Oil up over 90. Real Estate in the Crapper. Dollar in the dumper.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

Locally, every taxing body around Chicago & Illinois govt is suddenly trying to take us to the cleaners like it's some kind of contest. Public transportation is dying a death of thousand cuts. Half our leaders are screwing us blind and the other half seem to be sitting around wondering whether Cheney has pictures of them with the goat or just the babysitter.

No point really. Just deciding whether I want to stop for a drink on the way home.

[Zywiec]

1. Stop and have a drink

:toast: :beer:

You can never go wrong with one or two or five...

Cheers!

[ieoeja]

2. Words and music by Eric Idle

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.

So always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath

Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

And always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the right side of life...
(Come on guys, cheer up!)
Always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the bright side of life...
(Worse things happen at sea, you know.)
Always look on the bright side of life...
(I mean - what have you got to lose?)
(You know, you come from nothing - you're going back to nothing.
What have you lost? Nothing!)
Always look on the right side of life...

[heidler1]

3. When you lower the interest paid on the US dollar its value drops so, guess what, oil goes up.

The enormous cost of the Iraqi war forces printing more money to avoid raising taxes this inflates the dollar even more. The Republicans have made raising taxes the modern boogy man, this is killing the US economy. How do we fix it? VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS!

[truebrit71]

4. Have a drink or three...

..it deadens the pain...

On the plus side Gov Ryan lost his appeal....time to go to jail Georgie!!!

[ieoeja]

5. Federal Income Tax Cut + Inflation + Recession = Higher State & Local Taxes

Less money coming to the state from the feds. Less money coming in from the people because of recession. And everything costing the state & local governments more because of inflation.

The thing about inflation in the 70s is that wages went through the roof in response. I wonder if we'll see that this time around? Or if everyone will just bite the bullet for Wall Street in their ideologically blind hatred of unions.

I wonder how much revenue the State of Illinois could raise by taxing unearned dividend income at the federal earned income tax rate. Since W decided the feds should stop ALL taxes on dividend income, I would assume he meant to make that revenue available to the states for direct taxation.

Right?

And if we write that particular tax law as Federal Earned Income Tax Rate -minus- Federal Dividend Income Tax Rate, then in the event the feds someday make the dividend tax higher than the earned income tax rate, the State of Illinois would pay the difference for us. Making this the ...

PROTECTION FROM EXCESSIVE TAXATION TOWARDS YOUR DIVIDENDS (P.R.E.T.T.Y DIVIDENDS) ACT

Not that the feds will ever tax unearned income as much as they do earned income. But it'd be a nice spin.

[liberal N proud]

6. Mission accomplished

The bu$h doctrine is working. The elevation of assets to the few wealthiest Americans creating a two class society. It will make it easier to control the people.