I just finished writing a check to the IRS for nearly what my E-320 is worth. And that's just what I didn't already pay of last year's income. Boy does that feel good.

While government programs are necessary, a lot of them just add up to our money being wasted.

Let's see... where are some of my hard-earned tax dollars going??

Here's a link:

Citizens Against Government Waste

Here's some of the pork they've found:

-$50 million for an indoor rainforest project in Coralville, Iowa.

-$18.5 million for the International Fund for Ireland.

-$15 million for dairy development programs overseas under the U.S. Agency of Intentional Development.

-$6.8 million in YMCA funding.

-$6.1 million for wood utilization research (Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia).

-$3 million for the First Tee Program in St. Augustine, Florida.

-$2.7 million for the Wood Education and Resource Center in West Virginia.

-$2.25 million in various Shakespeare-related funding.

-$2.2 million for North Pole, Alaska (pop. 1,570).

-$1.7 million for the International Fertilizer Development Center headquarted in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

-$1.3 million for the Western Heritage Center in Billings, Montana.

-$725,000 for the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to develop educational programs focusing on hands-on learning experiences.

-$538,000 for the National Wild Turkey Federation in Edgefield, South Carolina.

-$500,000 for Anaheim Resort Transit (including Disneyland) buses in California.

-$300,000 for Rock and Roll-related pork including $200,000 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio and $100,000 for the Kids Rock Free Educational Program.

-$225,000 to rehabilitate the Deer Park Pool in Sparks, Nevada.

-$175,000 for the Wichita Art Museum.

-$100,000 to restore the historic Coca-Cola building in Macon, Ga.

-$100,000 for the Institute of International Sport to prevent youth crime.

-$50,000 for the Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association in Anchorage to digitize files, photos, and videos of Alaska history.

-$50,000 for the Imaginarium Science Center in Anchorage, Alaska to develop science exhibits and distance delivery modules.

-$50,000 for the Saint Tikhon’s Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania for the care and preservation of Russian artifacts in Pennsylvania.

Feel better about paying taxes??

__________________

Current:
2014 VW Tiguan SEL 4Motion 43,000 miles.

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (wife's).

Past:
2006 Jetta TDI 135,970 miles. Sold Nov. '13.
1995 E-320 Special Edition. 220,200 miles. Sold Sept. '07.
1987 190-E 16 valve. 153,000 miles. Sold Feb. '06.
1980 300-D 225,000 miles. Donated to the National Kidney Foundation.
1980 240-D manual, 297,500 miles. Totaled by inattentive driver.

How true!

And really, relative to REAL government spending and debt, those numbers really aren't all that dramatic...

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Sorta makes paying $5 Billion a year on deploying an unproven anti-ballistic missle defense system seem worthwhile . . . not.

See Stefano? You need to lease a Chevy Tahoe... or G-Wagen!

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/car-guide-2004/tax-SUVs-sider1.asp

Hey next year it'll be better for you with all the mortgage interest and stuff... we hope. I'd buy you a beer to drown your sorrows if you were close enough.

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Is there an untested, deployed ABM system? I must have missed it in all the excitement.

Just for fun, how do you prove something before you try it?

B

I'd say we could aim a missile at ourselve and see. I'd pay for it if our fearless Congress and Senate would promise to stand in front of a missile and show us that the system works.

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Stefano,

Congrat's, you must have had a good year!

Let's look at some of the potential benefits from these programs.

$6.1 million for wood utilization research (Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia).
If we could find a use for wood, hmm, that could develop into a major industry.

$50 million for an indoor rainforest project in Coralville, Iowa
With an indoor rainforest in Iowa we could strip the Amazon rainforest clean and not have to listen to those environmentalist whine about it. Maybe we should increase funding for wood utilization research...

$6.8 million in YMCA funding.
Everybody sing:
Y M C A,
it's fun to stay at the Y M C A,
they have everything that you need to enjoy,
you can hang out with all the boys...
That ought to quiet some of the gay marriage noise.

$2.2 million for North Pole, Alaska (pop. 1,570).
Hey, that's about $1,300 bucks a piece!

$15 million for dairy development programs overseas under the U.S. Agency of Intentional Development.
See now, we have to support Intentional Development because
Unintentional Development is bad, very bad. Sounds like something W would say!

$3 million for the First Tee Program in St. Augustine, Florida
Well, kids do learn that they're supposed to follow rules when they play, and if they make a bad shot, well, just go on to the next one. How can you put a price on that? Personally, the most I've ever paid for a round of golf was less than $200, but they probably got a real nice course up there in St Augustine.

$538,000 for the National Wild Turkey Federation in Edgefield, South Carolina
Wild Turkey is a fine Bourbon. I'm just surprised it's not in Kentucky.

So, as you can see, the country stands to reap some serious benefits from these investments!

Now get back to work, all of you!

:p

__________________
Learn as though you will live forever.
-Ancient Hindu Proverb
(Are there any modern ones?)

1998 E320 Blk\Blk
1995 BMW 530i (bad engine) sold
1989 BMW 535i sold after 170,000 fun miles
1996 Lincoln Town Car (6 passenger land barge, still smooth and quiet at 130,000 miles, make me an offer!)

Glad to help!

__________________
Learn as though you will live forever.
-Ancient Hindu Proverb
(Are there any modern ones?)

1998 E320 Blk\Blk
1995 BMW 530i (bad engine) sold
1989 BMW 535i sold after 170,000 fun miles
1996 Lincoln Town Car (6 passenger land barge, still smooth and quiet at 130,000 miles, make me an offer!)

GRCBoca:

I got a good laugh too! But I never actually said I was against all those programs.

__________________

Current:
2014 VW Tiguan SEL 4Motion 43,000 miles.

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (wife's).

Past:
2006 Jetta TDI 135,970 miles. Sold Nov. '13.
1995 E-320 Special Edition. 220,200 miles. Sold Sept. '07.
1987 190-E 16 valve. 153,000 miles. Sold Feb. '06.
1980 300-D 225,000 miles. Donated to the National Kidney Foundation.
1980 240-D manual, 297,500 miles. Totaled by inattentive driver.

Um what the hell is this?

-$18.5 million for the International Fund for Ireland.

Where did you think those pots of gold at the end of the rainbows came from?!?!?!

__________________
Learn as though you will live forever.
-Ancient Hindu Proverb
(Are there any modern ones?)

1998 E320 Blk\Blk
1995 BMW 530i (bad engine) sold
1989 BMW 535i sold after 170,000 fun miles
1996 Lincoln Town Car (6 passenger land barge, still smooth and quiet at 130,000 miles, make me an offer!)

Just for fun, try reading the administration's budget. On February 2, 2004 the Bush administration presented its budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005. In there is a record $10 billion designated for missile defense, the system that Dr. Rice was set to promote in her September 11, 2001 cancelled speech. The Bush administration has already announced the decision to later this year declare "operational" the immature ground-based missile defense system it inherited from the Clinton administration. Over the next two years, the United States is slated to deploy up to 20 silo-based interceptor missiles at Fort Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

For 2005, President Bush has requested a missile defense budget of over $10 billion. Over the next six years, the administration plans to spend well over $55 billion.

A friend of mine gave me a sticker a couple of years ago that speaks volumes about the issue.

Mike

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
_____
1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
_____
1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
_____
1985 300TD
270,000 miles
_____
1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
www.myspace.com/openskystudio
www.myspace.com/speedxband
www.myspace.com/openskyseparators
www.myspace.com/doubledrivemusic

Sounds good to me!

Defense is one of the few areas of government spending that I'm OK with. Defense is one of the primary reasons our government exists. If there has ever been a time that it is important, it's now!

Pretty much all of the other 3 million or so ways they have devised to waste my money for me, I can live without.

Mike

__________________
_____
1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
_____
1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
_____
1985 300TD
270,000 miles
_____
1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
www.myspace.com/openskystudio
www.myspace.com/speedxband
www.myspace.com/openskyseparators
www.myspace.com/doubledrivemusic

Mike, I have no beef with defense spending, especially better pay and benefits for service people, increased funding for adapting the military away from a two theatre conflict model, and for upgrades in technology. The ABM system is threat specific . . . China . . . and currently has a 40% success rate in controlled tests. Rather than deployment, the administration should be funding more performance tests, otherwise the public impression of tax money waste will be bad PR for the admin and the military, which reflects badly on other projects.

Perhaps a few billion a year could be sent over to the "No Child Left Behind" program.