http://youtu.be/fTfxqXQuhlg
October 31, 2011
October 28, 2011
October 27, 2011
October 26, 2011
Tax Receipt
The White House has a tax receipt application that tells you how much of your taxes go to each category of spending.
Check it out.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/taxes/tax-receipt
Check it out.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/taxes/tax-receipt
NYT: Top Earners Doubled Share of Income, Study Finds
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/us/politics/top-earners-doubled-share-of-nations-income-cbo-says.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
WASHINGTON — The top 1 percent of earners more than doubled their share of the nation’s income over the last three decades, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, in a new report likely to figure prominently in the escalating political fight over how to revive the economy, create jobs and lower the federal debt.
In addition, the report said, government policy has become less redistributive since the late 1970s, doing less to reduce the concentration of income.
“The equalizing effect of federal taxes was smaller” in 2007 than in 1979, as “the composition of federal revenues shifted away from progressive income taxes to less-progressive payroll taxes,” the budget office said.
Also, it said, federal benefit payments are doing less to even out the distribution of income, as a growing share of benefits, like Social Security, goes to older Americans, regardless of their income.
WASHINGTON — The top 1 percent of earners more than doubled their share of the nation’s income over the last three decades, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, in a new report likely to figure prominently in the escalating political fight over how to revive the economy, create jobs and lower the federal debt.
In addition, the report said, government policy has become less redistributive since the late 1970s, doing less to reduce the concentration of income.
“The equalizing effect of federal taxes was smaller” in 2007 than in 1979, as “the composition of federal revenues shifted away from progressive income taxes to less-progressive payroll taxes,” the budget office said.
Also, it said, federal benefit payments are doing less to even out the distribution of income, as a growing share of benefits, like Social Security, goes to older Americans, regardless of their income.
October 25, 2011
Federal Tax Rates
Robert finds the illustration and discussion of tax brackets on MoneyChimp to be worthwhile.
http://www.moneychimp.com/features/tax_brackets.htm
http://www.moneychimp.com/features/tax_brackets.htm
October 24, 2011
A Hearing Aid that Cuts Out All the Clatter
Here's an article about T-Coil, which is becoming a key part of hearing aids.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/science/24loops.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
After he lost much of his hearing last year at age 57, the composer Richard Einhorn despaired of ever really enjoying a concert or musical again. Even using special headsets supplied by the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway theaters, he found himself frustrated by the sound quality, static and interference.
Then, in June, he went to the Kennedy Center in Washington, where his “Voice of Light” oratorio had once been performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, for a performance of the musical “Wicked.”
There were no special headphones. This time, the words and music were transmitted to a wireless receiver in Mr. Einhorn’s hearing aid using a technology that is just starting to make its way into public places in America: a hearing loop.
“There I was at ‘Wicked’ weeping uncontrollably — and I don’t even like musicals,” he said. “For the first time since I lost most of my hearing, live music was perfectly clear, perfectly clean and incredibly rich.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/science/24loops.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
After he lost much of his hearing last year at age 57, the composer Richard Einhorn despaired of ever really enjoying a concert or musical again. Even using special headsets supplied by the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway theaters, he found himself frustrated by the sound quality, static and interference.
Hearing loops are being placed in subway fare booths in New York in what will be the largest installation in the United States.
There were no special headphones. This time, the words and music were transmitted to a wireless receiver in Mr. Einhorn’s hearing aid using a technology that is just starting to make its way into public places in America: a hearing loop.
“There I was at ‘Wicked’ weeping uncontrollably — and I don’t even like musicals,” he said. “For the first time since I lost most of my hearing, live music was perfectly clear, perfectly clean and incredibly rich.”
October 23, 2011
October 22, 2011
A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
LOS ALTOS, Calif. — The chief technology officer of eBay sends his children to a nine-classroom school here. So do employees of Silicon Valley giants like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard.
But the school’s chief teaching tools are anything but high-tech: pens and paper, knitting needles and, occasionally, mud. Not a computer to be found. No screens at all. They are not allowed in the classroom, and the school even frowns on their use at home.
Schools nationwide have rushed to supply their classrooms with computers, and many policy makers say it is foolish to do otherwise. But the contrarian point of view can be found at the epicenter of the tech economy, where some parents and educators have a message: computers and schools don’t mix.
This is the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, one of around 160 Waldorf schools in the country that subscribe to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks. Those who endorse this approach say computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans.
LOS ALTOS, Calif. — The chief technology officer of eBay sends his children to a nine-classroom school here. So do employees of Silicon Valley giants like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard.
But the school’s chief teaching tools are anything but high-tech: pens and paper, knitting needles and, occasionally, mud. Not a computer to be found. No screens at all. They are not allowed in the classroom, and the school even frowns on their use at home.
Schools nationwide have rushed to supply their classrooms with computers, and many policy makers say it is foolish to do otherwise. But the contrarian point of view can be found at the epicenter of the tech economy, where some parents and educators have a message: computers and schools don’t mix.
This is the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, one of around 160 Waldorf schools in the country that subscribe to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks. Those who endorse this approach say computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans.
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October 21, 2011
October 20, 2011
Happy Anniversary
Robert and Mira spent their 5 year wedding anniversary in Inverness. We had a very pleasant bike ride (30 miles) out there through Point Reyes Station, where Mira gobbled up carrot cake AND fruit filled croissants at Bovine Bakery. We stayed at the Inverness Valley Inn. We ate dinner at Pricillas.
Robert took a look around the Inverness Yacht Club, which he thought was pretty cool. This may be the place for him to learn to sail. Tomales Bay is huge, and there's plenty of boat-in camping. Contact Robert if you are interested in having a sailing adventure.
Robert took a look around the Inverness Yacht Club, which he thought was pretty cool. This may be the place for him to learn to sail. Tomales Bay is huge, and there's plenty of boat-in camping. Contact Robert if you are interested in having a sailing adventure.
October 17, 2011
October 16, 2011
Position Statement: Economic Stimulus
The poor economy and questions of tax and spending have been in the news quite a bit lately. Here's some of Robert's current positions on these issues. He reserves the right to change his mind.
Comments are welcome.
1. The US government should use its powers, including its power to adjust interest rates, adjust tax rates, and spend tax money in order to stimulate the currently poor economy.
2. At this time, lowering taxes is not sufficient to stimulate the economy into recovery. Demand creation should be the focus. Spending government money directly to create jobs is the best way to stimulate demand, and thus the economy, at this time.
3. As a principle, any system of collection of tax revenue should be mildly progressive. Meaning, under a system in which income (and not, for example, consumption) is taxed, people with higher incomes should pay a greater percentage of their income into the public coffers.
4. The total amount that the federal government should collect in income taxes should be somewhere between 17% and 20% of GDP.
5. It is reasonable that a person earning more than $2 million dollars a year should pay the federal government 40-45% of each dollar after the 2 millionth into the federal coffers. A little less between $1M and $2M. A little less between $500,000 and $1M.
6. At some point, a tax rate becomes so high that it starts to detrimentally affect the incentive to work. But this does not happen until the rate is more than 45%.
7. The rate of tax on capital gains income should be the same as the rate applied to an individual's wage income.
8. The current home mortgage interest deduction should be phased out.
9. The current estate tax system (i.e., the death tax) is a laudable system of wealth re-distribution.
10. A VAT should be introduced.
11. These must be times of austerity. The federal government should significantly cut total spending. Simultaneously, it should increase spending on certain programs in a hope to create certain types of jobs.
12. The kinds of jobs that the US government should spend to create ought to be in the so-called "tradeable" sector of the US economy. In other words, jobs within industries that develop products and services bought globally. This will result in relatively higher quality jobs and have a greater positive effect on the economy for a longer period.
13. Robert's understanding of the Obama stimulus plan is that it does not focus well enough on spending in the tradeable sectors. Perhaps more importantly, his plan, and his promotion of that plan, does not go far enough to excite citizens. The administration should have chosen to spend on projects that resonate more emotionally with people. Their base instincts. Kennedy told us that we would land an American on the moon, but what he was really saying is that America would destroy the Soviet Union. He drew upon fear and bloodthirst. Obama's plan talks about spending to fix bridges and fix school gymnasiums. Boring. Instead, he should be talking about putting high-speed internet in every home and on every cell phone. This is, of course, a proxy for a promise of more trashy television, shopping, and social network gossip. Which is what Americans really want.
Comments are welcome.
1. The US government should use its powers, including its power to adjust interest rates, adjust tax rates, and spend tax money in order to stimulate the currently poor economy.
2. At this time, lowering taxes is not sufficient to stimulate the economy into recovery. Demand creation should be the focus. Spending government money directly to create jobs is the best way to stimulate demand, and thus the economy, at this time.
3. As a principle, any system of collection of tax revenue should be mildly progressive. Meaning, under a system in which income (and not, for example, consumption) is taxed, people with higher incomes should pay a greater percentage of their income into the public coffers.
4. The total amount that the federal government should collect in income taxes should be somewhere between 17% and 20% of GDP.
5. It is reasonable that a person earning more than $2 million dollars a year should pay the federal government 40-45% of each dollar after the 2 millionth into the federal coffers. A little less between $1M and $2M. A little less between $500,000 and $1M.
6. At some point, a tax rate becomes so high that it starts to detrimentally affect the incentive to work. But this does not happen until the rate is more than 45%.
7. The rate of tax on capital gains income should be the same as the rate applied to an individual's wage income.
8. The current home mortgage interest deduction should be phased out.
9. The current estate tax system (i.e., the death tax) is a laudable system of wealth re-distribution.
10. A VAT should be introduced.
11. These must be times of austerity. The federal government should significantly cut total spending. Simultaneously, it should increase spending on certain programs in a hope to create certain types of jobs.
12. The kinds of jobs that the US government should spend to create ought to be in the so-called "tradeable" sector of the US economy. In other words, jobs within industries that develop products and services bought globally. This will result in relatively higher quality jobs and have a greater positive effect on the economy for a longer period.
13. Robert's understanding of the Obama stimulus plan is that it does not focus well enough on spending in the tradeable sectors. Perhaps more importantly, his plan, and his promotion of that plan, does not go far enough to excite citizens. The administration should have chosen to spend on projects that resonate more emotionally with people. Their base instincts. Kennedy told us that we would land an American on the moon, but what he was really saying is that America would destroy the Soviet Union. He drew upon fear and bloodthirst. Obama's plan talks about spending to fix bridges and fix school gymnasiums. Boring. Instead, he should be talking about putting high-speed internet in every home and on every cell phone. This is, of course, a proxy for a promise of more trashy television, shopping, and social network gossip. Which is what Americans really want.
October 8, 2011
October 7, 2011
October 5, 2011
Parent Time
Robert was thinking today how fortunate he is to be able to spend so much time at home and with his children. His life the last two years has been great as he is able to maintain enough of a career to squeeze by and to invest the remainder of his time with Rory and Cadie. This investment is important. His parents spent a lot of time with him, sacrificing some things so they could do so. If Robert can spend at least as much time with his kids, or even more, without sacrifice, then he'll certainly have success. Thanks mom and dad.
October 3, 2011
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