Tell the Government What You Really Think
Wednesday, May 17th, 2006
With all the concern over the NSA wiretapping, this is just perfect. Direct link to the product page is here.
Archive for the 'Government' Category
Majority of Americans Support NSA Wiretapping
Saturday, May 13th, 2006
A Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that 63% of Americans support the NSA’s wiretapping efforts. Read on for more details.
“Forever” Stamps
Monday, May 8th, 2006
The US postal service is requesting permission to release stamps that will always be valid for first-class mail, regardless of future price increases.
Personal Ultrasound Machines To Be Banned
Sunday, May 7th, 2006
Too many politicians seem convinced their constituents are stupid and must be protected from themselves. It’s insulting. Isn’t it sufficient that California already requires a license to operate an ultrasound? Guess I’m a firm believer in the Darwin awards.
2006 White House Press Dinner
Sunday, May 7th, 2006
The 2006 White House press dinner was hilarious. First up was President Bush, speaking in tandem with an impersonator. The keynote speaker was Stephen Colbert from the Comedy Channel’s The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Be warned: both speeches require fairly detailed knowledge of Washington politics in order to “get it,” and much of the humor in Colbert’s speech is very subtle. The “marshmallow center” and “Hindenburg” comments, however, had me ROTFL.
Arkansas Bans Smoking In Cars With Small Children
Saturday, May 6th, 2006
The bill was signed into law, and now other states are considering a similar ban.
What Are Use Taxes and Why Should I Care?
Monday, April 17th, 2006
For us netizens who reside in the United States, “use taxes” are starting to become an important topic. Essentially, a use tax is a sales tax on purchases for which you didn’t have to pay sales tax. I know that sounds confusing, so let me give an example:
I live in Denver, Colorado but travel to Oregon (which has no state sales tax) and purchase a car. When I return home, I am required to pay a use tax of 7.6%:
- Colorado state: 2.9%
- Denver city: 3.5%
- Regional Transportation District: 1.0%
- Scientific and Cultural Facilities District: 0.1%
- Metropolitan Football Stadium District: 0.1%
This happens to be exactly the same amount I’d pay in sales tax had I bought the car in Denver. If the car were to be delivered to my location in Denver, then the seller should collect the use tax. Otherwise, it is my responsibility to pay the taxes to the appropriate authorities.
So why is this important? It’s all about the internet. When I purchase a “tax-free” product online and don’t pay the appropriate use tax, I’m breaking the law. As internet sales have become more popular, the states have begun to realize they’re losing use-tax revenues—so they’re cracking down. Some states, Colorado not among them, have put a line on the state tax form for honest citizens to declare any use taxes they owe. As the linked article states:
“If you’ve written zero or left [the use tax entry] blank, during the audit we’re going to make you produce your financial records, bank statements, credit card statements,‘ said Michael Bucci, a spokesman for the New York Department of Taxation and Finance.
Over the past few years I’ve heard various mutterings about the collection of use taxes for internet purchases, and I expect it to become more of an issue as time progresses.
US Announces Nuclear Plan
Monday, April 10th, 2006
The US government wants to rebuild the infrastructure necessary to produce nuclear weapons.
US Gov’t Subpoenas Google Search Records
Friday, January 20th, 2006
This is disturbing in two ways: first because the government is trying to access Google’s search records, and second because Google keeps a record of everyone’s searches. I have a feeling that Google is going to lose this one.
Tax Law and Virtual Worlds
Monday, January 9th, 2006A thought-provoking article on how US tax law may apply to goods in virtual gaming worlds.
Yes, the Government IS Watching You
Thursday, December 29th, 2005
An eye-opening example of what the government is doing to fight the war on terrorism.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/…
UPDATE: After further investigation by the American Library Association, this story appears to be a hoax.
Color Laser Printers and Privacy
Wednesday, October 19th, 2005
Anything printed on a color laser printer these days includes a barely-visible “watermark” intended to help determine when and where the document was printed. This, in addition to the fact that some of the popular image-processing programs now censor out images of currency. While I’m not a hard-core privacy advocate (I’ll leave that to others), I still think it’s good to know about this type of stuff.
