How are your own federal taxes being spent?

Here is a way to see how your own federal tax dollars, medicare and social security taxes are being allocated. Please go here for the quick calculator.

Energy Facts & The Future

In one of my college classes, my professor, Dr. Luke Tripp, continually admonishes us to think critically. Elements of critical thinking according to Dr. Tripp include: Definition of the problem or question, looking at assumptions, concepts, data, information, analysis, interpretations, inferences, conclusions & implications. He goes on to list standards of critical thinking including: Clarity, completeness, logic, coherence, validity, consistency with the facts, accuracy, relevance, justifiability & significance as the criteria to assess what one hears and sees in the news.

With all of this in mind, we were pleased that the president’s weekly address included the kind of evidence that is usually missing in the public opinion advertising by the oil industry and the political rhetoric that masquerades as news. So take a look at this video and consider if it isn’t finally time to really put our country’s resources into moving in the direction of clean energy, which doesn’t have the hidden cost of climate disruption which seems to play a part of the severe weather that we have been having here in our country and around the world.

- Richard & Bonnett Chandler March 19, 2012

A Great Idea Gets A Better Voice Than Mine

For a number of years, on my own very small soap box, in front of my usual audience of one, I have been telling my audience that one of the most central legislative initiatives we need to have in our country is to repeal laws that give tax benefits for exporting jobs, while enacting laws that reward companies for keeping jobs in our own country. This doesn't mean that companies wouldn't be free to hire workers anywhere in the world that they wished to do so. It simply means you and I would no longer be financing that job-exporting way of doing business with our money, as we have been doing for years, and to our mutual detriment.

Since, to my knowledge, The President has not heard this directly from me, it might be that enough other people believe that this is a good idea, and the president has heard this from someone else. Or perhaps the President even came up with the idea himself. Either way, he explains it in his Weekly Address: Continuing to Strengthen American Manufacturing.

What I would like to see from President Obama is an actual proposal identifying the language in existing laws that need to be eliminated, and the language for new laws to be enacted that would do what he states needs to be done. And then have him push it, with sponsors of the proposed legislation from both houses of congress. Here is the short talk:

We Rebuilt Famous Quotes Homepage!

Hello All,

We finally rebuilt our Famous Quotes Homepage website! I hope to add a few more posts here, too, in the coming months.

Best,

- Richard Chandler