Musings of a Dumb Ass

Musings of a Dumb Ass..... Then there's the story of the frog that was placed in a large pan of water on the stove, and turned to simmer. The heat came so slowly the frog never had a clue and never realized it was losing conciousness and didn't know when it died. That's the way it's been in America. It has been a degree at a time that our freedom has been lost and control has been placed on every facet of our day to day life until there is nothing left that is not monitered and/or dictated by our government. Oddly enough, America's next generation and its youth doesn't necessarily share my take on the situation, and perhaps they're right, but I will defy anyone to name just one thing outside of your most private of thoughts that are not regulated either directly or by association, and that wasn't so in my youth. My first public job had withholding covering federal, state, and local plus social security that amounted to about a whopping 8% total. Todays wage earner can look forward to about 37%, which makes it necessary for both spouses to work because of the tax load. And......, You're not done at 37% today. In my state whatever you buy retail has another 7 plus percent added in sales tax, plus added taxes on every corner for everything you buy with your wages that you've already paid taxes on to begin with, like 41 cents a gallon on fuel for your vehicle, excise taxes on tires, furniture, appliances and the list goes on and on. Property taxes on your property, licenses and fees galore, way too many to entertain. There are think tanks attended by qualified deep thinkers who claim that if taxes on everything in your life were truly counted and considered, the average working stiff would understand their TRUE tax load to be 85% of his gross and possibly more. I believe this to be true, and any other reasonable thinker could find far more than the 37% out of your check and the 7 more percent at the check out counter, which as any fool can figure immediately is already 44% and you're just getting started. A trip out to buy anything is an exercise in terror in itself. Gasoline that will be $3.00 plus in a matter of days in my neighborhood is bad enough but a trip to the grocery store is another eye opener. It's all in how you look at it I suppose, but here's how it is.A bushel of Granny Smith apples at my local store at $1.29 per lb. on a standard 48 pound bushel goes for $61.92, plus of course sales tax, a bushel of tomatoes at $2.19 and a standard 53 lb. weight is $116.07 plus tx, A bushel of grapes, or its equivalent of 32 quarts at $2.19 a quart is $70.08 and strawberrys and peaches depending on season can hit $180.00 a bushel. Soooo...... If you're sort of an average working kind of guy making 30 grand a year on 40 hrs. a week, before deductions, you're worth about three bushels of tomatoes and 1/2 bushel of Granny Smith apples for your labor each week, or $378.96. If that makes you angry enough to think about it, and you want to make some changes, don't fall into the trap of thinking The Democrats will be better than the Republicans or vice versa. That's how we got to our present predicament. Instead be angry enough and bold enough to really make a statement. Consider third party. I will and at this time I have no idea whom, but it won't be Frick or Frack. If either of those take the oval office again, our fate is sealed and recovery will be impossible........ if not already......