The rich are hiding 11.5 trillion in tax havens.

Several conservative organizations are opposing the Tax Justice Network's call to eliminate these tax havens. The Center For Freedom and Prosperity, for example, sees these tax havens as "an escape hatch for overburdened taxpayers," and calls for more "tax competition."

I'm amused by the fact that people seem to think that payiing taxes is an optional task and that somehow it's moderated by the free market. It's not. It's your responsibility as a citizen of a nation-state to pay taxes. Ridiculous.

. . .

I'm very skeptical to link this ... but I will link the South Park skit of "The Aristocrats" joke. Supposedly the Aristocrats joke is an old joke that comedians have used among themselves to test their comedic skills.

I will link to the joke with these caveats:

• This is not safe for work
• It is highly offensive - I mean, highly offensive
• Even if you "get it," it may not be funny

I was dying of laughter everytime I kept watching it...

The Aristocrats South Park video

. . .

This reminds me of a joke I heard a long time ago and has achieved a "cult" status due to its peculiar punchline (which some people don't get). The joke involves a slight British accent (it helps if you say the joke out loud).

Two climbers are scaling up a mountain the Scottish Highlands. While climbing the mountain, they run into an eagle's nest. One of the climbers, never seeing a live eagle before, gets quite excited. Well, as they're climbing up closer to the eagle's nest, the climbers slip and fall to their deaths. As their mortal souls leave their bodes for heaven, they pass by the same eagles as they rise up. As they rose up to the same eagles, one of them says ,"Ah, eagles!" But the eagles, being polite, said nothing.