Vladimir Ilych Lenin
The quotation "promises like pie crusts, are made to be broken" is
often attributed to Lenin. It was actually said by Jonathan Swift. That people
make promises with the intent to keep them is clear. That the promises are
often fated to be broken is just a fact of life. Never promise what you can't
deliver. I won't go into why this is on my mind, but you can figure out for
yourselves that someone broke a promise and it wasn't me. At least it wasn't me
this time.
Other things that I'm pondering at the moment (it's actually the night before the morning blog would normally go up because I have to leave very early tomorrow to get to a doctor's appointment) include:
Why did police give a woman a ticket for driving 63 mph in a 65 mph zone? They claim it is because she was driving in the so-called "fast lane". But if she's that close to the speed limit, are they claiming she was causing a problem for other drivers who were engaged in illegal speeding? They should have let her off with a warning. No judge will let this ticket stand and it's just a waste of her time.
Then again there is a promise that's been broken, that is worthy of examination. The man who made the promise is LAPD Chief of Police Charlie Beck. He promised two women whose truck was shot to pieces by his men during the hunt for Christopher Dorner that they would get a new truck. That was weeks ago. So far the closest they've gotten to receiving a new truck is one that was being offered by an L.A. area car dealership, but the dealership insisted the women would have to be "1099ed" on the truck as though it was a prize they'd won. That would mean income taxes would be owed, according to the women's lawyer, so the deal fell through. Shame on Chief Beck for failing to keep this promise.
Give a thumbs up to new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel for looking into the "Nintendo Medal" controversy. There's no way a medal for cyber-warriors and drone-pilots who fly from a desk should rank above the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
A mortuary buried the wrong woman even after her husband said it didn't look like her. They're apologetic. They need to make sure that never happens again.
Let me address the news reports that place the blame for the delay in some tax returns submitted by H&R Block squarely on H&R Block. The real blame is shared by a number of entities. Starting with the Congress, who did not pass the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 until January 1, 2013 (signed by President Obama on 1/2/2013). Then look to the IRS. Normally they begin accepting electronically filed returns within the first 14 days of the new year. This year they didn't open their e-file portal until the 21st of January. Then they wouldn't accept returns containing Form 8863 (Education Credits) until February 14th.
The IRS changed the methodology of how they process this return's yes and no questions. In the past, a blank space was assumed to be a "no". Now it must be answered yes or no, or processing is delayed. Whether or not this change was properly communicated to H&R Block and other software sources is a subject for the IRS and H&R to discuss. All I know is we were told of no changes in processing this form. Normally when the IRS informs the company of a change in methodology, we get the word very quickly. So I'm guessing the company did not know about this until the glitch struck. But in any event the blame should be properly shared. Congress dropped the ball, first.
This Date in History:
On this date in 1639, Harvard is named for clergyman John Harvard.
On this date in 1781, William Herschel discovers Uranus. (make your own bad joke)
On this date in 1897, San Diego State University is founded.
On this date in 1920, the Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the Weimar Republic from Berlin.
On this date in 1933, banks began reopening after FDR’s “bank holiday”.
On this date in 1943, German troops ‘liquidate’ the Jewish ghetto in Krakow.
On this date in 1954, Viet Minh forces attack the French at Dien Bien Phu.
On this date in 1964, Kitty Genovese is murdered as “bystanders” watched and did nothing.
On this date in 1991, Exxon agreed to pay $1 billion for the clean-up of the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez.
Famous Folk Born on this date:
Joseph Priestly
Earl Grey
John Franklin “Home Run” Baker
Walter Annenberg
L. Ron Hubbard (you remember his book, Nickel and Dime-a-netics…)
Neil Sedaka
William H. Macy
Dana Delaney (and she still looks great)
Common
Emile Hirsch
Other things that I'm pondering at the moment (it's actually the night before the morning blog would normally go up because I have to leave very early tomorrow to get to a doctor's appointment) include:
Why did police give a woman a ticket for driving 63 mph in a 65 mph zone? They claim it is because she was driving in the so-called "fast lane". But if she's that close to the speed limit, are they claiming she was causing a problem for other drivers who were engaged in illegal speeding? They should have let her off with a warning. No judge will let this ticket stand and it's just a waste of her time.
Then again there is a promise that's been broken, that is worthy of examination. The man who made the promise is LAPD Chief of Police Charlie Beck. He promised two women whose truck was shot to pieces by his men during the hunt for Christopher Dorner that they would get a new truck. That was weeks ago. So far the closest they've gotten to receiving a new truck is one that was being offered by an L.A. area car dealership, but the dealership insisted the women would have to be "1099ed" on the truck as though it was a prize they'd won. That would mean income taxes would be owed, according to the women's lawyer, so the deal fell through. Shame on Chief Beck for failing to keep this promise.
Give a thumbs up to new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel for looking into the "Nintendo Medal" controversy. There's no way a medal for cyber-warriors and drone-pilots who fly from a desk should rank above the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
A mortuary buried the wrong woman even after her husband said it didn't look like her. They're apologetic. They need to make sure that never happens again.
Let me address the news reports that place the blame for the delay in some tax returns submitted by H&R Block squarely on H&R Block. The real blame is shared by a number of entities. Starting with the Congress, who did not pass the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 until January 1, 2013 (signed by President Obama on 1/2/2013). Then look to the IRS. Normally they begin accepting electronically filed returns within the first 14 days of the new year. This year they didn't open their e-file portal until the 21st of January. Then they wouldn't accept returns containing Form 8863 (Education Credits) until February 14th.
The IRS changed the methodology of how they process this return's yes and no questions. In the past, a blank space was assumed to be a "no". Now it must be answered yes or no, or processing is delayed. Whether or not this change was properly communicated to H&R Block and other software sources is a subject for the IRS and H&R to discuss. All I know is we were told of no changes in processing this form. Normally when the IRS informs the company of a change in methodology, we get the word very quickly. So I'm guessing the company did not know about this until the glitch struck. But in any event the blame should be properly shared. Congress dropped the ball, first.
This Date in History:
On this date in 1639, Harvard is named for clergyman John Harvard.
On this date in 1781, William Herschel discovers Uranus. (make your own bad joke)
On this date in 1897, San Diego State University is founded.
On this date in 1920, the Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the Weimar Republic from Berlin.
On this date in 1933, banks began reopening after FDR’s “bank holiday”.
On this date in 1943, German troops ‘liquidate’ the Jewish ghetto in Krakow.
On this date in 1954, Viet Minh forces attack the French at Dien Bien Phu.
On this date in 1964, Kitty Genovese is murdered as “bystanders” watched and did nothing.
On this date in 1991, Exxon agreed to pay $1 billion for the clean-up of the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez.
Famous Folk Born on this date:
Joseph Priestly
Earl Grey
John Franklin “Home Run” Baker
Walter Annenberg
L. Ron Hubbard (you remember his book, Nickel and Dime-a-netics…)
Neil Sedaka
William H. Macy
Dana Delaney (and she still looks great)
Common
Emile Hirsch
posted by me at 5:42 PM
<< Home