Breaks On Tax Day

Yes, happy Tax Day, my faithful readers! This is the day to which we all look forward each year. It is the day in which we write letters to Uncle Sam, telling him what we want so early in the new year.

What's that? Uncle Sam is being stingy with the cash? Fret not! There are rebates all around you!

God bless America!

More On Barry's Circus

From today's The Washington Post, Barry plans on making a payment of $4,250 on Monday toward his unpaid taxes. He also feels that "federal prosecutors are being unfair in asking a judge to revoke his probation for tax offenses".

"I just wish that the U.S. attorney will tell the truth," Barry said. "They keep saying that I haven't paid my taxes, but I am contributing to my tax bill every month. I take full responsibility for the past, but I have met every condition of my probation as it relates to taxes."

I'm no tax attorney, but I think missing paying last year's taxes isn't quite meeting "every condition". Barry is still whining about the disclosure of the exact amount of his back taxes.

Barry said in a statement Thursday that prosecutors had broken the law by disclosing the specifics of what he owes [...]

That's not an opinion that is universally held.

[...], but they are permitted to do so in criminal cases, especially when they are trying to show a defendant has engaged in a pattern of unlawful behavior.

[...]

Andrew C. White, another former federal prosecutor, said authorities justifiably disclosed Barry's debt to show the seriousness of his offense. "With the budget issues we are facing right now, they are trying to show that this is an absolute affront to hardworking taxpayers," White said.

You broke the law, Mr. Barry. Not once. Not twice. But eight times. Still, you believe that you are the one being unfairly treated. So go ahead and cry us a river, Mr. Barry. You're pretty good at playing the victim. Unfortunately for you, you are also pretty good at being the criminal.

Send Him To Jail Already

Anyone who knows me knows that I am no fan of Marion Barry. It makes my blood boil that he's still in "public service". He has singlehandedly done more harm to my city than possibly any other person or persons involved in politics. If it hasn't been his race-baiting and populist trickery, it's his "recreational activities". And if it's not that, it's his laziness as a citizen. The man should not be entrusted to "serve" the people.

Today, we learned how much Barry owes in back taxes ... over $277,000! What was his response? It was essentially "stop saying mean things about me".

If this were you or I (or even those hated Wall Street fat cats), we would be jailed quicker than you can say "tax cheat".

Hell, now that I think about it, the best way to get a "get out of tax-jail free" card is to be a politician.

That's My Coucilmember!

Marion Barry has once again failed to file tax returns. But this time the Feds want him incarcerated. It seems as though The Night Owl won't be able to snake his way out of this one.

I can't really blame Barry for his actions. He's used to living a life free of consequences (minus one minor hickup). Besides, it's not like the Federal government isn't full of role models for him to emulate.

No, the only failing I can find in all of this is that the Ward 8 Councilmember isn't part of the Obama administration.

Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics

DISCLAIMER: This post is borrowed from a viral e-mail I received from a good friend today. And by borrowed, I mean plagiarized. Enjoy.

Ten men went out for beer and the bill for all ten came to $100. They agreed to pay their bill in the following way:

• The first four men (the poorest) paid nothing.
  
• The fifth paid $1.
  
• The sixth paid $3.
  
• The seventh paid $7.
  
• The eighth paid $12.
  
• The ninth paid $18.
  
• The tenth man (the richest) paid $59.
  

The ten men drank in the same bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement. Then, one day, they were approached by the owner of the bar.

"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten of you will now cost just $80."

Since it was such a wonderful arrangement, the men still wanted to pay their bill in the same manner they always had. So how could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share? They realized that $20 divided by ten is $2. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the first four men, the fifth man, and the sixth man would all end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay. It worked out like this:

• The first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
  
• The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
  
• The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
  
• The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
  
• The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
  
• The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
  
• The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
  

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man as he pointed to the tenth man, "but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I got!"

"'That's true!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"'Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. This system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start doing business overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.