Issue 276 Future of Cinema February 20, 2014

The future of cinema is being altered as we speak. Soon actors will be redundant just as the same way scenery is being made redundant via digital technology. So how is this all going to work?

Digital scenes: Already, many movies use digital backgrounds for their movies. This cuts down dramatically on production costs and man power. Now, television shows are experimenting with the same technology (like Sci-Fi’s Sanctuary) as it not only improves, but is becoming so inexpensive that a person with a cell phone camera and some digital editing equipment can use the same technology and techniques on the cheap. Soon, location shoots may become simply stored file footage to be manipulated by digital artists. This thus relegates old, traditional shoots to places they have no file footage on, or for documentarians.

Digital actors: Even now, actors can be replaced by digital ones. Slowly but surely as using actors becomes more expensive, movie companies are going to be looking into alternatives to bring people to the box office. Most go to movies now for the actors, but a growing trend has people watching movies for the story line like in the old days. Many of the highest grossing films are digital animation like the Toy Story films, Cars and the like. We will see further development of this as we can make avatars that look like real people, but with the advantage of having them do their own stunts. There is even technology that can have them have their own unique voices, sing and even interact with people via programs. This will be similar to the digital girlfriends and the Vocaloids (digital avatars that sing) that have become popular in Asian countries. As such, these digital actors and singers may even have their own followings in the same way as a traditional actor would. All this will cut costs on development over time and thus cause a dramatic changeover in the movie industry.

Who gets paid the big bucks: With actors and actresses all but done away with on the big screen, digital affects artists who use digital tools will gain the big bucks. This will be especially so with those who own a particular digital actor. Those who own a digital actor are those who created an avatar with a particular personality. So their ownership makes these digital agents very important. The better an artist is at the quality of the movie or avatar the more money they make (let alone popularity). Also, writers will get a major boost as it is their stories that are being told, not the actors who are making the movie popular. As such, the writers themselves will become as big as actors are today as well.

Conclusion: This is one of the scenarios I see coming with the age of digital cinema. As the movie industry needs to get more people into theaters (a dying business unto itself) they will switch to making cheaper movies that can be easily put on television as well. So cheap and effective movies are going to be the norm. Digitizing as much as possible is what is helping to make this possible. It is going to be interesting seeing how the entertainment industry adapts to our changing world.

Issue 275 Libertarian Conspiracy February 19, 2014

Yes, the Libertarians like myself are plotting. It is a plan that will appeal to your very heart and soul. That plan I will reveal here and now. So sit back and enjoy.

The plot: Libertarians believe in one essential truth, you can never have enough freedom. As such, we are conspiring to give you as much freedom as humanly possible without us descending into anarchy. To do this, we wish to remove as much of governments influence upon you as possible. Our reasoning is simple. Government is an oppressive body that suppresses freedom as it concentrates power to absorb all your liberties. Meanwhile, we libertarians realize that much of what government does can or already is being done in the private sector of the economy. So who needs all this extra crap that we have to pay for via taxes when all we really need is basic law enforcement to protect from the obviously wrongful acts and a military to protect us from foreign invasion (even this though is tentative). But how do we intend to accomplish this.

The how: Libertarians have infiltrated both parties in an attempt to coerce the leadership to our views. In the Republican party of the United States we have maintained an attitude toward economic freedom which empowers individuals to rise above their economic standing so you all can become rich via your own power. When the Republicans turned on those principles, we left them for the Tea Party to embrace Conservatives who believe in many of the same values of freedom.

In the Democratic Party in the U.S. we maintain our dedication toward social freedom. Here we desire to remove laws that punish personal choices in life for we abide by the golden rule, do no harm to others and none should befall you. As such, if you are not going to harm anyone but yourself, then there is no need to stop a person from acting in accordance to their own individual will. The Progressives in the Democratic Party thought they had us when they infiltrated us when we were still calling ourselves liberals, but we shall have the last laugh. No communist ideology like the Progressives can ever survive as they always resort to tyranny in the end, which in turn cases that tiny spark to burst into a mighty flame.

Conclusion: We Libertarians may not always agree, but we do agree on one thing. Freedom is the source of all prosperity in the world and that mutual respect is the only way to preserve that freedom. So our mission is to give you all more freedom than you can shake a stick at. Stay free my friends.

Issue 274 Separatists February 18, 2014

What is a separatist? Why do they want to separate? Let’s answer these questions.

Separatist: A separatist is a person who wishes to have their region of land separated from a particular governments influence. So this can mean wanting to have your province gain self rule or to separate from a country completely and become an independent State. Examples of this are how some people of Long Island (consisting of a number of counties) of New York State want to become an independent State. In short they want to be the 51st State while separating from the rest of New York on account of taxes and their values not being represented. Other separatists exist in countries like Belgium where one part is deeply influenced by their French neighbors while the other is influenced by their German neighbors. This has caused cultural divisions which have some in that country thinking it should be split in two. So this is a separatist, a person who wants independence or self rule from another governing body.

Reasons to separate: The reasons really do vary. Long Island wants to separate due to taxation in a similar manner as the original 13 colonies did when they separated from British control in the American Revolution. In Belgium it is a cultural rift. Parts of California and Oregon States want to become their own country as they feel ignored by their State governments due to population size and geographical differences. Similarly, there are parts of States that are literally dead zones to interstate traffic and are thus ignored by State governments. Portugal separated from Spain based on Language and cultural identities that gained enough support to warrant their own independent country. So basically, it comes down to culture, representation and money.

Success rate: From all that I have read, the success rate for separation is very low. Typically war ends up breaking out (see America’s civil war) and the group trying to become independent usually looses. Long Island (where I live in New York) will never be free of New York unless the State legislature lets us go (which is not happening any time soon as we provide allot of money in taxes to the State capital). Quite frankly you have a better success rate in trying to transform your government by changing things from within.

Conclusion: People in America are made fun of for being a separatist. But in truth they are separatists because of their pride as a member of a community. It is also a warning sign that indicates that the country may be going in the wrong direction if their is enough people saying I want to leave. So these people should not be ignored or ridiculed, but listened too to find out what exactly they feel is wrong in the country. Separatists are a warning sign of the possibility of bad things to come. Embrace them to understand them or face the possible consequences

Issue 273 Business income tax alternative February 17, 2014

Finishing off the theme of taxation (I think I said that in the last issue, oh well) we are going to look at another model inspired by Herman Cains 999 plan and Paul Ryan's budget idea. The concept is simple, tax actual profit of a business, not the whole amount they make in a year. Reason, because what they make in an entire year is not profit, for profit is what a business makes after payroll, taxation and any and all other expenditures. So here is how it would work in concept.

Part 1: By using the procurement records for say furniture, materials, and equipment a business can easily subtract these amounts from the overall amount of money they take in. A simple example would be a furniture store. They buy various pieces of furniture from manufactures to sell adding on ten percent to the price they paid to make a profit. What is taxed is that ten percent that has been added on as that is the actual profit made. Simple right? So a furniture store buys a chair for $90 but sells it for $100. When sold the profit is ten dollars and thus that ten dollars is what is taxed. Yes my examples are simplistic, but this is how it works in real life if such system would be put in place.

Part 2: What also should be deducted is the workers salaries and the cost of their health care. Just like when a business procures equipment, a business also has to continue "procuring" the labor of their workers. As such, allowing their salaries to be tax deductible would go far and wide in helping that business meet its "real" bottom line in respect to profit. For our purposes the first $100,000 of each worker (not employer) is tax deductible. So if you have three workers making $20,000 a year, then the business owner subtracts that overall money from the money made to ascertain the overall profit. So if the business made $100,000 after all other subtractions, then subtracts for the three workers salaries the business owner would subtract $60,000 which leaves an overall profit of $40,000 to be taxed. If health care costs are factored into this equation then there would be much less money to be taxed as that means there was a lot less profit. This system allows for any and all expenses by a business to be accounted for without any special forms (such as those that exist in the existing tax code) as payroll and other expenses are already accounted for in the businesses everyday practices.

Why do it this way?: Simple, businesses are what make the economy move. The current tax code in America is a monstrosity that suppresses businesses and keeps only those that the government likes in power. By doing it this way instead of the status quo, it enables businesses a chance to actually grow rather than have their budgets squeezed by the current unfair tax code. Currently the majority of businesses pay the personal income tax as opposed to the business tax based upon its rate, complexity and how it stifles growth. Remember, the current business tax taxes the overall money a business makes, not the actual profit of the business which is why small businesses would be crushed under the current code. So switching to this method solves that problem. Likewise, the business tax should be considered the personal income tax on an employer to make it fair as the business owner being taxed again based on income makes no sense as the profit from the business is their income. This is yet another reason why small and medium sized businesses pay the personal income tax over the business tax so as to avoid this double taxation.

Conclusion: The goal is a simpler, learner and a more responsive tax code. This version eliminates all special forms and simplifies the code enough to allow business owners to be able to grow without fear of the tax code becoming more punitive. We need reform and if we really are going to keep taxes on businesses, then it must be done in this manner that prevents monopolies, and allows for business growth. It is time for real reform that works and this ladies and gentlemen is the best answer right now.

Issue 272 Whose left to tax February 14, 2014

Now that you have dealt with me and my two weeks worth of saying not to tax all these different people, your wondering who is left to tax? Who is going to pay the federal governments (and the State and local governments’ bills)? Well these exceptions leave only two groups left.

The progressive income tax: If you remember from Issue 267 Don't tax the poor, people making under $30,000 will not be taxed. Those making between $30,000 to $40,000 will be taxed a flat rate of $2,000 and those who make $40,000 to $50,000 will pay a flat tax of $4,000. Everyone else will abide by a traditional progressive income tax after that. In this case $50,000 to $100,000 will be taxed at ten percent rate. At $100,000 to $200,000 they will be taxed at 15% and anyone beyond $200,000 will be taxed at 20%. This is what it would look like at least at the federal level of taxation. Since the majority of the income tax is paid to the federal government by the top ten percent of income earners (80% of the money taken in from the income tax is from them) we should be well off there. Especially as cost cutting measures will still need to take place regardless at the federal level. State level wise, the States should abolish their income taxes all together. One of the most punitive forms of taxation is the income tax (no matter its form) and thus is the biggest inhibitor of business. There is a reason why the States like Texas and Florida recovered first after the great recession, it was because they had no State income tax. To make this work, there will be no deductions for things like charity or anything save loans that must be paid off. The poor will no longer need such things under this system as many people will no longer need such exceptions. This also insures that all the subsidies and exceptions that usually benefit the rich (70% of deductions usually help the rich rather than their intended target, the poor). Let us also not forget that paying the taxes (hiring an accountant) is costly with American citizens paying millions of dollars a year just to get their money in order. So there is plenty of additional savings to be had by simply not taxing these people and simplifying the tax in the first place.

Retail: With all those producers and individuals no longer being taxed, both the Federal government and the States must find an alternative. In this case it is a sales tax exclusively at the retail level. Yes, you are probably screaming at me saying, wtf to higher costs of groceries and other items you buy at retail stores, but here is what you are forgetting. You are forgetting that you will be keeping much more of your money as you are probably in one of those individuals that cannot be taxed. In addition, prices will already be lowered based upon how much cheaper goods become when the producers of those goods no longer have to deal with the taxes they used to pay. So overall, the prices "should" balance out with certain exceptions (those that do not follow supply and demand and those goods and services that are affected by other government regulations/bad businesses). In this case, the sales tax will be small in the realm of five to ten percent as the income tax will still exist. At the State and local level, the tax will probably increase as certain properties like those of seniors and of various institutions become nontaxable. But the benefit is that sales taxes on goods and services are not as troublesome to deal with. You can still use coupons to cut costs, and sales of the week will still happen. Also, there are more goods and services being bought and sold in the United States than we have as a population. As such, with the combination of this altered progressive income tax and this retail tax (all other business taxes should disappear) will more than make up for the lost revenue.

Imports and exports: Since the country began, imports and exports along with fees on the sales of foreign goods have been subject to taxation. We should continue this only on imports. If we want more money for businesses to expand, create jobs and thus by default generate more tax revenue, we need them to be able to sell any and all goods and services that they see fit. So we do not tax goods and services leaving the United States. All other countries do not tax exports as they know it will hurt businesses and thus they do not. This is one of the few times I say we should copy other countries. Imports and additional sales taxes on imported goods will make a lot of revenue (especially on cheap knock off products from other countries) and thus make up for any trade imbalances.

Land Sales: The final form of taxation that is left is land sales. Just as you are thinking it is a sales tax on someone buying a home. When the United States was first founded the federal government made a lot of money this way and only really fell short during the civil war. So taxing land sales in the same way you would at retail would be most beneficial.

Conclusion: As you know, I am a libertarian. You also know that I hate the income tax as a whole. However, I try to be a realist when I can. We cannot get rid of one form of taxation without replacing it with another. Also, we can all agree that the federal government (States and local too) need to trim themselves down. As such, I put forth the aforementioned in combination with my tax exceptions from Issues 263 to 271. My goal is to make it so that at some point we can eventually be rid of the income tax completely at the business level (which this idea almost accomplishes) and we cut down on the income tax as well by making it more regressive for the people on the lower end of the economic ladder and somewhat more manageable for those at the higher levels. Of course this will only work with a lot of budget cuts and reforms at all levels of government (most of governments functions can already be done by the private sector). Yes, we can make reforms and we can succeed in making a better more manageable tax code. By doing all this we can get the government monkey off our backs.

Issue 271 Don't tax the military February 13, 2014

We have another set of hero's to stop taxing and with good reason. Here they are.

Sacrifice: Our soldiers fight our wars for us. They are separated from their families for months putting strains on relationships that unfortunately end in divorce. If the money was not so tight, then this strain may at the very least be lessened enough to allow these couples in the military a better chance at staying together. We place our soldiers into battle, and it is our duty to give them support.

Medical: Due to the unnatural nature of murdering another individual, our soldiers who defend themselves and our nation suffer from stress and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We try to help, but that help is not always enough. As such letting them keep more of their money would benefit them greatly. Also, let us not forget that some return from combat with missing limbs and deformities. By letting them and their families keep a little more of their income; it allows them to have more economic options when soldier’s benefits and charity are just not enough.

Low pay: Many of the grunts (our basic soldiers) have low pay. Many can survive on their own, but add a family into that equation and it becomes a struggle. Letting them keep more money aids them in having less strain on their marriages and their daily lives once home.

Conclusion: We really do not need a long explanation as to why these men and women in uniform should not be taxed by the federal, State or local governments directly. They deserve more than what we can give. Give them one less thing to worry about by not taxing them anymore for life.

Issue 270 Don't tax police and firefighters February 12, 2014

So let us not tax two very important groups of people. These groups are our Police and our firefighters (teachers and medical personnel are already included in my previous article Issue 266). So let me explain why.

Wear and tear: These men and women sacrifice much when it comes to protecting us from crime and fighting fires. They go through tough training and stress that taxes the body tremendously. Police are assaulted by criminals (especially corrections personnel) while firefighters run into a blaze to rescue us from harm. By the time they are able to retire, their bodies may become a mess.

They retire early: Because of this wear and tear they retire earlier than the rest of us. This is in the hope that there health conditions that are caused by the stress and the physical fatigue can be reversed or at the very least lessened. But sometimes their physical conditions lead to the need for medication or even therapy's of various kinds. Basically they may need long term care, but may still be wanting for money. As such, retirement may have to be put off or they may need a second job which may exacerbate any conditions that may have developed through the job. They need a break from what can only place more stress on them.

Self Sacrifice: Our police and firefighters do the job and do it well. Many are self sacrificing and even do the job to support their families. As a matter of fact, half the firefighters in the United States are either volunteer or are run by private companies. Also, some even work part time jobs on the side to just make a living. These men and women deserve a bigger break than just parades and fund raisers.

Conclusion: Given the aforementioned, these men and women in uniform are worthy of respect and admiration. By not taxing them we give them a monitorial advantage when it comes to dealing with health issues due to the job environment. If they are not taxed, then retiring early may not become as burdensome with respect to their economic needs after retirement. They are hero's who struggle day to day and thus do not deserve the burden of taxation. So let us stop taxing these heroes’s ladies and gentlemen.