It is the entitlement programs and interest payments, Stupid...

That is a play on the words of Pres. Clinton's campaign slogan of 91'. Entitlement programs, primarily Social Security and Medicare, and interest payments on the national debt, will eventually consume ALL of the projected revenues to the Federal Government.  This is NOT including paying for other things, like National Defense and ALL other discretionary spending the Federal Government does.  We are going to need a bigger boat---load of tax money to pay for this.  Notice the year it is projected students---right in your early 30's. The onset of your peak earning years. You better do REAL well, because it is going to be costly..



The demise of the one dollar bill would be a good thing---not the value, but the paper it is printed on...It is time to go to coinage.

Source: Carpe Diem

Source:  Carpe Diem for this posting....

The chart above is based on data from the Dollar Coin Alliance (DCA), a coalition of small businesses, budget watchdogs, trade associations, and private companies advocating that the U.S. transition to the dollar coin. The DCA is asking Congress to eliminate the dollar bill in favor of the dollar coin to save billions annually in taxpayer money. According to the DCA:
1. Each year approximately 3.2 billion $1 bills are removed from circulation due to wear and tear. They are not recyclable, so they are shredded and most are deposited in landfills. Dollar coins have a lifespan of 30 years or more, while $1 notes last approximately 2-3 years. A $1 coin that is produced for less than 16¢ would replace 17 bills that would have to be printed for a cost of 47¢.
2. The private sector experiences even greater cost savings and increased revenues from $1 coins. Jammed $1 bills in vending machines cost the industry $1 billion in annual repair costs and lost sales. According to the transit industry, it costs six times more to process $1 bills than $1 coins.
3. Other countries have already recognized the cost savings and benefits of the dollar coin, including Canada, the European Union, and Japan. When Canada transitioned to a dollar coin 25 years ago, the government realized savings more than ten times initial estimates.
4. The United States has one of the smallest denominations of paper currency among the major economies of the world (G-8 Countries). The $1 bill is worth less than any of these other bills except for the Russian Ruble (see chart above).
5. According to a January 2011 poll, Americans favor the transition to a dollar coin by a two-to-one margin once the potential government savings are explained.

The Happiest Person in America has been located! A very unlikely bundle of characteristics...

The Happiest Person in America has been located! A very unlikely bundle of characteristics...

The happiest person in America has been located!! Sadly, it is not me, but could be...

The Happiest Man in America Goes Viral

The New York Times asked Gallup to come up with a statistical composite for the happiest person in America, based on the characteristics that most closely correlated with happiness in 2010. Men, for example, tend to be happier than women, older people are happier than middle-aged people, and so on. Gallup’s answer: he’s a tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year. A few phone calls later and ...
Meet Alvin Wong. He is a 5-foot-10, 69-year-old, Chinese-American, Kosher-observing Jew, who’s married with children and lives in Honolulu. He runs his own health care management business and earns more than $120,000 a year.

Help Wanted: Economist needed by Somali Pirates to help with peak load ransom pricing. Experience piloting deep sea cargo ships is a plus...

Hostage Oversupply in Somalia?  Pirates Negotiate Better Deals to Free Up Space


Somali pirates may have reached their limit, at least for now. Security agencies have suggested that Somali pirates are willing to negotiate lower ransoms to release ships they have seized -- because they are running out of room.


Somali pirates have made large swathes of the Indian Ocean a no-go area, but lately they've become victims of their own success. Security agencies report that pirate groups are more willing to negotiate the release of captured vessels lately -- in large part, experts believe, because their ports at Haradheere, Eyl and Hobyo are choked up with ships.


The pirates are reportedly looking for quicker deals, and seem willing to accept lower ransoms, if it means the ships can be moved on...

If you take a shower, you WILL relate with this graphic...

Source CP

A VERY nice interactive graphic comparing state tax rates on various items---very informative!

A terrific interactive to compare states by some vital statistics...I always love to see the comparisons with taxes. It can explain alot in terms of the retail price of various goods. 

Free Tax Filing at TurboTax.com

Is King Dollar Dead? Nice graphic showing the decline of the dollar as the currency of record for international transactions.