SageSuggestions : 2010-12-05

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Why Do The Same Thing Over and Over?

Perhaps if we did a better job of teaching American history in our schools our elected representatives would pay more attention themselves. We are again enduring the same old argument about "taxing the rich". One side tells the rich must pay their fair share, while the other side talks about the job creation and investment potential of this group. It's funny though that neither result seems to be quantified in any numbers.

What is the real truth and what can be learned by examining our own history?

In their book, "A Patriot's History of the United States", Larry Schweigert and Michael Allen relate the following story: In 1921 President Warren Harding appointed Andrew Mellon as Secretary of the Treasury. Mellon's and his family made a fortune in oil and banking and he may have known more about business than any Treasury Secretary in history with the possible exception of Alexander Hamilton.

Faced with falling tax revenues Mellon undertook a study to determine the cause. The study revealed that the amount of money collected from the upper level of taxpayers, ("wealthy Americans"), declined with each tax increase. Mellon concluded that lowering the rates for everyone, especially the wealthiest taxpayers, would actually result in them paying MORE taxes!

From 1921 to 1926, Congress reduced the rates from 73% on top income earners and 4% on the lowest taxpayers to 25% and 1.5% respectively. Lo and behold the tax revenues from the "wealthiest Americans" almost tripled, while the lowest taxpayers saw their share of taxes actually fall. At the same time, the National Debt fell by one-third!

History does repeat itself. John Kennedy lowered taxes; Ronald Reagan did the same thing with similar results as those seen by Mellon in the twenties. We all know that doing or saying the same thing over and over with the same results is, at best, an exercise in futility. Yet our legislatures continue arguing over something that doesn't work and never will. I guess they think this argument will result in votes for both sides which is really their only concern, re-election.

If they were truly working in our interest they would look at reducing spending to match income. Perhaps they should engage some us "ordinary people" to conduct a seminar balancing how much we can spend with how much we make.

The Declaration of Independence

When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Format of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying it's Foundations on such Principles, and organizing it's Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate the time Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes, and accordingly all Experiences hath shewn, that Mankind more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinced a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.

(The specific grievances are listed as is the Declaration of breaking the connections with Great Britain.

56 patriots (YOUR FOREFATHERS) signed the Declaration of Independence knowing they would be accused of Treason against the Crown and condemned to Death if caught!

YOU CAN READ THE REST OF THE DECLARATION ON LINE at: www.archives.gov>exhibits>charters

Gettysburg Address

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place--for those who have given their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate--we cannot concecrate--we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who have struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember, what we say here but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they who fought have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from this earth.
Abraham Lincoln

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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Why Do The Same Thing Over and Over?

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