Are you suffering from “bailout” burnout? Tired of pinhead political pundits telling you that Americans need to “pay their fair share?” Does the phrase “paying higher taxes is your patriotic duty” make you wish for a barrel of hot tar a bale of feathers and a strong rail? Well I’m here to tell you that you are not alone.

Lots of us out here in Real America (that being the parts of America NOT located “inside the beltway” or Tinseltown...) are fed up also but many of us are starting to “shrug” and the politiclowns in Washington DC are starting to panic.

So many of you are starting to ask by this point “Dawgg, what the hell is this ‘shrugging’ business you are going on about?” OK fair point. Shrugging is an act of legally denying the US Government tax revenue and/or working to let the politiclowns know you are “Taxed to Hell, and You’re Not Gonna Take It Anymore!” [/Network movie reference]

NO, this is not some rant about the IRS being an illegal entity or that the Tax Amendment was not ratified properly. The following is a few things you can legally do to stop sending so much money to Washington (where apparently it is dispersed to worthy causes like paying million dollar bonuses to people who contributed to the campaigns of Senator Dodd and President Obama.) Read on, this is really easy.

So first let me explain where the term “shrug” comes from. There is a book (A really good book) called “Atlas Shrugged” written by Ayn Rand. The book is a long read (over 1100 pages) but well worth the effort. The story is a modern day fantasy about the producers and hard workers of America who get fed up with all the taxes and rules and regulations that Washington keeps piling on the Business community. The producers start to disappear, they just up and leave. Whether they be rich industrialists or hardworking factory foreman all of them, one by one resign from their jobs or close their factories and fade from public life.

Much of the plot of the book is devoted to finding out where these “producers” went and to answer the question “Who is John Galt?” The shrugging part comes from a speech given by one of the characters in which he explains that American Business is expected to carry the weight of the world like the god Atlas shoulders the weight of the earth. In the speech he states that Atlas (American Business) should Shrug off the burden and go on strike.

So by now you’ve realized that most of us can’t go on strike from taxes because, unlike the politiclowns in Washington like Rep. Charlie Rangel and most of the Obama Cabinet, we have to pay our taxes or we go to jail. But there is a way to send less money to Washington AND to put pressure on Congress to repeal these heavy tax burdens and stop the bailout madness.

So here we go: Five ways you can shrug like “Atlas Shrugged.”

1. Send Less to Washington and your State Capital Part 1:

If you get a paycheck part of it is withheld by the government. This part withheld is you contributions to Social Security, Unemployment Income Tax etc. There is a form you fill out when you are first hired called I believe a W-4. In this form you figure out how much tax money is withheld by listing deductions like how many dependents you have and such. Many of us fill this out so that MORE money is taken out of our paycheck and then the IRS sends us a refund at the end of the tax year. Which sounds good BUT basically you are loaning money for free to those jerks in Washington who hand it out like candy at a NAMBLA convention.

So if you are getting a refund every year, you should up your deductions, then take that extra money you get in your paycheck and put it in an interest bearing account at a local bank. At the end of the year you still have your refund but instead Giving Uncle Sam a no interest loan you made some interest money and still got a refund! If you are not sure how to legally claim more deductions I urge you to run it by your accountant OR call the IRS help line and ask. It is not that hard. You just need to change your W-4 form and give it to those responsible for writing your paycheck at your workplace.

2. Send Less to Washington and your State Capital Part 2:

If you state is like mine they charge Sales Tax. By law you must pay this but there is a way to buy without paying Sales Tax, or at least not paying it till the end of the year. One way is to purchase stuff on the Internet (the seller must not be located in your state or you still must pay it) Some states claim you still must pay Sales Tax even if you buy out of state (which they claim in no way violates the interstate commerce clause *cough cough* BullShit *cough cough*) Most internet sellers will not charge sales taxes on out of state purchases so its up to you to send a check to your state government, if this is true in your state then you can still delay the payment by taking whatever amount the sales tax would be on your purchase putting it in an interest bearing account and then file it with your tax return at the end of the year.

Also you can buy used from individuals. Yard Sales and Craig’s List and the News Paper Classifieds are good places to look for stuff you need and legally you don’t have to pay any sales tax on such purchases.

3. Send Less to Washington and your State Capital Part 3:

Start your own side business. Even if you already own a business you can still make this one work for you. If you have a hobby (or looking to start a new one) you can turn your hobby into a small business and deduct many of the expenses associated with it. Let’s say you like to paint, you can sell your artwork at a local art bazaars or even on the Internet.

If you don’t want to part with your originals you can go to your local Printers and have “prints” or ‘posters” made and sell them instead. All of your supplies and tools should be a legal deduction. Also any travel you do to work at your craft is a legal deduction. I am sure you can find some interesting subjects to paint say on a sunny beach in the Caribbean… As always consult your accountant!

4. Tell Washington: “You’re Taxed to Hell and You’re Not Gonna Take It Anymore.” Part 1:

This one is easy but most people won’t do it. GO to your Congress Critter’s local Office, and voice your displeasure about taxes and spending in Washington. Be polite and get to the point. Have your talking points typed up and hand it to your Senators and Representative.

Even better before you go, talk to your friends and relatives and ask if they would like to express their displeasure as well, get a petition up and have people sign it. If you go this route get lots of signatures, 1000 is much better than 100. Then get a group together, not overly large, small enough you cold all get into a normal office. (If you get large numbers it triggers security issues and your goal is to voice your displeasure face to face with your Congress Critters.) Make sure your group is polite and let one person do the speaking. Present your demands politely and in an organized way. Ask for feedback to be sent to you on any progress your Congress Critters are making towards your goals. Again make sure you hand your printed demands to your Senator or Representative. Follow up! Go back a second time and a third and so on. Get new people involved!

5. Tell Washington: “You’re Taxed to Hell and You’re Not Gonna Take It Anymore.” Part 2:

Attend a Tea Party! There are hundred’s scheduled over the next few days and you should go! Take Friends, make signs, take some teabags with you and have your own Boston Tea Party. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! Network while you are at the Tea Party. Get contact info from the organizers and other activists attending. Find out if there are going to be more Tea Parties in your area after April 15th. And if there isn’t any scheduled see if you can get one started. Join The 912 Project and other organizations promoting Term Limits and smaller government, and work with members to put pressure on Congress and the Obama Administration to reduce taxes and spending immediately!

Well there you have it, five ways you can shrug like “Atlas Shrugged”! Doing any one of these five things will help to stop the looters in Washington and it may put a little more money in your pocket as well!

Nuff Said…

Next Subject…

Mad Dawgg