Imagine being able to take a trip to space. You wouldn't have to go throw the rigors of become an astronaut. A bit of training and then you'd be on your way. Companies like Oracle at making this dream a reality for the ridiculously wealthy. In 2005, Oracle held a contest where an average Joe could win a spot on one of these trips. Brian Emmett wound up winning the $138,000 prize and was ecstatic until he learned that he would have to claim the prize on his taxes. Emmett had to give up his dream of seeing space because he didn't have a spare $25,000 to fork over to the IRS.
A dream crushed by the federal government. It's reminiscent of when Oprah gave away a car to everyone in her audience in 2004. Those poor souls' good fortune left them $7,000 in tax debt. The government seems intent on ruining fun where ever they smell it. And if they can make a profit in the meantime, all the better in their eyes. Tax laws turn Uncle Sam from a symbol of freedom and democracy to a mob boss breaking legs until he gets his cut.
For example, take this bit of ridiculousness. A car company buys parts to get build a car, and they have to pay taxes on those parts. The car is then sold to a customer and that person must now pay taxes on the purchase. In a couple of years the buyer decides that he should really get his wife that minivan she's been nagging him for so he sells the car. Whoever buys the car from him must now pay taxes on it again. The new owner drives the car for a few years and then sells it again and taxes are paid again. The next owner drives the car until it does not work and then sells the car to a junkyard which must pay taxes on it. The car is gradually stripped for parts and each time a part is purchased, the customer must pay sales taxes. The point is that even just one car is taxed so many times that it can make your head spin. With the government sucking money out of us at every turn, how is there a multi-trillion dollar deficient?
Even with the government taxing pretty much everything in existence as many times as they can get away with, they still manage to spend more than they will ever have. If you do not have a throbbing headache right now, or are not outraged by this then you are part of the problem.
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I couldn't believe this when I heard about it yesterday! How harsh on this kid! You would think that the government would give a little leeway on it. Maybe ask the people who held the contest for a piece of the taxes. But I'd be willing to put money on some random billionare coming forward in the next day or two and paying off his taxes so he can take the trip after all. It could even be those two 78 year old Powerball jackpot winners. They got somewhere in the neighborhood of $276 million; I think they could stand to share $35,000.
This is just another example of how much our government wants money to go out and do stupid things and how willing they are to destroy a person's life long dream to get more money ($35,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to our national debt!)!! There's just something so wrong about this!
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