No One Asked Me But… December 1, 2021

By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… As I watch the news channels trying to make some sense of what is going on in America, I come away with more questions than answers.

It would be helpful if one could find a news source that presented only the facts and did not slant the news toward their politically-motivated preconceived ideas. This biased reporting leaves more questions than answers. Let me address a few of those questions. I will not give you answers because I really don’t have answers.

Is it true that the American who makes under $400,000 will not be economically affected by the Biden Build Back Better Program? The American people are being told that the benefits of the proposed $2-6 trillion program is free to all those who make under $400,000 a year. Can we get someone to clearly explain how this is the case?

We are being told that people in America who make less than $400,000 will see no tax increase. I will admit to being a social-studies major and not really good at math, but this appears to be a myth to me. I would love to have some one more knowledgeable explain how this can be true.

If corporation taxes are increased, will not two things happen? One, corporations will move their operations to countries that have more favorable tax laws, causing the loss of many American jobs.

Secondly, corporations that do not move will pass those taxes on to the American consumer by increasing the price of their product or service.

The bill’s demand for a $15.00 minimum wage has already caused an increase in prices. As the expense to do business has increased, the cost of services and products has risen for the consumer. These mandated increases in the cost to do business have caused an increase in the sales tax on each purchase.

Why is it called a sales tax? The seller does not pay the tax, the purchaser does. It should be called a purchase tax. If you went to a Walmart in Las Vegas a year ago and spent $200, you paid 8.8775% purchase tax totaling $17.76 dollars. If the price of the items increased by ten percent due to a raise in corporate taxes you would pay $19.30 in purchase tax, an increase of $1.66. Let me suggest to you that the majority of the people who shop at Walmart are not making $400,000 a year.

Want an example of this happening? One of the favorite stores, The Dollar Tree, has announced that due to the increase in doing business, their $1 items, which is all the items in their store, will be sold for $1.25, an increase of 25%. This means that the purchase tax will increase accordingly. Let me again suggest it is not the $400,000-dollar man who is shopping at The Dollar Tree.

Has any environmentalist studied the effect of the millions of acres of solar panels are having on climate change? I don’t have an answer for that. We have been told to follow the science in our fight against COVID. Have the scientists given us a path to follow as to the effect of millions of mirrors reflecting the sun on the heating of the Earth? It has been reported that birds flying over some solar farms have been fried from the heat being radiated from the solar panels. I do know from my Boy Scout experience that I can start a fire from the reflection of a mirror. This might indicate that indeed solar panels might heat the Earth’s atmosphere.

Has anyone explored the ecological hazard that will be presented as the batteries of the electric cars become worn out and have to be replaced? Will we have the same problem we are now facing with the disposal of all the plastic bottles Americans throw away each year? Being very old I can remember glass bottles for milk and soft drinks that were recycled by reuse. I remember when food was served on dishware, recycled by washing, rather than with paper products that end up in a land fill.

I am not opposed to electric cars, nor am I opposed to the elimination of fossil fuels. At the turn of the 20th century many homes in America were lighted by whale oil lamps. When this was replaced by fossil fuel the whales were saved and a more efficient and abundant fossil fuel came into play. This turned out to be a boon to mankind.

Most transportation and agricultural work were powered by horses prior to the advent of the internal combustion engine. Productivity and travel were greatly enhanced by the use of fossil fuels.

However, there have been unexpected consequences due to the use of these fossil fuels. There are those who contend emission of fossil fuels have condemned the world to end within the next twelve years due to effect on the climate. We watched a thirteen-year-old girl in tears, expressing this very fear to the leaders of the world, lamenting the fact that the Earth will no longer exist by the time she is twenty-five, as she spoke before the United Nations.

Had we remained with horse drawn conveyances, the only emission danger we would be facing is what we might step in. Prior to the automobile, there was no gas tax, no need to acquire a license to drive, and no tax for the roadways. All of these were unexpected consequences of the development of fossil fuels.

I would also like to have someone explain to me what appears to be a middle class and above disease. With the rate of COVID contagion claimed by the CDC, why have not the homeless been dying like flies? This group of people do not get their shots, isolate, social distance, nor do they mask up. However, there is not a widespread report of the COVID running rampant through-out that community.

Those in gravest danger seem to be the old in antiseptic assisted living homes and those middle-class and above who have their shots, isolate, and practice social distancing, and mask up.

I don’t have an answer for any of these questions. I would, however, hope that someone is studying these and will find a way to convey the answers to the American public without the biases of those with a political agenda.

Thought of the week… Science can never solve one problem without raising ten more problems.
– George Bernard Shaw