On Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:28:14 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd
wrote:
snip
Well, but... people and companies alike benefit from government-supplied
services, creating an environment where complications (lack of safe transport,
unenforcability of contracts, unsafe airi/water/food, corrupt police) make
for added, unpredictable costs. It's worth paying a high tax rate if the benefits
are commensurate.
snip
================
A point well taken, but the following article indicates that
much [how much no one knows] of the US governmental revenue
stream is p***ed off, with no benefit to anyone except the
gouging meeting coordinator and [likely] the people they
paid off.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...nferences.html
$16 Muffins Found at U.S. Meetings
By Seth Stern - Sep 20, 2011 2:58 PM CT

U. S. Justice Department agencies spent too much for food at
conferences, in one case serving $16 muffins and in another
dishing out beef Wellington appetizers that cost $7.32 per
serving, an audit found.

“Some conferences featured costly meals, refreshments, and
themed breaks that we believe were indicative of wasteful or
extravagant spending,” the Justice Department’s inspector
general wrote in a report released today.

snip

A March 2009 conference of the Office on Violence Against
Women served Cracker Jacks, popcorn and candy bars at a
single break, costing $32 per person, according to the
report.

snip
$5 Swedish Meatball {very spicy! -- UG comment}

The report is a follow-up to one from 2007 that found the
Justice Department had few controls to limit the costs of
conference planning, food and beverages. That audit cited a
reception that included Swedish meatballs costing $5 apiece.

snip

This does not appear to motivate most people to pay more in
taxes, and indeed is a powerful selling point for the Greek
tax paying system...


--
Unka' George

"Gold is the money of kings,
silver is the money of gentlemen,
barter is the money of peasants,
but debt is the money of slaves"

-Norm Franz, "Money and Wealth in the New Millenium"