I Think My Uncle is Dead. How Much Power is Too Much Power?
Posted: Tuesday, January 27, 2009
by Gary W. Halsey Sr.
All Season Karaoke and D.J.
How many times have you heard the expression, "If Ya Don't Like It. leave it"
My Uncle, some call him Sam, I call him ..... "UNCLE SAM".
There was a time when I felt he really needed us to defend our country, fight oppression, and to help our "not so fortunate underprivileged families". Well, he has gotten very FAT and very greedy, and some of his representatives have become outright crooks. Uncle Sam went from, "Uncle Sam Needs You", to "Uncle Sam Needs Your Money"! I grew up with this determined looking figure of a man (posters everywhere), of "My Uncle". I couldn't't wait to become old enough to where I could serve him, to represent my country in the patriotic way that it should be represented. I, at one time needed "him", that seemingly determined Uncle of mine! Well, I'm starting to think that my Uncle has become a common thug!! I know I will be criticized for writing this, and that is okay however, I have served in the armed forces, and have fought for the right to express my opinions. This is one freedom that I can still exercise, and by the grace of God I will!
This article is not only to expose what I think, but also to stimulate a thought provoking process or ideas that we as a people united, can do. What with the recent events that have left us all, somewhat (to say the least) financially exposed, and vulnerable, (What with Wall Street going upside down) we really need to sit back, and re-evaluate our leadership, as well as our political parties, and to understand what is on their agenda or what their motives are, because something has got to give. It seems like it's always the middle class that has to bail us out. This should no longer be acceptable, nor should it be tolerated. It is the country's leaders that need to be held accountable for the decisions and actions they make or do, that impacts all of us as a whole.
I will tell you right now, that I do not claim to be a political analyst, nor am I an expert in finance, however, you don't have to be an expert or a political analyst, to look at your bank statements, and to look through your bills every month only to realize that things are really out of control, and that something is wrong, i.e. medical cost, dental, health insurance, hospital cost, taxes, electric bills, gas for heating, water, car insurance, and housing not to mention food. Where is the control? Where or when does it end? I literally mean EVERYTHING is to the extreme. We keep getting taxed by our government, prices keep going up, yet we do not get raises to offset the rise in taxes, or overall cost of living price hikes. Have you ever seen a cost of living raise that matches how much the cost of living has actually gone up? I haven't. Do the math, no wonder our country is in a financial mess. Am I the only one who can see this? I think not.
MY PERSONAL PET PEEVE, THE IRS
I was told that the IRS was supposed to be a " temporary agency". This is a government agency that has WAY to much power and they are one of the biggest scam organizations in government office today. They have the power to literally RUIN your life, my life, or anyone who pays taxes or those that fail to do so in a timely manner because of unforeseen financial emergencies. I know we need to have taxes, we need things taken care of, roads fixed, social security, wars, etc, so I am not opposed to paying taxes, I just don't like who I am paying them too. These people are nasty, they don't have great people skills, and are not compassionate to the individuals needs, and capabilities. They really don't care if they put you in a state of ruin. YOU ARE THE BAD GUY! You owe them (seems like the mob) money!
Is this YOUR uncle? Is this the guy you want to call "family"? I for one, would, in a heartbeat, disown this so called " Uncle Sam" he is no uncle of mine anymore! Would your "uncle" leave you un-employed? Would your uncle put you in harms way? Would he leave you in a state of ruin?
Seems all of the "Good Ole Boys" in Washington, in Congress, and in the House of Representatives, not to mention the Senate, and the Commissioner of the IRS, are busy spending our livelihoods on things that we don't even know about, like for instance "the buckets of Grant Money", wars, feeding the needy in other countries, to buy new jets, be chauffeured home after work, what about OUR country? We have people who are hungry, homeless, and destitute, and you know "Uncle Sam never even blinks an eye when they spend it.
The grant money is another thorn in my side, our country has in a "Reserve of "Grant Money", you've seen the ad's, "You qualify for FREE grant money, never have to pay it back" all the how to books that have been written on getting this "free money", well, I am here to tell you, our government needs to take all of that grant money, and divide it amongst all the US Citizens, that are working over the age of 18, and that my friends, would be a REAL Stimulus, and that is real money, they don't have to make anymore money that we can't back up in our federal reserves. People could catch up on their house payments, taxes would be paid automatically, credit cards would be paid off, or those nagging bills that you have, would be a thing of the past if we could all have our cut of the "Grant Money"!!
How about the 85 billion dollars that they gave to AIG, yes, it was actually 150 billion dollars according to Reuters.com at http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE4A92FM20081110 that was a joke!! They should have let them go into bankruptcy. If they had taken that 85 Billion dollars, and divided it up, every working man and woman over the age of 18 in the US, would have been given 250, 000.00 + thousand dollars, (and that is after taxes) and that includes the people who worked for AIG. They all would have gotten at least that! Now, where does it make sense to give this money to a bunch of irresponsible executives at AIG, to go out and have a party after the money was awarded? (which by the way really upset me! Not to mention the other 30+ million that (our financial wizards in Washington) gave them later on.
This article is to stimulate things that we can think about as to what "We The People" can do, to regain control of our government, because the very meaning of government is;
1: the act or process of governing ; specifically : authoritative direction or control, also, 2: moral conduct or behavior : discretion, 3 a: the office, authority, or function of governing obsolete : the term during which a governing official holds office, and 4: the continuous exercise of authority over the performance of functions for a political unit : rule, please reference; ( http://www.merriam-Webster.com/dictionary/government ) Who elects the government politicians? "We The People"!! I vote; I won't say what party, I won't say whom I voted for, but I will say we need change, and we need it now. We need control of our government, and the government spending of our hard earned tax dollars.
In the case of the IRS for example, it's true purpose was as follows; in 1862, during the Civil War, President Lincoln and Congress created the office of Commissioner of Internal Revenue and enacted an income tax to pay war expenses (see Revenue Act of 1862). The position of Commissioner exists today as the head of the Internal Revenue Service. Well, the Civil war is over, it should have been disbanded. However, the politicians found out that it was a excellent way to accumulate trillions of dollars which made them drool, a virtual "cash cow" if you will.
More and more authority was given to this government establishment (The IRS) to the point of being out of control. They started taking citizens homes, garnishing their wages, claiming all of their possessions, and quite literally ruining citizen's lives. I am a taxpayer, have been for what seems to be a go zillion years, I do pay my taxes, and on more than one occasion, if I owed the IRS monies above and beyond what they took out in my paycheck, I get charged outlandish penalties and interest fees. Why? Why can't I just simply pay them what I owe them, without penalties and interest, which by the way takes a act of congress to pay, because the penalties and interest are so high, it takes you months, if not years to get your "excess" taxes paid off.
Is the IRS a business? If this is true, who made it a business? Who gave them the right to charge my family penalties and interest if I am willing to pay in payments what I owe, especially if I pay on time? These jerks are crooked as the day is long, and so are the criminals who run them. They should be sent to jail. This is a crime, and as far as I am concerned, the IRS owes me all the back penalties, and interest that they have made me pay. THEY ARE NOT A BUSINESS FOR PROFIT, it's a branch of our government, that performs a service. Shame on you IRS, and most of all, shame on you Mr. President and Commissioner of Internal Revenue for letting this happen to your citizens.
Do you have any idea where my STIMULUS PAY WENT? To the IRS, my portion didn't stimulate anything, good stimulus! The government gives me a stimulus check, just to give it back to the government. This must have taken an Einstein who ever thought of this! The people running our government, have made it so complex in nature, that you need professionals to understand who does what, what branch of service to you go to for certain issues, most of the employees don't even look at the paperwork you send in, for the IRS.
There was a time when I felt he really needed us to defend our country, fight oppression, and to help our "not so fortunate underprivileged families". Well, he has gotten very FAT and very greedy, and some of his representatives have become outright crooks. Uncle Sam went from, "Uncle Sam Needs You", to "Uncle Sam Needs Your Money"! I grew up with this determined looking figure of a man (posters everywhere), of "My Uncle". I couldn't't wait to become old enough to where I could serve him, to represent my country in the patriotic way that it should be represented. I, at one time needed "him", that seemingly determined Uncle of mine! Well, I'm starting to think that my Uncle has become a common thug!! I know I will be criticized for writing this, and that is okay however, I have served in the armed forces, and have fought for the right to express my opinions. This is one freedom that I can still exercise, and by the grace of God I will!
I will tell you right now, that I do not claim to be a political analyst, nor am I an expert in finance, however, you don't have to be an expert or a political analyst, to look at your bank statements, and to look through your bills every month only to realize that things are really out of control, and that something is wrong, i.e. medical cost, dental, health insurance, hospital cost, taxes, electric bills, gas for heating, water, car insurance, and housing not to mention food. Where is the control? Where or when does it end? I literally mean EVERYTHING is to the extreme. We keep getting taxed by our government, prices keep going up, yet we do not get raises to offset the rise in taxes, or overall cost of living price hikes. Have you ever seen a cost of living raise that matches how much the cost of living has actually gone up? I haven't. Do the math, no wonder our country is in a financial mess. Am I the only one who can see this? I think not.
MY PERSONAL PET PEEVE, THE IRS
I was told that the IRS was supposed to be a " temporary agency". This is a government agency that has WAY to much power and they are one of the biggest scam organizations in government office today. They have the power to literally RUIN your life, my life, or anyone who pays taxes or those that fail to do so in a timely manner because of unforeseen financial emergencies. I know we need to have taxes, we need things taken care of, roads fixed, social security, wars, etc, so I am not opposed to paying taxes, I just don't like who I am paying them too. These people are nasty, they don't have great people skills, and are not compassionate to the individuals needs, and capabilities. They really don't care if they put you in a state of ruin. YOU ARE THE BAD GUY! You owe them (seems like the mob) money!
Is this YOUR uncle? Is this the guy you want to call "family"? I for one, would, in a heartbeat, disown this so called " Uncle Sam" he is no uncle of mine anymore! Would your "uncle" leave you un-employed? Would your uncle put you in harms way? Would he leave you in a state of ruin?
Seems all of the "Good Ole Boys" in Washington, in Congress, and in the House of Representatives, not to mention the Senate, and the Commissioner of the IRS, are busy spending our livelihoods on things that we don't even know about, like for instance "the buckets of Grant Money", wars, feeding the needy in other countries, to buy new jets, be chauffeured home after work, what about OUR country? We have people who are hungry, homeless, and destitute, and you know "Uncle Sam never even blinks an eye when they spend it.
The grant money is another thorn in my side, our country has in a "Reserve of "Grant Money", you've seen the ad's, "You qualify for FREE grant money, never have to pay it back" all the how to books that have been written on getting this "free money", well, I am here to tell you, our government needs to take all of that grant money, and divide it amongst all the US Citizens, that are working over the age of 18, and that my friends, would be a REAL Stimulus, and that is real money, they don't have to make anymore money that we can't back up in our federal reserves. People could catch up on their house payments, taxes would be paid automatically, credit cards would be paid off, or those nagging bills that you have, would be a thing of the past if we could all have our cut of the "Grant Money"!!
How about the 85 billion dollars that they gave to AIG, yes, it was actually 150 billion dollars according to Reuters.com at http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE4A92FM20081110 that was a joke!! They should have let them go into bankruptcy. If they had taken that 85 Billion dollars, and divided it up, every working man and woman over the age of 18 in the US, would have been given 250, 000.00 + thousand dollars, (and that is after taxes) and that includes the people who worked for AIG. They all would have gotten at least that! Now, where does it make sense to give this money to a bunch of irresponsible executives at AIG, to go out and have a party after the money was awarded? (which by the way really upset me! Not to mention the other 30+ million that (our financial wizards in Washington) gave them later on.
This article is to stimulate things that we can think about as to what "We The People" can do, to regain control of our government, because the very meaning of government is;
1: the act or process of governing ; specifically : authoritative direction or control, also, 2: moral conduct or behavior : discretion, 3 a: the office, authority, or function of governing obsolete : the term during which a governing official holds office, and 4: the continuous exercise of authority over the performance of functions for a political unit : rule, please reference; ( http://www.merriam-Webster.com/dictionary/government ) Who elects the government politicians? "We The People"!! I vote; I won't say what party, I won't say whom I voted for, but I will say we need change, and we need it now. We need control of our government, and the government spending of our hard earned tax dollars.
In the case of the IRS for example, it's true purpose was as follows; in 1862, during the Civil War, President Lincoln and Congress created the office of Commissioner of Internal Revenue and enacted an income tax to pay war expenses (see Revenue Act of 1862). The position of Commissioner exists today as the head of the Internal Revenue Service. Well, the Civil war is over, it should have been disbanded. However, the politicians found out that it was a excellent way to accumulate trillions of dollars which made them drool, a virtual "cash cow" if you will.
More and more authority was given to this government establishment (The IRS) to the point of being out of control. They started taking citizens homes, garnishing their wages, claiming all of their possessions, and quite literally ruining citizen's lives. I am a taxpayer, have been for what seems to be a go zillion years, I do pay my taxes, and on more than one occasion, if I owed the IRS monies above and beyond what they took out in my paycheck, I get charged outlandish penalties and interest fees. Why? Why can't I just simply pay them what I owe them, without penalties and interest, which by the way takes a act of congress to pay, because the penalties and interest are so high, it takes you months, if not years to get your "excess" taxes paid off.
Is the IRS a business? If this is true, who made it a business? Who gave them the right to charge my family penalties and interest if I am willing to pay in payments what I owe, especially if I pay on time? These jerks are crooked as the day is long, and so are the criminals who run them. They should be sent to jail. This is a crime, and as far as I am concerned, the IRS owes me all the back penalties, and interest that they have made me pay. THEY ARE NOT A BUSINESS FOR PROFIT, it's a branch of our government, that performs a service. Shame on you IRS, and most of all, shame on you Mr. President and Commissioner of Internal Revenue for letting this happen to your citizens.
Do you have any idea where my STIMULUS PAY WENT? To the IRS, my portion didn't stimulate anything, good stimulus! The government gives me a stimulus check, just to give it back to the government. This must have taken an Einstein who ever thought of this! The people running our government, have made it so complex in nature, that you need professionals to understand who does what, what branch of service to you go to for certain issues, most of the employees don't even look at the paperwork you send in, for the IRS.
I had to get a tax attorney to "threaten" one of the IRS workers with her job, and everybody else who's hands that had touched my IRS folder, before they would even look at it. When they finally did, the garnishment was stopped, and I was proved head of household. We have some idiots floating around in our government offices. I just know that we have to watch what our "Government Employees" are doing, and know what we are voting for when a ballot comes out, be informed, know what you are doing when voting, If you don't understand it, demand a explanation from a expert. This incompetence in our government has got to end.
This Article has been viewed 321 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Holy cow Gary, that was one looooong article, but we do have so much to be angry about. I hate the IRS with a passion, they are the worse criminals on the planets, just below judges that is. You give a lot to think about here, I appreciate all the work and research you put into this article, thanks for sharing.Wow Myla, I am really impressed that you read the whole thing!!! It is long, and I didn't really suspect that anyone would read it. As you can tell, this is my pet peeve, I cannot stand government agencies with this much power. The credit reporting agencies also have way to much power, to the point where they can govern peoples lives. Have you ever had a ding on your report that shouldn't be there, try to get it off of there.....next to impossible without the help of an attorney's letter. Some agencies just don't have the resources to investigate....I really and truly have to compliment you for hanging through this long article. Next ones will not be this long....My local paper wanted this one, but it's exclusive for this site, as you know part of being a columnist. Again really appreciate your time bless your heart, and if you have a really long one, that you are passionate about, I will promise to read it!!!! Thanks again.....you are my hero!!!
Gary,Thanks for writing this. I just know you enjoyed venting on this one! I think we have too much government in everything today. Personally, I like the idea of a flat income tax. Everyone pays the same amount (a surprisingly low figure) and most of our problems would be solved. In fact, they also say that if everyone who paid their delinquent taxes were to do so, our debt would be resolved. Now there's an idea.Hello Nancy, thank you so much for your comments, and I did have fun on this one, I love to write about my passion, This was fun to write, and I do "feel" better since I wrote it!!! ha ha.....but seriously, I really appreciate you taking the time to read this, it is long winded to say the least. It is really a sensitive topic for me. But fun to think about.......Thanks again for your comments, and I never heard about the "we all would pay the same low taxes" thing......is there any write up on this? Hum, what a thought......
I hate the IRS some of the things they do to others needs to happen to them. They need to wake up one morning and find out that they are broke thanks to their own agency. I'm sure that has never happened. A change has to happen and quick.I'm not sure who wrote this, but whom ever you are, I appreciate you reading this...IRS is my pet peeve. I think that everybody that owes the IRS up to 5,000.00 dollars, should be granted a repreeve on it. The slate should be wiped clean for millions of taxpayers, and we would begin to contribute to the economy again. There is so many folks out there that are bound to the IRS with penalties and interest, that they will never be able to contribute to the economy, because they are too busy paying the IRS. Anyone who owes above 5,000.00, should be granted a repreeve on the 5,000.00 also, and perhaps the balance will be easier to pay. They (the IRS) should take the penalties and interest off what is owed, and give the consumer a chance to clean up their taxes, as long as they are paying penalties and interest, they will never get out of debt with the IRS, its like owing a credit card with 21%interest, it just keeps building to the point that the consumer cannot pay it off, hence bankruptcy, etc. Then it ruins the credit of the consumer, because it is on there for 10 years, and they cannot get credit to contribute to the economy, go figure???? Its a no win situation!!! Thanks for reading the article, let me know who you are so I can thank you properly...your friend in pen, Gary
You Go! Gary,Great write, and full of passion I might add...but you speak of this: "...I will be criticized for writing this..." - who cares! Whoever does, must be either narrow-minded or is just like your vivid descriptions.Thanks for sharing this with us!Hiya Ronyae, I really appreciate your comments, and your right, "who cares", lol, I love your work, and will be reading some of your work also, sorry this was so long, but you know how hard it is to quit, when you are passionate about certain subjects, I do have to learn to cut it short tho, lol, ......Again, thank you so much for your input, I really appreciate it......your friend in pen, Gary
hi gary,my biggest pet peeve is property taxes, they are so high. poor people finally reach the age to retire in their home that they just paid off, and they have to move and downsize to pay the taxes. i hate that. i always wanted my home to be where all the kids and grandkids came, but the taxes are so high, i don't know what will happen.as far as the IRS, who likes to do their taxes? they take tax out of your pay, and then you have to pay some more.disheartening.i enjoyed your article, though.thanks for sharing,my best regards,sueThank you Sue for reading my article, You get the grand prize for the day for reading such a longgggg article!!!! Your comments are so true. I feel sorry for the home owner, they have it tough nowadays, I feel that our president will try to make it better, but I'm not to sure of the success.....I hope your kids and grandkids will be able to come to your house....I wish America would just go back to the basics......simple, non complicated, and that the American people can trust again. But alas, I don't think that will ever happen. I pray it will. Your sincere friend in pen, Gary......thanks again!!!
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