The picture of a Florida downpour is irrelevant. I see Internet taxation is in the news again. Some seem to think it is a way to collect the generally lost tax on out of State drop-shipping. No, it will be a tax based on how much Internet bandwidth you use, and they tax the provider, not you. Bellsouth and Comcast will collect the tax, and they will because if they don’t they have to pay it themselves.
The popular objection is that this tax will increase the already severe gap between the Haves and Have-Nots (although I see the gap as merely the permanent distance that poor and stupid people naturally place between themselves and the good things in life). If that sounds harsh, remember that I have paid a half-million in taxes when I worked. For what, so people could call me a redneck if I questioned it, much less objected?To me the danger is that to tax, there must be a shadowing of the taxable activity. This means a level of Internet scrutiny beyond anything you now imagine. Be very afraid. It would also be a Federal tax, so double watch out. US Federal tax is the closest American “law” I’ve ever seen based on pure Canadian logic. It basically says that “while there is no law that requires you to pay tax, the law provides severe penalties if you do not voluntarily comply”. If you don’t get it, you’ve never worked in Canada.
My favorite Canadianism was when I was chastised for collecting an education incentive. I had applied, over years, for a tuition-rebate program, in each case, being pre-approved in writing by a supervisor. Incentive, right? That’s what it was for and it was also the major reason I had joined the company.
In 1990, I was informed I had “more in reimbursements than the rest of the department put together.” I was expecting a medal, for it was obvious I was also smarter than the rest of the department put together. (Some people never understand why smart people don’t like them.) Instead, I was cut off, and I have this in writing: “We are not saying there is a maximum, we are saying that if there was one, you have exceeded it.” (Lionel Edwards, 1991)
JZ is still looking after his dad, so I went on a service call this morning. Which took until mid-afternoon, as I have encountered a situation where Adobe will not work correctly. I installed it three times, then finally put it on another computers to prove it was not an error I was making. Now, I will follow up and find out why – and somebody should tell Adobe this is the reason their systems get cracked.
Nothing works like making a little money to get me back to practicing music. Yes, I know some people might ask why I never practiced their material as much, but the same people forget to ask what was in it for me. One $10 gig every other month? I’ve got a place I could go play tonight for good tips, but I think I’ll learn a couple more tunes instead. Who remember Buffet’s “Come Monday” and Crowell’s “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried”?
Hmmm, I may be in Miami tomorrow. One neighbor came by to inform me my brake lights were stuck on. They were, and upon inspection, it seems somebody jury-rigged the cable that controls the transmission lever so you can’t change gears unless you tap the brake pedal. As usual, the Ford contraption is multi-purpose so there is no combination of fuses or cables I can move to give me temporary service. It is either brake lights always on, always off, or no gears. Somebody else had the same problem, and their fix is now my problem. Way to go, Ford Motor Company!
Buyer beware. In Florida you take a chance buying anything on sale, because it is often not regular merchandise marked down, but inferior or damaged product. I bought a package of instant apple mix in single serve packets. Six of them were water damaged. I’m drinking the rest as I relax this evening adding the above tunes and a few others to my set list. This takes time, as I must add a click tract (intro), trim blanks, correct pitch errors and convert the lot to MP3s. And often, in the process, discovering pretty amazing errors in the original recordings, or more accurately, the methods the studio used to gloss them over.
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