Facie’s Ramblings

Unfortunately, this year January does not mean a deep run into the playoffs for the Steelers, as has been noted in an earlier post. January usually means snow, although so far, a little over halfway into the month, the weather has been anything but usual. Sunny and 18 degrees one day, rainy and 55 the next, and snow squalls a few days later. Kind of makes your head spin. But I digress. What I am talking about is tax time. Oh, how I hate it. The gathering of the papers and receipts. Trying to guess at the value of donated items. Lamenting over the few dollars we made in savings this year (though, looking on the bright side, that means giving less to the government). But mostly just trying to figure out how we can get as much money back as possible. I read in the AP News yesterday (and in a few other places today) that Romney pays taxes close to the 15 percent tax rate, which is higher than most. But the thing is, he has made most of his money on investments....

In the P-G (and the Trib too, I think) the other day was an article about PA making the amount of food stamps that people receive contingent upon their assets. People under age 60 with more than $2,000 in savings and other assets, such as a second car, will no longer be eligible for food stamps. For people over 60, the limit is $3,250. I agree that assets should be considered. If someone has, let's say, $50,000 in savings but is making only minimum wage, I don't think that person should get food stamps. After all, they have plenty in the bank to pay for every day expenses. But to say, for example, that a 35-year-old single parent who scrimped to save $3,000 over the past five years for an emergency should be denied food stamps when another person who never bothered to save a dime should get assistance is, quite simply, unfair. And what if two parents both need a car to go to work? The bus is not the most feasible situation for everyone, so why punish those pe...

There is no one thing at the top of my noodle, so here are some random ramblings about things I should probably know more about than I do. I keep vacillating about privatizing the state liquor stores . PA is one of the few (maybe two?) states that operates this way. The prices are high. The selection is minimal, though for someone like me whose buying consists of one box/cube of margaritas every month, I don't notice it as much (well, I have noticed that my usual brand has been MIA the last two times). And the service I have received at my local store is rather lacking. For those reasons, I have supported privatization for years. Yet now that it seems as if we are getting closer, I can't help but think that a year or two after the state gets the initial windfall from selling off the licenses (which you just know will be spent ASAP), PA will be in really bad shape. Won't the state be missing that revenue that comes for all the sales? I don't think the sales tax will b...

I sent Jordan to school today (Friday) with turkey pepperoni. A smarter, less controversial parent would not have done so, but my kid wanted the pepperoni, and she is not doing anything wrong! And now that the kids know the Lenten guidelines, they really should leave her alone. Will they? Well, I guess we will find out. To follow up from earlier this week, the girls at Jordan's table (including Jordan) did meet with the principal on Monday, although no one admitted to taking the sandwich or seeing anything. Regardless, I consider the issue closed, and I hope whoever took it will learn something from this. One of the moms did email me asking what went on, as her kid was apparently upset by the principal confrontation. I emailed her back what I knew, saying that most parents would be concerned if their kid's lunch was taken. I also said it was good for the kids to hear the correct guidelines (of course, Jordan brought in the guidelines and shared them with the kids at lunch pri...

Can I tell you, again, how much I hate the job search process? I had a second interview scheduled for yesterday, for a temporary (about five months) full-time position. This potential job has been causing this household stress because although so far it is the best-paying job I have come close to, once I have to start paying for childcare this summer, we will most likely come up a little short. Of course, the optimist in me figured we would somehow work out the money situation (maybe Jordan would stay home one or two days a week since Brian works from home). And as I said to hubby, coming away with some money is better than nothing (since I obviously cannot sub this summer). Plus this job could end up becoming permanent (the woman I would be taking over for is going on maternity leave, so you never know). But I would be working full time, something I had not done since the day before Jordan was born. And juggling drop off and pick up, plus Jordan's many school days off, would f...

Although I am so very glad I won't have to suffer through dozens of political ads for at least a little while, it looks as if I will be listening to, watching, and reading the strong opinions of friends, relatives, bloggers, the media, etc., for the foreseeable future. So many people think their way is the only way. But is it possible there is not just one right way? I can see the beauty of gray, so why can't others? Why must so many refer to those on the opposite side as crazy, extreme, out of touch, socialist, racist, greedy, idiots, morally bankrupt, gun-toting, stupid, lazy, uncaring, religiously fanatical, and smelly? I am only partly kidding about that last adjective, but I do find it sad that conservative and liberal have become "bad" words for many people. I am neither all-knowing nor able to predict the future, so I have no idea how this will turn out. I do find it a little sad that a lot of young people who were so jazzed about the 2008 election did not ...

Ah, election season. Who does not love watching snippets of lies, exaggerations, empty promises, and unflattering photos (good thing I avoid getting my picture taken as often as possible)? I am a regular voter. I try to vote even in the primaries, even when there is not much at stake. After all, about 90 years ago, women could not vote in the US. As I have stated in previous posts, I have taken Jordan with me a number of times, to hopefully instill the importance of this right. But I can see why some people never bother. It seems as if so many candidates promise a bunch of crap and don't bother (or are unable) to fulfill half of it. I remember when Tom Ridge first ran for governor of PA. One of his campaign promises was that he would not vote himself a pay raise. That was all I needed to hear; he got my vote. But, alas, he broke that promise at some point during one of this terms. And I have never forgotten that, as small of a thing as it was. Honestly, I don't remember i...

I don't have any one big thing weighing on my mind, so here are the handful of thoughts swimming around my head. And by a handful, I mean close to a dozen. A deer probably runs in front of my car three or four times a year, right in suburban Pittsburgh. But for some reason, the instant I see a deer (and in yesterday's case, it looked like a fawn), I immediately think dog. Giant dog, usually. I have no idea why; it is not as if I never see deer. As I was driving down a hill near my house this morning, a PennDot worker must have thought it would be amusing to keep switching the "Stop/Slow" sign back and forth, while three other cars were coming up. What a jag-off. C'mon, how hard is your job that you cannot or will not do it correctly? What if I would have started to drive down the hill as soon as I saw the sign switch to "Slow"?! When I voted yesterday, I showed my driver's license, as I always do. I don't understand why everyone should not ha...

I get grief from people (both to my face and via other people) about my receiving unemployment compensation. Believe me, as a conservative (well, really a Libertarian, but I refuse to give up my opportunity to vote in the primary, so I have remained a registered Republican), taking this money is not an easy thing for me to do. So let me explain myself for those of you who are wondering or those who may have forgotten my story. I worked at the same company, loyally, for 13 years. The company paid into unemployment on my behalf for those 13 years. I did not ask to be laid off. I was not one of those people, some of whom are still there, who complained relentlessly about everything that went on and how they could not wait to find another job. I was not one of those people who actually tried to get another job but decided they had it better where they were. This is not to say I never had a negative thing to say. But I realized quite some time ago how good I had it. I have applied to num...

Well, I waited a day to pen my latest rant, so without further delay, here it is: Some people kind of suck. Let me start off by saying that I am not perfect; I have many faults, most of which are readily apparent to those who know me. But I really make an effort to treat those around me--family, friends, and strangers--just as I want to be treated. With kindness and compassion. I try to give a little. And I truly believe if people treated one another better, if they focused more on others and less on themselves, we could solve a lot of the world's ills. But lately it seems as if every time I open up the paper, read a magazine, or go online, I am bombarded by the transgressions of some celebrity (music, TV, movie, sports or otherwise) or politician. I sometimes wonder if it is not so much that people have gone downhill, but more that thanks to technology, we just get to find out about every bad deed five minutes after it happened. Or have we as a society become so self-centered,...

How many times have you heard someone, usually on talk radio or a news channel, imploring you to write to or call your congressperson? I have done just that with one senator, several times now, only to be left more frustrated than before I ever composed my email. I will call this man Senator C (wink-wink, nudge-nudge). This past November, while reading Senator C's newsletter, I learned that C and another senator were cosponsoring a bill that would extend the Cobra subsidy program for six months. This was welcome news for me, since my subsidy was ending in December, and I really could not afford for my health insurance premiums to triple. So I checked C's website a few times over the next two weeks, and when I found no updates, I emailed him. I explained that I had been out of work for eight months and even though it bothered me to accept this subsidy, which is really, or will be soon, taxpayer assistance, paying the full Cobra premium would be nearly impossible for me right n...

I don't have a lot to say on any one thing, so I thought I would share some random things on my mind. Here goes. That was quite a storm the Burgh and surrounding areas saw last night. Our garage was starting to flood (we have no basement). Kind of scary. But at the same time, there is something cool about a storm. Hopefully there were no injuries to anyone. More people at the company where I worked got laid off this week. Well, furlough was the technical term. On the one hand, I guess the company wants those people more than I, which is bothersome. On the other hand, those same people might not see a dime of severance since they can always be called back. My guess is not everyone will get called back. I am nearly over my Penguins euphoria. I did not go the parade; I just thought it would be too much with Jordan to have to stand there for hours. It was cool to watch it on TV. Glad that Steelers training camp starts in about a month, though! Having Father's Day come right after t...

As I posted in January, Jordan had an unfortunate run-in with a register lever, resulting in a trip to Children's and two staples in her head. Because Brian has crappy, high-deductible insurance, we were prepared to pay about 1k in fees. So you can imagine my joy two weeks ago when we received an EOB (explanation of benefits) that said of the $586 someone decided it cost, we owed about $230. Unfortunately that joy has since turned to anger; today we received another EOB for the same incident, except this one cost over $1,100, for which we owe about $585. Let me break it down for you: First EOB--Univ Pgh Physicians Medical: $210 Surgery: $376 Second EOB--Children's Hospital Outpatient: $749 Outpatient: $353 Combined EOB total: $1,688 (this does not include the $55 for Jordan's ped to remove the staples) I am hoping, almost praying, there is some type of mistake. Why did we receive two separate EOBs, and why is one for Children's and one for Univ Pgh Physicians? The firs...

I am still angry about the ridiculous mom of 14 children (my how I miss writing about the Steelers). My boss and others do not understand why I care or am so mad about it. When he was laughing at me/about it, at that moment, I wanted to quit my job and start trying to have more kids; perhaps three or four. Why not sponge off the government? So many others are doing it. Despite what some of you may think, I am not against government assistance programs. Some people need help because of circumstances beyond their control. Shouldn't we help the family whose head of household lost his or her job? And by help, I also mean charitable donations. I know I am better off than a lot, and I try to share some of this, now more than ever. But why should taxpayers help those who take little to no responsibility for themselves and their actions? A single woman who is not working yet living on disability should not have herself implanted with six embryos. That she had six kids already makes it more...

I worry about the spendulus bill. Is it really going to right the economy without dire consequences? I am thinking in a few years, I will be taking home about half my pay, but maybe I am just being too cynical. Part of me says, let's just print millions of dollars and mail it to everyone, but isn't this kind of what we are doing? I would love to go through and see exactly what is in this bill, but reading over 1000 pages does not appeal to me. And I bet many of our senators and reps did not read it either. But from what I hear and what I have read, there appears to be a lot of pork. This is where I am torn. Many states, PA included, need money; we are in trouble. So I certainly would not want to turn down whatever Obama is doling out. But at what price? And how much will it help? Governor Spendell can talk about what he wants to do to help reduce the deficit, but what about reducing the size of the legislature? And how about not hiring a former legislature at a newly created jo...

At the beginning of 2008, as anyone who read this blog knows, I was irritated about the drink tax. It seemed unnecessary to me, and I took issue with the Port Authority getting this money. But after a few months, I just got over it. A big part of the reason is, I don't go out that often or drink that much (at least not since the office holiday party in 2007). So I am figuring this tax probably cost me and Brian between $15 and $25 this year, a rather paltry amount when you think about it. That notwithstanding, now that the tax has been lowered to 7 percent, does anyone really think that many businesses are going to lower their prices? Show of hands? I think I see one, although she might have been fixing hair. Should the Port Authority have gotten that money to begin with? And now there is debate about the excess. Considering the condition of our roads, I am mostly for the overage being spent there. I read today that if the county does not get that money for the roads, which a judge...

I read an article in the P-G yesterday that said what I have been feeling for months. In a nutshell, those of us who bought homes that were no more than what we could afford, pay our mortgage and taxes on time, save money every month, and just live beneath our means in general are getting the shaft. I do feel sorry for people in bad situations, especially those who did not live above their means and unfortunately found themselves with, say, a medical condition and poor/no health insurance or out of work. But I have a lot trouble sympathizing with families who earn 30, 40, 50k a year, buy a 200k house, drive nice cars and take yearly beach vacations and then cry because they got in over their heads. I know someone who recently lost his job. He has blown through his savings as well as his retirement. I asked what he was going to do, until he finds another job, and he said he is hopeful it will work out. It is nice to have a good attitude; certainly worrying about it isn't going to ge...

I was all set to write about Rocco Mediate losing the US Open in a sudden death round (is that what it is called?) and how I was rooting for him to win b/c Tiger has won something like 2,457 majors already, but that seemed boring, and quite frankly I am tired of writing about sports. So what is on my noodle today? A few things. 1. My school taxes are probably going up. Again. I think for the third time in the over six years we have lived in our house. According to the Pgh Biz Times, my school district is something like 10th from the bottom of all school districts in the six-county area. So what in God's green earth am I paying for?! Well, assuming we don't sell our house in the next few months (and perhaps even if we do), my child will be in private school, which means for the seventh school year in a row, I will not be reaping any benefits from the school taxes we continue to pay. Yes, senior citizens, I feel for you having to pay for school taxes, but I've been paying ...

Thought I would throw out a few (and by a few, I am sure I will end up with well over a dozen) thoughts running around that brain of mine. I have a lot of meaningful people in my life from family, friends, relatives, and casual acquaintances. If you are reading this blog, you are probably one of those people (unless you just happened by), and I thank you for occupying some part of my heart and mind. I think the world is too materialistic. If you have been to my house, you know we are not into nice, expensive things. I just don't care about that stuff. True, I am still debating about that flat-screen TV (leaning more towards no), but mostly what I have is just fine. I think this may be the year I am going to have to retire my almost 15-year old skirt. And I have been wearing the same PSU winter coat for years. Unless I get a job where fashion matters (and clearly it does not at my office), I see no reason to spend a lot of money on clothes or keep up with the latest styles. I think ...

In all my years of presidential voting, I have never really felt strongly about anyone I voted for. In most cases, I was simply choosing the lesser of two evils. In the '92 election, I voted for Perot. Why? Honestly, the only thing I remember about him was that he was not going to take a salary. I hope I had other reasons at that the time, but I am not sure. Similarly, I voted for Tom Ridge for governor the first time because he said he would not give himself (or maybe he said he would not vote for) a pay raise. I seem to recall he did, though. So when Ed Spendell ran for governor five years ago and said he was going to lower property taxes, I did not believe him. And rightly so. Now a year into his second term, I am still waiting for lower property taxes. Probably the only way I, not a senior citizen, will see them is if Spendell raises our income taxes, which he has already done once. A few weeks ago, I was complaining about taxes going up, when one of the bosses happened to be a...