PIES FOR Pi; TAXES FOR THY

"Let me tell you my thoughts about tax relief. When your economy is kind of ooching along, it's important to let people have more of their own money." - George W. Bush, Boston, Oct. 4, 2002

Pi Day Cometh
"It's Pi Day, a celebration of the mathematical ratio that man has been trying to unlock for millennia. But why are we driven to find the answers behind it?

Pi Day celebrants, usually children with an enthusiastic teacher… learn about pi, circles, and, if they're lucky, eat baked pies of various sorts. - BBC News, "3.14 and the rest", David Blatner, Friday, 14 March 2008, 11:47 GMT

I am of the opinion that Pi day is a different point in time for every individual. Pi day is the day upon which the US Government stamps "PAID IN FULL" upon your tax file. This day is calclated by multiplying Pi times the number of days between your conception and your death. Contrary to popular belief, our government CAN reach beyond the grave. - 2q(Jim)

"One of the most endearing and enduring qualities of humans is that we're so often sure that we can find the answer to any problem if we just try hard enough. For 3,500 years, humankind has attempted to solve the puzzle of pi... calculating the exact ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter...

In ancient Greece, the great mathematician Archimedes worked tirelessly to discover the ratio, uncovering only a few digits of accuracy…

...Ludolf van Ceulen died in 1610, he had spent many years of his life tediously calculating pi, resulting in only 35 accurate digits... in 1873, William Shanks announced he had found 707 digits over years of hand-cramping work; unfortunately, he had made a mistake after the 527th place. The following digits were all wrong.

The most recent attempt, by a Japanese computer scientist in 2002, found 1.24 trillion digits of pi.

Pi Day is a time to honour not just a number and our fascination with it, but also the essential truth that there are some things we simply cannot know. We can only get close to knowing."
BBC News, "3.14 and the rest", David Blatner, Friday, 14 March 2008, 11:47 GMT

Privileges Pay - Permits 'taint Pie
RALEIGH — Someone from Iran has been fishing along the North Carolina coast. Someone from Israel has, too.
Someone from both nations bought a coastal recreational fishing license in the first year of its existence. They were among nearly 460,000 coastal recreational fishing licenses sold …the licenses have been issued to people in every county in North Carolina, in 62 U.S. states and territories and in countries throughout the world.

The license has brought in $5.7 million in fees. By Barry Smith, Times-News 11/30/2007

Chinese Proverb:
"When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others."

Tax Time Warning

Democrats' version
If you get an envelope from a company called the Internal Revenue Service, DO NOT OPEN IT! This group operates a scam around this time every year. Their letter claims that you owe them money, which they will take and use to pay for the operation of essential functions of the United States government. This is untrue! The money the IRS collects is used to fund various other corporations which depend on subsidies to stay in business.

This organization has ties to another shady outfit called the Social Security Administration, who claim to take money from your regular paychecks and save it for your retirement. In truth, the SSA uses the money to pay for the same misguided corporate welfare the IRS helps mastermind. These scam artists have bilked honest, hard working Americans out of billions of dollars. Don't be among them!

Republicans' version
If you get an envelope from a company called the "Internal Revenue Service," DO NOT OPEN IT! This group operates a scam around this time every year. Their letter claims that you owe them money, which they will take and use to pay for the operation of essential functions of the United States government. This is untrue! The money the IRS collects is used to fund various inefficient and pointless social engineering projects.

This organization has ties to another shady outfit called the Social Security Administration, who claim to take money from your regular paychecks and save it for your retirement. In truth, the SSA uses the money to pay for the same misguided make-work projects the IRS helps mastermind. These scam artists have bilked honest, hard working Americans out of hundreds of billions of dollars. Don't fall for this scam!

FROM THE EXPERTS
"It is a good thing that we do not get as much government as we pay for." - Will Rogers

"I am proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is I could be just as proud for half of the money." - Arthur Godfrey

"The point to remember is that what the government gives it must first take away." - John S. Coleman

"The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the least amount of hissing." - Jean-Baptiste Colbert

"Taxes grow without rain." - Jewish Proverb

There are 299 U.S. Embassies, Consulates, or Diplomatic Missions around the world according to the US Dept. of State. Each has someone in charge. Each occupies a facility and incurs typical facility charges (e.g. utilities). Each has some equipment (e.g. telephones). Do the math, are you getting your money's worth? IF YOU HAD MORE OF YOUR OWN MONEY, IS THIS WHERE YOU WOULD SPEND IT? ARE ALL OF THESE "ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS"? - Q2(Jim)

"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get - Warren Buffett