Rich Cheat Most on Taxes – Economics Blog – Zubin Jelveh – Odd Numbers – Portfolio.com

We’re learning more about what it’s like to be Joe the Plumber everyday: A new study by Joel Slemrod of the University of Michigan and Andrew Johns of the Internal Revenue Service finds that misreporting of income and tax liabilities is highest among the rich.

Ask any of us poor slobs who lies most about money and we will tell you it sure isn’t us.  Why isn’t it the poor who lie, because we have nothing to gain by lying about our income.  Saying we make more than we do gains us nothing and under reporting often times means we will get even less money back at tax time.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Employers cut jobs in July for the seventh straight month, while the unemployment rate hit a four-year high, according to a government report released Friday.

This is not surprising at all. Locally I have seen way too many retail and fast food businesses going under. Part of this has been do to the rapid expansion in these areas and keeping them understaffed while overworking the few employees they maintain. Lack of insight into the human behavior, poor management and the general economic down turn has truly hampered many of these businesses. I expect the trend will continue.

The best example of how dense some of these companies are can be seen in my small 40k person town. Currently in a three mile radius There is a K-mart, Super Wal-mart, Target, and a Super Miejers. None of the stores show any outward signs of doing well, and I have inside information that both the superstores are losing money hand over fist. Despite those issues Target is planning a new superstore of their own right between the other two despite having just done a multi-million dollar remodel. If trends continue, the currently understaffed Target will add fifty percent more floor space yet not increase their staff. Any lay person can see this won’t work, but somewhere in the minds of mid level executives they obviously are too afraid of losing marketshares to understand you can’t build up when your base is a fragile house of cards.

If that wasn’t enough of an example of over reaching another local area will be getting three new McDonalds in a five mile radius. Inside that radius they already have two stand alone stores, and two more inside of Wal-Marts. Why might they think they need the extra stores? The reason is obvious to them, blot out your competetion. These new stores are all going in next to existing or new fast food restaurants. Maintaining market shares at the expense of profits and employee retention is short sighted and likely to result in the further economic of already depressed areas.

I tried to clear my mind of Vampire Weekend with some quiet reading of another vampiric nature. I am rereading Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series before I read her latest in the Series, The Outlaw Demon Wails. For those unfamiliar with the series the first thing that drew me to it was the bad puns used for the titles, such as Dead Witch Walking, and Fist Full of Charms. The setting is modern day Cincinnati, assuming we really lived where vampires, witches, werewolves, pixies, and elves really live side by side with us.

The back story difference begins with an early genetic food modification tomatoes which kills a high percentage of the human population. It is quickly realized that a large number of people survive and it comes out that they aren’t exactly human, thus beginning forty plus years of learning to live in the public. Flash forward to modern times you have Rachel Morgan, a white witch, tired of her job as a supernatural cop. Sick of the lack of respect she gets from her superiors and coworkers, she strikes out on her own with the Pixie Jenks and her soon to become BFF Ivy, the vampire. With a host of problems from her old bosses and people she has just pissed off over the years the trio runs a fairly complicated PI service for the supernatural crowd.

The series has it all. I know what some of you are thinking, a book. Yes, before the internet, television and even movies there were books and it would do a lot of you good to read one once in a while. Yes I know that sounds preachy but damn it, I am an author and know I have to sell roughly 8900 paperback copies to clear my my $5k advance, so shut up and buy one, and help support us poor slobs. Okay it is a book, I know what your next question is, “are there sports in it”? Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. Okay now your question has got to be is this a kissing book? Yeah there is some of the that too, and if we are lucky we will get to see a more than a taste of our bisexual Ivy in The Outlaw Demon Wails.

For more coverage you can go to MSN, Entertainment Weekly, People, E! online, TVGuide or USA Today. In the meantime, here are my thoughts.

There were a few surprises in the movie categories. Kate Winslet with her double wins for The Reader and Revolutionary Road. Will this finally be her year at the Oscars? Colin Farrell as Best Actor in a Comedy. Mickey Roarke as Best Actor in a Drama (at least I thought it was a surprise). And the biggest shocker, Slumdog Millionaire taking all the awards it was nominated for: Best Score, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture Drama.

As the Oscars will be announced on the 22nd of this month, that means that ballots have to either be in already or be in by this week. If it’s the latter, I wonder just a little as to how much influence the winners here might have on those who’ve yet to vote.

For television, the drama category was dominated by cable, the comedy by NBC and the mini-series/TV movie by a founding father. Gabriel Byrne won Best Actor Drama for In Treatment, Anna Paquin Best Actress Drama for True Blood and Mad Men took Best Drama for the second year in a row. 30 Rock got Best Comedy and acting honors for Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey.

John Adams took all but one of the mini-series/TV movie awards. Laura Dern took the Supporting Actress statue for Recount.

Most of the fashions I saw were severely lacking or not all that inspired. Eva Mendes has this ruffle/draped/who the hell knows what it was thing hanging off the front of her dress. Maggie Gyllenhall had a poofy one-shouldered dress that for me harkened back to the 80s. Sandra Bullock had ruffles that would have been better had they just been contained to the bottom of the dress.

Eva Longoria Parker however was absolutely GORGEOUS in red. Christina Applegate was understated in yellow. Drew Barrymore should have tamed her heair betterm but her ice-blue dress was stunning.

Overall it was a great ceremony, something the Oscars need to take note of, short and on time. Tune into What’s Hot on the 22nd when I liveblog the Oscar announcements.

Costumes part of annual fun

By Amanda Wells
Special to The Clinton News

Melanie Thortis | The Clinton News

Five-year-old Ellie Scott and her sister, Emma Scott, 9, put on their best pirate face for the upcoming Halloween holiday. Ellie and Emma’s cousins will also dress as pirates this year for trick-or-treating fun.

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

# Plan bright, reflective costumes. Make sure shoes fit and costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.

# Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility. Because a mask can limit or block eyesight, consider instead non-toxic and hypoallergenic makeup or a decorative hat.

# When shopping for costumes, wigs, and accessories, purchase only those with a label indicating they are flame resistant.

# Think twice before using simulated knives, guns, or swords. If you must, make sure they do not appear authentic and are soft and flexible to prevent injury.

# Children and their escorts should use flashlights with fresh batteries. Plan ahead to use only battery-powered lanterns or chemical light sticks in place of candles in decorations and costumes.

# Review with your children the principle of “stop, drop and roll” should their clothes catch on fire.

# Eliminate tripping hazards on your porch and walkway. Check for flowerpots, low tree limbs, support wires or garden hoses that are hazardous to young children rushing from house to house.

Despite the tough economy, parents are still purchasing Halloween costumes for their little goblins or making them by hand.

That’s the finding of Angie Hicks, founder of the consumer awareness Web site www.angieslist.com.

She finds many people spend between $25-$50 on Halloween costumes.

At Party City on East County Line Road in Jackson, the economy hasn’t spooked off customers.

“Sales are really good. They’re comparable to last year,” said co-owner Alice Harrigill.

“You hear more people saying that it’s going to be one night of having a little bit of fun. They’re looking forward to it.”

Party City’s big sellers for kids: Characters such as Cody and Rex from Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Hannah Montana; and Sharpay from High School Musical.

“The adults like the couples’ costumes, like Fred and Wilma, or the funny ones, like ‘The Freshman 15,’ ” Harrigill said.

She’s had to reorder the Star Wars characters already. “Darth Vader is still a huge hit, too, with the young boys,” she said.

Prices start at $9.99 and go up from there, with the average price at about $19.99, Harrigill aid.

Heather Head said she enjoys making costumes for her children – Jake, 5, and Elizabeth, 3 – and saving money in the process.

“I enjoy being creative, and my kids love the outcome,” said the Byram mom. “I don’t sew, but I have found that you can do a lot with a cardboard box.”

Head credits her husband Keith with contributing imagination and energy in making sure the boxes will withhold the wear and tear of harvest carnivals and trick or treating.

“Last year, Elizabeth was Sally from the Cars movie and Jake was Underdog from the Disney movie,” Head said. “I fashioned an empty Pull-Ups box into Sally, which required a lot of cutting, taping and stapling.

“For Underdog, I bought red sweatpants and sweatshirt, cut out a ‘U’ in white felt, found some blue fabric for a cape and purchased a dog mask.”

Sarah Broadus of Clinton coordinates costumes for her two daughters, Madyson, 2, and Aubrie Kate, 7 months, to match those of their cousins.

This Halloween, the Broadus girls will be pirates. Madyson is fascinated with Dora the Explorer’s Pirate Adventure, Broadus said.

“Halloween has always been a fun holiday around our house,” she said. “Instead of walking the neighborhood this year, we are going to do a hayride with a pirate ship theme.”

Adults in the family join in the fun by dressing up, she said. “Madyson’s first year, we all went as a litter of kittens,” Broadus said.

“I added fur to her costume that year, but as for sewing, I usually leave that up to my mother-in-law.”

Broadus appreciates the once-a-year whimsy that Halloween offers.

“How many days of the year can you walk around as a pirate, princess, bottle of mustard or a pumpkin and not feel out of place?” she said.

Staff writer Ruth Ingram contributed to this article.

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