tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225356632012-01-26T12:56:39.221-05:00I’m William Larsen, a Candidate for Indiana's 3rd District U.S. Representative. I’m a navy veteran, engineer, husband and father of five children. I want to restore the American Dream, where in a land of opportunity an individual can work hard and prosper.William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.comBlogger4101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-3096714879188709972012-01-26T12:53:00.002-05:002012-01-26T12:56:39.441-05:00

Warren Buffet, media and pundants seem unable to perform simple math. The single person pays the highest tax of al filers. The tax rates are pretty straight forward for a single person;2011 Tax rates15% on over $0 to under $8,37525% on over $8,375 to under $34,00028% on over $34,000 to under $82,40033% on over $82,000 to under $171,85035% on all amounts over $373,650For the secretary to pay 35%

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-59523422887516116462011-11-23T01:20:00.003-05:002011-11-23T10:51:49.048-05:00

The majority of Americans support a balanced budget amendment. They expect congress to live within its means. At the same time Senator Lugar and Representative Stutzman, two out of many elected representatives both support the fair tax measure, specifically the national sales tax of 23%. This tax would combine the Social Security Old Age Survivors Insurance tax of 10.6%, Social Security

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-16122303470699147322011-07-05T23:45:00.002-04:002011-07-05T23:54:32.750-04:00

It is amazing how some government agencies just seem to not think ahead, even when it is their responsibility to think ahead. The 4th of July is a time of celebration, but that does not mean Mother Nature or life itself comes to a standstill. Having lived here since 1963, I know how many people go to the fireworks. They used to be held at McMillen Park where I as many other scouts would sell

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-24593677087134314942011-07-01T14:23:00.003-04:002011-07-01T15:01:07.356-04:00

Over the past week, an individual contacted me about Social Security and what I thought of the Heritage Plan. The plan is 50 pages in length. After reading it I am very disappointed that those names on the plan, who endorse the plan did so.The plan has no validity period. It does not use an independent model or provide any assumptions. It refers to CBO reports and from this speculate what

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-35676087537521228292011-03-01T19:02:00.001-05:002011-03-01T19:10:29.667-05:00

Last night on channel ABC World News Tonight, Diane Sawyer, had a piece on buying American. The cost to employ 200,000 workers is just 18 cents per day per American. The hype is that this is just a small price to pay. The question I have is, who says it is such a small price to pay?There are 330 million Americans in the US per the last census. There are 365 days in a year. Pretty simple math

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-86384491309141879962010-10-08T19:33:00.002-04:002010-10-08T19:38:14.175-04:00

In Friday’s paper I found a paid advertisement inside the “Boomertime in Northeast Indiana vol3, issue 2, 2010.” The paid advertisement was titled “Social Security What you need to know today for tomorrow and the future.” It states Social Security the most successful domestic government program in our nation’s history. I am not sure of their definition of successful, but mine is one that works,

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-17851341825608600732010-05-31T16:52:00.003-04:002010-05-31T17:01:12.434-04:00

This Gulf Oil spill is really making me upset on several fronts. First the technical aspects are criminal. A company decides to drill for oil in 5,000 feet of ocean. On land, the question asked is what is done to contain spills or blow outs, fires, etc. At sea, what were the potential problems? As an engineer, I know that submarines do not go below 2,000 feet or if they do not much more,

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-83343567149613607412010-05-02T10:47:00.001-04:002010-05-02T10:48:47.790-04:00

Candidate Phil Troyer for Congress is a conservative who explicitly identifies his beliefs and values. He supports term limits for congress. This clearly would provide the mechanism for new ideas, to limit the power of seniority of any one representative and let’s face it, if a problem has not been solved within 12 years, we need new representation. Troyer supports limiting a bill’s length to

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-14584017983485999152010-05-02T10:33:00.002-04:002010-05-02T10:46:54.481-04:00

I have a couple of problems with Senate Candidate Bates.The combined state and federal corporate tax rate is 39.9% - the second highest such tax rate in the world. I propose that we slash the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 24%, and then down to 20% as soon as possible after that. That would be an immediate tax cut of 31% for all employers in America. Additionally, this tax rate would

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-31729944786104353972010-05-02T10:10:00.002-04:002010-05-02T10:30:07.537-04:00

Hotstettler issues:John has voted to repeal the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which authorized the income tax. As a senator, John would vote for repeal again in order to move the country to a national retail sales tax similar to the type used in Indiana to fund state government. A national sales tax would be extremely costly. The general budget is roughly $2 trillion.

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-6707524168477430072010-05-02T09:59:00.002-04:002010-05-02T10:09:49.664-04:00

I went to Behney's webiste and saw a list of issues, but none of it is written down. He does have short video clips. This may be nice to those who have high speed internet or while at the library have head phones, but to me at home, I have no idea what his main issues are.I did record the channel 15 interview with the candidates and found him to be appealing. However, with only addressing two

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-15008851779541028502010-05-02T09:44:00.004-04:002010-05-02T10:50:25.469-04:00

I have some major issues with Senate Candidate Stutzman. He writes "I would never support a federal bailout of private business" but is he really?I support expanding free market solutions such as Health Savings Accounts to include all citizens, increasing tax credits for businesses that provide healthcare, and comprehensive tort reform that will lead to increased access to health care and a

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-545906841821373992009-10-18T10:49:00.002-04:002009-10-18T10:56:15.731-04:00

Those who have stated the Official Debt of 2009 is $1.4 Trillion must have failed math. A simple first grader given the time can calculate the difference between two numbers. The two numbers I refer to is the total debt reported by the US Treasury Department on September 30, 2008 and September 30, 2009.It does not take a rocket scientist or college graduate to calculate the difference between

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-43311295221075330772009-10-03T01:04:00.000-04:002009-10-03T01:06:44.356-04:00

Today the SSA states Social Security’s Old Age Survivor’s Benefit Program will run a $10 Billion negative cash flow instead of the $80 billion surplus. However, this is a spin on a bad situation. The only reason why they report it as a negative $10 billion is that $80 billion in interest is being used to pay benefits this year. The actual difference between payroll tax and benefits paid is $90

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-66232960264733118132009-09-23T05:12:00.001-04:002009-09-23T05:17:40.260-04:00

Tuesday Night I heard that Health and Human Services issued a ruling to insurance providers to stop misleading Medicare beneficiaries. The dispute is over the Healthcare Reform act where some companies are saying “Benefits could be cut.” It does not say they will be. Based on the Baucus bill, there is little way for Medicare to stay solvent unless expenses are cut. How do you cut expenses or the

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-54895243296271540912009-09-21T20:59:00.002-04:002009-09-21T21:07:28.064-04:00

President Obama is comparing the mandatory requirement for automobile insurance with that of Healthcare insurance. He sees no difference. However, there is a big difference. In many states, such as Indiana, an automobile must be insured with a minimum amount of LIABILITY insurance to be registered. There is no requirement for collision insurance.Collision insurance insures you against a loss if

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-55879640775768174822009-09-17T20:50:00.001-04:002009-09-17T20:52:23.760-04:00

An Indiana Court struck down the Voter ID Law even after the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled it was constitutional. The problem that I tried to identify years ago when this was being proposed was that it violated some people’s individual rights. I know personally two people who are denied Indiana Driver’s licenses and State ID’s because they do not have a social security number. I also identified

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-36346586074773515782009-09-16T14:22:00.004-04:002009-09-16T15:06:36.837-04:00

I had a call from a person who reads the Fort Wayne Politics blog. He wanted to know if I was the William Larsen who posts there. We have a lot in common and agree on many things. He asked if I knew of a federal law, statue or prohibition that prevented the U.S. Government from competing with private enterprise. For example, could the government open gas stations and sell gas to the public for

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-15553725848242971982009-09-14T13:27:00.002-04:002009-09-14T14:04:56.265-04:00

The Social Security Administration has finally placed on their website information on multiple different “fixes” for Social Security’s solvency over the next 75 years.They look at seven different areas:COLA - Cost of living adjustmentTaxation of BenefitsPayroll TaxNew EnrolliesNew Investment Vehicles for Trust fundChange the full retirement ageChange the Benefit FormulaEach one of these

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-87568942725441704182009-09-10T09:59:00.000-04:002009-09-10T10:01:16.813-04:00

What is the definition of a RIGHT? A right is anything that does not require a sacrifice from another person or places a burden on another person to fulfill. Is Healthcare a right, no? It requires sacrifice by others and places a burden on others for it to take place.Is healthcare a moral obligation? If it is a moral obligation, then what are food, shelter and water? Are these moral

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-54900384510833710702009-09-10T09:40:00.002-04:002009-09-10T09:59:42.283-04:00

Who caused the Healthcare Crisis? If we go back to the days before insurance, who paid for Healthcare? Prior to the 50’s few had Health insurance. Wage freezes were enacted by congress and signed into law by the president. This was done to curtail inflation. This was an artificial means of controlling inflation. Employers were allowed to offer Health insurance to employee’s tax free as an

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-23683463978797626012009-09-10T09:26:00.002-04:002009-09-10T09:40:41.035-04:00

President Obama’s speech last night highlighted many different things.The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.If this is true, why do we have deficits? Why do we have an $11.7 Trillion debt? Why can’t people pay for their own Healthcare?If Medicare spending is not slowed, then it will consume the entire federal budget.If Medicare is such a well run program with lower

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-7558455419570092762009-09-10T09:25:00.000-04:002009-09-10T09:26:07.416-04:00

What is the definition of a RIGHT? A right is anything that does not require a sacrifice from another person or places a burden on another person to fulfill. Is Healthcare a right, no? It requires sacrifice by others and places a burden on others for it to take place.

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-231584300643296562009-08-08T23:53:00.001-04:002009-08-08T23:59:15.911-04:00

Congressmen authorized the treasury to spend $1 billion to subsidize buyers of a particular makes of cars from $3,500 to $4,500. The clunkers are to be scrapped/destroyed. The idea is to remove low fuel economy cars from the market. What did it do? From the data thus far, most of the cars are SUV’s, people paid cash for them and the cars were not totally junk. In essence we gave money to

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-7255190520655403192009-08-01T01:19:00.003-04:002009-08-01T13:39:30.272-04:00

For over two weeks the media has focused on Professor Gates and Officer Crowley. There are two sides? Which do you side with?911 OPERATOR: All right, tell me exactly what happened?FEMALE WITNESS CALLER: Um, I don't know what's happening. I just had an older woman standing here and she had noticed two gentlemen trying to get in a house at that number, 17 Ware Street. And they kind of had to barge

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-41076503481414352802009-06-25T01:21:00.002-04:002009-06-25T01:36:38.613-04:00

Healthcare in the United States by some respects is in a crisis. When you speak to people, they say it has gotten too expensive. They point to 50 million uninsured and an increase in bankruptcies. I attended a forum at St. Mary’s Wednesday evening and listened to several commenters’. There was a 30 minute video clip that was shown. It was done by a person traveling the globe researching

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-35647825986151834642009-05-17T10:34:00.001-04:002009-05-17T10:37:21.998-04:00

Ethanol is being squeezed. After years of increased corn acreage, this year’s acreage is reduced, why? It may come as a shock to many, but corn requires rotation. Too many years of corn, ravages the soil. It is time for the soil to take a rest and grow something else. It also does not help that other crops have risen in price (soy beans) and the cost analysis does not support growing corn.How

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-38624846823838047172009-05-13T14:44:00.000-04:002009-05-13T14:54:05.940-04:00

Social Security reported that the SS-OASI trust fund will be depleted in 2037. What they do not tell you is that a 1984 statute passed by congress to keep Social Security from gobbling up the general budget prohibits any general revenue taxes from being used to pay Social Security benefits. Another part of this legislation specifies that the trust fund cannot be drawn down below 20% of any given

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-76027943139454804842009-05-11T10:32:00.000-04:002009-05-11T10:33:09.335-04:00

Dick Lugar supports Ethanol. In Saturday’s Journal Gazette he is quoted as saying that 9.2 billion gallons of Ethanol last year prevented the outflow of $32 Billion from the US. Ethanol saved us 325 million barrels of imported oil. Is this really true?Let us kick some numbers around. 9.2 billion gallons of ethanol saved 25 million barrels of oil. This means Ethanol equated to gasoline is 28.3

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-8002552681300082032009-05-08T22:44:00.000-04:002009-05-08T22:46:05.790-04:00

The Fort Wayne City Council is now investigating the how the fire hydrant funding is done. Currently it is paid for out of property taxes. Aboite is not on city water and pays Aqua Source who maintains the fire hydrants. Aboite residents are crying paying maintenance of fire hydrants that do not benefit them. The concept is to place it on the water bill as a service fee. Taxes hide the cost of

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-14237841433559261842009-05-08T22:40:00.002-04:002009-05-08T22:44:41.449-04:00

The sheriff’s department has requested the County Council approve $366,000 for pension increases. Apparently a retired sheriff has filed suit alleging he is entitled to a higher retirement benefit because Allen County pays less than other counties. This lump sum would pay RETROACTIVELY BACK TO 1995 and add a few hundred dollars a month to retirees. First question, are all counties required to

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-4972056915105970862009-05-07T08:34:00.002-04:002009-05-08T22:39:12.318-04:00

I saw today that Obama wants to tackle healthcare again. The solution to our budget is to reduce healthcare spending. Does this mean that doctors will be reimbursed less shifting the cost to everyone else (we already pay the Medicare tax)? Maybe they are going to cut benefits. We all loved it when we were young playing a game when someone decides to change the rules to benefit them. Medicare

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-77493683776728282242009-05-07T08:30:00.001-04:002009-05-07T08:31:27.707-04:00

This morning on Good Morning America they were interviewing the Governor or maybe it was a mayor in Louisiana. He was saying the state was not accepting some of the bailout money for unemployment. Had the state agreed to the unemployment help, the state would have to change the rules on who could receive benefits. Currently his state denies benefits to those who are not willing to work. The

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-20930941944857089202009-05-07T08:24:00.003-04:002009-05-07T08:24:41.122-04:00

Well I wrote on what I considered to be a controversial subject two days ago on the value of the mom. I guess I know who my readers are, thanks guys.

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-13741529117204966032009-05-07T08:24:00.001-04:002009-05-07T08:24:37.099-04:00

Well I wrote on what I considered to be a controversial subject two days ago on the value of the mom. I guess I know who my readers are, thanks guys.

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-54727124384487463112009-05-05T09:06:00.003-04:002009-05-05T09:12:09.977-04:00

Have you ever had a problem with the IRS? If not consider yourself fortunate. I receive a notice from the IRS each tax year around May or June saying they have changed my tax return. The notice states if I disagree with the change, to call them or write them within 60 days. I have found calling them does little good and there is no record of the communication. Therefore, I write and send is

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-82493469431071554132009-05-05T08:38:00.000-04:002009-05-05T08:41:02.943-04:00

Today it was reported that stay-at-home mom’s are worth $100,000 a year for the tasks they perform. The tasks include keeping track of finances, grocery shopping, taking care of the house, driving kids to activities and more. I would like to say that mom’s are great, but who chose to be a mom? Ok, this may have come across as chauvinistic, but come on, $100,000? Who could afford to pay this?

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-44481359251485120322009-04-28T08:30:00.002-04:002009-04-28T08:41:48.758-04:00

Air Force One made a flight over New York yesterday. In fact the flight was fairly low. It was done as a photo opportunity with two fighter jets in tow. The people of Manhattan who saw this, decided to leave the buildings thinking of 911. How concerned would you be if you saw this?Is this a case of government gone amok? When does a federal agency have the right to violate regulations or law?

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-34020862592661364862009-04-27T01:01:00.001-04:002009-04-27T01:03:20.558-04:00

Duke Energy’s CEO was interviewed on 60 minutes Sunday Night. Duke operates over 25 coal fired plants. The CEO stated Duke has not invested one cent in clean coal technology. The one plant that supposedly is operating would cost over $4 billion to implement the clean coal technology per coal fired plant. I believe there are over 400 coal fired plants in the US. The CEO wants to partner with

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-92198237320624487262009-04-25T14:02:00.001-04:002009-04-25T14:04:38.353-04:00

Wind power made the news recently. As many who know me, know that I am a big proponent of wind power. Indiana is the fastest growing state in wind power. But this is because Indiana has little to begin with. By the end of 2009, Indiana could have 800 megawatts produced from wind power. This is about half the capacity of a nuclear power plant and about what a coal fired plant’s capacity.Clean

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-5781743275696239752009-04-22T20:51:00.001-04:002009-04-22T20:51:56.856-04:00

The New Baseball Stadium had very good attendance opening night, but by the third game it had dropped to less than half that of opening night. Many say the stadium looks great. I am sure it does. It cost $35 million. The stadium at the coliseum was paid for, had great parking, good access and held nearly as many people as the new one.Some are complaining about parking in that some walked twelve

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-72923045905443105702009-04-22T20:48:00.000-04:002009-04-22T20:50:18.773-04:00

SWAC residents voted to pay more in taxes. Less than 25% of those who could vote did. The number of employees in SWAC number over 1500. Many of them have spouses who would vote as well. How many workers actually get to vote where you work when it comes to keeping your job or raising your company’s revenues?

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-57474831012252394112009-04-21T12:43:00.001-04:002009-04-21T12:45:06.544-04:00

The people who live in SWAC District are voting today on a referendum to increase property taxes. What I saw a bit disconcerting is the use of the Homestead High School Sign out front saying vote “YES.” I thought that the school system was to stay neutral and provide no support either with school or money. Unless both sides have equal access to the school system resources this is an unfair

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-68993843361400233482009-04-20T01:43:00.002-04:002009-04-20T01:50:48.625-04:00

I attended the Tax protest or as it is referred to as the Tea Protest on Saturday. I handed out fliers from my 2008 campaign in the hopes that my platform would resonate with the majority of the people. In handing out one flier a gentleman asked me what I thought of the Fair Tax proposal. My position on this is that the 23% tax rate that is thrown out is incorrect. In 2006 I asked the Fair Tax

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-90793998708437559992009-04-15T23:29:00.000-04:002009-04-15T23:38:30.837-04:00

The savings rate is now being deemed as a real problem in the U.S., not because it is too low, but because it is increasing. The savings rate has always been substantially higher prior to the 1970’s. The savings rate back in the 1910’s was over 15%. Our problem is we have had deficit spending since 1958 and few remember or can even comprehend what saving is.We have allowed our government

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-26310852877919608172009-04-15T13:51:00.001-04:002009-04-15T13:55:27.750-04:00

Pirates, arg! I was in the US Navy and went to sea for a little while. While at sea we did not steam at flank speed, but actually cruised at slower than most freighters and tugs. It was called economy speed. The recent spike in piracy has many asking what can be done? Do we arm the merchant marine? Do we provide escorts?The ocean is mighty big and you can only sea about 25 miles and at that

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-82872921475612088422009-04-08T13:35:00.000-04:002009-04-08T13:49:12.696-04:00

I am doing my federal income tax return today. I have done my own taxes every year. It never ceases to amaze me how the IRS can make something as simple as math so difficult. There are many schedules and forms such as; education credit, social security benefits, alternative minimum tax and more. You would think that the number of lines on each of these forms would not change from year to year,

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-69398542321332368772009-04-07T09:59:00.002-04:002009-04-07T14:16:06.485-04:00

The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM) has conducted a new poll on Social Security. The problem with polls is that they do not always cover all the possible views of those being polled. For example the questions the NCPSSM asked were;1. Which of these statements do you think best describes the Social Security system?It is in a state of crisisIt has major

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-18858604749270188842009-04-04T01:00:00.000-04:002009-04-04T01:01:22.143-04:00

Individuals seek value for their money. No one likes paying more for an item such as gas, food or travel than they have too. The value one receives from Social Security depends on when you were born. If you were born prior to 1930, you got great value. If you were born after 1930 your value decreases on an increasing basis. Insurance normally is a signed agreement for a defined coverage in

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-3748435507925881742009-04-04T00:53:00.002-04:002009-04-04T00:59:56.921-04:00

Shortly there will be less payroll tax withheld from your paycheck. Is this a good idea? Will it increase deficits?Myth 6High deficits in the future make it difficult to pay social security benefitsSocial Security by law cannot borrow money. It has statutory authority to spend only those funds received from the dedicated social security tax on wages, tax on benefits and funds in the trust fund.

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-68216236728733258372009-04-04T00:51:00.000-04:002009-04-04T00:52:27.968-04:00

The Indiana Assembly voted to double the alcohol tax to pay for sport arenas. I guess this proves that sport arenas do not pay for themselves. What is it with government that they need to do everything for everybody? Harrison Square is a fiasco and it is not open yet. Does anyone really think it will generate revenues anywhere near enough to pay the taxpayers back let alone the interest on

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-45675076144939134762009-03-30T09:55:00.002-04:002009-03-30T09:59:09.448-04:00

President Obama stated that the auto industry needs to get lean and mean to compete. The head of GM resigned and President Obama with no experience in the automotive industry, no idea about energy, manufacturing or a lot of other things is going to choose someone to the position.The part I liked was to get lean and mean. I like that. We could certainly use some of that leadership now from the

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-22581730836080936942009-03-30T09:34:00.000-04:002009-03-30T09:49:28.350-04:00

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER CLASSIC VERSION The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold. THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-38723273661287885032009-03-30T09:22:00.000-04:002009-03-30T09:28:53.227-04:00

The Price of Free Corn by: Frank Redmond Fredericksburg, VA (The Wild and Free Pigs of the Okefenokee Swamp) Some years ago, about 1900, an old trapper from North Dakota hitched up some horses to his Studebaker wagon, packed a few possessions -- especially his traps -- and drove south. Several weeks later he stopped in a small town just north of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. It was a

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-385612869273349352009-03-26T00:34:00.002-04:002009-03-26T00:50:20.670-04:00

In 1984 I wrote a computer program to project SS-OASI cash flow. In 1984 I projected November 2037 would be the year SS would have problems paying 100% of promised benefits under current law. The SSA projected 2064. Over the years it has moved to January 2038. I predicted that SS-OASI would be the cause of a dramatic down turn in our economy because it robbed workers of the ability to save while

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-83693800665223225442009-03-26T00:21:00.002-04:002009-03-26T00:34:33.179-04:00

Today marks an important day for those who have faith in Social Security. The trustees announced that the social security surplus may be gone this year instead of in 2017. The increase in unemployment has greatly reduced payroll tax revenues while the high inflation of 2008 increased current benefits by 5.8% and the reduced rate paid on US Treasuries has decimated the income from the Social

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-7511940547037982972009-03-23T10:37:00.004-04:002009-03-26T00:21:13.739-04:00

Stimulant - is something that produces a temporary change. Without the stimulant, the change that was induced lessens and becomes that which it was prior to the stimulant.Stimulants are like drugs. They may make people feel good for a while by fooling you into thinking everything is fine and dandy. They can even hide the root cause allowing the problem to get worse.Congress is now looking at a

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-38666339605794788242009-03-23T00:32:00.003-04:002009-03-23T00:59:59.912-04:00

President Obama is really pretty ignorant about the economy. The deficit for 2008 was $1,017,071,524,650Deficit since October 1, 2008 till March 23, 2009 was $1,027,338,381,750. Sure Obama has inherited a pretty nasty economy, but his deficit is going to hit well over $2.5 Trillion in his first year. I have even read that he believes the deficit totals over ten years will be $11 Trillion! Ok,

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-35872963147806097692009-03-23T00:23:00.005-04:002009-03-23T10:37:24.532-04:00

Fort Wayne Community Schools is planning on laying off 49 people. They will do it by seniority. No matter how bad a teacher may be, they will keep their position over a more qualified teacher if they have more seniority. So when President Obama wants to pay teachers more, what would this actually accomplish under criteria used by FWCS?Does FWCS want the best teachers? If they cannot distinguish

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-86992355636201309952009-03-23T00:23:00.004-04:002009-03-23T00:32:40.164-04:00

I read in the paper today that illegal’s are returning to their own countries or maybe just moving somewhere else. Some schools had expanded in the past few years to accommodate increased enrollment and now they face an exodus. This has spilled over into rental units and the local economy as well.This is a major reason why we have immigration laws. It allows for a steady, controllable and

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-36981158651099920512009-03-16T23:30:00.002-04:002009-03-16T23:49:52.178-04:00

Here is a case where government does not help. A Fort Wayne business had 74 units flooded causing $2 million in damage. The city was not going to protect him so he did it himself by building a two foot berm. Now the City has ordered him to tear it out after three years. The reason is he filled in a floodway.Do you think they would have issued a permit knowing that this land was basically an

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-14896997654225306552009-03-16T21:59:00.001-04:002009-03-16T21:59:48.741-04:00

I was at IPFW on Saturday with my wife. When we go to Walb Student Union, there were at least ten Stanley Steamer trucks working on sucking water out of the basement level.The loading dock has a drain in it so that water can drain out of the recessed dock area when it rains. Due to the water rising in the Maumee river, the outlet for this drain was now below the level of the river. The river

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-47828732125637206732009-03-13T12:38:00.002-04:002009-03-13T12:47:13.829-04:00

Police in Salt Lake city do it not once, but twice!"For the second time in two weeks, an evangelical minister has been arrested outside The Clarkston Pageant–Martin Harris: The Man Who Knew. The first arrest of Joel Kramer, 39, director of Living Hope Ministries, a nondenominational ministry based in Brigham City, was for investigation of disorderly conduct for videotaping the pageant. Based on

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-66952992778593389742009-03-13T12:29:00.002-04:002009-03-13T12:38:03.052-04:00

On 2-12-2009 in New York City, a fan of trains was arrested for photographing a train. It might be funny if it didn’t keep happening.Robert S. Taylor of Brooklyn was taking photos for fun last Thursday in a subway station. Police saw him and cited him for unauthorized photography, disorderly conduct/unreasonable voice and impeding traffic.The charge of unauthorized photography – a crime that

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-67063255292594247602009-03-12T16:35:00.002-04:002009-03-12T16:42:51.903-04:00

It is literally amazing how many government agencies ask for require a SSN and simply state the Privacy Act of 1974 authorizes it. I went to the Workforce One Development Website. It requires an individual’s SSN to register. I read through the privacy statement, but found nothing relating to it being required by Federal Statute. I sent an email asking if it was voluntary or mandatory and

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-27084993134528812362009-03-02T14:04:00.001-05:002009-03-02T14:06:05.492-05:00

This is a great cartoonhttp://andrewgbiggs.blogspot.com/2009/02/fiscal-child-abuse.html

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-22775275084103946262009-03-02T00:28:00.002-05:002009-03-02T01:16:58.174-05:00

Who pays for healthcare in the U.S.? Let us break this question down into groups; Medicare, Medicaid, individuals. We can further break down individuals into company insured, private insured and uninsured. Have we left anyone out?Medicaid is pretty simple and direct. Medicaid pays healthcare for the poor who cannot afford to pay for it themselves. This means the taxpayers pay for this program

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-23877136531423671142009-02-25T09:49:00.002-05:002009-02-25T10:09:31.788-05:00

Have you ever heard the phrase "Pay me now or pay me more later." It simply means that if you put of paying the price for something now, it will cost more in the future. For every dollar the government, our representatives we elected, borrow, it will cost us money just like a credit card, student loan, mortgage or car loan. Money is not free.So far the government on your behalf has borrowed

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-73894916626432374162009-02-25T09:37:00.001-05:002009-02-25T09:48:59.835-05:00

Obama wants to tackle Social Security. I support this 100%. However, he appears to be accepting the defeatist attitude that Social Security must continue to pay current and soon to be retirees promised benefits. This is the same attitude taken in every reform package since 1950. They protect soon to be retirees and retirees at the expense of the worker and future workers.His idea is to create

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-74674791992952404952009-02-25T09:32:00.001-05:002009-02-25T09:37:44.029-05:00

I disagreed with was his idea that freeing up capital for loans to people to buy cars, homes, credit cards and college is the way we reenergize the economy. The reason for our poor economy is that we as a nation are indebted up to our eyeballs.The Federal Government has nearly $11 Trillion in debt. Families have credit card debt, car loans, mortgages and college loans. We as a country have

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-9866890390284178682009-02-25T09:26:00.002-05:002009-02-25T09:32:14.507-05:00

President Obama’s address to the Nation was telling. Some parts I agreed with and others I found discouraging. Let’s start out positive. He says we as a nation must be energy independent and that for decades we have failed to make this happen. His proposal includes renewable energy such as wind, solar and bio. Energy initiatives will also include clean coal. Obama also included plug in cars

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-52516920425089840052009-02-25T09:21:00.000-05:002009-02-25T09:26:18.096-05:00

Here is one for you. A driver is pulled over for a burned out front left turn signal at 1:00 am. The state sheriff’s deputy asks for license and registration. The driver hands over the information. The deputy then informs the driver his license has been revoked. Wow, huge surprise to the driver. The driver asks why it was revoked. The deputy answers “no social security number on file.” The

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-15068959379503391352009-02-18T10:43:00.003-05:002009-02-18T10:52:58.112-05:00

http://www.amquix.info/obama_stimulus_song.html (Sung to the tune of Janice Joplin's: O Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz)By Scott and DaveOBama, won’t you pay off my mortgage for me? My payments have risen; they want to take my home. I lied about my income, but they still made me the loan. So OBama won't you pay off my mortgage for me?OBama, won’t you buy me a HD TV ? The airwaves are

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-68345945825817635462009-02-17T12:28:00.002-05:002009-02-17T12:31:24.168-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I stopped blogging due to a family matter. We will all eventually go through this. My priorities for the moment our focused some where else right now. I will be back. For those who have posted recently, thanks for your imput and comments.God bless and may your families and friends have good health.Best regards,Bill

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-45245108060634479292009-02-02T22:54:00.003-05:002009-02-02T23:00:19.501-05:00

As our elected representatives debate and pass legislation with the intent to stimulate the economy, I would like to offer this bit of knowledge. The national debt as of September 30, 2007 was $9,007,653,372,262. As of September 30, 2008 the National debt was $10,024,724,896,912. The budget deficit was $1.017 Trillion! How much is a Billion Dollars? Sounds like a lot of money. To put

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-1288263837704310262009-01-13T11:45:00.000-05:002009-01-13T11:46:33.489-05:00

Charlie on WOWO had a guest on speaking about the cost of the IRAQ war and the potential Peace Dividend when the U.S. pulls out. The value thrown out was $300 to $500 Million a day. This is somewhere between $100 Billion and $180 billion a year.When figuring the cost of the war, how do they do it? Do they do it similar to business practice where a company charges a product line the cost of the

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-38435741058539402612009-01-13T11:44:00.000-05:002009-01-13T11:45:20.395-05:00

The Boy Scouts have their Klondike derby this coming weekend. I remember these events as being cold and tiring. We would hope for snow so that pulling a wooden sled with gear would be easier. One event was a race. I can still visualize lots of sleds on a line and pulling it to the finish line. I cannot remember if we had to have anyone in the sled, but it seems we had to have one person,

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-61376450215423071772009-01-13T11:43:00.000-05:002009-01-13T11:44:39.119-05:00

Obama recently criticized President Bush for not doing a better job of tracking where the first $350 Billion of the TARP money went. Am I ignorant or is Obama who is ignorant on whose responsibility it is to specify tracking metrics, bench marks and other criteria when creating legislation? The legislature’s responsibility is to pass legislation. This legislation needs to be thought out. Some

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-29850861526335502312009-01-06T23:13:00.002-05:002009-01-06T23:29:15.402-05:00

Governor Danials used the phrase “We Balanced Indiana’s Budget” many times. However, is this a true statement? The Unemployment fund was rich in cash five years ago, but after increasing the benefit in1993 without increasing the tax, the fund is now exhausted and we have borrowed $45 million from the U.S. Treasury at 4.5%. Indiana most likely see an escalation in borrowing since unemployment is

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-53991111531701655572009-01-06T23:11:00.001-05:002009-01-06T23:13:38.574-05:00

Blogging may be the best thing to have come along to improve writing skills in a long time. How many people who blog write letters, editorials, reports, etc on a routine basis? It may be that only those who participate in blogs, were individuals with good writing skills. However, for me, my writing has always been a challenge. Sure I have written technical reports with thousands of pages, but

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-81927262201839216792009-01-06T23:01:00.002-05:002009-01-06T23:03:57.994-05:00

Today the soon to be Obama Administration has come out saying the Bush Administration has left the economy in ruins. In many ways this is correct. The objection I have is that they continue to say the 2008 deficit was $470 billion when in reality it was over $700 Billion before any bailouts. Again our elected representatives have brain washed the media and many of Americans into using the

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-73338273220980821382009-01-05T22:15:00.002-05:002009-01-05T23:04:12.645-05:00

Andrew Biggs, is an individual I spoke with about SS back in 1998. He had read a paper I wrote on “Why Economic Growth was bad for Social Security.” At the time he did not understand the relationship between wage growth, initial SS-OASI benefit and U.S. Treasury rates. In the past few years the Wage Growth replacement index has been given a lot of press. Many have finally realized that the

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-11281924145516183632009-01-05T22:04:00.001-05:002009-01-05T22:12:01.345-05:00

We have all heard about the subprime mortgage debacle where many were able to borrow money that otherwise would not have been able to based on “normal” credit scores or ability to repay the low. Most if not all of these types of loans were Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM). They start out at a low finance rate for five years and then adjust yearly based on the US Treasury Rate. Generally, the

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-18928972679899110822008-12-17T00:07:00.001-05:002008-12-17T00:10:55.482-05:00

We all like lower financing rates. It allows us to buy more for less, or keep more of our money. However, with lower Treasury rates comes a price few think about. Social Security’s surplus cash which only amounts to about $60 billion in 2009, possibly less with higher unemployment, will see this new money earning the market rate of 0 to 0.5%. This means the trust fund as it rolls over higher

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-51433523644000589892008-12-16T16:41:00.002-05:002008-12-16T16:48:09.011-05:00

Today on WOWO Charlie was describing the latest $50 Billion swindle on Wallstreet as a ponzi scheme. With billions of dollars invested from charities, retirees, pensions and others, he said this was like sentencing people to poverty or something to that affect. He came across as being totally disgusted that this occured and could happen. Well guess what, even though $50 billion is a lot of

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-20614163312667335832008-12-16T13:08:00.003-05:002008-12-16T13:14:17.954-05:00

Mayor Henry signed the light ordinance yesterday saying that is was not that weak of an ordinance, yet wanted small changes to exclude sporting events and holiday lights. We hear about dumbing down of America. We seek perfection in schools. Is this signing not a good example of mediocrity? If the bill was not that weak, but needed only small changes why not veto the bill and have the city council

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-64164376086905711652008-12-15T12:01:00.002-05:002008-12-15T12:11:05.145-05:00

Congressman Souder voted for the "lifeline" for the auto industry. He said the GM plant was the largest contributor to the United Way, property tax revenue would drop, socail services would suffer and they employ workers with disabilities. Guess what Mark, as a percent of the total work force they are small. Sure they are the single largest, but that still does not make a case for giving them

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-19638359464259677432008-12-15T11:59:00.000-05:002008-12-15T12:00:59.833-05:00

Who believes wind power cannot deliver as much as nuclear power?Today “National Wind Solutions, Inc. (PinkSheets:NWND) announced today a Letter of Intent to lease 210 acres of land in Central Texas for a major new wind power project. The Agreement gives the Company access to land for the development of a 30 Mwh wind farm. Once completed the wind farm is expected to generate over $60 million in

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-22417415185801674522008-12-12T11:53:00.003-05:002008-12-12T12:08:40.491-05:00

The term given to the Auto Industry debacle is not bailout nor is it rescue plan, but a lifeline. I guess this is more palatable. The hard cold fact and truth is that for every $1 billion in government aid, it burdens each American Family $10. That $10's is your family’s share of the burden. This burden of course will not be paid this year or next year, but even worse is that you and your

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-6533741233620211872008-12-11T11:36:00.004-05:002008-12-12T11:52:37.052-05:00

On November 4, 2008 the voters of Indiana’s 3rd congressional district had a choice between Souder, Montagano and Larsen. Souder voted for the bank bailout of $810 Billion. Montagano stated had he been in office it would have been a different bill, but still voted for one. Larsen said the bailout was wrong and would have voted no. The auto industry has requested $14 billion in loans. A bill

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-7966161483367975822008-12-10T11:12:00.000-05:002008-12-10T11:13:43.830-05:00

Our elected representatives are criticizing Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac for having such loose loan requirements. They are grilling the past four CEO’s of these companies over mismanagement. Yet these very same representatives are turning around and formulating loans to the auto industry that no bank in the world would make. The taxpayer is not in the business of making loans. Congress has not

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-88806264608530629082008-12-09T14:38:00.003-05:002008-12-09T14:40:03.683-05:00

The proposed bailout for the auto industry is still not a done deal. This is good. It maybe that our elected representatives have decided to take more time and not react to emotion, but instead use common sense to look at the issue (we can only hope).Can the auto industry under its current business plan survive with $34 billion from the taxpayers? I say categorically no! The basis for this is to

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-81277723519587075002008-12-09T14:38:00.001-05:002008-12-09T14:38:49.267-05:00

I heard on WOWO at about 7:30 am that a vehicle on Carroll Road struck a pedestrian. I have had to take my daughter to Carroll a couple of times this school year. The traffic in the area of Bethel and Carroll Road is just terrible. The construction at Carroll High School has made the drop off students and residents attempting to get to work a nightmare.I met with the demographer and

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-87525044403877396682008-12-05T06:45:00.002-05:002008-12-05T07:08:30.517-05:00

On WOWO and also on Leo’s Blog there was/is discussion on a plan to create a two money tax holiday. This tax holiday would be composed of both Federal Income and Payroll taxes. For two months workers would have none of these taxes withheld from their paychecks. The thought is this would stimulate the economy. The question is, is this a good or bad idea?The basic facts are:Less than 40% of all

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-46443615323463050552008-12-02T11:36:00.003-05:002008-12-02T12:57:18.052-05:00

The News Sentinel printed a letter from Becky Severe of Hudson. She identifies the contributions made by auto makers after 9/11."You might want to give more consideration to a car manufactured by an American-owned and/or American-based company. Apart from Hyundai and Volkswagen, the foreign car companies contributed nothing at all to the citizens of the United States."I guess I take issue with

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-74698793861855536242008-12-02T08:21:00.001-05:002008-12-02T08:23:42.124-05:00

Good news from bad news is that the recession officially started in December 2007. This means we are 13 months closer to this recession’s end. The bad news is no one knows how bad this recession is. I myself think this is the worst one in my 52 years.

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-19167988415895018882008-12-02T08:20:00.003-05:002008-12-02T08:25:34.246-05:00

Black Friday is reported to have seen increased sales of 7.2% over 2007 over the four-day weekend. I know my wife says she has completed most of her purchases and has several to return. What she found as the day went by, were ever better deals for the same identical item. She separated the things to keep from those to return. Depending on how many other buyers did the same thing, this 7.2%

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-10259574429068663652008-12-02T08:20:00.002-05:002008-12-02T08:21:26.821-05:00

I like apple cider and made a purchase of four one gallon jugs from Meijer’s a few weeks ago. I thought they would go well with our Turkey Dinner. We had no problem with the first three. But a day or two prior to the expiration date, I saw a jug had ballooned out considerably. I decided to take it back the next day and get a refund. The next day came and I found only about one inch in the jug.

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-36810122048083949222008-12-01T11:54:00.002-05:002008-12-01T12:05:36.584-05:00

I came across this this morning. It is touted as being one of the most secure. It uses public information from county and city records. Information includes Name, Address, City, State, zip code, SSN and Date of birth. It then will asks a series of questions based on your credit file. Do you have to get them all correct, no? How many do you need to get correct is confidential.I have had to deal

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22535663.post-92171366052877941082008-11-26T09:15:00.001-05:002008-11-26T09:16:28.639-05:00

Our elected representatives have now added an additional bailout provision. This new provision is Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF). This new entity will lend $200 Billion. Its objective is to help households and small businesses meet credit needs by supporting the issuance of asset-backed securities (ABS) collateralized by student loans, auto loans, credit card loans, and loans

William Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08351786693708618654noreply@blogger.com0