Category Archives: Politics

One Reason We Have a Budget Crisis: Me

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Last summer I blogged about how much we really pay in income tax versus our official tax rates. Now that I’ve finished our 2010 taxes, I was curious to see our effective tax rate for the year.

For 2009, thanks to our many deductions, our effective tax rate was only 11.3 percent, less than half of our official rate of 25 percent.

For 2010, we got to add a $1000 child tax credit (thanks, Jonathan!). As in the previous year, we claimed a large deduction for home energy improvements (a solar water heater this time, which saved us about $1500 in taxes). Plus we had the usual deductions for charitable contributions, mortgage interest, property taxes, and student loan interest. As a result, our effective rate for last year was only 8.6 percent, about a third of our official rate.

I am certainly grateful to keep so much of my paycheck. As a full-time worker supporting a family of four, I would have a much harder time if we actually paid 25 percent of my income to Uncle Sam. It would force us to make some very difficult and unpleasant decisions. In other words, I have no plans to turn down any of my deductions in a noble effort to save the government from its poor financial planning.

However, I can’t help but wonder whether it makes sense for the government to provide so many deductions. I’m certainly no economist or expert in tax policy, but it seems weird that Uncle Sam rewards people for taking on massive amounts of debt just to buy a house (remember that whole housing crisis thing?). And for having children (is there a shortage of them here?). And for giving money to charitable organizations, which themselves pay little or no taxes. And even for losing money on bad stock picks. (trust me, I know from experience) The tax breaks certainly benefit the people who do these things, but should it be the government’s place to encourage them?

There are two tools to solve a budget deficit: increase revenue and/or decrease spending. Neither is pleasant or easy. In our current situation, both are necessary, but few of our political leaders seem willing to do either. (yes, I’ll admit it – including Obama) However, budget committee chairman Paul Ryan finally stepped up with a real plan for both, which is nice to see even if I don’t agree with all the details. It includes significant cuts and changes for Medicare as well as provisions to eliminate some tax loopholes and deductions in order to increase tax revenue. I’m curious to see whether any of these ideas go anywhere.

I’ll enjoy the results of the current, horribly convoluted tax code while it lasts, but I’ll try not to whine too much if Congress decides to simplify the code and eliminate some of our deductions.

Haiku Tuesday 18 – POTUS

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Yep, it’s back! In honor of President’s Day, this week’s topic is the President of the United States, aka POTUS. Feel free to be political, funny, random, or whatever. It’s YOUR haiku. Remember the form: 5 syllables – 7 syllables – 5 syllables.

Number Forty-Four
A good man, but can he fix
This gigantic mess?

Leading the free world
Pressure, critics ’round the clock
I don’t want that job.

Your turn.

Things that Suck

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My renewed interest in college football, thanks to the surprising success of my Baylor Bears, inspired this post. What are some of the most worthless institutions or practices in America? Here are a few in my book:

  • Bowl Championship Series (BCS) – Every sport I know of, from Little League to the pros, offers some type of competition system that produces a legitimate champion. Many use a traditional playoff system. Some use a hybrid of round-robin and traditional playoff or a double-elimination playoff. However, there is one exception: college football. Instead of the playoff system that everyone wants except the BCS commissioner and a few businessmen, college football uses an incomprehensible computer ranking system to determine which two teams get to play for the national championship. Only the schools from certain high-profile conferences have any realistic chance at being ranked in the top two. Every year, it seems, at least one undefeated school is left out by the BCS. Why does the BCS exist? Supposedly it’s about money, but I fail to see how an eight-team playoff system couldn’t help but bring in more TV and ticket revenue than the existing system.
  • Transportation Security Administration (TSA) – OK, is the TSA truly worthless? No. We must have some sort of security for our airlines. However, the TSA doesn’t make me feel much safer. It spends billions of dollars creating the illusion of safety – adding fancy machines, employing tens of thousands of people, enforcing ridiculous rules – to make the public feel safer about flying. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make flying or anything else completely safe. Undercover agents routinely pass contraband through TSA checkpoints. Anyone who really wants to get around the TSA’s rules (or any other security) will find a way to do so. In the meantime, both airline pilots and 70-year-old grandmothers have to take their shoes off and put all their liquids in bottles of a certain size and store them in a plastic baggie for scanning to satisfy the rules. But Grandma can take her huge, pointy knitting needles onboard because they aren’t considered a weapon.
  • Electoral College – We think we elect our President, but all we really do is vote to decide which other people get to elect our President. Margin of victory is meaningless. If the presidential candidate wins a majority within a state, he/she wins ALL of the electoral votes cast by some mysterious group of people for that state. As a result, it is possible to get more votes than one’s opponent and yet still lose the election. It happened in 2000. Like him or hate him, Al Gore won the election but didn’t get the job.
  • Filibuster in the US Senate – Legislating is hard work. It’s even harder when yahoos from one party have the power to prevent new legislation from even coming to a vote. Both parties have been guilty of this act numerous times. It’s a wonder the Senate gets ANYTHING done.
  • Telemarketing – Need I say more? On the plus side, ditching our landline has almost eliminated telemarketing calls.

Sorry for the negative post, but I’m going to be very upset if TCU doesn’t get to play for the national championship because of a stupid computer. What else can you think of?

Haiku Tuesday 12 – Election

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Today is mid-term Election Day. In Texas, that means many state offices, some local offices and issues, and some US Representatives are up for election. Please go vote if you haven’t already. To honor Election Day, I chose it as the subject for this week’s haiku.

Don’t like who’s in charge?
Cast your vote to kick them out
Time to have your say

Your turn.

2010 Race for Governor of Texas

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Politicians are like diapers; they both need changing regularly and for the same reason. – Unknown

Local political races don’t interest me much, largely because there are so many that I don’t want to put in the effort to follow them. However, I do have some interest in the races for our highest offices.

I haven’t followed Rick Perry, whom a friend calls Governor Good Hair, much during his long tenure as our governor, but he strikes me as a polished, suave, career politician. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I can’t help but wonder how any person can stay in politics for a lifetime, particularly in the same position for multiple terms, without being corrupted by the perks of power. That’s one reason I support term limits. (see quote above – trust me, I know a lot about dirty diapers)

With regard to Perry personally, I dislike his tacit support at a Tea Party rally for secession of Texas (are you kidding me?), his refusal to debate the other candidates for governor, his attempts to paint Washington as the enemy of Texas, and his flaunting of the environment in favor of Texas businesses. So while I’m sure he’s done some good for Texas (we have weathered the recession better than most states, although Perry doesn’t deserve all the credit), I wouldn’t mind seeing a new face in the governor’s office. Is Bill White the right guy?

I think he is. Here’s why:

  1. Business Experience – He has experience both in politics as mayor of Houston and Deputy Secretary of Energy and in business as a successful lawyer and executive. I think it’s helpful for a politician to have success in a real job instead of only knowing how to be a politician.
  2. Energy Expertise – His experience in the energy sector prepares him well to help Texas manage one of its most important issues – our need to find viable, affordable, and sustainable sources of energy.
  3. Environmental Leadership – He understands that Texas needs to stop leading the nation in greenhouse gas emissions and is willing to fight the companies that contribute to the problem.
  4. Transportation – He has a better plan for managing and funding our transportation needs.
  5. Education – He helped reform education and significantly cut the dropout rate in Houston. He also understands that there’s more to a successful education than TAKS scores.

I’m certainly no expert on either candidate, but I like much of what I’ve read about White so far. Sure, he’s not flashy, doesn’t toss out zingers like some politicians, and definitely can’t compete with Perry’s hair. Who cares? White has what it takes to get the job done and won’t make the rest of the country confuse the great State of Texas with the not-so-great Republic of Texas.

He has also won endorsements from many of the largest newspapers in Texas. The Dallas Morning News recently endorsed him, as did the Houston Chronicle, the Austin American-Statesman, and the San Antonio Express-News.

Helpful Links

What are your thoughts?

Gay Marriage

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“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” – George Orwell, Animal Farm

In November 2008, after a hugely expensive and divisive campaign, California voters narrowly passed Proposition 8, which legally defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. A gay couple challenged this law in court as an unconstitutional limit on their civil rights to marry and receive equal treatment under the law per the 14th Amendment.

On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled in favor of the couple, saying Proposition 8 was unconstitutional. Prop-8 supporters plan to appeal. Many observers believe the case will reach the Supreme Court within a year or two, which could finally produce a nationwide standard on the legality of gay marriage.

Around the time of the November 2008 elections, I was more interested in the presidential race than an issue in California that didn’t affect me. The issue itself produced mixed emotions in me, so I didn’t have a strong opinion either way. But after thinking about it recently, I have reached a conclusion that surprises me but also gives me peace: I now agree with yesterday’s court decision.

I am a happily married, straight male who loves Jesus, reads the Bible, and supports the rights of gay couples to marry.

How can this be?, you might ask. To me, gay marriage is a separate issue from the morality of homosexuality.

The latter generates more disagreement within Christendom than many Christians realize, especially in the Bible Belt. Although I must admit that I want to, so far I’m not willing to do the textual gymnastics necessary to say the Bible approves of homosexual relationships.

However, gay marriage is a legal issue, rather than a moral one, and America is a democracy, not a theocracy. We don’t create our laws to enforce any particular interpretation of the Bible. The President is not the head of the Church of America, and I am thankful for the separation of church and state, for the right to live for my God in the way I think best rather than having a government official interpret the Bible for me. If you want a theocracy, you can get close if you’re willing to move. Check out Iran, Saudi Arabia, or Afghanistan.

Our laws generally aim to prevent people and groups from hurting each other or society as a whole. They still give us plenty of leeway on many issues and allow us to do many things that the Bible forbids. There is no law against adultery, for example. Or smoking. Or lying to your boss. Or being a greedy, materialistic jerk. The law considers these moral issues rather than legal issues and doesn’t significantly interfere with our freedom to hurt ourselves in these ways.

But in the law’s eyes, gay marriage is different.

The vast majority of Americans are straight. I would guess that the majority are at best uncomfortable with the idea of the gay lifestyle. Despite all our talk about America’s being the land of the free, where all men are equal under the law, in many circles it’s still acceptable to treat men and women as inferior if they happen to be gay. With apologies to Orwell, we act as if:

All men are equal, but heterosexuals are more equal.

We used to treat women as second-class citizens. Then the laws changed, and over time we have righted that wrong to a large degree. We used to allow whites to own blacks as slaves. Then the laws changed, and over time we have righted that wrong to a large degree, even to the point that a black man is now our President. Yet most states continue to deny gays the right to marry simply because many people disagree with certain aspects of their lifestyle.

I cannot in good conscience support such a position.

Does God intend marriage to mean one man and one woman? I think so. But I don’t think the American government should get to make that call for us, and within another year or two, I predict that it won’t be able to.