Walmart Xbox 360 Bait & Switch on website. Dishonest, Deceptive.

Tried to get a bundle package online, Xbox 360 4Gb w/2 controllers listed on the website for $229.00. When you select it, the price immediately jumps $99.00 without ever selecting any options so your price goes up from $328.00 as you select.  Finally, after selecting the required choices, your minimum price will be $427.00, $198.00 higher than listed.  Why do we put up with it? 

Letter to Congressman Randy Forbes

Congressman Forbes,

In regard to tax reform, I'd like to add the following suggestions:

• Lower the corporate tax rate.  Companies (especially large corporations) are going off-shore to corporation friendly nations in order to avoid our elevated tax rates.  This is literally robbing the American people of the benefits of our own prosperity.  I'm sure you're aware of the report done by 60 Minutes on this very subject so I won't go into all the details.  Lowering the corporate tax rate would bring those revenues back where they belong.  Of course everyone should pay their fair share but our tax laws have been manipulated to give the appearance of "taxing the fat cats" but those cats didn't get fat by being dumb.  Lower their taxes in this country and they'll bring their headquarters and tax revenues back.

• Pass legislation that requires companies that do business here to pay taxes here.  I, as an employee of any company, have to pay taxes in every state that has an income tax if I work there.  I won't belabor the details here either.  Simply put, companies, of any size and no matter the location of their corporate headquarters, should be required to pay corporate taxes to the U.S. government if they do business in this country.  It is an insult, a travesty that a huge corporation can earn billions of dollars off the American people and maintain an office in Switzerland staffed with a receptionist and call that their headquarters in order to avoid paying taxes.  But I don't blame them.  It's our own government that made this possible and allows it to continue.  We will never know the untold trillions of lost tax revenue due to this lapse.  If I, as an individual, were caught moving my money off-shore to avoid paying taxes, I'd be arrested and convicted of tax evasion.  I was actually audited by the IRS after taking a perfectly legal business deduction which was misinterpreted by the auditor.  I had to spend a lot of time and do a lot of research in order to prove to a government agency that I had applied their own policy correctly.  They took the easy road and tried to intimidate me into paying thousands of dollars in interest and penalties.  Imagine the number of American citizens that might not be as confident dealing with the IRS or have the means to conduct research on tax law.  So the IRS is going after thousands of people like me who pay their taxes and take deductions based on existing policy because, frankly, it's easy.  People like me don't have a staff of tax attorneys at our disposal.  But I digress.

• Two words:  Flat Tax.  I don't know what the ideal rate would be (I've heard 17%) or what the cutoff income should be (17% above poverty level, perhaps) but I believe a flat tax would solve more problems than any other single measure.  Like you, I don't believe in propping up portions of our economy with government intervention.  In this case, I think we should bite the bullet; sacrifice the IRS and all its government jobs as well as the whole tax industry for the long term benefits of relieving ourselves of the drain on our economy of supporting this white elephant (the IRS) and the increased tax revenue realized by the elimination of loopholes.

• Not related to tax reform but a good idea nonetheless:  Teach fiscal responsibility in high school, every high school.  This suggestion is about 40 years too late but better late than never.  Children have to learn about the government, why shouldn't they be required to know about money and how to make the most of it.  This, alone, would be the biggest stimulus to the economy since war.

Regarding the other measures delineated in your reply:

• Congressional Accountability in Pay (H.R. 3136):  I see this as specious at best and probably utterly useless. Here's why:  Unless I'm greatly misinformed, most members of congress do not rely solely on their congressional salary and a large portion of them are independently wealthy.  This would ultimately be unfair to the members who do rely on their salary.  Furthermore, I doubt this is the correct approach to spending anyway.  A spending increase may be appropriate in some cases, such as when revenue increases as a result of measures such as those above.

• Balanced Budget Amendment (H. J. Res. 1):  What has congress been waiting for?  This has been a carrot dangling in front of Americans for years.  Pass it and get busy enforcing it. Period.

• 414 Plan (H.R. 2924):  Honestly, where do I start with this one?  This is the kind of thing that makes us lose confidence and respect for politicians.  What's really being said here is this:  Make it legal to take possession of private property and/or force people to vacate their homes, businesses and land, ruining lives and livelihoods in the process in the name of...no, not progress, but compensating for the fiscal incompetence of congress. Or, suspending regulations needed to maintain ecological stability or preserve wildlife.  A better approach might be to eliminate wasteful unnecessary projects like repaving sections of perfectly good road.  With all the bureaucrats running around the country, why can't we have some that are advocates for the people, that scrutinize projects for necessity independent of local, state and federal influence.  This would practically eliminate pork barrel projects and subsequently, billions in waste.  In my opinion, this measure would create a sort of corporate WPA.  I believe we're inviting trouble with this one.

• REINS Act (H.R. 10):  If "Executive" means President, then yes, I agree.  Another check on the executive power is a good thing.  Essentially, if I understand it correctly, this gives congress veto power on executive orders in certain cases.

• Ending Stimulus and Bailout Spending:  Sounds good but where is the proposed legislation?  Where are the TV and radio commercials spouting the evils of bailout spending and stimulus packages?  The government is not in business and business should not be in the government.  Show me a bill that says that.  I agree it was wrong to bail out corporations effectively preventing a market correction.  The damage was done, regardless of intervention, to the tune of 27 trillion dollars in the real estate derivatives market alone.  The government is powerless over an economy of this size.  Any so called bail out is a burden on the people and comparable to giving the failed gambler more money.  Being accountable means suffering the consequences of one's actions.  It also means thinking about your actions beforehand and being careful when they can affect a lot of people.

Incidentally, I also believe Cost Plus and No Bid contracts should be eliminated not only from federal but all state and local governments as well.

I sincerely appreciate your reply and your efforts in congress and in our state.  I hope you'll carefully consider the suggestions.  I can't claim ownership of the ideas except the one about teaching fiscal responsibility.

Respectfully yours,

On Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 6:07 PM,  wrote:

November 15, 2011

 

 

 

 

Thank you for contacting me to share your suggestion on how to balance the budget, and specifically tie spending to Members of Congress service. While the specific suggestion you mentioned has not be introduced for consideration, you may be interested in legislation I have introduced to rein in spending and balance the budget including a bill that reduces Members' pay depending on the level of government spending. While the House has passed a number of bills that would bring down the deficit, and encourage job growth, we need to change the will of the Senate where these measures are not acted on at all or just die.

 

I believe in the simple truth that we should not spend what we do not have, and we must make it a priority to put our nation back on a path of fiscal prosperity. As public servants, we have a lot of work to do to bring down our national debt and reduce deficit spending. Congress can make some important first steps to show that we are committed to returning America to a firm fiscal footing. Below are ways we can start to meet these goals:

 

• Congressional Accountability in Pay: Just like families and businesses across America, Members of Congress need to be accountable for their fiscal decisions. I have introduced H.R. 3136 that would tie Member of Congress' salaries to the growth in federal spending - the more they spend, the less they make. For instance, if federal spending increases by 7%, congressional salaries are cut by 7%.

 

• Balanced Budget Amendment (H. J. Res. 1): I have cosponsored H. J. Res. 1, a balanced budget provision that would amend the Constitution of the United States to control spending by prohibiting the federal government from spending more than it receives in revenues. Specifically, H. J. Res. 1 would require that Congressional spending not exceed national revenues, unless approved by 3/5 of each House, require the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress, cap spending for any fiscal year at 18% of U.S. economic output, require a 3/5 majority vote to increase the national debt limit, and prohibit an increase in taxes without approval from 2/3 majority of each House.  This bill passed the Judiciary Committee on June 15, 2011, by a vote of 20-12, with my support, and is currently awaiting consideration on the House floor. The House is expected to vote on a Balance Budget Amendment shortly.

 

• REINS Act (H.R. 10): I have cosponsored the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. This bill would require Congress to take an up-or-down vote on every new major rule before it could be enforced on businesses and the American people. By requiring congressional approval of all major rules (i.e., those having an economic effect of at least $100 million), the REINS Act would ensure legislative accountability.

 

• Ending Stimulus and Bailout Spending: I believe that Congress should never have provided the funds that were used to bail out industries like Wall Street and the auto industry that so dramatically increased spending. I am one of only 17 of 435 Members of Congress to oppose not only that bill, but every other government bailout and stimulus bill under both Presidents Bush and Obama. I was not confident these so-called stimulus plans would help our economy or create the jobs that need to be restored. The bailouts and stimulus spending have only exemplified the conflicts and problems that arise when the government tries to control both sides in the free market;  however, it is the taxpayer that ultimately pays the price for these actions.

 

• 414 Plan (H.R. 2924): I have introduced this legislation to expedite the construction of roads and bridges in order to create jobs and provide needed transportation improvements. Rather than investing more money in "stimulus"-type projects that fail to produce tangible results, the 414 Plan addresses the growing problem of regulatory impediments that stall the highway construction process to an average of 13.1 years. This is accomplished by temporarily suspending burdensome regulations hindering states, localities, and the construction industry from completing transportation projects and improvements in a timely and cost-effective manner while still maintaining rigorous safety and durability standards.

 

• Tax Reform: In our efforts to solve this fiscal crisis, we must ensure that everyone pays their fair share. However, I cannot support a plan that would increase taxes at a time when our country most needs those revenues in the economy and not in government coffers. Taxing small businesses in particular, many of which are taxed at the top individual tax rate, would bring to a grinding halt the very engine of the American economy. I do support reforming the tax code to remove loopholes and inappropriate tax shelters; however, I support retaining deductions such as the child tax credit and mortgage interest deduction. I believe such reforms are necessary to achieve a fairer, broader, and more transparent tax system.

 

I believe that real solutions to our nation’s fiscal situation must include cutting spending, paying our bills, and balancing our budget. As we move forward to address our fiscal challenges, I am eager to see the division caused by unproductive partisan politics erased by a renewed purpose to pursue legislation important to the families and individuals of Virginia and our country. I look forward to working with anyone committed to crafting policies that help, not hinder, economic growth, job creation, and reduce the national debt.

 

I appreciate you sharing your suggestions and hope you will continue to communicate with me as we continue to address our fiscal issues. For more information on what is happening each week in Congress, please visit http://forbes.house.gov to subscribe to my weekly e-newsletter.  If I may be of assistance to you on this, or any other issue, please visit my website or feel free to contact me in my Washington DC office at (202) 225-6365.  With kind personal regards, I am

 

Yours truly,

 

 

 

J. RANDY FORBES

Member of Congress

 

JRF:TW

Was Einstein Wrong? Is Instantaneous Communication Possible?

Einstein, in the Special Theory of Relativity, said instantaneous communication is not possible; you, according to him, cannot transmit information faster than the speed of light.  However, he gave an example of long scissors being closed and the intersecting point of the blades being able to move faster than the speed of light.  But perhaps there's another way of thinking of it.  If you can have long scissors, why can't you just have a long rigid rod stretching from Earth to Saturn with a bell on the end?  Wiggle it here and the bell rings there, instantly.  What's wrong with my thinking?

How do you correct really old bad behavior in someone else?

When we were first married, my wife and I were extremely poor and hungry.  I actually re-entered military service (which I despised) in order to support us.  However, being the irresponsible alcoholic I was, things still didn't go too well and she became the controller of the money.  I stopped drinking five years into the marriage when I was twenty six.  Now we've been married twenty three years and she's kept the same attitude toward me as when I was drinking.  I've said, "You treat cancer with radical methods but when the cancer is gone, the treatment should stop or the patient will die anyway".  She's addicted  to the control, spends money on many things we don't need.  Our house is packed with novelties, silverware and plate sets, all manner of wine and champagne glasses, clothes and shoes that have never been worn.  I can't seem to get through to her that our money could go to better use, like savings and investments, or even just more for vacations.  I've always been the sole breadwinner but I've always been treated like a child with my own money.  I'm tired of it and I'm going to change it, one way or the other.

If you are a spouse, read this.

This is basically a condensation of Dr. Laura Schlessinger's book, "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands". I'm looking for a Korean translation of this for my wife.  If anyone knows where I can find one...

I actually read the whole book out loud to her but it doesn't seem to have the same impact.

Warren Buffet's Five Minute Plan to Fix the Deficit

This is a quote from a CNBC interview on July 7th of 2011.

"I could end the deficit in five minutes.  You just pass a law that says that any time there's a deficit of more than three percent of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election."  The only problem: the people who would have to pass such a law are the same people who would lose their jobs.

City Hicks

By our previous definition of a hick, it stands to reason that people from urban areas might be just as likely to qualify.  Especially in the boorish category.  I was introduced to this fact, though I didn't know how to articulate it at the time, when I went to basic training.  I grew up in a rural area where there was almost no diversity but the school system (in my school) was fairly progressive and certainly had an open minded staff.  However, when I went to basic training at Fort Jackson, SC, I was not prepared for people who were products of urban school systems where racism was a daily issue and a fact of life and was not addressed by school staff or parents.  "I'm black, I can't be racist." was one of the brilliant quotes I heard from one of these mental midgets produced by the so called sophisticated city.

These people were almost completely uneducated, barely literate, devoid of the powers of reason attributable to an adult.  But, because of their sheer confidence, they were put in positions of leadership.  They had no real idea of the concepts of leadership.  They just knew how to be loud and overbearing.  In this, they were genius.  Of course, it wasn't important to the real people in charge that these blithering idiots were stifling any chance for real leaders to shine.  They were placed in charge because of their quickness to get physical.  Drill sergeants were not allowed to use physical means of discipline so they left it up to their goons from the inner cities who played football in high school and were itching to test their skills in a new environment.  But of course, like all bullies, they were all talk and no courage so before the end of the two month ordeal, most of them had fallen into disrepute and some had even been discharged for reasons such as disrespect and insubordination as well as outright assault.  The law, it seems, exists even in the isolation of boot camp and will be enforced if a person with real bearing and persistence insists on justice being upheld.

That was an extreme and vague example, I know.  It was a long time ago and a lot of the details have slipped my mind.  A more recent example would be person from Boston with whom I had a brief conversation.  It consisted of the usual questions and answers:  Where you from?  What do you do?  Now, I have what you might call a mid-western accent, which is to say, almost no accent, like a news anchor.  Most of the people I was exposed to as a child had no accent either.  However, a few had what I would call the country twang in their speech, but I always believed they did it for effect because it seemed to disappear when they were serious.  But the Bostonian seemed to think that my mid-western non-accent betrayed my ignorance and he mocked my speech in an exaggerated manner, sounding more like someone from say, Georgia or Alabama.  That's when I realized I was dealing with a city hick.  In his limited mind, anyone not sounding just like him and his Bostonian cronies had a southern accent and was automatically worthy of ridicule.  But the conversation continued and revealed some interesting points.  First, his answer to the "What do you do?" question was vague, as if he didn't want to reveal his profession, but it turned out, as the conversation progressed and I gained his trust, that he didn't really do anything other than sit in this diner all day and wait for the world to come to him.  I'd like to think he left with a different impression of people outside of Boston that day but I doubt it.  To be ignorant, you have to ignore.

Proposal to Legislate a Ban on Certain Types of Noises in Advertising and PSA's

I propose legislation that bans the use of traffic noise such as car horns, screeching tires, crashing sounds, police, ambulance or fire sirens.


The elevated quality of most car sound systems combined with the utter realism of the sounds used in radio commercials, a dangerous situation is created by broadcasting these types of sounds.  The danger is heightened during rush hours and inclement weather to include rain when people are on heightened alert with diminished safety conditions.  I have personally experienced the dangerous effect of these noises and I can't believe I'm alone.  And I don't believe this is a free speech issue since the sounds I'm talking about are the vehicular equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded theater.  I drive between 30 and 50 thousand miles a year throughout Virginia (especially Northern Virginia), North Carolina and West Virginia and I couldn't begin to account for the number of times I've been startled, and therefore distracted, by realistic sounding traffic noises the worst of which are screeching tires, car horns and sirens of any type, in that order.

I know this may not be the hot button issue that will get lots of media attention and political debate.  But that doesn't make it unimportant.  I think it's a no-brainer.  There are enough distractions on the road.  Let's not unnecessarily add to them.

City Hicks

When we think of the word "hick", what are we thinking about?  A country bumpkin?  A redneck?  A hillbilly?  What is the definition of a hick?  dictionary.com says it's "an unsophisticated, boorish, and provincial person; rube."  Why do we associate these qualities only with country people.  I'm originally from a rural community but I've travelled extensively in this country and abroad and have spent years in Japan and Korea on military assignments.  I would have to disagree that being from the country or living in a rural area qualifies a person to be called a hick.  In fact, in my travels, I've met far more people from urban areas who would fit the definition of a hick.  Most especially people from very large cities like NY, LA, Tokyo and Seoul.  These people are not challenged and feel they are educated by their very presence in their respective area.  While I agree it takes a certain set of life skills to live and thrive in a metropolitan area, I don't think that attaining those skills qualifies a person as sophisticated or even educated.  I've seen both sides of this coin and will elaborate on both in future posts.

Drugs

Force your vaporous soul to the surface
Where it dries and blows away
The eyes a window to a not-even-haunted house
Where even the furniture is loathe to stay

It's not high
It's nowhere
Do not try
To go there

The anesthetic
Must wear off
Your thinner spirit
Is scared off

Secular Web

Making good use of the internet.

Global Warming Debunked

http://preventdisease.com/news/10/071110_terminte_co2.shtml

Sugar Rehab

If you have unexplainable medical issues such as headaches, migraines, fatigue, intestinal/digestive issues, obesity, skin problems, inability to maintain weight or any other problem that doctors are unable to explain,  get off complex sugars such as table sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup or anything ending in -ose other than glucose which is the sugar in fruit.

I'm beginning my sugar restricted diet tomorrow and I plan to keep a record of changes I experience right here.  Today, I had 12 teaspoons of sugar just in the coffee I drank which was excessive in and of itself.  My plan is to reduce that to 2 immediately which will be contained in 16 oz. of coffee.

I may eliminate coffee altogether.  I stopped smoking over a year ago and I very seldom drink any carbonated beverage or alcohol but I still feel unrested when I wake up in the morning even though I'm getting 7 to 8 hours sleep.  I don't feel energetic like I should.  I haven't felt particularly well for any length of time since I joined the army in 1984.  Combined effects of sleep deprivation, high stress, smoking and drinking excessively took their toll.  Hopefully, I can break the addiction and start eating healthier foods and consuming less sugar and caffeine.

What to do with Junk Snail Mail

What do you do with all those envelopes from credit card companies and magazines?  Do you throw them away without opening them?  That would be better than responding to them for sure.  But that helps fill up landfills in most cases unless you are able to recycle all your paper but that doesn't do anything to discourage the mailings in the first place. 

Of course I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't have a solution.  Take the Business Reply Envelopes and fill them with all the contents of the envelope along with the envelope it came in and mail it back to them.