Italy may have the answer after all

It takes courage to do courageous things. It takes leadership to be a leader. And in politics it probably takes grave circumstances to cause any real change. So in Italy we have all of those today. And what do we get? A leader, the new Prime Minister, Mario Monti, who installs a cabinet of NON-Politicians. Wow! What a novel idea? Instead of putting in his cabinet career politicians, he is doing the right thing and installing actual businessmen. Businessmen without political agendas. Businessmen who have other careers to fall back on as is not the case with career politicians. It might have taken extraordinary circumstances to get to this point, but at least it has happened before it was too late for Italy. We will see what happens over the next days and weeks with Italy. But rest assured that whatever happens will be significantly better than what the Berlusconi regime would have accomplished. So perhaps America needs to look across the Atlantic to Italy to see the beginnings of what it really will take to solve our problems at home. Remove the career politicians that have caused our budget crisis. And replace with people that understand budgets and tough decisions before it is too late.

Does the Super Committee have a chance?

Does anyone really think that a committee composed of professional politicians has any chance of addressing the budget crisis? That would be like expecting a criminal to solve the crime problem. Think about it. These folks are the same ones that already are largely responsible for the budget crisis. They are in most cases the most senior members of their respective parties. How can anyone expect this group of 12 hand picked career politicians to solve a problem their existence created? Then let's take it one step farther. The members credentials to understand and solve "bankrupt" entities. Virtually all 12 have never had real jobs. Again, they are career politicians. But the biggest joke is that there is a committee at all and that somehow by forming a"commission" as politicians call them to make them sound more important, we will reach a proposal that "politicians" will endorse. Again, the very nature of career politicians proves they are only capable of self dealing in order to get re-elected. Check out each on the committee below. And don't be surprised when at the end of this month nothing happens but more finger pointing along with divisiveness from the "political class" we elected. Sorry, but there is no chance for this group to present real solutions and even less of a chance that those recommendations would get implemented.

	Democrats	Republicans
Senate members	Patty Murray, Washington, Co-Chair Max Baucus, Montana John Kerry, Massachusetts	Jon Kyl, Arizona Rob Portman, Ohio Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania
House members	Xavier Becerra, California Jim Clyburn, South Carolina Chris Van Hollen, Maryland	Jeb Hensarling, Texas, Co-Chair Fred Upton, Michigan Dave Camp, Michigan

Equality and Greed

Percentiles Ranked by AGI	AGI Threshold on Percentiles	Percentage of Federal Personal Income Tax Paid
Top 1%	$343,927	36.73
Top 5%	$154,643	58.66
Top 10%	$112,124	70.47
Top 25%	$66,193	87.30
Top 50%	$32,396	97.75
Bottom 50%	<$32,396	2.25
Note: AGI is Adjusted Gross Income Source: Internal Revenue Service

When its all said and done, the occupy Wall street's movement for equality and the elimination of greed could be really good! If equality actually happens, then the fact that only 25% of the taxpayers pay 87% of all taxes will certainly change. Equality must include a fair share of taxes being paid by everyone. Not just the top 1% or 25%. And greed...well I consider it excessive when soo much of the tax burden is borne by such a small percentage of the population. And the very complainers apparently want more excessivness. They couldn't possibly think that attacking the 1% that pay 37% would result in that same 1% paying more taxes could they? If the attack is asking for equality, then there will no longer be a 1%. And all of the people that have all of this extra time to protest will soon be sharing more equally in the tax burden. Nice result!