 | | Andy Snyder | Ah... the end of something. Is this the end of America as we know it... the end of the good times and easy money... or something only a few folks dare to suspect? We suppose only the calloused hands of fate know. [The "Next Major American Index": Forget the Outdated Dow, S&P and Nasdaq... See This New Index Now ] But we do know that readers are worried. They're concerned. And our last column had them nodding along, convinced that things aren't always as they seem. We'll reach into the mailbag to show you what we mean. | Andy, thanks for your usual practical report. Am in the Carolinas... Empty store fronts increasing; small businesses reducing hours; chains withdrawing from low-revenue business areas. The recession is here in non-metro America. Besides being fiscally conservative, I can only offer: Read Art Laffer's book, Taxes Have Consequences. Hold on. - Reader H.B. | | |  Those final words - "Hold on" - feel about right. But about that book? Those dopes in charge of America's health screwed up once again. This one should come with a warning label. No, not because the foreword was written by a controversial former president (hint: he's faced some tax charges of his own), but because the words in the book are woven together into quite a powerful curse. The curse of knowledge. A Powerful Antidote Ignorance is a powerful, mind-numbing narcotic. It leads to bad choices. It leads to haughty decisions. And it's what has kept the gals of The View employed for far too long. But knowledge... oh my, it's a powerful and sobering antidote. It'll have you spotting the lies, pointing out the bullies and lying awake at night wondering what to do about it all. For some, it's misery. Laffer's book reveals what no "their fair share" politician wants his voters to know. It shows what kind of vile rot oozes out from beneath the heavy hand of government as it pushes down on its citizens. There's one overpowering lesson in the book. For some, it's an enticing call to action. For others, it's a disgusting truth. This paragraph sums it up... | What happened to the income of higher earners in the face of widely varying, and at times very high, top income rates over the century following 1913 is an interesting story - a very interesting story. In general, what happened is that the total income of high earners - the rich - along with the amount of taxes they paid, was highly variable. However, one thing stayed constant. No matter if tax rates were high or low, the fabled top 1 percent of earners in the economy paid the same proportion of their total income in taxes. | | | Enticing? A call to action... and your accountant? Infuriating? Burn down the system and start anew? With a bit of knowledge, we can see there's no reason to be upset at anybody but the dopes creating the laws. They push and pull in a bid to keep their jobs and enrich their side hustles... and yet, the results of their work are always the same. They push new tax codes. They raise this rate... and lower that one. They fight. They gamble. They hold the working class hostage. And yet, the margins never change. The folks on either end of the spectrum never notice a thing. But the folks in the middle... oof. Life's tough. As we've been shouting for oh so long, get the hell out of the middle. Shun mediocrity... or perhaps the government will choose which margin you belong in. Read Laffer's book. But do so at your own peril. It's filled with powerful truth. Some will see it as a battle cry. Others will just cry. "Hold on," our dear reader wrote. They're big words in a little package. Something doesn't feel right. The end of something is nigh. It can't be good. All we know for sure is that we've come to the end of another dear column. We'll part with some hard-earned words of wisdom. Shun mediocrity, dear friend. You're better than that. Be well, Andy Want more content like this? | | | | | Andy Snyder Andy Snyder is an American author, investor and serial entrepreneur. He cut his teeth at an esteemed financial firm with nearly $100 billion in assets under management. Andy and his ideas have been featured on Fox News, on countless radio stations, and in numerous print and online outlets. He's been a keynote speaker and panelist at events all over the world, from four-star ballrooms to Capitol hearing rooms. | | | | 
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