[meteorite-list] NASA SETI Misappropriation of Tax Payer Funds

From: Michael Farmer <mike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2012 15:23:34 -0700
Message-ID: <076767F4-E9A5-4883-864D-01AB192DF9FF_at_meteoriteguy.com>

Adam, I don't know why you have been having problems for last four years (they have been my best money making years). Perhaps eBay is your problem. I have abandoned eBay for the most part, because of rising costs and declining service and lack of protection for sellers. Sales on eBay collapsed three years ago and I stopped wasting my time there. Once Meg Whitman took over and decided that screwing the people who make you money (sellers) as hard as they could was a the good business decision, I told them very impolitely exactly what they could go do with themselves every time they called me begging me to come back and start listing again, You have to adapt to the new economy or it will crush you. Perhaps flying more than hundred thousand miles a year on meteorite hunts worldwide helps, if I relied on American falls and finds, I would be bankrupt by now, and if I hunted like NASA and SETI, I would have bankrupted a small state as well.


Michael Farmer

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 2, 2012, at 3:15 PM, "Galactic Stone & Ironworks" <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Adam and List,
>
> When I first started collecting and dealing meteorites, someone said
> "If you want to make a million dollars selling meteorites, start with
> two million dollars.". I don't recall who said it, but the point was
> clear - you won't get rich selling meteorites. And they were
> absolutely right. Sure, a few people are probably doing well by
> selling meteorites and the poorest of us might look at those people
> and consider them "rich" - but they are "baby rich" (the term that the
> super-wealthy use to describe the lesser millionaires underneath them
> on the ladder).
>
> I swore off eBay a long time ago as a seller. The fees are ridiculous
> and their buyer-centric policy enforcement is a major PITA. I saw the
> writing on the wall when they stopped letting sellers leave negative
> feedback for buyers. Frankly, I am quite surprised that some of you
> other dealers still sell on eBay - but I am glad you do, because it is
> indeed a buyer's market.
>
> This is for Adam - you said you were already hassled for Gold Basin.
> What does this mean? Can you share your experience here on the List,
> or in private off-list? I have some Gold Basin in my inventory and if
> I am going to be "hassled" over it, I rather just stop offering it
> entirely. I don't make enough money from Gold Basin for it to be
> worth the trouble.
>
> Best regards,
>
> MikeG
>
> --
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
> Twitter - http://twitter.com/GalacticStone
> Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone
> RSS - http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> On 11/2/12, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Hi MikeG and List Members
>>
>>
>> I refuse to get into politics or accounting too deeply here on the List
>> unless it concerns meteorites in some way. My point is that the last four
>> years have been the worst I have ever experienced from a financial
>> standpoint and the low profits from meteorite sales are nearly wiped out due
>> to heavy taxes and eBay/PayPal fees.
>>
>> Most of my friends have lost their homes and the cost of everything else has
>> nearly doubled due to the price of gas and huge tax increases on the middle
>> class. Last year was the first time I had to 1099 friends for mere few
>> hundred dollars because they were trying earn a few bucks to hang onto their
>> homes which they lost anyway. Collectable sales are way down from four
>> years ago because they are not an absolute necessity.
>>
>> The good news is that there are a lot less people smoking cigarettes because
>> they cannot afford them any more. Three of my friends quit a few years
>> ago. Hurray for them!
>>
>>
>> On this point, I will not be restocking U.S. meteorite finds because there
>> is absolutely no margin left and the U.S. government is watching eBay for
>> them. I have already been hassled over Gold Basin. Once they are gone,
>> somebody else can risk supplying the market with them. It seems the U.S.
>> market is going underground as predicted anyway due to mass hype in the
>> media and unnecessary new governmental restrictions.
>>
>>
>>
>> Happy Collecting, it is definitely a buyers market,
>>
>> Adam
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
>> To: Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com>
>> Cc: Adam <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>> Sent: Friday, November 2, 2012 2:29 PM
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] NASA SETI Misappropriation of Tax Payer Funds
>>
>> Hi Adam and List,
>>
>> It's always the poor and middle class that get hit the hardest. The
>> super-rich have excellent accountants and financial advisors, and they
>> take advantage of loopholes and grey areas that the average person is
>> not aware of.
>>
>> Adam, are you taking full advantage of your allowed deductions? For
>> example, if you have an area in your home that dedicated to your
>> business, you can deduct tax burden based on the square footage of the
>> home office. They actually assign a dollar value to each square foot
>> of your office, so take advantage of that.
>>
>> The computer you are reading this on - deductible as a business
>> expense. Also, if you computer is used for internet-based commerce,
>> you can also deduct a portion of your internet provider fees.
>>
>> You can also shelter some of your profits by putting it into a trust
>> for a grandchild or relative.
>>
>> Going to Walmart to buy packing materials? Not only can you write off
>> the materials you buy, you can write off the gas you spent to drive
>> there.
>>
>> Do you conduct business with dealers or collectors via telephone? If
>> so, you can write off the phone bill as a business expense.
>>
>> If you don't already have one, get yourself a really good accountant
>> who knows all of the loopholes and will help you take advantage of
>> them.
>>
>> Or, as a last resort measure, do what the ultra-wealthy do : transfer
>> some of your cash to an offshore or foreign bank. Or, stick a giant
>> wad of cash into a safety deposit box and let it sit there - it won't
>> gather interest, but it will be invisible for tax purposes.
>>
>> People talk about how high the tax rates are for businesses and
>> corporations, but very few of the big companies pay anything close to
>> the tax rate. The General Electric company recently got a REFUND and
>> the last couple of years, their tax burden has been well under 10%.
>> Try finding a company that pays the full tax rate - it's difficult to
>> do, although many mom and pop small businesses have to pay. But
>> generally speaking, the bigger the company, the bigger the money
>> involved, the more they manipulate their finances to dodge their tax
>> burden. Go down the list of Fortune 500 companies, and I would wager
>> that only a small handful of them pay more than a 20% rate. Some of
>> them pay nothing or next to nothing.
>>
>> The little guys have to pay so much, in part, because the big guys
>> aren't paying their share -
>> http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505144_162-36945095/top-25-corporate-tax-dodgers/
>>
>> Read that linked article and you'll see what I mean.
>>
>> Back to meteorites - yes, the blimp/airship/whatever is a total waste
>> of money. What is next? Are we going to bring Gary Powers back from
>> the dead and have him fly a U2 over strewnfields? It's downright
>> silly. Sure, you might be able to see a large impact crater from an
>> airship, but it would have to be really BIG and such a feature could
>> be easily spotted on the ground. I'll change my name to Nancyboy
>> Fancypants if a single meteorite is found by using a blimp.
>>
>> I am generally very supportive of NASA and SETI. But this blimp
>> nonsense seems like an attempt to garner media attention and not a
>> method to find meteorites.
>>
>> Best regards and happy huntings,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>> --
>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>> Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/GalacticStone
>> Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone
>> RSS - http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> On 11/2/12, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> Yes, our tax burden is at record levels. 28% collectable capitol gains
>>> plus
>>>
>>> 15% FICA plus multiple fees(taxes) attached to nearly everything
>>> including
>>> the water we drink; What an outrage! Remember this when you bid on
>>> meteorites on
>>> eBay. Since they are collectables like gold, silver and platinum, the
>>> seller is being taxed at the highest possible capital gains tax rate
>>> which is expected to go up depending on who is elected.
>>>
>>>
>>> Who says the middle class isn't being squeezed harder than ever before?
>>> To
>>> see our hard earned money wasted on frivolous pursuits like blimp rides
>>> under the name of science beyond ridiculous.
>>>
>>> Some of my thoughts as unlisted private home and cell phones are ringing
>>> off
>>> the hook incessantly with political robocalls trying to get my vote.
>>>
>>>
>>> Adam
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Greg Hup? <gmhupe at centurylink.net>
>>> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>>> Cc:
>>> Sent: Friday, November 2, 2012 1:10 PM
>>> Subject: [meteorite-list] NASA SETI Misappropriation of Tax Payer Funds
>>>
>>> To All Concerned US Tax Payers...
>>>
>>> I have been troubled by what is a clear misappropriation of US tax payer
>>> funds by NASA/SETI. At a time of this country's financial crisis, this is
>>> no
>>> time to squander our tax dollars!!
>>>
>>> We have all seen and read about 'The Blimp" that was, as stated in the
>>> article link below, "... a NASA-hired airship." Not only are they using a
>>> privately owned "Blimp" for frivolous and far-fetched 'research', but
>>> they
>>> are also giving free joy rides to private citizens as stated from the
>>> article, "Glenn Rivera [a private citizen] was invited by astronomers
>>> [NASA/SETI] to hunt for more meteorite crash-landing sites from a
>>> NASA-hired
>>> airship."
>>>
>>> In recent conversations, I and many of my colleagues and some NASA
>>> scientists (who wish to remain anonymous), have all concluded that
>>> finding
>>> meteorites [of any size] is completely impossible and a waste of tax
>>> payer
>>> dollars! How can one think you can spot a black rock the size of a dime,
>>> a
>>> golf ball or even a basketball from an altitude of 1000 feet?
>>>
>>> The only entity that benefits from these dream hunts is the private
>>> company
>>> who owns "The Blimp". They get paid by NASA for use of "The Blimp" and
>>> they
>>> also benefit from all of the free advertising with their logos and web
>>> addresses emblazoned on the sides of "The Blimp"!
>>>
>>> As far as I am concerned, hunting for meteorites floating in the sky is
>>> full
>>> of hot air!
>>>
>>> Here is the link the the article I reference:
>>> http://novato.patch.com/articles/hunt-goes-on-for-more-meteorites#photo-12000260
>>>
>>> Best Regards,
>>> Greg
>>>
>>> ====================
>>> Greg Hup?
>>> The Hup? Collection
>>> gmhupe at centurylink.net
>>> www.LunarRock.com
>>> NaturesVault (eBay & Facebook)
>>> http://www.facebook.com/NaturesVault
>>> IMCA 3163
>>> ====================
>>> Click here for my current eBay auctions:
>>> http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZnaturesvault
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ______________________________________________
>>>
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>>
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Received on Fri 02 Nov 2012 06:23:34 PM PDT