Thomas Sowell: Taxing the Poor

While it is true that nearly half the households in the country pay no income tax at all, the apparently simple word “tax” has many complications that can be a challenge for even professional economists to untangle.

If you define a tax as only those things that the government chooses to call a tax, you get a radically different picture from what you get when you say, “If it looks like a tax, acts like a tax, and takes away your resources like a tax, then it’s a tax.”

Detailed Explanation: How to Sail a Boulder Across Lake Titicaca on a Reed Boat

Check out the whole post, with lots of photos, at Environmental Graffiti. 

On the southeastern shore of Bolivia's Lake Titicaca stand the ancient ruins of the city of Tiwanaku. Here, the remains of monolithic rock sculptures and buildings over 1,500 years old can be seen. What makes this site so incredible is not merely the size and weight of the stone used by these pre-Inca builders, but the fact that much of that stone originated far from the ruins – around 55 miles (90 kilometers) across the wide blue lake!

How these huge rocks, some of them weighing 40 tons, were transported across the famous lake – home to many indigenous tribes who live on its shores and in its floating villages – has long been a mystery.

Illinois: Federal appeals court tosses state ban on carrying concealed weapons

In a huge win for gun-rights groups, a federal appeals court in Chicago Tuesday tossed the state's ban on carrying concealed weapons and gave Illinois' Legislature 180 days to craft a law legalizing concealed carry.

Presenting the Full Body Sweater

Obvious Winner.

The Onion's Gift Guide For Kids

The Onion presents its ultimate holiday gift guide for children ages 5 and up.