100pumpkins

NapEZY: Stimulus Payment Info

100roses — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:37:03 +0000

This year, taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus Payment. This is a very exciting new program that I will explain using the Q and A format:

    Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment? ~ A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.
    Q. Where will the government get this money? ~ A. From taxpayers.
    Q. So the government is giving me back my own money? ~ A. Only a smidgen.
    Q. What is the purpose of this payment? ~ A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.
    Q. But isn’t that stimulating the economy of China? ~ A. Shut up.
    Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the US economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:
    If you spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.
    If you spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs.
    If you purchase a computer it will go to India.
    If you purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala (unless you buy organic).
    If you buy a car it will go to Japan.
    If you purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan.
    And none of it will help the American economy.
    We need to keep that money here in America. You can keep the money in America by spending it at yard sales, going to a baseball game, or spend it on prostitutes, beer and wine (domestic ONLY), or tattoos, since those are the only businesses still in the US.

source: a forum with no name (jualt@aol.com)

Best And Worst Cities For Renters

100roses — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:23:21 +0000

Matt Woolsey, 01.07.08, 6:00 PM ET

In Pictures: Least Expensive Cities For Renters

In Pictures: Most Expensive Cities For Renters

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Writing a monthly rent check often feels like lighting money on fire. You’ll never again see that cash, you build no equity and there are no tax benefits.

But renting makes sense to those unwilling or unable to buy a home in an uncertain housing market. The number of such Americans seems to be growing; last month mortgage applications fell to their lowest level in a year.

That’s good news for landlords–especially those in New York City and San Francisco. In these cities, tenants pay the highest rents in the country by a significant margin. Those renting a median-level place in the five boroughs can expect to pay $2,922 a month this year. That’s up 6.6% from last year. In the City by the Bay, it’s a more affordable $1,904. Here, though, rents are growing faster than anywhere else; they’re up 7.8% from last year. Renters in Columbus, Ohio, are better off; there, they pay $626 a month.

Complete List: America’s Most Expensive Rental Markets

Complete List: America’s Least Expensive Rental Markets

These numbers were provided by Marcus & Millichap, an Encino, Calif.-based real estate investment firm. Its researchers looked at 2007 year-end rents in America’s 40 largest cities, then estimated 2008 figures based on a combination of vacancy rates, new-construction projects and job growth.

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Of the three, vacancy rates most affect price acceleration. In the sales market, a 5% unsold inventory equals a glut, whereas in the rental market, a 5% vacancy rate indicates a healthy market. Areas like Indianapolis, with an 8.6% vacancy rate, experience slower increases than cities like Chicago, which has a 4.5% vacancy rate.

Behind The Numbers
Still, there’s a little more to the figures than basic supply and demand. New York’s 2.8% vacancy rate keeps prices high, of course. But what also plays a role are the incomes of its renters. High home prices keep middle-income and upper-income residents here renting. They can afford, and demand, higher value properties than are rented in other cities. In addition, landlords can charge more, so long as the cost to rent remains significantly below the cost to buy. At the lowest quartile price–the 25% mark–the rents paid by residents in New York, Las Vegas and Charlotte, N.C., are almost identical. It’s as rents head toward the median and to the top quartile that the divergence becomes most striking.

Expected construction also adds a wrinkle to the present rental market. More inventory slows price growth. Cincinnati, for example, is expected to see 100% more new homes this year. As a result, rental prices are only expected to jump 2.7% in 2008, one of the lowest increases nationwide. Now consider Washington, D.C., where a paltry 2% rise in new construction contributes to an expected 5% rise in District rents.

Job growth also affects renters. Salt Lake City has one of the fastest rates of new construction, but it isn’t fast enough to keep up with job growth. A 3.1% uptick in jobs is the highest of any city measured, and the result has been a steady stream of new citizens moving to the city. More jobs, more people and higher wages have lifted prices in both the rental market and sales market there.

Throughout the country, slow sales mean more opportunities for renters as developers and homeowners look to lease their properties while they await hungry buyers. That’s what’s happening in southern Florida as condo developers saddled with excess inventory try their hands in the rental market. But don’t expect to see monthly rents slide; most of Miami’s unsold condos qualify as high-end and don’t compete with much of the rental stock. Miami’s top-flight apartments will see slower rent growth due to the influx, while median-level renters face one of the nation’s tightest rental markets.

By contrast, in Phoenix, where far less of the housing overstock classifies as luxury, the shadow market of newly constructed homes doubling as rentals will have a far greater effect on the traditional rental market, according to Marcus & Millichap, which estimates that rental vacancies will balloon by almost a full percentage point, despite thousands of Phoenix residents moving to the rental market to escape their resetting Alt-A adjustable-rate mortgages.

———————————————————————————————————————-

If you’re thinking about dipping a toe in the buying pool in these cities, it won’t cost you much to wait it out. Based on research from Marcus & Millichap, an Encino, Calif.-based real estate investment firm, these are the cities where median rents are the cheapest, and are expected to stay that way through 2008, based on new construction rates, vacancy rates, present prices and job-growth figures.

Columbus, Ohio

$626

Rent in the Midwest is traditionally cheaper than those in cities along the coasts. That should remain the case this year in Columbus, where a 300% rise in the construction of residential rentals is expected to take a significant amount of pressure off the market–one that is largely shaped by Ohio State University, the nation’s largest college. Vacancy rates are expected to remain relatively high, at 6.3%.

Indianapolis, Ind.

$634

The most affordable housing market in the country is also one of the most affordable rental markets. How so? Since it’s so cheap to buy, it’s difficult for landlords to demand high rents from residents who can very easily buy and build equity. This year, rents are expected to grow a modest 2.4%, and vacancy rates will remain extremely high, at 8.6%.

Kansas City, Mo.

$655

Despite cheap rents, Kansas City’s 5.7% vacancy rate isn’t particularly high. Still, renters should expect to pay only 3% more this year since new construction will be flat. There were 1,200 new rental units on the market this year. By the end of 2008, that number will drop to 500, based on Marcus & Millichap’s estimates.

San Antonio, Texas

$662

A strange duck in this housing market, San Antonio has plenty of subprime mortgages and subsequent defaults, yet home-sale prices have inched steadily higher. They are so affordable that there isn’t as much of an incentive for potential buyers to stay in the rental market. This and a dip in inventory should help rents stay relatively steady; they are expected to increase by a modest 2.8%.

Cincinnati, Ohio

$668

The weak Queen City housing market has expanded the renters’ pool, though an expected 100% increase in new unit construction, and anticipated slow job growth means that rents should rise only 2.7%

Saint Louis, Mo.

$679

Affordable housing prices keep rents low, since there are less buyers seeking refuge in the rental market. St. Louis tenants should expect a 3% monthly increase next year. New-apartment construction will be mostly in the Golden Triangle area, while luxury-rental developments are expected in the Clayton area.

Cleveland, Ohio

$702

Residential foreclosures have hit the Cleveland market pretty hard recently, and depending on how quickly or effectively relief programs address the situation, expect to see a high number of Cleveland residents moving into the Class-B and Class-C renting pools. With construction down almost 30% from last year, vacancy rates are expected to shrink 20 basis points, to 5.2%.

Houston, Texas

$707

The monthly cost of median rental isn’t too far off from a mortgage payment here, though renters can get pretty large scale concessions since the city’s 11% vacancy rate is the highest in the country, and four times that of New York, the country’s most expensive rental market. As a result, despite strong expected job growth, rents are expected to rise only 3%.

Dallas, Texas

$716

Even though Dallas is expected to experience strong job growth and high domestic in-migration, with vacancy rates holding steady at a hefty 8.5%, rents are expected to rise only 3.3%. Renters have an affordable housing market not badly burned by risky loans and a 52% increase in expected new rentals to thank.

Salt Lake City, Utah

$726

A 125% increase in new construction would slow price growth in an average city, but not Salt Lake, where job growth and in-migration has tightened supply to such a degree that both the sales and rental markets have expanded rapidly. The growth of wealth and the influx of people have outpaced new supply, making Salt Lake City one of the few areas good for developers looking to lease and sell.

source: Forbes.com, AOL Real Estate

Companies That Hire Part-Time Workers

100roses — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:46:23 +0000

Posted Feb 11th 2009 3:36PM

By Molly Hallman, Payscale.com

Can you imagine how simple your life would be if you never had to drive to work? If you have the self-discipline to work from home, the right opportunity could help you get back those commute hours and gain some extra time each day to do whatever you want. If you’re wondering where you can find such a job in a waning economy, here are seven companies hiring for work from home right now.

1. Alpine Access
Website: www.alpineaccess.com
Job Title: Customer care professional
This forward thinking company plans to hire 1200 new employees in the first three months of 2009, with starting salaries ranging from $8-14 per hour. “We look for people who are self-motivated, self-reliant problem solvers who have a strong work ethic,” says Remi Killeen, Recruitment Manager at Alpine Access. Besides offering the flexibility to work from home, Alpine Access, a virtual call center, provides healthcare benefits, 401K, flexible work schedules and opportunities to grow. Each worker is an actual company employee with regular work hours and assignments.

2. HireMyMom.com
Website: www.hiremymom.com
Job Titles: Virtual assistant, professional blogger
HireMyMom.com is a web-based job service designed especially for professional working mothers. Founder and President, Lesley Spencer Pyle, says the two most popular positions HireMyMom.com fills are professional blogger and virtual assistant. Bloggers write about their employer’s company, products, or services, often in response to user inquiries or industry discussion. They use specific “keywords” in their responses to get favorable web search engine rankings. A virtual assistant is a professional office administrative assistant who works from home.

3. Sylvan Online
Website: www.sylvan.com
Job Title: On-line certified teacher
Do you have experience teaching but aren’t interested in managing an entire classroom? Sylvan Online may work for you. It’s a web-based tutoring service that seeks certified teachers to tutor various subjects and levels. Job requirements include a current teaching certificate, a Windows-based PC and high speed internet access. Sylvan offers paid training on-line and opportunities range from 8 to 29 hours per week.

4. National Shopping Service
Website: www.nationalshoppingservice.com
Job Title: Mystery shopper/researcher
Do you love to shop? Do you like to share your opinion? You can make money doing both. A mystery shopper earns perks or a paycheck for helping companies learn about their products and customer service. Paycheck amounts range from “$5.00 to $25.00 for a fifteen to sixty minute engagement,” says Matt Wozniak, President & CEO of National Shopping Service. “The vast majority of mystery shoppers do not mystery shop for a living, although we have had a few earning over $40,000 a year. It’s a great way to pick up a free pizza on your way to get the kids from soccer or get some free gasoline.”

5. oDesk
Website: www.oDesk.com
Job Title: Various professionals
If you have experience in software development, web design, language translation and other computer-based careers, your skills may be in demand for work at home. Recently featured on Good Morning America, oDesk lets job seekers apply for contract jobs, large and small. Job seekers search jobs listings which include the job requirements, pay and estimated time commitments. “Our business has three components — hire, manage and pay,” says Gary Swart, CEO of oDesk. Plus, you don’t have to submit invoices for your contract work, which saves time.

From AOL Coaches: Make Money From Home >>

6. Working Solutions
Website: www.workingsolutions.com
Job Titles: Transcriptionist, customer service representative
Are you a speedy and accurate typist? You might be interested in a contract position as a transcriptionist, someone who types down information from a recording, live reading or conversation. Established in 1996, Working Solutions hires independent contract agents for various transcription and customer service assignments. You can earn up to $30 an hour if you have the right skill-set and experience.

7. Language Lab
Website: www.languagelab.com
Job Titles: Teacher, actor, customer service representative
The best way to learn a language is to go someplace where you can practice with native speakers. “English Town” is such a place, minus the expensive travel and time away from work. Using a computer and internet connection, at-home students visit a virtual city where teachers help them learn English as a second language. Language Lab is looking for English teachers to participate in this fun teaching environment. Shiv Rajendran, Director of Operations at Languagelab.com says, “Teachers need to be native English speakers, Celta or Delta certified with five years of teaching experience.” Celta and Delta certifications are not college degrees, but post-high school certifications. The company also plans to hire actors and part-time customer service reps.

source: AOL News, today

Best March Deals

100roses — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:40:16 +0000

Gary Hoffman | AOL Autos

With auto sales in a deep slump, manufacturers have loaded so many incentives on their vehicles they may need more horsepower to haul them around. A year ago, you would have been hard-pressed to find a single incentive on a subcompact or a hybrid vehicle. Automakers were content to let the vehicle’s fuel efficiency or the appeal of its new technology drive sales. Today, however, there are cash and financing incentives on hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Camry, and the Chevrolet Malibu, although their availability may vary from region to region. The same is true for gas misers like the Toyota Yaris, the Chevrolet Aveo, the Pontiac G5 and the Ford Focus. By contrast, pickup truck incentives aren’t as high as they were a year ago. After soaring gas prices of mid-2008, domestic and Japanese automakers have slashed production, reducing the need for rebates of $4,000 to $6,000. The lesson of these measures ought to be clear to consumers: The best deals may not be around forever. So if you see a great incentive on the compact car, family car, crossover, pickup or luxury car you have been eyeing, it might be a good idea to take the plunge and buy it.

See a Deal on a Specific Car Below or View the Gallery: 20 Great March Deals

Compact Cars	Family Cars	Pickups	Luxury Cars	Crossovers
Ford Focus	Subaru Legacy	Dodge Ram	BMW 528i	Mazda CX-7
Toyota Corolla	Mercury Sable	Ford F-150	Acura TL	Chevrolet Traverse
Chevrolet Cobalt	Chevrolet Malibu	Chevrolet Silverado	Infiniti G37	Subaru Forester
Mazda3	Toyota Camry	GMC Canyon	Cadillac DTS	Dodge Journey

Editor’s Pick: 2009 Ford F-150

In the old days, the redesigned F-150 would have qualified as the kind of hot new product that didn’t need much in the way of incentives. But today shoppers can look forward to several thousand dollars in rebates or low-rate financing (sometimes combined with a cash rebate) as their personal “stimulus package.” The new F-150′s incentives are actually bigger than those for some older pickup models. Customers choosing Ford’s contender get a rugged full-size truck designed for the world of work and outdoor recreation. At 19 mpg highway, it certainly doesn’t have fuel economy suited to our era of diminished expectations, but its all-around capability makes it the perfect vehicle for people wanting to stop sitting around and complaining and get out and finally do something. You have your choice of three V8s (a 2-valve 4.6-liter V8 matched with a 4-speed automatic transmission, and a 3-valve 4.6-liter or 5.4-liter V8 mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission) and a nearly limitless combination of trim, configuration and equipment. There is little minimalist about its plush interior or available amenities either. For example, it offers the SYNC voice-activated mobile phone and digital music system, a trailer brake controller, and a remote starter system as options.

Please Note: These deals only apply to the month listed above.

source: AOL News, today

Social Security

100roses — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:26:08 +0000

Social security, government program designed to provide for the basic economic security and welfare of individuals and their dependents. The programs classified under the term social security differ from one country to another, but all are the result of government legislation and all are designed to provide some kind of monetary payment to defray a loss of or a deficiency in income.In Other CountriesA social security program was adopted first in Germany in the 1880s, when Chancellor Otto von Bismarck advocated social legislation not only in order to benefit the workers but also to forestall the program of the socialists and gain the support of the workers for his own party. Legislation setting up compulsory sickness insurance, for which the worker paid two thirds of the cost and the employer one third, was passed in Germany in 1883. Compulsory old-age insurance (see pension), the cost of which the employee, employer, and government shared, was adopted in 1889; unemployment insurance legislation, however, was not passed until 1927.

As economic insecurity among workers in the highly industrialized countries spread, an increasing number of social security programs were enacted. In Great Britain, the National Insurance Act, devised by David Lloyd George, was passed in 1911, and a compulsory unemployment insurance program as well as old-age insurance and sickness insurance programs were established. The unemployment insurance system excluded many workers, notably government employees, nurses, casual workers, and those who earned over £250 per annum. A survivors insurance program was adopted (1925); in 1942, Parliament was presented with a plan, by Sir William Henry Beveridge, for a more expanded social security program, much of which was enacted after World War II.

France adopted in 1905 a program of voluntary unemployment insurance and in 1928 made insurance plans for old age and sickness mandatory. Meanwhile, diverse social security programs were adopted throughout Europe, differing from country to country as to the kinds of insurance instituted, the categories of workers eligible, the proportions paid by employee, employer, and government, the conditions for receipt of benefits, the amounts of the benefits, and finally in the overall effects of the programs. In 1922, the Soviet Union adopted comprehensive social security plans as part of their socialist economy. Chile became (1924) the first Latin American country to adopt a social security program.

In the United StatesThe United States did not have social security on a national level until 1935, when the Social Security Act was passed as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal program. The act established two social insurance programs: a federal-state program of unemployment compensation and a federal program of old-age retirement insurance. It also provided for federal grants to assist the states with programs for the disabled, the aged, child welfare services, public health services, and vocational rehabilitation. The compulsory old-age insurance paid benefits proportionate to prior earnings for persons over 65, with a reserve fund being accumulated through payroll taxes on employers and employees; the rate of the tax was originally set at 1%.

The original Social Security Act of 1935 covered only workers in commercial and industrial occupations, but since then several major amendments have increased the categories of persons eligible for benefits. The amendment of 1939 provided for benefits to the dependents and survivors of workers; an amendment in 1950 broadened the coverage to include full-time farm and domestic workers, many self-employed persons, employees of state and local governments, and employees of nonprofit organizations; later amendments extended coverage to members of the armed forces and to self-employed professionals; and a 1957 amendment provided benefits to insured workers 50 years of age and older who became permanently and totally disabled. The age of eligibility for retirement benefits was lowered from 65 to 62, but with lower benefits for persons retiring before 65.

In 1965, Congress enacted the Medicare program, providing medical benefits for persons over the age of 65, and an accompanying Medicaid program for the indigent regardless of age. A 1972 amendment tied increases in Social Security retirement benefits to increases in the Consumer Price Index. In 1974, Social Security insurance was taken over by the Social Security Administration, and in 1983 an amendment allowed partial taxation of the benefits given to upper-income recipients. In 1999, payroll deductions for Social Security were set at 6.2% of annual wages below $72,600, and payroll deductions for Medicare were 1.45% of annual wages (no upper limit), with employers contributing matching amounts.

Social Security funds are invested in federal securities, mainly long-term bonds. In 1997 a government advisory panel proposed that some of the revenues be invested in stocks and bonds to generate higher returns. The panel was divided over whether the money should be invested by the government or by individuals, as well as the amount that should be shifted from government bonds. Both approaches have their critics. Some regard government investment in stocks as a potential source of intrusive federal influence on U.S. businesses; others feel that allowing individuals to invest their Social Security funds would endanger the minimal postretirement safety net for all workers that the program is designed to provide if individuals invest unwisely. President George W. Bush, who campaigned for personal Social Security investment accounts, appointed (2001) a commission that offered several options for allowing individual investments in stocks and bonds as part of the Social Security program and for securing the program’s financial health; it estimated that it would take as much as $3 trillion of additional revenue over the next 75 years and reductions in guaranteed benefits to accomplish both goals.

Underlying these proposals is the anticipation that the costs of the program as presently structured will outstrip the revenues raised and invested in the early to mid-21st cent. and that benefits will have to be paid from revenues alone, which are expected to be inadequate. If this occurs, Social Security will place a greater burden on the federal budget, and benefits may need to be reduced, or taxes increased, significantly. Although historical returns from investment in stock and bonds over the past century suggest that placing funds in those securities would forestall the program’s financial difficulties, the dramatic fluctations in stock prices during and after the market bubble of the late 1990s has given many pause, particularly where individual investment accounts are concerned.

Administration of retirement, survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI) and supplemental security income (SSI) programs is vested in the Social Security Administration. The administration was part of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services until becoming an independent agency in 1995. The Medicare and Medicaid programs are administered by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the Dept. of Health and Human Services. Unemployment insurance is administered by each state under the overall supervision of the U.S. Dept. of Labor. Contributions are collected by the Internal Revenue Service, while the preparation of benefit checks and the management of trust funds are the responsibility of the Dept. of the Treasury.

BibliographySee J. Creedy and R. Disney, Social Insurance in Transition (1985); W. A. Achenbaum, Social Security: Visions and Revisions (1988); J. Quadagno, The Transformation of Old Age Security (1988).

source: http://plus.aol.com/aol/reference/socsecur/social_security?flv=1

What’s In Your Kitchen?

100roses — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:39:26 +0000

Mar 5th 2009 4:42PM

I was so excited when I moved in to my new apartment and had a full-size kitchen to cook and bake in. Unfortunately, when I left behind my dinky little kitchen, I also missed using my former roommate’s great kitchen appliances. I figured it was about time I nest and buy my own kitchen gadgets.

Before I hit the great kitchen stores, like Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma, I decided to see which must-have kitchen tools our users are searching for. Check out the list below!

I was surprised to see that slow cookers ranked as the top searched kitchen appliance. My friend has one and she always finds delicious new recipes for it. She literally sets it in the morning before work and comes home to a succulent and flavorful meal. Crock-Pots use low heat when cooking, so the dish remains incredibly moist and you can leave it unattended. It’s every chef’s dream!

Aside from daily use appliances, like the dishwasher and stove, I can’t get enough of kitchen accessories that make my life easier. My favorite is the George Foreman Grill, number 10 on our list. The grill quickly and evenly cooks up your favorite meat, sandwiches and more while it reduces fat. Best of all, it is so small you can leave it on your counter top.

I love to bake, so my other favorite kitchen must-have is a mixer. I just throw all my ingredients in my Kitchen Aid mixer and it does the rest for me. No tired arms here!

Come summer, the best kitchen gadget to have is a juicer. Nothing tastes better than freshly squeezed juice and juicers make it so easy for you to enjoy that special treat every day. I just gather the freshest summer fruits, like strawberries or watermelon, and I mix them in to my Jack LaLanne juicer. In less than a minute, I have a delicious and healthy beverage. When it gets really hot, I pour the juice in to my blender with some ice for a refreshing smoothie.

What is your must-have kitchen appliance? Let us know! You can find more kitchen appliances on AOL Search.

Top Searched Kitchen Appliances on AOL Search:
1. Slow cooker
2. Refrigerator
3. Dishwasher
4. Microwave
5. Toaster oven
6. Stand mixer
7. Coffee maker
8. Oven
9. Juicer
10. George Foreman Grill

More Sponsored Links For: Oreck vacuum, kitchen stools, Keurig coffee makers

Top Ten Companies Hiring This Week: March 2-8

100roses — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:34:29 +0000

1. Sears Roebuck and Co.

The leading home appliance retailer in North America and is a retail sales leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics, and automotive repair and maintenance.

2. RadioShack

A multifaceted, multibillion dollar company, and one of the nation’s largest retailers of consumer electronics.

3. Aflac

A leading provider of insurance sold on a voluntary basis at the worksite in the United States and the largest foreign insurer in Japan.

4. AT&T

Fortune magazine recently named AT&T to the No. 1 spot on both the World’s Most Admired and America’s Most Admired Telecommunications Company list.

5. CVS Caremark

The nation’s premier integrated pharmacy services provider, combining one of the nation’s leading pharmaceutical services companies with the country’s largest pharmacy chain.

6. Red Robin Gourmet

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., was founded on four core values: Honor, Integrity, Continually Seeking Knowledge and Having Fun.

7. Coca Cola

Though it’s the largest soft drink bottler in the world, each of their local bottling operations represent several decades of success in building the strongest brands in the world.

8. Wells Fargo

A diversified financial services company providing banking insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance.

9. UnitedHealth Group

An innovative leader in the health and well-being industry, serving approximately 65 million Americans.

10. Quest Diagnostics

The world’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions.

More NEWS:

Where the Jobs Are:

10 Recession-Proof Jobs »
10 Part-Time Jobs You Can Do From Home »
$50/Hour Jobs »

go to: AOL News today

The Long Green – Where the environment’s $70 billion is going.

100roses — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:07:17 +0000

by Marc Seltzer

February 24, 2009

Of the recently enacted $787 billion stimulus legislation, known officially as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, approximately $308 billion consists of government spending, and $70 billion of that is intended for spending provisions that promote energy efficiency, energy independence, and environmental protection. (The stimulus also contains some $280 billion in tax cuts and $200 billion in government benefits.)

The spending bill allocates $37.5 billion for energy-related programs, with more than $12 billion for energy-efficient building and retrofit construction measures. These upgrades, such as weatherizing government buildings, aim to cut energy usage and lower government expenses over time. The funds will also go some way toward upgrading the nation’s electrical grid, which crashed in 2003, leaving 40 million Americans and another 10 million Canadians briefly without power. New technology will make the grid more energy-efficient and implement measures to guard against the kind of destructive events, be they accidental or otherwise, that can cause widespread problems.

The long-range goals of energy conservation measures are the gradual reduction of American dependence on foreign oil and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The “green” spending provisions include money for research and development of alternative energies, such as advanced batteries, and funding for currently operating renewable energy producers like wind and solar.

President Barack Obama made it clear during his campaign that moving the nation in the direction of energy independence would be a significant priority in his White House. The American rate of consumption of foreign oil is such that cold-turkey measures are out of the question; any viable plan will be expressed not in months but in years or decades. Some see American energy independence as a moral imperative, however, since a number of the world’s major exporters of oil — among them Russia, Venezuela, and several Middle Eastern nations — share neither the United States’ liberal democratic values nor its security goals.

Obama had pressed for the clean energy provisions during negotiations on the stimulus package. There may be less urgency now that oil prices have fallen, but the long view suggests that as natural supplies dissipate and world demand increases, oil will only continue to cost more to drill and more to buy. Meanwhile, there is concern over global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, a phenomenon in which fossil-fuel consumption plays no small part.

Backers of the ARRA have emphasized that the legislation was rushed into law in order to save or create between three and four million jobs in an economy now losing jobs at a rate of 500,000 per month. Obama spoke of shovel-ready programs and promised a two-year duration to the jobs stimulus. However, a detailed review of the spending provisions suggests that the funds will make a significant boost to longer-term environmental protection as well.

The environmental protection provisions in the bill are modest compared to its energy provisions, but they’re still significant. Six billion dollars will be set aside for the distribution of clean and safe drinking water; this money will go at least in part toward new water treatment facilities, which can cost as much as one billion dollars each for major urban systems. Another six billion has been pledged for cleaning up toxic military installations and industrial manufacturing sites, many of which are left over from World War II and Cold War weapon and aerospace manufacturing programs. The remaining funding is spread out among National Parks, forests, and specific pollution problems that have been identified and targeted for shovel-ready efforts, including:

· $300 million toward technology to reduce diesel emissions

· $275 million toward National Park Service programs and work on trails and abandoned mines

· $200 million for cleaning up leaking underground storage tanks.

Energy policy presents different challenges than other parts of the economy. Free market principles would suggest, more or less unequivocally, the continued use of imported oil, as it’s the least expensive method around, if one leaves environmental costs out of the equation. However, because few oil-producing nations are political allies of the United States, energy independence has risen as a national priority. Thus, public funding of research and development into alternatives, and conservation of resources used, is expected to remain leading policy in the years ahead.

source: http://politicsunlocked.com/index.php/article/the_long_green/18910

‘Kentucky Fried Cruelty’ with Pamela Anderson

100roses — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:08:57 +0000

KFC suppliers cram birds into huge waste-filled factories, breed and drug them to grow so large that they can’t even walk, and often break their wings and legs. At slaughter, the birds’ throats are slit and they are dropped into tanks of scalding-hot water—often while they are still conscious. It would be illegal for KFC to abuse dogs, cats, pigs, or cows in these ways. KFC’s own animal welfare advisors have asked the company to take steps to eliminate these abuses, but KFC refuses to do so. Many advisors have now resigned in frustration. Please join Pamela Anderson, Sir Paul McCartney, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Rev. Al Sharpton, and countless other kind people worldwide by not eating at KFC.

source: http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/

AMERICAN RECOVERY ACT: What Does It Mean To You?

100roses — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:43:53 +0000

Posted by Yvonne Benjamin on February 28, 2009 at 10:00am

As a small business owner I sometimes find myself not keeping abreast of all the tax regulations because I’m busy advertising and running my business. Now with the latest Stimulus package approved by Congress, I needed to know the changes that will impact me personally and as a business owner.

Ronald R. Mueller, MBA, Ph.D. author of “Home Business Tax Savings Made Easy” is informing people that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is HUGE – not just in its price tag, but also in its complexity – so you can expect to read a whole string of Tax Tips as Dr. Muller continues to dissect this massive package containing 100′s of both smart investments and pork barrel projects. Due to my busy schedule, I don’t have to go searching for the information because Dr. Mueller will send updates directly to my inbox.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Section 179 “accelerated depreciation” limit of $250,000, which expired on 12/31/08, has
been extended throughout 2010
• The 50% Bonus Depreciation on purchase of business assets, which also expired on 12/31/08, will
continue also
• 5-year “carry-back” of Net Operating Losses for small businesses (more on this in my next issue
of “Tax Tips You Can Bank On”)
• Temporary relief of Estimated Tax Payments for small businesses (more on this in my next issue
of “Tax Tips You Can Bank On”)

• W-2 workers’ take home pay will increase by $400 (for individuals) and $800 (for married couples)
beginning on/about April 1, paid at rate of 6.2% of earned income, until the $400/800 limits are
reached. Phase-outs apply for high income earners.

• Social Security recipients, Veterans who are on disability pay, and Railroad Retirees will each see
$250, which will be paid by the agency producing their current monthly checks.

• Anyone (not just small businesses) who purchases a new car, light truck, RV or motorcycle from
February 17 through December 31, 2009 may deduct, on their Federal tax returns, any state and
local Sales and Excise taxes.

I think you will find this information to be very valuable. I plan to purchase a new car within the next couple of months. Now thanks to the last bullet above, I will be able to write of the sales and excise taxes. That is awesome!

If you want to be kept in the loop regarding both personal and business tax issues, go to http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=943622 and subscribe to “Tax Tips You Can Bank On”. Be sure to pass this valuable information on to everyone you know.

Have a Great Day!

Yvonne Benjamin
www.GreaterTravelBiz.com
yb@greatertravelbiz.com

source: http://sta.rtup.biz/profiles/blogs/the-american-recovery-act-what