Motion for a Recess

Relax, Don’t Do it

I got screwed. There, I said it.

I had been too afraid or upset to talk about some issues I was having at work. I think a part of me was still frustrated with how things were dealt with as well as the fact that I was really getting no recognition for the work I had been doing. A couple of my supervisors apologized for the former. Basically, I wasn’t chosen for a higher position I was vying for earlier in the year. It didn’t really upset me that I wasn’t picked. What really upset me was the way in which the process was handled since ultimately the person for the position (assuming it’s not me) would be my superior and I had been closed out from the whole process. I understood the conflict of interest in picking the person but I didn’t fully understand the need to be so secretive and inconspicuous about the process.

Anyway, the fact was that I was not chosen – for better or for worse. I was told on a Friday which meant I spent the weekend in my cocoon, letting the anger build-up inside me. On Monday, I returned to work very bitter. A part of me wanted to get “even.” But what did that mean? Not do work and screw myself over even more? I came home at night and realized how petty I was being. Typically when a person doesn’t get a fair shake, they want retribution – and fast. It’s the easy way out. But you just feel worse since you’re not dealing with the root of the issue. I realized I couldn’t and shouldn’t allow this to get me down. I came to terms with what happened (and I believe that all things happen for a reason). In fact, instead of it being a dampening experience I’m using it as fuel to take me further and work harder to do what I’m good at.

The Real Tax Cheats

I’ve read a lot of news about the IRS tending to audit middle and low-income households more than high-income ones. It only makes sense since the rich have connections and can get by somehow. But recently, the State of California (yeah, the one with the huge deficit and failing government) had its Franchise Tax Board publish a list of the top 250 delinquent taxpayers. The first on the list is the founder of CNET, Halsey Minor, who owes over $13 million. By doing a quick calculation, the list seems to add up to over $150 million which is a significant amount of money.

I’d like to see the IRS do something like this. It’d be interesting to see who the biggest federal tax cheats are.

Altruistic Millionaires

This is the news the mainstream media needs to cover: Some millionaires lobby for higher taxes.

Instead we get coverage of extremist/fringe groups (i.e. Tea Party) who are “mad as hell, and…not going to take it anymore!” but really have no idea what they’re angry about. The US needs more people who are altruistic and giving instead of those who want to complain and criticize everything going wrong with the country. The Bush tax cuts need to run its course and end otherwise this country is really in trouble. And it’s nice to see that the top of the income ladder is complaining about the already low taxes they pay.

The Net is Losing Neutrality

Today, the DC Court of Appeals handed corporate America a victory for deciding what content it can filter on the internet. In Comcast Corporation v. FCC, the Court ruled 3 – 0 that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not have the authority to require Comcast to treat all internet traffic equally. This decision effectively means that all broadband providers (Verizon, ATT, Comcast, etc) can filter what they deem to be bandwidth-hogs and charge rates based on their tiered internet packages.

This is not a good sign for the future of the internet.