Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Money and Business

That Sinking Feeling

99 years ago today, the RMS Titanic sank to the bottom of the sea. The current administration and the massive debt threaten to sink America as well.

RMS Titanic was a passenger liner that struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, and sank on 15 April 1912. She struck the iceberg four days into the crossing, at 23:40 on 14 April 1912, and sank at 2:20 the following morning, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.

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15 Apr 2011 by Money and Business Whacko Politics

On-Line Tax Estimator

taxtime.jpgSince we have had some life events this year, mainly building a new home and refinancing our old one, I thought I better begin the tax estimation process. I also did this last year when I had a retirement life event. I pulled up the TurboTax 2010 Tax estimator to approximate our Federal tax situation.

The process is bringing a little bah humbug to an otherwise jolly time. Some of the initial numbers popping out scare me a little. However, we’re not using actual data at this time, only top-of-the-head estimated numbers and there are still a lot of things we can do that may help the situation.

Hat tip to John Lott who used this estimator in a post he made about tax rates being unfairly distributed..

16 Dec 2010 by Money and Business Retirement

SUV and Truck Sales Boom – Again

The tired old “Americans want small cars” meme from the left just ain’t true . . .

From Planet Gore

Another Kind of Green: Profits from SUV Sales Soar

By Henry Payne

ford-f150.jpgAuto sales are roaring back — and so is America’s hunger for trucks.

In an embarrassing trend for President Obama and his media chorus, the rebound of the U.S. car market in November is coupled with a rebound in truck sales, even as Washington elites are trying to mandate smaller cars and persuade the American public that “Americans want small cars.”

The evidence indicates exactly the opposite. With low fuel prices and money in their pockets, consumers are returning to trucks — which now total 53.5 percent of the market, compared with 46.5 percent for cars. Light-truck market share is up 6 percent over 2009 year-end totals, while the sales of hybrid cars have declined from 2.8 to 2.4 percent of the market — even as the Obamedia have plastered the press with declarations that our brave new hybrid world is here.

The trend couldn’t be better timed for GM and Chrysler, who are riding the trucks’ huge profit margins as they climb the post-bankruptcy mountain to profitability (and taxpayer independence).

Please note that FORD did not take the bail-out. That image above just might be my next truck. It’s a Ford F-150 “Super Chief” with a 5.8 liter engine.

02 Dec 2010 by Beltway Kabuki Money and Business Whacko Politics

Government Motors Buys Volt World Series Ad

They might as well buy time on a NASCAR event. What a waste of taxpayer funds . . .

From Planet Gore:

Peanuts, Cracker Jacks . . . and Elitist Green Transportation?

volt.jpgBy Henry Payne

Detroit – Underscoring the perils of government ownership, GM will launch the new electric plug-in Chevy Volt with an ad buy during this month’s World Series.

That is, in the middle of the American pasttime’s premier event, Government Motors will use taxpayer money to buy premium ad time to pitch a money-losing, taxpayer-subsidized, Washington-approved, green automobile to America’s upper-class green snobs.

Rather than applause for good ol’ American know-how that GM anticipates, the public might well see the Volt as a symbol of government excess, more a federal-spending flop rather than the rebirth of a “high-tech” GM.

The ad buy may also endanger the Chevy brand. While the spots will trumpet Chevrolet’s 100-year heritage and a place in American culture next to baseball, that place is occupied by middle-American Chevy buyers. The Volt is priced for the BMW class and its elite tastes.

Will such consumers want a Chevy?

I hereby resolve to go out and buy the biggest Ford Truck or SUV with a 5.8 liter V8.

01 Oct 2010 by Greenbats Money and Business Whacko Politics

Your Tax Liability Calculator

Massive government spending means more taxes to you and me. Now, thanks to a new on-line calculator, you can see what your lifetime tax obligation is going to be. You will also see how much that money could have earned had you invested your enormous tax bite. This is my sad story:

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The calculator is easy to use; there are three pieces of information you need to provide: highest level of education, age and income. The results are what is shown above plus what your monthly tax bill is going to be – it ain’t pretty.

You can enjoy the misery at MyGovCost.org.

15 Sep 2010 by Beltway Kabuki Money and Business Whacko Politics

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