Author: Rik Goodman

The Best Explanation of Why The New Tax Bill Doesn’t Create Jobs

I found this article at Forbes.com by John T. Harvey that really puts things in perspective. Click HERE for the link or keep reading below. Very simple stated, you can see why jobs will not be created by the new tax bill.

The Simple Illogic Of The Tax Bill

John T. Harvey , CONTRIBUTOR –  I want to explain how things work, not what you should believe. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 20: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) pauses as Vice President Mike Pence (2nd L), Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) (5th L) and other Republican members of the House and Senate look on during an event to celebrate Congress passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act at the South Lawn of the White House December 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. The tax bill is the first major legislative victory for the GOP-controlled Congress and Trump since he took office almost one year ago. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Part of me kept thinking that it wouldn’t really happen, but I guess it did. So now what? I suppose it’s time to assess the impact.

I’ve received numerous requests to break down the tax bill in terms of the exact impact on each affected group, but I don’t see the point. The problem isn’t in the details, it’s in the lack of economic logic governing its overall structure. Precisely where the holes were in the Titanic wasn’t nearly as significant as the fact that they were there at all.

Proponents are claiming that the jump in profits for corporations will lead them to hire more workers. While it is quite reasonable to expect profits to be correlated with employment, the reason is that they have a mutual cause, not because the former leads to the latter. That mutual cause, as shown below, is increasing demand or sales.

Author created.

Explaining the correlation between profits and employment.

At this time of year it should be especially easy to see. Why do the stores at the mall hire extra workers every November and December–because profits always rise in October? Of course not, it’s because they know sales will rise in the holiday shopping season. It’s those sales that lead to the increase in employment AND profits. If we cut firms’ taxes without them having any expectation of a rise in their customer business, it simply raises their profits and the sequence of events ends right there.

Want to raise profits and employment? Create a tax plan that increases middle and lower class incomes so they can go to the store and buy stuff. Want to only raise profits? Do what just happened in Washington.

Guns and Freedom…Is There A Separation?

I don’t like guns. I have never shot a real gun (one that could kill something or someone). A BB gun once or twice as a kid, but that’s about it. I don’t mind guns. If someone feels the need to own guns for safety or hunting, I am okay with that. Gun collecting is good also. But the selling and owning of semi-automatic and automatic weapons are a different story. There is only one use these weapons have, killing large numbers of living beings in as short amount of time as possible. Maybe the military needs these weapons, though in today’s military there is probably much better technology available.

Would outlawing these types of guns cause the loss of freedom for our cititzens? Sure would! I don’t care about that particular loss. How about the argument that only criminals will have guns? I am not sure of the percentages but I doubt most criminals carry around automatic weapons with or without bump stocks. Most guns used in a violent manner are hand guns and hunting rifles. It is the mass murders that I am going after here. Our gun death rate is 40 times higher than in Britan. Japan had 1 gun death in the last year, the U.S. had 30,000. Our mental illness rate is not 40 times higher than Britain. So why is this considered a mental illness issue. Sure someone who would commit this type of mass murder is mentally ill, that doesn’t make all the mentally ill mass murderers. Background checks don’t seem to helping the problem. And we definitely need to beef up the background checks. And make waiting periods much, much longer.

How about we just don’t sell semi automatic or automatic weapons? Once again I’ll hear the cry “Then only the criminals will have the guns“. What if you pass a law that states if you are found in the possession of, or use in the course of a crime, a semi automatic or automatic weapon you are punished with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. First offense or twenty second offense, makes no difference. This may help deter the use of this type of weapon. Though it still won’t help with those that are probably going to kill themselves before they are caught. Or those that know they will be shot by police and don’t care. But if they can’t buy the weapons in the first place at least we stop those that might be gearing up now.

How many times have I heard “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people“. Not an easy line to argue with. But…If people can’t get the guns then people can’t kill people, at least with guns. Many other ways will be used but we are talking guns here and now.

Yes stricter gun laws take away our freedom. At least our freedom to the right to bear arms. What about the freedom to live without fear? What about our freedom to listen to music, pray in our churches, synagogues and mosques, play baseball, dance all night long, attend classes? The fact that people in this country can legally own weapons designed to kill large numbers takes away the freedom of peace in our lives.

Let’s finally make a stand, make a choice, make a decision. Are we to allow this type of weapon to continue to take lives? Or will we finally turn a corner and see that gun laws are a necessary (and maybe painful) truth in this day and age?

Let’s look closely at Australia (2 decades of declining gun violence), Britain (a constant example of how lack of citizen gun ownership works), Japan (where it is so against the culture that even the criminal elements forsake the use of guns). Maybe we can learn something, take our head of our asses, and become a truly civilized country.

I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ babies

Fortunately I don’t need to! In today’s world of hatred and tension it is getting harder and harder to imagine a world where we all meander down the same path of peace. You can see it everywhere, not just in the streets or hallways of America. It seems that every corner of the globe (hard to have corners on a globe I know) has it’s conflicts. Nationalism has raised its ugly head and taken over so many leaders throughout the world, none more evident than here at home. The assumption that we, as a nation, are superior to other countries is proving more difficult to espouse. While our President whittles, or maybe slashes, away at our founding ideals, other countries are brushing off their sleeves to remove the dust of our past. And while our country is in decline morally and politically the thoughts of a future for our younger generations are dimming.

Then, all at once, a child is born. A little girl who brings such joy into my life that my hopes and dreams have hopes and dreams! She is not anyone most of you will ever know. But at this moment she is the light of my life. Just as my own children have been since the day they were born. A new life, born out of my own lineage. One that can carry on the promise of greatness that this country has held for so many for so long. She may not be famous or infamous, she may not be a leader or a follower, but she will be what contributes to me fighting for a better world in which she can flourish.

May I introduce you to:

Frances Hazel Goodman-Becker – Better known to me as Frankie H

Remember that name. She may be all it takes to bring us all to that path of peace! Of course she doesn’t know it yet!

May your day be bright and have an inspiration such as mine.