Special Interest Group on CRAP

My proposal for tax reform is very simple. Make every senator and congressman do their own taxes. Only then would they understand the colossal mess they have created. In fact while we’re at it, give them pencil and paper and calculator and make them do it that way. We’d have tax reform so fast …

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I saw a news story today saying that the price of UC tuition might go as high as $20,000 to $25,000 per year. As distressing as that sounds, I’d like to remind people that universities typically offer a lot of financial aid to students from needy families. While nobody likes the idea of paying more [...]

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Matt Blaze’s blog is always interesting, but he hits the nail squarely on the head with this one. It even gave me the inspiration for my blog. http://www.crypto.com/blog/copywrongs/.

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I was thinking today about President Obama meeting with silicon valley leaders in order to talk about jobs. I heard a podcast today that mentioned Apple has 30,000 employees in silicon valley, but 1,000,000 employees in China as contractors for the manufacturing of iPads, iPhones, laptops, and iPods. It caused me to wonder what it [...]

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I saw a story today on the New York Times about a hedge fund manager who has cornered the cocoa market and how chocolate prices are likely to rise. I can’t think of a better reason to develop a taste for other flavors. It’s another reminder that wall street is essentially just a casino. I’m [...]

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A couple of weeks ago I had dinner with some friends, two of whom work in the “financial services” industry. Another friend made a comment that I think is very accurate when he said that “Investing is dead – there is only trading” (I may be paraphrasing). This pretty much summarizes my attitudes about the [...]

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Like many small investors, I have recently started thinking of the stock market as nothing more than a Ponzi scheme in which companies and financial services companies conspire to print lottery tickets. Many of us have mostly sat on the sidelines while the DOW went from 7,000 to 11,000, while financial services companies who received [...]

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Every year when I fill out my taxes, I am amazed at how screwed up our taxation system is. If you are an average wage earner, perhaps with a mortgage, then you end up with a really simple procedure for filing your taxes. If you have a business (sole proprietorship, partnership, etc) or if you [...]

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Just think if the Internet had been designed by the telephone companies: We would have four different internets, with gateways that restricted what could flow through them. You would have to buy your computer from your ISP, and you couldn’t switch ISPs and keep the same computer unless the remainder when you divided the MAC [...]

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A few years ago, my daughter became suddenly ill with abdominal pain and I had to take her to a doctor. I have relatively good health insurance through my employer (since I’m American that is my only viable option). The rules of the plan were: Go to primary care physician If primary care physician refers [...]

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