My View on Taxes - A Lesson in Barstool Economics

The truth is nobody likes paying taxes and almost everyone feels that they’re paying too much and the rich aren’t paying enough.  And in every election year, both political parties roll out the typical class warfare crap in the hopes to win votes.  Past the headlines and soundbites is the reality that this country has promised too much to too many and is financing it’s current obligations onto the backs of our children.  The truth is - we’re all going to have to make some hard choices.

Now, being one of those who is the target of the political rhetoric, I thought I’d share an illustration that was sent to me on how our taxes really do work.  I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum during my life - from not having a pot to pee in to being blessed with a certain degree of financial good fortune.  I really would agree that I could pay more - as I do believe that those whom much has been given, much is expected.  But give me a break.  I just wished some of those bitching about the wealthy not paying enough would wake up and realize what is being funded on their behalf and say thank you and for our politicians to not simply use the extra money collected to fund new programs but to pay off what we owe so our kids can have a brighter future.

You see - we all have some hard choices that we need to make.  I’m willing to give more but ONLY if I have the faith that our political leadership can spend within the budget and those whom benefit quit looking at other people’s money as their entitlement.

>
>    Subject: Bar Stool Economics
>
>        Best explanation to share with your congressman, who
>clearly does not understand this complex principle.
>
>        Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics
>
>        Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the
>bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay
>our taxes, it would go something like this:
>
>        The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
>        The fifth would pay $1.
>        The sixth would pay $3.
>        The seventh would pay $7.
>        The eighth would pay $12.
>        The ninth would pay $18.
>        The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
>
>        So, that’s what they decided to do.
>
>        The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite
>happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
>
>        “Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m
>going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.” Drinks for the ten
>now cost just $80.
>
>        The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay
>our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink
>for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How
>could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair
>share?’
>
>        They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if
>they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the
>sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar
>owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by
>roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each
>should pay.
>
>        And so:
>
>        The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing
>(100% savings).
>        The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
>        The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
>        The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
>        The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
>        The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
>
>        Each of the six was better off than before. And the
>first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant,
>the men began to compare their savings.
>
>        “I only got a dollar out of the $20 declared the sixth
>man. He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got $10!”
>
>        “Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only
>saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I!”
>
>        “That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he
>get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”
>
>        “Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison.
>”We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”
>
>        The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The
>next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down
>and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they
>discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between
>all of them for even half of the bill!
>
>        And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college
>professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest
>taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much,
>attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In
>fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is
>somewhat friendlier.
>
>        David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
>        Professor of Economics
>        University of Georgia

So Who’s Aubie

When people ask me about my website - I tell them it’s “GoAubie.com”.  They always say - now go where?  I then have to get into a lengthy explanation about Aubie.  So I thought I’d just write an article about him.  BTW, if you want to learn more - click the picture and you’ll be directed to Aubie’s main website.

So for highlights, Aubie is the official costumed mascot for Auburn University.  He’s been around since 1959 through cartoons and became a living mascot in 1979.  He’s won the national championship for mascots 6 times since 1991 and is one of the most recognized and beloved mascots in collegiate history.

Audrey’s Baptism

Less than a month old, and with grandparents proudly looking on, the newest addition to our family, Audrey Reese Devoe, was baptized into the church.  The ceremony was performed by Dean David Boren after the 11 AM mass.  True to form - she slept through the entire ceremony not even waking when the cold water was poured on her forehead.  After the baptism, everyone headed to our house for a small celebration.  And yep - she slept through that too!

All of the pictures have been uploaded at GoAubie Galleries.  Please note that they are password protected where you’ll need our family password to gain access.

Cozumel 2008

This was my 2nd trip back to Cozumel.  I had looked forward to it since the beginning of the year.  Not only was I going to hang out with some great friends and experience some terrific diving, this year I was taking my daughter, Katie, with me.  This whole diving thing for me really started on a simple idea - take a family vacation blah blah blah.

Camp Lonehollow - My Summer Vacation

On Sunday, July 29th, I packed up the car and headed west to Vanderpool Texas - home of Camp Lonehollow.  My plan was to take 2 weeks off from work and indulge in a little scuba instruction for a few weeks while taking in the views of the Texas Hill country.   To say it was a vacation would have been dead wrong.  But to say it was an incredible experience meeting some outstanding young people - well, that would be an understatement.

During the 2 weeks I spent at camp, I certified 19 kids with 23 certifications.  I got to work in the kitchen one afternoon and learned a whole lot more about nursing than I could have imagined.  I got bit by man-eating perch in the lake (no kidding - they actually bit one of my male students nipple almost off).  I managed to take a few afternoons off where I was able to explore the 3,000 acre ranch that was the camp’s playground.  But what I enjoyed most was the quiet evenings after a busy day where I sat outside with my new found buddies and drank coffee, star-gazed (yes, you could see the milky way with your naked eye), and enjoyed how quiet everything was.

I’ve uploaded pictures to my photography site.  You can click the picture above or click here to see them.

Katie & Julie Move In

Katie and Julie moved in last week to their new apartment at Texas State.  They had been planning this now for the last 6 months and to say they were excited would be an understatement.   Katie had been working all summer to save money and to buy things to decorate her new apartment.   And she did good - she bought herself a new comforter for her bedroom and managed to buy most of the items for the kitchen.

San Marcos is only about a 45 minute drive from Austin so it took us no time to get down there and move them in.  They had their 1st party Sunday when we left.  I know both kids were really excited as this marked a major transition for them.  No more dorms and no more meal plans.  They’re both a little more on their own and one more step towards independence.  Good luck this fall ladies.  Have fun and remember - grades come first!

Katie’s Glamor Photoshoot

The weekend before Katie headed to Texas State, she was in the PhotoTexas studio’s with soon-to-be famous photographer Lisa Moguel.  Lisa is a photographer with PhotoTexas and was working on her glamour techniques and decided Katie might be a fun subject.  Seems that Katie had been a favorite all summer for all the senior guys coming in to have senior portraits done.  So armed with a little makeup for the occassion and with Gigi coming in for the hair - Katie was primed to do her 1st modeling gig.

I’ve uploaded a few of the photos to share.  All belong to Lisa but I’m using my galleries temporarily to display them.  I think they turned out pretty well - given the subject she had to work with.  I retouched a few of the photographs in Lightroom and Photoshop for either cropping, or some slight effects (with filter conversions or to correct the stray hair).  Click on Katie’s picture in the post to see more.