Value Added rather than Individual Income Tax

A Value Added Tax is a tax on each step of the production process from raw materials to final goods.  It is akin to a sales tax on suppliers of goods and services through to their eventual consumers.  Each entity in the process pays a share.  Conversely, the individual income tax is a burden that private individuals pay.  It takes a huge army of persons to gather the revenues and a huge amount of time and expense to comply with the individual income tax here in the United States.  A VAT (Value Added Tax) would cost much less to implement yet gather the needed revenues for government to function. 

The economy doesn't know

The economy doesn't know we exist.  The economy is simply the observed interaction of many persons going about the business of sustaining life.  It doesn't know the participants need resources to survive.  It doesn't know that a specific person is better or worse / more or less deserving than the other.  It is simply the sum of all wealth-building efforts.  It is foolish to expect the economy to automatically provide for all our needs and wants.  The economy is an opportunity - not a promise.

The balance sheet

A conversation you overhear at Denny's while eating breakfast suggests that a new technology company stock is a steal.  A stockbroker tells you to buy now or it may be too late.  Your wife/husband/uncle/niece/army buddies chime in with opinions.   Should you purchase or not?

Before any purchase decision you must look at the company's balance sheet.  Companies on major stock exchanges and others are required to produce quarterly financial reports for external viewing.  One of those reports is the balance sheet, or statement of position.  It shows the assets, liabilities and stockholder's equity of the company on a particular date.  A little online research on how to read this document should enable you to generally determine whether the company is in good or bad financial health.