The US is in debt over $9 Trillion. That's about $90,000 for EVERY HOUSEHOLD in America. If you subtracted $90,000 from everyone's assets - how many of us would be bankrupt?

$400B per year ($4,000 per household) is going to pay current interest on the national debt.

Each year, the debt is climbing by $200B ($2,000 per household) because we are spending too much and collecting too few taxes.

Let me summarize. For the average US household the federal government has put you in the position of:

- $90,000 in debt
- Charging you $4,000 per year to partially service that debt.
- Increasing your debt each year by $2,000.

Quoted: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told Congress today that the U.S. government will hit the current debt ceiling of $8.965 trillion on Oct. 1, 2007. Paulson urged quick action to increase the limit.

Organization working to stop the $47B in earmark ("pork") taxes that are secretly inserted into the Federal Budget each year. That amount to $470 added to the average American household's annual tax bill (the most famous is the Alaskan "Bridge to Nowhere" - to Gravina island (with 50 residents) - it's an insanely expensive project with little economic benefit.

Now THIS is an awesome idea! I can't believe I didn't think of it. You know all that unreported TIP income that waiters and waitresses scam from the federal government. Well, all you have to do is tell them that it is a GIFT, and not a TIP, and they don't HAVE to report it. Brilliant!

Quoted: We are very excited to announce the arrival of our brand-new Libertarian tool: the "Tip Card." Hand out this card whenever you are leaving a "tip" for someone - and watch the interest of the Libertarian Party grow! This is a great, non-confrontational way to let others know about the wonderful things our party is trying to do and perk their curiosity for further investigation.

60 minutes last week had a great show about US federal budget earmarks - $70 Billion this year - that's $700 per household going to local projects at the federal taxpayer's expense.

Maria Cantwell runs for cover to explain her vote to kill the minimum wage increase bill that also had estate tax cut, and deduction for sales tax for WA tax payers. I think her comments are not genuine. I think she really just wanted to kill the estate tax cut - and she has to be defensive about her killing a very reasonable tax deduction for WA state tax payers.

Quoted: But "I'm not going to cut the minimum wage for over 100,000 people in my state just to get it. You don't rob Peter to ...

My latest rantings about the estate tax. Bill Gates Sr. just makes me mad. I don't agree with his point of view, and in fact find him to be hypocritical and self-serving in his positions on the estate tax.

The Sonics want a bigger cut of tax dollars to support Key Arena. Not sure how I feel about this (I love the Sonics, but why are they not able to make a profit on their own like every other successful business). King County isn't building any Microsoft buildings for them...(although the stat did throw $3B at Boeing a couple of years ago, I believe!)