Saturday glory

What a splendid morning! Cool, sunny, clear and gorgeous.

I need to dust Ruby off, get gasoline, pick up the dry cleaning, drop off the dry cleaning, and clean the apartment. And take a nap. And do a bazillion other things.

Went out last night to our regular Whores of Baghdad meeting; Jarred LOVED his sunglasses. Was trying to torture the hooker by text messaging him; he wasn't playing ball. The boi didn't show up - and the crowd was WEIRD. Mikey and I left around 10:45, and I screwed around on the computer for a while.

PJ was all up in my business yesterday wanting me to send him a bus ticket so he could come down here -- after I told him I had plans all weekend, he said he could come down on Monday. Mikey wrote a few things that were particularly awesome, which I will reproduce here:

then you need to tell him about it or is the only time he asked to come down is when he is drunk. if he is sober when he is saying that you need to bring him down then just say I am sorry but this is not about you in any way shape or form its all about me cuz I am the one that has to do all the work w/o any appreciation or thanks and until you can take in my considerations in to your plans weather I want you down or not then we have nothing else to chat about as far as you coming for a visit.

then just lay it out for him and if he does not understand, then put it this way:
1. if I wanted to get a boi drunk to have sex I would get someone from EJ
2. Cheaper because I don't have to pay bus to & fro
3. they will be gone in a hour or 2 tops
4. they wont drink me out of house & home
5. wont treat me like shit for paying
6. Customer is always correct
7. when customer is wrong refer to item 6

I, however, didn't bother to send that on to PJ, as he just wouldn't understand it.

I have to find another computer. Hm. I need Curt to tell me where that computer store is that he goes to - they have extra super cheap stuff there. I just need a functional box and montior; have the keyboard and mouse.

I've been seeing this whole boi thing in a totally different light lately - as in, what do these bastards offer that is deserving of a free meal, let alone support? They're useless. It's quite liberating to shift my view of these idiots from that of something valuable and interesting to that of a total joke. Hey, you want to eat? Get a job.

Was researching some airfare for late 2005 travel last night - holy cow! I now see why Continental is making money. $400 to fly to SRQ for Christmas. $500 to fly to ALB for Thanksgiving. $550 to fly to YVR. However, the new EZE flight is only $2200 round trip in Z class, which is VERY appealing.

Clearly, I'm not going to make Elite this year. Unless I take all the trips I could stand through the end of the year. Blarg.

Looking foward to Dallas this next weekend. That should be a hoot.

Friday with Glasses

Jarred's sunglasses came in the mail today - they're attractive enough - who knows if they're knockoffs. No case came with them. I'll wrap them nicely and attach a card. The point was to impress him with something he wasn't expecting.

Had a wonderful lunch with Jeffrey today. I'm so glad he's moved to have his own agency; he's much happier.

Have some more work to crank out today, but I submitted a loan this morning and quoted another, sold a book, and worked on some tax returns.

Had an IM from PJ waiting when I came back from lunch:

12:52] PJ ver. 2.01: ok heres the deal. u know im broke, but if u want...i can get on a bus later tonight or tomorrow morning. those are the only times i can have a ride to the station. if u want me to be my freaky self, i can get something to have some fun with before i leave so i can have it with me there, but ill need a little help getting it. im broke:-/
[12:52] *** Auto-response sent to PJ ver. 2.01: I am currently away from the computer.
[12:58] PJ ver. 2.01: plz let e know something so i can secure a ride to the station if u want me to come visit. ill be in and out of the house all day.

This would be ME buying his bus ticket AND wiring him some play money AND putting up with him all weekend, his stupifying alcohol consumption and his "come here/go away" attitude.

I responded with "I already have plans for the entire weekend, sorry."

Ruby is awaiting .. something. This service writer doesn't return phone calls at all. It's like I'm having to chase them around for information and to get the car finished up. Irritating.

Nick is suddenly withdrawn and weird. Blarg at men, generally.

Talking with my online chum Janice last night, she was asking about whether employers could delay paydays. This led to a conversation in which I postulated that they needed better cash flow management, and to look at their pricing. I said "the need the Divo's help."

It looks like that could actually turn out!

The hooker's been communicating again. He's a goofball.

If this isn't proof, I don't know what is

Do people even read anymore? Do they have any concept of what's going on? Can anyone else read this and remain unconcerned about the
direction that these bastards are taking our country? This goes back FAR - what it does is restores to the wealthy the status quo ante to 1911 -
before we had an income tax. However, it does NOT bring any tax relief to those who have nothing. It does make it simpler - NO DEDUCTIONS. Just "what did you earn? Send in [this] much."

Are you really in favor of letting the wealthy pay NO tax on investment income, NO tax on capital gains, NO tax on inheritance, NO tax on property appreciation, and NO tax on passive income (rental property?) Are you REALLY in favor of having only those who aren't lucky enough
to own property and money that grows on its own pay the entire tab of the Federal government? What would it do to you to have your mortgage
deduction taken away, and your state property tax deduction taken away? Do you realize that your PERSONAL tax bill would increase sharply
as a result? Look at what else this proposes - NO MORE FAMILY DEDUCTIONS. No disability, no DEPENDANT deductions.

How can you read this and not want to go knock the snot out of the nearest Republican who lords over you how they're "fiscally conservative?" This isn't at ALL conservative, it's a GOD DAMNED REVOLUTION and no one's talking about it.

Bush advisory panel pushes simplified tax filing process
Home mortgage deduction would be done away with
By JESSICA HOLZER
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

SUMMARY
The tax panel's proposals would simplify the filing process

• Simplifying taxes: A presidential advisory panel proposed two plans for making it easier to file income taxes.

• What they would do: Both plans would eliminate or redesign most deductions and credits, including those relating to health benefits and home mortgages.

• Initial reaction: Some lawmakers expressed concern that taxpayers in their states could lose out under the proposals. The White House has made no commitment to accept the recommendations.

WASHINGTON - President Bush's tax-advisory panel backed an overhaul of the tax code Tuesday that would slash levies on investment income, make it easier for Americans to save tax-free and repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax — a parallel tax system introduced in 1969 to ensure that the wealthy paid taxes but that has increasingly ensnared the middle class.

However, people should not expect their tax bills to shrink, panel members said, because the proposals would also kill or cap many popular tax breaks and credits, including education, state and local taxes and the home mortgage-interest deduction, which many politicians consider sacrosanct.

Instead of the deduction, homeowners with modest mortgages, adjusted by region, would get a tax credit of 15 percent of their interest payments.

In place of losing the current tax breaks, taxpayers would get a reduction in marginal income tax rates, lower taxes on some investments and new retirement and family tax savings plans.

'Simple, fair, pro-growth'
Still, the tax panel said its centerpiece proposal — the so-called "simplified income tax" — will be a huge improvement over the current system.

"It's a simple, fair, pro-growth plan," former Sen. Connie Mack, R-Fla., the panel's chairman, said.

The simplified income tax would cut the number of tax brackets from six to four, pushing 75 percent of taxpayers into the bottom 15 percent bracket. It would also ease tax-filing paperwork, in part by collapsing the numerous family and personal tax breaks into one family credit.

"Most taxpayers will be able to file on one page and pay at one rate," said Charles Rossotti, a panel member and former Internal Revenue Service Commissioner.

President Bush asked the nine-member, bipartisan panel to recommend changes in the tax code that would eliminate the minimum tax without reducing revenues. The tax is projected to generate $1.3 trillion for the Treasury over the next 10 years.

To encourage savings and investment, all dividends paid out by U.S. corporations would be tax free and capital gains rates would be cut to between 3.75 percent and 8.75 percent. The plan would also set up three savings plans that would replace numerous ones currently available for retirement, medical expenses and education.

Effect on health benefits
Aside from crimping the mortgage interest and other deductions, the plan would also cap the unlimited employer-health insurance deduction to $11,500 for families and $5,000 for individuals. As a result, workers might see their employer-provided health benefits trimmed.

The abolition of the state and local tax deduction would likely rouse taxpayer opposition in states, such as New York, with hefty property and state taxes.

Panel members said eliminating these deductions is the best way to pay for the repeal of the AMT, which was established to ensure that wealthy taxpayers with many deductions would still pay some taxes. The Alternative Minimum Tax will affect 4 million taxpayers this year and is projected to include 51.3 million by 2015.

As an alternative proposal, the panel also endorsed "the progressive consumption tax" — which comes closer to a fundamental overhaul of the tax code.

The plan's selling point is a provision to allow businesses to write off all purchases of equipment and other capital investments immediately, an idea that economists say would spur more capital investment and faster growth.

I could just dance around in circles

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Tuesday - calls and clean up

Another conversation last night with LGL about renting and "throwing your money away." I mentioned something about that to Donna last night in an email, and she suggested this:

Buying vs. Leasing. My CPA spent some time with me once demonstrating how buying was NOT better than renting. After he scribbled all the numbers on paper, including appreciation, it was a wash. The argument for renting was pretty compelling. But so is the "American Dream." I fell for it.

So, looping back around this morning with LGL - he's still convinced that one is "throwing money away." So, I just sent him four projections that prove renting is better in the absence of significant property appreciation.

Funny, huh?

Of course, if I were willing to live in a ranch house outside the beltway, I'd have a different set of facts, but I'm just NOT.

Monday, Monday ver. 644.01

So, here we are. Another day of uncooperative realtors, illogical lenders and work work work. At least I'm getting paid for this effort, unlike my last mortgage gig.

One tomorrow, one Thursday, one next Wednesday and hopefully, a huge one on Halloween.

Plus all of these scofflaw tax returns. I guess I'll get caught up on a bunch of those tomorrow.

Ruby needs, as I intuited, a new water pump. And new radiator hoses (she's still got the originals.) And a new serpentine belt (#3) And a new thermostat. And a new electrical relay under the back seat. It's going to cost a grand.

Joel the meth addict was to have met up with me today and paid me more money. He made excuses for each time that he set; I'm just giving up. What's the point? He's a liar, and he's not a nice person.

Faxed off solicitations for my (now approved) book to everyone on the list today. Tomorrow, I'm just going to have to buckle down and call them all. I think that Donna has a point that they'll respond to phone calls in a way that they won't if I just fax.

It would be most helpful to sell about six sets of this book by Wednesday.

MOST helpful.

Spent some time organizing personal files today; more of that needs doing, as well as all of the fabulair files and ..

CP was doing my "charts" today. He always has such interesting insights.

What to do? I have enough work to do tonight to keep me busy all night. I don't feel like it, though.

Sunday evening

Today was something else. I was up late, again, and had to bust my buns to get to church remotely on time. Church was great; a small group, but it was great. Came home and quickly did another tax return, then called CP about catching a ride to return Nicole's car to her.

Oh, that's right - you don't know. Ruby coughed up a lung last night and had to be towed to her favorite mechanic from League City. Her cooling system sprayed itself all over the inside of the engine compartment, and she was overheating. After Mikey came down and rescued us, Nicole offered to loan me her car so that I could make it to church today unimpeded.

CP's boyfriend followed me to Nicole's, and then to the garage, where I learned that the tow driver was correct; I had not included the door key. Ruby was quietly waiting treatment, and R brought me back home. Since then, I've been cracking up laughing at Mikey's antics - I don't know if he was sucking laughing gas today or what, but he was HILARIOUS. Then, I re-organized power strips and the like here in the den, and now I'm thinking I should take this time to finish the thank you cards that I should have sent out a week ago. Yeah, right.

The laundry is done, and after I vacuum, I'll be in good shape as far as housework goes.

Talked to Nick today a bit again. He's feeling better, it seems. I had a dream about him this morning. I think he's going to come down on Friday this week, which will be a boon, as I have a TON of office work for him to do for me.

I just need to get him a computer, get it on the local network, network the printer, blah, blah.

Joel the meth addict is proposing to meet me for breakfast to give me cash he owes me and get some advice on how to proceed with a landlord issue he has.