I tend to follow the Jeffersonian Philosophy. I also believe aa TJ did when he drafted the Bill for the More General Diffussion of Knowledge. He also was the father of the University of Virginia. A strong education system is essential to sustaining a strong nation.

 

I agree with most of this. I agree with privitizing education, but scholarships should be supported voluntarily, not coerced. Remember, true freedom comes with minimal government intervention. We need to get out of the mindset that big government is needed to solve local social issues.

 

That was the other area in which I deviate from being a 100% Jeffersonian Liberal. He believed in publicly-funded education, I don't.
I do believe that a strong education is a necessity, I just differ in how it should be funded. I see Jefferson's philosophy on education to be incongruent with his overalll beliefs in individuality and freedom.
I guess it just shows that even Jefferson was a pragmatist.

 

Here in Michigan, Mid-easterners come over and take advantage of tax exemptions for being an immigrant all of the time. They own most of the party stores, gas stations and other small businesses in the area. It's the tax exemption that enables them to do so. The unforeseen consequence of this is that American entrepreneurs have to compete with small businesses that are hugely subsidized by these tax reliefs.
The system sucks if you ask me.

 

I'd be curious to know more about those Michigan exemptions. With the exception of a student visa (if they work, they're still subject to SS & medicare), most immigrants with any assets or foreign income are in a worse tax position after they establish US residency as the IRS levies on world income, not just US income. And that includes the full range of US taxes, SS, income, estate, etc.

The only exemption I'm aware of is SS for a foreign national who doesn't establish residency and continues to pay into a government approved retirement fund (none exist in the Mideast) in his/her country of origin. Most elect to the pay US SS taxes as they're lower than the country of origin and offer better payouts.

A not for profit incorporation would provide exemption from federal income taxes, not SS, and most personal property taxes, but the qualifications are well defined and any such filing by someone of Mideast descent would instantly be under the magnifying glasses of INS, IRS and Homeland Security.

I've known a couple of people who have immigrated and established US residency and their legal bills for tax planning and business licensing are serious money. (due to the mob being an influence here for many years, a car dealer/liquor/gaming license requires a complete background check equal to an FBI secret level security clearance). It takes a decent lawyer to get the tax situation arranged to where double taxation isn't a factor.

 

I guess one can't assume that something is "real" just because you've heard it from a number of souces over the years. In trying to find the immigrant exemption through a search on Dogpile, , I found that it is a widely believed urban myth. http://www.snopes.com/business/taxes/immigrants.asp