Today we will transit "bridge hell". The good news is that the wind
and waves are lying down in the afternoon, so we plan to go outside at
port Everglades and overnight it down to key largo.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Saturday
Friday, October 31, 2008
Heading South
not been exactly what we were looking for.
We were hoping to go out into the ocean for a couple of overnighters
and get the boat there on 2 and a half days. Instead we're plaqued
with wind forecasts of NE 15-25 knots and big seas which may continue
for the whole trip - using up the full 6 days I had allotted for the
trip - before I have to be. On a plane to Phoenix at 7am tuesday
morning.
Our path has us in the intercoastal waterway - currently near Jupiter
Inlet. The next 2 days - if we have to stay "inside" will put us
through "bridge hell" consisting of 37 draw bridges as we go through
south Florida.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Tax Breaks Explained
I don't like political posts in blogs - where people point out how bad the 'other' candidate is and such. I usually get about 2 lines into it and then go away.
I personally don't look at this post I'm making right now as political - rather educational and I hope others look at it the same way.
My politics mostly revolve around financial opinions. I don't vote based on moral stance - as I believe you can't legislate morality. I lean heavily toward conservative financial policy - an area where I think I feel ripped off by the current administration.
I've noticed that explaining a tax break that benefits everyone - is difficult to explain - without getting out pencil and paper. People just see that the 'rich' are getting the largest part of the break and they can't see past that fact.
Well, a friend of mine on the production truck - Phil - sent me this "Barstool Explanation" last night and it's wonderful for explaining the structure and reasoning behind it.
Unless you just are in favor of a socialist system for our country (and that's okay if that's your desire - it's just not mine), then I think you'll appreciate this explanation.
NOTE: This should not be read as if it's a joke - even though it could be taken that way. It's a really good explanation.
Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.
So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too.
It's unfair that he got ten times more than I got' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
I personally don't look at this post I'm making right now as political - rather educational and I hope others look at it the same way.
My politics mostly revolve around financial opinions. I don't vote based on moral stance - as I believe you can't legislate morality. I lean heavily toward conservative financial policy - an area where I think I feel ripped off by the current administration.
I've noticed that explaining a tax break that benefits everyone - is difficult to explain - without getting out pencil and paper. People just see that the 'rich' are getting the largest part of the break and they can't see past that fact.
Well, a friend of mine on the production truck - Phil - sent me this "Barstool Explanation" last night and it's wonderful for explaining the structure and reasoning behind it.
Unless you just are in favor of a socialist system for our country (and that's okay if that's your desire - it's just not mine), then I think you'll appreciate this explanation.
NOTE: This should not be read as if it's a joke - even though it could be taken that way. It's a really good explanation.
Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.
So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too.
It's unfair that he got ten times more than I got' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Close to my original hometown
I'm in Martinsville VA this week. It's only a 1 hour drive from my mom and dad's place. On Tuesday, I flew into Charlotte (which was a direct flight from Daytona Beach) and then drove to my parents house to spend the afternoon and early evening with them and have dinner the them as well as my sister and her husband.
It's funny because now I'm only an hour away - but my default thinking is just that I'm at another track - until I turn on the TV and see the weather and they're talking about Winston-Salem (the city where I grew up). Then yesterday, I was coming out of the elevator that leads up to the suites at the track and there was a Sunbeam Bread truck parked outside the elevator. I don't remember the last time I saw a Sunbeam Bread truck - but it's a regional thing and it again reminded me of how close I am to home.
At the moment it's raining outside and the forecast is for rain all day. Our 'on air' schedule is for a practice and the qualifying - but both of those things are not something that they reschedule if they get cancelled. The ones we really care about are the races. If it rains a race out - we're here for another day (or more), so we're not sweatin' it today.
Here's some photos from Talledega (2 weeks ago)
Ever see about 500 or more portable toilets in one place? There were so many that I had to stitch 2 photos together.
So, do you think they could have just put "RVs Only" on this sign and saved some letters?
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