Did you know that, every time you make a purchase online, you are required to pay state (and possibly other) tax on it- probably?
Did you know that, if the seller- whether it was a big retailer like Amazon or just another person like yourself- doesn't tell you the amount due or collect that tax, you are required to find out how much you were supposed to pay and submit it to the applicable state, along with the appropriate tax form, which you can obtain online through the states' websites? At least, I think that's what you're supposed to do.
Did you know that the states either have now or are going to soon get the power to find out what you have purchased online- even going back several years, if possible- and whether or not you paid the taxes on it? And they're going to come after you for what they think you owe, with all the usual compassion and understanding tax collectors are known for.
This article may (or may not) clarify things for you, as it did (or didn't) for me.
I think it was stupid of the states to allow this situation to exist in the first place. Having allowed it this long, attempting to "fix" it now, and in this manner, is beyond belief.
It would be like the union trying to come after me now- more than a decade since I had the job- for dues I didn't pay because they didn't collect them themselves but expected me to make a special trip to a part of town I don't ever go to, just to pay them for something that I didn't want, that was of no benefit to me, and that they had no right to take. And that I couldn't afford.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Weird Things That Can Happen To You
Maybe it's a sign that I'm spending too much time on the computer, but I've come across a few really strange stories lately, and I'd like to share them with you. So I don't have to be freaked out all by myself.
Among the bizarre things I've found out are these:
Migraines can have some strange after-effects.
You can get a lot more than sore muscles from Wii Fit.
You can get a lot more than a sore arm from a flu shot.
(Or maybe not.)
You could be a twin and not know it.
Ok, that's enough for now. It looks like these are true stories, but you can never be sure these days.
Among the bizarre things I've found out are these:
Migraines can have some strange after-effects.
You can get a lot more than sore muscles from Wii Fit.
You can get a lot more than a sore arm from a flu shot.
(Or maybe not.)
You could be a twin and not know it.
Ok, that's enough for now. It looks like these are true stories, but you can never be sure these days.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
It ought to be a crime
What are the chances, if you see a young couple in the vicinity of a military base- he buff and with a high and tight, she obviously, adoringly in love with him- that they're military?
What are the odds, if you hear them mention "Mass" and it's a Sunday, that they're Catholic?
What kind of bets would you place, when drawn into conversation by a couple of middle-aged lesbians, that the dykes would take the opportunity to bash the military, Catholics, and heterosexuals- simultaneously, with glee, and with impunity?
But we can't say a damn thing in response, or it would be a federal hate crime.
They're just lucky I wasn't there: I wouldn't mind going to prison, now that I've quit smoking.
What are the odds, if you hear them mention "Mass" and it's a Sunday, that they're Catholic?
What kind of bets would you place, when drawn into conversation by a couple of middle-aged lesbians, that the dykes would take the opportunity to bash the military, Catholics, and heterosexuals- simultaneously, with glee, and with impunity?
But we can't say a damn thing in response, or it would be a federal hate crime.
They're just lucky I wasn't there: I wouldn't mind going to prison, now that I've quit smoking.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
I Quit!
I mentioned in an earlier post here that I have been smoking for a long time- 37 years, in fact- and that, no matter how much I wanted to or how hard I tried, I was never able to quit. I tried a few of the expensive and ineffective aids they came out with, but none of them helped me deal with the intense withdrawal I always suffered; eventually I gave up hope and resigned myself to the sad fact that I would probably be a smoker for the rest of my life- or at least until they made cigarettes illegal. After that, I'd have to either grow my own, or be locked up.
My son married a smoker, and got her to try to quit by promising to buy a certain vehicle she'd had her eye on ever since they'd rented one on a visit here- if she managed to stay off cigarettes for a year. She tried so hard. She used the patch, too, but it didn't help.
Then she tried electronic cigarettes. She chose Volcano because they appeared to be the best available, according to people who use these things, and because they are based in Hawaii, where she lives at present.
They worked for her. She called so often to tell me how wonderful they were and that I should try them- and that they would buy a starter kit for me if I wanted to- that I started to believe. I could hardly wait for mine to arrive, after researching e-cigs in general, and Volcano e-cigs in particular.
When they finally came in the mail 2 days ago, I got one going as fast as I could. And I haven't smoked a single cigarette since then.
That is quite an accomplishment, considering that I was up to about 2 and a half packs a day (more when stressed out).
My daughter-in-law was so impressed with this product that she started working for the company. I also hope to help sell them someday, but for now I'll just try to get the word out to other smokers who want to quit and can't.
E-cigs work for us because they give us the nicotine we've become addicted to by smoking, and provide a reasonable facsimile of the act of smoking, for those who have the habit. If you don't know that it's an e-cig, it's easy to be fooled: Volcanoes look very much like a regular cigarette (although they also come in black and red), and they can produce a vapor that looks just like smoke. They don't stink, although the vapor does have a faint, pleasant odor. They come in a variety of flavors, which I appreciate as a former smoker: since it's not tobacco, there's no reason it has to taste like it. But various flavors of tobacco are also available- that is all I've used so far, and it's not half-bad, especially compared to the lousy cigarettes I was forced to start smoking when they drastically increased tobacco product prices a while ago. They also come with various strengths of nicotine, including none at all. I am, of course, currently using the strongest cartridges Volcano offers, and it is sufficient to keep my mind off cigarettes- a miracle, to me- while the act of vaping, as it is called, keeps me busy and helps break the habit of lighting up. (Now, what to do with all those ashtrays the neighbor gave me, which he got from a restaurant when our state outlawed smoking in so many places.)
Of course, since we live in an imperfect world and some people are just control freaks who like to make others suffer, there have been efforts to stop the sale and use of e-cigs. Oregon outlawed 2 companies from selling them; some companies have had their shipments seized by customs (they are all manufactured in China- I think- presently); and the FDA recently lost its attempt to put itself in a position to make e-cigs much more expensive, while doing nothing that it actually should concerning this product, much as it has done with cigarettes all these years.
Groups like this one have formed to educate consumers and protect us from the FDA. There's some good reading on that site.
Here is an interesting viewpoint from the American Council on Science and Health.
So if you smoke, and have given up on quitting or are just having a hard time trying to, please do yourself a huge favor and try e-cigs. I can almost promise you that you'll be glad you did.
My son married a smoker, and got her to try to quit by promising to buy a certain vehicle she'd had her eye on ever since they'd rented one on a visit here- if she managed to stay off cigarettes for a year. She tried so hard. She used the patch, too, but it didn't help.
Then she tried electronic cigarettes. She chose Volcano because they appeared to be the best available, according to people who use these things, and because they are based in Hawaii, where she lives at present.
They worked for her. She called so often to tell me how wonderful they were and that I should try them- and that they would buy a starter kit for me if I wanted to- that I started to believe. I could hardly wait for mine to arrive, after researching e-cigs in general, and Volcano e-cigs in particular.
When they finally came in the mail 2 days ago, I got one going as fast as I could. And I haven't smoked a single cigarette since then.
That is quite an accomplishment, considering that I was up to about 2 and a half packs a day (more when stressed out).
My daughter-in-law was so impressed with this product that she started working for the company. I also hope to help sell them someday, but for now I'll just try to get the word out to other smokers who want to quit and can't.
E-cigs work for us because they give us the nicotine we've become addicted to by smoking, and provide a reasonable facsimile of the act of smoking, for those who have the habit. If you don't know that it's an e-cig, it's easy to be fooled: Volcanoes look very much like a regular cigarette (although they also come in black and red), and they can produce a vapor that looks just like smoke. They don't stink, although the vapor does have a faint, pleasant odor. They come in a variety of flavors, which I appreciate as a former smoker: since it's not tobacco, there's no reason it has to taste like it. But various flavors of tobacco are also available- that is all I've used so far, and it's not half-bad, especially compared to the lousy cigarettes I was forced to start smoking when they drastically increased tobacco product prices a while ago. They also come with various strengths of nicotine, including none at all. I am, of course, currently using the strongest cartridges Volcano offers, and it is sufficient to keep my mind off cigarettes- a miracle, to me- while the act of vaping, as it is called, keeps me busy and helps break the habit of lighting up. (Now, what to do with all those ashtrays the neighbor gave me, which he got from a restaurant when our state outlawed smoking in so many places.)
Of course, since we live in an imperfect world and some people are just control freaks who like to make others suffer, there have been efforts to stop the sale and use of e-cigs. Oregon outlawed 2 companies from selling them; some companies have had their shipments seized by customs (they are all manufactured in China- I think- presently); and the FDA recently lost its attempt to put itself in a position to make e-cigs much more expensive, while doing nothing that it actually should concerning this product, much as it has done with cigarettes all these years.
Groups like this one have formed to educate consumers and protect us from the FDA. There's some good reading on that site.
Here is an interesting viewpoint from the American Council on Science and Health.
So if you smoke, and have given up on quitting or are just having a hard time trying to, please do yourself a huge favor and try e-cigs. I can almost promise you that you'll be glad you did.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
At Least They Let Her Go To School
...so we can't call them complete and total, bass-ackward morons, right?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
We Can Hope, Anyway
This can of worms might end up being the straw that breaks the healthcare reform camel's back.
The comments on the article have some interesting points.
The comments on the article have some interesting points.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Another Attempt at Rewriting History
This ought to be interesting.
If nothing else, it might show us what to watch for as Obama continues to destroy capitalism in our country and tries to impose socialist "solutions" to the problems he's creating.
Since Ollie included McCarthy in his list, maybe he'll join with Ann Coulter and a very few others in attempting to set the record straight on this much-maligned American hero. (Not going to hold my breath on that one, though, since Stone himself places his viewpoint to the left of the NYT. That is one sad, strange little man.)
If nothing else, it might show us what to watch for as Obama continues to destroy capitalism in our country and tries to impose socialist "solutions" to the problems he's creating.
Since Ollie included McCarthy in his list, maybe he'll join with Ann Coulter and a very few others in attempting to set the record straight on this much-maligned American hero. (Not going to hold my breath on that one, though, since Stone himself places his viewpoint to the left of the NYT. That is one sad, strange little man.)
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