The tax rebate issue before congress this week is typical of the type of socialistic behavior emanating from a Democrat dominated Congress toward those who have risen above the “average” income level. In just over a year in under this party’s control, the economy has slid faster than a California mudslide.  It is continually perceived to be an eternal battle between the haves and the have-nots, but the reality is that there is no battle. It’s more a series of mandatory concessions imposed upon those in a higher income bracket in an attempt to appease those in the lower. The desire to eliminate the highs and lows of a free market economy in favor of an entitlement society has long been the battle cry of the majority currently in power.   While it makes sense that the more money you make, the more taxes you pay, what’s interesting is that the higher your income, the higher your rate of taxation. This makes perfect sense, right? Punish those who work effectively and invest in our economy by making them pay even more. The entitlement mentality, or Robin Hood Syndrome, is out of control. One has to wonder how is it congress can make decisions on a tax rebate based on empty demographics. For example, families with an income level of $174,000 and above get no tax rebate. How does this make sense? Without tracking the individual situations, how can one assume that anyone at or above this income level wouldn’t need or use such a rebate. What if that family had been hit with an enormous amount of medical expenses in 2007, such as cancer surgery and/or treatment. They may need such a boost to their income as much or more than someone making $100,000 per year. Or, what if the family has 3 or 4 children in college, so they too can one day contribute to society. Then, of course, there are those with such a low income that they don’t even pay taxes and desperately need this rebate. Sure, they’ll put that money right back into commerce, but again, congress is making the decision on awarding them a tax rebate based on meaningless demographics and assumptions. For those who are working hard to make an honest living and making an effort to help themselves, I’m excited for them. This rebate will mean a lot.  But, then there are those who are intentionally living off public assistance and off the income of others. This is just one more method by which they will receive a benefit they didn’t even attempt to earn. Prime example; I know someone in the military who married a girl right out of basic training. He was to ship out to Korea for a year, and she demanded they get married, or she would not wait for him. When a soldier comes out of basic training, they have been so cut off from family and friends that they are pretty vulnerable to such an ultimatum. Unfortunately, they had not been dating long enough for the soldier to realize he was being scammed. After three years of her making promises to join him in Korea –he signed up for an extra year based on her promise to join him there –and after a year of being back in the states with her throwing a tantrum every time he mentioned divorce, he finally filed. She is now disputing the divorce, demanding maintenance (similar to alimony). She did mention she desperately needs the money because the boyfriend she’s living with now isn’t working, so she essentially wants the soldier to support her for the rest of her life, even though she spent one night of married life with him 3 years ago. Had the soldier bothered to check into her family history prior to tying the knot, he would have found that this is a family who lives off public assistance and suing people and businesses for personal injury, worker’s compensation, sexual harassment, etc. Of course, they do not pay taxes, but clearly they need this tax rebate. After all, who knows when their next settlement might be, so they will need more money they didn’t earn to hold them over.  I could go on for pages and pages with examples, but the reality is, the government could easily find enough money to give back to everyone, if they would stop wasting it. To find out more about how your tax dollars are being abused and wasted, check out Citizens Against Government Waste at http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=getinv_Survey_2008MembersSurvey. This site is not for the faint of heart, so enter with caution.

Don’t forget to visit www.sensiblelife.com for tips and suggestions on maximizing your income, while still doing the things you want to do in life.