The Bush Tax Rebate Plan
Bush Tax Rebate Plan White Paper <- Click to see your rebate
There’s a lot of anticipation and speculation about the tax rebate plan effective the upcoming filing period. Washington should be complemented for an effort to to throw a lifeline to the sinking economy but I’m not so sure this will breathe life back into the existing state of the economy alone. The idea is that rebate receivers will go out spend the additional funds, thus boosting the economy. Some will, some will never see it, some will simply invest it or sit on it.
The ones that won’t see it are the ones that have IRS balances, or will have. I don’t think the IRS is going give money to taxpayers that owe them. That’s something they are not known for, even if they were, most people would still simply send it back to pay off tax balances.
Then consider the large number of homeowners and investers hit with a huge loss of home equity in the last year, credit card debt, inflation, and the uncertainty of the economy, and its a sure bet a large chunk of these rebates will ever find their way out of the bank and into the retail arena. But then, the administration didn’t plan to it for this segment, quote “Proposed stimulus measures linked to housing and mortgages are no longer a top priority after being discussed in White House talks that began in late November”, the official said. ( http://www.freedom4um.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=70628 ) Most households will use the rebate to pay down debt or boost savings and investments. The key words here are pay down. Being able to pay off would benefit the taxpayer and the economy.
Depending upon the size of one’s debt, and the amount of the rebate, this may or may not have an impact on the debt or the economy. Don’t get me wrong, with the state the economy has fallen into, every little bit is welcomed by all affected, but I don’t think this is going to pull a lot of people out of foreclosure or boost the job market. Eight hundred dollars is a stretch to acquire that computer and necessary trimmings for that home based business start up that could realistically contribute to the economy. This is fast money designed to be spent faster. And that’s pretty much going to be the way this pans out.
The recipients that can afford to spend it will do just that, splurge, and close the case. Where and how they spend it would determine the impact and outcome of the plan. Something Washington can’t control, and I feel is the flaw.
Be sure to click the link at the top of this post for a breakout and view of your proposed rebate. It would be interesting to hear diverse input on this.
Bandit’s Corner
I apologize for for the time that has passed since my last post, but I’ve been really busy. Guarding this house, playing with my owners daughter, sniffing out tidbits here and there, and just taking care of all the responsibilities of being a dog. I watch this place day and night and I’m serious about it.
I did get down to the Pet Expo in Timmonium MD a couple of weeks ago. And I enjoyed myself. I sniffed until my sinuses started acting up. Food, other dogs, vendors just giving away treats like there was no tomorrow. I met a Yorkshire Terrier, that was too fine! She was groomed wearing a pink bandanna, and had the cutest brown eyes. My owner started this come on Bandit nonsense, tugging on my lease while I was trying to get my introductory sniff on. He would have done well if he had followed the lease from the Yorkie’s neck up to who was holding it, that wasn’t bad either, but he didn’t see all that. Something to do with being married. Any way, I reluctantly watched this beautiful terrier wag an oh so fine hind quarters away from me. That’s okay, there were hundreds of dogs there, I saw a Great Dane I tried to set up a future date in a dog park with, but my owner started again, “She’s too big for you” Maybe I like big women dogs, he doesn’t know. Next year I leave him home!
You know, people wear some run-over shoes. Other people can’t see like I can ( being two feet high and the ability to sniff super low). I saw a man with a pair of shoes where the soles were so thin, if he stepped on some bubble gum, he was sure to taste the flavor. And I saw this lady, in heels, so worn, they looked like flip flops. (Who wears heels to a Pet Expo anyway?) People with too tight shoes, too loose shoes, just interesting observations from my angle.
All in all I had fun. My owner an I have moved our blog from google to this location. More features and they are all free. So now that we’re somewhat settled in we can begin posting regularly again.
For now, I’m gonna go, I have to get back to my guard duties. I’ll be back soon………..stay tuned.
Bandit
The Presidential Race
The current presidential race is surely one of the most interesting and intriguing one we have seen in years. It contains none of the “usual suspects”, as the line up has an African American, a female, there was an actor, there is the millionaire governor, and some participants no one knew before. This has all the makings of a good drama on any campaign night. They all have contributed to a fresh face lift to what was a stodgy good old boy private club.
Most refreshing, however is the platforms and agendas they are presenting, and how they are presenting them. Some of the debates were real sparring sessions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD9F1t9GQzA at times no holds barred, but yet not low down and dirty. There are several life lessons to be learned from the candidates and this race in general.
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The main one (politicians themselves seem to forget this one everytime), watch what you say, and what agendas you embrace through life, someone somewhere may hold you to it someday. Be ready to defend your life’s decisions, and positions whether they are popular or not.
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Study your adversary, and attack the weak and ambiguous positions (this is exactly what the Giants did to win the Superbowl by the way). Don’t get mad, get ahead.
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Back and believe in people based on their character and sincerity, not their ethic origin, gender, or religious preferences. If ethinic , gender, and religious traits genuinely blend into the recipe that works, accept it with the total platform. They should never be the single and only reason for any decision making process. Ask yourself, are they who they say they are and , are they who I need them to be?
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Don’t be forced into your allegiances by popular pressure or media influence. It’s your life you are living, and what works for you isn’t supposed to work for everyone else and vice versa.
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When competing, don’t expect the opposition to always play fair. You are in for you, if you are prepared, you won’t have to resort to back bar room tactics. You can succeed and maintain your integrity along with the success.
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Last but not least, deliver on anything you committed to or promised. The same road that got you where you are, will be the same one to lead you away if you had no intentions of following through on any of your agenda.
Sit back enjoy the presidential race, but most of all, vote. If you don’t vote, don’t complain.
Privacy: Cops Can Search You…and Your Phone’s Memory
Who Knew?
Read About it ! -> Privacy: Cops Can Search You…and Your Phone’s Memory
Another New Year
But so went 2007 and we should leave it at 2007. If you are reading this, thank your God for one blessing, you lived another year.
And a good start to the new year would be not to waste any energy that can be applied to 2008 dissecting 2007. I think we all should assess our accomplishments of the pass year be proud of them and focus on some concrete goals for the upcoming year. The things we fell short on, if they are worth pursuing, decide what we need to do to make them work. Outside of that, throw the trash out and get on with it.
Make it a break out year. Clean up any loose strings, detach yourself from restraining baggage that’s not adding any value to your life and set your sights on enhanced self development aimed at improving your quality of life. It’s not too late to achieve that dream you have been claiming you couldn’t have. Self defeatist never achieve any thing but what’s given to them, and nobody gives you anything.
Draw your own map, don’t concern yourself with the path others are taking. You have to live and answer for your own choices and decisions so make the ones that beneficial to you. Be considerate of others but concerned with yourself.
Take an inventory of what’s left in your life’s stockroom from the previous year. here are some ticklers to get you started. I would suggest answering these question on a piece of paper and investigating your honest answers. If you find you have made the strides you planned map out how to keep the momentum going. If you find you have been marinating in excuses and self constructed obstacles, map out how you plan to jump into the frying pan and get things cooking.
Are the current contents helping you achieve your life’s mission or hurting?
Are some of your dreams gathering dust on last years shelves?
What have you tucked away in the drawers of your mind to avoid dealing with?
How have you improved yourself in a year?
What do you want most to accomplish this year and why?
Do you have a list of goals written for this year? If not why? Don’t you want anything?
How do you plan on achieving the things you want most and are you working toward them?
Where do you see yourself next year this time?
Are you capitalizing on what you do best?
What’s on that shelf that has little or no value to your quality of life?
I have a philosophy when it comes to challenges and all my teammates hear it the day they join the team.
” Any laid back soul with no ambition can submit a million reasons why something won’t work, I’m looking for that firm believer that submits one reason why it will work.” That’s what will get you where you want to go, entertaining why it can be done when presented with challenges as opposed to submitting to why it won’t. Take the will option an build on it and you find things falling in line.
And use reverse engineering when solving a problem, children do it all the time. Keep asking yourself why until you can’t answer any more….the answer to that why before the one you could not answer is your starting point, your one in many reasons why it will work.
The only thing stopping you is you. Think about it.
Bandit’s Corner – Dog’s pet peeves about humans
I found this list at my favorite website ratterriers.com . Maybe give some of our human counterparts a better insight on some of the things they do that annoy us.
Bandit’s Corner
Why Dogs Chase Mail People Paper Boys and Girls
These mail people keep putting square pieces of paper in the box outside of the house. Some of this paper upsets my owner (not sure what ” another doggone bill” is?) and some my owner likes (not sure what a rebate check is either). In any event it’s part of my responsibilities to take care of my owner and his property and since these mail people can’t sort good paper from bad I’m determined to stop this practice altogether. So before they even get to the porch I cut them off at the pass and chase them over to the neighbor’s house, put the doggone bill in their box whatever that is. My owner seems happy he hasn’t gotten any paper at all in the last three weeks, but I don’t understand what happened to the lights and water, since I’ve chased the mailman away they don’t work.
Now about this paper boy
He comes by here every morning before anyone is up, and before I realize what’s happening, he throws a rolled up piece thrash at the porch, then hightails it down the street, usually on a bike or in a car. At least the mailman has the guts to attempt to come on the porch. Funny thing though, when I bring this piece of rolled up thrash to my owner, he unrolls it and stares at it while he eats breakfast. And he gives me a treat for bringing it to him. I think maybe he’s misguided, doesn’t he know that it’s more fun to chew it than to look at it? And I’m sure he doesn’t know these people are trying to break his windows out throwing this thing at the porch like they do. One of these mornings however, I’m going to be waiting outside for these paper people and deal with them before they break a window.
When Enough is Enough
Consider a recent school incident my 8 year old daughter innocently became a victim of. It seems there was a clique of 4 th graders that felt she wasn’t worthy enough to play with their self appointed set. My unassuming easy going little girl insisted upon trying to make some friends with this bujoir set. Well the first time she attempted, she was greeted by a ball thrown in her face. My little one responded by retreating to the outer parameters of the midget baby gang to nurse her wounded face. (Mommy and daddy and the political correct book says “no violence”) Also her friends say snitching isn’t cool (she never told the teacher because that would have thwarted her chances even further of joining the clique). But she did tell mommy and daddy. Now mommy is about 5 feet 7 or 8 inches and weighs in at about a buck fifteen, and has a lioness mentality when it comes to protecting her young. (I’ve seen unassuming kids get the message real quick when the disrespectful pressed an issue with this lady). Scared the hell out of me to watch! Hey sweetie! You can’t grab 9 year olds by their collar…….ah hell.
It appeared her little friends didn’t get the message the first time because three days later one of the little boys hit her in the face with a ball again. This time she did tell the teacher and I think the teacher followed up. I do know mom this time was recruiting the rest of the lionesses and warming up in the bullpen to square off with these people’s parents, and I have to admit, dad was letting mom off the chain and backing her play this time because enough’s enough. We also had another discussion with our prized cub, and reviewed some defense and survival skills necessary when you are away from the den. I think the conversation mom had with the teacher must’ve woke everyone up because the problem to this point appears to have cleared up. But my point is, suppose it didn’t, is my little girl supposed to remain a punching bag the duration of the school year, or wake up the sleeping bullies by knocking the snot out of one of them? I vote the latter. It only takes one stand to establish where you stand, and if the position is firm and rooted, few will challenge.
Now before the ACLU members and you timeout types chime in, hold on a minute and consider this. Back in the day when kids settled disputes with playground fistfights, and bar fights were just that, bar fights, there were no escalating murder rates in our cities. People (especially little ones) learned respect real fast, because it wasn’t against the law to get your butt whipped at home or in the street if you were so inclined to do so. If you fought and lost, hats off to the winner and they earned their respect. Everyone lived to see another day. And in the grown up world, every one had access to weapons (no gun bans that only law abiding citizens obeyed) so it was less likely someone would come back with a weapon because there was no guarantee they were not going to be confronted with more of the same. See today, violence and disrespect has run amok because even at an early age the bad guys know on the average there won’t be any retaliation. No price to pay. You see them all the time………. the prominent fore-headed jerk in his red corvette who cuts you off and then gives you the finger, the playground bully that pushes little girls down and throws sand in their hair, the spouse that physically and verbally abuses, the coworker that thinks nothing of forcing arrogance without regard. What’s the reward (that’s what it is) for a murder rap? Three hots and cot, education, free cable, weight training, no job, and if you’re really good at playing your cards a free out.
What has happened is we’ve evolved into a culture of unfounded tolerance, debilitating and obscure rationalizations.
Here is a quote from an article written by Chris Jones in Esquire Magazine “I would submit, Your Honor, that if someone is doing something demonstrably asinine, and I ask them to stop it, please, and they say, “Make us,” they’ve entered a binding oral contract whereby I am permitted, even obligated, to try to make them.”
Now I’m by no means advocating a violent or barbaric society, or even teaching violent responses when common sense and maturity can prevail. Most humans handle controversy and the run of the mill idiot just fine without physical or mental confrontation. However there are those that when intent on invading us physically have to be taught………..”I’m not the one” and “Today is not the Day”.
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In the current world of political correctness, and law suits, and cops and prosecutors meddling in where they shouldn’t, and the ACLU ready to jump in, there are a group of ungrudging individuals running around unbridled. The system won’t let parents effectively raise their children, then the same system can’t rehabilitate the grown up misfits this ideology has produced. The same system will repeatedly unleash repeated offenders back into mainstream society to……..repeat again. The good constantly take and take unsolicited attacks because the bad keep getting off the hook. The lunch money bully has evolved as the modern day adolescent toting assault rifles terrorizing malls, workplaces, and of all places, home and church. This sort of outcome is bred and fostered I believe by a failure to address and stop it in it’s infancy. If one knows up front the plane won’t fly, they won’t get on it.
I actually heard a guest on a radio talk show state lead paint being a possible reason for the escalating murder rate in Baltimore MD. I haven’t seen any paint buckets with running around with guns. Then there is that age old, one parent in the household BS. I’ve seen people without any parents in the household figure out right from wrong and grow up to be respectful contributing adults to society. The so called experts and PHDs keep feeding us these contradictory impudent assessments – “he’s that way because his father called him stupid when he was two”
“The mother figure worked all the time so that’s why her child is aggressive to the point of violence.” “He played with his sister’s dolls, that why he’s a rapist”. Then there is ADD, While a perfectly reputable reason for some children’s inability to focus and retain as well as explain abnormal behavior problems in some, I am convinced this is one the experts use when all else fails, and I’m sorry, it’s not all ways the case.
Colleges Offering Free Online Courses
For those of you looking to enhance and improve your skill sets, beef up your career training to better align yourself for a higher position, there are colleges and universities that offer courses free online. You can learn at your own rate in your own environment, free of charge. It’s worth looking into and can be a beneficial way of investing your spare time versus say, watching TV or playing video games. The result can only be something good. Check it out.
The Eyes Have it
Here is an interesting view on pupil dilation from body language expert Tonya Reiman http://www.tonyareiman.com/index.htm. Tonya can be seen on The O’Reily Factor on Fox News channel analyzing politicians, celebrities and various news makers. She’s also touted as a very effective motivational speaker.
Tonya -Pupil dilation is the natural response to seeing something you like or something that interests you. The pupils will dilate to let more of what you are looking at in. Pupil dilation is a physiological response to excitement and an excellent tool to use for monitoring arousal, interest, and liking. Interestingly enough, when you look at someone you are attracted to, your pupils will dilate. Subconsciously, the other person will perceive this and assume that you like them – what happens, they become more attracted to you because on a subconscious level they recognize that you are attracted to them and we like people who like us… Confusing?? It shouldn’t be after you read it once or twice. Many years ago, women used a plant extract known as belladonna because it caused pupil dilation and women realized men found this trait more attractive. I will follow this quick answer up with an article over the next few weeks. This subject is simply to irresistible to not delve into.
I never knew this but it’s interesting, makes a nice experiment of sorts don’t you think?
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