When The Money Comes In...

The Knives Come Out

I used to work with this guy that was a brilliant structural engineer. He had progressed in his career to the point of being responsible for marketing of engineering services instead of spending his entire day with his nose stuck in front of a CAD computer terminal.

I was a contract employee also doing business development and sales at the same company and we talked endlessly about branching out and going into business for our selves, but not having enough financial where-with-all at that time to make it happen we never did anything together.

He always said that it was because…“When the money comes in…the knives come out.”

Fifteen years, a couple of ex-wives, one ex-business partner, and three corporations later, I have found that statement to be quite true. It is amazing what people will do and how hard they will stomp on your fingers, toes, or even your head if there is cash involved. They don’t care how much money you can help make in the future, right or wrong, they want all of the money that is right here, right now—you can just get the hell out if you don’t like it and future income be dammed.

Even a little cash is enough to cause major problems.

A lot of cash can get you maimed or killed. I keep walking away and they keep keeping the cash. That’s OK—I live on an island and as far as I know all of my ex’s are still fighting Atlanta traffic and I hope that they choke on my share of the money that they took from me.

Big breath…..

Having said all that (thinking good thoughts) I point out this story about contractors in Iraq being accused of over billing the Iraqi Provisional Authority for services never rendered:

“A government contractor defrauded the Coalition Provisional Authority of tens of millions of dollars in Iraq reconstruction funds and the Bush administration has done little to try to recover the money, an attorney for two whistle-blowers told Democratic lawmakers yesterday.”

See what happens when you can just take a gun (or hire a lawyer) and go get the money? That is what the government does when they tax us. They don’t worry about wasting the cash because they didn't work to earn it in the first place and they can just pass another law and take more money from those of us that did work to earn it.

In my opinion, the biggest problem in Iraq is that there are very few accountants with the gonads to leave their cushy offices in the financial towers of NY City, Charlotte, Atlanta and Seattle to go to work as BEAN COUNTERS IN A WAR ZONE… so the US looks little better than the UN when it comes to being trustees of MY BLANKING HARD EARNED TAX DOLLARS.

But the problem isn’t unique to the United by gosh darned States of America. The Indian government wants to tax charitable events staged for Tsunami relief

“India News]: New Delhi, Jan 10 : Outgoing cricket board president Jagmohan Dalmiya Monday said that India could stage the second match for the tsunami victims only if the government provided full tax exemption.

"The ICC (International Cricket Council) has put a condition, that this match will take place where there will be total tax exemption," Dalmiya told reporters here.

"Australia has granted that, and they deserve a big pat on their back. And we have to have a discussion (on this issue)," he said.

The first match, between an ICC World XI and an Asian XI, was played at Melbourne Monday, with the Ricky Ponting-led World XI winning it by 112 runs.”

Winning by 112 runs? Yaaaowsaahh yaaaowsaahh!

And by the way--like I said before...

"When the money comes in, the knives come out…"