Phone bills and the United States Tax System
Have you ever wondered about that tiny charge added to your phone bill called Universal Service Fund? Usually, it’s not a lot of money. So, you just pass over it and pay the amount owed. Well, here’s the dope on the USF.
The USF has its roots way back in 1934. Back then, it was the government’s first attempt at regulating the new telephone system. “Universal” was originally used by AT&T to mean, “...inter-connection to other networks, not service to all customers”. …after years of regulation, the term came to include infrastructural development of telephony and service to everyone at a reasonable price.” (Wikipedia). Perhaps you’ve heard of it more recently as a means to connect those in rural areas to the wider phone system. In 1996 the USF was revised to include broadband and the poor, too. Please, bear in mind; this is a Governmental monitored and spent fund. It amounts to a subsidy to ALL the phone companies to provide the afore-mentioned services. This subsidy is paid out of the USF surcharge on your bill. In these regs is a little known piece of information. That the phone companies can also add a surcharge to their customers bills to finance or recoup their costs on this build-out of the system. So, not only are we paying for the high speed broadband build-out by surcharges levied by the phone companies but, also by the government through our taxes. I’m talking BILLIONS of dollars in subsidies from the U.S. government.
I read an article in the USAtoday, Oct. 28, 2011 titled “Rural Broadband Progress” by Scott Martin. The Universal Service Fund has been re-named and revamped. It has become an $8 billion dollar fund. In this fund is now the old USF, now known as Connect America Fund, a $4.5 billion fund, and a NEW fund, known as the Mobility Fund. Doing the math, I figure the MF (no, it’s not THAT MF!!) has assets in the neighborhood of $3.5 billion.
So, let us move on the nut of this blog.
We have the CAF for phone and hi speed broadband for those in rural areas and those too poor to afford it on their own. Then, there is the MF to provide wireless access to them too, both of these funded by the surcharge on your bill. If you clicked on the link provided above and read that article, then this part isn’t new to you. In the new funding package there is a provision to allow the telephone companies to also add a surcharge to your bill to help defray their lost revenue! Not only do you now have to pay the CAF Tax but, also give the phone companies money to close their losses!! FCC officials say this will amount to 10 to 15 cents extra on customers’ bills. Apparently, the FCC believes that Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc. won’t see this as a new revenue stream to increase their profits. The FCC believes that the altruism in these phone companies will restrain their overwhelming greed for profits. Big profits equal big bonuses for big-wigs.
YOU do the math.
I’m sorry, I’m laughing so hard, I have to stop now….
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
A retiring columnist's view, and I agree
I posted the poem, which appeared at the end of Charlie Reese's final editorial column in the Orlando Sentinel, to get your attention. Never forget, we, as the lawful citizens, of the United States of America, have the option to impose term limits on the politicians, anytime we choose. If you, as a lawful citizen, choose NOT to excersize this right, then don't bitch, whine or complain. You get what the majority want, not what you would like. What follows is a re-print of Charlie Reese's final column:
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ....
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They and they alone, have the power.
They and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ....
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They and they alone, have the power.
They and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
Ever wonder how we are still being controlled?
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
at which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
at which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
On Lupus
I sit here, thinking of of my love, wondering if Benlysta will help her. For those of you saying, "What is he talking about?" let me nut-shell it for you. My love, Eiska, has Lupus SLE, the most fatal composit of Lupus. It attacks, joints, muscles, internal organs, the skin, the mind and inducing debilitating pain everywhere in the body. It is an auto-immune disease, little understood by doctors and researchers alike. It acts much like AIDS but, without the contagation factor. Lupus is an inheirted genetic disease. You can't "catch" it from a sufferer. Much like AIDS, Lupus never kills the sufferer, the lack of the ability to fight off infections, both bacterial and viral is the culprit in death. Pneumonia, kidney failure, heart attack, and on and on. Last year, a clinical study with a new drug was completed. (http://http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/health/17drug.html?_r=1 ) Recently, the FDA approved it for use in the United States. The cost of the treatments is huge, in excess of $10,000 a year. Far outside of what I can do. I've come to terms with the knowledge that E will be taken from us but, it is a very painful realization, one that I keep locked in a small room inside my brain. Also, locked inside that very same room is my RAGE at Lupus. And my painful, angry musings on why I NEVER see ANY ribbons, marathons, sports stars, actors or actresses, celebreties talking about this insiduous, fatal disease. I'm in AA, Lupus has taught me the true meaning of POWERLESSNESS (is that a real word? It is for me.) At times, in this space, I'll let my rage run free, expressing my feelings on many subjects. Please, pray for my E......
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