There are some things that simply require internal motivation to accomplish. They vary from person to person. No matter how much evidence or cajoling or begging, some things will not happen until the motivation stirs itself. Some people live a fearful life in the face of evidence. Some people smoke, no matter how much family and friends beg them to stop. For me, it's losing weight.

There are some things that simply require internal motivation to accomplish. They vary from person to person. No matter how much evidence or cajoling or begging, some things will not happen until the motivation stirs itself. Some people live a fearful life in the face of evidence. Some people smoke, no matter how much family and friends beg them to stop. For me, it's losing weight.

I've got no real topic today. I'm laying off the caffeine a bit, and I swear that the turning of the earth has slowed. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston are breaking up, and I'm not quite sure why this is news or why I should care. It looks like the sun may actually shine this weekend, so I can get some flying done. More later maybe...

Today is the day that Congress is to count the electoral votes for president and certify GWB as the victor in November's election. However, some representative, who will not be remembered by history at all, were joined by Senator Barbara Boxer, who will not be remembered by history for anything positive, in objecting to the votes of Ohio's electors being counted due to "voting irregularities". Do I care politically? Not really. Do I care as an American? You better believe it. This is the sickness of a powerless minority desperately grasping for relevance. I'm going to say something very controversial right now: America is not a democracy. Live with it. You have no right to vote guaranteed by the constitution (the constitution does forbid discrimination on certain bases if people are given the right to vote). Until the 17th amendment, US Senators were selected by the state legislatures. The president is selected by the electoral college and the electors are selected by the legislatures (or in a method of their choosing).

Voting has been reduced to an activity whose only requirement is a pulse, and that is dangerous...just as democracy is dangerous. Democracy allows the majority to trample on the rights of minorities, and ignorant voting hands power to the power-hungry in the political machine.

I'm probably the only one outside of Washington DC that actually cares what congress does, but please start becoming informed before voting or don't vote at all. Your country would thank you.

Oh, and while we're at it, let's repeal the awful amendments 16 and 17!

The most important piece of legislation imaginable is in committee in the House of Representatives. It is HR 25, also known as the Fairtax. The Fairtax repeals all income taxes and withholding tax, and replaces it with a tax on the sale of all new goods and services.

Why is this so important? As of now, the government has first dibs on your productivity. The amount of your labor that benefits you is only that which the government allows you to keep. That's why I'm philosophically opposed to taxing income (productivity) and in favor of taxing consumption (sales).

Wouldn't the sales tax rate have to be high to replace the income tax? You're damn right it will, and that's because we've got a federal government that is about 8 times the size it should be. The rate is currently believed to be about 23% on all goods and services.

That sounds really bad. How could we ever handle that? Well, consider the following two points. 1) Businesses that sell you things would no longer have the expenses associated with withholding and paying FICA for their employees - nor would they have to charge you for so-called "corporate income tax" that they supposedly pay (only people pay taxes, folks, corporations don't...they build it into their pricing structure). 2) The Fairtax includes a provision to "prebate" an estimated amount to every family that effectively keeps poverty-level Americans from paying any federal tax at all (not my favorite provision, but it will help to pass).

Basically, this thing has been studied to death, and it represents the only real chance for the people to reclaim control of their government.

Check out more details here.