Miles And Miles Of Taxes (And Control)

As time and technology march inexorably forward, change is seen in exponential increments, matching the imagination of man. It seems that whatever man imagines is not only possible, but happening. Some may view this as progress and therefore good, but some also equate it only with science. Those who neglect the truth that the principle also applies to politics do so at their own peril. When science and politics converge in the culmination of the fruits of the fertile imagination, disaster awaits. In other words, the dreams of the inventor become a nightmare when grasped by devious hands.

So it is with the invention of the Global Positioning System (GPS), and the plans our government has in store for its utilization in further taxing the citizenry. The University of Iowa is already field testing a system that would use GPS transmitters - which would be built into every new car - to track a driver's miles travelled and send a tax bill to the owner of the car.

As fuel consumption by the American people has waned due to high prices and lower incomes, the federal government complains that funds for highway and transportation projects have fallen behind and cannot keep up with demand for maintenance and road building. After a two-year study, the 15-member National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission - a federal commission - decided unanimously that a by-the-mile tax was the best course to travel.

Interestingly, and at least thus far, there is no mention of a graduated per-mile tax based on the size of the vehicle. (Shh, keep this idea between us!) Which means that if the gas tax is removed in lieu of the per-mile tax, one could afford more gas without the added cost of the exorbitant tax and drive whatever type or size car they want, only concerning themselves with distance. This, of course, may solve the highway funding problem, but it will only exacerbate the global warming problem of which we are warned ad nauseam.

Naturally, the government will devise an added tax on the initial purchase of larger vehicles, thereby making them less attractive to the consumer. Those who are well enough off will continue to buy the larger vehicles, contributing to the coffers of the government. Those who are forced to buy cars only approved by the government will eventually drive as little as absolutely necessary in order to save a buck, and when the highway funding inevitably begins to fall short as a result, the government will simply start taxing gas again.

And the vast majority of the American electorate will complain bitterly to friends or loved ones during commercial breaks while watching Entertainment Tonight or American Idol.

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Revelations From The Honduran Upheaval

And how it may affect the United States

With the recent spate of celebrity deaths - two suddenly and occurring in relatively young men - and the sensational sentencing of Bernie Madoff today, it's small wonder that the ousting of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya by the military and the ensuing mayhem has not caught the attention of the average American. Many have only heard of Honduras in the abstract and know little of her, nor do they care all that much, which is somewhat understandable, but there is a huge significance to the events unfolding there that may indicate more clearly the mindset of our own leadership here.

Once again appearing eager to aid in the destructive machinations of Obama, the media have already shifted their collective headlines - which they know full well is what a great many people read and remember - to portray the situation in Honduras as a "coup". On its face, a coup conjures images of a military overthrow of a government, which is true to a point in this instance. What is different, however, is that this military overthrow was clearly justified as a means of preserving the constitution and rule of law in Honduras against the wanton disregard of those very things by her president.

Zelaya was dragged out of bed early Sunday morning by his own military for violating the country's constitution. As the Wall Street Journal reported today:

That Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law, there is no doubt. While Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite, the power to open that door does not lie with the president. A constituent assembly can only be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress.

But Mr. Zelaya declared the vote on his own and had Mr. Chávez ship him the necessary ballots from Venezuela. The Supreme Court ruled his referendum unconstitutional, and it instructed the military not to carry out the logistics of the vote as it normally would do.

When Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, Zelaya's number one military commander, advised him that he must abide by the Supreme Court's ruling, Zelaya fired him. When the high court ordered the general reinstated, Zelaya refused.

On Thursday, Zelaya led a mob and broke into the military installation where the ballots were held and, in defiance of the Supreme Court, had his supporters distribute them for an illegal vote on the referendum.

Our own secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, was quick to join forces with Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and Daniel Ortega - and the Organization Of American States - in condemning the actions of the Honduran military and began pressuring the country to return Zelaya to power. This is all in response to a people and their military fighting to uphold the value of their constitution, and our own politicians are aligned with the forces of tyranny.

And now Barack Obama is calling this action by the Honduran military "illegal", declaring that the United States still recognizes Manuel Zelaya as the rightful president of Honduras. Perhaps his most revealing comment was that he believes this action sets a "bad precedent".

What an intriguing choice of words. I would think that a truly American president would stand shoulder to shoulder with any peoples who defend the constitution and laws of their country. Perhaps I am wrong, and that this president is trying to set - in his mind at least - the proper precedent; the one he needs to finish his job.

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Billy Mays

I just wanted to clarify that the piece below was written before I learned of the tragic passing of Billy Mays.
May he rest in peace.
The news article can be found here.

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