I meet the most amazing young man yesterday at the annual family concert at Camp Sentinel in Tuftonboro New Hampshire. He went to college to play baseball, and after an injury changed his life around he now plays guitar, writes music, and sings for a group called Fort Pastor. A group who challenges all their fans to join a group called Social Justice Army. The challenge is to donate an hour per month to a worth while cause such as Habitat for Humanity, Food Pantries, Soup Kitchens, and spend some time helping your fellow man. I am actually thinking of joining as it would end up giving me some extra time each month if I only donated an hour a month instead of all the volunteer time I do give each year. The young man's name is Brant Christopher, and if you ever have a chance to hear him and his message, or that of Fort Pastor, I strongly advise you to go and see him. The following video and song really has meaning to me.
FORT PASTOR MUSIC VIDEO
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Heroes
It seems a lot of times when I am working on a piece to post, I go to church on Sunday and the Pastor talks on a subject very close to the subject I am working on. It happened again today. I was working on a piece listing heroes in my life, and when I got to church this morning Gordon McDonald was preaching on a hero of his. He started the sermon with the fact that when he is getting to know someone one of the questions he invariably asks is "Who are your heroes?" He says he can get a lot of insight out of how a person answers this, and I agree with him. I have been amazed for years by several people who have become heroes in my life, some more recently than others. I would like to take the opportunity to list them today.
Jesus Christ for some obvious reasons. When I state someone is my hero I am saying I would like to be like that person, or there is something in that persons life that I deeply admire and would like to emulate. well in the case of Jesus, I strive to be more Christ like in my life. I strive to treat people fairly and the same regardless of their station in life. I strive to be happy with what God has bestowed upon me. I try not to be bitter when bad things happen to me. I strive, but because I am an imperfect person I know I can not ever gain that lofty goal, but I know that God loves me anyway.
The second hero in my life is the Apostle Paul. He makes the list because when confronted by the reality of God, he did not take the easy way out. He left his life of privilege and became an outcast to most of mainstream society of his time. He strove to do what was right and just. He supported his fellow Christians and helped them grow in their walk with God.
Third on my list is Ronald Reagan, again because he strove to do what was right even when unpopular. He brought some pride back to both the country and the military, both of which had been devastated after a long protracted war in Vietnam. When I joined the Navy in the early 80's it was still a negative connotation to be in the service, but when I got out the attitude had come about 180 degrees. He helped the country back on a path of prosperity and growth. he lived by his convictions.
Fourth on my list is more a group of people than a single individual, it is the likes of Milton Olive III, Jack Lucas, and every other person to ever receive the bauble we call the Congressional Medal of Honor. These are men who gave their all to save the lives of their fellow soldiers, sailors, marines or airmen. They gave no thought to their own safety, and I can never help but wonder if I were in the same position coul I bring myself to do what they did, for no man has a greater gift to give than his own life.
Fifth on my list would be William Bartosiewitz my paternal grandfather ( name has changed several times) I never really got to know the man except through stories my father and grandmother had told me, but he was a self made man who worked hard to get where he did in life. The stories about him have inspired me in work, and my personal life. Those stories taught me the importance of voting, and hard work.
And after today's sermon I have added a sixth to my list in the person of Barnabas as told about in the Book of Acts. He personified courage and was an encourager, he worked hard at being generous to a fault, and encouraging people on their walk with Christ. I try to be the uplifting person who helps people to see the bright side instead of dragging them down all the time. I try to be generous to a fault. As Gordon talked you realize that there is two prefixes that you can add to courage with two totally different results, En/courager, the person everyone is glad to see, and the DIS/courager, the person every one is glad to see....leave. The encourager builds up and supports, while the discourager tears down and demoralizes.
Those are the heroes in my life, the people I strive to be more like....Who are yours? Feel free to write me and let me know.
Jesus Christ for some obvious reasons. When I state someone is my hero I am saying I would like to be like that person, or there is something in that persons life that I deeply admire and would like to emulate. well in the case of Jesus, I strive to be more Christ like in my life. I strive to treat people fairly and the same regardless of their station in life. I strive to be happy with what God has bestowed upon me. I try not to be bitter when bad things happen to me. I strive, but because I am an imperfect person I know I can not ever gain that lofty goal, but I know that God loves me anyway.
The second hero in my life is the Apostle Paul. He makes the list because when confronted by the reality of God, he did not take the easy way out. He left his life of privilege and became an outcast to most of mainstream society of his time. He strove to do what was right and just. He supported his fellow Christians and helped them grow in their walk with God.
Third on my list is Ronald Reagan, again because he strove to do what was right even when unpopular. He brought some pride back to both the country and the military, both of which had been devastated after a long protracted war in Vietnam. When I joined the Navy in the early 80's it was still a negative connotation to be in the service, but when I got out the attitude had come about 180 degrees. He helped the country back on a path of prosperity and growth. he lived by his convictions.
Fourth on my list is more a group of people than a single individual, it is the likes of Milton Olive III, Jack Lucas, and every other person to ever receive the bauble we call the Congressional Medal of Honor. These are men who gave their all to save the lives of their fellow soldiers, sailors, marines or airmen. They gave no thought to their own safety, and I can never help but wonder if I were in the same position coul I bring myself to do what they did, for no man has a greater gift to give than his own life.
Fifth on my list would be William Bartosiewitz my paternal grandfather ( name has changed several times) I never really got to know the man except through stories my father and grandmother had told me, but he was a self made man who worked hard to get where he did in life. The stories about him have inspired me in work, and my personal life. Those stories taught me the importance of voting, and hard work.
And after today's sermon I have added a sixth to my list in the person of Barnabas as told about in the Book of Acts. He personified courage and was an encourager, he worked hard at being generous to a fault, and encouraging people on their walk with Christ. I try to be the uplifting person who helps people to see the bright side instead of dragging them down all the time. I try to be generous to a fault. As Gordon talked you realize that there is two prefixes that you can add to courage with two totally different results, En/courager, the person everyone is glad to see, and the DIS/courager, the person every one is glad to see....leave. The encourager builds up and supports, while the discourager tears down and demoralizes.
Those are the heroes in my life, the people I strive to be more like....Who are yours? Feel free to write me and let me know.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Responsibility
I was not going to comment on this but over the last couple of weeks I have been stewing about a lady form Rhode Island whose family rented some canoes in Conway. They wanted to spend a quiet day on the Saco River. I know that when you rent a canoe from any of the reputable outfitters they give you a briefing on the hazards of the river, and you have to sign a waiver, waiving any rights to go after the outfitter if something happens on the river. Now while the Saco river is not a white water river by any stretch of the imagination, there are areas where the river does get a little fast and rocky. Now if I had to sign a waiver to rent a canoe or raft, I would consider that the activity was at least moderately dangerous. This lady had an incident on the river and her son almost fell into the river, and could have possibly drowned. They lady started a letter writing campaign to the local papers as well as politicians that she thought the state or local government should post signs warning that tirps down the river should be considered hazardous. Right about this same time another lady from out of state drowned while she was going out in the lake over her head holding onto the beach markers, it turned out she could not swim. Water is a hazardous medium. Just like the mountains are dangerous. We always seem to have the perennial hiker who goes out on the trails in late fall, and get caught in a snow storm, or slips on rocks and gets hurt. Outdoor life can be dangerous, get over it. If you want to enjoy the mountains and rivers of New Hampshire there are inherent dangers in it and you have to realize the risks.
We had a tornado, or micro burst go through the area on Thursday, and several homes got damaged. One of the houses featured on the news was under construction and the people interviewed stated they did not have insurance on the structure because they did not realize that they needed it on construction without a mortgage. Now they are wondering what they are going to do about their house. I went up to Walmart and heard some people talking about the storm and the poor people who didn't have any insurance, and that the state should pay to rebuild their house. I own a home and I take the responsibility to make sure their is insurance on the house. Yes I feel bad for the people that their house was damaged, but face it they volunteered not to take any insurance out on the house in order to use the money elsewhere. I think we as a people are becoming to dependent on the government to tell us what is safe and what isn't. We need warning labels to tell us what products we shouldn't use. I feel if we really want the government to warn us about all the dangers in life then we should make an edict that all babies born get a tattoo on their forehead just after birth reading "Warning the Surgeon General has determined that being born is the leading cause of death in the United States."
Come on folks get real. The government is not and should not be our baby sitters. We are capable of thinking for ourselves, or at least some of us are. we can make judgments when an activity is going to be dangerous, and then make the decision if we are going to participate in them. An excerpt form my daughter Grace's letter home from camp where they just installed an extreme swing as part of the program. She wrote to us "I went on the swing, all the way to the top, I was so scared I almost peed my pants" now she has made a determination that the activity might not be the activity for her. We all have that ability, to realize when something may not be right for us, we do not need a baby sitter to tell us that we shouldn't do something, or that it may be dangerous with inherent risks. Life itself is dangerous, and we take risks every day we breath.
We had a tornado, or micro burst go through the area on Thursday, and several homes got damaged. One of the houses featured on the news was under construction and the people interviewed stated they did not have insurance on the structure because they did not realize that they needed it on construction without a mortgage. Now they are wondering what they are going to do about their house. I went up to Walmart and heard some people talking about the storm and the poor people who didn't have any insurance, and that the state should pay to rebuild their house. I own a home and I take the responsibility to make sure their is insurance on the house. Yes I feel bad for the people that their house was damaged, but face it they volunteered not to take any insurance out on the house in order to use the money elsewhere. I think we as a people are becoming to dependent on the government to tell us what is safe and what isn't. We need warning labels to tell us what products we shouldn't use. I feel if we really want the government to warn us about all the dangers in life then we should make an edict that all babies born get a tattoo on their forehead just after birth reading "Warning the Surgeon General has determined that being born is the leading cause of death in the United States."
Come on folks get real. The government is not and should not be our baby sitters. We are capable of thinking for ourselves, or at least some of us are. we can make judgments when an activity is going to be dangerous, and then make the decision if we are going to participate in them. An excerpt form my daughter Grace's letter home from camp where they just installed an extreme swing as part of the program. She wrote to us "I went on the swing, all the way to the top, I was so scared I almost peed my pants" now she has made a determination that the activity might not be the activity for her. We all have that ability, to realize when something may not be right for us, we do not need a baby sitter to tell us that we shouldn't do something, or that it may be dangerous with inherent risks. Life itself is dangerous, and we take risks every day we breath.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Offended
I am offended by this picture of Christine Agullera holding her baby wrapped in an American Flag. The American Flag is not an article of clothing, nor is it a blanket in which to wrap a baby. The American Flag is supposed to fly free and wave in the breeze.
My other pet peeve are people who put a flag up in their yard then just leave it their until it it is all tattered an torn and then continue to leave it there. Please folks when the flag is worn you take it down fold it respectfully and take to an American Legion or VFW post and they will dispose of the flags in the prescribed manner in a respectful way. The only time the flag should be a cover is the casket of a President or a Veteran , or military personnel killed during their time of service.
The flag is to be revered and honored. The colors are not to be treated disrespectfully, nor is it to touch the ground. It is to fly high and free unfettered, and to be shown the respect that would be shown to all who served in the uniform of this great country in order to protect the flag.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Joy
My daughter Khrys brought home the movie, The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman, and Jack Nicholson. If you haven't seen it I strongly recommend you do. It is about two men who have cancer, and not long to live, live out the things they want to do before they kick the bucket. They come from two totally different walks of life, but reach across that chasm with the common bond of their deadly disease. One scene in the movie Carter (Morgan Freeman) and Eddie (Jack Nicholson) are sitting on a pyramid and Carter talks about the Egyptian views on the afterlife. He stated that when an Egyptian died and they walked up to the gates of the afterlife and they are asked two questions. How they answer those two questions determines how they spend their afterlife. Eddie asks what the two questions are, and Carter responds, "Have you ever had joy in your life?" and secondly, "Have you ever brought joy to someone else's life". I spent the day today thinking about those two questions and how I would answer them. The first question, "Have you ever had joy in your life?" Most definitely,yes, I have, many times. When I saw my wife walk down the aisle of the church on October 5th 1995, dressed up in her lovely wedding gown. Again when I saw the doctor hold up each of my three children for the first time. I felt true joy when I saw my oldest walk across the stage getting her diploma from High School. I felt tremendous joy the day we picked her up from the hospital after her cardiac scare when she was only three months old. I felt tremendous joy when I saw Khrys in her prom gown. Again on the day each of my children took their first steps. I see true joy each and every day as I look up at the White Mountains that have become my home. I find joy in the cold crisp winter day as I snowshoe through my field and into the woods, I find joy in sitting quietly filling my blueberry bucket. I find joy in sitting at my desk putting words down on paper. I find joy in watching my wonderful daylillies bloom. I find joy in many of the small things in life that others may find mundane. The second question, "have you ever brought joy to another person?" I find this much harder to answer. I would like to think I brought Joy to my wife as she saw me standing at the front of the church in my full dress uniform. I would like to think I brought joy into her life when I asked her to marry me. I would like to think that the anonymous gifts I have bought for kids at Christmas have brought joy into their lives. I hope some of the people who read my writing finds joy in my writing. I really do hope I have brought joy into people's lives.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Family or Lack Thereof
I was out in the field picking blueberries this evening, when my wife cam out frantically calling for me. Now you have to realize picking blueberries at this time of year is like my snowshoeing in the winter. It is a time for me to be alone with nature and to talk to God as I pick the bountiful gifts He has given us here on the Gale Farm. Regal (my black lab cross) was running around in the field like a possessed dog, gobbling down mouthfuls of the luscious blue fruit that is hanging off the bushes like bunches of grapes. I made my way through the tall grass that is in need of mowing, out to the road up through the field. Janet had a piece of paper waving it over her head. Citi-Bank bank had called asking to speak to Judy Bartoswicz, well there is no Judy living in our house, however my sisters name is Judy, but we have not seen her in over 20 years, since my fathers death. I had tried to stay in contact with my family but they all for some reason or another would not return the favor. To the point that I just celebrated my 50th birthday, and never heard form a single member of my side of the family. My children have basically grown up without ever really getting to know their aunts and uncle form my side of the family, nor my mother and her second husband. What it had amounted to was Judy has used my name and phone number in order to get a loan for a car, (which the monthly payment is more than the mortgage on my house). She is late on the loan so the bank had called my house in order to demand payment. The sad thing is even though I am struggling to make do in my life, and struggling with the downturn in the building industry, if she had even made an effort to stay in contact with me I would have helped her and maybe even made the car payment for her. I told my wife if she ever gets a hold of Judy to ask her three things about me, my birthday, my age, and what disease I have that I will probably die of (I am not fatalistic, but I just face reality), and I know she would not be able to answer anyone of the questions unless of course she stumbles onto my blog she could get a couple of the answers. I just hate to divorce myself from a member of my family but their comes a time when for mental health and stability you really have to
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Responsibility
I wasn't going to do a post on this occurrence, but the more I thought about it, the more I decided I had to. Before I get in to the meat of the post I ma going to tell you a little story. Saturday July 5th started a most Saturday's do in my house. My wife got up early and did her puttering around the house before she left for her job delivering the mail in town on Saturdays. I was up with her, and at 7 I woke Khrys up so she could get ready to leave for her babysitting job. She babysat all day arriving home about 5:15 grabbed a quick dinner, and changed clothes before heading out for her evening job busing tables at Whittier House Restaurant. Janet and spent the evening home watching television and I went up to bed around 10:30 (yes a late night for me, just after Khrys called saying she was out of work and on her way home, something she always does so her mother and I will not worry about her. About 10:45 she called her mom and said a friend had called her and asked if she could take her friend up to the store to get a movie because she was bored, and then Khrys said she would be home right after that. About 11:20 the phone rings again, it is Khrys informing us she had been pulled over and one of the people in in the car had put some beer in the trunk , and she was being charged with transporting alcohol as a minor. Janet got me up and we drove to West Ossipee, where we found her car by the side of the road, and two police cars behind her, and the K-9 unit sniffing the car. The police officer told us what happened and we told him we did not agree that she knew what was going on and he explained what he thought she did, which sounded reasonable if you did not know the way we had brought our daughters up. He had said there were a couple of cars in the store parking lot and she elected to park away from the door on the other side of the cars that were at the store...Well we have taught our children to be respectful and if you are able and there is a parking spot in front of the door and one away from the door to take the one away from the door to allow those less able to park nearer the door. however when the other cars left she moved over closer to the door, which the officer said set off another red light in his head. So when she pulled out of the parking lot they tailed her and pulled her over and asked if they could search the car. Not knowing she had done anything wrong she let them and they found the beer the "boy" had put in the trunk, and cited her, they also brought in the K-9 unit to sniff the car which he found clean. I do not fault the police officer as he was just doing his job. The car was impounded and she was released into our custody. it cost her 160.00 hard earned dollars to get her car back the next day. I explained to her it was her fault as she was the operator of the car and ignorance of the law is no defense, and she understood. I did not yell and scream at her as she half expected me to I just gave her a hug and drove her home. I also explained that if the shoe was on the other foot and she got a friend to giver a ride and knowingly put beer in a car driven by a minor not only would she be in trouble for the beer but as a father I would expect her to pay her share of the impound/towing fees as she was just as guilty, or even more so than the driver. SO she told her "friend" how much the fee was and surprisingly has not heard back from her. The "boy" turned out to be 27 years old, and I still use the term boy, because there are MEN out there at 17 showing a lot more maturity than this boy does. At 17 we have MEN making conscious decisions about joining the military and going to war to defend this country. This 27 year old boy has 5 children probably by 5 different girls, though I do not know that as a fact, but I have been told he does not take full financial responsibility for the kids. His idea of a good time is spending and evening with an 18 year old girl and getting a 16 year old girl to drive him to the store to get more beer, so he can get a buzz on and maybe make a 6th baby, after all he must be super stud. the ironic thing is this 27 year old boy lives across the street from a store and can not plan his day enough to get his beer there, which he can buy legally, before the store closes at 8 o'clock. this 27 year old boy stood beside the police car and assured us he was extremely sorry that he got our daughter in trouble with the police, but never offered to help with the cost of the towing or impound fees on the car. Now Khrys has a court date of August 13th where she has to appear before the judge, and admit she was guilty of a crime that she was unaware of and hope he doesn't take her license away from her as that would exclude her from being able to drive her senior year of high school and work after school to help make money to pay for her college education. This is a good kid with a big heart who takes people at face value and trusts them until they giver a reason not to trust her, and now Meagan has lost that trust, and this 27 year old boy is brought out for the scum he really is.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Service
I was at part of the towns Fourth Celebration this morning at the parade, and someone asked me why I had joined the service when I did. I went in after Vietnam when people still treated servicemen badly. I didn't even have to think about it. I pointed to a flag that was waving proudly in the breeze, and said that is why. I was born in country where you can be anything you put your mind to.There are no guarantees, but if you work hard and apply yourself and have a solid plan behind you you can achieve just about anything. There are those who say the American Dream is dead,that there is nothing you can do about it.I say that is bull crap and you can still achieve if you desire to. We live in a country where regardless of the station of your birth you can become active in the political function of the country. Regardless of your status at birth you can become a business leader. College dropouts can become one of the richest men not only in the country but the world.
This is why I joined the military and served my time. I believe it is the duty of each of us to put something back into this country without thought of personal gain. For me it service time in the Navy, for others it may be the Peace Corps, or Teach America. In Israel every person has to serve in the military for a certain amount of time. I do realize that some people are not cut out for the military, but there is some level of service they can give back. I carry this philosophy forward with me to this day, I try to give back to the community I live in by making a better, more enjoyable place to live in. I don't do it for personal gain, I don't do it to get my face plastered all over the paper because of all the great things I do. I do it because it is the right thing to do, and I do it because it helps the people of my community. I do it to see the smiles on the faces of people who benefit because I do it. Personally I get frustrated by the people who ask, "What's in it for me to do this?"
When I can I love to anonymously leave a Thanksgiving Basket for someone who is having a tough time of it. I also love to buy presents for Christmas for people who might otherwise have anything. Having been on the receiving side of the coin at Christmas one year I can tell you personally how it feels to have some one think of you in a time of need like that. Some years like this year I am struggling to put food on the table to feed my own family, so I can't do as I would like, but other years I can be very generous, and I love to be. People seem to look for my ulterior motive when I do things like that, but believe me there is none, my only reward is because I know it is the right thing to do, and to to see the smile on the face of someone who benefits. My wish is to have foundation that can just help families in need, and not have to worry so much about my own needs all the time, and God willing it will come, but in the mean time to see the smile on a little boys face when he finds the quarters that just happened to fall out of my pocket on the way into the store, when I know his dad is having a hard time of it, and the little boy would like a candy bar every now and then. That says it all. I served my country proudly in uniform, and would do it again in a heartbeat if I had to, but I also enjoy serving my community and fellow man when I have the ability and the chance.
This is why I joined the military and served my time. I believe it is the duty of each of us to put something back into this country without thought of personal gain. For me it service time in the Navy, for others it may be the Peace Corps, or Teach America. In Israel every person has to serve in the military for a certain amount of time. I do realize that some people are not cut out for the military, but there is some level of service they can give back. I carry this philosophy forward with me to this day, I try to give back to the community I live in by making a better, more enjoyable place to live in. I don't do it for personal gain, I don't do it to get my face plastered all over the paper because of all the great things I do. I do it because it is the right thing to do, and I do it because it helps the people of my community. I do it to see the smiles on the faces of people who benefit because I do it. Personally I get frustrated by the people who ask, "What's in it for me to do this?"
When I can I love to anonymously leave a Thanksgiving Basket for someone who is having a tough time of it. I also love to buy presents for Christmas for people who might otherwise have anything. Having been on the receiving side of the coin at Christmas one year I can tell you personally how it feels to have some one think of you in a time of need like that. Some years like this year I am struggling to put food on the table to feed my own family, so I can't do as I would like, but other years I can be very generous, and I love to be. People seem to look for my ulterior motive when I do things like that, but believe me there is none, my only reward is because I know it is the right thing to do, and to to see the smile on the face of someone who benefits. My wish is to have foundation that can just help families in need, and not have to worry so much about my own needs all the time, and God willing it will come, but in the mean time to see the smile on a little boys face when he finds the quarters that just happened to fall out of my pocket on the way into the store, when I know his dad is having a hard time of it, and the little boy would like a candy bar every now and then. That says it all. I served my country proudly in uniform, and would do it again in a heartbeat if I had to, but I also enjoy serving my community and fellow man when I have the ability and the chance.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Common Sense
"Real intelligence is a creative use of knowledge, not merely an accumulation of facts. The slow thinker who can finally come up with an idea of his own is more important to the world than a walking encyclopedia who hasn't learned to use information properly"
D. Kenneth Winebrenner
In the height of the petroleum problem in this country I read recently that the lawmakers in Maine raised the gas tax by 8/10 of one cent. The general consensus was that they didn't even raise the tax a penny so who was going to notice. well first of all how is the dealer going to collect 8/10 of a cent and not hurt their already slim margin on gas so they are almost definitely going to raise the price a penny. Is this the way to help build consumer confidence? Yes people may be driving less so revenues are not going to be there, so is adding taxes to what has become a basic necessity in this country, especially in rural areas the right answer? My other pet peeve is when politicians say they will not raise taxes on working people, they are just going to tax corporations more. This would be fine on paper, but the reality is companies do not pay taxes, people do, and if you raise the tax rate for a company, in order to maintain their profit margin, and keep their investors happy, guess what!!!!! They increase the price of their product to cover the increased taxes, hence the tax increase falls again on the back of the consumer without them really being aware that they are being taxed more.
I am a firm believer that we should do away with payroll withholding taxes, and people should have to pay a quarterly estimated income tax just like the self employed and they would be more aware of what they are paying in taxes. I was talking to a young man right out of college one day the beginning of April and he was all excited because the Government had just given him several hundred dollars. It turned out to be his tax refund, he was not aware that he had paid this money to the government and he was just getting back what was over withheld from his paycheck every week. We need more common sense in this country and especially in our politicians who are "looking out for our interests"
D. Kenneth Winebrenner
In the height of the petroleum problem in this country I read recently that the lawmakers in Maine raised the gas tax by 8/10 of one cent. The general consensus was that they didn't even raise the tax a penny so who was going to notice. well first of all how is the dealer going to collect 8/10 of a cent and not hurt their already slim margin on gas so they are almost definitely going to raise the price a penny. Is this the way to help build consumer confidence? Yes people may be driving less so revenues are not going to be there, so is adding taxes to what has become a basic necessity in this country, especially in rural areas the right answer? My other pet peeve is when politicians say they will not raise taxes on working people, they are just going to tax corporations more. This would be fine on paper, but the reality is companies do not pay taxes, people do, and if you raise the tax rate for a company, in order to maintain their profit margin, and keep their investors happy, guess what!!!!! They increase the price of their product to cover the increased taxes, hence the tax increase falls again on the back of the consumer without them really being aware that they are being taxed more.
I am a firm believer that we should do away with payroll withholding taxes, and people should have to pay a quarterly estimated income tax just like the self employed and they would be more aware of what they are paying in taxes. I was talking to a young man right out of college one day the beginning of April and he was all excited because the Government had just given him several hundred dollars. It turned out to be his tax refund, he was not aware that he had paid this money to the government and he was just getting back what was over withheld from his paycheck every week. We need more common sense in this country and especially in our politicians who are "looking out for our interests"
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