Federal Tax plan my idea

For our Government officials in Washington here is my plan to help with our current debt crisis following some of the ideas of the Simpson & Bowles Commission Debt Reduction Plan with one exception.

1. Completely restructure the Federal Income Tax Structure by removing every income tax subsidy, loophole, credit from the entire tax code.

2. Provide one deduction to the Individual Income Tax based on Federal Poverty Level Guidelines for every household based on family size (not structure) and tax balance of all income at a 20% flat tax rate, of which 5% of that will be contributed to a Public Health Care Plan each year.

3. For Corporate Income Tax give a 5-10% deduction for research and development provided that they have created jobs in the US and a flat tax of 25% on remaining balance of all profits both onshore & offshore.

These two measures will completely eradicate the tax expenditures from our treasury will reduce total government spending related to tax expenditure which consumes 8.6 of GDP on average, and for corporations like GE who didn't pay any income taxes in FY 2010 but received $150 billion in tax subsidies, they will now pay 25% on all remaining profits (less a deduction for R&D and US job creation).

If you look at median income of Personal Income the average American now earns approximately  $61,000 per year (based on 2011 census for 2009 levels) total 2009 Personal Income was equal to approximately $12 Trillion US Dollars offer a baseline deduction of $10,890 (based on current FPL for one individual) and an additional $3,820 for each additional family member to a maximum of $37,000.

I'm not either a micro or macro economics expert, but to me this would create a fairness in our tax structure, where everyone would receive a deduction equal to their family size rather than whether they are married or single.  While I realize there will be some who will not be paying any income taxes due to being at or below poverty level, they also will no longer receive any tax subsidies such as EIC, Child Care Credit, etc.

I'm still researching and will continue to update this information as I discover current income levels of all Americans for people like Steve Jobs who's annual salary is only $1 (one) but has a net worth of $735 billion in stock and assets he'd be paying 15% on all of his worth less the baseline deduction + family size.  Warren Buffet would do the same, Bill Gates, and so on.

The problem with the Fair Tax aka Federal Sales Tax is that it only deals with new consumption, not purchase of used products, and big business' and the wealthy could end up getting around this by purchasing used equipment rather than new.

Also we need to re-write our trade agreements with other countries so that global trade is truly fair.  China is getting away with murder of our American Worker's Standard of Living. Stay tuned for more as I discover more data to prove my hypothesis.

If anyone has anything to add or suggestions please feel free to comment!  Maybe we as Americans need to take the reins and fire all of our officials in the legislature and show them what to do!

Michigan Republicans are gearing up for union busting

With it's current amendment introduced in House Bill 4306 forcing our public school systems to "contract out" all food, custodial and transportation services by June 30, 2012.  That in a nutshell means that here in Springport our community will no longer be in charge of our public school's service programs.  Instead these services will be managed by "Private Companies" question is what quality of service would we receive for these services from a private company?  Which private company would service us?  How many jobs would be lost?  What will happen to our buses? Our school cafeterias? How clean will the schools be?

Why is it that our State Representatives think that getting private companies to provide these services is better than our school providing these services, they've provided for as long as I can remember (at least since I was in school in the '60s).

Representative Shirkey and Senator Nofs are both for this bill!  While this policy may be ok for the bigger urban areas, this could be too costly for us here in Springport, our area is way too rural for any contracting out of these services.  Now when will these government officials truly get some common sense?  What happened to allowing our local governments to control how they manage their public school system should be left locally, not part of a rule or law set by the State.

Also, what happened to the "Lottery" funds that were supposed to be used to help fund our school systems?  Where is that money going?  Instead of punishing the service workers by forcing contract bidding of  their jobs, let's start getting those companies that are providing products to our schools to stop overcharging us!

Also, Rep. Shirkey and Senator Nofs, start looking at your own budget and see where there's waste in your own backyard, who isn't pulling his weight in your own office? How much paper are you buying to print nonsense to flaunt in your debates on the floor? Reign in spending in your own house before you go after the communities you are supposed to represent.

Jackson County is against Women's Rights

If you're sexually assaulted in Jackson County especially in Springport Township don't report it!  Women have no rights in Jackson County, around Christmas my niece was "groped" by a friends husband, she managed to free herself and get him out of her home. After the incident the first thing she did was call me crying about what happened, which is when I told her to call the police and report it, now I wish I had told her to just let it go, our illustrious police department made the decision that because he didn't successfully "rape" her that she falsely reported a felony.

She told them she felt he was trying to rape her, he laid his hands on her inappropriately, in my book, that's sexual assault, whether he managed to get beyond that is a mute point.  She did not falsely report anything, she told the truth, it was the police department & our court system here that decided she filed a false report, now my question is:  How in the HELL can you decide a report is filed falsely w/o interviewing both parties before a court of her peers.

What a crock!  A woman in Springport Township hasn't any rights whatsoever, a man can physically "grope" any woman he chooses to w/o fear of repercussions whatsoever.  But the woman will be arrested for falsely reporting a felony.  Way to go Springport and Jackson County.

From now on, I'll never ever call our local law enforcement for anything, I'd rather die than let one of our local officials intercede.  Women are just chattle here in Springport Michigan.

My Cissy's Home!

I'm so geeked my best friend and soul sister is finally home from NC I've been so lost without her and having our marathon chats over the phone, we just had a two hour chat fest, talk about feeling happy, elated, and every other word you could think of about feelings and emotions.  I have so missed our tete`-tets that I've been slightly depressed, and being one who's basically housebound, the internet and my phone are my two venues of connection with the outside world.

When someone who's been there for you through thick and thin is suddenly not available, you begin to feel lost and alone.  Well, I'm no longer lost and alone, I have that one friend who understands what I've been going through back in my life again.  Even though she wasn't truly gone, the distance was so great that for 3 months, I couldn't just pick up the phone and call her, I was forced to deal with every crisis in my life w/o a sounding board.

Her life experiences have alway grounded me, I have other friends and family that I connect with but our friendship is truly unique in many ways, I'm so glad that she's home and that we can now get caught up on our news.

Rep. Tim Walberg dodges the question

Recently I sent an email to Representative Tim Walberg asking him why he didn't offer a town hall meeting to his Springport constituents in Springport?  His response? He had one in Jackson and he had one coming up in Spring Arbor that I could attend.  But not one word as to whether he'd have one here in Springport in the future or at all, I guess Springport is just not big enough for him.

Doesn't he feel this his constituents here matter or that we're not as important?  Or is it because he's afraid that if he actually saw the conditions here we might change his mind as to what helps and what doesn't help?  He seems to think based on his list of youtube videos that cutting spending and giving more tax cuts to the wealthiest will help create jobs.

We can't even get a Dollar General to open its doors here, not only would it create a few jobs here in the community but it would also give us a place more affordable to shop at.  The C-Store & Trading Post is very costly to purchase food items from, plus the choices are slim to none, we're still forced to travel at least 10 miles to the nearest grocery store to purchase & unless you can afford to buy more than a week's worth of groceries at one visit the cost to travel to and from at todays fuel prices increases your overall costs to go.  While you may not look at it costing you between $3-5 in gasoline to get to and from the store if you only have $50 to spend overall, you'll only be able to buy $45 in groceries, $5 will be going into the gas tank to get you there and back.

And since we don't have anything closer to stretch our food dollars farther we're forced to give up at least $5 of our food money to get just a little more with the $45 we have left to spend.  But soon I'm sure it won't matter whether we shop at our 2 local convenience stores or shop at a big grocery store chain, it will cost the same either way.  So I guess we'll just be better off shopping locally at our 2 little quickie shops, but we don't have a clothing store, thrift store, etc. so we're still forced to travel for other necessities to daily living.

SAGA why haven't you looked to get a community free health clinic here?  Start a community thrift store? We may end up having to go back to the barter system of the 19th, early 20th century.  Before we fully became a monetary system.

Let's start a community thrift store, let people bring in old clothing, dishes, etc. we could set it up as a barter system, trade services or other items. Or start a volunteer service for mass transit, so those people who can't drive or afford to hire transportation, offer an alternative to them, if they can offer fresh produce during the growing season, trade produce for rides, or if they can do house cleaning, trade house cleaning for produce, etc.  These are just examples to help those less fortunate, and ways to improve the community overall.

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?

Well, are you?  I'm not, between my grand-daughter's mother's I'm getting pulled into two directions, it sucks when you have an extended family and the two sides of it don't (or refuse to) get along.  I love all of them, I don't love one more than I do the other.  But if I pay attention to one, it's considered that I'm dissing the other, which I'm not.

How are we supposed to balance our lives when we're pulled up, down, right and left, and refusing to choose one side over the other.  Sometimes life is so unfair.

My son, now on the other hand, just ignores everyone, including me.  So I'm left stuck in the middle, trying to maintain the peace and harmony for all.  When will he man up and do what's right.  Probably after I'm dead and gone and it's too late.  That's when.

Ok, I'm done with my rant for the day.  On to more positive things. Have a great week everyone!

Is it true Springport H.S. will be accepting Albion H.S. Students?

I've been hearing some skuttle-butt that Albion High School is planning on closing on the 1st of November and their students will start being transported to 3 Jackson County School systems who have offered to accept them. Which includes Springport High School the other two schools I've been told are included in this process are Concord and Hanover-Horton.  My questions are why are Jackson County Schools accepting Students from a Calhoun County School, why aren't Calhoun County Schools accepting them, why is Albion closing it's High School in the first place?  What effect will it have on our own school system?  Springport is a school full of farm kids and small town values, while Albion is considered a "little Detroit" full of drugs, violence, and gangs.

Bringing those into a small town school could cause unexpected consequences, increased crime, violence and drug activity here in our school.  While I haven't received any response from our School, Village Council or our Township Board, neither a yes or a no response, it makes one wonder whether they are aware of the potential consequences and are waiting until it's too late to tell the community, or this is just a temporary move so that Albion can do some much needed upgrades to the H.S.

Personally, I think we should as residents of Springport, be told what is going on.  This should have been put to a vote by the community and not just accepted by our school board without consultation from the community.  I see trouble brewing, if this happens without input from the community.  Local law enforcement better be prepared for some violence,  Albion and Springport kids have never been able to get along.  We're asking for trouble.  If anyone knows the truth, please let us know instead of leaving us in the dark.

S.A.G.A- Springport Area Growth Association or Springport Against Growth Association?

Which is it? Does S.A.G.A really want growth in Springport?  If so, why haven't they tried to get a grocery store here?  Or a Family Dollar or Dollar General?  What is their reasoning against having something like one of these here?  Don't want to hurt the 2 convenience stores? Cause too much traffic?  Farmer's don't want it?  What about our citizens who have to drive at least 10 miles to the nearest shopping center or grocery store?  What about creating jobs in Springport?  Right now, we have 1 gas station/convenience store and 1 convenience store, a pizza parlor, a bakery/restaurant/tanning salon, a restaurant, a tavern and a beauty shop.  Then we have 2 insurance agents, I think we have 2 factories still but not sure of that and 1 mechanic.  So where are people supposed to work?  Not only do our citizens have to travel, but with the cost of gasoline and the distance they end up saving less than they would have if they had the convenience of shopping locally,  and the convenience stores overcharge and many times their products are out dated.