The Freedom Factory

The shackles of serfdom are being silently fastened to America. Every dollar Congress spends beyond its budget, every Federal Reserve Note printed, every tax, regulation, and government intrusion into our lives renders us less free. Ever wonder why it feels like it’s increasingly difficult to make ends meet? Remember the days when one spouse could work, the other raise the kids, and still save for a comfortable retirement? Those days are gone, but why? What’s next? The 5 Steps to Freedom: How To Cut Your Dependence On Institutions And Escape Financial Slavery, by Jeff Nabers explains what happened to our once prosperous society and how we can all take definite steps to escape what is to come. Continue Reading

This article is dedicated to the growing segment of American society that is awakening to the ideas that we are increasingly overworked and overtaxed. My goal is to determine an effective tax burden on the average middle-class American. I will leave it to the reader to judge relative severity of the burden as measured against associated “benefits” to which he is “entitled” from the system. Continue Reading

CNN contributor, Paul Begala, attacks South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford in this commentary, claiming that if Sanford disagrees with federal spending plans he should not accept federal money. According to Begala, with all the money South Carolina receives in federal aid, the state is literally a “ward of the federal government.”

Note the two personal attacks on Sanford: this is routine operating procedure for leftists. If you cannot debunk the ideas of your competitor, attack the person and dance around the subject, trying to make the ideas sound ridiculous without actually addressing them: Continue Reading

The United States has the highest effective corporate tax rate in the industrialized world, hovering near 40% when considering both state and federal confiscations. In a world of relatively few barriers to the flow of capital, most countries have come to the realization that they must compete with each other for new business. Corporate investment means productive employment, yet there are still many people who believe an effective way to stimulate an economy is to tax corporations. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say “many” people, but Barack Obama seems to think so. In an article published in today’s Wall Street Journal, Barack Obama’s economic policies become apparent: Government should run the economy. Continue Reading

In order for government to function it must raise revenues. It does so through taxes. In America, we have multiple levels of government – local, state, and federal – each with its own funding requirements. Tax theory suggests the best way to raise revenue is to levy a broad, uniform, and low rate. Not only that, but taxes should avoid hindering productivity, such as taxing income (especially on a progressive scale), which depresses economic activity and provides incentive for avoidance. As far as real estate is concerned, the most relevant taxes fall into two categories: transfer and property taxes. Each has a unique effect on the real estate market, so it’s important to understand the full consequences of policy when making investment decisions.

Continue Reading