Wednesday, January 30, 2013

GOVERNOR JUMPS INTO THE FIRE OF ACADEMIA...


If you discount 10 governors from 1802 to 1835 who were members of the DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICAN party, North Carolina has had only SEVEN Republican governors in the state’s history:  1868, 1870, 1877, 1897, 1973, 1985 and January 5, 2013, when Pat McCrory was inaugurated.


In the election of 2010, the Republicans took control of BOTH HOUSES of the legislature for the first time in over a century.  The last time the Republicans controlled the State Senate was 1898.

So we arrive at the end of January, 2013, with Republicans running the state.  O    M    G!

Former Charlotte mayor and now governor, Pat McCrory ran on three main policy initiatives:  revamp the tax code, step up energy exploration and foster job creation.  He has initiated a study on eliminating the state corporate income tax as part of his jobs package.  The state is also looking at eliminating personal income taxes and instituting a sales tax.  This is one I like, because – even if low income folks get some form of partial rebate for taxes paid at the end of the year, EVERYONE will have skin in the game, which SHOULD mean everyone will care about how the government spends the revenue collected.  This is the biggest problem we have at the federal level.  Far too many people pay no taxes, so they don’t give a rap how the money is wasted.

Now, in today’s N&O, McCrory has stepped on a land mine right out of the gate.  He had the audacity to say he “wants to change the way higher education is funded in North Carolina, focusing more on careers for graduates and away from academic pursuits “that have no chance of getting people jobs.” 

WHAT A CONCEPT!

The remarks came in a national radio interview with conservative talk show host Bill Bennett, former President Reagan’s education secretary. The breezy, 10-minute interview, in which the Republican governor touched on hot-button issues, elicited a swift, angry response Tuesday from faculty and others.

On the show, McCrory said “educational elite” had taken over, offering courses that have no path to jobs. He said he instructed his staff Monday to draft legislation that could alter the state money that universities and community colleges receive “not based on how many butts in seats but how many of those butts can get jobs.”

There’s an old saying:  ‘Hit dog always hollers loudest’.  Sorta means, if you throw something out there, the dog you hit will be the one doing the yelping.  Well in this case, the pointy-headed academics at the University of North Carolina are screaming foul play! UNC system faculty argued that higher education is about more than job skills.  Oh, really?  I would suggest that the faculty ask those parents who are writing the checks for their kids’ education what THEY think of higher education.

In the past year, the unemployment rate for college graduates has averaged 8.5% for the age 25 and under demographic, compared with 21% for high school graduates.  So a college diploma DOES increase your job chances but it's not a guarantee. (NYT,, 6/4/2012)

I would like to see an annual survey of who IS getting hired, based on their education.  Anyone about to enter the higher education system – whether it be the 4-year route or the 2-year community college path, incoming freshmen need to be made aware of the fields where they are most likely to get a job.  While a degree in Prehistoric Art History might be interesting, a diploma in supply chain management will get you hired.

The next four years will be interesting in North Carolina government.  I hope McCrory will be able to make some headway in making the state more attractive to business (and NOT by giving them tax-free inducements, as THAT policy went down in flames, taking millions of tax dollars with it - thank you DELL [1]) but by providing lower taxes for job creators as well as a public educated to FILL those jobs.  Only time will tell.

Here’s an interesting link about the labor market for young workers nationwide...





Tuesday, January 22, 2013

THIS IS RACHAEL FROM CREDIT CARD SERVICES.... [REVISED 10/26/2015 AND 5/27/2015]



OCTOBER, 2015:  RACHAEL IS BACK - NOW THE CALLER ID SHOWS 'OKLAHOMA CALL'

MAY, 2015:  RACHAEL IS BACK... AND THE CALLER ID IS YOUR OWN PHONE NUMBER!  SCAM! SCAM! SCAM!

For at LEAST five years I have been getting robo calls from this bitch Rachael telling me not to worry, because nothing is wrong with my credit card(s).

I've pressed 3 (or 9) to NOT be called again; I've pressed 1 and spoken to an agent in a NOT so pleasant tone threatening her with bodily harm if they keep calling me.

I've NOT answered when I see CARD SERVICES on my caller ID, and I've taken the call and simply laid the phone down and let them burn their $$$ and play their recording. I've learned that Rachael is one determined 'ho, and if I don't ANSWER the call, she will call back 3-4 times over the course of the day.


Rachael called about 10 days ago when I happened to be in a particularly foul mood. I said 'hello' and then pressed all 10 numbers on the keypad and hung up. An hour later, she called back - repeat performance. Repeat two more times. HOWEVER - observant gal that I am, I noticed that each time the calling number was different. After five calls I was more batshit crazy than usual so I got a bottle of wine and a glass, sat down at my computer, and opened EXCEL. I entered the numbers Rachael had called from that day, arranged then in descending order, and put my diabolical plan into motion.

First I called each of Rachael's numbers. Had to listen to the usual 'our options have changed' krap (btw - have you ever noticed that the options NEVER CHANGE????) and when given the option to press a # to be put on the 'do not call' list - I did. 

SOOOOO..... I started calling ALL THE NUMBERS BETWEEN THE ONES I HAD, each time entering the number in my Excel. After 10-12 calls, I would sort the numbers again. After calling all the 'tween numbers, I started calling the numbers LOWER than my lowest last-4 until I got a bunch of disconnected numbers. THEN.... I scrolled down to the HIGHEST number and started calling on that end of my list until the same thing happened. 113 calls total. A bottle of not-so-cheap wine.

Bitch hasn't called since. [The blanks are ALL HER!!!!]

I have no life! HAHAHA!   (Should I do a post on OCD???)

You can attempt to get on the National DO NOT CALL list at this link, but it works about as well as anything our government does: 


1-417-800-

2272           disconnected
2273           disconnected
2274           disconnected
2275           disconnected
2276           disconnected
2277           disconnected
2278           disconnected
2279           disconnected
2280          
2281          
2282          
2283          
2284          
2285          
2286           not rachael
2287          
2288          
2289          
2290           not rachael
2291           charity
2292          
2293           plaza health care
2294           do not call registry
2295           not rachael
2296          
2297          
2298          
2299           busy
2300           not rachael
2302          
2303           not rachael
2304          
2305           not rachael
2306          
2307           not rachael
2308          
2309          
2310          
2311          
2312          
2313          
2314          
2315           not rachael
2316          
2317          
2318          
2319           busy
2320          
2321          
2322          
2323          
2324           not rachael
2325          
2326          
2327          
2328           busy
2329          
2330          
2331          
2332          
2333          
2334          
2335          
2336           not rachael
2337          
2338           medical something
2339          
2340          
2341          
2342          
2343          
2344           not rachael
2345          
2346           busy
2347          
2348          
2349          
2350          
2351          
2352          
2353           busy
2354          
2355           not rachael
2356          
2357          
2358          
2359          
2360          
2361          
2362           busy
2363          
2364          
2365          
2366          
2367          
2368           busy
2369          
2370           not rachael
2371          
2372          
2373          
2374           not rachael
2375          
2376          
2377           not rachael
2378          
2379          
2380           disconnected
2381           disconnected
2382           disconnected
2383           disconnected
2384           disconnected
2385           disconnected

Thursday, January 17, 2013

MISSED THIS ONE IN THE BSM....


Seems former president George W. Bush hosted his [ANNUAL] Wounded Warrior weekend at his Texas ranch back in September.  I totally missed the television and print media coverage of this.


DOES THIS PICTURE REMIND YOU OF ANYONE?


All Obama needed yesterday was the uniform and mustache.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

FINDING A LITTLE CHICKEN SALAD IN ALL THE CHICKEN SHIT...




After all the chest thumping and foot stomping about the perils of the fiscal cliff, Congress finally acted.  The worst thing about it was that the Republicans had to swallow a bitter pill crammed down their throats by the victor in the White House.  Elections have consequences.  Nearly 3,000,000 conservatives stayed home on Election Day because they couldn’t vote for a Muslim or a Mormon.  What Obama calls a mandate was merely a series of very close wins in those few ‘key states’ that were the main target of a gazillion dollars in pre-election advertising.  The majority of the country would barely have known who the candidates were, had they waited for political ads to tell them.  So we have roughly three million people to thank for the new taxes, regulation, and growing deficit.

Having said that, Obama DID win and he DID stand fast on his demands, so he now owns the economy LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL (smiling as I use a gun analogy.)

But a review of the deal Congress bought off on is not totally a ‘bend over and grabb’em’ package.

For one thing, and this really matters:  The fiscal cliff deal PERMANENTLY extended nearly all the tax cuts enacted from 2001 to 2010.  (a/k/a ‘the Bush tax cuts').  Dicking around with these tax cuts had become a bienniel Congressional circus, and was no small reason that small businesses didn’t know whether to fish or cut bait.  By making these permanent, it means – AND THIS IS IMPORTANT – it mean that CONGRESS WILL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE THEM!  Extending the tax cuts had been almost automatic but Congress could modify this and change that.  Now they will have to actually CREATE LEGISLATION TO RAISE THOSE TAXES and everyone will have to go on the record yea or nay.  So we didn’t really fare so badly on that aspect of the deal.

Another key provision in the fiscal cliff deal made PERMANENT the Alternative Minimum Tax “patch” that until now has been extended only one year at a time. The AMT was created in 1969 to make sure the uber-rich didn't dodge the tax bullet.  But what defined uber-rich in 1969, has never been adjusted for inflation. That means what made you affluent back then doesn't now, but you're still taxed like it does.


Consider a family with a gross income of $75,000 in 1969.  Under the regular IRS rules, you start with $75,000 and subtract deductions like state taxes you paid, and exemptions like child credits, mortgage interest, etc. Eventually, you arrive at your taxable income.  You look up your taxes in the handy chart and it says you pay $1000 in income taxes. 

Then you check the AMT chart.  Since you are uber-rich (by IRS definitions) there is a minimum tax you have to pay, regardless of your deductions.  THAT chart says a family making $75K will pay $2500 MINIMUM.  PERIOD. So your tax obligation is the greater of the two numbers - in this case, $2500.

Considering inflation, that same $75K is no longer considered RICH, let alone uber-rich, but you have been being taxed as if it is uber-rich.  The AMT is now ‘fixed’, meaning it won’t have to be extended or ‘fixed’ every year.  This will also add a modicum of stability to businesses when they try to look down the road at what the government will be taking from them.  Uncertainty is NOT the friend of job creation.  This fix of the AMT should help a little.  Additionally, it will keep about 28 million households off the AMT in 2013 alone. The deal extends for five years some refundable tax credits that were intended as temporary stimulus in 2009 and 2010.

There are a few exceptions to this largess. Individuals with taxable income of $400,000 and couples making $450,000 or more will again pay the Clinton-era top rate of 39.6 percent on ordinary income. (ugh) They’ll also pay a 20 percent rate on capital gains and dividends, up from 15 percent. On top of that, high-income households will pay another 3.8 percent tax on investment income starting this year under the 2010 health reform law. (Remember, the ACA that Obama said was NOT a tax but Chief Justice John Roberts said WAS a tax, hence it WAS constitutional?  Hello.)

Individuals making $250,000-plus and couples making $300,000 or more will also once again face limits on their personal exemptions (PEP) and itemized deductions. 

Sadly, all workers will lose the temporary 2 percentage point payroll tax cut that was first enacted as part of the 2010 stimulus.  While this bites into the bottom line in your paycheck, it IS the only funding for Social Security, and with about 10,000 boomers retiring EACH DAY, the system can scarce afford a funding holiday.  Just look at this as a little investment in your own retirement – and smile.  Uncle Sam swears that SS will be there for YOU!

Finally, this deal takes one very important step. After more than a decade where nearly the entire tax code was temporary, Congress made most of the law permanent.

Again – the impact of this step means that if the government (the liberals and Obama) want to raise revenue (Ed. Note:  didn’t you just frigging love it back under Clinton when they stopped calling raising taxes RAISING TAXES and called it RAISING REVENUE‼!) ….. where was I?  OH – if Congress wants more revenue to redistribute, they will actually have to do their JOBS and ENACT LEGISLATION!  What a concept!  Write a law to take more of our money AND VOTE ON IT!  If it passes Congress, the President will then have to SIGN IT.  Put your signature on the law, Mr. President, and OWN IT!


Thursday, January 10, 2013

OMG! THIS IS REVOLUTIONARY!


The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be releasing new rules today for home mortgage financing.  Under these new rules, THE BANKS WILL HAVE TO USE THE BORROWER’S FINANCIAL RECORDS TO DETERMINE IF THEY QUALIFY FOR THE LOAN!

*Smacks head*

Now, if you buy a house YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD IT!  WHAT A CONCEPT!

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/10/2595304/new-federal-rules-aim-to-curb.html#storylink=misearch


Monday, January 7, 2013

ONE DOUBLE D LATTE AND A BLUEBERRY MUFFIN, PLEASE!


This beats a cup o Joe all day long!

This is NOT your average ice cream truck that drives slowly through the neighborhood with a bell going ding-a-ling and accordion music playing in the background.  And it gives a whole new meaning to Meals-on-Wheels.

Cup O Jane represents the newest and most racy outgrowth of the food truck movement – a coffee-slinging trailer parked on an otherwise bleak stretch of Capital Boulevard, a landscape populated by storage units and used cars.

Amy Carrieri and her co-owner husband, Blair, a bodyguard, chose this method of delivery because it required jumping through far fewer hoops than a heated and air-conditioned building with parking and restrooms.

Scantily dressed, warmed by a space heater, Carrieri and barista Ashlee Pack deliver lattes, espresso and chai tea in bra-sized cups: A to DD. Their motto: The cup that gets you up. It’s definitely not Denny’s.

Amy was formerly a ‘dancer’ at The Men’s Club of Raleigh, a recent reincarnation of the long running club called Thee Doll House.  Apparently when she left, she took her wardrobe with her.  Amy, and fellow coffee server (and former dancer) Ashlee Pack greet you with a smile at the window of their 'shop' on Capitol Boulevard [Raleigh, NC].  Gotta love those 'cup' sizes, too‼!

If Victoria’s Secret can have a nationwide, network hour long lingerie show, why can’t these two similarly clad beauties serve us coffee!  As their menu says, they serve THE CUP THAT GETS YOU UP!  

For my money, I say:  YOU GO, GIRLS!

Check their ummmm…… menu here:  http://cupojane.biz/menu.php

(from the Raleigh N&O on Sunday, January 6)

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/06/2587071/shaffer-coffee-with-a-sexy-smile.html

UPDATE:  FOLLOW THESE LADIES ON TWITTER!

@CUPOJANE1


And on FaceBook!



Thursday, January 3, 2013

PETA THE PIOUS


Brasstown, N.C. has made its mark in the annals of Tar Heel history, much like Benson (Mule Days), Banner Elk (Woolly Worm Festival), Lizard Lick, Duck, Spiveys Corner (Hollerin contest), and Oxford (Hot Sauce Contest). 

Nestled in the mountains, this little town, population less than a thousand, is known as the Possum Capital of the South, and a number of years ago the town started having a ‘possum drop’ on New Year’s Eve.  Now don’t panic – this is probably the luckiest possum in the state.  Each fall, a possum is captured and kept in a pen, fed and totally cared for.  Then on NYE, he’s put in a see-thru plexiglas box appropriately decorated for the season, and hoisted up in the air.  At midnight, the box is SLOWLY LOWERED to the ground, the container is opened, AND THE POSSUM IS RELEASED.  Now I ask you – is that cruel?  

This annual event has brought thousands to the tiny town to celebrate the new year – and of course, the local economy has benefited.

But this year, it attracted PETA, who filed a suit against the state Wildlife Resources Commission, who had issued a permit to trap the possum.  Now – bear in mind – you can KILL a possum in North Carolina 24/7/365 (and you can even use dogs and spotlights if you’re so inclined.)  Yet a lawyer for PETA suggested in court that it is cruel and traumatic to expose a typically shy, nocturnal marsupial to big crowds, loud music and fireworks.

Is this all PETA has to do with their time and money?  Nope.  

On a more serious note, I offer the following story, also in North Carolina.  UNFRIKKINGBELIEVABLE!

In May and June 2005, Ahoskie, North Carolina police officers found the bodies of dozens of dogs (including some puppies) stashed in a dumpster behind a grocery store. In the course of their investigation, the police staged a stakeout and observed two people in a van with PETA written on the side dumping animals into the dumpster.

The two individuals, both PETA staffers, were arrested and indicted on 21 counts of animal cruelty, 3 counts of obtaining property under false pretenses, and 7 counts of littering.

A few days after the arrests, local authorities told Greenville, North Carolina's WNCT-TV News they had found more than 70 additional dead animals that may be connected to PETA.



They went to trial in January 2007.

If you ask PETA about the North Carolina trial, they will probably tell you that their staffers were acquitted of animal cruelty and obtaining property under false pretenses. That's true; however, they were found guilty of littering.

PETA never denied killing the animals in the back of the van, nor did they deny that some of the animals were "adoptable." They got off of the charges largely because the state statute does not specifically penalize individuals for euthanizing animals, no matter how healthy they are.


Not sure WHAT was in the possum cage Monday night when the Possum Drop happened.... Country store owner Clay Logan lowered an opaque padlocked box wrapped with photos of opossums at the stroke of midnight, not revealing what was inside. A federal judge ruled that the NCWRC didn't have the authority to issue a permit to 'capture' a possum.  That decision is being appealed.


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ME!




The Journal News of West Nyack, N.Y., has hired ARMED SECURITY GUARDS to defend its offices after receiving a torrent of phone calls and emails responding to the paper's publication of the names and addresses of area residents with pistol PERMITS. (not necessarily GUNS)

ROFLMAO!!!!!

[Red dots = addresses with gun PERMITS]

http://www.rocklandtimes.com/2013/01/01/the-journal-news-is-armed-and-dangerous/