“Most of both groups trust a doctor’s decision to withdraw treatment when futility is determined. More of the public (57.4%) than the professionals (19.5%) believe that divine intervention could save a person when physicians believe treatment is futile.“

Throughout the history of man, there have been unexplainable cases where patients have experienced a dramatic change in their medical condition.   And the power of prayer… or even the power of positive thinking… have been the subject of much discussion.  Of course, it’s impossible to provide objective evidence in these situations… so skeptics are many.  It could well be that Divine Intervention occurs quite frequently and we simply never know it!  It cannot be proven nor disproven.

I believe all that happens is meant to happen … and even dire situations can dramatically improve with no humanly explanation.

I do pray that WE receive some kind of heavenly intervention in the direction our government is going … despite the fact that government has progressively divorced itself from God.  I trust He is not a vindictive God, that He will help even non-believers.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to assert my opinion as to the “correct” way government should be involved in our lives and work hard to prevent others from moving it in the “wrong” direction.  If you agree with me, I ask only that you do the same.

Some of the competitions are simply amazing… it is remarkable to see the difference between first, second, and third places being a fraction of a second or some seemingly minor variance!

Once again, I notice the high level of patriotism displayed when the winners are standing on the podium, receiving their medals, and listening to the national anthem being played.  And, in interviews after their performances, the athletes talk about how proud they are to represent their country in the Olympic Games.   They worked hard, stood out from the rest of those who wanted to go to the games, and were selected… and you can clearly see they are proud to be “the chosen ones”.

It seems that sports is one of the last areas where public display of patriotism is commonplace.  It has been largely driven out of the classroom and many public arenas… but still is common in many sports.

Why?

What makes sports activities an acceptable venue for displaying patriotism while others are not?

First, please remember that companies don’t really pay taxes… people do.  Companies pass taxes through as a cost of doing business.  Their customers pay the taxes.   In order to continue to make a profit, companies increase the prices of their goods or services to cover any taxes they will have to pay.

This also means things cost more for consumers… and some will actually not be able to afford to buy when the price is higher… which means less is sold at the higher price.   So, the impact echoes on.  But this aspect of taxing businesses is a discussion for another day.

Next, an expert points out that many of the companies are “small businesses” with Subchapter S status… meaning they are included in their Individual tax filing.  The fact that they pay any owed taxes as individuals vs. businesses shouldn’t really matter… left hand or right hand… the government gets what is owed.  Of course, this “small fact” is being overlooked by any politicians who want to demonize businesses.

Even though the GAO study didn’t explore WHY no taxes were paid, they did point out a couple of reasons companies don’t pay taxes:  due to operating losses or because of tax credits.

So, if a company lost money and didn’t owe any taxes, is that a reason for political outrage?  Not really, unless it might be to explore ways to help companies become profitable (and therefore be able to pay taxes).

And, if a company takes advantage of any available tax credits, is that cause for members of Congress to decry no taxes being paid.  Of course not!  THEY were the very ones who approved such tax credits!!

If anything, this latter situation points out one problem with our tax coce:  it is too complicated.  Not even those in charge of it know all the nuances.  The way we collect federal taxes needs to be revised to eliminate both the confusion and the favortism of such tax credits.  Please look into the Fair Tax to learn more about a better way to get this job done.

Last, consider that part of the problem is caused by companies transferring profits from U.S.-based entities to foreign-based entities to avoid taxes.  Even “American” companies do this.  Why?  Taxes are lower in some other countries than in the U.S.A.  High taxes provide an incentive for companies (and individuals!) to expend a lot of time, money, and effort to avoid paying them.  If tax rates are lower (more reasonable), companies are not motivated to do unproductive things simply to avoid paying a little more tax… but, if a LOT more tax must be paid, they WILL “play the system”.  This is entirely rational behavior.

How about this for an idea?  Turn the table.

LOWER corporate tax rates in the U.S. so more companies will have an incentive to pay taxes here rather than abroad.  This might even encourage FOREIGN companies to base more operations HERE to avoid paying taxes in THEIR countries!

Remember, too, that a lower tax RATE does not mean lower taxes paid.  History has shown that a lower tax rate encourages production and increases business activity… and, even though paid at a lower tax rate, MORE TAX DOLLARS are actually collected.  This is the desired win-win scenario between government and business.