<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD><TITLE>Message</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2722" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV> <DIV>No one said it wasn't complex and difficult. And I was really talking more about the psychology than the economics. The world is literally what we make it. But economic measures have, by and large--and for people at all levels--been up in recent years. This includes employment, etc.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now in keeping with the theme: You have identified the national debt as a major concern, and I agree. Now, in keeping with the theme, please propose solutions. But please do not propose increasing any taxes as this would be the worst kind of short-term fix as it would ultimately slow the economy and reduce the amount of money coming in to the government, as all experience demonstrates.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'll start: Get rid of the IRS altogether and go to a simple flat tax or national sales tax. The economy would skyrocket, tax cheating would be greatly reduced, the tax would be infinitely more fair to everyone, the cost of government would drop significantly, and the government would have more money than ever YET they would have less sociological, Big Brother control over you and me in our lives. Of course, this would take an act of God because the IRS is THE principle source of a politician's power. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now Katrina WAS an act of God, so let's see how the nation responds: More freedom and individual initiative? Or an even bigger inefficient government and an increased entitlement mentality that is the biggest force driving the national debt problem in the first place. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Keep thinking, let's work together, we can get better.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Oh, I gotta go now, my chauffeur, <FONT face=Verdana>Babette</FONT>,  just drove up in the Rolls. Hope she hasn't been into the Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin too heavily, this time ... "On my way, Cherie!"</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Alan Barnard</DIV> <DIV>Salem, Missouri</DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=pianolist@snet.net href="mailto:pianolist@snet.net">Ernie</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 09/15/2005 2:21:22 PM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> O.T. RE: Business in Coming Days was O.T. "Do Not Call List"</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2> <DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=596052818-15092005>Responding to <SPAN class=596052818-15092005>Alan</SPAN>'s comments, below, which many might echo:</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=596052818-15092005></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=596052818-15092005>Alan Barnard said:</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV></DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT size=3><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" color=#000000 size=3>Responding to Susan's comments, below, which many might echo:</FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT size=3><SPAN class=596052818-15092005></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT size=3><SPAN class=596052818-15092005>... </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT size=3><SPAN class=596052818-15092005></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT size=3><SPAN class=596052818-15092005> </SPAN>but the government cut taxes (oh no, oh my, gloom and doom from some ...) and what happend?<SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>   </FONT></SPAN>The economy came roaring back and the flow of money into government coffers substantially INCREASED. It always works.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>Really? Your share (and mine) of the national debt ($7,961,868,911,485 and now increasing at an average of ~ $1,660,000,000 per DAY) is now ~$26,792. If your "tax cut" was greater than that, then, yes, I'll certainly admit that I'm wrong and, at least for you, the economy must certainly be better. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>If someone gave me a buck (that I didn't ask for) and then said I now owe them a hundred, I wouldn't exactly consider that to be a windfall for me, nor would it be likely to cause me to think better of them. </FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>So, if you have found a way to make out better by using these "tax cuts," please share with us how you were able to do this. Sharing business advice like that is what makes lists like this so useful for our entire industry.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT size=3><SPAN class=596052818-15092005></DIV></SPAN></FONT></SPAN> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>"Don't worry, be happy"? Is that like "And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them." </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>I do appreciate that you are trying to look at the positive, but I think a more balanced approach that analyzes a thing for what it actually is, both the positive and the negative, is much more useful in the long run. Ditto for judging America's business and economic situation in the coming days by only surveying very wealthy individuals or very wealthy corporations, of which I would bet you a buck the vast majority of folks reading this list are neither.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><SPAN class=596052818-15092005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><SPAN class=596052818-15092005></SPAN><SPAN class=596052818-15092005></SPAN><SPAN class=596052818-15092005></SPAN> </DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>