Death by a Thousand Taxes By Dr. Russell McDougal Most likely your property values are falling. If your income is rising, it is likely due, in large part, to inflation. Inflation is a result of the non-federal non-Reserve stranglehold on the American populace. Are your property tax rates falling in relationship to current plummeting real estate and real income rates? Dumb question. The taxman shows zero mercy. If you build it, he will take it. I’ve paid into the social security monstrosity since 1963. My initial wages were at $.25 per hour. It’s been a LOT of labor. Pedaling newspapers, washing dishes, cleaning swimming pools, mopping floors, raising 4-H beef, changing filters in hot asbestos filled attics, vaccinating chickens, driving trucks and sweeping floors in copper mines were all on the table. Anyone want to give odds as to whether I’ll ever see some Social Security funds returned? Add that to 30 some years of doing the dentistry thing and a guy can get a little tired. Dentists, in case you don’t know, have close to the highest divorce, suicide and alcoholism rates amongst the various careers. Sheesh. Whaddya get for all these labors? Somewhere near 75 percent of all earnings get taxed away. I’m serious. When you add up all the fed, state, sales, gas, liquor, travel and Lord knows what else in taxes fees and tolls you come up some where near 75%. All this makes me amongst the “privileged few”. Don’t forget to count the cruelest tax of all—the hidden inflation tax. We all pay this one, presently running in double digits. Long ago, people cringed at the thought of having a “socialist” government. Denmark, Sweden and Norway were paying exorbitant taxes of 60 to 70 percent. Now we are there. Some think it is moral and proper to seize property from some citizens and redistribute it to others. That is properly called socialism or collectivism. Capitalism is another story entirely. The American dream was built upon individual success. The American dream limited the state! The American nightmare is now an unlimited state. To be blunt, all elections are advanced auctions of stolen goods (H.L. Mencken). The Republicrats are lining up and they have you in their sights. Nothing fundamental is set to “change” regardless of the current election results. They change the guard regularly at Windsor Castle but the occupants remain the same. If you don’t work or never intend to work, you needn’t read further. INTERNAL ENDORSEMENT 152% Overall Return Last Year... 13 Winners Between 46% and 173% in the Last 90 Days Forget what you've heard about how tough it is out there - how the market is falling, and the sky is too! In the last few months, subscribers to Rick Pendergraft's K.IS.S. Investing had an opportunity for gains of 159% on Continental Airlines... 173% on the ETF that tracks the Dow... 129% on the ETF that tracks the Nasdaq... 89% on Verisign and another 71% on XM Satellite Radio. And here's the REALLY good part... for a limited time you can gain access to Rick's research FREE for life... keep reading for all the details. | My fellow Americans… you live in a socialist country right now. At best. Not only that… it is hopelessly bankrupt. John Williams of Shadow Government Statistics gives an honest account. “The government’s finances not only are out of control, but the actual deficit is not containable. Put into perspective, if the government were to raise taxes so as to seize 100% of all wages, salaries and corporate profits, it still would be showing an annual deficit using GAAP accounting on a consistent basis. In like manner, given current revenues, if it stopped spending every penny (including defense and homeland security) other than for Social Security and Medicare obligations, the government still would be showing an annual deficit.” If the US used the same accounting it requires of corporations (GAAP) it would show over $62 trillion in total debt. Debt is being added at a rate of $4.6 trillion per year! This isn’t going to end well. Our politicians continue to diddle while Rome burns. Another problem is that inflation reigns supreme and you get pushed into higher and higher tax brackets. Every year. Honest government demands a corresponding adjustment of the brackets but none is forthcoming. Eventually all will fall into the highest brackets. Will the brackets go to even higher percentages? In spite of a punitive tax environment, many have pushed ahead. If they lived in a low tax country or a flat tax country, they would likely be gazzillionaires by now. I am not looking at this completely selfishly. My concerns are for those without high incomes, and for those who don’t understand how fraudulent our economy is based or how deceptive our monetary system is. I have succeeded in spite of these variables. I am grateful for that. The “middle class” is the one at greatest risk. The middle class is the backbone of any first rate economy. You can cry for these folks. Crap, even the commie Russians now have a flat 15% tax. The American Revolution was fought over taxes a tenth of present US rates. There is nothing worse than being a serf and not even knowing it. I vehemently disagree with anyone who doesn’t like tax cuts. Reign in and cut back the rampaging government monster! Class envy is in the US’s present and near future. I’ll have no part of it. Most successful people got where they are because of providential blessing, hard work and sheer determination. Plodding also comes in quite handy. Charity is best performed in the private sector. Government actions tend to mess up their supposed intentions. A dollar donated to private and efficient charities equals $10 in the government’s hands. They will goof up most anything they attempt. The less money you send their way the safer will be your household, the state and the planet. I have really strayed here. The point is that you will see zippo tax relief from falling property values. It’s primarily a one-way street with taxes. They dictate and you pay. Each and every tax district should be scurrying about and relieving taxes for distressed citizens. Falling property values demand tax relief. Now, about that gas tax… Live Resourcefully, Rusty P.S. To let me know what you thought of today's article, send an e-mail to: feedback@investorsdailyedge.com. [Ed. Note: The Investor's Daily Edge Wealth Society is now open to new members. You can get all of our investment research newsletters: INCOME, K.I.S.S. Investing, Wealth Advantage, Resource Windfall Speculator, Global Profits Hotline, The Optionist, Rising Tide Letter, Asia Business & Investing. On top of that you'll get more than a dozen timely reports. And you'll get everything... for life. Keep reading for all the details.] Are We Setting Up For Another Leg Down By Charles Delvalle Over the past few months, the markets have fought all that is logical in order to move higher. After bottoming in February, the Dow Jones rocketed 1,200 points. But did last Friday’s sell-off signal a bigger sell-off looming? To find out, let’s take a look at the CBOE Volatility Index ($VIX). This index measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 index options. When the VIX moves higher, it signals more volatility. And more volatility generally means lower stock prices. With that said, when you see the VIX moving higher there is a strong likelihood that stock prices will move lower. So what is the VIX doing right now? Take a look below… Back in April, the VIX broke under its 200-day moving average. During this same time, the Dow Jones rallied 800 points. But after last week’s sell-off, the VIX broke back above its 200-day moving average. What this means is that volatility in the market is increasing. And as volatility increases, stock prices drop. The likelihood of lower stock prices during the summer is now very real. Add in the fact that the Fed is now talking about raising interest rates and the effect higher oil prices will have on the economy, and you have a very ugly picture being painted for the market this summer. That big sell-off looks like it could be right around the corner. The best way to play a dropping Dow is to short the Diamonds Trust ETF (DIA) which tracks the Dow Jones. And if you’re feeling saucy, buy August put options. INTERNAL ENDORSEMENT Winners Cherry Pick! Losers Bottom Feed Thousands of stocks have just fallen 40% or more... most will continue to tumble… but you should still overpower the markets. Because a select few stocks are now set to roar back for outstanding near-term gains. It’s time to party like it’s 2002 You don’t want to miss out… because, today, you can jump into any one of seven companies at what should be their once-in-a-lifetime lows… each is poised to take you to new highs. Grab this low-hanging fruit here. | If you enjoy IDE's daily investing advice, you'll definitely be interested in checking out our sister publication, Early to Rise. Each morning, you'll get powerful wealth-building advice covering real estate, entrepreneurship, personal finance, marketing, and much more. Sign-Up for Early To Rise today! To unsubscribe, Click here To change your email address, Click here To cancel or for any other subscription issues, write us at: Investor's Daily Edge 245 NE 4th Ave, Suite 201 Delray Beach, Fl 33483 Phone: 877-465-1416 |