Interesting anecdotal stat. I know a guy that directed the foundation for the largest health care organization in the metro DC area. He attended about 18 black tie events a year. He is now working for a health care system in Wisconsin. Same one I work for as a Chaplain. He finds it discouraging that the higher the income the lower percentage of total net income that is given away. Actual dollars given away may dwarf lower income folks, but lower income folks dwarf the big rollers in percentage of net income given away.
During and after WWII, most Americans did more with less, supported higher taxes and reduced federal spending outside of support for the war. American pride was defined during The War and people got behind a national effort of fiscal sense. Now, I hear our kids, my kids, bashing the USA and while many appreciate the freedoms of this country, they won't make conscious sacrifice for those freedoms. (Military personnel are the exception.) Taxes, or even higher taxes, don't bother me. How they are spent is what concerns me. Living in the country is a global privilege I was born into and I'm willing to literally pay to continue to make it the best place I know of on the planet to live.
I would like to see all congressional employees placed on a pay for performance compensation plan with a balanced budget being the primary indicator of job performance. Those job performance indicators would then lead the national news at least once a week and three times every day leading up to elections. Then, take away the congressional privileges of gold standard health care, voting themselves a raise every year, and luxury side perks and we'll have in place a group of candidates and eventually politicians that care more about the health of the country than the health of their bank account and personal power. We would have national idealists running the government again instead of morally bankrupt smart people who got into politics as a 'career.' "Career" implies success, and for politicians success means highest achievable office, with highest pay, privileges and prestige, regardless of who pays the cost and what has to be said to get their.
Do lower taxes or higher taxes stimulate the economy? Who know? I think it's consumer confidence in the value and solidity of the USA that boosts the economy. Politicians just keep trying their party talk to convince us, make us confident, that their way is the best so they don't spend the rest of their lives trying to write and publish books.
I also believe that it's folks like those on this board that are the root of the solution. If we drive our businesses hard and real smart and provide outstanding value WE can then provide good employment to people who need it. Nationally, 85% of employed people work for companies with less than 100 people. That's how the government defines 'small business.' In my neck of the woods, that more than 98% of the population. Any business owner that employees that many people over the long haul and through a tough economy, and runs their business smart, is doing just fine and so are their employees. Maybe not a hundred employees, but any one of the people that come to this board is capable of growing their business and adding a little fix to their piece of the economy. In the process, we stand to make a good living and there's nothing wrong with that.
Guess I'm just a little stirred up this morning.
