BLAH BLAH BLOG - THE SOAP BOX

Tuesday, November 14

FAFSA College Financial Aid Application

PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS LISTEN UP… It’s the time for college applications and preparing to gain Federal financial aid for your college freshman to be. FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is a vital part of this process.

FAFSA online has put together an AMAZING website to guide you through this process and give you the NINE MOST VALUABLE SECRETS to gaining the most federal money you can to aid your student through college. The FASFA site has a wonderful written links to all aspects of this application, PLUS there is a very detailed and wonderfully informational MP3 Podcast you can listen to as well that will give you step by step instruction on how to achieve your financial aid goals.

One of the things our government does right is put education at a high priority. Don’t miss out on your child’s higher education due to financial woes. STUDY these guides and let FAFSA help you get all the money you can for your student.

Monday, November 13

Nancy Pelosi Backs Murtha - EARMARKS YOUR MONEY

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Well, Ms. Pelosi is on the move much faster than I think any of us thought she would be. There appears to be no “honeymoon”, I think she feels she must strike while the iron is hot. Because, we all know from being children, or raising them…once you touch something hot more than a couple of times…YOU QUIT TOUCHING IT! It seems the far left wing is on the move in a quick fashion to roll back tax cuts (that I personally saw benefit those around me, and allow me to do a bit more)…yes…a $600 check from the government made a difference, when you times it by ALL OF US.

She also wants to move ahead quickly on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 or so. Now, I’m not a business owner bigot. It seems so normal doesn’t it, to raise the minimum wage, because, “How can any poor American struggling to make ends meet possibly live on the current minimum wage?” They can’t. They can’t live much better at $7.25 per hour. HOWEVER…THE SECRET THEY AREN’T TELLING YOU, is what is the hidden language, or “FINE PRINT” you are not seeing in proposed bills like these.

In my businesses, our workers need to have some skilled trade knowledge, and my bookkeeping staff and managers are certainly a valuable asset. Our wages don’t even begin to start at less than $10-$12 per hour (we currently have no one making less than $13 per hour of 25 employees). In Nevada’s minimum wage proposal that was placed on our ballots, there was a lot of hidden language. It proposed that NEVADA would agree that whatever the minimum wage for the nation, Nevada's would be $1.00 higher FOREVER. There were some other hidden “earmarks”.

If you don’t know what an EARMARK is…it’s bullshit language, and bullshit appropriation for money, raised taxes, etc. that’s not for the open public to see unless you take the time to READ THE ENTIRE BILL OF MANY DOZEN PAGES AND SEE FOR YOURSELF WHAT IT WILL ACTUALLY DO WITH YOUR TAX DOLLARS.

Nancy Pelosi is also backing Jack (John-Jack) Murtha for majority leader. It’s no secret that he’s been under the microscope on several occasions, and is less than honorable by his record. BOTH MURTHA AND PELOSI FAILED MISERABLY on their own voting records for “EARMARKS” HIDDEN WITHIN over 19 bills passed within Congress. Jeff Flake set a precedent for forcing accountability on 19 amendments that he called “Anti-Pork Amendments”. A lot of these bills were defense bills, and other important legislation that had hidden language, or EARMARKS within them.

I’m proud to say, that MY CONGRESSMAN Jim Gibbons of Nevada, that has just recently been elected as governor voted AGAINST ALL 19 BILLS. Nancy Pelosi and Jack Murtha BOTH HAVE A “BIG ZERO” ON ALL 19! Here are some examples of items they VOTED FOR…

· $100,000 National Grape & Wine Initiative…for a wine business that places $50 BILLION dollars a year into the economy. 50B companies don’t need $100,000 of taxpayers’ dollars.
· $1,000,000 Juniata Locomotive Demonstration. This MILLION went to a locomotive shop owned by Norfolk Southern. There was no description within the bill to state exactly what they would do with this money…your money.
· $500,000 City Swimming Pool in California. Shouldn’t this kind of money be raised by the local economy…not voted on in congress?
· $1,000,000 Mystic Aquarium in New London, CT. Again… is it the responsibility of ALL OF US TAXPAYERS to build an aquarium in a state we don’t live in?...placed within a defense bill?
· $2,500,000 Northwest Manufacturing Initiative…again vague, and why an amount of more than TWO MILLION OF OUR TAX DOLLARS should be appropriated to only the Northwest, and only Manufacturing within a defense bill.

People, do your homework. Make VERY SURE what you are voting on, and who you vote for. Pelosi and Murtha voted for ALL 19 proposals, and all 19 passed. Check HERE for your congressman’s record of voting. BE VERY AWARE OF PELOSI and her left wing antics. Before you know it, you’ll be saying the pledge of allegiance to Michael Moore, or Harry Reid, who isn’t far behind him.

Who Came First, The Chicken Or The EGG?

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Well, we've been wondering for YEARS... who came first, the chicken or the egg. Well, it seems the EGG is claiming that victory, and supposedly, there is some scientific proof... You make the call :)

Death And Taxes

WHAT IN THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO OUR COUNTRY? I’m afraid the up and coming “leadership” is an apple that might not fall far from this tree. This is what our past elected officials have voted in for us, in “elections on the Hill” that we had NO SAY IN. You either pay these directly, or if you’ve ever purchased some of these items, and looked at your itemized receipt or statement, you’ll see the charges. I call this TAXES 101. We’ll either die paying these taxes, or the payment of them will be the cause of our death.

· Accounts Receivable Tax
· Building Permit Tax
· Capital Gains Tax
· CDL License Tax
· Cigarette Tax
· Corporate Income Tax
· Court Fines (Indirect Taxes)
· Dog License Tax
· Federal Income Tax
· Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
· Fishing License Tax
· Food License Tax
· Fuel Permit Tax
· Gasoline Tax (Approx. $.42 per gallon)
· Hunting License Tax
· Inheritance Tax Interest Expense (tax on the money)
· Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges (Double Tax) (NEVADA doesn’t have this)
· IRS Penalties
· Liquor Tax
· Local Income Tax (NEVADA doesn’t have this either)
· Luxury Taxes
· Marriage License Tax
· Medicare Tax
· Property Tax
· Real Estate Tax
· Septic Permit Tax
· Service Charge Taxes
· Social Security Taxes
· Road Usage Taxes (Truckers pay this)
· Sales Tax
· Recreational Vehicle Tax
· Road Toll Booth Taxes
· School Tax
· State Income Tax (Nevada doesn’t have this either)
· State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
· Telephone Federal Excise Tax
· Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
· Telephone Federal State and Local Surcharge Tax
· Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
· Telephone Recurring and Non-Recurring Charges Tax
· Telephone State and Local Tax
· Telephone Usage Charge Tax
· Toll Bridge Tax
· Toll Tunnel Tax
· Traffic Fines (Indirect Taxation)
· Trailer Registration Tax
· Utility Taxes
· Vehicle License Registration Tax
· Vehicle Sales Tax
· Watercraft Registration Tax
· Well Permit Tax
· Worker’s Compensation Tax

COMMENTS: NOT ONE OF THESE TAXES EXISTED 100 YEARS AGO. AT THAT TIME, OUR NATION WAS THE MOST PROSPEROUS IN THE WORLD, WE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO NATIONAL DEBT, WE HAD THE LARGEST MIDDLE CLASS IN THE WORLD, AND MOM STAYED HOME TO RAISE THE KIDS.

YOU TELL ME…WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO THE USA???

Laser Engraved Thumb Drive - GREAT Christmas Gift

Here’s another great Christmas gift idea for the guy, or “geek” on your list. Give a LASER ENGRAVED Store-It-Thumb Drive. I’ve often called them jump drives. If you don’t know what they are, thumb drives are a portable pocket sized USB gadget that can store massive amounts of computer data that you can take from one computer to another.

Once, when traveling to San Francisco, I found one in the seat of a taxi cab I was in. The driver was “Mr. Personality”…Habib with an attitude, so I kept it. When I got back home, I put it in my computer and realized there was some really vital information on it from the company and owner of the thumb drive. Thankfully, I found a couple of documents on the drive written on company letterhead, and I was able to return it to its owner. He was quite thankful, and offered a nice reward. I declined, as it’s just nice to be able to do something nice for a complete stranger sometimes.

Anyway, check out the thumb drives offered by Pexagontech.com. You can purchase drives from 512mb, 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB, and ALL COME WITH FREE LASER ENGRAVING. Engraving would have kept me from having to search through someone’s personal data to find out how to return the drive to its owner. This company also has NO REQUIREMENTS on minimum purchases and NO SETUP CHARGES.

Give this gift to someone who would like to transfer or store photos, schoolwork, spreadsheets, or any computer data. You can even transfer MP3 files and music on these. Current specials are a 1GB drive for $20.99, or a 2GB high speed USB flash drive for $38.99.

Sunday, November 12

McQueen Lancers End 2006 Season

Each dynasty has a time when the end comes. The McQueen Lancer class of 2007 had their reign of glory end Friday in the round two playoff game. The Bishop Manogue Miners took us out, and will play the Galena Grizzlies next week for the Northern Nevada Regional Championship.

I haven’t had an opportunity to edit my film for a highlight of the disappointment yet, but I will post one at a later date. It was so sad to see the pain on the faces of the seniors, but I also remember many times we’ve had the blessing to celebrate, and others were heartbroken. It’s been a decade of highs and lows, but for me, it’s been a short lifetime of great memories. I have enjoyed these many years watching my amazing son play ball. I am so proud of him, and cannot thank him enough for the pleasure I’ve had being the rabid football mom over the last ten years.

McQueen High School is a fantastic school, and all be warned…the class of 2009 will probably be the next McQueen State Championship team. They are up and coming, and are (I believe) undefeated since they were freshman. And, again…many thanks to the unbelievable staff of LancerFan.com for years and years of highlight photos with the quality of shots for the pros. I will leave this football season not quite sure what I will do on Friday nights now, as my son will graduate in a few months. And, I will proudly post the last of this year’s highlight photos. Lancers, it’s been a real TREAT!

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Veterans Day - Honoring All Who Serve

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Veterans Day, formally called Armistice Day, is a day in which we honor all the heroes that have valiantly served our country, both in times of peace and in times of war. This weekend, I’d like to personally take a moment to say THANK YOU for my freedom that millions of you protect and fight for. Though not said often enough, never think your collective service to our country goes unnoticed. You are the reason America is the GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH! All gave some, and some gave all. Without our armed service men and women, life would surely be drastically different. May God be with all our veterans each day as they continue to keep America free.

Bank Foreclosures - Good Investment Opportunity

All investments carry a risk, but done right, Bank Forclosures can be a profitable way to invest your money. Bank homes often can be purchased at a 20% to 35% discount. Find bank foreclosures in all 50 states. Study ways to properly invest in foreclosures…get the most bang for your investment buck.