I can only imagine the size of the cajones of the first guy who tried this. Or maybe it was a woman. Hmmmm....
S
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Just a couple of guys out for some Saturday fun
A friend recently sent me a link to this video that I found to be absolutely fascinating. It's footage of some wingsuited base jumpers doing their thing somewhere in China. It's apparently some sort of Red Bull stunt. They wear suits that have webbing between their outstretched arms and their bodies and in between their legs that in effect make them human flying wings. The first minute has footage of life in a big Chinese city....nothing to do with the theme of the video, but still interesting....then moves on to a tourist attraction somewhere in mountainous China. It's definitely worth watching.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Tax cheats
A few years ago I had a Realtor bring to me a Vietnamese couple who owned a liquor store in south Dallas, an area where I'm sure almost all transactions are in cash. They had a large down payment, and drove a new Mercedes (the BIG one) and a new Toyota SUV. I later learned the Realtor arranged for them a "no documentation" loan, more commonly called a "liar's loan". That was an apt description as they only claimed to make, jointly, $13,000 a year. Hmmmmm.
Just last week I had an oriental gentleman approach me about building him a new, very expensive home, asking if we could have a contract showing a sales price several hundred thousand dollars less than it actually was, with the balance made up in cash. I refused. I'm sure he was trying to document that his house was worth less than it actually was (to save on property taxes), or was trying to burn off some unreported cash income, or both. Either way he was scamming the system, a system that is now in a deep hole, a system that us honest taxpayers are now being asked to sacrifice for. I also had a man of middle eastern descent (?) recently propose something similar, too. It seems many of our new immigrants are bringing with them from "the Old Country" their casual attitude about paying taxes. Just look at the troubles today in Europe, particularly in Greece and Italy, where tax avoidance is rampant. Believe me, it's not just "over there."
Last Friday the IRS reported that taxpayers here still owed an estimated $385 BILLION from 2006, that's net AFTER the $65 BILLION they collected through audits. (That could amount to as much as $3-4 TRILLION in lost revenue over 10 years!) In fact, they admitted they had a voluntary tax compliance rate of only 83%, and I would imagine its only gotten worse these last several years due to the troubled economy.
So let's review: Our government is a TRILLION dollars a year short of break even, they're cutting back on everything from social services to military spending to paper clips, yet 17% of all taxes owed go uncollected. Considering how much (probable) tax fraud I've seen right here in my own back yard, imagine how much goes on all across the land? We're punishing the good, honest folks who pay their taxes on time by cutting back their services or threatening to cut back their Social Security, Medicare, etc, while the cheats are living the good life. And don't even get me started on the massive tax breaks the rich have bought for themselves. Grrrr!
OUR SYSTEM ISN'T WORKING! No band-aid is going to fix it. We need some extreme, deep changes. And just replacing a figurehead at the top isn't going to make a hill-of-beans difference. The person at the top doesn't control the system; the systemcontrols devours them. Remember these words.
S
Just last week I had an oriental gentleman approach me about building him a new, very expensive home, asking if we could have a contract showing a sales price several hundred thousand dollars less than it actually was, with the balance made up in cash. I refused. I'm sure he was trying to document that his house was worth less than it actually was (to save on property taxes), or was trying to burn off some unreported cash income, or both. Either way he was scamming the system, a system that is now in a deep hole, a system that us honest taxpayers are now being asked to sacrifice for. I also had a man of middle eastern descent (?) recently propose something similar, too. It seems many of our new immigrants are bringing with them from "the Old Country" their casual attitude about paying taxes. Just look at the troubles today in Europe, particularly in Greece and Italy, where tax avoidance is rampant. Believe me, it's not just "over there."
Last Friday the IRS reported that taxpayers here still owed an estimated $385 BILLION from 2006, that's net AFTER the $65 BILLION they collected through audits. (That could amount to as much as $3-4 TRILLION in lost revenue over 10 years!) In fact, they admitted they had a voluntary tax compliance rate of only 83%, and I would imagine its only gotten worse these last several years due to the troubled economy.
So let's review: Our government is a TRILLION dollars a year short of break even, they're cutting back on everything from social services to military spending to paper clips, yet 17% of all taxes owed go uncollected. Considering how much (probable) tax fraud I've seen right here in my own back yard, imagine how much goes on all across the land? We're punishing the good, honest folks who pay their taxes on time by cutting back their services or threatening to cut back their Social Security, Medicare, etc, while the cheats are living the good life. And don't even get me started on the massive tax breaks the rich have bought for themselves. Grrrr!
OUR SYSTEM ISN'T WORKING! No band-aid is going to fix it. We need some extreme, deep changes. And just replacing a figurehead at the top isn't going to make a hill-of-beans difference. The person at the top doesn't control the system; the system
S
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The glitch in my "Buy American" plan
I don't buy many things sight unseen. I do buy a lot of things online, but I'll usually go to a store first, see / feel the product, then go online to price-shop and buy. (If it turns out my local retailer has a reasonably competative price, I'll just buy it there and be done with it.) This is compounding the difficulty of my "Buy American" plan. It doesn't do me much good to get a list of products made in America if I can't see / feel it at a retailer in my area.
Yesterday I went by REI Co-op, an outdoor products supplier. I perused sleeping bags for K (I've had a good quality down one for years) and found that every single one they had was made in China. Then I looked at vests they had on sale. (I figured if everyone thought a vest was enough to keep them warm, maybe they knew something I didn't. It just seems like half a coat to me.) Again, none were made in America. Their REI house brand, Patagonia, North Face, Marmot, Sierra Design....none made here. A few were made in Vietnam, Bangladesh, or Indonesia, the rest from China. The same with bicycles. My one ray of hope was in kayaks. I found one I like very much that was made in North Carolina. It made my short list. Actually it's a list of one. It was a rather depressing trip.
Yesterday I went by REI Co-op, an outdoor products supplier. I perused sleeping bags for K (I've had a good quality down one for years) and found that every single one they had was made in China. Then I looked at vests they had on sale. (I figured if everyone thought a vest was enough to keep them warm, maybe they knew something I didn't. It just seems like half a coat to me.) Again, none were made in America. Their REI house brand, Patagonia, North Face, Marmot, Sierra Design....none made here. A few were made in Vietnam, Bangladesh, or Indonesia, the rest from China. The same with bicycles. My one ray of hope was in kayaks. I found one I like very much that was made in North Carolina. It made my short list. Actually it's a list of one. It was a rather depressing trip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have to work this afternoon and again next Sunday afternoon, but after that, the weekends are all mine. Unfortunately, my weekdays will be all mine, too. I haven't heard back yet from the doctor who I bid recently. I do know they visited Friday with a banker I referred them to, so things are moving, just at a snails pace. But after I get the current home I'm working on finished in a couple of weeks (photos forthcoming), and until I get a firm contract signed to start another, I'll be effectively unemployed. It isn't as bad as it sounds as there will still be a nice income stream from the recently completed home. Trouble is, I don't like to rock. Or whittle. :(
S
Saturday, January 7, 2012
North Dakota invades Texas....w/ UPDATE
Actually I should say "North Dakota State University invades the Shops at Legacy". (That's where I live.) Last night K and I went out for our usual Friday date night, then returned to our neighborhood to find the mother of all traffic jams. What the....? We managed to finally get to our controlled access parking garage, then walked down to Fun Street to see what all the commotion was about.
Background: We live in a mixed use neighborhood....townhomes, apartments, and a large Marriott hotel all surrounding a small man-made lake, many upscale (read: overpriced) boutiques, an indie theater, a very popular jazz bar, and dozens of eateries of every description. The main drag is Bishop Street, but I call it Fun Street because it is.
Things are usually jumpin' on most Friday nights with a thousand or so people milling about. Last night there were 5-10 THOUSAND people on the street. Most were wearing attire proclaiming their allegiance to North Dakota State University. I asked a couple of guys what was going on and they told me NDSU was playing Sam Houston State University for the NCAA Division I Football National Championship in Frisco (a few miles north) on Saturday. This was their Super Bowl, and our Marriott was their alumni association headquarters, reception hall, and party central. Woo Hoo!
They were a happy, fun bunch. (Wouldn't you be if you got to leave North Dakota for a few days in January?) We referred a few who asked to the best area restaurants depending on their tastes and pocketbooks, and enjoyed seeing them having such a good time.
I suppose I should root for Sam Houston State U since they're a Texas team, but I'm not. I want my new friends from ND to go home with great memories of their road trip, and making that looooong drive back north while nursing a crushing defeat (and maybe a hangover, too) would be a definite bummer.
GO NDSU! ;)
S
UPDATE: North Dakota State won, 17-6. :)
Background: We live in a mixed use neighborhood....townhomes, apartments, and a large Marriott hotel all surrounding a small man-made lake, many upscale (read: overpriced) boutiques, an indie theater, a very popular jazz bar, and dozens of eateries of every description. The main drag is Bishop Street, but I call it Fun Street because it is.
Things are usually jumpin' on most Friday nights with a thousand or so people milling about. Last night there were 5-10 THOUSAND people on the street. Most were wearing attire proclaiming their allegiance to North Dakota State University. I asked a couple of guys what was going on and they told me NDSU was playing Sam Houston State University for the NCAA Division I Football National Championship in Frisco (a few miles north) on Saturday. This was their Super Bowl, and our Marriott was their alumni association headquarters, reception hall, and party central. Woo Hoo!
They were a happy, fun bunch. (Wouldn't you be if you got to leave North Dakota for a few days in January?) We referred a few who asked to the best area restaurants depending on their tastes and pocketbooks, and enjoyed seeing them having such a good time.
I suppose I should root for Sam Houston State U since they're a Texas team, but I'm not. I want my new friends from ND to go home with great memories of their road trip, and making that looooong drive back north while nursing a crushing defeat (and maybe a hangover, too) would be a definite bummer.
GO NDSU! ;)
S
UPDATE: North Dakota State won, 17-6. :)
Friday, January 6, 2012
I told you she was brilliant
Several weeks ago when my dog, Emma Belle, was very sick I rushed her to the vet's office as soon as they opened on Monday morning. The vet took her to the back for an X-ray and some more blood work to find out what the problem might be, and said she would call me later in the morning with some news. I fully expected to bring her home that afternoon. Instead she called to say it was very bad, and our options were essentially nil. I knew what had to be done, so I called K and we agreed to meet at the vet's office immediately. When we walked in the vet met us in private and told us Emma had passed away about 20 minutes earlier.
I always regretted that I wasn't with her when she passed. Yes, I'm one of those people who "humanized" my dog. I scratched her head, looked her in the eye and talked to her, asked her if she needed to go outside or was hungry, etc. We talked a lot, she and I. I had this haunting fear that she died alone on a cold, hard table, wondering "where is he?", or however you say that in dogspeak.
Last night on ABC Evening News, and also reported online, were the findings of a study that said dogs have cognitive abilities similar to that of a 2 year old child. They listen, look you in the eye, follow your eyes if you turn to look at something else, know when you don't feel well, can understand a vocabulary of over 100 words, etc. In other words, our humanizing efforts aren't wasted. They know when they're loved and can often develop telepathic communication skills with their owners. I guess you could say they're bilingual.
I'm glad to hear of this as it allows me to think she knew she was loved and that I had taken her to the vets office for treatment and was not abandoning her. She knew me better than that. :)
S
I always regretted that I wasn't with her when she passed. Yes, I'm one of those people who "humanized" my dog. I scratched her head, looked her in the eye and talked to her, asked her if she needed to go outside or was hungry, etc. We talked a lot, she and I. I had this haunting fear that she died alone on a cold, hard table, wondering "where is he?", or however you say that in dogspeak.
Last night on ABC Evening News, and also reported online, were the findings of a study that said dogs have cognitive abilities similar to that of a 2 year old child. They listen, look you in the eye, follow your eyes if you turn to look at something else, know when you don't feel well, can understand a vocabulary of over 100 words, etc. In other words, our humanizing efforts aren't wasted. They know when they're loved and can often develop telepathic communication skills with their owners. I guess you could say they're bilingual.
I'm glad to hear of this as it allows me to think she knew she was loved and that I had taken her to the vets office for treatment and was not abandoning her. She knew me better than that. :)
S
Thursday, January 5, 2012
O'Billery for President?
One brief bit of political news, then on to other things: Now the scuttlebutt is President O'Bama's political handlers are considering switching the jobs of Sec. of State Hillary Clinton and V.P. Joe Biden. Apparently they think O'Bama / Clinton, H. would make for a stronger Democratic ticket. Really? I can't see Hillary bringing anyone new over to the Democratic party. Anyone who would be enthusiastic about her being on the ticket probably wouldn't be caught dead with a Romney / Santorum / Paul bumper sticker on their car in the first place.
Anyone remember the old days when you could do pretty much anything maintenance-wise on your own car right in your garage? Now computers run everything on your car, and unless you have your own $50K engine diagnostic computer to plug into, you can do little more than change a tire. Now I read that hackers are using new car's Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and On Star systems to sabotage them. A wrecker company's dream come true? Surely those fine upstanding folks wouldn't do that. *snicker*
I'm still doing my every-other-day running, trying to get in shape for a 5K run some day. It's a gradually increasing in intensity program that they say will get me built-up slowly without blowing out any important body parts, but I gotta say right now my legs feel like rubber. I make a much better armchair quarterback than I do athlete. Last night I watched a documentary, 180 South, about Yvon Choinard, the founder of Patagonia, and how to this day....he's in his early 70's....he still goes mountain climbing. I say screw climbing mountains. Right now I'm having trouble just climbing up onto my desk chair. Ouch!
S
Anyone remember the old days when you could do pretty much anything maintenance-wise on your own car right in your garage? Now computers run everything on your car, and unless you have your own $50K engine diagnostic computer to plug into, you can do little more than change a tire. Now I read that hackers are using new car's Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and On Star systems to sabotage them. A wrecker company's dream come true? Surely those fine upstanding folks wouldn't do that. *snicker*
I'm still doing my every-other-day running, trying to get in shape for a 5K run some day. It's a gradually increasing in intensity program that they say will get me built-up slowly without blowing out any important body parts, but I gotta say right now my legs feel like rubber. I make a much better armchair quarterback than I do athlete. Last night I watched a documentary, 180 South, about Yvon Choinard, the founder of Patagonia, and how to this day....he's in his early 70's....he still goes mountain climbing. I say screw climbing mountains. Right now I'm having trouble just climbing up onto my desk chair. Ouch!
S
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
He 'da man....
....that would be Willard Mitt Romney, according to the voters in last night's Iowa caucus. He nosed out Rick Santorum, who is vying with Michele Bachman to come across as the rightest of the right wingers. She crashed and burned, leaving her free to go home and have a Tea Party. Good 'ol Ron Paul still makes good sense now and then, in between lapses into mild insanity, and did well in Iowa, too. And thankfully Iowans saw Newt "I'm different now, trust me" Gingrich as what he is, a hypocrite of the highest order, and Rick "look at my cool hair" Perry as simply a doofus.
Willard...er...Mitt should do well in New Hampshire, while Rick will feel right at home in South Carolina. Ron has fringe appeal everywhere. Of those, who is actually electable? I'm guessingWillard Mitt. (Doh....I hate it when I do that!) His past is liberal enough to be able to appeal to middle-of-the-roaders, and of course he has Wall Street money in his corner. His buddies there are already salivating over their soon-to-be-swelled-even-more bonuses. Dom Perigone anyone?
Here's what concerns me: If Republicans keep their majority in the House of Representatives and can gain control of the Senate (heaven forbid gaining a veto-proof 60 votes), AND see their nominee (Mitt?) win the White House, it will be seen as a mandate for the kind of hands-off / business-as-usual governing that gave us the economic debacle of '08. The rich will get richer, while you and I....well, you know how that turned out. Even with partisan politics being as rancorous as they are today, I think we need to split power between the parties. The gridlock would be hell, but IMHO giving EITHER party a blank check to run the country as they saw fit would be even more disastrous. What's so wrong with compromise?
What say you?
S
Willard...er...Mitt should do well in New Hampshire, while Rick will feel right at home in South Carolina. Ron has fringe appeal everywhere. Of those, who is actually electable? I'm guessing
Here's what concerns me: If Republicans keep their majority in the House of Representatives and can gain control of the Senate (heaven forbid gaining a veto-proof 60 votes), AND see their nominee (Mitt?) win the White House, it will be seen as a mandate for the kind of hands-off / business-as-usual governing that gave us the economic debacle of '08. The rich will get richer, while you and I....well, you know how that turned out. Even with partisan politics being as rancorous as they are today, I think we need to split power between the parties. The gridlock would be hell, but IMHO giving EITHER party a blank check to run the country as they saw fit would be even more disastrous. What's so wrong with compromise?
What say you?
S
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