Reflections On Technology – By Michael Schaffner
One of the great benefits of the Civil War Sesquicentennial was some of the people I met. One of them was Michael Schaffner whom I met at the penultimate event the...
Malware Attack Paralyzes Tax Businesses Throughout The Country
On a more serious note, I think we should reflect a little on how vulnerable we have made ourselves from overreliance on technology. When I was a hotel night auditor, the monstrous bookkeeping machine I wrestled with had a hand crank back-up so I could work it without electricity. It never came up, but with a flashlight, I would be able to have the bills ready at checkout time during a power failure.
The military is taking this problem very seriously. Naval officers are now being trained in how to do celestial navigation. It had become passe in the nineties, but fears about the vulnerability of GPS to either hacking or actually shooting down the satellites now makes it a thing. Having a carrier battle group not be able to figure out where it is is much scarier than having a bunch of tax accountants not able to do returns. Even if it means somebody will not make his charge hour bonus.
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Over and over again courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging one’s affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everybody does so, rich or poor; and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands: taxes are enforced exactions, not voluntary contributions. To demand more in the name of morals is mere cant.