[speaker001:] Okay, let's see. I think, uh, I guess, if I call I'm supposed to start. I think, uh, that's the way everybody has done it so far.
[speaker002:] Okay.
[speaker001:] But, anyway I think that, um, we are paying a lot in taxes, but I think that we have a government and we have a lot of freedoms, and we have a lot of things that the governments do with our money. Um, we're probably one of the, the only countries in the world that has all the things that we have. The, you know, as far as the quality of the streets, the school systems, um, the hospital stuff that the government gives money to. Um, the, you know, all the things that the government does like that. I, uh, I think they need to manage it a little bit better, but I don't think, uh, anybody is just going to come in and fix it in a couple of weeks, because they've been messing it up for many years, now. So,
[speaker002:] I have to agree that [LAUGHTER]. *listen
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And you're right. We, I mean, we, you know, we do have a good government. We do have a lot of things that, you know, that, you know, the taxes are there to support, but I do think they're mismanaged and I think that sometimes it's too easy of a, I don't know, to easy of an answer. It seems to say, I'll tax them if you can't get enough money, instead of trying to figure out how to cut budgets or cut spending or, or, you know, get all of the waste out of the spending.
[speaker001:] Huh-uh.
[speaker002:] Uh, I don't know what y'all are paying in Dallas, but, you know, it seems like we pay the state, you know there's a, the taxes set by, you know, the state and the city can add theirs, and the county adds theirs, and, you know, we're paying almost eight percent sales tax, right now. Which seems to me nuts. I came from California and, you know, when I left there, we paid six cents on the dollar, and that was like one of the highest in the nation.
[speaker001:] Right. I think it's seven here.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Seven point something.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Ourselves is seven point seven five.
[speaker001:] Huh-uh.
[speaker002:] Whole state.
[speaker001:] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] It drives me crazy. I'm thinking, you know, everybody is sitting here screaming about, we don't want a state income tax, but yet they allow the sales tax to go up and up and up and up and they don't do anything about it.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] You know.
[speaker001:] Where are you at? What state?
[speaker002:] I'm in Lubbock, Texas.
[speaker001:] Oh, really.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Yeah. There's, we're still, we're still one of few that don't have the, uh, state tax.
[speaker002:] That's true. And I did pay state tax in California, but my goodness, that, that, the, what did you call it, the sales tax, is just getting outrageous to pay.
[speaker001:] Yeah. That's true.
[speaker002:] You don't sound like you're from Dallas. Where do you, do you come from originally Texas?
[speaker001:] Yeah. I do. I've lived in, in the Dallas area here since I was like four.
[speaker002:] Oh, okay.
[speaker001:] So. Uh, it's, I don't know, an urban area, I guess whatever. I don't know.
[speaker002:] You just, you just managed to escape the real Texan accent,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I thought maybe you had come from somewhere else and had some experience with taxes there.
[speaker001:] No. No. I've just lived here,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] But, I don't know, I do, I can think of all the biblical things about it, too. Where, what did they say to, uh, I can't think of the scripture. Render unto Caesar's what is Caesar's. *listen
[speaker002:] That's right.
[speaker001:] So, you know, even, even in the story where they had to pay the taxes, the disciples,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] and, uh, Jesus said the money in the fish's mouth or in the fisher, inside the fish. And, uh, I thought of those two things when I was, I was holding for a long time.
[speaker002:] Oh, were you really,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] trying to find someone at home?
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Well, you know, um, back then what they tried to do, you know, the would always try to stump Jesus, try to give him something that would contradict himself,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] And so that's what they were trying to do with the tax situation. And, of course, that's when he said well you render unto Caesar's what is Caesar's, you render unto God what is God's.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] And, uh, you know, of course, there, I don't think they really cared about the answer,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] they just wanted to try and catch him in something [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But, but I believe in paying taxes and, I mean, yeah, like everybody else, I try to take as many deductions as I can,
[speaker001:] Oh, sure.
[speaker002:] you know, I don't want to pay more than I have to,
[speaker001:] Sure.
[speaker002:] And I get outraged when I feel like they go up for useless reasons, but I believe that they're necessary.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] So, I really do,
[speaker001:] Yeah are,
[speaker002:] Do you, do you deal with taxes much in what you do when you work or,
[speaker001:] No, not really. I've, I spends a lot of time with our income tax, though. This, especially, this year and last year. Um, I have been married for just a few years, so I've had to really switch around from the E Z form to the, uh,
[speaker002:] Schedule A
[speaker001:] Right [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Well, yeah.
[speaker001:] All the deductions and all that.
[speaker002:] Did you notice that when they passed the new simplified tax act, it seemed like it made everything harder?
[speaker001:] Yeah. It really did.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] I, I saw, that, too.
[speaker002:] I didn't notice anything simplified about it, except that they took away the deductions,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] the interest and,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] other things [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] We're looking at buying a house,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] And that was one of the main pluses that we have about buying a house.
[speaker002:] And it will help tremendously.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] We bought ours five years ago and it's the one thing, it seems like you make those payments every month and at the end of the year you've paid all interest and no principles.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] So that will definitely help in taxes and what you will get back.
[speaker001:] Yeah. There's a thing I just, I've been trying to learn as much as I can about it, if you pay, I know I get paid twice a month, every two weeks,
[speaker002:] Huh-uh.
[speaker001:] that's once a month.
[speaker002:] Huh-uh.
[speaker001:] Well, I get twenty six paychecks,
[speaker002:] That's right.
[speaker001:] which would come out to be in thirteen months. So if you pay your rent or your house payment every two weeks,
[speaker002:] Huh-uh.
[speaker001:] Instead of once a month, you'll come out paying a, uh, one month extra every year.
[speaker002:] That's right.
[speaker001:] And it will, if have you a thirty year note, it will take like seven or plus years off of your note.
[speaker002:] That's right. My parents, uh, bought a home in San Diego about four or five years ago,
[speaker001:] [Throat clearing].
[speaker002:] And they did that. They thought their payment was automatically taken out like every other Wednesday,
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah.
[speaker002:] And that's exactly right. Everyone, though the note is thirty years, she said it's going be paid off in twenty or twenty one years,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] or something like that.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Just because of exactly what you said,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] You're making one more month's payment every year.
[speaker001:] And that's going on the principle, it doesn't pay any interest,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] or,
[speaker002:] So, *needs slash?
[speaker001:] usually it doesn't.
[speaker002:] That's a good way to do it. *ba
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And when we bought this house, we looked at doing a fifteen year note, because it added more to the payment,
[speaker001:] Huh-uh.
[speaker002:] but not significant amounts, you know, it was a good payoff for being able to pay it off sooner.
[speaker001:] Right. That's what we're looking at, fifteen or maybe twenty.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] We're not going to go longer than twenty.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] But, we're taking our time. We're going to try to make our decision by July.
[speaker002:] Well, that's good, though.
[speaker001:] Well, we just started two or three weeks ago.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] And we're not going to just kill ourselves just two or three houses a week at the most.
[speaker002:] Well, that's good, though.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Is it kind of a buyer's market down there?
[speaker001:] Absolutely. Yeah.
[speaker002:] Well, that's good.
[speaker001:] Credit union has nine percent interest.
[speaker002:] That's pretty excellent.
[speaker001:] Yeah. So that's, I don't know, we couldn't think of a better time to buy than now.
[speaker002:] That's good.
[speaker001:] But, anyway. Well, um, I can't think of a whole lot more to say.
[speaker002:] Well, I can't either. I appreciate the call, though.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Me, too.
[speaker002:] I enjoyed talking to you.
[speaker001:] Yeah, same here. My wife, uh, she went to, uh, the school out there in Lubbock.
[speaker002:] In Lubbock?
[speaker001:] She was there for two or three years before we got married. I guess, before I even met her.
[speaker002:] [Speaker is talking to child in background]. Just a second.
[speaker001:] Okay.
[speaker002:] Go ahead.
[speaker001:] But anyway,
[speaker002:] So she was at school out here?
[speaker001:] She went to school there.
[speaker002:] Well, what was her name?
[speaker001:] Cathy Walker.
[speaker002:] No. I didn't know any Walker's.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Well, good luck in your house hunting.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Thanks a lot. You, y'all work at T I?
[speaker002:] I do.
[speaker001:] You do.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I'm in human resources.
[speaker001:] Oh, really.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] That's interesting. I work in the waiver.
[speaker002:] Do you really, because that's, I work with Elma.
[speaker001:] Oh, really.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And I used to work, I, I did all of their capital and financial planning for about eight years.
[speaker001:] Oh, wow.
[speaker002:] And then I have been in Human Resources for the last two years and I work with those same people all those nine years, so,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I feel kind of part of the staff.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Yeah, I'm, uh, turning in a capital request right now,
[speaker002:] You are.
[speaker001:] Yeah. That's funny that's where you're from.
[speaker002:] What are trying to get? *listen
[speaker001:] A machine that puts back grind tape on and off the waivers.
[speaker002:] Oh. Okay. So you work in back grind?
[speaker001:] Yeah. I'm, I'm sort of an acting process engineer.
[speaker002:] Oh, okay.
[speaker001:] Not officially, but that's pretty much what I do.
[speaker002:] That's what you do, uh,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And do you?
[speaker001:] Right and.
[speaker002:] Well good deal. What did you think of Sam?
[speaker001:] Uh, oh, I like him, he's hard, but we needed that.
[speaker002:] Well, that's good.
[speaker001:] Yeah he's,
[speaker002:] He was very good for Lubbock when he came to, you know, it was the same kind of thing, he had a lot of good results.
[speaker001:] Yeah. That's, that's what he said here.
[speaker002:] Good.
[speaker001:] He's gotten us into a linear flow that we've never been in before.
[speaker002:] Well, good.
[speaker001:] That's been a real big plus.
[speaker002:] Good.
[speaker001:] He's broadened, our, um, the devices that we're making, too,
[speaker002:] Oh, okay.
[speaker001:] which has made us as lot more stable.
[speaker002:] Well, that's good.
[speaker001:] Anyway, well, it was nice to talk to you.
[speaker002:] Well, you too, and,
[speaker001:] They're are going to interrupt us any minute now, I can tell.
[speaker002:] well, I know they will, and besides my daughter wants me to put her to bed.
[speaker001:] Okay, yeah, me, too.
[speaker002:] Well, have a good day.
[speaker001:] You, too. Bye.
[speaker002:] Bye-bye.