A Freudian slip?

(AP) — Nobody’s going to win an Emmy for a parody of the TV show “Star Trek” filmed by Internal Revenue Service employees at an agency studio in Maryland.

Instead, the IRS got a rebuke from Congress for wasting taxpayer dollars.

The agency says the video, and another parodying the TV show “Gilligan’s Island,” cost about $60,000 to produce. But apparently the “Star Trek” video accounted for most of the money.

The six-minute clip was was shown at the opening of a 2010 training and leadership conference, but even the Associated Press notes that it “does not appear to have any training value.”

The cringe-worthy spoof features an elaborate set depicting the control room, or bridge, of the spaceship featured in the hit TV show. IRS workers portray the characters, including one who plays Mr. Spock, complete with fake hair and pointed ears.

The production value is high, though the acting is what one might expect from a bunch of tax collectors. In the video, the spaceship is approaching the planet “Notax,” where fraud, money laundering, and alien identity theft appear to be a problem.

“Back in Russia, I dreamed someday I’d be rich and famous,” one of the Star Trek tax collectors says during the clip.

“Me too, that’s why I became a public servant,” his friend responds with a grin, “fist bumping” the Russian.

The agency apologized in a statement: “The IRS recognizes and takes seriously our obligation to be good stewards of government resources and taxpayer dollars…There is no mistaking that this video did not reflect the best stewardship of resources.”

It also said it has tightened controls over the use of its production equipment to “ensure that all IRS videos are handled in a judicious manner that makes wise use of taxpayer funds while ensuring a tone and theme appropriate for the nation’s tax system.”

“A video of this type would not be made today,” the agency claimed.

“I dreamed someday I’d be rich and famous,” one of the tax collectors says.

“Me too, that’s why I became a public servant,” his friend responds with a grin.

I prefer keeping my extra cash somewhere else.

It's just not safe in the bank.

I purchased something on the television using a debit card from my account and the company kept and shared my debit card number with their "affiliates" and then someone signed me up for some monthly travel club and some other monthly thing and started taking money out of my account. When I called them on it they said they would "cancel my account." I told them they had better refund to me all the money they had taken or else. They did.

I asked the bank about this and they said that if someone has your number, they assume they have permission to take the money.

Your money is supposed to be SAFE in the bank. Its not.

Savings accounts? Whats that?

Cyprus Seizure Is Dawn Of European Bank Run


The big news over the weekend was that European Union officials forced a tax on deposits of 6.75 percent on all bank accounts with amounts less than 100,000 euros and 9.9 percent for accounts above that. There will also be a banking holiday for the next two days on the island. Although Cyprus's economy is a tiny fraction (0.25%) of the European economy, the precedent set from this deposit is catastrophic to the stability of the eurozone. Bank runs within Europe and the collateral damage caused by this will be enough to restore the European debt crisis along with its adverse effect on markets.

More importantly than the actual amount of money seized from the measure is the precedent set by the willingness of Europeans to retroactively tax deposits to protect bondholders. As of the writing of this column, there is still a chance that the Cypriot parliament may soften or reject this levy entirely. However, any reversal of this policy in the near term hardly makes a difference. By even considering the option of direct wealth taxation, Brussels has shattered the confidence of the European banking system.

Why would any depositor risk holding their money in a euro-denominated bank? Interest rates do not offer any real yield and with the high debt levels on sovereign balance sheets and undercapitalized banking systems, there is no reason to assume that any country's bank is safe from deposit confiscation. Individuals' risk of losing 6-10% of savings without notice far outweigh any convenience of a domestic bank account. In addition wealthy individuals can easily move enough money to US dollar, pound, or Swiss franc denominated bank accounts who do not have the same currency contagion risks.


http://seekingalpha.com/article/1281901-cyprus-seizure-is-dawn-of-european-bank-run?source=google_news

But it's not why people need assault rifles. An assault rifle round could've gone through that *expletive* and into the house across the street.

Also, no word in the article whether the intruder was armed. Could have been a case of him having the wrong address. Three shots to the chest and now the *expletive* cannot give his side of the story.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Police arrested two teenagers Friday who are suspected in the shooting death of a 13-month-old baby in a stroller and wounding the baby’s mother during an attempted robbery.

Seventeen-year-old De’Marquis Elkins is charged as an adult with first-degree murder.

“He asked me for money and I said I didn’t have it,” she said. “When you have a baby, you spend all your money on babies. They’re expensive. And he kept asking and I just said ‘I don’t have it.’ And he said, ‘Do you want me to kill your baby?’ And I said, ‘No, don’t kill my baby!’”

He fired at her head and the bullet grazed her left ear – she has a small scab and bruising there. He fired again and shot her in the left leg above the knee. “I didn’t know I was hurt.”

“The boy proceeded to go around to the stroller and he shot my baby in the face,” she said. “And then he just shoved me when I started screaming and he ran down London Street.

PONCA CITY, OK-- A man shoots an intruder who broke into his Ponca City home, the entire confrontation was recorded on a 911 call.

"You better get these *expletive* here or they will die," the man told 911 dispatchers at the beginning of the call.

The 911 call lasted about five minutes. The caller stayed on the line with dispatchers as he waited for officers to arrive:

Caller: "They're beating on my front door right now."
Dispatcher: "Okay, we've got them on the way"

As the caller waited for police, the intruder managed to break into the home. Several gunshots can be heard during their confrontation.

"I just put three rounds in his *expletive,*" said the caller to dispatchers.

Ponca City Police say the shooting happened at about 4:30 AM on the 1300-block of North Pine Street. Enos Rhodd lives across the street from the home where the shooting happened, he heard the first two gunshots before police arrived.

"They sounded like firecrackers in the distance," said Rhodd.

Rhodd says he believes his neighbor was justified in firing at the intruder.

"I think you have the right to defend yourself," he said.

Carla Carney, who also lives nearby disagrees, she says three gunshots is too much.

"You should protect your house, but if he was shot once, why continue to keep shooting?" said Carney.

Other neighbors, like Brenton Carney believe with the police station nearby, officers should have arrived sooner.

"Maybe they could have caught him outside," he said.

Ponca City Police say the intruder was transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance, then airlifted to another hospital in Tulsa. No word on his condition. The intruder's name is not being released.

The case is under investigation. Ponca City Police say once they complete the investigation the case will be turned over to the DA.

you say that like it's something new...

Yes, you love your guns. We get it.

I am always in a flux of change as I try to remember I cannot dictate what rights others should have.

So I try to vote for freedom as much as I can. Sometimes I make mistakes, but I can always come back and change my vote next time.

Those printed guns will still be illegal if they violate the terms of the gun control. No law can completely remove illegal guns from the hands of the public, or even the streets. It's just another way to help lower the availability of them, and give police another means to regulate them.

As the law stands now, a thug gets stopped with assault rifles in the trunk of their car, the police have to let them keep those weapons. After the ban, the police can take them away and fine/jail those same thugs.

How is this a reason to oppose gun control? The monster shot and killed three other students, for no apparent reason.

I feel I should correct my last post with something of an addendum...

The assertion I was addressing that I called a false assertion is sort of true in some instances (like when the state takes the child from his parents), but only because the state has "tricked" the birth parents into making the state the trustee of the baby's estate (and therefore the grantor of his care).

(IMO, the state can be a bad trustee and operate in breach of trust, but the state will always have plausible deniability, so breach of trust becomes nearly impossible to prove.) This explains why children can be removed from the care of loving parents simply on the word of a CFS social worker (who may have either a grudge against the parent(s), or stands to profit in one way or another from what amounts to child abduction).

Like most things, the truth of the matter goes both ways and is confusing as hell. Parents are INHERENTLY the grantors & trustees of their children, but when they register the live birth, they inform the state of a new vessel in port, and the vessel then comes under the care of the state "parent/trustee." The state in turn, and acting now as grantor, entrusts the care of the baby to the caretakers (formerly parents), who receive some consideration for their new job to care for the state's charge, the baby mama gave birth to.

The caretakers (birth parents) are now answerable TO the state for any alleged breach of the state's trust (in them). The burden of proof of child abuse has switched. Where the state might once have had to prove that the parents are acting in breach of the innocent child's trust, the parents might now be called upon to prove they are NOT acting in breach of the state's trust.

The original assertion remains false in that the parents are always the trustees of the baby, but they have unknowingly lost their position as grantors & trustees to the state, which is now their boss and has charged them with a trust they had in the first place. It has also burdened them heavily with having to prove a negative if an allegation of abuse is ever made against them.

Advice to parents who have registered their child's birth: If ever you get a visit from a CFS worker, be as friendly as possible and for heaven's sake, make sure the house is immaculate...You are going to get the "white glove test" as they look for ANY imperfections in your household.

I have seen people call into work sick for the day then post themselves on social networks out doing whatever activities- clearly not sick- all the while forgetting that their boss is on their friend list

this is where people are often mixed up,, we CAN decide what to eat,drink, and drive, we can decide on a minimum wage (via democratic vote) based upon what is reasonable compensation

but businesses which receive certain benefits from TAXPAYER(government) have to enter into guidelines and compromises with that government on what they will provide, based on safety, basic rights,,,etc,,,,

what we cant do is expect the country to run accomodating EVERY individuals wants and needs and desires,, in a society much of what happens has to occur by a consensus of individuals,, because there are too many individuals for a society that would please all of them all the time,,,,

I cannot say I am happy with any bill that has to do with fkin' with our rights to bear arms.

Reid is a snake in the grass and what he will propose is a big bite and will lead to bans.

Tell 'em ta' fck off and leave our weapons alone. Period.

We don't need their stinkin' babysitting.

The libs might. I can smell their diapers from here.