A little of this...A little of that....

End of Summer.....So as if to drive home the fact that summer is ending, Mother Nature dropped the temp about 30 degrees just in time for my final pool party. Nothing says tropical heat like 15 adults, bundled up in coats, sitting around trying to get the portable fire place roaring. Oh well, the kinds didn't mind the 78 water temp, so no harm no foul.

Yes, I do work other than in the US.....I found out that the driving force behind Snoozer Troopers tired to verify a claim of mine that I work beyond the confines of Memphis and the central time zone. Unfortunatley, Jen didn't remember alot of the work my team does, like China, Bolivia, Mexico, etc. To the less informed....I work for the feds, and the feds do work beyond our borders. So you think when an US agency builds an office in China...they hire a Chinese firm to do the work?

Kathern Bowers & Y'allz Demz Killz me (cont)....after months of blow hard interviews about I'll never fold, I'll never quit, and I didn't do nothing wrong.....Bowers has folded, has quit, and has a least done one thing wrong. After resigning form the Senate for health reasons (high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems..and I think a seriously in grown toe nail) she felt good enough to get loaded and side swipe a UPS truck on I-240! No she says it was the meds, fortunatly the DUI laws take that into account, and if she operated heavy machinary (no I don't mean her girdle) then she's guilty. However, in true Memphis fashion...she got a citation, and was sent home...for DUI.....now I know that ALL of us would get the exact same treatment, and not spend (8) hours in lock up!

I was told they'rd be no math questions....So after two semesters on the President's List...I've taken my first College Allgebra test....then I started looking for degrees that don't require math....I'm just glad I've still got my 4.0 to build on, and I'd tell what my GPA is now....but that take averaging, averaging would be math...and math is just wrong!

Living wage...how bout living means....In yet another example of no one taking responsability, the city is now pushing for a "Living Wage" for all persons employed by the city, or employed by companies that do business with the city. They estimate for this living wage would be about $12.00 per hour for someone not collecting benfits....which for the family used as an example (single mom with 3 kids) would be about $25k per year. Still below poverty level. We can talk about why a single Mom has three kids later, but for the sake of argument here, on top of the $25k per year, wants to buy a $80k house she will also most likely receive:

1. $11k per year in child support (I'm not going to stereo type, and assume Dad(s) pay)
2. $16k from the city to make her 20% down payment, so she doesn't pay PMI
3. $2500 a year saving from not paying PMI
4. $4k a year in food stamps
5. $3k in tax credits for EIC
6. $1500 in free clothes for the start of the school year
7. $8k worth of free school lunches
8. The will receive property tax assistance, utility assistance, and a vast untold number of other donations for being low income.

So at the end of a year, when she decides to purchase house, this woman (and again, I'm using Wendi Thomas profile of the typical worker) would effectivey receive $71,000 in income, tax credits, and assistance programs.

Now, let's look at a family in East Memphs, living in a $300k house, with a Mom/Dad and (3) kids, each parent makes $35k per year for a total of $70k:

1. $20k in Fed Income tax, no credits, no breaks
2. $2k more a year in city tax, because they have a nice house
3. $1k more a year in county tax, becasue they have a nice house
4. $6k more per year because their kids will buy their own lunch
5. $1k more per year because they will buy their kids school clothes and supplies
6. $2k more per year because they didn't have 20% to put down on their house, and have to pay PMI
7. $4k per year they don't get in food stamps

So one family has effective income/incentives of about $71,000....and the other has an effective income/deductions of $34,000.......who's the low income family?

And, just another thought, the City always brags about supporting small/local business. What will the impact be of a suddent labor cost increase of 40-60% be on that small business? What will the rest of us do that have to absorb they're increased costs? The city wont, they have a contract the company will have to honor...so the other people (us) will have to subsidize the dramatic increase.