The FairTax Act | My Research and Thoughts

In 2005, the bi-partisan President’s Advisory Panel for Federal Tax Reform, formed by then-President George W. Bush, criticized the current U.S. tax system as being exceedingly complex, requiring detailed record-keeping, lengthy instructions, and complicated schedules, worksheets, and forms (“Executive Order” and “Members”). The panel contended that the U.S.’s current tax system penalizes labor, discourages saving and investment, and encumbers U.S. business competition (“Executive Order” and Rhodes).

Currently, there are two leading tax reform proposals that address the varying problems with the existing U.S. tax system. The first of these two proposals is referred to as the Flat Tax; this is a consumption tax model. The Flat Tax would “require citizens to file tax returns as they do now, paying tax on all spent money” (Hodge). The Flat Tax would eliminate estate and capital gains taxes, eliminate double taxation via a single tax rate system, and reduce compliance costs and “the tax system’s dead-weight loss to the economy” (Hodge).

However, it is the second of the two proposals that has gained the most ground in recent years. Many U.S. citizens and politicians have called for the elimination of U.S. federal payroll taxes, personal income taxes, corporate income taxes, and estate taxes, and these same individuals have called for the implementation of a national consumption tax, also known as a national retail tax or a national sales tax. Unlike the aforementioned tax reform model, this model “solely relies on transaction-based consumption tax” (Dalsgaard). The leading proposal for a federal consumption tax is H.R. 25/S. 296, known better to the public as the FairTax Act (“FairTax”). The sales tax rate, as defined in the proposed legislation and expressed inclusively, would be 23 percent of the total payment including the tax—or, $23 of every $100 spent in total (Regnier).

This begs a question; should the U.S. replace the federal payroll, personal income, corporate income, and estate taxes with a national consumption tax, namely the FairTax Act?

Part II to come.

Works cited to come.

Facebook Fail

… Whoops.

[Source: Geekologie]

Quote of the Day

“Friends who set forth at our side, / Falter, are lost in the storm. / We, we only, are left! / With frowning foreheads, with lips / Sternly compress’d, we strain on.” —Matthew Arnold

Lewd? Maybe. Questionable? Definitely.

I have a feeling a man developed this classy piece of workout equipment for women. The Shake Weight can be seen in the video below.

Often times, there’s a lot of market research that goes into these things people sell. I would like to have seen that. Did no woman think, “That looks highly and erotically suspicious.” I assure you there are a few Creepy McCreppersons out there who’ve gone out and bought their wifey a Shake Weight.

Sick.

Don’t You Forget About Me: John Hughes Passes Away

Legendary 80s and 90s films director John Hughes passed away today at the age of 59. Hughes suffered a heart attack today while taking a stroll in Manhattan, New York City, where he was visiting family.

Hughes was the director of several immensely popular and successful films, such as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “The Breakfast Club,” and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” He was also a leading scriptwriter, penning films such as “Pretty in Pink” and “Home Alone.” Hughes was known for showing his typically young protagonists in a far more profound, witty light.

“Many filmmakers portray teenagers as immoral and ignorant, with pursuits that are pretty base. They seem to think that teenagers aren’t very bright. But I haven’t found that to be the case. I listen to kids. I respect them. I don’t discount anything they have to say just because they’re only 16 years old.”

You’ll be missed, Hughes. You’ll be missed.

[Source: BBC News]

Sometimes, I’m Bored

So I’ll use Picnik to screw around with some pictures. Here’s a gem I made for my brother. It. Is. Awesome.

I really think I have some talent, aside from the skin on the neck and the rest of the body not matching.

Facebook TMI

[Anonymous Facebook dude] wants a hot chick ASAP!

Ask and you… shall… receive? And then, the same guy writes…

[Anonymous Facebook dude] has been de-friended by a lot of people recently…awesome. FML.

If I may offer some unwarranted advice: being a creeper warrants Facebook friends to unfriend and block you. Not that proclaiming to the world via Facebook that you want to be laid isn’t creepy (I’d say that’s pretty dapper, in fact). But then, the icing on the cake is this Facebook message the guy sent me…

[Anonymous Facebook dude]: jeni I love you

Really? Really? Done and done, then. I’m a sucker for romantic booty calls. Let’s do this, my friendless, creepy Facebook friend.

Real Celebs of Genius Presents: Avril Lavigne

Jeni O. Presents: Real Celebs of Genius
(Real Celebs of Genius!)

Today we salute you. Ms. Avril Rock-Your-Face-Off Lavigne.
(Ms. Avril Rock-Your-Face-Off Lavigne!)
Wearing your classiest  black and white striped hoochie ensemble and terribly dyed hair, you’re living the real life rocker dream.
Getting paid to show up at events to do what no one else could do… drink yourself stupid and slutty
(Why you have to go and make things so complicated?!)
Sure it may hurt your career, alienate your young fans, ruin your “voice,” or demolish your marriage to that Sum 41 troll, but you chug alcohol from a bottle being held by a stranger with class and motherf*ckin’ grace.
(Grace motherf*ckuuhh)
But your keen instincts tell you to stick to activities that involve a lot of blacking out and rocking out. And if that doesn’t work, who cares? You’re a motherf*ckin princess.
(Rock on!)
So crack open a bottle of liquor, oh Lover of Sk8ter Boiz. ‘Cause we all know, you’re too cool to give a f*ck.
(Ms. Avril Rock-Your-Face-Off Lavigne!)

[Photo courtesy of The Blemish]

Featured Blogger: “ioncehadpartedhair”

Once upon a time in the sleepy (euphemism for boring) suburban town of Pearland, Texas, I had a neighbor named… ioncehadpartedhair (yep, that’s definitely his real name). He was the love of my life, except that–to put it vaguely–I’m not his type. Generally, girls aren’t his type. My heart? Broken. That’s right. But it’s okay; it’s not like I have issues because of it or anything. Pines for love.

ioncehadpartedhair is, without a doubt, a terrificly witty writer. David Sedaris rings a bell when I read his blog (I consider that a compliment). That said, this blog post of his so wonderfully compliments the last blog post of mine, that I couldn’t help but share it with the world.

Effective Ways to Annoy Me with Your [Facebook] Status

By: ioncehadpartedhair

1. Complaining about the weather: WTF. It’s weather. It’s not a new thing undergoing a rough trial period. It’s the weather. Why are you shocked that weather is happening?
2. Boring updates: Why do I care if you are “at home” or “doing homework” or “going to bed?
3. Drastic shifts from third-person to first-person: “Mary Blubberpots-Johnson is having a great day and I thank our lord above =).”
4. Leaving comments that ruin the melodrama of other people’s stati: “Mary Blubberpots-Johnson can barely stand it.” Jimmy Wanger at 3:31pm: “whats wrong darlin? <3<3<3″ She would have told you, Jimmy, if she wanted to. She’s trying to be grave.
5. Obscure references: “Jimmy Wanger is diggin the XPI 4.0 data catalyst for Cohen-Brown Ethernet 08!!!!!!!!!”
6. Incomprehensible maxims: “Mary Blubberpots-Johnson is never hang on, hang out, hang on. flowers. —gandhi”
7. Sappy proclamations: “Albert Jonathan Edward Mueller is 2 DAYS until my man is out of juvie!!!! big kiss babe!!! luv ya lots *hugz*”
8. Complaining about changes to FB: Does using Facebook to complain about Facebook not strike you as ironic? You should use a blog, as I do. Do as I do.

New Feature: Facebook TMIs

I’ve taken a few days to contemplate a few new features for you people, and I’ve got a good one–Facebook TMIs. I sort of stole this idea from Austin’s best morning show, The Bobby Bones Show, but who’s keeping track of this sort of thing?

For those of us trapped for hours on end in what I fondly refer to as the “inescapable social networking vacuum o’death,” I think it’s safe to say that ever so often, one will come across a Facebook status that is far, far too much information. In many ways, I don’t care who broke your heart, how this person broke your heart, what the size of anyone’s anything is, and so on and so forth. Therefore, I will begin featuring (anonymously, of course), real like statuses that I come across because–let’s face it–we can’t let these suckers go unnoticed.*

If you have any Facebook TMIs you’d like to submit, I’ll be more than happy to post ’em. E-mail me at jennifer.obenhaus@gmail.com.

And now, because we all care, here is the first of many Facebook TMIs to come…

Smells like rotten fish and not just my breath if you know what I mean.. xoxo

Because there’s nothing quite like… that… to attract men by the masses. Well played.

* I do solemnly swear to never make these up. I have far too many insane (Facebook) friends to not be able to scrounge up some crazy material.