OK, I'm going to harp on this point one more time, then I'll never raise it again, so please endure it. The odds are that those who read this text will be conservatives., as you read this report, keep in mind that it was written almost exclusively for liberals.
Warning to liberals reading this text: you are about to take the "Test of Danoga", (da-nog-a) an ancient American Indian ritual test of the strength of a warrior's political beliefs.
(Note: The word "danoga" is derived from the ancient Aztec word for "automatic transmission", as in the Aztec phrase
"I can't get my danoga into gear").
Warning, few grasshoppers survive this test, so proceed with caution. Ants, however need not worry.
As you take the Test of Danoga. I ask that you keep the writings of William Shakespeare in mind, "To thine own self be true". Well, let me alter that somewhat. When I hear that quote these days it often seems spoken in a self centered context, as if "to thine own self be true, and the hell with everybody else". Instead I'll ask you to keep Shakespeare's full quote in mind as expressed in its original context:
"This above all- to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
OK, here we go, brace yourself.
Question #1. On your 1996 tax form, did you itemize, or if you could not would you have if you could have?
If "yes", why?
(Pick one or more answers.)
1. In order to reduce your tax payments.
2. To reduce global warming.
3. In support of world peace.
4. Because the saucer people put in your head an unconscious command to do so when you were abducted by them twelve years ago, but actually, you have no memory of it.
Question #2. Did you deduct your charitable contributions?
If "yes", why?
(Pick one or more answers.)
1. In order to reduce your tax payments.
2. Global warming really is a serious problem, really.
3. In support of world peace, not really, but it sounds like a good excuse.
4. It's those damn saucer people again, they're terrible. Not that you can remember them at all.
Question #3. Did you use any other form of deduction on your tax forms?
If "yes", why?
(Pick one or more answers.)
1. In order to reduce your tax payments.
2. Global warming? OK, you don't believe it either.
3. You are all out of good excuses.
4. In order to reduce the saucer people's tax payments, you think.
Congratulations, you have completed the first half of the Test of Danoga. Gee, that wasn't so hard was it? Lets stop to grade your test so far and see how you did.
The correct answers:
If you picked answers 2, 3, or 4 on any question, then you need therapy, there is only one reason for making any type of deduction on your taxs, and that is, "to reduce your tax payments."
Before you complete the test, I need to make a point, so we'll get back to it in a just a minute.
Every time liberal politicians talk about the debt they like to put the blame on the military spending of the 1980's under President Ronald Reagan. When this occurs conservative politicians don't have a real good defense, because the budgets that President Reagan proposed were excessive, and the final budgets that he signed into law were certainly so. But in the realm of political rhetoric there are some items that readily get overlooked:
This country is not a monarchy;. the President only proposes a budget, Congress can pass the President's budget as is, or they can change it, or they can toss it in the waste can and pass one of their own. A liberal political pundit once joked that Ronald Reagan was a bigger spender than Tip O'neil (Democratic speaker of the house at that time). But what makes anybody think that Tip O'neil wasn't spending during the Reagan years?
Were Ronald Reagan and the Republican controlled Senate. (1981-1987) guiltless of driving up the debt? Of course not. But there's a lot of blame to go around. Take a look at the chart below.
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This chart clearly shows that, counter to the Democratic parties assertions, it was not the military spending that got us to a 5+ trillion dollar debt, rather a massive increase in social spending. This is especially so in post Reagan years, but the colored boxes at the left show that social spending went up more than military spending during Reagan's two terms as President.
SPECIFICATION:
Data for this chart is take from, 116th Edition of "Statistical Abstract Of The United States 1996," U.S. Department Of Commerce, Economics And Statistics Administration, Bureau Of The Census, page 330 and table 512 this book is Available at your local library.
The data is federal spending, split into defense spending, and what it calls "human resources", and interest on the national debt. It is not indexed to inflation, I have not factored in the gross national product, nor have I multiplied it by the phases of the moons of Jupiter. I'll let others so manipulate their data until it shows what they want it to show. I'll take my data straight, no chaser.
You can take a minute to look the chart over, because I have to take a wiz, just give me a minute.
OK, I'm back, thanks.
Is what the data labels as "human resources" referring to social programs? Well, it could be showing a massive increase in highway construction, but that did not happen, maybe it's a massive commitment to education, but that didn't happen either. Neither highways or education are the priority of our quasi socialist political system, however, social programs are in fact its priority. So the label of "human resources" does equal "social programs" in this data. The next table shows how "human resources" are delineated.
SPECIFICATION:
Data for the following chart is taken from, "Statistical Abstract Of The United States 1996," page 332 and table 515.
Again, this is raw data.
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If you compare the two charts as a whole, I think it's pretty obvious where our debt originated from. The five (plus) trillion dollar debt is the result of runaway social program spending, to a far greater degree than military spending.
Which brings us back to the last question in the Test of Danoga.
Question #4. If, as the average tax payer you did take all legal deductions on your taxs. there exists a staggering contradiction. For, if you as a liberal, or moderate, believe that social programs are just and proper, why are you so unwilling to pay for them? If you truly believe in the redistribution of wealth, should you not be offering up your wealth to be redistributed? I mean, why do you want to reduce your tax payments when there are all these programs to pay for. The debt exist because said programs have not been paid for.
You support the political philosophy that the Congress adheres to when they create or expand these programs. You do so with your vote, with your voice, with your opinion, but not with your check book,
Why?
(Pick one or more answers.)
A. You fully support the redistribution of wealth, as long as it's not your wealth that gets redistributed.
B. You fully support the redistribution of wealth, as long as it's not your wealth that gets redistributed.
C. You fully support the redistribution of wealth, as long as it's not your wealth that gets redistributed.
D. "Saucer people", enough said..
You have completed the Test of Danoga, I hope you enjoyed taking it, as much as this so called "greedy conservative" has enjoyed giving it.
There are some extra credit questions if your up to it.
Question #5. If you could have legally taken an additional fifteen or twenty percent deduction on your taxs, would you have taken it? If you could have legally paid no tax at all, would you have?
Question #6. in 1984 did you vote for Walter Mondale because he promised to raise your taxs? If so, why do you wait for a law to pay more taxs, just pay more anyway, the Government won't mind.
OK, you're done, thanks for taking my little test. Don't feel too bad, you can now go into denial, and assume yourself to be a contemporary compassionate liberal individual. Or, you can take William Shakespeare's advice and take a good look inside yourself to question your adherence to your own moral beliefs.
What's that?
Why do I reduce my tax payments? Because I do not believe in the redistribution of wealth, mine and to an equal degree, yours for that matter, and I am not inclined to allow it as far as I can prevent it. You see, I'm not that different from yourself, the only difference is that I'm more honest about it.
I will not ask you, or expect you to trust the validity of my charts about government spending, I will however ask you to go check for yourself. As a voter, you really need this information. And if your not a voter, you damn well should be, so get your ass registered. preferably as a Republican.
Take a good look at the two charts in this report, and compare it to the chart below, and tell me who's spending philosophy is responsible for our massive national debt of social spending, Ronald Reagan's or Tip O'neal's?
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SPECIFICATION:
You will also note from the first chart that military spending levels off after Reagan's terms as president, and yet the debt in this chart, continues to climb past that point. Ask yourself why.
So now you have read yet another blistering report... thanks.
Submitted for your review by.
No insects were injured in the writing of this report.
Data for this chart is take from the same data table as the first chart.
If you agree with it, pass it around for comment by others.
If you disagree with it, then write your own damn report and submit it for comment.
Mr. Eric (Rock) Andersen
A citizen 0f the USA.
Thus given the Right to have and express an opinion.
Also:
A taxpayer of the USA.
Thus given the Right to have and express an attitude.
Main THE ROCK REPORT OF THE DAMNED. THE ROCK REPORT OF THE SIERRA MADRE. A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE ROCK REPORT. THE EARTH VERSUS THE ROCK REPORT. THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW ROCK REPORT. THE THING FROM ANOTHER ROCK REPORT. 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE ROCK REPORT.
