A Case For Rugged Individualism...

Forget The Tax Cut.... Go Help Yourself , and Save the Next Generation.

One of my political heroes was fellow Long Islander Teddy Roosevelt. He was tough, brash, and he looked out for the little guy without wrecking the economy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that TR coined the term 'Rugged Individualism'. It's a cornerstone of what a lot of Republicans believe in - that for many things, you can help yourself better than the government can. I'm going to use this theory in a bit of a backwards way, and some Republicans will probably disagree with me. Tax Cuts.

With the new economic stimulus bill passed - it seems to be all we talk about here - the Obama Administration has ordered the Treasury Department to reduce their withholding taxes on Americans' income taxes. Starting April 1st, the average American will have $13 more per week in their paycheck. I'm right at that average wage, so I should be excited to get that extra $13, right? Nope. Why? Because I know that by taking it, I am doing my part to bankrupt the future of America.

Will $13 a week make a big difference in my life? Hell no. But, more importantly than that, I can do more on my own to put $13 a week in my wallet. Shit, I've already done it, and it's worked. Remember last year? I wrote a blog post where I listed about a dozen different moves I took to cut about $200 a month off of my bills. Anyone can do this, without altering your life. Just look around, and you'll find plenty...

Here's my suggestion for you to save America: Don't take the $13. Tell your HR administrator to up your Federal tax rate by $13 for as long as it lasts. You'll end up getting that $13 back when you file for 2009, except that it will be in a nice lump sum , instead of you pissing it away on gum or cigarettes. Your check will not change. They have that cash a bit longer to pay off the interest on the debt before they give it back to you.

But what if you still need the cash? Here's an easy suggestion - bring your lunch to work. I do,and I have for years. My sandwich, two sodas and the Little Debbie for the sugar rush costs about $1.50 a day. Buy it out of the vending machine, and going out will cost about $7 a day, which saves about double what the Federal Goverment is spending with the Tax Cut. It's that easy.

Is Rugged Individualism the answer to all our problems? Hell no. I can't build roads and bridges, I can't test power plants for unsafe work conditions, and you sure don't want me protecting the country from invaders. But, I can do my little part to fix the economy, without help from the government. Remember , I was there. I lost my job for 5 1/2 months with NO unemployment and next to nothing in the bank. How? I juggled, I got private help, and I had a mortgage on a non-extravagant home with a mortgage that i could afford at a fixed rate.

So, do I sound backwards being a Republican that isn't asking for a tax cut? Maybe. But if, i don't need it, I'll give it back at my discretion and collect it later. I just don't like the idea of digging the hole even deeper. Yeah, spending needs to be cut in DC, but that's for another post...

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