It's An Animal's Life

ALL RIGHT, WHO CHOSE WHO WE STAND BY? I HAVE STANDARDS

from email

The IRS Tax Code - Did You Know?

The complete Internal Revenue Code is more than 24 megabytes in length

It contains more than 3.4 million words

If printed 60 lines to the page, it would fill more than 7500 letter-size (8.5 x 11 inch) pages (that's 15 reams of paper-ed.).

The You Go, Girl!! Corner

Part 2

Jilted Bride Turns Wedding Into Benefit

VERGENNES, Vt. (AP) - A woman who learned six weeks before her wedding that her fiance was cheating on her is turning her would-be reception into a charity benefit.

"I'm really just trying to turn it around and make something positive out of it," said Kyle Paxman.

Paxman, 29, had planned to celebrate her nuptials at the Basin Harbor Club on Lake Champlain on Saturday. When she found out about her fiance, she called off the 180-guest wedding and the four-year relationship.

She and her mother canceled the band, photographer and florist, but learned they would not be reimbursed for the reception and block of rooms they had reserved. So they turned the reception into a benefit for the Vermont Children's Aid Society and CARE USA, an international relief organization that aims to combat poverty by empowering women.

They sent out invitations to 125 women for drinks and a gourmet four-course dinner. In exchange, they hope the guests will make donations to the charities.

From the You Go, Girl!! Corner

Woman in Wheelchair Shoots Alleged Mugger

NEW YORK (AP) - Margaret Johnson's wheelchair might have made her look like an easy target. But when a mugger tried to grab a chain off her neck Friday, the 56-year-old pulled out her licensed .357 pistol and shot him, police said.

Johnson said she was in Harlem on her way to a shooting range when the man, identified by police as 45-year-old Deron Johnson, came up from behind and went for the chain.

"There's not much to it," she said in a brief interview. "Somebody tried to mug me, and I shot him."

Deron Johnson was taken to Harlem Hospital with a single bullet wound in the elbow, police said. He faces a robbery charge, said Lt. John Grimpel, a police spokesman.

Margaret Johnson, who lives in Harlem, has a permit for the weapon and does not face charges, Grimpel said. She also was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and later released.

'Star Trek' Marks 40th Anniversary
By MICHAEL CIDONI

(AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Cue the iconic theme music: Forty years ago, on September 8, 1966, "Star Trek" lifted off into TV and cultural history. Over the subsequent decades, the sci-fi adventure series has amassed millions of fans and emerged as a relentless entertainment empire.

Stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy sat down recently with the Associated Press and recalled "The Man Trap," the episode that would kick off the show's three-year prime-time run.

"The first show that was on the air was a show with a creature that was a salt sucker," recalled Nimoy. "It was somebody inside a weird-looking suit and it attacked humans because it needed the copper or the salt out of your body to survive or something like that."

"That was the first one?" asked Shatner.

"Yes, that was the first one on the air," Nimoy answered. "And it was because NBC decided that this series would be most successful if we had sort of a monster of the week to sell. What's the monster this week? And so they put a monster show on the air the first episode, and I think it was a terrible mistake, because it was really not what we were about."

To mark the anniversary, classic-TV network TV Land on Friday (8 p.m. EDT) will showcase four episodes from the original "Star Trek" series, including the premiere and the historic episode featuring TV's first interracial kiss. "Star Trek" episodes will begin airing regularly on the channel on November 17. Episodes will also be available online at TVLand.com.

It's first season, ratings and many reviews were somewhat lackluster, as was communication between the leading men. The second season, they agreed, was the show's strongest.

This blast from the past got Nimoy reminiscing. "I first met Bill several years after 'Star Trek' went off the air," he joked, inspiring Shatner to laugh.

"That's a funny line," Shatner injected. "We're talking about 'Star Trek' 40 years and that's the first time he said that."

"We were too busy making the show to meet," Nimoy continued.

Shatner: "He'd go into makeup early in the morning, and I'd arrive jauntily hours later, and then have to drag him - by three hours in makeup, he was exhausted. Rest of the day, I'd have to drag him along."

"He'd carry me the rest of the day," Nimoy said, jokingly. "And I'd say to him, literally, 'Who are you? What's your name?"

"Literally," Shatner said, completing the comic riff. "I had to introduce myself by the third year. This is Frick and Frack. We do this all the time."

The "Star Trek" movies that followed were hit-and-miss critically, but most were commercial successes. Subsequent "Star Trek" TV series were all hits, except for the last, "Enterprise," which debuted in 2001 and went off the air in 2005, failing to find a sizable audience.

"Lost" creator and "Mission: Impossible III" director J.J. Abrams has reportedly been signed to direct a new big-screen "Trek" feature.

"He's a very talented man," said Nimoy, himself a successful director of the blockbusting "Three Men and a Baby" and other films. "I think he should get in touch with us right away."

"And pay our price," said Shatner, dryly.

"That would make us happy, to be helpful," added Nimoy, laughing.

In addition to the TV Land airings and upcoming movie, high-definition versions of the original "Star Trek" shows, complete with updated special effects, are set to debut in syndication September 16th. Check your local listings.

Democratic Response to the 9/11 Miniseries

September 7, 2006

Mr. Robert A. Iger
President and CEO
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank CA 91521

Dear Mr. Iger,

We write with serious concerns about the planned upcoming broadcast of The Path to 9/11 mini-series on September 10 and 11. Countless reports from experts on 9/11 who have viewed the program indicate numerous and serious inaccuracies that will undoubtedly serve to misinform the American people about the tragic events surrounding the terrible attacks of that day. Furthermore, the manner in which this program has been developed, funded, and advertised suggests a partisan bent unbecoming of a major company like Disney and a major and well respected news organization like ABC. We therefore urge you to cancel this broadcast to cease Disney's plans to use it as a teaching tool in schools across America through Scholastic. Presenting such deeply flawed and factually inaccurate misinformation to the American public and to children would be a gross miscarriage of your corporate and civic responsibility to the law, to your shareholders, and to the nation.

The Communications Act of 1934 provides your network with a free broadcast license predicated on the fundamental understanding of your principle obligation to act as a trustee of the public airwaves in serving the public interest. Nowhere is this public interest obligation more apparent than in the duty of broadcasters to serve the civic needs of a democracy by promoting an open and accurate discussion of political ideas and events.

Disney and ABC claim this program to be based on the 9/11 Commission Report and are using that assertion as part of the promotional campaign for it. The 9/11 Commission is the most respected American authority on the 9/11 attacks, and association with it carries a special responsibility. Indeed, the very events themselves on 9/11, so tragic as they were, demand extreme care by any who attempt to use those events as part of an entertainment or educational program. To quote Steve McPhereson, president of ABC Entertainment, "When you take on the responsibility of telling the story behind such an important event, it is absolutely critical that you get it right."

Unfortunately, it appears Disney and ABC got it totally wrong.

Despite claims by your network¹s representatives that The Path to 9/11 is based on the report of the 9/11 Commission, 9/11 Commissioners themselves, as well as other experts on the issues, disagree.

* Richard Ben-Veniste, speaking for himself and fellow 9/11 Commissioners who recently viewed the program, said, "As we were watching, we were trying to think how they could have misinterpreted the 9/11 Commission's findings the way that they had." ["9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased," New York Times, September 6, 2006]

* Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism czar, and a national security advisor to ABC has described the program as "deeply flawed" and said of the program's depiction of a Clinton official hanging up on an intelligence agent, "It's 180 degrees from what happened." ["9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased," New York Times, September 6, 2006]

* Reports suggest that an FBI agent who worked on 9/11 and served as a consultant to ABC on this program quit halfway through because, "he thought they were making things up." [MSNBC, September 7, 2006]

* Even Thomas Kean, who serves as a paid consultant to the miniseries, has admitted that scenes in the film are fictionalized. ["9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased," New York Times, September 6, 2006]

That Disney would seek to broadcast an admittedly and proven false recounting of the events of 9/11 raises serious questions about the motivations of its creators and those who approved the deeply flawed program. Finally, that Disney plans to air commercial-free a program that reportedly cost it $40 million to produce serves to add fuel to these concerns.

These concerns are made all the more pressing by the political leaning of and the public statements made by the writer/producer of this miniseries, Mr. Cyrus Nowrasteh, in promoting this miniseries across conservative blogs and talk shows.

Frankly, that ABC and Disney would consider airing a program that could be construed as right-wing political propaganda on such a grave and important event involving the security of our nation is a discredit both to the Disney brand and to the legacy of honesty built at ABC by honorable individuals from David Brinkley to Peter Jennings.

Furthermore, that Disney would seek to use Scholastic to promote this misguided programming to American children as a substitute for factual information is a disgrace.

As 9/11 Commission member Jamie Gorelick said, "It is critically important to the safety of our nation that our citizens, and particularly our school children, understand what actually happened and why ­ so that we can proceed from a common understanding of what went wrong and act with unity to make our country safer."

Should Disney allow this programming to proceed as planned, the factual record, millions of viewers, countless schoolchildren, and the reputation of Disney as a corporation worthy of the trust of the American people and the United States Congress will be deeply damaged. We urge you, after full consideration of the facts, to uphold your responsibilities as a respected member of American society and as a beneficiary of the free use of the public airwaves to cancel this factually inaccurate and deeply misguided program. We look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Sincerely,

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator Byron Dorgan

found here. Reid and Durban added their own comments which I removed. I wanted you to read what these five senators had to say without spin. Should you want to read what Reid and Durban had to say, click the link. Here is a link to The Talkmaster's comments as well.

I won't comment on the above, except to say: can we say censorship and re-writing of history?

PERKS OF BEING OVER 50

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run---anywhere.
4. People call at 9 pm and ask, " Did I wake you ???? "
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won't wear out.
8. You can eat dinner at 4 pm.
9. You can live without sex but not your glasses.
10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
11. You no longer think of speed limits as challenge.
12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.
13. You sing along with elevator music.
14. Your eyes won't get much worse.
15. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.
17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
19. You can't remember who sent you this list

And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.

Received in email

Tax Code Encourages Firms To Leave U.S.

How?

Companies set up partnerships to escape the double taxation of corporations -- corporate earnings are taxed once at 35 percent, but if the company pays dividends to shareholders those earnings are taxed again at individual tax rates as high as 38.6 percent.

Former Joint Economic Committee senior economist Chris Edwards states that "The way companies structure themselves around the world with various tiers of subsidiaries of subsidiaries of subsidiaries and partnerships...is because the tax code drives them to do that to minimize taxation."

Moreover, as European countries slash their corporate tax rate, the pressure to engage in this practice will increase.

Another serious problem with the U.S. tax code is that it taxes profits earned abroad. Most countries only tax profits earned within their borders.

A U.S. company doing business in Ireland would have to pay 35 percent of its profits to the U.S. government on top of the Irish taxes.

But a Dutch company only would have to pay the Irish corporate tax rate of 10 percent, because the Netherlands doesn't tax foreign-source income.

To avoid these taxes, many U.S. companies are reincorporating abroad in offshore low-tax jurisdictions -- a process called inversion. In response, Congress is making legislation to prevent inversions, calling them unpatriotic. However, Daniel Mitchell of the Heritage Foundation notes that these companies still pay U.S. corporate taxes, just only on income earned inside the United States. Moreover, he argues that unless the U.S. moves toward a territorial tax system, inversions are the only way for U.S. companies to remain competitive internationally.

Source: John Berlau, "Tax-Code Trauma," Insight Magazine, July 22, 2002.

For more on Taxes:

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_Category=20

(received in email)

International Rules of Manhood

1: Under no circumstances may two men share an umbrella

2: It is ok for a man to cry under the following circumstances:

a. When a heroic dog dies to save its master.

b. The moment Angelina Jolie starts unbuttoning her blouse.

c. After wrecking your boss' car.

d. One hour, 12 minutes, 37 seconds into "The Crying Game".

e. When she is using her teeth.

3: Any man who brings a camera to a bachelor party may be legally killed and eaten by his buddies.

4: Unless he murdered someone in your family, you must bail a friend out of jail within 12 hours.

5: If you've known a guy for more than 24 hours, his sister is off limits forever, unless you actually marry her.

6: Moaning about the brand of free beer in a buddy's fridge is forbidden. However, complain at will if the temperature is unsuitable.

7: No man shall ever be required to buy a birthday present for another man. In fact, even remembering your buddy's birthday is strictly optional.

8: On a road trip, the strongest bladder determines pit stops, not the weakest.

9: When stumbling upon other guys watching a sporting event, you may ask the score of the game in progress, but you may never, ever ask who's playing.

10: You may flatulate in front of a woman only after you have brought her to climax. If you trap her head under the covers for the purpose of flatulent entertainment, she's officially your girlfriend.

11: It is permissible to drink a fruity alcohol drink only when you're sunning on a tropical beach... and it's delivered by a topless supermodel ..and it's free.

12: Only in situations of moral and/or physical peril are you allowed to kick another guy in the nuts.

13: Unless you're in prison, never fight naked.

14: Friends don't let friends wear Speedos. Ever. Issue closed.

15: If a man's fly is down, that's his problem, you didn't see anything.

16: Women who claim they "love to watch sports" must be treated as spies until they demonstrate knowledge of the game and the ability to drink as much as the other sports watchers.

17: A man in the company of a hot, suggestively dressed woman must remain sober enough to fight.

18: Never hesitate to reach for the last beer or the last slice of pizza, but not both, that's just greedy.

19: If you compliment a guy on his six-pack, you'd better be talking about his choice of beer.

20: Never join your girlfriend or wife in discussing a friend of yours, except if she's withholding sex pending your response.

21: Phrases that may NOT be uttered to another man while lifting weights:

a. Yeah, Baby, Push it!

b. C'mon, give me one more! Harder!

c. Another set and we can hit the showers!

22: Never talk to a man in a bathroom unless you are on equal footing: i.e. Both urinating, both waiting in line, etc. For all other situations, an almost imperceptible nod is all the conversation you need.

23: Never allow a telephone conversation with a woman to go on longer than you are able to have sex with her. Keep a stopwatch by the phone. Hang up if necessary.

24: The morning after you and a girl who was formerly "just a friend" have carnal drunken monkey sex, the fact that you're feeling weird and guilty is no reason for you not to nail each other again before the discussion about what a big mistake it was occurs.

25: It is acceptable for you to drive her car. It is not acceptable for her to drive yours.

26: Thou shall not buy a car in the colors of brown, pink, lime green, orange or sky blue.

27: The girl who replies to the question "What do you want for Christmas?" with "If you loved me, you'd know what I want!" gets an Xbox. End of story.

28: There is no reason for guys to watch Ice Skating or Men's Gymnastics. Ever.

Sent in by Chris D. in Houston

found here

Redneck Medical Terms

Benign............What you be after you be eight
Bacteria..........Back door to cafeteria
Barium............What doctors do when patients die. Catscan...........Searching for Kitty
Cauterize.........Made eye contact with her Colic...............A sheep dog
Coma..............A punctuation mark D&C...............Where Washington is Dilate.............To live long
Enema.............Not a friend
Fester.............Quicker than someone else. Fibula..............A small lie
G.I.Series.........World Series of military baseball Hangnail..........What you hang your coat on Impotent..........Distinguished, well known Labor Pain................Getting hurt at work
Medical Staff......A Doctor's cane
Morbid..............A higher offer than I bid Nitrates............Cheaper than day rates Node................I knew it
Outpatient.........A person who has fainted
Pap Smear..........A fatherhood test
Pelvis................Second cousin to Elvis
Post Operative......A letter carrier
Recovery Room.....Place to do upholstery
Rectum..............Damn near killed him. Secretion............Hiding something
Seizure...............Roman emperor.
Tablet................A small table.
Terminal Illness.....Getting sick at the airport. Tumor................More than one.
Urine.................Opposite of mine.
Varicose..............Near by/close by.

from here

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance

New Nigerian Scam

Just thought I would let my loyal readers know of a twist on the Nigerian scams. You know, those emails that come from officials of the Nigerian government, a Nigerian corporation (often oil), or relative of such. Sometimes, someone has died and the "official" is looking for a next of kin, and unable to find one, has selected you to receive the funds. There are other variations, but I want to make you aware of this one.

It might not be new to anyone but me, but I haven't seen this one before. I received an email from ussenatewashingtonofficial17@yahoo.com entitled IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF YOUR FUNDS. It has a photo of the US Capitol building, links to both the Senate and House of Representatives, and two seals of the US Senate.

This is the email:

FROM: -

THE CHAIRMEN AND RANKING MEMBERS OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, AND THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.
Approved and Witnessed by -

Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wisconsin
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin
White House and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois,
Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wisconsin, Senate filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

Subject Matter - Request for Patriots Act on international fund transfer in your favor
After very long meetings held by the above mentioned officials and the Minister of state for finance including the Board of Directors of the World Bank, the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund, to see to the release of long term debt owed to many foreigners around the globe who have been denied of their funds,The United States Senate has been authorized to handle the urgent release of all funds owed by any of the financial institutions or Government that is a member of the United Nations, this is based on the loans and disbursement agreement signed between the US Government and Governments of these debtor nations, the release of your fund will be supervised by the World Bank representatives in London to ensure immediate payment in your favor and avoid delay.

From the records of outstanding claims due for payment submitted by the United Nations, your name is next on the list of the outstanding bills to be settled, I wish to inform you that your payment is being processed and will be released to you as soon as you respond to this letter.

Kindly re-confirm the following information to MR DONALD COX the US SENATE REPRESENTATIVE AND HEAD OF THE PAYMENT CENTER IN LONDON ENGLAND for final verification of your details so that the funds will be transferred in your favour, please contact MR DONALD COX on telephone 44 795 1322664 or via email, USSENATEOFFICIALLONDON10@YAHOO.CO.UK

1) Your full name, 2) Phone number ( mobile should be included) .3) The claim amount 4) Your complete Banking details to avoid mistakes As soon as the above information is received, your payment will be made to you without further delay.

Note that the senate officials in UK have been authorised to handle this payment to keep a clean slate of foriegn debt settlement because some Government officials and individuals have tried to transfer this fund to you but failed due to dishonesty and unneccesary demand for fees,You are hereby advised to stop any further communications with any one else or any other financial institution and comply to this to avoid any further delay.

Please note that the United Nations and Government of the debtor country will not be interested in any complaint from you if you fail to receive your fund via this programme or fail to abide by this instruction.
Your urgent attention is expected

Thank you

It is "signed" by "Dick Lugar" who I assume is Senator Lugar of Indiana.

I started a "you've got to be kidding" reply, but decided that I would forward it to Senators Lugar and Feingold. I tried to find email for other's who were named in the email, but could only find webforms. I will be going back and advise that their names are being used in a scam later, however.

It's hard to believe just has bold these scammers are, but there you go.

FLY THE FLAG CAMPAIGN

I received this in email and think it's worthy of joining in.

On Monday, September 11th, 2006, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this fifth anniversary of our country's worst tragedy. We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

Action Plan: So, here's what we need you to do...

(1) Let as many people as you can know about this campaign. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day. Thank you for your participation.

God Bless You and God Bless America!!

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED

the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when werode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because.

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING !

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day.

And we were O.K.We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride downthe hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms....... WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them . . . CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

from email, of course!

"I can't do it" never yet accomplished anything: "I will try" has accomplished wonders.

-- -- George P. Burnham

THE LATEST ON WHO PAYS WHAT

From Boortz

Well, it's time to put a stop to the whining about income inequality and those big huge tax breaks the evil rich have received from George Bush. The Treasury Department is about to release the numbers for 2004, and as usual the highest achievers are taking it on the chin.

The Democrats, with no small amount of help from Republicans, are making headway on their goal of shifting the entire federal tax burden in this country onto a minority of income earners. In 2004 the bottom one-half of income earners paid only 3.3% of all federal income taxes. That's down from the Clinton years. In fact, that's the lowest share paid by the bottom half ever.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the majority of American families with incomes less than $40,000 pay no income taxes at all! When you factor in the welfare program known as the Earned Income Tax Credit, many of these families are coming close to getting a completely free ride!

OK ... but what about the evil rich?

In 2004 the top 1% of all income earners earned about 19% of all income. So ... the rich really are benefiting from Bush's tax policies, aren't they? Just 1% earning 19% of all income? Sorry to burst your bubble, but that figure was higher in the Clinton years. During the time Clinton was in office this figure went from 13.8% to nearly 21%. Funny how you didn't read a lot of newspaper stories during the Clinton years about growing income inequality, isn't it? Now, under bush, the share of total income earned by the wicked rich has fallen!

But what about the income taxes! Surely George Bush has all but wiped out income taxes for the nasty rich, hasn't he?

Nope.

In 2004 the top 1% of income earners -- that crowd that earned 19% of all income -- paid 36.9% of all income taxes. The top 5% of income earners paid a whopping 57.1% of all income taxes. That's an increase under Bush. So much for "tax cuts for the rich."

OK .. well how about the super-rich? What about the top one-tenth of one percent of income earners? Lordy, I don't even know how much you have to earn to be in this crowd. From 2002 to 2004, with the hated Bush tax cuts firmly in place, the top 0.1% of income earners saw their share of total income taxes paid go from 15.4% to 17.4%. That's up a full 2% for those of you who went to government schools.

OK ... that's income taxes. But what about capital gains taxes and taxes on dividends? Bush cut those taxes too, didn't he? That's where the rich are making out like bandits, right? Well ... glad you asked. Since Bush's tax cuts the Imperial Federal Government has seen an increase of 79% in capital gains taxes, and 35% for taxes on dividends.

Just remember these figures the next time you see some Democrat whining about income inequality and the need to redistribute income. It looks like we're doing quite a bit of redistribution as it is.

Saint Rita de Cassia

The Saint of the Impossible

Received in email. You are suppossed to make two wishes and forward to six people. Your wishes will be granted in 36 days. I guess if you believe in wishes you could make two wishes and send a link to six people.

I don't believe in making wishes to saints, but I do believe in presenting opportunities to those who do.

A Smart Blonde!

Guy gets on a plane and finds himself seated next to a cute blonde. He immediately turns to her and makes his move.

"You know," he says, "I've heard that flights will go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger. So let's talk."

The blonde, who had just opened her book, closes it slowly and says to the guy, "What would you like to discuss?"

"Oh, I don't know," says the guy. "How about nuclear power?"

"OK," says the blonde. "That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff--grass. Yet the deer excretes little pellets, the cow turns out a flat patty, and the horse produces muffins of dried poop. Why do you suppose that is?"

The guy is dumbfounded. Finally he replies, "I haven't the slightest idea!"

"So tell me," says the blonde, "How is it that you feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don't know shit?"

shamlessly stolen from GOC