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I am someone who is thinking these things. I am making preparations to walk away.

I am a member of a national sales organization. Last year my agency was ranked 13th out of over 4500 independent agencies. I brought in over $10,000,000 in new business contracts. I worked nearly eighty hours a week, and I made close to a mid 6-figure income.

If the new Onazi budget and tax proposals go through I will be paying nearly half of my salary to the government. I do not wish to do this, so I will cut my production, move to a smaller office, or close my office altogether. I will lay off most or all of my staff. Additionally, the company I work for will take a 5-6 million dollar hit as a result of my descrease in new contract sales. My new business plan will go into effect the day the tax increase goes through.

I will take the extra forty hours per week that I am not working, and I will fly fish. I will hunt. I will build the cabin in the north country that I have always wanted, and I will turn as much of my business as I am able into cash-only sales.

I will not, however, fund the fascist monstrosity that is the Obama machine more than I need to. I would happily have a vastly reduced standard of living, than contribute to the tyrannical overthrow of my country or live as a cash-generation machine for our breahtakingly despotic king. If I stand alone in my beliefs, than so be it. I don’t think I am alone, however.

"If I stand alone in my beliefs, than so be it. I don’t think I am alone, however."

You are not alone. I can't talk about what I do; just say I'm in the microwave engineering field and a lot of countries are scared and buying aerospace things that go BOOM.

About a month ago, a few of us decided not to buy anything that was taxed unless necessary. Get full use out of what we have until replacement time comes. The goal for that is to make the people that voted for these people in CA and the federal gov't pay those taxes. Started decoupling from investments and bought obviously valuable things like platinum, gold.

I thought it would be interesting to transpose real people to the characters in Atlas Shrugged. I know some of you may disagree with my judgment but I would like to invite one and all to provide their candidates to fill the shoes of each of the main characters in the book:

1)Dagny Taggart: Sarah Palin

2)Hugh Akston: William F Buckley Jr.

3)Ragnar Danneskjold: Ronald Reagan (lowered the top tax rate from 70% to 28%)

4)Hank Rearden: Thomas Edison

5)Ellis Wyatt: T Boone Pickens

6)Francisco d’Anconia: Rush Limbaugh (driving people crazy)

7)James Taggart: Harry Reid

8)Dr.Robert Stadler: Alan Greenspan

9)Dr. Floyd Ferris: Al Gore

10)Richard Halley: George Gershwin

11)Lillian Rearden: Nancy Pelosi

12)Eddie Williers: Joe the Plumber

13)Wesley Mouch: Barack Obama

14)John Galt: TBD

I am someone who did what you are thinking about. I've been “shruggin’” since 2003, when one of my larger clients (a former employer) tried to “nationalize” about 6 years worth of my intellectual capital. Decide to temporarily do without the income rather than to give away what was in my rice bowl for free.

BEST DECISION I EVER MAKE! I traded the time I spent earning enough to buy things I found I really didn't need and pay taxes for “services” I neither used or wanted, for time to do things that were in my and my family's best interests.

I took the time to improve my health. I spent more time with my loved ones. I explored new areas of knowledge and to develop new skills. I did more volunteer work in areas important to both me and the community I live in.

The way I see it, time is the most important resource we have, and it is extremely limited. We use time, as well as our abilities, knowledge, skills and attitudes, to create economic value. We trade this with others for the value we want that they produce. When someone takes my value without my consent, and gives me little or nothing in return, it is theft.

I don't like thieves. They will get as little from me as humanly possible. Raise my taxes, take away my freedoms - I'll shrug even more. Dirty little secret that the parasites don't want you to know is they can't do jack with productive folks generating value to loot.

I don't confuse “shruggin” with “slacking”. I keep up with the advances and changes in my profession, and I am more than willing - eager! - to return to adding value for others, making money, growing a business when being productive is once again rewarded.

I'm with ya snow. Wife and I have earned near mid level six figure income for the past three years. I work 80 hours per week and am never home.

I am done. Told the company president two days ago that I will take half my regular base salary and back off to 45 to 50 hours a week. No more huge bonus. Told him maybe we can work out some other payback down the road, but I am not going to support this madness brought on by the communist in the White House.