Ahhh! The Good Old Days. They ain't what they Used To Be.

A couple of days ago Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the country wrote an editorial stating that he thinks  the super rich aren't paying their fair share in taxes. Since then I've heard several people who disagree on the tax thing say that he could always write a bigger check if he wanted. Fair enough. But since they think the taxes are unfair, they could always write a check for less then they owe. Now I understand they would run the very real risk of being investigated, fined or even jailed. But if Mr Buffett sent in a check for more then he owed, it would most certainly get kicked out by the system and turned over to an investigator who would look at it and think "this guy must feel guilty". "What's he feel guilty about"? The thing is, nobody, not you or me or even a rich guy like Warren Buffett wants to have the hassle of being investigated. Mr Buffett has a team of accountants and lawyers, but he still has to pay them overtime for an investigation. I've seen, and you probably have to, these emails that circulate from time to time about all the various taxes people have to pay these days that they didn't have to pay 100 years ago. We don't have time travel, but if we did, would you want to go back and live then? 100 years ago, they didn't have the cure for polio or TB or a host of other things, they didn't have an interstate highway system or regular air service. Our military still depended on horses and mules for transportation. And so did most people. What about your ice box? What's in it? In January, how much fresh fruit and veggies did you have in there? Turn your lights on and check the TV to see what the weather's like. We have our problems today, but people don't work in sweat shops for a couple dollars a day. Say what you will about unions, but folks aren't forced to live in company towns, in company houses and shop at company stores anymore. No it may sound romantic and exciting to think about the "good old days", but today is a whole lot better. And your taxes share some of the credit as well as some of the complaints. If big government is so bad, try no central government for a little bit. You'd soon enough cry "enough already". Because states, on their own, couldn't provide us with what we have today.