If I Ran the Zoo

I started thinking about things I would do with the tax structure and US purchasing policies if I wanted to bring the country toward a more balanced budget and toward full employment.

1) Government contracts would only go to tax-paying, US based companies. If you wanted a contract, you'd be welcome to set up here.

2) Companies would pay taxes based on the profits reported to their shareholders. No deductions, no chicanery -- if you say you made money, you get to pay taxes on it.

3) Reduce the green-card holding populations back down to Reagan era numbers. Run boot camps to train domestic workers instead of importing foreign workers. Charge companies with foreign "call centers", help lines, and billing facilities a "worker retraining charge" equal to the difference between what they pay their foreign workers, and what they would have to pay a domestic employee. Put that money into a fund to pay education credits that people claim on their taxes. Maybe then English would become the first language of help lines again.

If I think of anything else, no doubt I'll write about it.

:)

The Only Spending Allowed

is spending on his frickin' war, or gimmies for oil companies and tax cuts for plutocrats.

The rest of you can eat cake.

And pay.

Web Scam

The IRS says there are scammers who have intercepted the tax returns of people who think they filed online, and redirected the refunds into their own accounts as they file the stolen returns with the IRS.

How? Imitation web sites that offer free filing are sent to people with a link -- and the link takes the victim to a web site that looks like a real IRS site, but actually leads to a place that the scammers can take the information.

The way you avoid getting scammed? Never, never, never click on a e-mail link that will be recording any personal information. If you want to file free, use Google, find the IRS web site, and start there. Do not use the tempting link in e-mail. Just don't.