Happy Anniversary to my bride.

Here are five shows that were instrumental in my childhood...

Well, we have TONS more to do (pressure wash, paint, get new windows, and do a whole lot more landscaping), but I think we're starting to make at least a little progress on the outside of the house.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all Ten
comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it
would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are
all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your
daily beer by $20."Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the
first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But
what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they
divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted
that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would
each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested
that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same
amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.


And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued
to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to
compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He pointed
to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar,
too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back
when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get
anything at all.
The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat
down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill,
they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money
between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our
tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most
benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being
wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might
start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

(thanks to Grant)

I often get emails to my Gmail from people I've never met and have, of course, never met me. It's always fun to get a little view into other people's lives all across the world. I get messages from professors, helicopter mothers, sisters, clients, and even their pastors (actually, I ended up having a really good dialogue for a while with an Anglican pastor in Germany who was originally trying to reach a parishioner who is a journalist working at the time in London). The times you feel sorry for guys are those where you get a standard corporate email saying that the company decided to go with another candidate for some xyz position...then I wonder how long those guys wait until the company finally gets around to reaching them. Then there is the occasional window into a fascinating world far away, such as an email from a guy's sister putting on a fashion show in London where all the clothes are made from trash and is supposed to be some great statement in support for a greener London. The best of all, however, are those that on one level really draw you in because they reveal a true snapshot of human emotion and absolute authenticity....and on the other end are freaking hilarious because...well...just read this:

Hey,

Long time no see!

How's things with you? I'm still in Europe, spent last night in a
horrible hotel in Germany. Olga (the girl who's showing me round) got
really drunk and started licking me. Crazy! I hope I attached a
photo to show you how impressed I looked!

Anyway, there was another reason I e-mailed you. I've had a lot of
time to think while I've been out here, about where I am in life, and
the way things are going and stuff… I really miss you. It sounds
silly, but I've just had such a bad time out here without you. I know
you see us as just friends, and I feel so silly saying this to you,
but I really love you.

I don't want to sound stupid or anything, but I've been saying those
words to myself over and over, trying to come up with the best way to
let you know. I'm not home for another two months, and it's killing
me not knowing your answer. Please, please let me know how you feel.

Love,

Holly
x

Good night, what could be more classic! "Hey, I know you see us as just friends...but I really love you." Utter genius. Of all the emails to send to the wrong person, this is greatness. By far, my favorite.