The Tax Man Approacheth

This year I waited far too long to do my taxes.

But as I was wading through the questions and forms of my e-file website, a thought occurred to me.  My employer submitted to the government the exact same information that they gave me on my W-2.  And my bank sent the government the same information that they sent me on my 1099s.

I also noticed that each daycare service for my kid, and charitable organization I gave money to, and my employer, and my wife's employer, and my kid's college savings fund -- all of them -- have identification numbers on all of their paperwork.

And the little light inside my head turned on.

Blumenthal for Senate

Richard Blumenthal is Connecticut’s best choice for the U.S. Senate.

Blumenthal’s service to the country and to Connecticut is admirable:  honorable service in the Marine Corps Reserve, member of the Connecticut state house and senate, and his five-term service as State Attorney General, which he continues even as he runs.

What he will contribute the most as a U.S. Senator is his drive toward not only shaping law, but enforcing it.  It does no good to enact legislation with no teeth.

While he lacks the flash of Linda McMahon, the bluster of Peter Schiff, and the small town earnestness of Rob Simmons and Merrick Alpert, Blumenthal has shown he has conviction and an understanding of the problems our state and nation face.

More Features for the iPhone, but First a Word from our Sponsor

Does anyone make a product that people will buy such that they can make a profit selling it just by itself?  I'll explore this question, but first...

(Swirly advertisement that flickers, pops, and covers half of your screen) -- "Beautiful health reporter, who is actually a well known French TV news reader and not a health reporter, reveals the truth about acai berries and teeth whiteners -- click here!!!!!"

Not content to simply sell miniature applications for the staggeringly popular iPhone, iPod Touch, and now iPad, Steve Jobs is taking his Apple toys into the iAd space.

The Reverend Barbie

And now, an Episcopal priest with a truly unearthly 39-21-33 figure.  The vestments don't really flatter her though.

Barbie has served as a number of different role models for young girls, but mostly she has been an unattainable ideal of femininity.  Simultaneously loved and reviled, she has survived all sorts of revolutions and changes of thought toward the womanly self-image, relatively unscarred.

She now has the chance to become a part of the oldest of old boys' clubs -- the Church.

Lots Going On...

There are those news days when there is a lot happening, but not much to say about any one thing.  So let's take a quick scan of the headlines, shall we?

Violence and unrest in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and other cities, as opposition leaders overthrow the government, leaving "dozens dead".

Although Tea Partiers have been particularly vocal since Congress provided all of their children with health care, at least it hasn't come to blows.  It's good to know that protests in this country are still legal, and still peaceful, apart from the bricks that went through some windows and the threats of violence against members of congress who voted for the bill.  I defend the Tea Partier's right to speak their mind, but they need to dial it back and keep it to dialogue and intelligent discourse, and not take Kyrgyzstan as an example of how to do things.

New England Neighbors Shoot (For) the Breeze

It's reassuring to see that some of President Obama's green energy policies are making some headway, and a small source of pride to see two New England states leading the charge.

According to the New York Times, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are neck and neck in the battle to become the first state to host an offshore wind farm to generate electricity.  The rivalry of the two neighbors has meant progress has been reasonably swift for both states.

But I hope Rhode Island's approach to establishing the wind farm is the one that prevails in the long run.

CT Taxes TARP bonuses

I'm glad the Connecticut legislature had the cojones to tax TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) bonuses.  It's about time that those who have sacked and plundered the local and national economy pay back some of what they've stolen.

Having been a sailor on a sinking ship for all of 2009 myself, it has astonished me that the captains who steered the ships off course in the first place should be rewarded for drilling big holes in the hulls.  And it's been all the more stunning that they should receive generous bonuses (made up of taxpayer's money) when it's been the very taxpayers whom they have screwed who have saved their sorry gluteus maxima.