​Cargo ships loses power and takes out a key bridge in Baltimore and shuts down me of the busiest ports in US for an undetermined amount of time.
 
The Minnesota State (real school) Screaming Eagles (fake mascot) win their first national championship in basketball D2.
 
Final four is Set with a 11 seed, NC STATE, 2 number ones UConn first current national champ to make it to final 4 since 2007, Purdue only second team to lose to a 16 and following Virginia made it to final 4 next year then Alabama and now NC state following a trend of a 11 seed.
 
A group of teenagers hacked Vegas and crashed all of the casinos.
 
Biden declares March 31st as national TransGender day, causing an uproar among Catholics and religious followers.  This day has been internationally recognized for several years and the date happens to coincide with Easter.  However being in the White House now for his fourth Easter he could have recognized the day some other year and it would not have been the same uproar. 

The 2nd gentleman said they are living the Veep life referring to the show not understanding that the character there is dumb and giggles all the time.  Or maybe he does?
 
AI generated pictures made historical figures like Vikings and george Washington were African American.  This set off a debate both historically in anthropology and racial conversations.
 
Alabama Supreme Court rules IVF embryos are children and can’t be destroyed.  This sets up an international debate and may be the new abortion grounds.  Different countries have different definitions of embryos and whether they are beings or genetic material.  Even in the United States there is a difference, New York City has tried people for stealing embryos from a IVF bank for kidnapping, and upheld by their state Supreme Court in the early 2000s, defining them as a person, Texas allows suits of destruction under property rights, but this is the first ruling.  This will be an interesting debate
 
Nikki Haley gets trounced by Trump in her home state.
 
Michigan primaries further show Trump and Biden as clear winners.
 
Huge fires ravaging Texas Panhandle forcing governor to declare national emergency
 ​

Appeals court relays hearing Trump case, thus postponing his DC case starting.


Toby Keith Dies


Donald Trump missteps on Supply Chain calling it Supply Change, saying it’s a little known phrase, media calls for him to stop his campaign.


U.S. finally strikes back against Houthis after they killed 3 American servicemen.


Southern California deluged by rain.


House republicans embarrass themselves further failing to impeach Mayorkas, with 4 republicans voting no.


Nikki Haley further tarnishes her image losing a caucus in Nevada to none of these candidates.  Further making our election coronations a joke.


Biden found willfully removed documents but that he is mentally incapacitated and thus didn’t know what he was doing thus no charges.
​

​News in review 1-26-24
 
Sports illustrated a classic 70 year sports magazine closes its doors.
 
Ron Disantis withdraws from race
 
2 navy seals are still missing from a raid ordered by Secretary Austin while he was in the hospital and somewhat incapacitated
 
Secretary Mayorkas facing impeachment for his handling of the border showing  republicans really want to lose the house in 2024.
 
#1 Seeds in NFL both win their divisional games, both beating First full year quarterbacks (stroud a rookie and Jordan live his first season as starter).  
 
Buffalo Bills have a second straight game where they asked for attendees to shovel snow to their seats.
 
Supreme Court deals Texas a setback ordering removal of razor wire while rights case is being settled.
 
Alabama becomes first state and first government to execute with Nitrogen epoxya 
 
In a unique twist on their stand about parental rights, the Florida house has voted on a law, sending to the Florida Senate, to Ban social media for those under 16.  This is an increasing trend in both blue and red states.  Red states ban their use, blue states make it one sided content under the guise of misinformation.  Rather than teaching people to research and think we’re banning and taking away parental rights.
 
 
 

​France bans wearing of Hijabs in public, creating further divisions amongst it population and potentially violating its constitution and the EU agreement. This could threaten its economic status, but came from a growing populist argument. 
 
Inflation report came out, month to month inflation via CPI is decreasing.  The PCE, rate the fed uses, came in at 3.7% down from 5.5% in November.
 
Houthi rebels continue to attack ships in Red Sea, forcing shipping companies to reroute their ships around Africa, a place they had been avoiding due to Somali and other Pirates, driving shipping costs up as high as 58% increase over last 10 days for a container and adding 1mm plus in fuel costs per ship.  This may also delay goods arriving in US and store shelves creating both a backlog at ports and empty shelves, which could drive inflation back up.
 
Small Business starts, per SBA, are showing dramatic increases up 70% from November.
 
Trump wins Iowa Caucuses.  New Hampshire next Primary but only for republicans.  Democrats will hold a NH primary but it will not be certified.
 
Michigan wins national championship in football but might lose coach. And College football turned upside down with coaching changes.
 

News in review 01-12-2024
 
Measles outbreak again among news that 2mm kindergarten age children did not get MMR vaccines before school year.  This on top of a reduction in flu vaccines as well among one of the worst flu outbreaks in years.  
 
Primary care physicians have said their store front visits have dropped 15% but their tele health has increased 45%
 
Oscar Pistorious, Blade Runner, released from prison.
 
Alaska Airlines loses door at takeoff, grounding over 1000 planes overnight.
 
Another school shooting, but the school Principal is the hero here putting life on the line to save students.
 
Trump takes his battle for the Ballot to the US Supreme Court, Missouri threatens to remove Biden.
 
Hunter Biden testifies in Congress and then pleads Non Guilty.  Jill Biden And Kamala’s husband hit campaign trail
 ​

​US Navy sinks 3 Houthi rebel boats attacking another cargo vessel, putting the shipping lanes further in peril and seeing almost 400% rise in shipping costs going into 2024.
 
There is severe voter fatigue among the early states, voters not happy with Biden or shenanigans of Trump, possible there might be a surprise voting in primary.
 
200 well known people are released in Jeremy Epstein documents including Bill Clinton and several others.
 
Michigan and Washington are set to clash as undefeated teams in the College National Championship.
 
Claudine Gay president of Harvard resigns, concluding shortest tenure in Harvard History as president among over 50 charges of plagiarism in her work.  This sparked racial divides and fissures.  

​California announces a new water program to filter water from sewage and turn it into drinking water.  They have a huge water source called the Ocean but are not investing in desalination unlike Texas and Alabama who are.
 
In their ongoing battle with Hamas, Israel kills three of the hostages they were trying to rescue.  This caused an uproar and is giving rise to calls to stop the war.  However Hamas gave the hostages limited free rein to set this up to swing the propaganda war.
 
In two interesting NLRB ( National Labor Relations Board) rulings, Starbucks ordered to reopen 23 stores after they shut them down due to unionization, and Yahoo (no longer a stand alone company) was ordered to allow work from home unless the job function was vital to operations and had to be done at the office.  
 
Texas makes crossing the border without papers a state felony.
 
Senator Ben Cardin embroiled in controversy with a now former staffer caught filming a sec tape in his office at the Senate.
 
Colorado Supreme Court overturns lower court ruling  and kicks Trump off Ballott
 
Mass Shooting occurred in Prague, possibility from Prague is he was influenced by the US.
 
Embattled Harvard President now facing Plagiarism charges.
 

Last week four female college presidents testified in Congress around anti semitism and their university code of conduct and free speech.  When asked does “Genocide to all Jews” violate their code of conducts all four IVY league presidents said it depends on the context and who is saying it.  This started a ball rolling.  UPenn has lost a 100mm donation and all of UPENNS respective colleges including Wharton have called for their presidents resignation.  The same is starting to occur at Harvard and Columbia.  Further showing the ingrained anti semitism in the college landscape and especially the Ivy’s .  
 
UPenn President is removed from her position but stays on faculty.  Harvard and MIT released votes that they support their presidents, funny thing is if you read the release  it states vote was taken October 10 way before their disastrous testimony.
 
In addition when questioned about where their funding came from they had no clue and when presented that over 4 billion a year , collectively, comes from the Middle East, China, and Turkey their response was we get money from anyone that wants to.
 
In Texas in a first of the new generation challenge on Abortion after the Dobbs decision, a woman whose health is in danger for carrying a baby with a genetic condition that does not allow for fetus survival was granted the ability for abortion at 20 weeks and then one day later, attorney general Paxton feeling his oats after his acquittal in the Senate and reinstatement immediately filed and obtained a stay from the Texas Supreme Court.  This is setting up the next battle.
 
Came across this nugget, based on crime rates around NFL Stadiums, here are the 5 most dangerous NFL Stadiums :  Denver, Seattle, Detroit, Minnesota, and Kansas City.  The AFC west is winning this contest.
 
Washington Capitols and Wizards are leaving DC moving to Virginia due to crime rates in DC and attacks at games.  ​

Henry Kissinger dies at age 100.


The Protectionism concept has taken a further step with the election of the new Prime Minister in the Netherlands.  He will need to form a majority among six different parties, two have already said they won’t work with him, so it will be interesting to see how Netherlands deals with this as they are tired of being invaded.


An Oxford study has stated that the richest 5% of the world population, equaling 25,000 people produce as much carbon emissions as the poorest 5 bb.


50 hostages released by Hamas. Possibly more to come, Israel releasing 3 Palestinian prisoners for each hostage setting the rate for hostages going forward.


With everything going on, US lawmakers are deciding arguing about allowing Rick climbing in National parks is a good use of their time.  Rock Climbers have been maintaining and creating new routes for decades without legislation now the government wants to shut it down 


Media took some major liberties painting a 9 year old as a racist by showing a side picture with black n it, but he was wearing red and black as a chiefs fan.  The story blew up and now you have people taking sides, turns out he is First Nation.  


To pay off his settlement Mike Lindell has slashed his prices to drive more sales at MyPillow.

Judge in GA rules there was voter fraud with voting machines


In a twisted legal win for Donald Trump, Colorado judge rules he engaged in an insurrection but allowed him to stay on the CO ballot


Rosalyn Carter dies at 96


Israel and Hamas negotiate a temporary cease fire and hostage swap


Sam Altman open AI an interesting story in the battle of AI.  Being fired by a non profit board, running the company, the for-profits customers and aspects of the business, forced him back in.  Altman making deals with limits and opportunities for wide usage of AI, but the for profit companies part of Open AI pushed him back in so they can keep growing.  This is an interesting battle on the open front of the world of AI.


A Museum has now reclassified Elagabalus, a Roman Emperor, as a Trans Woman, based on classic texts attributing a quote to him of “Don’t call me a Lord, I’m a Lady.”  No other evidence than that is leading to the historical record change.


The Republican presidential field is consolidating down to two types of candidates, Trump/Trump lite (Trump and Disantis) and never Trump - Niki Haley and an outlier in Ramaswamy although he’ll drop out shortly.  Haley has taken number 2 in Iowa behind Trump even with strong endorsements for Disantis.


​

rodney mogenThu, Nov 16, 6:52 PM (3 days ago)
to me
News in review: 

Joe Manchion says not running as his constituents are upset that he voted for IRA bill, but he’s traveling the country to promote moderate party

Jim Harbaugh and Michigan told they are under investigation for being poor sports with sign stealing

House conservatives want the poorest of the poor to starve pushing for further snap cuts rather than develop food access programs, speaker Johnson pushed back stating we need to not punish poor figure out ways to cut budget otherwise.

In a you can’t make this stuff up, the children of John Amos, father on Good times, have filed charges of elder abuse on each other, Amos played a hard working father who loved his kids and they loved him but in real life he’s a pawn in a family battle.  

Donald trumps trial where he was convicted before the trial started and attempted to be silenced by the judge while providing testimony continues in 3rd week

The I 10 , the busiest east west freeway. Corridor  has been shutdown in Los Angeles due to an arson in a storage yard that is also a homeless encampment.  This will severely delay the start of shipping and end from the ports hampering commerce.  The 16 residents of encampment are being put up in a hotel by the city of la

Congress has passed another CR to avoid a shutdown in a two tier approach with no cuts but no spending adds.   This was in the same manner McCarthy lost his speakership with only 127 Republican votes needing 207 democrats to vote. On the same day senators tried to fight an union in boss, name calling in house hearings over pointing out the facts and former speaker McCarthy accused of attacking a fellow house member

In a legal win Trump can stay on the ballot in Michigan, but is losing in other trials.

Top 5 best busiest airports in us. Phoenix, MSP, LAX, Atlanta and Detroit 

Guest Authored by Nicola Reid

​Powerful Mindset Shifts to Transform Your Relationship With Money 
Your mindset about money can significantly impact your financial success. A negative attitude towards finances can hinder your ability to make progress financially, while a positive attitude can open the door to endless possibilities. Today, Solve Ur Puzzles takes a deep dive into some practical tips and steps you can take to change your mindset about money and improve your financial health.
 
Find Ways to Make Your Money Work Harder 
One of the key factors in changing your money mindset is to make your money work harder for you. This can mean anything from investing in dividend-paying stocks to creating a high-yield savings account. Investing requires a certain level of risk, but it can also bring significant long-term benefits.
 
Utilize Your Home Equity Prudently 
Another way to make your money work harder for you is to leverage your home equity responsibly. You can do this by taking out a home equity loan or line of credit. These types of loans can give you access to significant sums of cash to use for home renovation projects, education, or even as a down payment on a new property. It's essential to use these funds wisely and avoid any unnecessary risk.
 
Learn About the Financial Benefits of Downsizing 
As part of changing your money mindset, it's essential to calculate your home's expenses and see if downsizing makes more financial sense. Smaller homes often come with reduced expenses such as utility bills, insurance costs, and maintenance expenses. These savings can add up over time, providing you with more financial freedom to pursue other important goals.
 
Automate Your Transactions 
Another practical step you can take to change your money mindset is to automate your budgeting and investments. This can be done quickly through online banking and investing platforms. When you automate your finances, you can take a hands-off approach that maximizes your time and minimizes decision fatigue. This ultimately frees you up to focus on other areas of your life that require your attention.
 
Develop Your Investment Knowledge 
One critical aspect of changing your money mindset involves educating yourself about investing. This means learning about the various investment options available and how to invest wisely. Investment education comes through many avenues, including books, podcasts, online courses, and the advice of certified financial advisors. It's essential to do extensive research to identify the best resources to help you reach your investment goals.
 
Save Important Papers
One practical tip to improve your money mindset is to save your financial documents as PDFs. This can include loan agreements, tax forms, and other important papers. By saving them in a digital format, you can easily access them whenever you need to, consolidate multiple files into one, or even split a big file into smaller ones. 
Study Financial Planning 
Financial planning is another area where education can help you change your money mindset. The best way to learn about financial planning is to consult with a financial advisor. However, you can also learn through books, videos, and training courses. Financial planning can help you create a clear roadmap to achieve your financial goals, both long and short-term.
 
Go Back to School
These days, entrepreneurs need all the advantages they can get if they want to stand out from the competition – and maybe the best advantage you can get is by going back to school. If you’re open to online learning platforms and you’re interested in a degree in business in particular, this is a good option to consider because it provides you with the flexibility you need to study at your own pace without having to take too much time away from your other obligations. This is also a great way to provide yourself with an edge over the competition!
 
Establish a Financial Plan 
Finally, to change your money mindset, you must develop a spending plan. Developing a plan requires identifying your income, expenses, and other financial goals. With this information, you can create a clear strategy to optimize your finances and ensure you have the resources to pursue your dreams.
 
In conclusion, changing your money mindset can be a transformative experience. By making your money work harder for you, leveraging home equity responsibly, calculating your home expenses and downsizing, automating your finances, educating yourself about investing and financial planning, keeping your financial documents saved as PDFs, and developing a spending plan, you can significantly improve your financial health. Remember, changing your money mindset is an ongoing process that requires consistent effort, but the benefits are well worth it.
 
Solve Ur Puzzles is here to give financial advisors and business owners the assistance they need to find the solutions they’re looking for.
 
Image via Pexels
​

​This week has been an interesting week n many ways. First the week was kicked off with Donald Trump being found civilly libel for battery and defamation.  Meanwhile Biden couldn’t find the stage exit three times this week having had to be escorted off the stage.
Title 42 has expired, rushing several thousand migrants across the border. Meanwhile New York and other cities are pushing the migrants in their cities to other places now creating havoc in the interior. In Texas a gun bill meant to increase age of purchase of semi and automatic weapons to 21 from 18, was not brought to the house floor in time, essentially killing the bill in this legislative term.
Hunter Biden’s exploits are being shown more and more, and apparently only certain Bidens get paid, potentially pulling President Biden down.  RFK Jr, making some headway in the election, taking almost 23% of democratic popularity, Marrianne Williamson still holding at 10%, so there is some challenge in the Democratic primary, however the DNC has said that they will not debate and potentially sealing that Biden is the nominee.

​Music is safe now that we know a couple chords is okay to copy but not 6 chords like in Blurred lines.  Ed Sheeran case was settled and found that he did not plagiarize the music.
Hunter Biden in an effort to save  money may bring down his whole world and his dads presidency by trying to cheat out on paying for his daughter.
1500 troops have been sent to the border to process migrants and be able to allow Border patrol to do their jobs.
Five Mayors of the largest 5 Sanctuary cities, whom welcome migrants, have said sending migrants to them is racist, even though they invited them.
Someone crashed a drone into Kremlin creating a potential world issue.
Midwest got Dust, Rain, Snow bringing three biblical seasons n one week.
El Nino will bring heat and Rain to the South and East.

​In this week, Speaker Kevin McCarthy surprised Washington in getting most of his caucus to vote for a debt ceiling bill, but a the same time he weakened his position by wheeling and dealing to get it passed, making additional sign ons almost impossible.  This bill is dead in the Senate, but it shows that McCarthy needs to be dealt with in this debt ceiling.  President Biden doesn’t know what country he is in and requires the hep of an eight year to let him know he recently visited Ireland.  In addition, further proof media is coalescing with President Biden is providing him cheat sheets on questions, and doing cut jobs on his opponents including RFK Jr.  RFK Jr announcing his candidacy immediately gets 20% of the democratic vote with Marianne Williamson getting an additional 10%, opening up the opportunity for a more mainstream candidate to enter the race. 
Hearings on Capitol Hill provided a lot of interesting topics, including a former Social Worker calling the United States a middle man in sex trafficking and child slave trade.  Randy Weingarten said she had nothing to do with the closing of schools during the pandemic contrary to the evidence provided.  

​We are a quarter of the way through the year. We are leaving the colder months of the year and entering the budding of the rest of the year. In the first four months we have had some amazing accomplishments:

1. Record number of Attendees to our State Conference
2. Over one hundred legislative interactions at our Day at the hill, and more after that
3. Several testimonies already at the state house in defense and in support of bills we are watching – Thank you to all who have led this.
4. Over forty-five new members joined NAIFA Texas
5. Great activity within NAIFA Texas with some great programs from Harbor Life, NAIFA Fort Worth, NAIFA Dallas, NAIFA San Antonio and more to come.

We have also been very busy making minor tweaks to the organization to make NAIFA Texas even stronger for you and protect our rights as part of the National organization.  This culminated in a successful vote for bylaw changes that will make us stronger and help us grow faster.
We are still having issues with the back door though. As we enter Spring going into Summer everyone is engaged in their practices, in outside activities, and wanting to be a part of something. I would like to have one ask, anyone with a conference room and video connection, please host a NAIFA Live event on the third Thursday of every month. Invite prospective members, invite current members, let us go to the micro level here and go back to our roots as an organization growing from the bottom up.  I am hoping for past leaders and future leaders will invite just 2 people each month (1 prospective and 1 existing member) think about how that might grow.  Let us know you are interested in attending and hosting and we will advertise and support.
Who wants to lead this effort? We can all do it. I’m inviting 4 people to my office for a viewing in May, can you match me?
Lastly, may bring us Congressional Conference in DC, with a huge attendance already occurring. This is an opportunity to grow and bring more people into the fold about what NAIFA does.  If you cannot make it, then discuss and engage with other members about attending.
As we move out of April showers and into May flowers think about what you can do to further blossom your practice, your industry, and others. 

​As we conclude March and head into April, we leave March like a Lion having walked in with excitement from our conference.
March also brings us the March Madness tournaments for men and women, and is a great month to further launch the year. There is still a lot of work to do though but we are in the right position to have a successful year and win our “championship” this year between us and Florida and the rest of the association.
As I mentioned at the conference there are 3 strategic priorities for NAIFA Texas this year: Membership, Membership Engagement, and Advocacy.  Advocacy is our strongest leg so far this year as we just completed our state advocacy day and on the way to our Congressional Conference in May.
Membership engagement, thanks to the strong work of our committee led By Rick Demko, is hitting its stride with programs, meetings, and engagement.  We have several meetings scheduled to support your practice and help you grow further, an advantage of being with NAIFA Texas.  Also, if you haven’t already check out the multitude of benefits that are available to you as a member of NAIFA. 
Another part of membership engagement is making sure we have the right governance to thrive as an organization.  NAIFA national has asked us to change our bylaws and they provided us with a model.  Your state board has been very diligent and has worked with NAIFA National to come up with wording and a document that helps us better serve you and meet the needs of all members and the objectives of NAIFA.  There will be a vote at the end of the month, we will be hosting 2 town halls regarding these changes on April 11 and April 13.
Growing our membership is where we need to focus the team.  We have the right team leaders in place, including Jay Moyer our state membership chair and great things are happening.  Let’s talk up NAIFA Texas and how we can continue to win.
There are three simple things we all can do to be the leaders we know we are and win that championship for 2023.

1. Recruit 180 new members, that is 15 a month, we are currently on pace for 15 a month, so let’s keep it going.
2. Re-Engage 150 past members.  Our industry needs everyone of us to work together and be apart of this association.  There are state challenges and federal challenges, we win in numbers.  If we all reach out to one past member and encourage them to rejoin, and then ask them the same, we become a stronger organization.  Let’s grow back to 1,400 by mid-year, so we can grow from there.
3. Be a Pac Defender at $8 a month or increase your monthly contribution, we need to all work together and help grow the association in all parts.

As we enter April we are firing on all cylinders as a team looking to bring to you a top-notch organization.  As we work together as a team to engage, advocate, and grow, we will be stronger and will march our way to the championship at the end of this year.  We are well on the way to winning the championship this year.

Mike Lindell needs to hock more pillows, slippers, sheets and towels to pay off someone that proved him wrong proving business and politics don't matter, hope he can do it after being cancelled in the retail world.

Elon Musk and SPace X launched a new rocket, nd were ectstaic as it only lasted 4 minutes, more than most lanuches in the male dominated room, and got some fantastic data from it, proving we all can get excited on a failure to launch making all men very happy as long as we get good data

Fox News saved their brand names by settling a lawsuit with DOminion at 5 times Dominiions actual business value, but depriving the AMerican Public the comic relief of a trial and the taking down of some thier profitable personalities.

Supreme COurt allows abortion Pill to continue until it can be heard in the fifth circuit appeallate court .  WHistle blowers are yelling loudly that the Bidens are corrupt and that they lied in 2020, will this be much ado about nothing or will there be some awakenings in Washington.  Proving to me at least, We the People, is no longer true but has been revised to We the People as long as we in power agree. 

​I was talking with someone the other day and they were saying that they supported the tax increases for everyone on their income.  And I truly feel that in order to get out of the problems we are in financially there needs to be a balanced attack on our deficit and our budget and we need to drastically reduce spending but also we need to increase revenue, my thoughts are in a flat tax (which I will discuss in a later entry).  However, as I was thinking about this conversation and discussing with my wife, I started to think about all the taxes I pay throughout my daily life and started to really think do they really need to raise my taxes or just get better on how the spend the money.  I did this little exercise using my client’s average income and also the median income of the citizens of the United States.
So first let’s define what Taxes are.  Taxes, according to Dictionary.com and Webster’s is a sum of money demanded by a Government for its support of specific facilities and services through income, payroll, property taxes, sales taxes, etc….  Also it is a burdensome charge, obligation, duty or demand.
The following is an example of the taxes someone pays on an annual income of $100,000 residing in the great state of Texas.  As everyone’s spending habits are different and not everyone has investments or owns property I used average prices and numbers.  Please note on property taxes, even if you don’t any land or property you still pay property taxes as it is calculated into your rent you just don’t get to deduct it.
Also note I am not a Tax Preparer and do not advocate any tax planning advice in this post.  The numbers used are averages and everyone will have different numbers and I ask you to consult a tax professional for specific tax advice.  This is on a fictional person in Texas making $100,000 gross income through a W2 system.  All numbers below are based on Annual numbers.
$100,000 income
-$5,436 in Property Tax (Texas median Tax rate is 3.2% on a median home price of $169,900 in 2012 according to Zillow.com)
-$28,000 in Federal Income Tax  (assuming 2012 Rates)
-$100 inspection and Car Registration
$6,200 Payroll Taxes (Including SS, FICA, Medicare etc…  Based on the Fiscal Cliff Bill passed January 1st 2013)
- $1,996 – Gas Tax (Texas gas tax including 18.4 cents of Federal taxes for a total of 38.4 cents per gallon according to the American Petroleum Institute times 100 gallons a week used for 52 weeks according to Triple A.) Note- You could pay more than this depending on length of travel, type of vehicle, etc…
$0 – State Income Tax (Texas has no State Income Tax, but you need to check your local states and municipalities as some have additional income taxes based on income level)
- $100 Interest Income Tax (Assuming an average savings account and investment account paying dividends)
- $1,000 Capital Gains Tax (Assumes average non-qualified investment activity resulting in Capital Gains.
- $480 Phone/Cell Phone/and Cable Taxes and usage fees (According to Federal Communication Commission).  Please note these are based on federal fees, states and local municipalities may have additional charges.
- $7,712 in Sales Tax (According to Forbes.com in 2010 the average Sales Tax levied in United States was 9.64% the highest rate found was 13.65%.  According to the U.S. Retail Association the average person consumes 80% of their gross income annually.  Of course spending habits are different for everyone so these numbers may vary)
-$900 Credit Usage Taxes (According to FCC average credit card is 3% and since most purchases are on credit and most people carry debt I used this times the average credit card debt of $30,000
Leaving you with $48,076 that you use for consumption, savings etc…
Some things not considered on this number are pre-tax deductions like a 401(k) and certain insurance deductions out of a paycheck as those vary widely depending to choices and could potentially reduce taxable impact.  Again consult a tax advisor for specifics to your situation.
In addition, using the above definition of a tax is a sum of money going to a government or a burdensome charge obligation duty or demand here some additional fees and taxes that you might pay that would further increase the amount of money you pay in taxes. 
Professional Association Dues
Professional License Registrations (i.e. Doctor, Lawyer, Financial Advisor, Real Estate Agents, Contractors, etc…)
HOA/COA Dues
Union Dues
Pet Tax
Facility Usage Fees
Gym Fees
Hotel Taxes if you travel
Airport/Airplane Taxes if you travel
Local Taxes
Estate and Inheritance Taxes if you’re lucky.
So after assessing these numbers knowing that I may have missed some and overestimated or underestimated on others utilizing median and average numbers I have realized that while I think we need to increase revenue at some point so we can pay down the debt, the government already gets way too much of my money as a whole, while recognizing not all of the above charges go to the Federal Government but some to the State Government, they need to really figure out how to best utilize the money they get not keep raising taxes and not adjust spending.  After looking at the above numbers, 52% the above income is eaten up by taxes.  When looking at my situation, my wife and I have over 63% of our income going to some form of taxes which is ridiculous.
 
What strategies do you have to minimize tax implications for your financial strategies?  You should consult a tax advisor and a financial advisor to identify specific strategies to potentially reduce taxable load.
 
Hopefully this was as eye opening for you as it was for me.  If I missed anything please let me know, and please comment on your thoughts.