"There is no such thing as a good tax."
"Some see private enterprise as a predatory target to be shot, others as a cow to be milked, but few are those who see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon."
"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries."
"We contend that for a nation to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last."
"The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is."
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy."
"You ask, What is our policy? I will say; “It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.” You ask, What is our aim? I can answer with one word: Victory—victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival".
H/T M Kohl
Monday, 9 March 2009
Churchill was right......
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What does one TRILLION dollars look like?
All this talk about "stimulus packages" and "bailouts"...
A billion dollars...
A hundred billion dollars...
Eight hundred billion dollars...
One TRILLION dollars...
What does that look like? I mean, these various numbers are tossed around like so many doggie treats, so I thought try to get a sense of what exactly a trillion dollars looks like.
We'll start with a $100 dollar bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation. Most everyone has seen them, slightly fewer have owned them. Guaranteed to make friends wherever they go.
A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2" thick and contains $10,000. Fits in your pocket easily and is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent fun.
Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it.
While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive, $100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet...
And $1 BILLION dollars... now we're really getting somewhere...
Next we'll look at ONE TRILLION dollars. This is that number we've been hearing about so much. What is a trillion dollars? Well, it's a million million. It's a thousand billion. It's a one followed by 12 zeros.
You ready for this?
It's pretty surprising.
Ladies and gentlemen... I give you $1 trillion dollars...
(And notice those pallets are double stacked.)
So the next time you hear someone toss around the phrase "trillion dollars"... that's what they're talking about.
H/T DML
Barbie was introduced on March 9, 1959.
50 Facts about Barbie
1 She was born Barbara Millicent Roberts.
2 Barbie is 11½ inches tall.
3 If Barbie were 5 feet, 6 inches tall, she would have a 39-inch bust, a 21-inch waist and 33-inch hips.
4 Barbie is the brainchild of Ruth Handler, one of the founders of Mattel.
5 Handler was inspired by a European doll called Bild-Lilli, a doll for adults that Handler said she saw in Vienna or Lucerne.
6 Handler named the Americanized doll after her daughter, Barbara.
7 In a series of novels published by Random House in the 1960s, Barbie’s parents were George and Margaret Roberts who lived in the fictional town of Willows, Wis.
8 Barbie attended Willows High School but graduated from Manhattan International High School.
9 Barbie’s boyfriend is Ken. He’s named after Handler’s real-life son, who, incidentally, hated the comparisons.
10 Barbie and Ken split up in 2004. They reunited in 2006.
11 Barbie has had more than 40 pets in her lifetime, including a panda, a lion cub and a zebra.
12 Barbie, who started her professional life as a teenage model, has had several careers.
13 Barbie has a pilot’s license and can operate a commercial airliner. She has also been a flight attendant.
14 Barbie found a best friend in Midge, who was part of the Barbie line-up from 1963 to 1966.
15 Doctor Barbie debuted in 1988.
16 NASCAR Barbie came out in 1998.
17 There are more than 500 groups related to Barbie on Facebook, including one called Tequila Barbie.
18 Another group is called Divorce Barbie. “Divorce Barbie comes with Ken’s boat; Ken’s house; Ken’s car; Ken’s money;” and, well, you get the idea. Last time we checked, there were eight members.
19 In homage to Sarah Palin, there are two different Facebook groups called Caribou Barbie.
20 The first Barbie cost $3.
21 Barbie Collector Doll Pink Label 50th Anniversary Barbie Doll costs $49.99; the most expensive Barbie sold on eBay to date fetched $7,999.99.
22 Barbie had her own show with clothing from 50 fashion designers at Fashion Week last month.
23 Mattel estimates that three Barbies are sold every second.
24 Barbie has had more than 1 billion pairs of shoes.
25 Barbie is on Twitter (although inconsistently) @BarbieStyle.
26 The year Barbie was born is the same year that Xerox debuted a commercial copier.
27 Barbie dolls were sealed in a time capsule in 1976 as part of the Bicentennial celebration to be opened in 2076.
28 Malibu Barbie was introduced in the 1970s. “The Simpsons” parodies Barbie by having Lisa own a Malibu Stacy.
29 The first annual Barbie convention was held in 1980.
30 The first commercials for Barbie ran on “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
31 The first Barbie doll dress designed by Bob Mackie was called “Gold.”
32 Totally Hair Barbie is the best-selling Barbie of all time.
33 In 1965, the only club for children whose membership exceeded Mattel’s was the Girl Scouts of America.
34 In 1967, Mattel offered a Twist ‘n Turn Barbie to girls who turned in their Ponytail Barbie dolls.
35 Sidepart American Girl Barbie is considered the rarest of the tan-tone vinyl bendable leg Barbie dolls.
36 Twiggy, the model, was Barbie’s first celebrity friend.
37 Early market research suggested Barbie would never sell because she had breasts; little girls wouldn’t like her and parents wouldn’t buy her.
38 Barbie met Ken in 1961.
39 Barbie has five baby sisters. The first, Skipper, debuted in 1964.
40 A 1959 Barbie in mint condition is estimated to bring $27,450.
41 The first Barbies had white irises. The eye color was changed to blue in 1960.
42 The 1988 Happy Holidays Barbie is considered the first non-porcelain “collectible Barbie.” When the 1988 Happy Holidays Barbie flew off the shelves and began commanding high values on the secondary market, Mattel realized there was a huge market for adult collectors.
43 In 1986, Andy Warhol was commissioned to paint a portrait of Barbie.
44 The 1999 “Generation Girl” series was considered controversial because one doll had a nose ring and another had an ankle tattoo.
45 Teacher Barbie was recalled in 1995 because she wasn’t wearing panties.
46 The first black and Hispanic Barbies were introduced in 1980. (Barbie’s African-American friend, Christie, had been introduced in 1968.)
47 There was a Miss Astronaut Barbie in 1965.
48 Barbie made a brief appearance in the movie “Toy Story 2.”
49 Sales of Barbie were outlawed in Saudi Arabia in 2003.
50 In 1997, Barbie was redesigned and given a bigger waist.
H/T DML
The Enemy Within......
...this leaflet was recently pushed through doors and letter boxes in Luton. I am not sure the MSM will pick up on it.
Click to enlarge.
H/T
Daily Referendum
News.....
15 Classified Intel Reports Say Stealth Ships Aren't Stealthy. But they can be hard to hit.
UK jihadist Anjem Choudary explains how Islam will take over the UK. Dream on!
Return of the IRA assassins... but why won't Gerry Adams condemn British soldiers' killers? Once a terrorist always a terrorist. The Kennedy Knighthood should now be revoked.
UK migrant total is 'three times the world average'. No wonder we are in trouble.
The maths dunces: Nearly 7 million are baffled by sums that a child could do. Blame the teachers unions.
The children who think that Auschwitz is a brand of beer. Do they teach anything in schools today.
North Korea threatens full scale war if rocket is intercepted. They are always threatening something.
Britain 'nation of form fillers watched by quarter of world's CCTV cameras'. You are nearly always on camera these days.
Britain's defence is in a state of 'crisis'. We must double our defence spending. It is not as if we cannot afford it, just look how much money the banks have had.
US to step up attacks on Pakistan as it forces Taliban to talk. Bombing Pakistan good, talking to Taleban bad.
Morgan Tsvangirai crash 'was designed to eliminate leader'. No s**t.
Darfur rebels: we will topple President al-Bashir if the UN doesn't. Good luck because the UN is of no use what so ever.
Grieving Morgan Tsvangirai to return amid MDC fears of power grab. The only solution for Zim is the total destruction of Zanu PF using military power.
I have to admit it. My liberal friends were right.
They told me if I voted for McCain, the nation’s Hope would deteriorate, and sure enough there has been a 20 point drop in the Consumer Confidence Index since the election, reaching a lower point than any time during the Bush administration.
They told me if I voted for McCain, the US would become more deeply embroiled in the Middle East, and sure enough tens of thousands of additional troops are scheduled to be deployed into Afghanistan.
They told me if I voted for McCain, that the economy would get worse and sure enough unemployment is approaching 8.8% and the new stimulus packages implemented recently have sent the stock market lower than at any time since the 1980’s.
They told me if I voted for McCain, we would see more “crooks” in high ranking positions in Federal government and sure enough, several recent cabinet nominees and Senate appointments revealed resumes of bribery and tax fraud.
Well I ignored my Democrat friends in November and voted for McCain. And they were right…. all of their predictions have come true.
H/T DML
Galloway gets 'Gravelled'.....
“Ass-Kissing Carnival” Pelted. Jules on George Galloway's 'popularity' amongst the Egyptians.
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How to communicate with the Taxman.......
Actual 'Letter to the Editor' from the February 5th edition of the Wichita Falls, Texas, Times Record Newspaper.
Dear IRS,
I am sorry to inform you that I will not be able to pay taxes owed April 15, but all is not lost. I have paid these taxes: accounts receivable tax, building permit tax, CDL tax, cigarette tax, corporate income tax, dog licence tax, federal income tax,
unemployment tax, gasoline tax, hunting licence tax, fishing licence tax, waterfowl stamp tax, inheritance tax, inventory tax, liquor tax, luxury tax, medicare tax, city, school and county property tax (up 33 percent last 4 years), real estate tax,
social security tax, road usage tax, toll road tax, state and city sales tax, recreational vehicle tax, state franchise tax, state unemployment tax, telephone federal excise tax, telephone federal state and local surcharge tax, telephone minimum usage surcharge tax, telephone state and local tax, utility tax, vehicle licence registration tax, capitol gains tax, lease severance tax, oil and gas assessment tax, Colorado property tax, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma and New Mexico sales tax, and many more that I can't recall but I have run out of space and
money.
When you do not receive my check April 15, just know that it is an honest mistake. Please treat me the same way you treated Congressmen Charles Rangle, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank and ex-Congressman Tom Dashelle and, of course, your boss Timothy Geithner. No penalties and no interest.
P.S. I will make at least a partial payment as soon
as I get my stimulus check.
Ed Barnett
Wichita Falls
H/T Rico who writes....
'I'm NOT bothering with snopes.com because whether true or not, the following makes a valid point: your average 'shnook' taxpayer caught cheating (or making an honest 'mistake') on his taxes is pilloried, drawn-and-quartered, and sometimes jailed after being financially ruined by the IRS...but if you're a HUGE tax-cheat like Tom Daschle (D) and a bevy of OTHER recent ObaMarx administration picks....hey, how about that Timmy Geithner at Treasury (in charge of the IRS), huh?.....paying the 'back' taxes and (maybe) mumbling a chagrined "oopsie" is good enough for government work! No hand-slaps or hand-wringing for them.
MOST of us would LOVE the chance to be making so much money by being a librul Democrat that a few hundred thousand in taxes due can be 'overlooked' with no penalty!
Once again...THANK YOU TEAM OBAMA for the most open-and-honest-government-evah!!!
.....hmmmmmm, what will gooberment do if everyone changes their name to John Galt and quits paying their taxes? It's probably best if they ALL register as (D) voters concurrently with their application for food stamps/welfare.'
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Virus Advice......
The Centers for Disease Control has issued a medical alert about a highly contagious, potentially dangerous virus that is transmitted orally, by hand, and even electronically. This virus is called Weary Overload Recreational Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from your boss, any of your colleagues, or anyone else via any means whatsoever - DO NOT TOUCH IT. This virus will wipe out your private life completely. If you should come into contact with WORK you should immediately leave the premises.
Take two good friends to the nearest grocery store and purchase one or both of the antidotes - Work Isolating Neutralizer Extract (WINE) and Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.
H/T Bruce H
Interesting facts.......
IF you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)
If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it ! I wonder how many bombs I've made so far?!)
The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet...
(O.M.G.!)
A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.
(In my next life, I want to be a pig.)
A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy.)
(I'm still not over the pig.)
Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories a hour
(Don't try this at home, maybe at work)
The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body.
The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off..
(Honey, I'm home. What the...?!)
The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes.. Lucky pig! Can you imagine?)
The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)
Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity)
Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I always wanted to know.)
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmmmmmm......)
Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)
Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
(Okay, so that would be a good thing)
A cat's urine glows under a black light.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.....
( I know some people like that.)
Starfish have no brains
(I know some people like that too.)
Polar bears are left-handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer)
Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about that pig??)
H/T DML
Top ten reasons investing is like sex.....
1. Some like it long, some like it short.
2. You can study the market as much as you like, but it all comes down to luck.
3. Those who talk about it the most, have the least experience.
4. One simple mistake could lead to 18 unprofitable years.
5. Some prefer to sit back and watch it grow.
6. Terms include swing trading, asset turnover, naked call, after hours, insider trading, silent partner, blind entries, 30-day wash rule, straddle, triangles, descending tops, ascending bottoms, pump and dump, partial surrender, stop order, position limit, voluntary liquidation, and explicit interest.
7. Low confidence can keep you out of the market.
8. Everyone tends to focus on performance.
9. Some do it alone, others do it with a group, and some hire professionals, and the best reason …
10. Some positions are better than others and the best position is always up for debate!
And remember, past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
H/T DML
You Know You're from Florida if...
Socks are only for bowling.
You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.
A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.
Your winter coat is made of denim.
You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.
You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.
Anything under 70 is chilly.
You pass on the right and honk at the elderly, but pull over for a funeral.
You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.
You could swim before you could read.
You have to drive north to get to The South.
You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.
Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005.
You've gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark
You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.
You dread lovebug season.
You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances... but Charley , Frances , Ivan and Jeanne.
You know what a snowbird is and you hate them.
You know why flamingos are pink.
You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.
You were twelve before you ever saw snow, or you still haven't.
"Down South" means Key West.
"Panhandling" means going to Pensacola.
You think no-one over 70 should be allowed to drive.
Flip-flops are everyday wear.
Shoes are for business meetings and church.
No, wait, flip flops are good for church too, unless it's Easter or Christmas.
Sweet tea can be served at any meal.
An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.
You smirk when a game show's "Grand Prize" is a trip or cruise to Florida
You measure distance in minutes.
You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.
You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.
All the local festivals are named after a fruit.
A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.
You think everyone from a bigger city has a northern accent.
You know the four seasons really are: almost summer, summer, not summer but really hot, and February.
It's not soda, cola, or pop. it's coke, regardless of brand or flavor, "What kinda coke you want?"
Anything under 95 is just warm.
You've hosted a hurricane party.
You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides.
You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.
You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Ichnatucknee and Withlacoochee
You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.
Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include: various fish, NRA, Nascar and Go Gators.
You were 5 before you realized they made houses without pools.
You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.
You get angry when people say " Florida isn't really part of the SOUTH."
You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.
You know what the "stingray shuffle" is, and why it's important!
You recognize Miami-Dade as " Northern Cuba ".
It's a perfect 72 degrees outside, but you run the A/C just to keep mildew from growing on your shoes.
H/T DML
The Sunday Best....
British Muslim leader urged to quit over Gaza. Kick him out of Britain.
Apologise for the recession? Brown's credit crunch tantrum at 30,000ft. He is certifiable.
Two soldiers killed in drive-by shooting as terror returns to Northern Ireland. Find the attackers and hang them.
Taxpayer underwrites another £260billion of 'toxic' loans as State takes over Lloyds. This is getting silly.
Bank of England to 'print' first £2billion this week. A stupid idea.
Grieving Morgan Tsvangirai leaves hospital as allies demand probe into crash that killed wife. Mugabe must be held to accoount for this.
Mail on Sunday readers raise an incredible £500k in just five days to save world’s last flying Vulcan bomber. Job done.
Scrap 'ludicrous' rise in TV licence fee, say Tories. Better still scrap the licence altogether.
Censored, the Tory MP who called for Speaker Martin to be replaced. Martin should be sacked.
Why do we honour those who loathe Britain? Good question.
Calls for inquiry over fresh torture claims by Binyam Mohamed. Another one who should be deported.
Speaker Michael Martin's staff follow their boss and hail a taxi. Make them walk.
Speed limit on rural roads to be cut to 50mph. Why?
Barack Obama 'too tired' to give proper welcome to Gordon Brown. What a piss poor excuse.
President Barack Obama declares America should be ready to talk to the Taliban. The Taleban cannot be negociated with. This will only encourage them.
Lahore attack heralds spread of Taliban-trained groups to Pakistani heartlands. Someone had better start working out how to 'protect' Pakistans nukes.
British commander in Iraq declares 'mission accomplished'. Took long enough.
Honouring Ted Kennedy is an insult to IRA's victims. Well said.
The EU will have to surrender to survive. The EU will not survive the depression.
Only incompetence will save us from Orwell's surveillance state. Luckily imcompentence is something the government is really good at.
MoD faces battle on troops’ rights. WTF!!
RAF pilot wins Distinguished Flying Cross. Brave lad.
Mao veterans call for a liberal China. Progress.
Disaster Dubya - they miss him already. He will be remembered well.
Why your grandchildren may not see this. Britain's countryside is in trouble.
....the Clarkypoos bit.
Class A cocoa, the powder of choice on my crock’n’roll tour.
Toyota iQ.
and little Jimmy May
A giant leap for Formula One.
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