Oklahoma takes the bull by the horns

Finally, the Oklahoma state government is taking care of the big problems. None of this sissy budget balancing for them. After all, how can a state possibly go on without an official state motto?

They do have a state slogan on the state seal, but who the heck can get up in the morning to "Labor Omnia Vincit" (Labor Conquers All Things)? Screw that bullshit, they need a good solid American motto they can feel proud of. Something original.

In God We Trust.
YEEEEEE HAAAAWWWW! Now that's a motto that will put hair on your chest.

At least the article I read quoted State Rep. Ryan "Are you fucking kidding me?" Kiesel in saying this resolution is a "frivolous waste of legislative time."

THIS is whyoklahomanspaytaxes.
read more:Oklahoma Could Soon Have New State Motto(koco)

This Guy

A part of why people in the mid 1950's paid taxes was to deal with this guy:

Thanks dude...

THIS is whymyfatherpaidtaxes.

Coffee, enemas and long distance prayer

Repost to share about the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a mostly unheard of branch of the National Institutes of Health:

Coffee Enemas, Aromatherapy, and Intercessory Prayer: Your Tax Dollars At Work

Their source:Federal center pays good money for suspect medicine(CT)

I don't know about you, but I think it is terrific that we've spent taxpayer dollars ($660,000(!)) on investigating whether or not long distance prayer can heal AIDS abroad. Its not like we're supposed to avoid using state money to further the cause of religions or anything crazy like that...

I do suppose the coffee enemas are understandable when you consider just how full of shit this particular branch of the government is...

THIS is whyipaytaxes.

Case closed

Man... Saudi Arabia must save a TON of cash with the wit and efficiency their police force use to serve and protect.

I mean, just take a look at this case:
A 40 year old woman stumbles into a hospital with severe burns and injuries. The doctors tried in vain, but were unable to save her life.

Well, fuck me. There must be some foul play afoot, no?

Well, apparently, "The woman beat herself up and tortured herself with fire," exclaimed police spokesman Colonel Abdullah "No Stone Unturned" Al Sarani. "We closed the case, as no criminal act is involved."

Nicely done officers! Any guesses as to why a woman would beat herself up and torture herself with fire?

The good colonel was glad to be asked, as this open and shut baby tells itself: "Because, she is gripped by jinn." As further evidence, our "Investigation showed the other members of her family are also controlled by jinn."

Fantastic. So, to make sure I understand this, you're saying "Genies! Case closed!" and scurrying away?

That is some beautiful police work.

THIS is whysaudiarabianspaytaxes.
read more: ‘Haunted’ Saudi woman tortures herself to death(e247)

STOP! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!

Tax exempt

If churches were treated like the business entities they are and had to pay a fair share, the US economy would have an additional $100 BILLION annually in property taxes alone!

Subsidizing for-profit organizations...

THIS is whyipaytaxes.
read more:How We All Pay For the Huge Tax Privileges Granted to Religion – It’s Time to Tax the Church(n4cm)

Jesus would have wanted us to have this lobby

Beauty we couldn't live without seeing again

Simon Says: "Fuck it. Tax 'em"

I ran into one of those stories that just twists my mind into a writhing heap of WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR?

I can tell that this was an incredibly expensive endeavor, but I have no idea how much of it was paid for by taxpayers. The work was done at Dundee University and I am assuming that this is a public university that is at least partially funded by taxes. If I am wrong and this story has no right being discussed in a blog about what our tax dollars are spent on, then I guess I'll make the karmic withdrawal. Either way, you can't tell me this money wouldn't have been more appreciated by starving children somewhere in Africa that could have used a school instead.

Adrienne 'Face Painter' Barker realized she was working on a completely useless skill set and was unable to unleash her talents on an unsuspecting business as an employee. So she undertook a project to re-create the face of an Archbishop that died in 1381. Apparently, this guy was a real pioneer in taxing peasants and had his ass handed to him during the Peasant's Revolt. By having his ass handed to him, I mean he was pulled from the Tower of London by an angry mob and had his head chopped off. (Which reminds me... Aren't we past due for another Peasant's Revolt?)

It was SO important to understand what the good Archbishop looked like that Adrienne wasn't going to just get some artists rendering done, oh no. Some excerpts of the process she undertook:
1.) used skeletal detail from the part-mummified skull to build up his facial features
2.) carry out an initial assessment of the skull to determine its age, sex and ancestry
3.) then made a series of 3D bronze resin casts of his head
4.) sculpted each muscle of the face and built this up on the cast
5.) adding a final layer which represents the skin

What drives me batty are a couple of key phrases in the story like her title of Forensic Artist. It comes down to two simple things: One, who cares and how is it important to be able to gaze upon the face of a fellow who died 630 years ago? Two, it is a model, a rendering, an interpretation - to use their term, a "reconstruction." Its not what the guy actually looked like. Period.

The bust will be on display in a church. I would hope, but doubt that it will remind the current Archbishop that he doesn't own the people just because that is how his bosses interpret their bibles.

And I exit with a quote from the artist herself:
"I hope people in Sudbury like what we've done but he's a strange looking fellow so it'll be interesting to see their reactions."

Indeed. I certainly hope they like it. And I really hope that you enjoy seeing their reactions. Otherwise, this will all have been very pointless...

THIS is whybritspaytaxes.
read more:Face of Simon of Sudbury revealed by forensic artist(bbc)

Church sues state

The Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago is suing the state of Illinois over the promises of Rod 'Only Innocent People Appear on 'The View'' Blagojevich.
After all, they had a fire. And why should they be responsible for covering their own damages when they can just turn to the state? Is not like there is anything in the constitution guaranteeing the separation of church and state...

Here's a few things that tickles my brain in a bad way:
1.) They were promised $1 MILLION even though the damages totaled $65,015.
2.) The $1 MILLION was still given out, but it was given to a PRIVATE school that was leasing the area of the church that had the fire. (Because private schools benefit everyone, not just the parents that can afford to send their kids there.)
3.) I mean really... The state has to pay to defend itself because a corrupt governor made a promise to a church? Like a governor has any business promising statewide tax funds to a small church in an urban area that is many hours away from most of the residents of the state?

If this works out for them, I think I'll drop my homeowner's insurance and sue the state for damages when it burns down.

THIS is whyipaytaxes.

read more: Church sues Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity(wgn)

Separation of church and... I think we've heard this one before

Just going to cover it briefly by broadly summarizing to suit my needs:
The Supreme Court is hearing a case on whether or not a public university should be forced to provide a bit of financial support to a Christian group that violates university rules by not allowing gay folk into their club.
Yes, this church group is suing because they aren't being given their fair share of government funding.
Thank God there is no separation of church and state.

Antonin 'Nipple Fan' Scalia was most eloquent in his argument:
"Frankly, one reason why I am inclined to think this is pretextual is that it is so weird ... to require this Christian society to allow atheists not just to join, but to conduct Bible classes, right? That's crazy!"
At which point he promptly took another hit off his hookah and mumbled to himself "Just crazy man. Crazy."

Yes. Lets give them public funding so they can fend off the crazy atheists trying to teach their bible classes...

THIS is whyipaytaxes.

read more: Court Weighs Rights Of Campus Religious Groups(npr)

Kinder-gefängnis

Ok... I used an online translation source and have no idea if that title is accurate. My goal was kinder-prison/prison for children.
I was referring to the whole of Germany, or at least Berlin. And, its not that they lock up their children, its that they've turned the kids' entire existence into an exercise in being German.

In a maverick move, Berlin has decided that it is "fundamentally and socially tolerable" for children to shout, squeal, or otherwise express their glee at being a child.

Yes. Each of Germany's 16 states has a noise pollution law on the books. Only church bells, emergency sirens, snow plows and tractors have been considered an exception to these rules. Rules which have led to hundreds of complaints each year about noisy kindergartens and playgrounds as well as closed down day care centers.

Because, you know, anyone living near a pre-school or playground downtown in the fourth largest city in Europe ought to be able to have a little quiet time. And by a little, I mean I better not EVER hear the innocent sounds of a child's laughter nearby or I'm calling the cops.

While removing your child's gag, be sure to keep it close by. You must continue to respect the official quiet time at night and all day Sunday.

Legislating the audible level of its children...

THIS is whyGERMANSpaytaxes.

read more: Noisy children no longer verboten in Berlin(bbc)

Slow erosion

Here are a few examples of the 40,697 laws that came into effect 1/1/10 around the country which represent the slow erosion of individual personal freedoms. Not only do these laws tell individuals and businesses how to conduct their speech and their actions, they also took a great deal of bureaucratic debating and administrative effort to enact them at a significant cost to us all.

North Carolina and Wisconsin are among a handful of states who have decided to tell bar owners, restaurateurs, and other places of business who would have otherwise chosen to allow their patrons the freedom to smoke while visiting their establishment. (Wisconsins law won't go into effect until later in 2010...)

Oregon and Illinois are among a handful of states that are telling you what you can and cannot do while driving a car. A great law? Yes. Slow erosion of personal freedoms? Yes. An added burden of enforcement and public notification? Yup.

California is limiting the ingredients restaurateurs can feed their customers. (Trans fat ban)

New Hampshire and a few others had to take the time to point out that anyone can get married no matter what my god thinks about the groom and groom.

Texas, Michigan and a few others are demanding that cigarettes sold in their state are manufactured a particular way. (Fire safe...)

Arkansas retailers can't sell realistic looking toy guns.

Massachusetts has banned dog racing.

In Ireland blasphemy has been made illegal with fines up to $35,000. Yes. Insulting my god now costs you money. Its nice to see Atheist Ireland trying to make a stand though. READ MORE (BBC)

THIS is whyweallpaytaxes.

Advertising for souls

I don't think I'm alone in this assumption:
ANY organization that can afford to run full page ads in a national magazine such as Newsweek (Current rate for a 4-color full page ad: $226,590) can probably afford to pay their fair share of taxes.

Can someone please explain to me why churches don't have to pay taxes? Anyone?
Especially now that they are competing with non-government-subsidized businesses for ad space? You can't tell me there isn't a medium sized business or two out there that would LOVE to buy some ad space in Newsweek but paid their taxes instead...

Helping churches harvest souls.

THIS is whyipaytaxes. (so they don't have to)

Early results on successful earmarks

The recently passed stimulus bill is massive. Only slightly more massive than the one passed late last year.

As I discussed regarding last years bailout, Taxpayers for Common Sense is again taking a close look at the bill to see what kind of earmarks our beloved congress has added to an emergency bill sure to pass. The bill was only recently released, but they are hard at work. Here's a few of my favorite pet projects we will be paying for to 'stimulate' the economy. (By 'stimulate' the economy, I mean stimulating the voters in a particular district to vote for the same guy again next time)

• $713,625 Woody Biomass at SUNY-ESF. Walsh and Schumer sponsors
• $951,500 Sustainable Las Vegas. Berkeley and Reid sponsors.
• $24,000 A+ for Abstinence. Specter is sponsor.
• $300,000 Montana World Trade Center. Rehberg sponsor.
• $950,000 Myrtle Beach International Trade and Convention Center. Graham sponsor.
• $200,000 Oil Region Alliance. Peterson sponsor.
• $190,000 Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY for digitizing and editing the Cody collection. Barbara Cubin is the sponsor
• $143,000 Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Las Vegas, NV, to expand natural history education programs. Sponsored by Harry Reid
• $238,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Honolulu, HI, for educational programs. Sen. Daniel Inouye is the sponsor.
• $381,000 for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY for music education programs. Jerrold Nadler is the sponsor.

Notes:
That is over $1 MILLION spent in Vegas, complements of Reid. However, most economies find a nice Natural History Museum quite stimulating indeed.

A+ for abstinence gets $24 grand. Sentator Specter added this one for us. A+ for abstinence is ran by Pregnancy Ministries, Inc. Again, as we all know, kids not telling their parents about their sex lives is GREAT for the economy. Lets not mention this little thing called the SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND... never mind...

The Montana World Trade Center?

Myrtle Beach needs us to buy them a convention center?

A couple hundred grand for scanning in every document available that has anything to do with Buffalo Bill?

Hey. At least they put the economy first!

THIS is whyipaytaxes.

Pissed off Pope

Any President that can piss off the pope within his first week is alright in my book.

With the size of the tax break we give that guy's churches, you'd think he wouldn't be so angry.

There's an idea... We can solve a big part of our problem right there: Tax the Pope's churches. Give him something to really bitch about and revel as the revenues come pouring in to buy books for schools, create jobs, and whatnot.

Covering the Pope's tax burden...

THIS is whyipaytaxes.

Preacher embezzlement

US priests 'in $800,000 theft'(bbc)

When their not screwing your children, they're stealing your entry fee into heaven...

I wonder if those parishioners whose money they stole are going to go to hell because they never got there tithing to the right people...

What does all this have to do with wasted taxes? Nothing. I just don't like organized religions so large that the preachers can steal almost a million dollars to pay off their hookers. So, I bitch a little... (Did I mention they used some of the stolen money on mistresses? Or that they used the money to gamble? Or that they used the money to buy vacation properties? (at least the last one isn't really a sin. Sort of...))

But, I'll try a tie in anyway: If we didn't allow the business of religion operate tax free, there probably would have been stricter accounting regulations that might have caught these bastards a bit sooner. Strict accounting regulations aside, if this particular church was used as a for-profit business, why the hell is it still tax free?

THIS is [has little to do with] whyipaytaxes.

Separation of Church and... Aw, screw it...

Nursing Grudges - Why do we protect the moral convictions of only some health workers?(slate)
Our Congress, who dutifully swore to defend the Constitution, which clearly states that there is to be a separation of Church and State, have decided to create legislation that allows medical professionals to refuse treatment based on "religious beliefs or moral convictions."

Of course, there is no provision for those whose moral convictions dictate that we don't dictate what people can and can't do.

THIS is whyipaytaxes.

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Ahhh, yes. It comes to that time of year when Federal, State, AND Local governments start spending hundreds AND thousands of dollars to celebrate a Christian holiday.
Huh, silly ol' me thought there was some sort of a separation of Church and State. I'm so dumb sometimes. Besides, Christianity needs all the substantiation it can get to give it that main stream feel. Otherwise we might wonder why they demand 10% of our wealth to be donated (or is that just Catholics that have it down in writing?). We wouldn't want people to start thinking its all just a big scam...

The reason I bring this up is the city and county of Milwaukee weren't content with cutting down a gigantic tree somewhere in the woods of Wisconsin then trucking it down to the big city. To spice it up, they got themselves a defective tree (Could it have been the drive south? (en: Yes, it broke while being loaded into the truck)) that lost its top. Rather than taking all this as a sign from god, they have city AND county crews on the scene repairing it. I'll bet these guys are making hazard pay for being toted around in emergency repair vehicle buckets over 40' off the ground.

City Christmas tree loses its top(MJS)

Money WELL spent. Just think of the cheer it will bring!

THIS is whymilwaukeeanspaytaxes.

Separation of Something and Something Else

When they were talking about the separation of Church and State, they must not have been talking about the state of Idaho.

Yes folks, our very House of Representatives floor was taken over for National Bible Week by Representative Bill Sali. Why don't you e-mail him and ask him about his thoughts on the Separation of Church and State?

National Bible Week on the House Floor by Rep. Bill Salli - R-Idaho

And a big Fuck You to those who pray on the Koran, or any other religion. But then again, if you ain't a Christian, you ain't really an American, are you?

THIS is whyipaytaxes.