Tax Man Charlie Rangel – I Told You So

Charlie Rangel was forced by prevailing sentiment to today take leave from his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee.

It’s about time. Rangel can’t even spell the word “ethics” let alone understand its meaning.

I have been on Rangel’s case and ethical misdeeds since September 2008. The facts were there yet Rangel’s Congressional colleagues just sat there for months, ignoring them.

Even in his last words before stepping aside, Rangel’s dishonesty was on display. Catch this tidbit from the article:

Pushed on whether he would step aside temporarily, he replied, “No.”

He said he was headed back to his office to work on jobs legislation, and when a reporter asked if he would still be the committee chairman on Wednesday, Mr. Rangel said, “Yes, and I don’t lie to the press.”

Well, actually he did lie to the press because this is Wednesday and Rangel is no longer the Committee Chairman.

Everyone should be relieved that Rangel will no longer have the opportunity to direct his “mother of all tax bills” through the House. On the other hand, I have no doubt that the morons in his district will re-elect him.

We don’t need mere “change” in Washington. We need an earthquake – for Republicans and Democrats alike. Our collective financial future still hangs in the balance.

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Should Personal Finance Blogs Come with Warning Labels?

I scan/read a lot of personal finance blogs. A few I find educational. A few others are worth reading because of the quality of the writing. Some I read for no good reason at all. (I gotta do something about that time-waster.) And then there are those blog posts that just make you shake your head in amazement. Some of those need “bad money behavior” warning labels. Read more

When the Name Brand Purchase is a Bad Deal

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The worst reason to buy a name brand is to fulfill the purchaser’s desire to impress others and to create feelings of self-importance. There are plenty of consumers who play that game and the expensive name brand merchants are happy to oblige. We see a lot of that in the constantly changing world of high fashion. (Sorry ladies, but I think you are the primary players in that money-wasting area.) Today I learned of an extreme example of a “name brand” manufacturer taking advantage of careless consumers. Read more

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A Christmas Message for those Considering Law School

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Financial Incapability in America

The U.S. Treasury Department, the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation has discovered through a survey what Mr. ToughMoney and others could have told them for free:  Americans are pretty much financially incapable. Read more

Troubled Homeowners Can’t Be Bothered with Helping Themselves

In February, the Obama administration announced its $75 billion dollar plan to rescue 4 million homeowners (and I use that term loosely) from probable foreclosure. The concept was that these troubled homeowners would negotiate with their lender for a revised payment plan, test the plan for a few months, then make it permanent for five years. Taxpayer funds would support all of it. So far, this program has been a dismal failure and another waste of our money. Read more

The Satellite Radio Service that Won’t Die

Three months ago I wrote about our ongoing efforts to eliminate unneeded recurring monthly expenses. One of those was the satellite radio service that I have had in my car for a few years. However, it seems that the monopoly now known as XM/Sirius doesn’t deal well with rejection. It has resisted my cancellation efforts to a degree that is as humorous as it is frustrating. Read more

Does Las Vegas Deserve a Recovery?

I am in Las Vegas on business this week – attending some trade shows to help a couple of clients find competitive infringing products. Not fun but productive. With an entire industry jammed into a single convention center, finding knock-off targets is like shooting ducks in a pond. Read more

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