National revenue/Carlos Pueblo

 National revenue/Carlos Pueblo

The other day, I was informed to pay back some money for the national revenue or the internal revenue service due to two items which were not allowed to deduct on my 2019 tax return. It is called the paper audit. Every year every resident in the country is expected to file an income tax return to pay the federal government for the yearly income tax to support the federal government. We also pay local governments some local taxes to maintain all governments. This national revenue is one of the federal revenue to support all federal functions in a year. Recently, we can see that there are at least two huge spending federal law law passed in order to tackle with the Chinese Wuhan Corona Virus pandemic, one 900 billion dollars and another one 2.2 trillion dollars. Almost every one receives $3,200 checks from the federal. Another huge spending on the national infrastructure will cost 2.3 trillion dollars is on its way to the congress to be passed. I don't believe that there is money available yet it is necessary to meet the demand. I agree.

According to the economist, the national debt can be about 9% of the national growth domestic products numbers. As long as the federal can meet the debt service, we shall be alright. Most of the national investors purchase federal bonds for their savings and generate minimum interest return. They are happy. Low interest can help the federal government to manage the debt service. It is wise for the fed to borrow low interest money from all over the world and do some meaningful investment domestically. 

I disagree with such philosophy with my home economics. I want to make sure that I can pay back my debt on time before I borrow any money. I like to get something from nothing yet I don't like the debt service. I am going to withdraw my pension funds to the minimum level from now on before I can figure out a better way for a reasonable income tax obligation. If I need extra money to spend, I shall withdraw money from a regular saving account or a Roth IRA account before the end of my life. Most of my expanse is not deductible from the IRS points of view. The IRS gives me a standard deduction every year; therefore, I feel that my tax burden is higher than ever before.

國家稅收／莊峻華

 國家稅收／莊峻華

前日返家，收到國稅局通知，需補交若干2019年所得稅，因為有兩項支出，國稅局不許減免，因此需要補交所得稅，我因當年需要貸款給琳兒購屋，多領出一些退休金，増加當年收入，故需多交一些所得稅，美國各級政府，需要仰賴稅收，來維持政府支出，幾近半數人口，收入低無需交聯邦所得稅，地方稅靠房地產稅，還有購物稅等維持，美國是一法治國家，時間一到，國民均紛紛依法交稅，無需軍警登門索稅，而且公司行號，還自動幫國稅局扣稅，按時提前交稅給國家，這就是美國在中國武漢肺炎，重挫美國經濟，國民健康等後，美國膽敢迅速發放一人三千二美金補助，迅速免費注射肺炎疫苗，當然這免費疫苗，是靠幾種保險，老人健保，貧民健保，公司團體健保，歐巴瑪健保，和無健保之聯邦罰款等來支付，現在已經有近半人口注射完畢，疫情稍受控制。

拜登政府開始大刀闊斧新政，先是兩兆元拯救計劃金，已經通過實施，現在再來一兩點三兆元，國家基礎建設金，都是借錢來支付，就是印鈔票，當代經濟學者都不怕借債來建設，就是債額在百分之九國家總生產毛額內即可，只要將經濟恢復，國家有稅收，有足夠之稅收來支付債務，如何増加稅收？現在注意到公司稅率，要恢復到百分之二十八，個人稅率幾乎已達四十，有些州尚需加州稅百分之十，我們德州無州所得稅，但房地產稅是百分之三，加州是百分之一，但因氣候佳，房產價格是德州之五倍高，很是公平。

我的省吃儉用，武肺期間，不出外旅行，省下一筆錢，現在老人健保，似乎可以裝假牙，所以我無需回台灣整治牙齒，因此我將恢復最低額領出退休金，減少每年收入，若需疾用款，則領羅斯退休帳戶，減少稅務負擔。

Driving Amy for her second shot/Carlos Pueblo

 Driving Amy for her second shot/Carlos Pueblo

It's been three week after Amy's first vaccine shot, I drove her again to her CVS station on W. Little York at North Houston Roselyn where I made a wrong exit on North Houston Fairbank exit on I-290. It's alright, we still arrived half an hour earlier. She could get on the line. I quickly circle the drug store and went outside to take a look of the neighborhood.

It's on Harris County line of the Northwest part of Houston closed to the city limit. I can see the fading of the oil industry boom. The busy street is a short cut of I-45 to FM1960. I used to come back from the Champion Forest north FM 1960 and cut into the street to I-45 or vice versa. Finally, I found a Texas Human and Health Resource office for my toilet need. It is an office for the Medicaid and the Food Stamp services. 

Both services are for the weak group of the population to maintain their basic needs. The U.S. governments are working on gradually to improve people's life that I admire very much. After one hour including the 15 minutes waiting after the shot, she finally has a peace of her mind about the Wuhan virus pandemic. She feels safe.

Now, it's only Arthur is waiting for his second shot. I plan to drive him to another CVS nearby Amy's as well. We believe that Biden can make it 200 million shots on people's arm at his 100 days of the Presidency. It's very impressing of his efficiency. The U.S. is more peaceful now.

送愛美打第二針／莊峻華

 送愛美打第二針／莊峻華

三週後，愛美輪到武漢肺炎第二針，我衡量過我送她，效率較高，因為這是郊外社區，過去賣保險和訪友，公路甚熟，而且這是舉手之勞，幫忙人是件有意義之人生。她的藥房與元兒藥房相近，都在西北郊外，應該都在市區外之哈理斯郡，現在疫苗注射普遍迅速，登記注射地點，漸漸擴散到郊區，較新社區，我說較新約是三十年內開發者，年輕家庭較多，注射者離家較近。我是弄錯出口處，應在賓狗路出口，接北休士頓－若斯琳，結果我誤會在北休士頓－費爾邊出口，多走一段西小約克路。

我們提早到，藥局讓她排隊，打完還需等候十五分鐘，於是我就開始找廁所，沿著北若大道西北向，沿路甚是荒蕪，顯然不甚景氣，休市仍受石油業影響，加上武漢肺炎肆虐，對面有餐廳加油站，但大道車水馬龍，無需冒險，而且藥局近處不過馬路有大通銀行，大通有廁所，藥局沒有，大通有重要客戶也，我因不急，而且找廁所是國外旅行，首項要務，習慣上就是要優先解決。

看到一德州人事和衛生辦工室，偶有人進出，我就進入，全室都是座位，卻是空無一人，僅一制服女警衛在划手機，廁所就在左側，有明顯標誌，警衛不理我眼神，於是我不請自入方便，這是一甚佳維護之廁所，比外面街道高級甚多，也比一般歐洲廁所友善。窗內人士見我觀望，打開玻璃窗，我問此為醫生辦公室？他說是貧民保險和糧票服務辦公室，醫生診所在角落，我看需兩項服務者少，是窮戶少？或是服務效率高？

美國政府照顧弱勢，非常盡力，窮人不至於淪落到路有餓莩之地步，而且有很多工作機會，維持一基本人道生活不難，除非身體已經損壞，不克工作，無家可歸，無家可歸者，全球均是，無足為奇。我說是來借用廁所，兩項服務，我都不合格。

我幾乎隨時吃牛排，牛排比一些有機蔬菜便宜，吃慣牛排，就不懷念餐館食物，也不羨慕一般料理，吃過牛排，就認真運動打網球，然後午睡多次，早起早睡，對身體有益。

Continue to discuss the Sino-US Alaska talk/Carlos Pueblo

 Continue to discuss the Sino-US Alaska talk/Carlos Pueblo

When Biden became the President on January 20, 2021, he didn't call Chinese Chairman Xi until the Lunar New Year Eve. Many reporters asked Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary for such call. Biden's teams are evaluating the relationship with China and also first consulting with the allied. He keeps the tariff which Trump posted in 2020. I agree that the U.S. does invite Chinese diplomats to talk in Alaska eventually yet the talk is not that urgent for Biden and the U.S. as my understanding of the politics. The demands from the U.S. are the issues of Hsin Chiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea. I don't see how China can accept such talk from the beginning because they are Chinese domestic affairs, and why China accepts the invitation and also hide its foreign minister tile as a party councilman instead. The U.S. show the full title of the attendees, the secretary of State and the President's National Secretary Advisor.

The full video of the meeting is out now for view on the You tube. The U.S. strike the demand of the meeting while Chinese diplomats are busy to defend something that the U.S. representatives have never raised. It is very funny to watch. I don't see how both parties can come to talk at the same table. China will never agree to what the U.S. demands and the U.S. will not yield any inch to trade. As a matter of the fact, the U.S. considers China as a major competitor like the former Soviet Union. The U.S. is ready to replace China with several other nations such as India and Vietnam for supply needs. China must learn from Japan if they are able to know. China must change its system. China must comply with the world order. I believe that Russia, Iran, Cuba and some others are fully aware.

Japan, Germany, UK, and the entire European Union as a whole, they know how to deal with the U.S. The U.S. President must listen to his voters. He must deal with the voters demand. The U.S. voters don't like to see the massacres in Hsin Chiang Uighur, the Eastern Turkistan, they don't like to see Hong Kong problem, and now they don't like China bully Taiwan, they don't like to see the situation in the South China Sea. The U.S. can handle the Chinese challenge, as a matter of fact, Biden is taking advantage to ask the Congress for more fund to compete with China on the national infrastructure like previous cold war to build up military hardware to bankrupt the Soviet Union.

續論中美阿拉斯加會談／莊峻華

 續論中美阿拉斯加會談／莊峻華

三月中旬，中美有一會談，引起全球關注，剛開始我僅能看到一小部分實況，我評論一次，就是以一長年關注此議題之興趣者觀點，昨日再看到開場白全場實況錄影，非常有趣，因此續談此會談，我固不知兩日之會談內容，但可猜測一二。美國提出三項問題，新疆維吾爾滅種，香港，和台灣，再加上南中國海通行問題，中國都以干涉中國內政為由，堅決拒談，中國約是想談美國之關稅，我未看到美方反應，中方急於辯白他事，並未提到此事，以我每日必看白宮記者會，知道拜登手下，正在評估川普之増加中國進口稅，並未行政命令，取消該増加關稅，是兩敗俱傷之局面，美國可以從他國取代中國貨物，中國可以出口美國以外之國，但美國是世界最大市場，利潤最高。

剛開始，我甚不齒中國外交官，想賣弄中文，為難翻譯官，後來看到實況，楊王二者之原文，不過如此，沒有毛時代之咬文嚼字，年輕之翻譯官是綽綽有餘，因此算不上傳統之花邊新聞，倒是美方兩官員，均講標準英文，翻譯官亦甚勝任，我兩文均通，無需為中國媒體之擺佈。

我一直費解，王毅何以冠黨代表職衘，而非中國外長衘出席？楊潔篪也未冠官職，而美方都是以國務卿和國家安全會首席顧問職出席，楊在場糾正翻譯官，美國民意調查報告，顯然是賣弄英文，中國並無民意報告這回事，而且民意報告，不若選票公正正確，這是西式民主名詞。

我想美國不會再浪費時間，跟中國會談，國務卿甚忙，美國民意媒體，已經習慣川普之高關稅，像我這種吝嗇者，連購物花錢都不樂，省下很多花費，中國之爛尾樓，不干我屁事，打台灣也甚無耐而已，美國正在與各國商談，如何制裁中國，就像制裁俄羅斯，北韓，和伊朗一般，拜登利用對抗中國，提醒國人，要増加國內基礎建設，要増加國內生產，不能仰賴中國廉價生產，這是美國趨勢。

The Medicare dental plan/Carlos Pueblo

 The Medicare dental plan/Carlos Pueblo

It is a happy day for me to learn that my Medicare HMO has a new dental coverage up to $2,000 a year including my denture, or the fake teeth. It has been more than a year that I need to make a dental trip back to Taiwan for my denture work. The Wuhan Corona Virus stops me due to the three weeks quarantine requirement for that nation's policy. I can neither pay the high cost nor the extra expanse and time to make the trip. The issue is here and I have no better way to deal with it.

I was checking my new Aetna identification number for a referral visit of my eyes doctor, I found the card shown a dental coverage. I called the company according to the tall free number and I got the affirmative answer. I found a dentist on the network and agreed to evaluate my cost. If I can get it done here in Houston, I can make it until the end of my life.

As a matter of the fact, the dentist was Arthur's former dentist until his health plan changed. I was arranged to have two X-rays and a teeth cleaning before the dentist's taking a look. He was confident to fix it up. His wife, the clinic manager, told me after the approval the insurance would cover all of it. 

I did a research about the new dental plan on the Medicare. It was initiated by a large group of dentists to offer the discount for the Medicare patients on dental work. The dollars limit is very basic for one year, yet the coverage can solve much misery for the un-insureds. From now on, I can go to visit the dentist when I run into any problem such as a tooth pain or cleaning teeth regularly. I don't have to rely my mother's remedy to release my tooth ache by drinking boiling Moon bean soup to get rid of fire on my tooth, means cool it down on the herb medicine.