"government benefits" written by Oda on estrip.org

08/17/13 01:25 - ID#58003

government benefits

[Update: I couldn't stop thinking about this, so when I got a chance I sat down with my 1040 and calculator. I think these numbers are pretty close.]

A family of three who earns $19,000 per year in self-emloyment income actually makes approximately the same amount as a family of three who earns $24,000 per year in self employment income.

Here's how I figured:

19K family gets:
$3792 in food stamps per year ($316/month)
$3169 in Earned Income Tax Credit per year
$912 in NYS Earned Income Credit
and owes:
$2685 in Self-employment tax
$0 in Federal Tax
$0 in NYS Tax

Grand Total: $24,188

24K family gets:
$0 in food stamps
$3169 in Earned Income Tax Credit
$912 in NYS EIC
and owes:
$3391 in Self-employment tax
$0 in Federal Tax
$252 in NYS Tax

Grand Total: $24,438

To make matters even worse, once that family makes $27K, they deal with:
Losing their free Health Insurance
$444 less in Earned Income Credit
$133 less in NYS EIC
$424 more in Self employment tax
$179 more in Federal tax
$111 more in NY tax
So, in effect they still don't make any more money, provided they find some kind of cheap health insurance costing only $140/month.

This is insanity. Why does $19,000=$27,000?

(I realize that my tax numbers are probably off a couple dollars, and I would love to be corrected if I am way off, but I think I'm pretty close to hitting the nail on the head.)

Permalink: government_benefits.html
Words: 226
Last Modified: 08/17/13 10:34

06/14/13 11:32 - ID#57801

post-baby sex

Why does no one tell you that women HATE sex after they have a baby?

It's already been almost 9 months. I honesly can't thing of many things that I would rather do less.

Anyone have any other experiences or advice to share?

Permalink: post_baby_sex.html
Words: 42
Last Modified: 06/14/13 11:32

06/06/13 12:01 - ID#57769

hi paul

Hi Paul, How are you?

I ran in to your dad the other day as I was walking down Wilber. We chatted for a while and he was singing your praises, telling me about your big promotion at work, your beautiful house, and your wedding. He also was very proud of Mike and his new job.

He showed off the vegetable garden and he explained how he has to mow the lawn every three days to keep it neat. It does look very nice indeed. But Kenmore is not the same as it used to be. Is that because there are black people who live there now? Remember how there was only one black student at Kenmore West when we went there?

I couldn't help but remember how he used to get so mad sometimes. He is so much more mellow than he used to be. Probably because of the brain tumor.

I'd love to see you some time!

Permalink: hi_paul.html
Words: 159
Last Modified: 06/06/13 12:01

03/14/12 09:18 - ID#56220

11 weeks

i can't believe how horrible it is to be pregnant. i am certain i am not the only one who has felt this way, but i really don't know anyone else who has expressed just how bad it really is.

i know myself pretty well. i have been aware of my body and always been healthy. but now, from energetic and competent, I have digressed to being exhausted and disabled.

i have gained one pound so far, but my clothes do not fit me because my body has gone haywire. all of a sudden, about 1 week ago, i started getting fat. i feel like a blob.

the worst physical change is that my boobs have gone from a size 32C to a fucking 32E. i've already gone up three sizes and i can't even begin to explain how uncomfortable it is to have those things hanging off of me all the time.

and i know it's just going to get worse.

i used to sleep a normal 7 or 8 hours a night. now i sleep 12 hours a day (yes, half of my life!). and when I am awake, i am almost always tired.

people have started to say congratulations to me. i want to scream that i hate this and don't want to be congratulated. this is such a burden. i didn't know it was going to be like this.

Permalink: 11_weeks.html
Words: 229
Last Modified: 03/14/12 09:18

Category: football

01/08/11 11:30 - 19.ºF - ID#53414

bye, colts

the indianapolis colts were my favorite team this year (sorry, bills, but you have become my second choice), and sadly, they lost now in the wildcard playoff.

new orleans, my third favorite team, also lost today.

i don't have anyone left to root for.

Permalink: bye_colts.html
Words: 44
Last Modified: 01/08/11 11:30

Category: chickens

01/06/11 07:39 - 25.ºF - ID#53400

my new girls

I have certainly taken a liking to my chickens. It all started when I got 10 hens for my birthday this April. Our flock has now increased to 48 birds.

My latest additions were 3 of these buff brahmas (this is not my photo, but it shows what they look like). They are the sweetest girls ever! They LOVE people and are the friendliest of the 9 different varieties that we have.

But, they are HUGE!!! I think one of them weighs about 9 pounds. In contrast, my White Leghorns (which is your standard everyday, factory farm, egg-layers) weigh around 4 pounds each.

I can see the economy of raising 4 pound chickens instead of large chickens. I'm already spending $20/week on food! Yes, that is over 50 pounds per week, although they do eat much less food when there is no snow on the ground and can forage for themselves.

Permalink: my_new_girls.html
Words: 145
Last Modified: 01/06/11 08:23

Category: beer

12/22/10 12:20 - 23.ºF - ID#53318

beer wars

the other day, i watched a documentary called Beer Wars. good documentary; it seems that in a lot of ways beer is a few years ahead of vegetables in terms of big vs. small, as the craft beers are growing in popularity.

but there is a super-villain in the beer industry. and the short story is that i vowed never to drink another budweiser or anheuser/busch product again in my life. they are evil.

i broke that promise only two nights later, tonight.

i wanted to get some beer for me and mark. i drove to the beer store to pick up some OV, old vienna, for $7/12 pack. (the cheapest, best non-anheuser/bush product in a 20 mile radius, at least.) when i went to check out, the cashier informed me about their special on budweiser-select 55: only $7/24 pack! i am pretty poor, so this was absolutely too good to pass up.

i let down my principles so quickly. (i got both the O.V. and the busweiser select 55)

but it seems that anheuser-busch had the last laugh. budweiser-select 55 has only 2.4% alcohol. that is like drinking one water for every beer. (OV, and my other favorite beer, Labatts, are both 5%)

metalpeter writes at 03:19:51 12/23/10 - Comment #59893: I'm guessing that Documentary is pretty good, I've never seen it though.... There was also a show of the same name I never saw but not sure if it was connected to the movie........

I Myself don't like Beer at all.... Now that being said I have never tried any of the fruity stuff other then pumpkin (first few sips where good) I wonder how like a Blue Berry Wheat or (Pearl St. Grill) has one they Call a Don Cherry or something...... I like the mike's and things like that. But the 1st kind of thing I had was I think at Planet Hollywood in Toronto (Years ago around Wrestlemania 12 I think) .. It was a bottle with an X on it, think it was called X.........

In Terms of the Beers from Canada I have seen an ad during some kind of sports on The Canadian Channel for some beer that looks like it is supposed to be very rugged and I assume that no American Company would own them, well maybe they own the company that owns them.....

ladycroft writes at 04:19:59 12/23/10 - Comment #59887: i never liked budweiser to start, ick!

vincent writes at 01:07:19 12/23/10 - Comment #59883: OV to me seems to be the local answer for PBR. It is a brand that fell on hard times, does not advertise and gets sales due to it's essence.

It is funny to me that Labatt USA, Magic Hat & Genesee are all under the same roof.

As for Anheuser-Busch, they just really are just a peg in a bigger machine. They're owned by InBev now which is Brazilian/Dutch. There is no doubt that they were bullies in the past but they're just owned now. Their problem was that they just made a few beers well and that was just about it. I personally liked a few of their beers; Bud Light is great when it's hot out, Michelob just tasted great out of the old school tear drop bottles and Mich Ultra well it's a good time if you want to experience a bit of the taste of Michelob with less calories.

Personally I hope the Super Low Carb beers stick around, but it is almost like drinking non-alcoholic beer for the most part. Plus I think MGD 64 "tastes" better.

Now the knock on Coors has always been that they're been extremely anti union. To me I've always appreciated the taste of the original banquet Coors. The Rocky Mountain Water is something else, but I'm convinced that the stuff that they sell on the east coast is brewed in Reston VA. So I have to fly out west to enjoy it again. Which stinks because I would always enjoy it when the weather is cold and the snow is flying.

uncutsaniflush writes at 10:04:57 12/22/10 - Comment #59881: (e:oda) - thanks for the clarification about Labatts USA.

To me, "under license" means that Anheuser-Busch still owns the brand and makes money from every bottle or can of Labatts sold in the U.S even if it is a lesser amount than before.

Personally, I think it is funny and ironic that none of the famous Canadian beer brands are Canadian-owned anymore.

If memory serves, even Sleeman's is foreign-owned.

oda writes at 09:08:58 12/22/10 - Comment #59877: you are right. OV is owned by Molson-Coors.

oda writes at 08:55:09 12/22/10 - Comment #59876: (e:uncutsantiflus)h, what I found was that while Labatts brewed and sold in Canada is owned by anheuser-busch,

"In the United States, Labatt brand beers are sold under license by Labatt USA, which since 2009 has been fully independent of the Canadian firm and a subsidiary of the privately-held North American Breweries of Rochester, New York."

according to wikipedia.

i haven't found anything saying or disputing that OV is owned by Molson-Coors. But I don't even dislike Molson-Coors one one-hundredth of how much I dislike anheuser-busch. They are not the ones trying to get rid of the craft beers.

uncutsaniflush writes at 05:09:25 12/22/10 - Comment #59874: (e:libertad) - I heard the same thing about Coors. I had a professor who said that it is very appropriate that Adolf Coors first name was Adolf. But I was never clear on which of the 3 generations of Adolfs in the Coors family were fascist.

libertad writes at 01:19:57 12/22/10 - Comment #59873: I didn't know that uncut. See it is so complicated to understand where our money is going. Takes a bit of work to really understand who owns who. I had a teacher that always used to say "Have a Coors for Fascism." I always thought that was funny but I don't drink Coors. That's a very easy one to avoid considering that their beer is gross.

uncutsaniflush writes at 09:21:22 12/22/10 - Comment #59872: I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your other favorite beer, Labatts, is owned by the Anheuser-Busch-Inbev multi-national company. And Old Vienna is brewed in Canada these days by Molson which is division of Molson-Coors.

Permalink: beer_wars.html
Words: 199
Last Modified: 12/22/10 12:20

12/16/10 12:07 - 25.ºF - ID#53284

life in holland

here's an update on my life. perhaps i will get in to blogging again, as it's the "down season" (as long as my mac holds up, anyway)

we grew over 40 different vegetables this year. big winners were corn, tomatoes, hot peppers, and greens.

the farmer's market downtown was great.....when it didn't rain. it is absolutely horrible when it does rain. it is terrible to have to bring all that produce home.

this convinced me that we need to start a CSA next year. we're starting small, aiming for just 12 families this year. we will still sell at farmers markets, but the long-term goal is to grow the CSA because people at farmer's markets are so fickle. for now, we will only distribute from our farm directly.

one thing i LOVE is our chickens. mark got me 10 hens for my birthday this april. they are fun, and i view them as pets, not livestock. anyway, the eggs were a *huge* hit at market. so we got 30 more chickens this october, and they will start laying in march or april. the chickens live in the barn, where our farm is, and we have moved in to our house, about 4-5 miles away, in town.

it is much easier to make money from selling eggs than it is to sell vegetables. we have yet to make any profit on the farm (this year, our expenses were very high, and last year our harvest was poor). mark and i are hopeful and confident that year 3 will turn this around.

so i work as a bookkeeper on the side (i really like doing this, and i hope to expand this business.) and i also do income taxes. i do not like this job at all, but the seasonal work is exactly what i need.

Permalink: life_in_holland.html
Words: 300
Last Modified: 12/16/10 12:07

Category: farming

08/17/10 10:40 - 74.ºF - ID#52466

downtown farmers market

so far, it's been a great growing year. our garden has vastly expanded, and our knowledge has grown even more. plus, it's a lot of fun to be your own boss.

i wanted to let everyone know that i am selling at the downtown buffalo farmers market on thursdays. it's on main st, near lafayette square from 8am-2pm. so come over to say hi if you're free.

i have sold out of veggies almost every week (turnip greens, however, did not go over very well). we make about $100/week, which i think is pretty good for our second year of this enterprise.

Permalink: downtown_farmers_market.html
Words: 103
Last Modified: 08/17/10 10:40

Category: home

01/06/10 12:20 - 21ºF - ID#50753

house

mark and i are buying a house. we are just in the early stages. basically: we made an offer, they accepted. we're going to the bank tomorrow, getting the home inspection on Sunday. this is very exciting!
i really hope it works out, we love the house, it's the perfect location, it has room to expand for our future pets and kids, and gives us a great base from which to run our farm.

Permalink: house.html
Words: 74

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