and deserve to guide this nation in a certain direction, we're both trying to make America more equitable and closer to the vision of the Founding Fathers.

And as a final note that I think my "Fair" Tax friend can agree on; any tax, even a level one, will, in real dollar amounts, be 'progressive' or graduated. The hypothetical family of 4 making $29,000 a year will pay $2,900 (under a 10% Federal tax) to the Treasury while a family of 4 making $75,000 a year will pay $7,500 and a family making $1,000,000 will pay $100,000. That the $2,900 is more painful for that family than the $100,000 is to the millionaires is irrelevant. When all is said and done, those at the upper end of the scale will still represent the lion's share of federal tax receipts. A truly regressive tax would be one that set the dollar amount paid across the board. (Eg. Every American family must pay $10,000 to treasury would hit the family making $29,000 very hard and the millionaires hardly at all.)

That's it for politics, on to baseball!

In the National League (also known as the Senior Circuit because it incorporated before the American League) we have the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Philadelphia Phillies who are up 1-0.

The Dodgers have a double taint in the Crusader's eyes since they started in New York City (well Brooklyn) and moved to Los Angeles. However, they do have a long tradition of great players including (but not limited to) the likes of Duke Snyder, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Vin Scully, Tommy Lasorda, Don Sutton, and perhaps one of the greatest pitchers to every pick up a baseball Sandy Koufax. They also have the advantage of having been coached by Mr. Ed (great episode if you ever find it).

The Phillies have the distinction of being the most losing team in sports history. Just a few years ago they crossed the 10,000 loss line. However they are the defending champions from last season. They also have a long list of former greats including Robin Roberts, Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn, Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning (moderately conservative Republican), and Steve Carlton (no known political affiliation).

This should be a good series. I want the Phillies to win because the Dodgers are my 5th least favorite team.

Over in the American League we have the Los Angeles of Anaheim of California but maybe of Los Angeles or possibly Orange County Angels versus the hated New York Yankees (the Bronx Bummers).

The Yankees of course have the stench of over a century in the Bronx on them. They are also too close to the leftist lunacy of New England for my taste and they are my #1 least favorite team in baseball. I am aware of their superior past and the unbelievable list of former greats but unless Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and the Yankee Clipper (Joe DiMaggio) show up to play, I don't want any part of the Yankees. It is the place where players I like die to me.

The whatever their name is this week Angels are tainted by proximity to Los Angeles but since they are in Anaheim and literally across the street from Disneyland (and my wife LOOOOOVES Disney) they end up in that gray area where I will root them on unless they are playing a favorite team. Though a fairly new team, they did have the great Nolan Ryan pitch for them for a while, Rod Carew, and they have one of MLBs most likable current players; the ever charming and gregarious Torii Hunter (and the double 'i' thing is pretty cool too).

I obviously want the Angels to win this one.

Have a great weekend! I'm not going to post on weekends because most of you won't be at work (where I'm sure you're reading this) and I need the rest too. Back with more on Monday.