Gee, I'm a sucker.

The IRS employees don't even pay taxes. At least this one doesn't. I don't think he can blame Turbo Tax for this. 

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - An Internal Revenue Service agent who audits taxpayers in California has agreed to plead guilty to cheating on his own taxes.

In a plea agreement filed Monday in Orange County, 43-year-old Jim H. Liu (LOO) of Diamond Bar admitted that he filed a tax return claiming a loss on a real estate transaction when he in fact saw a large profit.

He pleaded guilty to one federal count of subscribing to a false tax return, a charge that carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.

According to the plea agreement, Liu sold a property in Pomona in 2002 for a profit of more than $48,000, but reported a loss of $4,200 on his taxes.

The tax loss to the government was more than $14,000.

My car is going to hell.

Apparently, it's eeeevil. In California, that is. 

Don't mess with Texas!

Jack and Caroline loooove the guest bed.

The girls at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

I'm back from my vacay in TX. It was great to spend the week with the fam! We had really great weather (other than the gloom and humid rain on the last day). I arrived later than expected on Wednesday due to a flight delay and I was surprised to see the kids at the airport past their bedtime. It was so nice to see their little smiling faces after a long day. The next day, Heather and I drove to San Antonio (about a 2 hr drive) so Heather could get her hair done by a friend who used to be her stylist in CA. We agreed it was worth the effort since she only gets her hair done a couple times/yr anyway. Hmmm...that sounds familiar. Friday we relaxed, went shopping, and had dinner at Chuy's (yummy) with Martta. Unfortunately, Martta got a bad stomach virus and was in bad shape for the rest of the weekend. Hope you're back to 100%, Mar! On Saturday, I FINALLY got to go to the Wildflower Center. I've been wanting to go since they moved there, but it was always the wrong time of year. It was still a little soon for a crazy bloomtastic experience, but there was still some lovely flowers to see (especially the blue bonnets). That night, Jim was nice enough to watch the kiddos while H and I went to downtown Austin to check out SXSW. We saw a couple bands, had a couple free drinks, ate dinner and went home. It was so fun! Next year, we'll know what to expect and go earlier in the day to take advantage of all the free shows (oh yeah, and drinks). On Sunday, we were planning to go to the Austin Fair/Rodeo, but opted to stay home and relax instead. I volunteered to watch the kiddies at night so Jim and Heather could have a much needed evening out. The kids behaved themselves very well and we had fun making choc chip cookies. Caroline made me work for my money (hey, wait a sec...I forgot to collect!) towards the end with her sleep issues, but the house was quiet when the parents returned! Monday and Tuesday were pretty much spent hanging out (Jack was back in school after spring break), shopping, eating, and then back to the airport for me! 

Love y'all! Hope to see you before summer! 

I love British politics!

This is actually a clip from a meeting at the European Parliament, not the British Parliament. But the speaker, Dan Hannan, is a British member of the EP and he's giving PM Gordon Brown a swift kick in the you-know-what. If you've ever seen a session of Parliament, you know the Brits don't hold back. Can you imagine if Congress (or maybe the press) gave it to Obama this way? I would definitely tune in for that. 

 

Funny of the day

Either made by an ESL student or Yoda. Your guess is as good as mine. 

Via Cake Wrecks.

Happy St. Patty's!

Go get a shamrock shake (if you can find one)! Inexplicably, not every McD's serves them. Whaaaat?? It's true. It seems it's too much trouble to put a couple drops of mint flavor and green food coloring into a vanilla shake. How rude. But, you can search here to see if there is a shamrock shake retailer near you. 

If you're not lucky enough to find an S.S. within driving distance, you can always drown your sorrows in a green beer. That shouldn't be too hard to find. 

Slainte!

New Deal redux? No thanks.

Turns out FDR wasn't an economic savior after all.

Two UCLA economists say they have figured out why the Great Depression dragged on for almost 15 years, and they blame a suspect previously thought to be beyond reproach: President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

After scrutinizing Roosevelt's record for four years, Harold L. Cole and Lee E. Ohanian conclude in a new study that New Deal policies signed into law 71 years ago thwarted economic recovery for seven long years...

"The fact that the Depression dragged on for years convinced generations of economists and policy-makers that capitalism could not be trusted to recover from depressions and that significant government intervention was required to achieve good outcomes," Cole said. "Ironically, our work shows that the recovery would have been very rapid had the government not intervened."

How does the famous FDR saying go? "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"? Hmmm...I can think of something else that makes me a little nervous. 

U.N. = Ungrateful Nitwits

And that's putting it mildly.

Via Brietbart.com:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House objected Thursday to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's description of the United States as a "deadbeat" donor to the world body.

Ban used the phrase Wednesday during a private meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol, one day after he met with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Ban's "word choice was unfortunate," given that the U.S. is the largest contributor to the United Nations.

The United States pays 22 percent of the organization's nearly $5 billion operating budget but is perennially late paying its dues.

Asked whether Ban should retract his comment, Gibbs said some recognition by Ban of the U.S. role would be appropriate.

"I think given the contribution that the American taxpayer makes, I do think it would be appropriate to acknowledge that role," Gibbs told reporters at his daily briefing.

Ban, apparently concerned about his choice of words, issued a statement late Wednesday saying the U.S. "generously supports the work of the U.N., both in assessed and voluntary contributions." Ban also said he enjoys "an excellent working relationship with the United States and appreciates the many ways that it supports the United Nations." 

Again, I ask, why do we bother? Our economy is in the tank. I have an idea where we could save a little money and gain some self-respect. Leave these bastards to fend for themselves and see how they fare. 

Seriously?

I think all members of the Obama administration need to take lessons on gift giving etiquette. They've already made asses of themselves with Britain and Russia. I can't wait to see what they give Iran upon their first meeting. Get ready to duck and cover.   

For the love of God (and country), ask for a consultation with Peggy Post already! 

Update: Niiiice. Unbelievable.  

The [U.S.] official dismissed any notion of the special relationship [between the U.S. and U.K.], saying: "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment." The apparent lack of attention to detail by the Obama administration is indicative of what many believe to be Mr Obama's determination to do too much too quickly.

Heh.

Global warming protestors weather the snow at the Capitol. 

Brrr...

Where's the stimulus money going?

Check out the projects in your state that are vying for your dollars. You can even vote on how critical you think they are (not many). Anyone a fan of the Solar LA Program? It'll only cost you $2,160,000,000. What a steal!


H/T: mom