How Do I Tax Thee?

How Do I Tax Thee? PDF Author: Kristin Tate
Publisher: All Points Books
ISBN: 1250169666
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
"We all know the government taxes our income. Federal, state, and local taxes are withheld by employers, as are Social Security payments. But what about the many other ways the government covertly drains money from our wallets? Have you studied your cell phone bill? Customers in New York State pay an average of 24.36% in combined taxes on their wireless bills. They’re also charged for obscure services they didn’t ask for and don’t understand, like a universal service fund fee, an FCC compliance fee, a line service fee, and an emergency services fee. These aren’t taxes, strictly speaking. The government imposes these administrative and regulatory costs, and your wireless provider passes them along to you. What about your cable bill? Your power bill? Your trash bill? The cost of groceries, a gallon of gas, a cab ride, a hotel stay, and a movie ticket are all inflated by hidden fees. How much of what you pay at the grocery store, pump, airport, or the box office is really an indirect tax? In a series of short, pointed, fact-laden, humorous chapters, Kristin Tate exposes how up to half of your income is siphoned straight into federal, state, and city government coffers--and also where these hidden taxes and fees come from."--Dust jacket.

How Do I Tax Thee?

How Do I Tax Thee? PDF Author: Kristin Tate
Publisher: All Points Books
ISBN: 1250169666
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Get Book Here

Book Description
"We all know the government taxes our income. Federal, state, and local taxes are withheld by employers, as are Social Security payments. But what about the many other ways the government covertly drains money from our wallets? Have you studied your cell phone bill? Customers in New York State pay an average of 24.36% in combined taxes on their wireless bills. They’re also charged for obscure services they didn’t ask for and don’t understand, like a universal service fund fee, an FCC compliance fee, a line service fee, and an emergency services fee. These aren’t taxes, strictly speaking. The government imposes these administrative and regulatory costs, and your wireless provider passes them along to you. What about your cable bill? Your power bill? Your trash bill? The cost of groceries, a gallon of gas, a cab ride, a hotel stay, and a movie ticket are all inflated by hidden fees. How much of what you pay at the grocery store, pump, airport, or the box office is really an indirect tax? In a series of short, pointed, fact-laden, humorous chapters, Kristin Tate exposes how up to half of your income is siphoned straight into federal, state, and city government coffers--and also where these hidden taxes and fees come from."--Dust jacket.

The Great American Rip-Off

The Great American Rip-Off PDF Author: Susan M. Finley
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 1598585746
Category : Insurance companies
Languages : en
Pages : 170

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Book Description
This book gives the reader a look at the complicated U.S. health care system through the eyes of a consumer. It explores two key questions: Why, with all of the resources that have been devoted to solving the health care crisis, does the situation continue to deteriorate? And, what, exactly, could be done differently this time to turn the situation around? The author examines obstacles that have stood in the way of health care reform in the past - including politics, government red tape, profit-driven providers, moneyed lobbyists and special interest groups and even, our own consumer "entitlement mentality" - and challenges the reader to envision a scenario in which innovation in health care might be possible. The author argues that consumers are the key to forward progress on health care: we'll only see consumer-driven solutions when enough people demand them. This book is a challenge to consumers to speak up and hold our leaders in the medical community, the government and corporate America accountable for developing solutions that work for us. Susan M. Finley is a small business owner and marketing strategist. She began her career as a bank product manager, and in 1994 co-founded Michaelson Kelbick Partners Inc. (MKP), a firm specializing in marketing and communications for the financial services industry. Over the course of a decade, the agency managed marketing communications for some of the largest bank mergers in recent history. In 2003, she left MKP (now renamed mkp communications, inc.). Her knowledge and understanding of the complicated U.S. health care financing system comes from a three-year research and consulting project, started in the hopes of serving as a catalyst for consumer-driven changes in health care. She lives in North Carolina, where she and her husband have recently founded Finley and Finley, LLC, to continue their research on potential avenues for innovation in the health care and financial services industries.

The Good American

The Good American PDF Author: Robert D. Kaplan
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0525512306
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 545

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Book Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Revenge of Geography comes a sweeping yet intimate story of the most influential humanitarian you’ve never heard of—Bob Gersony, who spent four decades in crisis zones around the world. “One of the best accounts examining American humanitarian pursuits over the past fifty years . . . With still greater challenges on the horizon, we will need to find and empower more people like Bob Gersony—both idealistic and pragmatic—who can help make the world a more secure place.”—The Washington Post In his long career as an acclaimed journalist covering the “hot” moments of the Cold War and its aftermath, bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan often found himself crossing paths with Bob Gersony, a consultant for the U.S. State Department whose quiet dedication and consequential work made a deep impression on Kaplan. Gersony, a high school dropout later awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam, conducted on-the-ground research for the U.S. government in virtually every war and natural-disaster zone in the world. In Thailand, Central and South America, Sudan, Chad, Mozambique, Rwanda, Gaza, Bosnia, North Korea, Iraq, and beyond, Gersony never flinched from entering dangerous areas that diplomats could not reach, sometimes risking his own life. Gersony’s behind-the scenes fact-finding, which included interviews with hundreds of refugees and displaced persons from each war zone and natural-disaster area, often challenged the assumptions and received wisdom of the powers that be, on both the left and the right. In nearly every case, his advice and recommendations made American policy at once smarter and more humane—often dramatically so. In Gersony, Kaplan saw a powerful example of how American diplomacy should be conducted. In a work that exhibits Kaplan’s signature talent for combining travel and geography with sharp political analysis, The Good American tells Gersony’s powerful life story. Set during the State Department’s golden age, this is a story about the loneliness, sweat, and tears and the genuine courage that characterized Gersony’s work in far-flung places. It is also a celebration of ground-level reporting: a page-turning demonstration, by one of our finest geopolitical thinkers, of how getting an up-close, worm’s-eye view of crises and applying sound reason can elicit world-changing results.

The Death and Life of the Great American School System

The Death and Life of the Great American School System PDF Author: Diane Ravitch
Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
ISBN: 0465014917
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
Discusses how school choice, misapplied standards of accountability, the No Child Left Behind mandate, and the use of a corporate model have all led to a decline in public education and presents arguments for a return to strong neighborhood schools and quality teaching.

The Great American Stickup

The Great American Stickup PDF Author: Robert Scheer
Publisher: Bold Type Books
ISBN: 1568584342
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
Asserts that Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Robert Rubin, Phil Gramm and others colluded in the fundamental corruption of the U.S. economic system that led to the financial crisis and sounds the alarm over the Obama administration consulting some of these very same men to fix the problem they created. Original.

Grateful American

Grateful American PDF Author: Gary Sinise
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1400208130
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Discover the moving, entertaining, never-before-told story of how one man found his calling: to see that those who defend this country and its freedoms are never forgotten. As a kid in suburban Chicago, Gary Sinise was more interested in sports and rock 'n' roll than reading or schoolwork. But when he impulsively auditioned for a school production of West Side Story, he found his true purpose--or so it seemed. Within a few years, Gary and a handful of friends created what became one of the most exciting and important new theater companies in America. From its humble beginnings in a suburban Chicago church basement and eventual move into the city, the Steppenwolf Theatre Company launched a series of groundbreaking productions, igniting Gary's career along with those of John Malkovich, Joan Allen, Gary Cole, Laurie Metcalf, Jeff Perry, John Mahoney, and countless others. Television and film came calling soon after, and Gary starred in Of Mice and Men (which he also directed) and The Stand before taking the role that would change his life in unforeseeable ways: Lieutenant Dan in the Academy Award-winning Forrest Gump. The military community's embrace of the character of the disabled veteran was matched only by the depth of Gary's realization that America's defenders had not received all the honor, respect, and gratitude their sacrifices deserve. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, this became Gary's new calling. Grateful American, now a New York Times bestseller, documents Gary's dedication to working tirelessly on behalf of those who serve this country, sharing stories about how he has: Entertained more than a half million troops around the world playing bass guitar with his Lt. Dan Band Raised funds on behalf of veterans Founded the Gary Sinise Foundation with a mission to serve and honor America's defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need Grateful American is the moving, entertaining, profoundly gripping story of how one man found his life's work: to see that those who defend this country and its freedoms are never forgotten. Praise for Grateful American: "Gary Sinise writes as he lives, and as the artist and actor he has always been: with American authenticity, purpose, and a conviction that is inseparable from his nature." --Tom Hanks, actor and filmmaker "No entertainer alive today has visited and performed more for our troops at veterans hospitals and military bases all over the world than Gary Sinise. For years his foundation has built 'smart homes' for our troops that were severely wounded in combat. The book is called Grateful American, and I promise that after you read it you will be grateful for what Gary has accomplished and contributed to our country. He's truly one of a kind." --Clint Eastwood, actor, director, producer, and musician

Renters Win, Home Owners Lose

Renters Win, Home Owners Lose PDF Author: Tom Graneau
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1491815264
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 151

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Book Description
Home ownership has been widely regarded as the best financial investment in the pursuit of wealth accumulation. Americans believe that the appreciated value of a home provides a great hedge against inflation, giving homeowners an opportunity to make a profit when they sell the property. Today, two-thirds of American families own their homes. Nearly 80 percent of the 78 million baby boomers are homeowners. Many of them have bought and sold several homes. Yet close to 90 percent of American families are broke. Nothing consumes more of our hard-earned money than home ownership. What if this popular, best investment choice is nothing more than a dangerous dream? Is home ownership simply a huge economic scam designed to keep buyers broke? Could homeowners be working to pay a mortgage that make their lenders rich while they stay poor? What if home equity is only an illusion? Could renters be in a better financial position than those who own their home? Renters Win, Homeowners Lose: Revealing The Biggest Scam In America is a bold approach in unraveling the long-term financial reality of home ownership in America. The book compares buying a home to renting and reveals that renters clearly have tangible, financial advantages over the majority of homeowners. Renters can truly be winners! Tables and models are used throughout the book to poignantly demonstrate that most homeowners receive no more than a zero percent return on their investment, and many lose money in the deal. Renters Win, Homeowners Lose: Revealing the Biggest Scam in America will get you to rethink the way you view home ownership versus renting. The book is a thought-provoking masterpiece.

A Good American

A Good American PDF Author: Alex George
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0425253171
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
A cloth bag containing eight copies of the title and a folder containing book sign out sheets.

The Big Ripoff

The Big Ripoff PDF Author: Timothy P. Carney
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118046439
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
Praise for THE BIG RIPOFF "Politicians like to say that government is on the side of the little guy. But with impressive documentation and persuasive examples, Tim Carney shows how government power and regulation are typically used to assist the powerful." -Paul A. Gigot Editorial Page Editor, the Wall Street Journal "Exposes the dirty little secret of American politics: how big businesses work with statist politicians to diminish the prosperity and freedom of consumers, taxpayers, and entrepreneurs. Carney employs top-notch writing ability, passion for liberty, and understanding of economics to demolish the myth that big business is a foe of big government. Everyone who seeks to understand who really benefits from big government should read this book, as should anyone who still believes that the interventionist state benefits the average person." -Congressman Ron Paul U.S. House of Representatives, 14th District of Texas "Small entrepreneurial businesses are the backbone success of our great economy. They are the biggest job and wealth creators. Is that why big corpocratic behemoth firms collude with big government for a liberal agenda of higher taxes and overregulation that will punish the small risk-takers? Tim Carney's new book describes how anti-business big business can be." -Lawrence Kudlow Host of CNBC's Kudlow & Company "Tim Carney explodes the myth that big business and big government are natural opponents. All too often, as he points out, they're both engaged in a common enterprise: picking your pocket." -Ramesh Ponnuru Senior Editor, National Review "A romping tour de force of the love affair between big business and big government from Teddy Roosevelt and the Robber Barons to Enron and the Kyoto Treaty. Indispensable for understanding how government regulation really works." -Donald Devine Grewcock Professor of Political Science, Bellevue University "Every CEO in America should read this book today, issue new directives to their bureaucrat-appeasing Washington lobbyist tomorrow, and join in the fight for economic liberalization." -Fred L. Smith, Jr. Founder and President, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Stoner

Stoner PDF Author: John Williams
Publisher: New York Review of Books
ISBN: 1590179285
Category : Adultery
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
"Born the child of a poor farmer in Missouri, William Stoner is urged by his parents to study new agriculture techniques at the state university. Digging instead into the texts of Milton and Shakespeare, Stoner falls under the spell of the unexpected pleasures of English literature, and decides to make it his life. Stoner is the story of that life"--