You Can Pay More If You Want

OK. That's it. I don't know exactly what all of you Occupy Wall Street folks think you're going to accomplish, but I'm pretty sure you're barking up the wrong tree. Why these people are not occupying the spaces in front of places like the Capital or the House is beyond me. If they want regulations to change, I don't think that protesting in front of the people who are not making the regulations is going to do a lot of good. But that's just me. Then again, since I'm not really all that clear on what they want to begin with, maybe my thinking on the matter is just off. I am, however, disappointed that all of the signs are spelled correctly. Then again, how else are they all going to put those liberal arts degrees to good use?

But this is what really irritates me: All of the people who are in the "one percent" that are constantly saying that they want their taxes to be raised. Yep. Those people irritate the crap out of me. See, when you pay your taxes every year, there is a little section at the bottom where you can opt to pay more than you owe. That's right. There is a section on your 1040 where you can volunteer to pay more money if you want to. Get a refund? You can give it back if you want to. It's right there. Now, I haven't heard one, not ONE of these people (I'm talking to YOU Warren Buffett, Russell Simmons, Al Sharpton and the insufferable Kanye West) mention that they have been paying MORE than they have been required to because they feel like it is the "right" thing to do. Not ONE. Maybe they have been. I really don't know. But I kind of think that if that is what they'd been doing that they would have mentioned that right away. But they haven't. So here's my proposal: When those people want to start paying MORE than what they're required to pay, THEN they can talk about how they want their taxes raised. In the meantime, they need to pipe down.

And as long as I'm on this subject, I don't see how raising the taxes on 1% of people who make a truckload of money is going to do any good. Do all of these occupiers realize that approximately 50 percent of the country pays NO income tax?! NONE! And I understand that they're "poor". I get that. But I also get that they're not only just not paying taxes. They're also getting some sort of benefits on top of that. Whether it be food stamps or a rent reduction or Medicare or Social Security checks or whatever. Am I sorry that there are poor people? Yeah. Do I realize that every society has tiers and that's just how society works? Of course I do. But that doesn't change the fact that you can't alter the disparity in a society by simply asking for more money from a select 1 percent of your population while ignoring what is almost a freaking majority who contribute nothing to that society.

I just want people to understand that there are so many people out there who aren't paying their fair share. Hell, they're not even paying A share, let alone a fair one. But yet, these people get to vote on how tax dollars are spent. MY tax dollars. And when more and more and more people just want and want and want, then what happens? I'm guessing you end up with a bunch of people across the country protesting in front of financial institutions and pooping on the sidewalk! At least, that's what San Francisco looks like. (I had to navigate my way through an obstacle course of fecum the other day. It was like an Olympic event that no one wanted.)

I really want to know who all of these people voted for, if they even voted at all, in the last election. I also really want to know (if they did vote) if they're going to vote for someone different this time around (especially in elections for senators). I'm also dying to know if they're going to vote for President Barry again. (And don't get me wrong, I want to like the guy as a President. I really do. But I just don't. He doesn't DO anything. NOTHING has gotten done.) Statistics would have me believe that only 49% of those protesting actually voted (assuming they were eligible). Huh. That might explain a lot, actually. It doesn't explain the poop on the sidewalk, but I think it does explain an awful lot about other things.

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We Asked These Protesters....

I love the folks at New Left Media. Did I mention that I love them? I do. I love them. They always seem to be out in force at these major Tea Party gatherings/protest/Band Of Idiots Conventions that are almost inevitable these days whenever there is a major vote in Congress or some major issue brewing about (likely involving Sarah Palin). Apparently New Left Media is just two guys, a one Chase Whiteside and a one Erick Stoll, and a one camera. Their website claims that they "are currently students at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio." I hope that they stay students for a while so that they'll have more time to do stuff like this. Once you graduate and get one of those pesky job things, activities such as theirs tend to disappear. It's unfortunate. Stupid jobs.

Anyway, they've hit upon a formula that, upon first hearing of it, would seem risky. They just show up at some of these larger rallies/powwows and basically ask people "Soooo, whatcha doin'?" Their answers will shock you. (No, they won't. When you realize how many of these people are paste eating mouth breathers, you're not going to be surprised by any of it. You're just going to do what I do and that is to make the wall around your walled-off compound a foot higher and throw a few more gators into the moat. Keep those people away from me.)

Apparently, up on Capitol Hill yesterday, the Tea Party protesters were out in full swing against voting yes on the health care bill (which is so incredibly enormous right now that it can't possibly do any good). And at the same time, the circus was in town. Awesome. Simply awesome. Behold!

To give you a feel for the group as a whole, let's look at some photos, shall we? Here we have a group with some very nice signs being held up. And I will give credit where credit is due here by pointing out that nothing seems to be misspelled. That, in and of itself, lends at least a shred of credibility to the nonsense that you're shouting. But spelling is only going to get you so far. One reads "No more killing of the unborn. Stop Obamacare." Yeah, see, the "killing of the unborn" is going to continue with or without this healthcare dealio. I'm going to throw out a little thing called Roe v. Wade. Perhaps you've heard of it?

What I really like in that photo is this dude here:

He brought a book to read! Just in case that rally didn't have quite enough oomph for him, he wanted to make sure that he wasn't bored. Then there's this next guy, who I'm just going to go ahead and assume is censoring himself. Maybe he had second thoughts about bringing a large placard that read "I WANT MY COUNTRY F**K!" I appreciate the covering up of the F and the U. What? What's that? You think it says "back"? Huh. Maybe. Good point. Whatever. Moving on...

I like the artwork in the one below. (There's nothing I hate more than a hastily scrawled protest sign.) It shows President Barry in a health care bill coffin. He is wearing a tuxedo that seems to indicate that he met his demise right after attending a wedding in 1973.

And speaking of President Barry, it just wouldn't be a protest without at least one chap displaying a sign with a picture of President Barry sporting the Chaplin moustache. I have yet to figure out the connection between Barack Obama and The Little Tramp, but some folks are very adamant that there are similarities. If I figure those out, I'll let you know.

This man is saying that "...government can't run anything effectively." Oh, if they only had a lime green cyclops shirt and a fuzzy blue wizard's cap, that would make things much more effective.

This Maryland Terrapin here made it very clear what he thought about the bill. He said (and I swear to God I'm quoting verbatim), "Three words. Not. Good. For. The. Country." Good Lord, sir. I'll give you that the whole "Three words" tease sounds very dramatic and all. But when you don't actually have only three words, you're really doing yourself more harm than good. And when asked by either Chase or Erick (I don't know which one is which) "What are some of the things in it that you have problems with?" he responded (and I swear to God I'm directly quoting again), "I don't know! I don't know." Am I surprised by that? Not really. I mean, he seems to be having a bit of trouble mastering the whole counting-to-five concept. It's not wonder that he doesn't know what he's doing there.

The chick below I found to be very informative. She seems to know about things in the health care bill that I was completely unaware of! It's a good thing that they caught up with her! When asked if she has other problems with the health care bill, she tells us, "Uh, yeah. Um, that nice little...uh...um...death tax! Where they would send you...where they would rather send you a fifty dollar check for a blue pill, an end of life pill, than, uh, pay for the necessary medical expenses." They what now? They want to send us checks for Viagra? What now? What part of the bill is that in? I missed the Viagra clause.

I love this couple. The matching shirts? Priceless. And check out dude there. He's proudly wearing that G.W. Bush hat atop his head and has a very firm grip on that cigar. Awesome. I might like to live next door to those folks. They seem kooky, but kooky in a good way. I think. (Anytime a couple does the matchy-matchy thing with their wardrobe, it's always a bit troubling for me, but the cigar offsets it a little bit.)

The video of all of this blather is below. It's about nine minutes long. While I enjoyed the view from the front lines, I really could have done without the two paragraphs that they put in the last 30 seconds or so. I get it, I get it. You want the bill to pass.

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