Archive For The “Politics” Category
It took a while, but I finally finished Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. You may recognize the cover with its lettuce and the book’s key advice: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” It was a very interesting read, thanks Chris for the recommendation. Pollan believes our “Western Diet” is the [...]
The latest manufactured controversy in California is over the assembly’s recent decision to pass a law mandating “gay history” be added to the curriculum in California public schools. Predictably, some people think this is at best just another example of the nanny state pushing the “homosexual agenda” and at worst a sure sign of the [...]
Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a field trip to Sacramento to participate in a legislative committee hearing. Specifically, I offered testimony against AB 153, a proposal that seeks to use affiliate websites (like mine) to create sales tax nexus for out-of-state retailers. “Laws are like sausages. It is better not to see them [...]
I read a really interesting article in Inc. magazine this week on business in Norway. The gist of it is that Norway — land of Vikings, fjords, and ridiculously high taxes — is beating America at it’s own game. Norway has more entrepreneurs per capita than the US, and their economy grew nearly 3% during [...]
Religious Sects Can Opt Out of Social Security, Medicare Taxes. Why Not Everyone Else?
By Nick | December 9, 2010
Have you ever looked at your paystub and grumbled about how much Social Security and Medicare taxes were taken out? Well the other day I stumbled upon an interesting loophole in our tax code: Religious exemption. An exemption from social security and Medicare taxes is available to members of a recognized religious sect opposed to [...]
One of the more interesting measures up for vote this election is Washington’s Initiative 1098. Yes I still read SeattleTimes.com. Washington is one of seven states without a personal income tax. Initiative 1098 aims to change that, at least for high-income folks. The rate of the proposed income tax varies from 1% – 7.5% depending [...]
