Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween

So what do you do about that pillowcase full of 40 pounds of candy that your kid brings home? Don't you get tired of being the "Candy Police"?

One year I got so tired of it that I told my kids to "Go ahead. Eat as much as you want." So my oldest son completely pigged out. A few hours later, he was barfing his guts out. Hee. I never had to police his candy intake again.

Anyway, listen up. This was on the Today Show this morning and I think it's a brilliant idea:

Head over to HalloweenCandyBuyBack.com for more details, but, in a nutshell, your kids take their candy to a participating dentist, who pays them $1.00 for every pound of candy!

Now here's the absolute best part- the dentist then sends all that collected candy to our military people overseas!

Is that not a freakin' BRILLIANT idea? Unfortunately, there's no dentist anywhere near me who's participating, but I'm giving the link to my dentist next week when I go in.




Last night was our Trick or Treat. No one would DARE have it on a Friday or Saturday night because *gasp* it might interfere with high school sports!

I thought you might like to see a pic of me in my costume:




HEY! I HEARD THAT SNORT!



And now I leave you with these words of wisdom passed on to me by a wise old co-worker of mine many, many years ago...

When the weather's hot and sticky,
That's no time for dunkin' dicky.

But when the frost is on the pumpkin,
That's the time for dicky dunkin'.




Like to be scared? Check out Switch.com's 15 Scariest Ghost Videos on the Web.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

More QB's SUPER Quickies

QB's Super Quickie iconSince things like work, sleep, family, and reading seem to use up the time I need to write insightful, intelligent, witty, and LENGTHY commentaries (HEY! Did you just roll your eyes?!), Super Quickie posts give me a way to simply group books into my commentary categories and, more importantly, keep track of what I've read.



Click on the links or go to my INDEX for more info.


Category: M&Ms - a bit lighter and/or not quite as satisfying as Peanut M&Ms, but still Oh-So-Enjoyable! (B,B-,C+,C)

Jes Battis- Night Child (Osi 1)Jes Battis - Night Child, OSI (Occult Special Investigator), book 1






Dark Needs at Night's Edge (The Immortals After Dark, Book 4)Kresley Cole - Dark Needs at Night's Edge- Conrad and Néomi - Immortals After Dark, Book 4






Dark Rider (Zebra Debut)by Kathrynn DennisKathrynn Dennis - Dark Rider






Darkling (Sisters of the Moon, Book 3)Yasmine Galenorn - Darkling, Sisters of the Moon, Book 3






Dragon Wytch (Sisters of the Moon, Book 4)Yasmine Galenorn - Dragon Wytch, Sisters of the Moon, Book 4






Madden, Ellis, Tourney - Possession, anthology (Black Lace)Mathilde Madden, Madelynne Ellis, Anne Tourney - Possession, multi-author Black Lace paranormal anthology


Have you read any of these books? Feel free to review or link to a review in the comments. Even if you don't agree!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Getcher Red Hot Freebies Here!

I got this from Kiss and Tell



*****Permission to repost or forward granted*****

It's our birthday and we're celebrating by giving you a present!

All Romance eBooks will be celebrating our second birthday on November 1, 2008 and we couldn't think of a better way to mark the occasion than by passing on the gift of an eBook to as many readers, publishers, and authors as possible.

On November 1st all registered customers will receive a code good for one* free download! The customer picks the book, we purchase it, and authors and publishers earn their royalties. It's as simple as that.

And, not only is it simple now, it's simple every day to shop at All Romance eBooks. Simple category searches, simple checkout process, and a simple buy-ten-get-one-free reward program.

Help us spread the word to those that read eBooks and to anyone you think might like to try one. We have All the romance you need from all the publishers you love—and now we're giving it away!

Lori James and Barbara Perfetti
All Romance eBooks

*one click buys and bundles excluded



I've never bought from them before, so what the hell, it won't cost me anything to check them out, right?

Now, this is something that bugs the living hell outta me, not just with this site but with MOST ebook sites-- why can't they include a secondary category? By that I mean (for instance) there are 1169 books listed under GLBT. Who the hell has time to browse through and read the blurbs for all of those? But if I could select a sub or secondary category like shape-shifter WITHIN the GLBT category, then I've just narrowed down the results to books I'd be interested in and eliminated those that I'm not.

At this point, I would select anthologies to browse through (253 of those), but since anthologies may or may not be included (bundles are excluded and the site lists the category name as Anthology/Bundle, so I dunno if those are the same thing) in the free book offer (bad move since that would allow me to try more voices), I'm looking for recs.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP RECS FOR ME AT ALL ROMANCE eBOOKS?
Keep in mind that, until I lay my hands on an eInk eReader, my ebook reading is next to nothing, so this has just GOT to be a REALLY good one that I absolutely should NOT miss!

QB's SUPER Quickies

QB's Super Quickie iconSince things like work, sleep, family, and reading seem to use up the time I need to write insightful, intelligent, witty, and LENGTHY commentaries (HEY! Did you just roll your eyes?!), Super Quickie posts give me a way to simply group books into my commentary categories and, more importantly, keep track of what I've read.



Click on the links or go to my INDEX for more info.


Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. (A-,B+,B)

Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1)Patricia Briggs - Cry Wolf, Alpha and Omega, Book 1





Dead Over HeelsMaryJanice Davidson - Dead Over Heels, single author anthology- Betsy and Sinclair, Con and Reanesta, Saul and Cain





The Outlaw Demon Wails (Rachel Morgan, Book 6)Kim Harrison - The Outlaw Demon Wails, The Hollows (Rachel Morgan), Book 6





Shadow MagicCheyenne McCray - Shadow Magic- Garran and Hannah - Magic series book 4





Rogue (Werecats, Book 2)Rachel Vincent - Rogue, Werecats, Book 2





Walk on the Wild Side (The Others, Book 5)Christine Warren - Walk on the Wild Side- Marcus and Kitty - The Others, Book 5 (see FAQs for correct reading order)


Have you read any of these books? Feel free to review or link to a review in the comments. Even if you don't agree!

Monday, October 27, 2008

The Darkest Touch by Jaci Burton

The Darkest Touch by Jaci BurtonJaci Burton - Demon Hunters series

1. Surviving Demon Island - Derek and Gina (see previous)
2. Hunting the Demon - Nic and Shay (see previous)
3. The Darkest Touch - Ryder and Angelique
Release Date October 28, 2008

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 6" out of 9"

WAIT! WAIT! Come back! I know that, if you are like me, you see the word DEMON—YET AGAIN—and you can’t get away fast enough. But remember that Jaci started this series BEFORE demons started showing up in every PNR and UF book. And this series is so filled with adventure and romance that it would be a shame if you missed it just because you've had enough of the latest “demons are the new vampires” trend.

You know, I’m having the same problems reviewing this book that I did with book 1, Surviving Demon Island—it’s very hard to talk about it without revealing something that each reader should discover for herself.

The Darkest Touch continues the relationship between the Demon Hunter Ryder and Angelique (Angie) Deveraux, an archeologist last seen in Australia fleeing the diamond mine with the Black Diamond. You may remember that the Sons of Darkness seemed to think she might be their queen and realized they had “the wrong one” when Angie’s touch produced no reaction from the Black Diamond.

Angie ran with the diamond once it occurred to her that, if she was “the wrong one”, then that probably meant that her twin sister, Isabelle, was “the right one” and the Sons of Darkness AND the Realm of Light would be looking for both Isabelle and the Black Diamond.

So now in The Darkest Touch, Angie has hidden the diamond and herself but hasn’t located Isabelle yet. Ryder, however, finds Angie just in time to rescue her from a new, impossible to kill creation of the demons.

Meanwhile, another Demon Hunter, the mysterious Dalton, has found Isabelle and has used a ruse to get her into his protective custody. But he’s in for a surprise himself when he realizes that Isabelle has her mother’s diary which contains some explosive information about Isabelle, Angie, and the Sons of Darkness.

We meet and learn more about the Sons of Darkness in this book. And we meet another Keeper for the Realm of Light, Michael, and learn a WHOLE lot more about the structure of the Realm. BTW, Michael... Mandy... sparks a-flyin’. Just sayin’.

The Sons of Darkness are indeed hunting for Isabelle and they figure they might as well grab Angie back again too. The final climactic scene of this story is filled with one “OMG” event or revelation after another. Jaci doesn’t pull her punches and it quickly becomes clear that each one of her characters is in danger. Although, to be perfectly honest, I have to admit that after two books of speculation among the demon hunters about what exactly the Black Diamond is, I was a bit disappointed that Lou and Michael knew all along and said nothing. As it was, the revelation of its true power felt a bit patched in so that a certain heroic sacrifice could occur. For me, integrating its history- how it became what it was- would have made for a more interesting and fulfilling scene. Frankly, I feel like that bit of the story was left dangling and, because of how the scene ended, I doubt that Jaci will be revisiting it.

Other than that one quibble, Jaci has written another excellent installment to this series. She knows how to write heroes and heroines who respect each other and who fight beside and for each other.

With Hunting the Demon and now The Darkest Touch, Jaci has started giving us a unique twist to this series (even if I do think she’s an evil tease). The series falls firmly into the paranormal romance subgenre and as such, Jaci makes sure we get an HEA for the central couple. Notice that I said CENTRAL couple, because in addition to ongoing urban fantasy like adventure storylines, Jaci also gives us a SECONDARY couple. Yes, in many ongoing series we often see sparks flying and guess who the next couple will be, but Jaci actually weaves the secondary romance throughout each book... but only to a point. And that’s where Jaci’s evilness shines through. Yes, we get the central couple’s HEA, but she leaves both the ongoing adventure storyline AND the secondary couple’s relationship open-ended.

I’ve said before that this series is like watching a modern day Saturday afternoon movie serial, but with the inclusion of the secondary romances, Jaci has insured that we absolutely won’t want to miss the next installment of her Demon Hunters.

Piquant Opines: M.G. Braden, Romance Reader at Heart, Wild on Books, Curled Up with a Good Book, Romance Junkies, Naughty Nikki, RT


Have you read any of these books? Feel free to review or link to a review in the comments. Even if you don't agree!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

L&M 2: Taking Work Home by Jules Jones

Lord and Master 2: Taking Work Home by Jules JonesJules Jones - Lord and Master Series

1. Lord and Master
1.5 Lord and Master: Old Age Creeping Over Me (read it FREE on Jules' website!)
2. Lord & Master 2: Taking Work Home
2.5 Lord and Master: Flight of Dreams (read it FREE on Jules' website!)

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 7.5" out of 9"

See INDEX for more about this author.

After nearly a year together, Steven and Mark plan on getting married (their engagement happens prior to this book), yet they still live in separate homes and aren’t sure they can live together. And though monogamous, they still use condoms even for oral sex. Since I hadn't read the previous book, and even though the author includes a back story preface, it just didn’t bode well for a lasting relationship between these two men and I couldn’t see how they could have already made the commitment to marry.

Then I caught on to Jules Jones’ gem of a storyline. Steven, who is Mark’s boss and older by a couple of decades, has bipolar disorder. I think we’ve all read stories or watched TV shows (probably on Lifetime) where one partner in an established relationship develops a mental or physical illness.

But Jules explores what it’s like to know going into a relationship that there are problems. We see that, even knowing there will be challenges, Mark and Steven develop their relationship anyhow, with not only the quirks and follies inherent in any new relationship, but also dealing with what, in a way, becomes the third member of their relationship—Steven’s mental disorder.

Steven knows that his disorder means a lot of work for a partner, so much so that none of his previous partners could handle it/him for the long haul. But with Mark, Steven tries to be realistic and honest and to not put a brave face on what he can and can’t handle.

So they’ve been taking baby steps in their relationship to avoid pushing Steven’s emotional envelope. I do wonder why Steven isn’t on any medications to control his mood swings, but I really don’t know all that much about the disorder. Since Steven appears to have a relatively mild form, maybe the meds have too much of a “zombie" effect on him.

Mark has learned just how much work, and what an unequal partnership, loving someone with bipolar disorder can be. He must be careful, often walking on eggshells, not to pressure or push Steven in case he triggers another emotional swing. And when something DOES send Steven into a depressive state, or obsessive anger, or manic elation, Mark finds himself doing whatever is necessary to help Steven gain some control over himself. To be honest, Mark was, at times, TOO understanding. I wanted him to get angry, even if he kept it to himself.

Steven’s illness complicates the already frustrating misconceptions about their relationship. Mark is perceived, at best, as Steven’s mid-life crisis toyboy. At worst, he’s seen as a gold-digger who thinks Steven and his successful company are enticing prizes. Much of L&M2 involves the dynamics of Steven’s family and the introduction of Mark into it as Mr. Right instead of Mr. Right Now.

BTW, although the title suggests otherwise, Lord and Master is NOT a D/s series. It's probably explained in the first book, but my guess is that it came about because Steven often jokingly refers to Mark as his "minion". And possibly it is a veiled reference to the control that Steven must master in order to keep his disorder from mastering him.

While I still question whether Steven and Mark could have made the commitment to marry so soon, I have to give Jules Jones kudos for this story. There are no car chases, no villains, no shoot-em-ups. However, as she ALWAYS manages to do, Jules has breathed life into her unique and memorable characters in this slice-of-life, heartwarming story.

Piquant Opines: Fallen Angel Reviews, Sensual (Ecataromance), Uniquely Pleasurable, Romance Junkies, Mrs. G, Elisa_Rolle



Have you read any of these books? Feel free to review or link to a review in the comments. Even if you don't agree!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

From The Jeff Files...

Yes, it's another of my brother-in-law, Jeff's, endlessly forwarded emails. I thought this one kind of puts this year's political discussions and predictions into perspective, doesn't it?



Comments Made in the Year 1955!

'If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it.'

cat'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00.'

'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one.'

'If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.

'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?'

'If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.'

Political Picture - Gas Station'When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.'

'Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.'

'I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL of DAMN in it.'

'I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas..'

'Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.'

'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.'

Obama Pictures and McCain Pictures'It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.'

'It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.'

'Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more, those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat.'

'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.'

'Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress.'

'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.'

'There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel.'

Obama Pictures and McCain Pictures'No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.'

Monday, October 13, 2008

Lurve is in the Air



The always amusing and amazing Lisabea awarded me that thar I Love Your Blog Award "Cuz I like her. Bunches. That girl has grit." Aw shucks, LB, thank 'ee.

UPDATE: The Lurve has found it's way back to me! Thanks also for the awards from the SpongeBob duo of JenB and MB(Leah).

YO, thar be BIG WET FISH-LIP SNOGS waitin' fer all o' ye!

Heh, only someone following links and reading comments on their blogs will have any idea what the SpongeBob comment is all about.

The rules for this award are that you need to:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog

2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4) Add links to those blogs on your blog

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

So, my awards, in no significant order, go to:

1. Madame Butterfly, aka MB(Leah): because she's personally so damn interesting and she writes the most interesting book reviews. Even when I know a book isn't my "flavor" I often read MB's reviews anyway just because I know she'll still manage to make the book sound interesting.

2. The Reading Spot, aka Kris: What's NOT to like? She's plain and simply one of those really likeable, down to Earth people!

3. Ginger Kid's Den of Iniquity, aka JenB: So young and yet so pervy. It's hard to believe she's fairly new to blogging; her personality shines through everything she writes and I always look forward to reading/ looking at whatever she posts.

4. Lurv à la Mode, aka Kmont (Kendra): Not only does her blog name coordinate with my blog theme (hee), but after reading her always insightful and intelligent posts, she doesn't seem to mind my dropping by and babbling all over her comment threads. Hell, she even humors me by responding!

5. Marta Acosta's VampireWire: Really, one of the most useful sites around. Sure Marta promotes her own books (deservedly so), but she also promotes everyone else's books, reader blogs, TV shows, movies, and let's not forget that with her Gratutitous Video of the Day she single-handedly (hee) proved the existence of The Jonesian Effect(TM).

6. Nose in a Book, aka LisaBea: Even if she hadn't given me the award, she would have been on my list because, hands down, I think she's got the most consistently witty mind in the blogosphere. Her mind just seems to work... different... than the rest of ours. Besides, who else could make us covet a Nose Picker Award.

7. and 7.5. Romance Rookie, aka JillD whom I've recently "discovered" and am just getting to know, but I already like her voice. And ShartyRant for her brand spankin' new blog, A Book-a-holics Thoughts and Obsessions. I'm looking forward to reading more from both of them.

Now, those are by far not my only favorites. I enjoy EVERYONE on my Today's Chocolate Fondue Specials sidebar list (and therefore followed in Google Reader) and think they are definitely worth reading on a regular basis. But some of them, like Dear Author, Smart Bitches, Lust Bites, and DIK (Desert Island Keepers) have really become more than blogs and are communities unto themselves.

Oh, and really, the number one don't-miss blog for me is Laurell K. Hamilton's blog. (Oh HUSH, Wytherin) But... um... I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be passing this meme on.

pssst... If anyone read this post when it was first posted and notices any changes... well... never mind... I confoozled myself and never seem to catch these things until AFTER they're published. Carry on.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

The Emperor Has No Clothes

**WARNING! Long-winded political rant ahead!**

It’s starting to look like we will soon have a President Obama ::shudders at the sound of that:: and a Vice President Biden. I have to admit that, when Obama first started running, I gave serious thought to voting for him— he’s young, exciting, and gives a helluva smooth talkin' PERFORMANCE in his speeches. Besides, the Republicans weren’t offering up anyone that seemed any more competent, so why not give a younger version of incompetence a try?

So why am I voting for McCain/Palin instead? Well, technically I’m NOT voting FOR them, I’m voting AGAINST Obama/Biden and the words that send chills up my spine— “redistribution of wealth”. You know... that socialist concept that Comrades Obama and Biden consider “Fair” and “Patriotic”?

Obama Pictures and McCain PicturesPhrases like that may pay lip service and hold zealous appeal to the lowest common denominator of the voting (and hopefully non-voting) public who are apparently unable to see that “the emperor has no clothes”. But let me tell you how it is for the REAL “rich fat cats” that will be affected the worst when the Obama/Biden socialist policies meet up with the worth-less-than-nothing Democratic Congress (hereafter referred to as the Porkers).

First of all, note my sarcasm when I use the term “rich fat cats”. Obama tosses that term around when he wants his “redistribution of wealth” rhetoric to fire up the masses into a revolution against “Corporate Greed”. Yeah, he’s talking about the Exxons and AIGs, but you know who else is going to be effected? The backbone of this country-- the thousands (millions) of small and medium business owners; the people who, through years of hard work, not only have made their own lives better, but also the lives of their employees.

Just to give some background on my POV, let me say that I was not raised with money—barely lower middle class in fact. The only reason I was able to go to college back in 1975 was that my father made so little that everything from tuition to dorm to books was paid for by state and federal grants and living expenses were paid through a work-study program.

After college, I steadily advanced in my career, but after I had my twins back in 1986, it quickly became apparent that I could not physically handle a 90 minute round trip commute, 9 hours of work, caring for two babies, and only a couple of hours sleep a night. So I had to quit, which meant that we had to live on my husband’s small salary, which also meant we were using credit cards to pay for necessities like diapers, formula, and baby food.

In 1990 we bought my father-in-law's hardware store (more on the death of family businesses later), which was, quite frankly, doing piss-poor because my father-in-law had lost interest in it. Over the years, largely because of my husband’s work ethic, the store has become successful. We paid off our debt, we went from six of us in a cramped house to a house we built where we now have some room to each have our own space, and we are also able to send our kids to the colleges of their choice.

Obama Pictures and McCain PicturesI do NOT consider us “rich fat cats” AT ALL. Are we comfortable? Yes, absolutely. But we WORKED HARD to get there, dammit. And now Obama/Biden DARE to tell us that the payoff for working hard, for living the American Dream that this country was built on, is to have it taken away from us?! So those who don’t want to work hard are rewarded by a “redistribution of wealth” from those that DO work hard? Fuck that shit! When did we become a country of people that feel they are ENTITLED to everything? When did work ethics give way to careers of milking the system for all it’s worth?

Do you think those are extreme statements? They aren’t. Here’s how things are from a different standpoint, i.e. someone who doesn’t think that Uncle Sam owes them a living.

Let’s start with minimum wage increases. Now, keep in mind that I live in Ohio (the we-don’t-want-your-stinking-business state) which compounds the problem because we’re gifted with automatic C.O.L.A. increases above and beyond the federal minimum wage. Every time minimum wage increases, employers have to make some decisions— A)- raise prices, which means that all those people that are now earning more, don’t have any more purchasing power, and ARE NO BETTER OFF THAN THEY WERE BEFORE THEIR WAGE INCREASE; B)- place a freeze on new hires, or to put it another way- NO NEW JOBS; C)- layoff employees to lower costs, as in PEOPLE LOSE THEIR JOBS; or D)- all of the above, particularly when minimum wage gets bumped up high enough that it starts meeting the higher wages employers pay their more experienced employees, who will then expect a raise also.

Obama Pictures and McCain PicturesAnd thus it cycles around again—prices go up, so the Democrats raise the minimum wage; which makes prices go up, which means another minimum wage increase is needed and so on, and so on, spiraling down into an economic cluster-fuck.

Think I’m exaggerating? Yesterday morning, a cup of coffee cost my husband $1.35 at McDonalds. Then it was announced that minimum wage would increase to $7.40 an hour in January. This morning, McDonalds had raised their coffee price to $1.45 per cup. Coincidence?

Now here’s an idea—what if people worked hard and EARNED higher wages? What if they cared enough, showed enough initiative to actually contribute to the success of their employer, who would then reward them for their hard work? WOW! What a concept! Sounds vaguely familiar though, doesn’t it? Hmmmm... let me think.... oh, yeah, that’s how things functioned before we ditched capitalism and embraced socialism. You know, back in the days when you started out with a low paying job until you proved your worth, gained some experience, and then were able to start your own advancement towards the American Dream.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe there are those truly in need that deserve help. I also believe there are just as many, if not more, people that, instead of using the system as a helping hand until they get on their feet, see the system as a permanent career choice, who see work as something that the system, in a half-assed attempt to proclaim its reformation, FORCES them to do... and it shows. Believe me, as an employer, I can tell you that I’ve yet to see one single person who is in the system actually strive to get off the system.

Obama Pictures and McCain PicturesNow, here are a few other REAL WORLD examples of what happens when the Porkers try to stick it to the “fat cats” and make them pay their “fair” and “patriotic” share. First of all, I don’t agree with Obama that anyone making over $250,000 a year is wealthy. VERY well off, yes. But in this day and age, that’s not even CLOSE to wealthy. Nonetheless, let’s go with his definition for a second. He says that his “redistribution of wealth” will only effect the wealthy that make over $250k per year. I cry BULLSHIT! Complete and utter bullshit- every single American will be affected by his naïve, idealistic, and downright FRIGHTENING plans!

Are you aware that family businesses can NOT be passed on to the next generation? Nope. If you do well and your business is successful, then you can SELL it to your kids at fair market value. Of course, all that success you earned as the business grew was taxed, taxed, and taxed some more, and now, you get to pay CAPITAL GAINS TAX on that success when you sell it to your child(ren). At only 15% or even 20% capital gains tax rate, selling isn’t all that unattractive, and you’d probably begrudgingly pay it.

Or, you can leave the kid(s) your business in your will. Under current law, the first $2 million of your estate is not subject to inheritance taxes, so the kids would only have to pay taxes on any portion above that limit. After all, as I pointed out above, you’ve been paying taxes out the wazoo on that success as you’ve earned it, so it doesn’t seem fair to have it heavily taxed again. And btw, yes, a company worth $2 million should most certainly still be considered a small business.

But wait! We now have Obama, Biden and the Porkers making plans for a new society! Assuming your kid(s) can get a business loan to even buy the business in this economic climate, your choices have changed under their proposed new national policy of penalizing those who achieve success through hard work (i.e. not members of Congress). You can choose to pay capital gains tax of 25, 35, or who knows what percent on your already over-taxed success. Or, once the lifetime exemption is lowered or abolished since it only benefits the “wealthy”, your kid(s) can pay inheritance tax on the full value of your already overtaxed business.

Obama Pictures and McCain PicturesYou know what? I think a whole lot of family business owners will be saying “I’ll be choosing option C- Close the business and sell off the assets for whatever I can get. And, oh yeah, to those 12 or 17 or 25 employees that are now out of work? Don’t sweat it. You can now join the millions of other people who are entitled to live off of Obama and the Porkers’ great socialism plans.” So, yeah, Obama, explain to me again how your version of socialism doesn’t effect anyone but the “wealthy fat cats”.

So, under Obama, Biden and the Porkers, what will I do with the proceeds from that sale and any other investments I have? Well, I will transfer them into my kids’ names a little at a time until I have no assets left in my name, that’s what. Then I can proudly hold my hand out for all that I’m entitled to from the United Socialists of America. After all, anything I make off my investments would now also be taxed at the higher capital gains rate, so why bother keeping it when I can live for free courtesy of President Obama? ::shudders because those two words should never be together:: Now that's MY plan for a patriotic and fair “redistribution of wealth”!

Let’s next discuss the social security tax. Keep in mind that it doesn’t matter if a worker has contributed the minimum over their lifetime, or 10,000 times the minimum., because, once we’re fully funded, we all get the same amount back every month. And every year the cap goes up. So instead of say the first $82,000 of earnings being subject to SS taxes, the next year it went up, and the year after that, etc. I think it’s at $102k right now. But if Obama has his way, that cap will disappear. Which means that, no matter how much is earned, it will still be subject to Social Security taxes.

So, WOW, maybe I should have flunked math class because it seems to me that $107k is middle class and MUCH less than the $250K that Obama swears would be the minimum income brackets affected by his socialistic policies! So would that be yet ANOTHER instance of people other than the “wealthy fat cats” whose money is being “redistributed”? And to my obviously math-challenged mind, it sure seems like another instance of people already paying MORE than their fair share.

funny picturesBut then again, Obama has waffled on this issue and obviously never thought it through completely. I believe at one point, it was pointed out that he would be adding middle class taxes, so he backed off a bit and said that only “wealthy” people would pay (and pay and pay) more. Gee, Obama, you couldn’t be bothered to think this through before you shot your mouth off about it? What happened, did you realize that SOME of the masses might be smarter than you gave them credit for and hadn't been assimilated into the Collective? The pods haven't gotten to all of us yet and we're still able to see through your cloud of noxious bullshit? Here you were counting on our political ignorance and apathy and a few of us had the nerve to actually THINK about what you were saying!

funny picturesEither way, if you own a business, you get screwed twice and not kissed once. Social security taxes are deducted from paychecks, but then the employer has to match that amount for each employee. So own your own business and every increase in Social Security taxes, every raise in the cap, increases the SS tax that both you personally AND your business pay. But, again, according to Obama, that’s not fair enough, not patriotic enough.

So, after paying all that, we still only get the same amount back that someone that contributed a fraction of our contributions gets. Uh, yeah, Obama, you’re right... we’re NOT paying our fair share are we? Yeah, I think the idea of gradually transferring all our assets to our kids and living off the system, courtesy of Obama, Biden, and the Porkers, makes a lot of sense. I mean really, why bother trying to get ahead?

Speaking of paying more than our fair share, someone explain to me how we’re not doing that NOW on our income tax returns. If I have an income of $200,000 per year and I’m taxed at 33%, I’m required to pay roughly $66,000 dollars in taxes (yes, that’s an over simplification, and no, that’s not my actual income), whereas someone else earning $30,000, taxed at the 15% rate, will only pay $4500. So in what universe is 33%/$66k NOT more than 15%/$4.5k?!

And let’s not forget that I get to pay college tuitions in full out of my own pocket (currently between $150-200k per child for four years at the average private college) with no tax breaks, while the person who only paid $4500 in taxes could qualify for financial aid for their children. I also don’t qualify for tax breaks such as IRAs, and we’d have to have a pretty devastating illness in order to meet the criteria for deducting medical expenses. And all those “loopholes” that the “wealthy fat cats” use to avoid paying taxes? Somebody point ‘em out to me, okay? No, really, PLEASE point them out because damned if I can find any of them!

Obama Pictures and McCain PicturesAnd to further complicate matters, there’s a whole ‘nuther set of plans to force businesses to be “patriotic” and “fair”. Hell, every time someone wants to finance just about ANYTHING in this country, the standard cry is “Let the greedy corporations pay for it”. Uh, yeah, go back and read what happens when the minimum wage is increased, because every time someone decides that the businesses in this country- small, medium, and large- need to pay for yet another of society’s problems, we create that spiraling out of control economic cluster fuck again. I don’t know what the solution for health care reform is. Hell, I'm paying outrageous premiums even with a $10k deductible! Oh, I have a few suggestions, but there’s one thing I absolutely know for sure— demand mandatory employer paid health care coverage without extreme control over costs, and this country will not exist as we know it today. Epic. cluster. fuck.

You know, as an American, it’s beyond frustrating that the McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden tickets are the best leaders this country could offer us. While I DO tend to vote Republican, I do not consider myself Republican because there are too many issues, such as abortion and stem-cell research, that I disagree with them on. On the flip side, those are just about the only two issues that I CAN agree with the Democratic Party about.

Obama Pictures and McCain PicturesSo, while the McCain/Palin ticket hardly inspires confidence, and the current Republican administration hasn't worked so well these past few years, at least there’s a chance that they won’t fuck up this country so completely that it cannot recover. The Obama/Biden ticket, however, through their apparent ignorance of the Real World, seems to have made that result their goal. Under their leadership, the motivations and incentives to achieve the American Dream will be snuffed out.

Which is why I'll be voting AGAINST an Obama/Biden administration and AGAINST giving the Democrats free rein to "redistribute the wealth" of hard working Americans.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Ultimate Confections

Josh WaldI should be finishing up the bulk of my end of month work crunch today and then off to a 7th grade football game this afternoon.

I was playing around with the M&M Lab the other day and it's just got to be one of the weirder wastes of time I've come across.

My talent... let me show you it... Click HERE

Oh and I just have to share the very special message that My Josh left just for me. (yeah, I know he's not British, but it sounded better than the U.S. voice)

BTW, should you also feel the need to waste time, the M&M Lab embed codes don't work right in Blogger.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I'm On UR Stripper Polz...

... Defyin' UR Gravahteez.

Found this over on the LKH board when I popped by the other day. This bit o' man candy has some freakin' AMAZING talent!




ENJOY! Now I'm off to work on my end of month work crunch. bleh



UPDATE: Per MB (Leah's) request:

I don't remember where I got this from, but when MB mentioned muscle control of the important body parts, I remembered that I had emailed this to my husband and brother-in-law (of The Jeff Files infamy).

WARNING:This video is SOOOOOO not work or kid safe. And I should also warn you that you should NOT attempt to drink any liquids before viewing this video. Sprayed liquid can ruin your screen!