Some Ranting!!

I have thought long and hard about this rant for a while. Actually ever since the recent elections. So now I'm gonna say my bit and since no one really reads this it won't make any difference ;)
For the 2004 elections the State of Oklahoma proposed a cigarette tax, a huge one. Well, as we all know it passed. This shows exactly how ignorant people are in Oklahoma and possible all over the United States of America. This bill was presented for one reason: A capital gains tax cut. In case someone is unaware of what a Capital Gain is: The amount by which an asset's selling price exceeds its initial purchase price. A realized capital gain is an investment that has been sold at a profit. An unrealized capital gain is an investment that hasn't been sold yet but would result in a profit if sold. Capital gain is often used to mean realized capital gain. For most investments sold at a profit, including mutual funds, bonds, options, collectibles, homes, and businesses, the IRS is owed money called capital gains tax. opposite of capital loss.

Now a Capital Gains Tax is the taxation of the money that is realized as a profit from an investment. This tax cut has given the rich and the big business a huge break. This was a clause in the so called Cigarette Tax bill that Oklahoma's passed. The money that is collected from the tax on Cigaretts is going to health care. Less than 1% of that money is going to smoking cessation programs. So Oklahoma is making sure that they keep their smokers so they can continue to gain this tax money. This is also called a "Sin Tax."
A tax on certain items, such as cigarettes and alcohol, that are regarded as neither necessities nor luxuries.
This is a tax against the poor. Do you think a dollar a pack is going to make a difference to someone who makes 250,000 a year? No its not. Now imagine the same scenario for a person who makes 15,000 a year. This is a tax specifically targeting the poor. Plus the cost of smoking cessation aids is totally out of reach for a poor person.

On to more pleasant things....
Yesterday I talked about Hadden Sayers. I've decided to continue with the introduction of my favorite guitarists.
Monte Montgomery hails from the Austin Texas area. He is probably one of the most talented guitarist in the world. Not too long ago June Carter Cash's mother died and I read a bit about her "Carter Scratch". This is a guitar style that involves playing the tune with two fingers and picking a melody with the other two fingers. This is what Monte does but he can play 3 guitar parts at one time. He is an outstanding musician. Please check him out. Here are the lyrics to my favorite Monte song:

Wishing Well

In the corner of a box marked lost and found
I find myself again
Lining the bottom of a wishing well
with other dreams that might have been
Flattened by the pressure of what's coming down
I'm relying on faith second hand

I used to be an average man
with bigger than average plans
Somehow I got lost along the way
and now I'm here
Don't you know that you could be the one
to set me free
I've waited all my life to be someone
somebody could see
You can find me still in the corner of a box
marked lost and found at the bottom of
a wishing well

Burdened by the weight of a wrecking ball
I'm defining my own sense of worth
I want to bathe my soul in the light
as religion finds me immersed
Destitution knows me by name
While the trick is to sit where you stand

I used to be an average man
with bigger than average plans
Somehow I got lost along the way
and now I'm here
Don't you know that you could be the one
to set me free
I've waited all my life to be someone
somebody could see
You can find me still in the corner of a box
marked lost and found at the bottom of
a wishing well

I'm caught shuddering by myself
each wish in the shape of a coin
Legal tender for wishes thrown
as the water reflects the unknown
The tide rips through the surface of time
But I can't think of when it began

I used to be an average man
with bigger than average plans
Somehow I got lost along the way
and now I'm here
Don't you know that you could be the one
to set me free
I've waited all my life to be someone
somebody could see
You can find me still in the corner of a box
marked lost and found at the bottom of
a wishing well