BeancounterBlog.com » Humor

Reason: Where’s my Bailout?

richbond — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:53:50 +0000

Here’s a look at Reason Magazine’s take on the bailouts. Times like this need a good dose of libertarian humor.

How to Tax the Rich

Jason Guthrie — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 05:55:27 +0000

The topic of how best to tax the rich has been debated for… a long time. The rich always complain about being the ones to bear the financial burden of everyone else, and the poor get angry at the fact that the rich are getting fat tax breaks while still buying their yachts and gold-plated toilets.

Enter Scott Adams. Don’t know him? Perhaps you know him better by what he does. He’s a cartoonist. He draws Dilbert.

But besides being a hilariously funny guy, he’s got some great ideas from time to time on how to make our country better. His newest ideas is about how to tax the rich.

What if the government could give something of value to the rich in return for paying higher taxes? It would have to be something that didn’t cost the government or its citizens any real money. How about extra rights?

I smell a deal.

For example, let’s say the super rich are granted the right to use the carpool lane even if no one else is in the car. They’d need special stickers on their cars so they didn’t get pulled over. It wouldn’t clog the car pool lane because there are so few super rich people, and half of them have chauffeurs, so they use the carpool lane already. Society wouldn’t notice the difference.

Let’s also say the super rich are exempt from jury duty. Realistically, they probably get out of serving now if they want, but it saves them the hassle of making up an excuse. Throw that extra right on the list. No one would notice.

Maybe we could also let the super rich name new streets and government buildings. They could name them after themselves, or use it as an opportunity for revenge, e.g. Carlisaputz Avenue. It wouldn’t cost the poor anything, and it might make life more interesting.

Read the rest of the article here.

The Story Behind U.S. Currency Portraits

Jason Guthrie — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 04:44:13 +0000

Have you ever wondered where the pictures on your $20 bill came from? A fellow 9rules member posted an interesting look at the original portraits that were used in the design of U.S. currency. It’s worth a read.

Tax Breaks for Leprechauns

Jason Guthrie — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 13:44:35 +0000

If you don’t read the Dilbert Blog - you should. That things cracks me up every single day! Scott Adams seems have this uncanny ability to turn anything he’s talking about into a hilarious and sarcastic rant. And since his post yesterday was personal finance related (as much as tax breaks for leprechauns can be) I thought I would pass the link along so that you could read it yourself. My favorite part is:

Large people also get to see more of the movie/play/concert than the rest of us who are paying the same price. All I see is a huge head. And don’t get me started about how they absorb too much of the bass vibrations.

Click here to read the entire article yourself.

Boardwalk and Park Place Now Only Accept Debit Cards

Jason Guthrie — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 14:14:57 +0000

It’s not very often that I have the opportunity to write about my favorite game so frequently, but following up on the post about how to win at Monopoly comes news that the game is undergoing more changes. Parker has decided to phase out the colorful bills we all know and love and introduce kids to the “real world” by allowing players to pay rent using Monopoly debit cards. The card is inserted into an electronic machine where the banker taps in the cardholders’ earnings and payments.

Parker spokesman Chris Weatherhead said: “The new electronic Monopoly reflects the changing nature of society and the advancement of technology.” Although I love the colored play money that is such an icon of Monopoly, I think the younger generation that begins to play this “debit-only” version of Monopoly will be introduced at an early age to the way we actually use money. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I carried more than $3 of cash in my wallet. I can’t wait for the version that allows you to save for retirement using a Roth IRA account!

First credit card to build good credit history.

How to Win At Monopoly

Jason Guthrie — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 21:39:33 +0000

My family hates to play monopoly with me. Why? Because I always win. I don’t think it’s because of some great scheme I have or some super-secret strategy. I win because I love money, and I can usually convince family members to enter into some side contract that benefits me more than it benefits them.

If, however, you find yourself on the losing side of monopoly there’s still hope. There’s a list of tips on how to win monopoly at About.com that may help you the next time you find yourself stuck in the slums of Mediterranean Avenue with no hope of ever reaching the glamour of Boardwalk.

The Richest Man in the World? Santa Claus

Jason Guthrie — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 17:47:50 +0000

That’s right. According to Forbes.com, Santa Claus, who is about 1,651 years old, is worth approximately infinity - making him the richest man in the world! Coming in a close second is Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks who’s net worth exceeds $27.3 billion and Richie Rich takes third place with a net worth of $17 billion. I can’t believe I haven’t seen this list earlier! How they came up with the net worth numbers I’ll never know, but for the entire list of the Forbes Fictional Fifteen click here. If nothing else, the list will give you something to aspire too.

Top 10 Strangest Office Gifts

Jason Guthrie — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 14:42:28 +0000

Since a lot of you work inside an office I figured you would enjoy a list of the Top 10 Strangest Office Gadgets as much as I did - including the Blowfly Alarm Clock.

Quickenheadus Neuroticus

Jason Guthrie — Wed, 31 May 2006 15:16:43 +0000

I love Quicken as much as the next guy. In fact just last night I spent an hour or so on Quicken reconciling last month’s spending. However, I’m nowhere near the level of dedication and neuroticism that the Quickenheads are.

That’s right - there’s actually a group of people so obsessed with Quicken and its finer details that they have called themselves Quickenheads. These are the guys (and girls) that spend all day pondering questions such as:

How do you account for the loose change in a foreign currency brought back from an international trip?
When mailing a birthday present, does the postage go into the “Postal Expenses” category or should it be thrown in with “Gifts:Birthday”?
When mail ordering items of two categories in one shipment, should the shipping and handling charge be split, prorated, go to the category with the more expensive item or in a seperate “Shipping Cost” category?

Now, if you love Quicken - no, REALLY love Quicken, then check out this site to see if you really are a Quickenhead. Here are a few signs to look out for:

You pay your bills on the day they arrive just so you can enter the expense right away.
You’ve got the “Clothing” category split into at least 8 clothing sub-categories.
Traveling means keeping a notepad and pen handy at all times not to lose track of the cash expenses. Cash spending abroad in a foreign currency is pure hell.
You split the “Guns” category into “Guns:Accessories”, “Guns:Ammo” and “Guns:Guns” and you don’t even have a gun.

‘Nuff said I think…