I have many things to gripe about with all the screwed politics abound and my own strife, but now I feel the powerball is a dream gone bad too. I was reading along about eight meat packers who scrounged up a few bucks each to play the 365 million dollar drawing this past weekend and the numbers looked odd so I did the math.

The eight won $365,000,000 after taxes they each get $15,500,000
$15,500,000 X 8 = $124,000,000
So taxes were $241,000,000
That is a 66% tax

Exxon/Mobil showed over $10,000,000,000 in it's last quarter of 2005
Do they pay $6,666,666,666 in taxes on that?

In the book of Jed: Prophet of the Obvious, having free reign over oil addicted easy to gouge post Katrina war and wage slaves would be very much like winning the lottery, and should be taxed as such.

An old story of a greedy cat with a small pond of fish at his paws eats the soft belly of all the fish because that was the cat's favorite part and was so easy. The next time he gets hungry for a fish feast he only finds an empty pond and rotten fish bodys. He could have been a good kitty cat and had one or two whole fish a day for his entire life giving them time for repopulation. Bad kitty!

Am I off base and making matters worse?

Seems obviously like SATAN at work to me... (so cheney HAS to be involved right?)

I like how it's always the Rich man who says it's not a regressive tax system though this clearly shows it...

That's why Tennesseans for Fair Taxation is a great organization,, everyone thinks when you hear 'state income tax' it means more money, but it actually would help things be less regressive, though no doubt they will continue to be somewhat in this wicked federal govt.

I get the feeling that if we allow an income tax we will end up with both a high sales tax and an income tax which the middle class will bear because the poor are exempt to help the law to pass and the rich will adopt laws to avoid paying it. More money for our "leaders" to squander. Like our wheel tax was passed to keep property tax down in a very confusing wordy vote. Once the wheel tax was law the property was assesed higher and the rate went up too. I think in terms of less laws and less taxes. It seems when they pass a little law it takes a bite outta freedom. Seatbelt laws seem like the very best thing we could do to help people not get hurt, but in reality it gives someone the right to stop you on the road and require you to present all your identification search you and fine you. Strict education is more key to a good society than strict laws. Laws seem to only appily to the weak/uneducated and poor while other people with power evade the law. I wish I had more answers and less questions.

You aren't making matters worse in the least.
When Hummers get tax breaks ten times greater than a Hybrid, Bush's White House makes secret deals about opening our ports up and oil companies make outrageous profits when most folks like us have to budget in increasing costs because gas is so high, it is worse, but it ain't you buddy doing it.
It makes me weary that this government's cronyism is so enmeshed in the country's psyche that all of this just seems old hat for some Americans.
We know who's making matters worse and he lives on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Hey, come over here and pay £4.50 for a gallon of diesel! (1 imperial gallon is about 1.2 US gallons so it's not as bad as it looks. £1 is about $1.75.

I note from a news report today that you've just discovered speed cameras on highways. Now there's a thing...

So I come visiting to find a post on Marmite. But the oil thing is interesting. In the UK we've had the novel notion of high taxes to discourage driving & travel by train has expanded vastly - but everyone complains about how crowded and bad they are. In London you now have to pay to drive your car in the central districts.

TJ - Once again, you've hit a home run!