To use the immortal words of Thomas Paine, these are the times that try men’s souls (and women’s, too). Our current economic woes are anguishing not just because of the pain itself — unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies, broken pension programs, and insolvent governments — but also because those charged with guiding our economy off the rocks and into a safe harbor seem utterly clueless.
Case in point: U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, commenting on Obama’s proposed healthcare tax, stated most small businesses don’t earn the $280,000-per-year threshold level at which the tax levy becomes effective.
Um, Rep. Hoyer, have you ever heard of sole proprieterships? Many businesses are set up this way. The owner may bring in $300 or $500K per year, but that’s before he or she pays for overhead, employees, insurance, etc. The owner’s take-home pay is likely to be much less. A tax hit like this would surely result in workers being laid off, getting their hours reduced, and/or having to pay much more out-of-pocket for health care.
Small businesses provide more jobs than large corporations, and are likely to lead us out of this brutal recession eventually. It’s high time Rep. Hoyer, Prsident Obama, and dozens of other clueless “leaders” (many of whom, like Rep. Hoyer, have spent their whole careers in the public sector) got a clue about how the private sector operates and how elected officials’ polices affect the American people.
MICHIGAN MALAISE — Michigan’s June unemployment rate was just announced: 15.2 percent, up from 14.1 percent in May. It’s a cruel fact of life that when times are toughest and the need for Medicaid, food stamps, and private charity is greatest, the finances supporting those resources are often depleted. It’s hardest to get people to donate to soup kitchens, food banks, and other charities when the need is greatest. The Medicaid and unemployment compensation being paid out by Michigan exacerbates an already serious budget situation. Unfortunately, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
FORTY YEAR ANNIVERSARY — Hard to believe it was 40 years ago today that Apollo 11 was launched to send men to the moon for the first time. The computer technology of that era was, to say the least, primitive compared to what’s available today. I might comment on this a bit more on July 20, the anniversary of the first moon landing.
TECHNOLOGY WARS — For many years, radar detectors and radar jammers have received a lot of publicity and been the subject of litigation and legislation. I wonder if this will become the equivalent of the Beta vs. VHS format battle for VCR machines in the 1980s — a technological moot point.
The Washington Examiner reports that now folks are using an application for Apple’s iPhone as well as other global positioning system devices that pinpoint the location of traffic cameras and may enable drivers to evade sobriety checkpoints.
The new technology streams to iPhones and global positioning system devices, sounding off an alarm as drivers approach speed or red-light cameras.
I don’t pretend to be able to keep up with technology (it’s too complex and evolves too rapidly; plus, I am far from a techno-geek). But one thing I do know: By the time lawmakers and regulators develop and implement regulations to address this technology, some new technology will have surfaced to continue helping drivers escape big brother’s ticket writers.
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