You wanna hear some sad news? My parents, who paid $22 in taxes last year, have to pay $10,000 in taxes this year. My mom was so heartsick when they found out. It has to do with how they withdrew money from their tax sheltered retirement accounts. We feel particularly bad because a lot of the money they withdrew was to help us when we came back from Singapore and needed help to get our feet under us.
Here is an unbelievable posting from a German on a bulletin board system
that I read as part of my industry. Since it is bad enough for him to
interrupt a business bulletin board with such stupidity, I felt I had to
share this.
FROM
joernlucht@gmx.net Dear MIM listers,
Today I have had a conversation with a Danish client who stated that
George W. Bush is the most dangerous man since Adolf Hitler!
Me, being a German who is very well aware of European History, feel that
I have to make a few comments (not to change anything but to be able to
tell my grand children that I was not just watching).
I know some of you will feel this may not be the right forum, but if you
ask anyone who survived the Holocaust you will learn that there is
nothing like a "wrong" forum. And, If the hosts of this forum decide to
remove me from this list because I am un-patriotic than I really have
something to be proud of!
Right now we are witnessing a crusade against people who do not share
our Christian views and values.
The Bush Administration has destroyed Afghanistan (luckily there have
been no civilians in Afghanistan - everybody in Afghanistan was either a
Bin Laden follower (spell Terrorist) or a Taliban (spell Terrorist
Supporter) - no problem to bomb them back to stone age and kill
thousands of children, mothers and fathers who "maybe" have been
"terrorists" or "maybe" have been harbouring terrorists.
The Bush Administration has been taking prisoners with a "non-combatant"
status who are held in caves worth than German Nazi Konzentration Camps
on Cuba and deny them any rights that are usually granted by the Geneva
Convention of 1949.
The Bush Administration has invaded and conquered Iraq in a way that
almost every expert of international law calls an "unjustified
aggression" and is going to establish a US military regime (very
democratic!)
The Bush Administration is now focussing on Syria as the next country to
be "liberated".
Now, if you take the hassle to look into European History you will see
that History is repeating itself. Nazi Germany occupied Poland
(Afghanistan) without any objection. Then came the Netherlands (Iraq),
Bulgaria (Syria) and France (Iran). Only when Nazi Germany started to go
after the United Kingdom (Saudi Arabia) the international community
decided to stop this imperial attempt.
Today we have the US leading the pack and the UK (who have a long
history of being kicked their asses in the middle east), Spain (amazing
because Spain has been a neutral country ever since the 1700's), Denmark
(who has a rich history of saving Jews from Nazi Germany) and Poland
(who joint because just they want GI bases in Poland to power up their
economy) are going after people who have slightly different believes, a
different colour and a very different culture in their home country.
It is one thing to kick Muslims out of your country. Going after them in
their home country is a totally different story.
Well, what do you expect from a country that has been build on killing
the natives (Indians) by a bunch of refugees and small time criminals
who have not been able to make a living in good old Europe?
The "Coalition of the willing" lists countries like Afghanistan, East
Tibor and Nigeria (and a couple of "new Europe" countries who can be
happy if they are allowed into the European Union). The most amazing
thing is that Turkey down turned a $20 billion offer in order to allow
the passing of US troops - seems like you can't buy everything!.
The Bush Administration has been successful in passing the "Patriotic
Act" - Try that in in any European Country and you will have virtually
everybody on the street - Nobody in Europe will give away his individual
rights only because their might be a terrorist placing a bomb somewhere
(and to make this very clear: The Trade Tower Incident caused some 3,000
victims - at least 30,000 people have been killed in "terrorist acts"
since 9/11).
BTW: Who determines what is a terrorist act and what is a freedom fight?
Take a look a Israel, Northern Ireland, Palestine, Columbia, Nigeria,
Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Cyprus etc...
What this all has to do with our industry? - Meetings and Travelling
needs stability. In a world that is driven by being afraid (if you spend
to much time on the website of the US State Department you are not going
to travel anywhere - According to the US State Department, almost every
country around the world is a scary place - This includes Australia,
Great Britain, Germany and France) the most noble effect of meetings are
jeopardized - generating multi-cultural understanding by meeting face to
face and following overall interests.
The Bush Administration is putting an enormous effort into telling
Americans that you are not save anywhere. Certainly not abroad and not
even at home. Hermann Goering (Nazi German Propaganda Minister) in his
court trial 1949: "Your people are going to follow you everywhere if you
have them scared enough".
My wish for 2003? Americans stop being afraid and get rid of George W.
Bush and his neo-conservative crowd.
As somebody said: "Who is going to protect us from the US." Bush has
plenty of weapons of mass destruction at his hands and the US have a
history of using them (Hiroshima). Furthermore the US have a rich
history of using conventional military force to reach their objectives
(Grenada, Panama etc.).
The US is neglecting civil rights (Mr. Hawash - an Intel Corporation
employee - detained 2 weeks ago by a search warrant and a material
witness warrant who are both sealed - no one knows what evidence was
used to attain them, and they have yet to be challenged in court - BTW:
Hawash is an American citizen with an American wife and three American
children).
Well, the lesson to be learned is simple. As soon as you have nuclear
weapons, you are save (see North Korea). What if the French or Russian
leaders or any "laid off" scientist decides to give nuclear weapons to
Iran or Syria in order to keep Bush down at first base?
I certainly hope that the American people will not follow Bush into
Armageddon and get rid of him as soon as possible.
Right now there is still a lot of passion about America in good old
Europe but if America keeps following the road Bush has paved that is
most certainly going to change. Being afraid because of condition orange
(sounds almost like Agent Orange) is clouding the ability to think and
from an European view the actions America is taking look hysterical. I
sure hope you are able to overcome this challenge.
Joern Lucht
Berlin, Germany
Oh my goodness. That just makes me sick.
My parents went to the same tax man who did our taxes and at first was very worried when they were told it may be around $3000 they'd have to pay. When they found out it was $10,000, she dropped by our house and said it felt like the worst day of her life - and she's nearly 80 years old. We did have them get a second opinion, but looks like they're stuck with that bill. They've got to borrow money just to pay their taxes now.
I feel so badly for them. That just takes your breath away. And especially at that age.
I had them done before noon. I think that's a record.;^)
If I have to hear CNN do one more segment on the Iraqi National Museum being looted, I am going to scream. They are acting like it is the end of the world that all those "priceless" antiquities are gone. It was professionals that took the "priceless" stuff, the director even showed CNN the glass cutters that were used to gain access. But still they blame the Marines for not doing anything when the looters appeared. Um, all the stuff was gone, and the looters just smashed the museum up? I really start to wonder about CNN's priorities...
Did ya'll watch Raymond last night? That family just can't keep their mouths shut, not even at a "viewing".
Now, I have about one-third what is outlined written as text. At least I've made a start! I just did a count. I'm well over 1100 words. Since this is the rough draft, I'll be throwing out, rephrasing and condensing a lot in the rewrite. And rewrite. And edit. And revise.
I'm taking Wednesday morning off so I can keep wroking. Discipline, self-discipline.
Big Sigh.