Lomcevak

Today I paid my property taxes. Here in New Jersey we enjoy the highest property tax rates in our great nation. Sitting at my desk, thoughtfully writing the checks, was not the most pleasant of tasks.

Among other things, I contemplated the state of our schools, the cost of which is a large portion of our property taxes. We have, what, some 640 school districts in the state? Each is run by its own highly-compensated set of administrators. The NJEA is an all-powerful union hell-bent on perpetuating its bloated self, keeping things fragmented, weak. They’re gathering for their annual convention this week. More days off for the kids. (Don’t let me get going on how Sports is King while STEM languishes with little-to-no funding!) No, with a setup like this there’s absolutely no hope of such proven concepts like ‘economy of scale’ ever taking root here!

Tomorrow my wife and I will ride our motorcycles to the polls. The cost to register a motorcycle more than doubled this year, similarly to many other motor vehicle fees. (I’ll spare you my whining about motor vehicle insurance here in the Garden State. You’re welcome. No, really.)

Tomorrow’s vote will choose our next governor. The way I see it, we will choose between a proven incompetent and a crook. Or we can simply throw a vote away. Tough choice.

Our municipal government is no better.

My family and I have already made the decision to leave New Jersey. It’s not a new decision, either. Enough is enough. We’re definitely joining what’s become a mass exodus, folding our cards, liquidating assets, adiós. Gettin’ out while the gettin’ is good. (Or at least before it gets unbearably worse.) Yeah, that decision is done, the only question remaining is when.

Will we be following the plans, the projects underway, to their logical conclusions? Or something less?

It’s actually kind of comforting to know that, by a bit later than this time tomorrow, we’ll know how we’ll be focusing our efforts.

It seems absurdly simple. We’re spending money hand over fist. Taxes will, with absolute certainty, soon rise. It seems likely to me that taxes will rise to rates never before seen in this land.

Can anyone tell me a rational reason why churches enjoyed tax-exempt status?

We absolutely need to tax all churches, as we do every other non-profit.

Check out this Web site to learn a little  more (edited 2-Sep-09) to read some more; it was the first hit Google returned when I searched.

Who’s with me on this?

“The global warming alarm is dressed up as science, but it’s not science.  It’s propaganda.”

Actually, this is a pointer to video, not something to read.

http://blasphemes.blogspot.com/2009/04/global-warming-swindle.html

“The environmental movement has evolved into the strongest force there is for preventing development in the developing countries. I think it’s legitimate for me to call them ‘anti-human’. Like, okay, you don’t have to think humans are beter than whales, or better than owls or whatever you don’t want to. Right, but surely it is not a good idea to think of humans as sort of being scum, you know, that it’s okay to have hundreds of millions of them go blind or die or whatever.  I… I just can’t relate to that.”

Patrick Moore
Co-founder, Greenpeace

I think I may start selling t-shirts.

There. I’ve said it. And I’ll say it again. Jon Corzine sucks.

Besides the hits those words will likely deliver, let me tell you a story about the latest affront this dope’s administration has foisted upon us poor working slobs.

The registration for one of my bikes is coming up for renewal at the end of July. I’ve had the form on my desk for a couple of months now. I’ve been meaning to ride down to the agency to take care of it – I even attempted it on one of the few days that it didn’t rain. Alas, the lines were long – must have been the beginning or end of a month – and it was just too nice a day to wait it out. So I rode instead. But I digress…

A one-year registration renewal for a motorcycle in the People’s Republik of New Jersey cost US$31.50. Yeah, I know, that’s way more than you pay, isn’t it? Well, we’re used to it.

Anyway, this afternoon’s snail mail brought an envelope from Motor Vehicle Services. As I walked in from the mailbox thought it odd – nothing was due, other than the registration renewal which was already on my desk. What could they want? Can you guess?

Of course! A fee increase! And not just any fee increase, a whopping 106% increase to US$65.00! And it takes effect when? Not the end of July, when the second wave of motorcycle registrations comes due (just twice a year here – something to do with the ‘riding season’). Oh, no, July 6th, the Monday after the holiday. Today’s Wednesday. Friday’s a holiday, and Saturday, too, for the State. Just one day to act.

I visited the agency just before they closed and paid the lower cost. Surprisingly, the lines weren’t *that* bad, considering it’s the beginning of the month. I saw two other motorcyclists in the fray. None looked happy.

I unloaded a little on the girl at the counter. It wasn’t personal, of course, but I felt it was my civic duty to express my displeasure. She said she’d been hearing it all day, and leaned closer to express her own displeasure with Corzine.

They’ve already taken removed the convenience of online renewals. My pickup already costs well in excess of US$100 to register. I wonder what that increase will be…

I believe there’s a special place in Hell waiting for that SOB. I’ll be more than happy to drive him there myself, on the end of my boot, no State Police detail needed.

If you’re considering voting Corzine in for another term I’d really like to hear your reasoning. Add your comment today.

Bob Evans wrote in Information Week’s Global CIO Blog an article entitled IBM, Microsoft, And The Myth Of ‘Our Jobs’.

Proving once again that there are statistics to support just about anything you’ve got to say.

They’re at it again. The States State tax authorities, faced with declining sales tax revenue, are about to take another stab at getting Congress to mandate tax collection for online shopping.

I’ve been following this; I’ve got a stake in it because I sell stuff online. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m opposed to the idea. I collect – and pay the state Treasury – sales tax from customers here in New Jersey because my business presence is here. But I simply haven’t got the manpower to keep track of the nuances of 7,000-plus tax authorities in the US alone.

Well, I’m not writing here to complain. What I’d like to do it point you toward a particularly coherent article on ZDNet:

I swear, every time I look at the stuff that comes out of our politicians I get more and more disgusted, no matter what side of the fence they come down on!

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/02/27/house-says-bloggers-dont-count-as-journalists

Oakey-Dokie, then. The good ‘ol USofA now has a new President. So why do I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach? Hold onto your ass with one hand, dear friends, and your wallet with the other; we’re in for one helluva ride.

Tell ya what. It doesn’t matter whether or not any individual point this guy makes is right or wrong. I just wish somebody with mainstream cred had the ‘nads to call out our excuses for candidates like this. Don’t you?

The reality of it, though, is it ain’t gonna happen. Look out for yourself, my friends, because nobody else is gonna look out for you. Take that to the bank.

[edited after posting to add this URL for easy reference: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPch2k63uj4]

The story about the Florida girl beaten by her peers has brought the so-called experts out of the woodwork again. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s girls, heck, cheerleaders involved that makes this incident particularly newsworthy.

The Orlando Sentinel reported it this way.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying for a moment that the behavior is correct. It’s not. You shouldn’t post defamatory material. You shouldn’t gang-beat others. But sometimes stuff just happens.

Making it a little bit more personal… over my lifetime I’ve done some ass-kicking.  And I’ve had my ass kicked a few times, too. Each role – kicker or kickee – teaches you something, and you come away from each lesson a little stronger for the experience. You can wring your hands all you want; sometimes it just happens.

But it’s the stuff that followed the Florida incident that riles me, beginning with the requisite blaming of others. What’s become of taking responsibility for your actions, or taking responsibility for those in your charge? Of teaching? Of setting a better example? No, it’s easier to blame someone else. I wonder, who will be the first one to bring suit this time? Or write a book?

And then there are the experts who have all the answers. Well, actually, it always boils down to the same answer, doesn’t it?

Here’s an article: “Videotaped Florida Teen Beating Prompts Calls To Block Violent Content“.

So let’s block it. Yeah, that’s it. Regulate! Censor! Protect! Then it’ll go away, and we can get back to the really important stuff, like who’s winning on American Idol or something.

Y’know, when the stuff that passes for entertainment today is evidently (according to media coverage, ratings, paychecks, and so on) more important than anything else, is it any wonder that some of today’s kids are all-consumed with obtaining a piece that attention?

Way back in the Dark Ages – that’d be 2002 – I began handling my New Jersey motor vehicle registration renewals online. I won’t bore you with the details, but it actually took a tiny bit of the sting out of the exorbitant fees we’re charged here, being able to handle it with a few clicks of the mouse. Once I Started doing it this way I never looked back. Multiply the number of years by the number of vehicles (like everyone else in this oh-so-dense state I’ve got several) and, well, that’s quite a few successful transactions.

And at the conclusion of each was an opportunity to participate in a little survey. In the comment box I always applauded the state for taking this tiny step toward making the process a little easier for us poor slobs – er, citizens.

In yesterdays mail was a notice that a registration was soon due for renewal. And today as I was clearing the desk I began the task. But something stopped me in my tracks.

They had tacked on a $2 Convenience Fee!

Sure, it’s only two bucks. Change, really, you can’t even get a decent cup of coffee for two bucks these days, but it’s the principle of the thing. I checked their FAQ. It was easy enough to find. The couple of lines explained that they were passing along the fee for processing a credit card payment, and the state saw none of it.

I’m sorry, but that’s just too bad! In the course of running my business I also process credit cards. It certainly is more expensive for me to process a customer’s credit card payment, but I treat it as a cost of doing business and I never discriminate against credit card users.

Needless to say, I abandoned the registration transaction. I put a note in the calendar and the papers (along with the envelope I fished from the recycling bin) in the folder for payment closer to the due date. There’s absolutely no sense in paying them early, now! And then, freshly disgruntled, I wrote and told them exactly what I thought of their Convenience Fee.

I’m not expecting a reply.

Last year, less than a day had elapsed before the ‘limit’ was hit. What’s it gonna be this year? An hour? Part of an hour?

America is going to Hell in a handbasket, I tell you.

Go read this:

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/03/spring_is_in_th.html

Of course terrorists are using Web 2.0 tools! They’re using cars, too. And hammers. And they’re even eating groceries. What do you suppose we need to do about it?

Go read this:

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/02/dont_discount_t.html

The H-1B issues have been a hot-button thing for me for quite a while. Go read this piece in Info World.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/12/28/52FE-underreported-visas_1.html

Starting a new business is, among other things, an exercise in discovering exactly which licenses, permits and permissions one needs to obtain. My local municipality requires such a license. The application consists of a one-page form and payment of fifty dollars. It seemed simple enough.
(more…)