This is funny .. but true

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity.
To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 C.

The Russians used a pencil.

Enjoy paying your taxes -- they're coming due again!


(I love my country ... but the way the U.S. spends money... is crazy)!

Omg...that is almost funny, till ya think about it... You'd think they would have been smart enough to use a pencil...LOL And to think, we help pay for that stuff...

you really think they spent 12 billion on a pen?!?

theres pleanty goin on that the government denies that im sure some of that 12 million has gone to.

and it took a decade?!? some guy came up with the pen, and the government says 'yeah he spent the last 10 years, and 12 billion dollars making it'
'and no, the 12 billion has nothing to do with any underground bases,black projects or anything else you would suspect, it ALL went to the pen'.

bullshit

$12 billion? They sell them for £3 here.

(from a previous post)

During the recent California Recall Election (or any election, for that matter),
taxes were, of course, a stunning topic. One of the candidates (think T3) openly
stated that Californians are taxed from the time the get out of bed in the morning
until they return to bed at night. The same can be said for Americans as a whole.

My Aunt, a very savvy and successful businesswoman, started a list of taxes. What
follows is only a partial reckoning of taxes that she personally grapples with in her
day-to-day business dealings and life in general.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
Capital Gains Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Court Fines (indirect taxes)
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42+ cents per gallon)
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Interest expense (tax on the money)
Inventory tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Local Income Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road usage taxes (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Road Toll Booth Taxes
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and nonrecurring charges tax
Telephone State and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Toll Bridge Taxes
Toll Tunnel Taxes
Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
Trailer registration tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

.. to name but a few.

COMMENTS: Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and our nation was
the most prosperous in the world, had absolutely no national debt, had the
largest middle class in the world and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

Now, do you think we pay enough taxes?

Previous Post

Thanx, Nxt2Hvn. I wondered where those darn taxes went to!

know i understand this thread is in good humor, but i don't really mind paying taxes. It's our counrty we should all pitch in, I know it's preety sad that we had to speed 12 milion on a pen, when instead we could've used it for something else.

The taxes here in the US are out of control. I don't mind paying taxes; we get a lot of services. When over half of your income gets taken away in order to pay for so many services, it makes things rather difficult...

I would love to see someone go in an actually audit to see where we are wasting money, and then do something about it. It seems that once a tax is added, it is never repealed; ever...

12 million for a pen! I don't think they used the money to make a pen, but probably some sort of missle or weapon that can be launched in case anything tries to attack the space shuttle.

But seriously, I doubt that they used 12 million and took them a decade for one pen.

And if the Russians are so smart, how come we landed on the moon first?

well the US did...china's attempting to go 20 years from now when the US is going to mars in like 10 years