Flowers and Olive Oil

August 10, 2009

Political Arguments

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 4:44 am

My political leanings are fairly moderate, though some naivete and some theology does lean me leftward.

If asked, I am willing to provide my opinions about things, but if you ask the people who have talked to me about politics the most, they can tell you that my opinions can sometimes be very fluid, as generally I refuse to be adamant about anything if I know little about it… and I know little about most things.

Consequently, my role in political discussions is generally to add some perspective, or to clear up something I believe to be a misconception. Frequently I am not trying to change anyone’s mind. I just want to be sure that people think the things they do even while aware of certain things that might dissuade others, as opposed to only thinking certain things because they are unaware of counterarguments. If a person knows everything I know, and understands what I understand, and comes to a different conclusion, he is well within his rights to do so.

I was in a van today with several co-workers who were discussing the U.S. Federal Income Tax, which is a progressive tax. This means that as income increases, so do tax rates. They were saying that because income tax is progressive, it sometimes discourages people to seek higher incomes, lest the increased tax rate were to leave them in the end with less net income than if they had just earned less to begin with.

An example to explain their point: If Edward makes $29,999 and the tax rate for up to that amount is 10% [not a reflection of actual rates], his tax owed will be $2,999.90 — but if the tax rate for $30,000 and higher is 20%, then that would mean that if he were to make one dollar more in income, suddenly he would owe $3,000.10 more in taxes, for a total of $6,000. Clearly, making one more dollar is not a good idea if it will cost him several thousand. In fact, since at $29,999 of income, he is left with $26,999.10 after taxes, it would be foolish for him to try to make any more money at all unless he were confident that he could make $33,748.88 or more in the same time frame, because otherwise he ends up with a relative loss. (At $33,748.88, he would also be left with $26,999.10 after taxes, and only by earning more than that could his after-tax income increase.)

The trouble with the above argument and example is that it is based on an idea that is not true.

This is because, in the United States, any time income is great enough to pass into a higher tax bracket, only the amount by which the latest cutoff number has been exceeded will be taxed at the new rate.

So, let us look again at Edward. If he were to make one more dollar, for a total before-tax income of $30,000, he could still expect to pay 10% on the first $29,999 (for a total of $2,999.90), but then, for each dollar above that, he would have to pay 20%. In this case, since he is only exceeding the cutoff by one dollar, he only pays an additional 20¢. His total tax owed would now be $3,000.10. By earning an extra dollar, he has NOT lost thousands; he has made, effectively, 80¢. Admittedly this might not make for as much of an incentive as Edward is used to, because up until that point every dollar he earned got him 90¢ instead of 80, but getting 80¢ is by no means a disincentive in the way that losing several thousand dollars would be.

All right, so, back to the van and the whole reason I am writing this (which is basically a rant, so if you would like to stop reading now, be my guest. If you have read up until this point, at least now you are informed about progressive taxes). Following my usual role in attempting to clear up misconception, I tried to point out that entering into a new tax bracket does not cause a person’s entire income to be taxed at the new rate (that is, by the way, why they are called “marginal” tax brackets). Swiftly I was told that I am incorrect.

Moments after this point, the conversation took a turn. But before going into that, I feel I must explain what caused the turn. Arguing whether something is good or bad, or whether it fits with a specific set of morals can be done at any time. [You like artichokes? Okay fine, I am not a big fan. You think they are good, I think they are bad. You think homosexuality is heinous sin and all homosexuals are going to Hell? Well, then I would say that people are rather subjective in how they rank the heinousness of sins, and people exaggerate how much more terrible sexual immorality is over, say, blasphemy, and that homosexuality is not more equivalent to apostasy than any number of other sins which people generally make much less fuss over.] On the other hand, people cannot argue whether something is true or false just any time they want to. If you tell me that President Chester Arthur’s middle name was Alvin, and I say you are wrong, and we have no access at that time to a credible source which could solve this dispute for us, we cannot keep fighting. Why? Because “yes it is, no it isn’t, yes it is, no it isn’t” is not an argument: it is a waste of time. [By the way, Chester Arthur's middle name was Alan.]

As you can see, the discussion in the van had reached a point where we could not continue arguing: it was a matter of whether something was true or false. Therefore, I stopped arguing, only lamenting that I was confident in what I knew (and have since confirmed by more research), but knowing that it would be useless to protest further. This is when the turn in conversation took place. One gentleman in the company told me then that I was being insultingly arrogant by implying that I was the only one in the group to possibly be intelligent enough or researched enough to know the truth (because everyone else disagreed). While I do regret giving off such an impression, it was certainly unintentional. The statement that someone else is mistaken is not, by any means, a claim that such a mistake is necessarily caused by that person’s ignorance or stupidity. If that were the case, then everyone in the van would, by analogue, be calling me ignorant or stupid, and if that were true, then my behavior would not be the only offense requiring rebuke or apology.

It is that part of arguing that makes me hate arguments so much.

July 19, 2009

Debt

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 3:54 pm

When Presbyterians say the Lord’s prayer, they do not say “for ever and ever.” They say “forever.” Also, they do not say “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,” or “forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” They say “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

As a landlord, and someone who now has a mortgage loan out, I find this last difference intriguing. Personally speaking, I have debt, and I collect on it. There are some other factors I think about too.

Simplicity.

Philosophers and Singers

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 5:09 am

As untrue as it might be, imagine that everyone who gets a degree in philosophy is absolutely unable to find employment of any kind, with the exception of becoming a philosophy professor at the college from which they graduate once the other teacher retires. Imagine that outside of the classroom, the professors and students do no breakthrough research, publish no new insights, and make no attempt to use their wisdom to shape the customs or policies of communities or governments. Surely there’s no point, in that case, of even having a philosophy department, right? The only reason it exists is so that eventually someone will be trained at the right time to take over for the current professor, who will likewise only be training the next replacement, and so on. The need to keep going is illusory.
Or suppose that in a family there is one singer per generation, and each singer is taught by the singer of the preceding generation the Family Song. All the words are learnt, and the melody, and how it is to be accompanied, but the song is never performed ever except to the next generation’s singer, who will learn it just the same way. Just like handing down a time capsule sealed up centuries ago with the intention never to open it again, no matter how much time has passed.

I read today not to let Christianity be my time capsule (though not in those words). It was handed down to you and me so we could do more with it than keep handing it down.

June 28, 2009

I am writing a story

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 6:21 am

I don’t really know what will come of it, but I am currently writing something like a novel. I have an intended ending, and kind of a plot about how to get there. What I really have though are characters, all with their flaws.

Annabel, Nick, Rene, Levy, Lynnea, Walter.

The experience so far feels almost more like writing a diary than writing a novel. I haven’t even introduced all these characters yet, and a fairly large part regards a character I don’t plan on doing anything else with, but still, I am fully aware of the parts of me these characters have. This is not to say that everything about these characters comes from me. But I get this odd sensation when I do write about what my characters are doing that I am supposed to learn from them. I see reflections of my thoughts and actions in them, and placing them on someone else (even if they have different motives) allows me to look at things as if from the outside. Even some of the things which aren’t intended to reflect me make me think about how I am the same. Somebody in the story is ignorant? Paranoid? Insincere? Am I not the same way? You see how these characters are screwed up? Ought you not to fix these problems you have in yourself? That sort of thing. I will be fascinated to see whether (unlikely) any reforms come to my behavior just because I do not want to be like somebody I’ve written about who does something I do already. That would be weird. Potentially good, of course, but still weird.

Oh, and Lynnea, …. the character is not you. Not supposed to be you. Just a name. Lynnea Amanda Barr. Just so you know.

May 7, 2009

The End of Zent

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 3:31 pm

You’ll notice it’s not May 24. There’s a reason for that.

Philip James De Koster was right when he said self-control is non-transferrable.

So at this point I intend to stop wasting my time, give myself to God, and be the person He wants me to be.

Today is a day of peace and of trust in the Lord.

May 2, 2009

What do you call a collection of foxes?

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 5:44 am

Apparently there is more than one answer to this question. The top answers are a skulk of foxes and a leash of foxes.

This, as you might expect, refers to my earlier-described fox taming. At this point I think it is safe to say that I have a veritable skulk. So very much not what I intended.

DEAR EVERYONE: I AM NOT AN EXPERT. I AM JUST SOME GUY.

April 25, 2009

More helping people

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 6:21 am

I feel like this is getting a lot of momentum behind it.
But what goes up?

April 23, 2009

Helping People

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 7:56 pm

Much more in line with the theme of this blog than anything I’ve done lately, I’m actually offering help to people now. A friend’s mother started an online group, and I’m throwing my 2 cents (or more…) in. At first I thought my contributions might be considered out of place, since I am not dealing with things like weight loss issues, and oh P.S. I’m only 20 years old and am friends with your daughter, but so far the response I’ve gotten has been overwhelmingly positive. One person, now friended, has gone so far as to say that she wants to hire me as her personal and professional life coach.
One thing that concerns me is that I know I am terrible with follow-through. I always want to help everyone, but by and large I get started and never do anything about it after a week or so. Must must must follow through. I feel like the Little Prince taming the fox. I can’t just abandon my foxes. I don’t want to this time.

April 15, 2009

Romans

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 2:05 pm

Dear Everyone Reading This,

Please open your Bible (Don’t have a Bible? Click here.) to Romans and read chapters 5 and 6 (You can start at six if you really want to.).

That is all.

Grace and Peace to you,
Zachary P.

Zent Update

Filed under: Uncategorized — zkrueger @ 3:37 am

Due to some last-minute additions to the list of things to give up, Zent will begin tomorrow and go through the 24th.

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