AUTHOR: M. DATE: 8:13:00 PM ----- BODY:

Are you snoozing yet? Or am I the only one who immediately falls asleep at the mere mention of the phrase "financial planning?" I went to a financial planning for adoption seminar today at ODS ACONE. If you don't count the fact that the facilitator was in desperate need of a public speaking class and opened the session with a "joke" about how you have to do FINANCIAL planning before you can do your FAMILY planning... (yuk, yuk), it wasn't bad atall. The bad news: this is really %&*)&*!ing expensive. The good news: there is a tax credit of almost $11,000, which accounts for the bulk of the expenses. And when you factor in the cost of even a straightforward hospital birth, plus co-pays for prenatal visits, plus buying sperm (you didn't REALLY think it came from our index fingers, did you?), we pretty much break even. How about that? It seems that there's also a bill working it's way through Congress to increase the tax credit to $15,000. Now listen here, because you will probably never again here me say anything remotely like this: I'm in favor of increasing the tax cut. God help me. I thought those words would NEVER come out of my mouth.

-------- COMMENT-AUTHOR: Anonymous COMMENT-DATE:12:37 AM COMMENT-BODY:Absolutely, there are times when specific tax breaks make sense. This is one example, when they encourage or facilitate behavior that is to the public benefit, such as adoption, the buying of hybrid-engine automobiles, promoting non-profit public service organizations, sending people to college or trade school, or promoting the growth of genuinely needed industry.
Across-the-board cuts can also serve a similar purpose; there are times when they benefit businesses, consumers, and employees all at once, and both liberal and conservative presidents and congresses have used them successfully (cf. John F. Kennedy and his advisor Kenneth Galbraith, early 1960's, or Ronald Reagan, 1982.) THIS JUST AIN'T ONE OF THOSE TIMES!! They need to occur when growth is slow, when there is a government surplus (or at worst a mild deficit), and - above all - they need to be targeted primarily at the middle and laboring classes. And they need to be temporary.
Sorry. This blog is about adopting my grandbaby, not about my liberal politics. Couldn't help myself. --------