"Happy" Tax Day

Today is the day that most of us pay our taxes. What exactly does all this money we're shelling out go for? Let's see: some of it goes to pay members of Congress and the Executive branch a salary, free travel for government business (including golf trips), as well as lifetime health care.

However, in 2007, nearly 40% of every dollar went towards military spending. Remember, that war over there in Iraq? Yeah, well, there are some solid people who are brave enough to stand up in the face of adversity and declare that killing people to settle differences and achieve peace doesn't work. Knowing full well that it's our tax money that pays for these wars, they have decided to stop paying the portion of their taxes that go for war.

This morning on Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman interviews a Portland, Oregon couple who have not paid for war in 30 years. You can read the transcript here.


According to Goodman, "the total amount allocated for the Iraq war through fiscal year 2008 is more than $520 billion." The questions us Americans should be asking are: how many bridges could be brought out of "deficiency" ratings with that money? how many children could we feed and give health care to with that money? how many of our roads could we fix with $520 billion? how many schools could we buy new books and gym equipment for?

It'll be a great day when schools get ALL the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.

And don't give me this crap about "protecting America." Again: Iraq did NOTHING to us and had NO weapons of mass destruction. Al Qaeda was NOT in Iraq until AFTER we invaded that sovereign country. All we're doing is making more enemies, killing innocent civilians, pissing more people off, and giving people good reason to hate us. I miss Ron Paul.



Also in today's tax news: Fewer Large Corporations Audited by IRS (but more smaller ones are)



As a Cardinal, he did nothing. While he has chosen to meet with President Bush, he has chosen to not meet with people who were sexually abused by priests. Yet, the Pope says he is "deeply ashamed" over sexual abuse in the Catholic church. Oh really? Words do nothing to fix the problem of Church officials moving known child molesters to another parish. How about a little more action Mr. Pope?

"Jason Berry, a New Orleans writer who first drew national attention to clergy sex abuse in the 1980s, said the root of the problem is that the Vatican doesn’t punish bishops who shelter offenders. "Until the church creates a genuine system of justice to redress these wrongs the abuse crisis will continue...""




A very good argument for doing something about global overpopulation?

"Oshiya, or "pusher", is an informal Japanese term for a worker who stands on the platform of a railway station during the morning and evening rush hours, and pushes people onto the train. This video is a good example of just how crowded it gets on Japanese trains." Watch here.