Morning Mix Show Notes 4/18

It's Tax Day! You think we pay crazy taxes? We have the craziest taxes throughout history. How much of your tax dollars go to national defense and education? We have the calculator, and we're celebrating Screen Free Week. 

Stupid Taxes Throughout History from cracked.com:

1. Soap - Regular baths were becoming popular in 17th Century England, but when Oliver Cromwell overthrew the government, he said that being too clean was "ungodly", so to discourage it, he placed a large tax on soap. Future kings liked getting so much money, so the tax stayed in place for 200 years.

2. Beards - In the 1700s, beards were quite popular in Russia but out of style throughout Europe and Peter the Great wanted to make Russia more modern, so he decided beards should be illegal. The only way you could have one was if you paid a large yearly tax.

3. Cowardice - In the 12th Century, land owning knights had to fight if there was a war. If you were too chicken to fight, you could pay a tax that was known as scutage so the king could pay for soldiers to fight in your place.

4. Wigs and Hats - In the 18th Century England, the government started taxing wigs and wig powder which were used only by the rich, but wigs were falling out of favor anyway and everyone stopped wearing them, so to make up for it, the government started taxing hats which were popular with the rich and the poor. When you bought a hat, you had to pay the tax and got a stamp inside the hat proving you paid. If you were caught trying to forge the stamp, you were sentenced to death.

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Ever wonder how your tax dollars are being used?

26.3% goes to national defense, 24.3% goes to health care, 21.9% goes to job and family security, 4.8% goes to education and jobs training, 4.1% is used for veterans benefits, 2.1% goes to the environment, 2% goes toward law enforcement, 1.7% is for international affairs and 1.2% goes toward space and technology.

So, how much are YOU paying? Click here for the Official White House Federal Tax Payer Receipt.

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This week is Screen Free Week, a nationally recognized week to turn of the internet and TV and put the smart phone down and reconnect with your family. This morning, Jodi from BLEND came in to give us some ideas on how to turn away from the technology and spend more time with your kids. Click here for ideas, recipes and other ways to take action. (But do this when your kids aren't looking.)

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Your Morning Mix Word That Wins is GARY BUSEY. You can now log in to your Mix Insider Rewards account and enter in the Morning Mix Word That Wins and score 25 hundred points that you can use to reward yourself with cool stuff like gift cards, digital cameras, jewelery and more. Not a Mix Insider yet? Click here to subscribe. It's fast, it's easy and it's FREE!