Leon Konieczny’s Blog My world as I see it…..

We often lose sight of what’s really going on in the Middle East. The so-called “peace loving” nations of Islam hate the Jews and want them wiped off the face of the earth. The current “conflict” between Israel and the Hezbollah in Lebanon is just a small part of this battle. There is no doubt that Hezbollah is supported by Syria and funded by Iran, two evil empires that need to be dealt with. It is unfortunate that the US chose to focus on Iraq as now we seem to be stuck there. I think it’s time to get out. Let Iraq fall into civil war or whatever. Heck, if they’re fighting each other then can’t concentrate on us.

But we need to continue to support Israel. It is the one hope for peace in the mideast. And that support means pressure of all kinds on the various Arab nations. Nations like Saudi Arabia, who’ve called for an end to Hezbollah’s missile attacks, realize that they must get along with Israel in the long run. It’s too bad that so many other Arab nations don’t see that.

And, while we’re at it, from a US point of view, we need to end out dependence on foreign oil. Heck, set an oil rig up on Daytona Beach, for all I care. Drill the ANWAR till it looks like swiss cheese. Or, more importantly, we need to develop alternative sources. People against drilling more fail to provide alternatives. We need to do so. But in the end, when we’re not dependent on foreign (i.e., Arab) oil, we can be more of a powerhouse in the worls and the Arab nations will no longer see our motivation as a need for their oil. Then, we can really help Israel and the middle east move towards peace.

At least, that’s how I see it today…. But in the meantime, I hope Israel blasts the hell out of Hezbollah and any other arab groups that continue to attack them. Amen!

Decided to take a look at how much taxes I really make and it was an eye opener. First of all, when your employer tells you what they pay you, they are not really telling you the whole story. That’s because they have to pay Social Security taxes (FICA and medicare) on your salary, an amout equal to what you pay. They don’t do this out of their profit or out of the goodness of their hearts, they just pay you less. Thus, if you were told you are being paid $8.67 and hour, they are not telling you the truth because they are paying $1.33 and hour for FICA and Medicare to the government….and you pay an equal amount, too! Thus, you’re really being paid $10 an hour. On top of that, you pay federal tax. But in reality, you are probably one of the 75% of americans who actually pay more in FICA/Medicare than you do in federal taxes… I know I do. All of this trickery by the government is designed to make you think you pay less taxes than you do.

I looked at my tax burden last month. Looking at my salary, I find that I paid 32% of my wages to the government in taxes, and that burden is reduced substantially because I put the maximum in my 401(k) — thus reducing my federal tax burden by quite a bit. This is ridiculous. On the other side, I may get a measly 2% of that back as a tax refund, in part because I can deduct the substantial interest I pay on my house. No matter, I still know that at the end of the day, I pay too much in taxes! Is there a solution? I believe so, but that’s a topic for another day.

I challenge you, sit down and figure out how much you really pay in taxes. For a real eye-opener, use last year’s tax forms. But don’t forget to double the amount of Social Security taxes, because your employer is forced to pay half of it for you before you even see that reported anywhere. What a scam!