thanks Steve

Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.
 This is about as clear and  easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral,  
neither anti-republican  or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read.

                     

Worth the time…Worth remembering!



545 vs. 300,000,000  People


-By Charlie  Reese



Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.



Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?



Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high  taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high  taxes?



You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.


You and I  don't have the Constitutional authority to vote  on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.



You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.



You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.



You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve  Bank does.



One hundred senators, 435  congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme  Court justices equates to 545 human beings out  of the 300 million are directly, legally,  morally, and individually responsible for the  domestic problems that plague this  country.



I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was  created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.



I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.



Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.



What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a  budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.



The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and  taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party.  He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.



It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and  irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to  exist.



If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.



If the  budget is in the red, it's because they want it  in the red.



If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want  them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...



If they  do not receive social security but are on an  elite retirement plan not available to the  people, it's because they want it that  way.



There are no insoluble government problems.



Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish;  
to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can  reject; to regulators,  
to  whom they give the power to regulate and from  whom they can take this power.  
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 
"the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that  prevent them from 
doing  what they take an oath to do.



Those 545 people, and they alone, are  responsible.



They, and they alone, have the power.



They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their  bosses.



Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...



We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their  mess!



Charlie  Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando  Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with  this article now that you have read it... is up  to you.
This might be funny if it weren't  so true.
Be sure to read all the way  to the end:



Tax his land,


Tax his bed,


Tax the table,


At which he's fed.



Tax his tractor,


Tax his mule,


Teach him taxes


Are the rule.



Tax his work,


Tax his pay,


He works for


peanuts anyway!



Tax his cow,


Tax his goat,


Tax his pants,


Tax his coat.



Tax his ties,


Tax his shirt,


Tax his work,


Tax his dirt.



Tax his tobacco,


Tax his drink,


Tax him if he


Tries to think.



Tax his cigars,


Tax his beers,


If he cries
Tax

his tears.



Tax his car,


Tax his gas,


Find other ways


To tax his ass.



Tax all he has


Then let him know


That you won't be done


Till he has no dough.



When he screams and hollers;


Then tax him some more,


Tax him till


He's good and sore.



Then tax his coffin,


Tax his grave,


Tax the sod 

in
Which he's laid...



Put these words


Upon his tomb,


'Taxes drove me


to my doom...'



When he's gone,


Do not relax,


Its time to apply


The inheritance tax.



Accounts Receivable Tax


Building Permit Tax


CDL license Tax


Cigarette Tax


Corporate Income Tax


Dog License Tax


Excise Taxes


Federal Income Tax


Federal Unemployment Tax  (FUTA)


Fishing License Tax


Food License Tax


Fuel Permit Tax


Gasoline Tax  (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)


Gross Receipts Tax


Hunting License Tax


Inheritance Tax


Inventory Tax


IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)


Liquor Tax


Luxury Taxes


Marriage License Tax


Medicare Tax


Personal Property Tax


Property Tax


Real Estate Tax


Service Charge Tax


Social Security Tax


Road Usage Tax


Recreational Vehicle Tax


Sales Tax

School Tax


State Income Tax


State Unemployment Tax  (SUTA)


Telephone Federal Excise Tax


Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax


Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes


Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax


Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax


Telephone State and Local Tax


Telephone Usage Charge Tax


Utility Taxes


Vehicle License RegistrationTax


Vehicle Sales Tax


Watercraft Registration Tax


Well Permit Tax


Workers Compensation Tax



STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
 Not one of  these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our  nation was the most prosperous in the  world.
 We had absolutely no national debt,  had the largest middle class in the world, and  Mom stayed home to raise the  kids.
 What in the heck  happened? Can you spell  'politicians?'