Stossel and the stimulus package

It is amazing how uncommon common sense can be.

Movin' On Up

...nearly 58% of filers who were in the poorest income group in 1996 had moved into a higher income category by 2005. Nearly 25% jumped into the middle or upper-middle income groups, and 5.3% made it all the way to the highest quintile.

Well, that seems rather strange for a "stagnant economy" now, doesn't it? More than half of those that filed tax returns that were in the lowest income bracket, were in a higher income bracket within 10 years and this has been steady for the last few decades. Most of those that enter the lowest economic level don't stay there. They work they way up and out. Also, it appears that there is fairly constant churn on the high end as well.

You know how it goes though, we can't let a simple thing like facts get in the way of a perfectly good campaign speech now, can we?

The Shy Millionaires

This is the sort of thing that sets my teeth on edge. This general perception that it is not only fair but just to forcibly take from one group of people to give to another group. As this one commenter said:

I'm not ideologically opposed to taxing wealth, mainly because I know a lot of fat cats that aren't working. But it seems to me that there's no pragmatic way (or at least, not one we've discovered yet) to penalize them without also hitting a lot of people who are working.

Not ideologically opposed to taxing the wealthy cause he knows a "lot of fat cats that aren't working". So what? This commenter feels that they should be penalized for having wealth and not working. I believe that is what most people in this country or even the world would like to be able to do and that is the nut of it. Jealousy and envy and the sense that most of the rich must not have worked for their wealth or don't deserve it and so we MUST make it right by taking it away from them. Grow up already. You "generally" have the life you deserve and earn. If you are not happy with your lot in life, do something about it. Get off of your butt and make the changes necessary to improve your future. If you look hard enough, you can find DAILY stories about people that started with NOTHING and now have their own business and are making a fair, honest and successful life for themselves and their families. Anyone can do it if they want to and are willing to put in the effort and take the chance. Will it be easy? No of course not but most of the things in life that are worthwhile take effort. So, do me and the rest of us a favor, stop your petty whining about the evil rich and either get off your butt, work hard and become one of the evil rich too or just sit down and shut up.

John Stossel, telling it like it is

I wish more people understood economics better, especially reporters. It might just stop them from asking so many stupid questions and help them better question stupid statements and laws that affect the economy.

The economy

as ignored by the MSM.

Behind the minimum wage

Interesting...