Poverty, Entitlement, and Sexual Predators

We had some friends over today.  They are conservative and hold many views similar to mine.  And the conversation turned to why we home school. (They are a home schooling parent’s too.)

I told him that we finally made the decision to home school because there was way too many problems with the school.  The first year we homeschooled, I talked with one of the 1st grade teachers, and she told me that she had at least 2 kids in her class that has sexual issues. THIS IS 1ST GRADE (6 YEAR OLDS!)

My friend asked me what I thought was the reason for such prevalence of sexual problems at this school.  “Is it poverty?” he asked.

That sent my mind a wondering.

Almost 10 years ago, I had two different jobs (at different times) that lead me to work with at least 10 different boys who were in state custody for sexual misconduct.  I learned a lot in that year, and I feel that I have a keen understanding of what makes the sexual predator tick.

First of all, I learned that children under about the age of 10 who have issues with sexually inappropriate behavior learned such behavior in only one way.  And that is because they themselves have been victims.  Thus, most likely these 2 six year olds who are acting out sexually were once victimized (most likely by someone in their home or family).

That took me to a second thing that I learned, and that was that sexual predators usually perpetrate because they believe that they have a right to do so.  They think that they are entitled to commit the offense because society (or the victim) has hurt them.

That is the one thing that sexual predators and the poor have in common.  They have a sense of entitlement.  They both feel like something is owed to them because they have been wronged some how.

I don’t point this out to say that all poor people will become sexual predators.  But more to say that our culture of entitlement is what has lead to the increase in sexual predation in our society.

We are often told that the increase in reports is because people are educated about what is wrong and they are more likely to report.  Some might even say that sexual inappropriate material in the media increases the rate of criminal activity (and I happen to think that it does to an extent).  However, I strongly feel that it probably has more to do with our cultural emphasis on entitlement that has lead to the increase in sex crimes.

A Must Read: Bob Lonsberry on Tax Cuts

I am breaking three of my own personal blogging rules here.

1. I am commenting twice in a row about the same subject.

2. I am posting twice in the same day.

3. I am just giving a link with no commentary (sort of, some might consider this commentary).

That’s how much I find this article on Tax Cuts by Bob Lonsberry to be worth reading for everyone.

Response to T.O.B.A.C.C.O.

I rarely invite people to read other blog articles. It seems to me counter intuitive. After all, I am right on all things, so why would I want to send you to someone else for inaccurate and confusing information. However, I found this article so laughable, I figured that you all would enjoy a good chuckle.

T.A.B.A.C.C.O. attempts to criticize my view on the Fair Tax but it appears that he didn’t even bother to read what I had to right. And as you know, I sure love playing with numbers. He gets his numbers wrong too. I probably made the carnal mistake of actually replying to his mistakings, but they aren’t appearing on his site. So, I have chosen to reproduce them here:

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My response to T.A.B.A.C.C.O.’s criticism of Fair Tax. Are We Ready?

Your response is so laughable. I don’t even know where to begin. But I have consulted with Mr. Have More, even though he only make 6 figures compared to my 8 figures. And after we both had a good chuckle. We decided to start with your numbers.

Why does only the Mr. Average Joe pay interest. Even with my 8-figure salary I am paying over $2000 dollars in interest on my multi-million dollar home. Don’t forget the interest that I am paying on my Porche Carrera GT. That’s about $500 too. Then you assume that tax is paid on interest. It never has been and if you had read the fairtax.org information you would have known that interest is not taxed. So, your numbers are completely skewed and biased.

Speaking of not having read anything (like my article on the fair tax, it’s a pretty good read, you really should look at it, be forwarned there is a typo in there and as you are a better proofreader than a number cruncher that might bother you). If you would have read more on the fair tax concept you would have learned that there is a certain level of income that isn’t taxed at all. Although [http://www.fairtaxvolunteer.org/smart/faq-main.html#3 they don't give an exact number], I can make a stab that it will be about $25000 that isn’t taxed. I am probably being to conservative with that number because I am sure it is probably higher.

So, with that in mind, Mr. Average Joe would have only paid $3450, if he had had to borrow as much as you claim he did. That’s 11.5% in taxes. Which is less than the 13.8% tax that you attributed to my millionaire freind, Mr. Have More.

However, you forgot to take into account what Mr. Have More did with his extra $400,000 that he didn’t spend. Assuming Mr. Have More works for someone else and can’t hire more employees who he could pay more. (If he did Mr. Average Joe probably got a $5000+ raise, thus eliminate half of the interest he paid this last year.) But Mr. Have More (like me) works for another person. So, he decides to invest the $400,000 dollars in the stock market. That just created 3 more jobs, or offered up 10 more pay raises. This new money is also spent and thus, Mr. Have More is indirectly taxed, but will be rewarded when he cashes out his stock.

But more than Mr. Have More’s benefit, we as a society benefit, because there are less jobless and more services for all of us to enjoy and use.

The most important thing to note, however, is that the article of mine you so graciously criticized is a direct critism of the Fair Tax. I criticize it because it keeps the current tax system revenue nuetral. I think that government provided services need to be reduced. The article calls for a reduction in tax burden before we start talking about moves to a fair tax. Perhaps you would enjoy reading it.

Oh, and the name is spelled Gazelem (pronounced Gä-zā’lĭm, that’s Gah-ZEY-lim if you are phonetically challenged).

Fair Tax. Are We Ready For It?

If you read any conservative blogs on the Internet, odds are you have read about the Fair Tax. I am actually surprised that it took my most recent article on taxes to finally bring someone out of the wood work on this site. Thanks Slam Smith for setting me up so nicely.

First of all, I must say, in general, I support the concepts laid out by the Fair Tax people. There are a few things I disagree with, but that isn’t really the point of this discussion here. I like the idea of eliminating the Income Tax and shifting the burden from earning to spending. It works for me.

However, I don’t think that it will work with the system that we have now. According to the Fair Tax website, in order to have a revenue neutral tax reform, the tax rate would need to be 23%.

I know what you are thinking. “Ah-hah! That’s were Travis is having a problem. He hates ‘revenue neutral’ tax reform.” Oh, you all think that you have me pegged. Okay, so maybe you do. However, although the revenue neutrality is bothersome to me, I have a much bigger problem with this “fair tax.”

My problem comes down to simply doing the math. 23%. Think about it. Do you really want to have 23% added to you next purchase.

As I have told you, I recently bought a GPSr (Global Positioning System Receiver). And as I am really enjoying that right now, I will use it as just and example. The purchase price for this fine piece of equipment (at least it’s fine when I am using it properly, but that’s another story) was approximately $150. With Utah and local sales taxes (6.6% - .pdf), it actually ended up costing more like 159.90.

An extra $10 isn’t too hard to swallow. Well, it is when you think of all the extra $10 I am swallowing.

Now, let’s add on the new 23% tax. Remember that this is in addition to the $10 I just passed along to my local and state governments. That would mean that my now $160 GPSr is now $194.40. I just paid another $34.50 to buy my toy.

Okay, so that isn’t enough to scare you. Let’s say I bought a $1500 computer. That means that now I would be paying $444 (nearly $500) in taxes.

Still doesn’t bother you. Well, I just bought myself a nice used car for $15,000. Now, I am paying $4440 in taxes. Now that’s a big chunk.

So, how can I be supportive of the fair tax, and still be against it you might ask.

It comes down to one thing. We need to reduce services before we can go to a “fair tax.” The income tax has been a nice way to hide how much we really pay in taxes. And I think going to a “fair tax” would be an interesting eye opener to many Americans. But, unless we want a revolt on our hands, we need to cut back on services before we reform our tax system to a purchasing model. It’s the civil thing to do.

Utah: Good for Business

Some have argued that
Utah is not the right place for business.  We are too conservative, too religious, too weird.

I have worked for two different companies here in
Utah. Both moved their operations from the west coast.  Both of them chose
Utah for a couple of major reasons. 

The first is probably (I can’t get them to admit this) that we are a “Right-to-work” state.  That means that even if there is a union at my place of employment, I don’t have to join the
Union to work for the company.  On the West Coast, and especially in the transportation shipping industry, the Unions are big and strong.  So coming to
Utah eliminates the higher wage for less work mindset of these West Coast Unions.

The second is that it is cheaper here.  You can rent an office, pay utilities, and hire employees (with full benefits) for less money than on the West Coast.  This is good for the bottom dollar, which ultimately is good for the company and for its employees.

The weirdness of Utah, as is discussed in the Deseret News, is often made as an argument against moving to
Utah.  However, as the people with whom I work would argue.  This is a great state to work.

Here is my brief laundry (is that poor word choice or what) of why:

1) Beautiful Environment.  From the snow capped mountains in the winter to the magnificent sand formations in the summer, this state offers many of the best outdoor activities a person could want.

2) Excellent for Families.  The focus here is on families.  Families are important to the majority of the citizens here and you can always find good, fun, family entertainment.

3) Effective Education.  Although some of my
California ex-patriot friends would disagree with me on this. 
Utah has a great educational system.  We may be near the end on spending, but we are quite competent when it comes to producing well educated students.

4) Safe Neighborhoods.  I may often joke about my neighborhood, and for good reason, but the fact is, I don’t live in a terrible neighborhood.  Even the worst neighborhood in the Salt Lake Metro area does not compare to the some of the neighborhoods in Los Angeles, New York City,
Chicago, and many other major metropolises.

5) Good Employees.  Utah was originally going to be called
Deseret.  The
Deseret (a beehive) is a symbol of industry and hard work.  It is a long heritage of Utahns to work hard.  We take that into our work lives as well as our personal lives.

So, if you are a business looking to save a little money and you are open to relocating, consider
Utah.  It’s a pretty, great state (a little pun for you long term Utahns).