The 'Extended Eye' Thing

 Besides big-government bans for Covid-19, there are city bans as well, and today....it came out that a pub by itself....made up a ban rule.

This occurred in London, at a regular pub.  'Extended eye contact' is forbidden by the operators of this pub.

I sat and reviewed the term.    

Generally, at least on the handful of occasions that I've sipped ale in England at a authentic pub....along about 10 PM....folks had a fair amount of ale, and full eye contact was more or less the situation going on.  I wouldn't say we were all drunk at the stand or table....but we had enough to focus entirely upon the guy telling the story, or the episode of 'woe' that he was endearing.

So you sit and ponder upon this....how will you ensure you aren't conducting full-up 5000-percent eye contact?

What if this were a London damsel....with a weird dragon tattoo on her neck, and telling some great Shakespearian story over love-found and love-lost?  Could you cut the extended eye contact and just stare at the wall while listening to her?  Could you pretend she didn't exist?  

What if this damsel had a big long tattoo running up her leg and you were gazing for an extended time at the leg?  Would that be enough to get you in trouble with the barkeeper?  

Would there be some 'bouncer' at the bar....gazing around the room, looking for you rough guys who are conducting 'extended eye contact'?  Would he come over and give you a one-time warning?  Would he tap you on the back of the head and tell you to wise-up and cease the eye contact, or leave the pub?

All of this....because of Covid-19?  

How I Would Resolve The Tax Mess

Since the NY Times wants to talk about taxes.....why not talk tax reform?

1.  Dump the 80k page federal tax code.  Reform it to no more than forty pages.  A 7th-grader should be able to read it and comprehend it.

2.  Yearly tax code pieces added by Congressmen and Senators to be published every December, with the name of the Senator or House member.  

3.  All personal federal tax rates will be set to one of four formulas: (A) you make less than $25k a year and pay 2-percent federal tax. (B) you make between $25k and $50k, and pay a 5-percent.  (C) you make $50k to $100k, and pay 8-percent.  (D) everyone with over $100k, you pay 11-percent.

4.  You shrink the government to the size of the budget.

5. You limit each Congressman and Senator to only 8 staff members, and the travel budget should be reduced down to less than $10k per year.  

6.  All businesses pay a tax unless you can prove you ran at a loss.  Those making less than $250k a year, pay 5-percent.  Those making between $250k and $999k would pay 9-percent.  And those making over one-million would pay 11-percent.

7.  The only credits for people?  If you lived in a disaster area, or suffered from some drought-like situation, you'd get a credit.  Otherwise, we dump all these credits entirely.

8.  Every Congressman/Senator would have to publish their full tax return on a yearly basis.  Failure to publish it?  You get a one-month suspension from the job, and the Governor is allowed to send a temp up while you settle up your personal mess. If it hasn't cleared by the 2nd month, give the temp the job for the next six months.

9.  State taxes would be limited to a max of 3-percent of your total income.  If a state can't make it with that budget, the governor will be given 12 months to produce a new budget or be suspended from his job.

10.  The yearly tax form should be developed and simple enough....that a 7th-grade drop-out should be able to fill it out.  

Real Hype Versus Fake Hype

 With all this hype by the NY Times on Trump debt....I just sat there looking at the landscape.

According to factual data....$1.6-trillion is now owed on college debt in America.  The average is around $37k for each college-debt holder.  Some folks will grin and remarkably admit....they owe near $90k at age 22, and their degree in animal husbandry won't ever gain them more than $40k a year in earned income.

How about debt on credit cards?  I worked with a ex-Marine who had near $80k in credit card debt.  Her end-result?  She ended up doing two years of Iraqi-contractor duty to erase that down to zero.  

How about the idiots who buy a $300k house, with only a $25k down-payment?

What about the couple who goes out to buy a $17k speed-boat, and $180 monthly for the next five years....to pay off the boat?

What about the idiot guy who buys a $140k RV and two-thirds of this is financed as a long-term loan?

While stationed at Bitburg Air Base, I worked around a young airman who financed a brand new Ford Mustang, and for a two-year period, 60-percent of his take-home pay was going to the car loan.

While stationed in Tucson, AZ....I worked in a unit that a young lady went to the bank and financed a $30k wedding 'experience', and was saddled with this debt on day one of couple-status....not telling the guy until three months later.

The problem here with the NY Times trying to get people hyped-up on Trump's debt....they have missed the bigger picture of the entire nation.