Be Authentic

I read a tweet from @Scrappinmichele today that put into words clearly what I had been struggling with for a comment on the State of the Union Address last night.  I have never met this tweeter.   However, her tweet hit home.

"Your mission statement should be in your own voice, make it authentic" 


My impression of the State of the Union was it was a well written and delivered oration by our President.  However, it wasn't in his own voice or authentic.   This President sounded like what the right wants to hear not what he believes in.   I guess I wondered if someone handed him the Republican response by mistake.   I just can't wrap my head around this President being for a five year spending freeze, vetoing any bill with ear marks or pork spending, and simplifying the federal tax code.   By the way the new euphimism for spending or tax dollars is "INVESTMENT".   Watch for this to be the overused word in 2011.

Sure, I would love to see a higher focus on math and science education in this country.  I believe in investing in technology.   I have to wonder if the public education system in this country is up to the challenge.   Clearly we need longer school days, virtual classrooms, and computers WAIT- tablets in the hands every student.   However, is this something that the teacher's unions are going to allow?   Things I could see perhaps making a difference would be longer school days, virtual classrooms, paying teachers with Math and Science degrees more etc.   I am guessing these will all be a no go in finding middle ground between School boards, administrator/teachers unions, and the individual tax payer.

In the end, I would have rather had President Obama get up and give a speech from his heart and his beliefs.   I just don't think this is the case.    Wondering in the heart of hearts of most liberals what did they think?   I mean... was this the type of program of what they voted for in 2008?

This would have been a tune to President Bush getting up there and saying he was going to federally fund abortion and abandon the Homeland Security plans.    It wasn't his own voice....

In social networking, one of the cornerstones of success is to sound human, real, and authentic.   Find your voice and use it...   people will respect you more for it.

Fairtax.org

I spent last night doing our 2006 taxes... Or at least pulling the information together into a spreadsheet for our CPA. (Who is terrific if anyone wants a referral in Georgia, Robert Skinner, CPA). I, like many in the States, put this off each year as a dreaded task.

I do prepare all year by throwing receipts into the "Yearly Tax Folder" to be kept safe until the day each year I pull them out to sort into Client expenses, charity giving, office expenses/home office deductions, investment income etc. Each year, I curse myself saying ... I know I gave more to charity... where is that damn receipt!!!

The last two years it has been even more tasking as I have been educated to the "FAIRTAX PROGRAM". A radio talk jock on WSB in Atlanta, Neal Boortz, is one of the prime promoters to this bill that has been introduced into the US Congress year after year. While our elected representatives boast they want to overhaul the tax code, most of them are .. well... Sissies! There! I typed it. It takes guts to say, abolish the IRS. The fact many IRS agents agree this is a fairer and better system is proof this can work! I was against it. I didn't understand how this would work. Real estate values would drop. I would be paying more ... 25% more every time I bought something, went to the doctor, or ordered something online Yikes!! That is a tough pill for a Republican.. but I continued to listen after all, Neal is a Libertarian and somewhat more conservative than Attila the Hun.

Well, I discovered a couple of interesting points. Take out that W2. Total up the amount of tax you paid last year to the State, Federal government, social security, medicare etc. What is the percentage of your income? Mine came to about 26% but that was in Georgia. I am scared to do it in CT.

Now, think about who doesn't pay that percentage but uses a ton of the services you just paid for and by the way you have worked for exclusively this week as we have hit tax freedom day yet.

• Illegal immigrants


• Criminals (drug dealers, pimps, thieves, etc)


• Tax evaders (including some very proper business people that think it beneath them to pay .. taxes - Yes, I am talking about GS.


• Foreign tourists (that stay for ever)

And the list goes on...

There is clear documentation that moving to a federal flat sales tax will also solve the social security issue. Check it out at Fairtax.org or read John Linder & Neal Boortz's book The Fair Tax Book" - Very - short, funny, and mind changing.