Don't even think about protesting Washington's tax hike, 'cause they will shoot your *** off.
I have three interesting items on my desk today, each relating in one way or another to Washington’s need for ever-increasing gobs of money and power.
Two have been extracted from the budget President Obama sent over to Congress on Monday, while the third was buried deep inside a federal procurement Web site. (I know, I know: You’re getting this on Thursday morning already, but at more than 2,000 pages, the budget is thick enough to kill a moose. It takes a while to wade through the damn thing.)
The first item of note is the fact that the federal workforce is slated to hit a record-busting 2.15 million by the end of 2010.
No Previous President EVER Needed That Many Workers
To give you a sense of scale (and prevent the inevitable partisan sniping that comes up every time I mention politicians of EITHER stripe), a million workers or so was more than enough for Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
But Barack Obama seems to need a great deal more than that: In 2009, he saw fit to bump up the federal payroll to 1.28 million souls. (Let’s not argue as to whether they are all “workers.” I have several friends in government, and I know that two of them carry their weight and then some. The others? Perhaps not so much.)
And by the end of this year, that figure will almost double.
Collect six-figure royalty checks every year until 2030
Thanks to a little-known energy agreement signed by EU officials and one breakthrough American company, you could start collecting as much as $104,000 a year before drilling even starts.
Increasing Washington’s Vision and Reach
To be fair, we are fighting two wars. And some 10,000 of those workers will be short-term temps dedicated exclusively to gathering and processing the ephemera of the 2010 Census.
What’s more, the general population has actually grown faster than Washington’s payroll. In 1953, roughly the Feds employed 1.4% of the U.S population. By 2008, that figure had fallen to 0.65%. And under Mr. Obama’s watch, it will only rise to 0.7%.
Of course, in 1953 many of those workers were still ink-stained number-scratching Dickensian wretches. By 2010, Washington’s busy little ants are armed with powerful computers that greatly increased its ability to reach deep into the lives of each and every citizen.
Obama’s Army
Regardless, this is still the biggest, most expensive army of busybodies Washington has ever managed to field. No wonder the U.S. deficit is growing at such an astounding rate.
While the Office of Management and Budget brags that fiscal 2009 came in 24% lower than they predicted, there is just no getting past the fact that the annual deficit has tripled from fiscal 2008’s record-breaking $455 billion to 2009’s mind-boggling $1.42 trillion.
Some way, some how, someone is going to have to pay for all this. Care to guess who it will be? I’ll give you three tries and the first two don’t count.
The Stealth TAX Bomber
Item two on the blotter for today is the multibillion-dollar “stealth” tax hike that is coming down the pike for each and every reader of this column.
Those of you with higher net worth are already wondering about the hits you will take from President Obama’s declaration that he will go after anyone who takes in $250,000 or more a year.
You are, after all, most probably an evil billionaire banker’s minion who deserves to be raked over the coals for your sins. (Actual evil billionaire bankers, on the other hand, can pay this bill handily with just a small part of the trillions Washington has secretly funneled to them over the past year.)
The Currency Vendetta!
Armed with the secret code detailed in this letter, you could pocket as much as ONE MILLION DOLLARS – CASH! – in the next 12 months!
Even the School Marm Gets to Pay Her Share
But even if you are not lucky as to be a top-level capitalist lackey, you are still about to get taken to the cleaners. It is the president’s intention to allow the Bush administration’s Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act to expire on Dec. 31.
On that day, evil billionaires and their lackeys (I’ve got to stop saying that before someone out there starts thinking I actually believe its bad to earn more than $250,000 – I really don’t!) will find that their tax bill has risen from 35% back to 39.6%.
But the ultra-rich won’t have all the fun! The 33% bracket is returning to 36%, 28% becomes 31%, and 25% is rising to 28%. Of particular interest to readers should be the reversion of the capital gains tax to 20% and dividend tax to 39.6%. There’s even talk about reinstating federal estate taxes this year rather than next year.
Remember that line in the State of the Union message about the necessity of a good education? Mr. Obama has decided that elementary school teachers’ $250 tax break for the stuff they buy out of pocket was just too much for the country to manage during these hard times.
Riled up yet? Feel like driving down to your local IRS office and giving them a piece of your mind? Well, fergedaboudit, ’cause they will shoot your sorry behind!
Seriously: They WILL shoot you.
Armed to the Teeth
I came across Item 3 on the Federal Biz-Op Web page:
“The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) intends to purchase sixty Remington Model 870 Police RAMAC #24587 12 gauge pump-action shotguns for the Criminal Investigation Division. The Remington parkerized shotguns, with fourteen inch barrel, modified choke, Wilson Combat Ghost Ring rear sight and XS4 Contour Bead front sight, Knoxx Reduced Recoil Adjustable Stock, and Speedfeed ribbed black forend, are designated as the only shotguns authorized for IRS duty based on compatibility with IRS existing shotgun inventory, certified armorer and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts.
Submit quotes including 11% Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET) and shipping to Washington DC.”
– Dept. of Treasury Solicitation Number: TIRWR-10-Q-00023 Posted 02/02/10
Now keep in mind that criminal violations of tax codes are routed through the Justice Department. Building security is handled by the Federal Protective Service.
The idea that the IRS has acquired its own “weapons inventory, certified armorer and combat training” is just plain creepy.
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thank you
sir g