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...............EVERYTHING ELSE................
CONGRESS
One of the more perplexing things about politicians is that they sell out so cheap. Those million/billionaire donors often get a good return on their investment. A couple hundred thousands can bring tax breaks of millions. For instance, out going Sen. Sinema received close to a million in donations from private equity firms in 2022. A reward for securing a bill that carved out a corporate exemption for those PE firms worth $35 billion.
This sluggish do-little/shout a lot congress sent part of a budget (30%) to the prez; five months after it was due! If you would like to see what necessities and pork ($468 billion!) your hard earned tax dollars go to, a rundown is here (At least some of that pork is coming to AZ and Cochise County) However there is little agreement on six other consequential appropriations bills, which are due by March 22 and include health, defense and homeland security programs.
The House, led by the freedumb economic illiterates, want to cut the IRS budget, just when they are starting to gain traction in clawing back millions of dollars from high income tax avoiders and corporations.
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TRUMP SHOWS OFF HIS MEMORY
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TIKTOK TROUBLES
A House committee wants to ban TikTok if they do not divest from ByteDance, their Chinese corporate owner. They are worried about all that user info flowing to the commies. Go here for the story behind the story, it's not just about TikTok, but far ranging privacy protections being embraced by the Biden admin.
One corollary not discussed much is that China could certainly retaliate by demanding Apple ( and others) divest itself of it's american owners. Apple does about $20 billion worth of biz in China. The US has more to lose than ByteDance, the owner of TikTok.
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HOLY CHIT MON, CHECK OUT THIS SICK DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY
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DAILY MARIJUANA USE LEADS TO HIGHER PROBABILITY
OF STROKE/HEART ATTACKS
Adults who use marijuana daily are 25 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who don’t use it, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association and funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The study also found a 42 percent increased likelihood of stroke linked to daily marijuana (cannabis) use.
The findings were based on data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2016 through 2020 from 434,104 U.S. residents, ages 18 to 74, considered a representative sample of the population. A WaPo summary is here
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ALL IN HER HEAD: WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE
A new book explores the history of discrimination in women’s health care and how it affects diagnosis and treatment today.
"For too long, doctors dismissed “what could be legitimate physiological problems as irrelevant, as hormonal, and therefore not important,” said Wendy Kline, a professor of the history of medicine at Purdue University."Book review/
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DON'T PAY MORE IN RENTAL CAR FEES
(from auto slash) (We have saved us hundreds of dollars using auto slash for car rentals.)
Common mistakes that cost you dough
...Overpaying for the rental car company’s collision damage waiver (CDW) or additional insurance products. This often happens because the renter is not aware of coverage you already have in your car insurance.
....Before you drive off the rental car lot, the agent will likely ask if you’d like to prepay for gas. Accepting this offer is usually a bad idea. Instead, decline the prepaid gas. But always take a picture of the dashboard showing the mileage and fuel level at the time of return.
...Another unwanted scenario is finding a surprise charge on the final bill for mystery damages. Luckily, this is avoidable. Before and after you take possession of the vehicle, make sure to take detailed photos of the inside and outside of the rental car for your records. Keep the photos for at least a few months after the final bill arrives, just to make sure you do not encounter any unwanted surprises.
...Another huge mistake is passing up discounts and special rates you’re entitled to. Costco, the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) are just some of the organizations that provide members with double-digit discounts.
...Check other locations.Rentals at airport locations typically incur special taxes and fees that neighborhood rental offices often do not charge. The price difference can be striking, even when factoring in the extra cost of transportation to get to an alternative location. So, always check both on-airport and off-airport locations and weigh the difference in cost versus convenience. Tip...Reserving a one-way rental, picking up off-airport and returning to the airport, can be a great way to save on taxes and fees and still have the convenience of returning the car back to the airport for your trip home.
...When requesting a quote from AutoSlash, try the so-called “half-hour hack”: Ask for a quote with your desired pickup time at, say, 9 am; then request a second quote for a pickup time one half hour earlier, 8:30 am, or later, at 9:30 am.
...Signing up for a rental car loyalty program is free, easy and often provides special perks, and yet many renters still leave it all on the table. Signing up for the rental car company’s loyalty program not only ensures that special promo codes end up in your inbox, but offers the possibility of nabbing free rental days or being able to skip the line and waive additional driver fees.