Jul 22 2009
Anyone who knows me knows that I love movies. There is rarely a movie I see that I can’t find some entertainment out of. So when I report that a movie is tedious, predictable, and seriously lacking in any ability to entertain, it is truly a sad moment.
Nov 08 2008
I wanted to repost a little snippet of a newsletter that I receive on taxes, so that everyone can see what an Obama administration REALLY means (i.e. the effect it has on your wallet):
Here are just a few of the things you’ll want to stay on top of:
· Barack Obama has called for greater financial sector oversight via creation of a financial market oversight commission to oversee liquidity, capital and disclosure requirements.
· He wants to streamline regulatory agencies to prevent overlap.
· He is looking for a greater role of SEC in preventing market manipulation.
NOTE: Bottomline, more government. The SEC is a huge powerhouse and sometimes just doesn’t make a lot of sense in their regulations. More power here could make it much tougher for entrepreneurial start-ups to raise capital. There’s an opportunity here.
· A ninety-day moratorium on home foreclosures and modification of bankruptcy laws.
NOTE: The mucking about Congress has done in the foreclosure process has created even more abandoned homes sitting around. Banks are not moving ahead with short sales because they don’t know what the next program is going to look like. Meanwhile, homeowners have just given up and moved on. There’s an opportunity here.
That’s just a few of the things that have been discussed. There is also the increase in capital gains tax, increased tax on dividends, no caps on Social Security tax (meaning a whole lot more payroll tax), loss of 401(k) deductibility, and increase to 39.6% for the federal income tax rate. Plus, don’t forget in 2010 we lose all the current estate tax laws and revert to a much more expensive program.
The talk is that this will only affect the rich. The problem is that “rich” keeps getting defined downward. Right now, if you’re making over $150,000 per year you are about to get thrown under the bus for huge tax increases. (Congratulations! You’re now rich!)
All of this is prediction. We don’t know what will happen and when it will happen. For you, the question is, “Are you prepared?”
Oct 31 2008
I recently talked with someone whose opinions I respect the other day, and he said something that disturbs me. He said you need to vote for candidate X because a vote for anyone else but candidate Y is really a vote for candidate Y (names withheld to protect the innocent). He meant to say that voting for candidate A, B, C, or Z will really support candidate Y because they won’t be votes for candidate X. (Sounds complicated without the names, but if you read it carefully, you can see what I mean.) I maybe naive, but a vote for candidate A, B, C, or Z is precisely that…a vote for candidate A, B, C or Z. It’s not wasted; no vote is ever wasted. And it is not a proxy vote for candidate Y.
Dec 05 2006
In typical Roger fashion, Rodgenet.net went down for a long time and is now back again in a different form. Keep checking for changes to this site in the near future as far as looks, and as far as Angelica and my adventures in trying to get Alex to sleep through the night.
