SF FarMar (Taken with instagram)
Muir Woods (Taken with instagram)
Post Party Blues (Taken with instagram)
Happy Day (Taken with instagram)
Kansas City (Taken with instagram)
The best part of waking up. (Taken with instagram)
Muir Woods
A funeral for two SF Firemen (Taken with Instagram at Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption)
Sweet Corn (Taken with instagram)
Things I Want My Daughter To Know: Taxes
They’re bullshit.
I’d love to be encouraging and helpful on this one, I really would. I can’t, though. I had an entire first draft written down about how at their core taxes are good, and help, and yadda yadda yadda. Let’s be honest, though, they’re bullshit.
Let me explain how taxes work:
- Americans elect government officials that promise to lessen our tax burden.
- Newly elected officials proceed to break their promises, and worsen our tax burdens.
- Americans begrudgingly pay taxes every April.
- Government officials squander tax dollars.
- Americans elect new asshats.
- Repeat.
Democracy in action.
If I could express this problem with more rational thought, and less profanity, I would.1 A problem as tangled as the American tax laws have no rational explanation, or solution.
There are many schools of thought on how to fix the tax problem in America. Some suggest tax aided programs be drastically cut, and then let the private market step in to fill the need(s). Others suggest that wealthier people should pay more tax, thus relieving the tax burden on those that make less.
I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I see the value in allowing the private market to provide goods and services currently provided by government programs. In theory, it sounds great. It would lessen tax burdens, and provide jobs. I fear, though, that private businesses would take advantage of the people who need their goods and services. This might just be part of the solution, as competitors would likely join in and offer better experiences.
It makes some sense that if you make more you have more to put in to the pot. However, just because someone makes more money, doesn’t necessarily mean they are a bigger burden on social infrastructure. I like the approach that people who spend more, pay more taxes. Naturally, it seems, that those who have more to spend would be shouldering more tax burden. Americans, though, have a problem living within their means, so this would easily backfire. It might also discourage spending, which is needed to keep the economy going.2
Instead, the system we have in place seemingly penalizes hard workers, discourages entrepreneurship3, encourages cheating4, and does its best to keep people from getting ahead.
What I want you to know is that as you get older it will likely get worse. Sorry. Just be prepared. Figure out how to protect your money with investments, donations, and off shore accounts.5 In the meantime, don’t say bullshit or asshat at school or around your grandparents.
1 Maybe not less profanity.
2 I think. I’m not an economist.
315.30% + other taxes
4How Not To Pay Taxes
5 Joking.6
6 Sort of.
Things I Want My Daughter To Know: Settlers Of Catan
Development cards FTW!
Settlers of Catan, or simply Settlers as those in the know might say, is a game of strategy. You buy and trade commodities in order to build up towns. The first player to ten points is the winner.
Your Mom said it best when she commented that Settlers is like getting rich, it brings out the best and worst in people.
There are numerous strategies to winning at Settlers. Luck, however, plays a big part in the game. One strategy I like to employ, and your Uncle Jordan despises it, is to buy a lot of Development Cards. Doing this will likely get you the largest army, as well as a Victory Point, or two. That’s up to four points rather quickly. You start the game with two points, automatically, so my Development Card strategy shoots you up to six points pretty quick.
It’s not fool proof, though. I’ve seen people buy up commodities and build cities as fast as possible. I’ve seen my approach combined with building the longest road (2pts). The worst strategy is the one where someone plays by rules that aren’t actually defined by the game. This is maddening.
A big part of the game is trading commodities. The five commodities you buy/trade are: brick, ore, wool, wheat, and timber. Each commodity is represented by a hexagonal board piece, and each piece is associated with a number. You then roll dice, and the commodity associated with the number on the dice is what everyone may collect (buy). The great thing about Settlers is that the board changes with every game, thus making certain commodities more plentiful or scarce. This is where trading becomes a big part of the game.
Trading can both form important allies and foes in the game. This is where the game mimics striking it rich, as your Mom said. It’s an astute observation, I think. The best and worst of people come out when you begin sharing what you have with some, and not others. Sometimes, people feel they are entitled to what you have.
What I want you to know is that both in the game, and in life, you need to be careful about who you share with. Some people will only take, and not share back. Some will expect you to share with them if you share with others. It’s a fine line, and one of life’s precarious nuances. Don’t be stingy, but don’t let yourself be taken advantage of, either.
In general, your Mom and I think that if you have extra of something that someone else needs, and you don’t need it yourself, then share it with, or give it to them. Set up boundaries, though, and stick to them. This is the best way to ensure the best, and not the worst of both you and those around you, comes out when you win… or strike it rich.
