Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Come home to her

Everyone likes to have a beautiful home and garden; however, paying for all the best decorations and extras is not always easy. There are many things you can do to save money on home and garden items; you just have to know where to look and what strategies to use. Consider the following five tips when you are planning your next purchase.
 
1. Mix It Up – When you are designing your home and garden area, use a variety of colors and patterns. Consider using a theme for the room or garden area and then all you have to do is shop for items along that theme. This is a great way to save money on clearance racks and closeout sales. While you may not find six matching linen napkins, you can probably find six green linen napkins. You can also mix up your plates. Instead of a matching set that costs hundreds, buy individual plates along the same theme.
 
2. Shop Exclusively – Forgo the department stores and shop at stores that exclusively have what you are looking for. While everyone knows large retail stores are known for cheaper prices, it is often easy to find even better deals at a specialty store. Consider the bedding you need for your home. When you shop at a bedding store, you will have a larger selection and there will be more markdowns and clearance items as well.
 
3. Compare Prices Online – Use comparison tools online to find the best prices on your must- have items. These sites will crawl through the web and find every site that is offering the item you are looking for. This can save you a lot of time and money in your search. You might even check out online auction sites to look for a specific item; many businesses list their inventory online.
 
4. Shop Out Of Season – For garden items, you can find great deals if you shop during the winter months. Garden furniture and decorations are often marked down up to 50% off. Buy items that need to be put together and save them for great spring projects. Many plants can be bought in the off season as well. Since these items are less popular in the off season months, you can find great deals.
 
5. Coupons Are Worth Their Weight in Gold – While it can be a pain to use coupons, you can save hundreds on a project if you will take the time to use them. Look for coupons that are a set amount off of purchases or coupons for free shipping if you are ordering online. There are many great sites online that offer coupons for many different stores. You can download or print coupons for many different stores all in one place.
 
6. Take Your Time – Impulse buying can cost you a lot more than you will pay if you take your time. If you take the time to shop around, you can often find items at much better prices. You might even be able to find a similar item to the one you saw in the store for a much better price online.
 

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Schwarzenegger Looks to Illegal Drugs for Tax Revenue

The California budget crisis continues on without abatement and illegal drugs are now in the crosshairs of cash strapped legislators. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he would look at marijuana legislation as a potential means for tax revenue. Is this a shortsighted move?

Illegal Drugs in the News

When Michael Phelps took a bong hit, the picture led to unsuccessful press negotiations, an apology, sanctions, and a loss of endorsements. In contrast, when San Francisco Democrat Tom Ammiano drafted a California marijuana bill, he was hailed as a visionary who might be able to use illegal drugs and put up to $50 per ounce of marijuana into the state's coffers.

Even President Obama weighed in on legalization of illegal drugs - specifically the legalization of marijuana - and the Obama marijuana position is a resounding "no" to making this illegal drug legal. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is not yet on the illegal drugs legalization bandwagon, but, according to the Christian Science Monitor, he is making overtures that he is ready to listen and discuss the legalization and taxation of marijuana.

Illegal Drugs Status of Marijuana

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration classifies marijuana as a schedule one illegal drug, asserting that it possessed a heightened possibility of abuse.

Will Legalization of Illegal Drugs Show California the Money?

It may not be the solution to California's budget woes, but it would be more than a drop in the bucket. Estimates suggest that the legalization of marijuana and its taxation could add up to $1.3 billion to the state's strapped budget.

The law of unintended consequences also applies when it comes to illegal drugs and their legalization. For example, if marijuana were made legal in California, sellers and users would no longer be subject to prosecution (at taxpayer cost) and incarceration (also at taxpayer expense); moreover, the tax revenue generated by marijuana sellers and users as they pursue their regular FICA generating jobs remains preserved.

On the flipside, a new government agency or at least office dedicated to overseeing the sale and taxation of marijuana would have to be created. Children would have to be protected from (for them) illegal drugs that would then be so much easier to obtain. Could it be that the California governmental structure might just eat up whatever profits the legalization and taxation of marijuana would yield?

Moreover, the fact that smoking pot and smoking tobacco lead to health problems is undisputed. Will California simply shoot itself in the foot by legalizing marijuana and reaping tax benefits on the front end, while paying out health related costs on the back end?

Monday, May 4, 2009

Fake Swine Flu Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) have announced that the public should be cautious
about products said to prevent, treat or cure the Swine Flu virus,
saying use of unauthorized or unapproved products could put people's
health at risk.

The government agencies say that they are "aggressively" investigating
phony flu products and/or claims.

The Canadian government made an official announcement on its website
that warned the public that although there are two anti-viral drugs
that could help prevent or reduce symptoms of the flu - including
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir) - there are NO products
that are approved for direct sale to the public that would
specifically treat or guard against the H1N1 flu virus. Tamiflu and
Relenza are available only by prescription via a doctor or authorized
medical professional. The Canadians also caution that the medicines be
given only when the illness is diagnosed as being "moderate" or
"severe" and if the patient is at high risk of complications of flu -
such as existing respiratory ailments. The agency states that if taken
within 48 hours after getting sick, Tamiflu or Relenza can help reduce
symptoms, shorten the length of illness and potentially reduce serious
complications.

The Canadian health agency is also warning against claims for
"generic" versions of Tamiflu or Relenza, saying no such generics have
been approved and that such products could have dangerous additives in
them. The agency states that consumers should be very wary of buying
drugs over the Internet. For example, an online provider such as
PrescriptionGiant.com offers a package of 30, 10-milligram capsules of
Tamiflu for $88.65. At fitfuel.com a "herbal alternative to Tamiflu"
called Defend-Rx is being advertised for $24.98 for a supply of 45
tablets. The site says the demand has been so heavy that they are
currently out of stock. But, the site claims that the product is "the
world's only natural weapon against bird flu (Avian Flu). But, it also
claims the ingredients in the product are "the main component in
Tamiflu."

The FTC suggests that the public report any suspected fraudulent Swine
Flu products to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/oci/flucontact.html.
Also, anyone who wants to file a complaint against a company that they
think is trying to advertise or sell swine flu products can call the
FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP.

The Boston Globe

Boston Globe is Boston's largest newspaper. It is also one of the most
widely-read newspapers in our country's northeastern region. The first
issue of the Boston Globe was published on March 4, 1872. This makes
the newspaper over one hundred years old!

Since 1993, the Boston Globe has been owned by the New York Times. The
online edition, Boston.com was launched in 1995. Although the Boston
Globe has a rich history, that does not make it immune to the current
economic crisis. On April 2 of this year, the parent that owns the
Boston Globe threatened to close its doors if unions don't agree to
$20 million in cost savings.

The parent's ultimatum was not an empty threat. The Boston Globe may
file a notice to shut down as early as today. Under the Workers
Readjustment and Retraining Notification act the company must give a
60 day notice before closing it's doors. Filing such a notice today
would mean that in July the Boston Globe would no longer exist.

Critical agreements were not reached by the midnight deadline.
However, negotiations continue as we speak. Let's keep our fingers
crossed that critical negotiations prove successful. Our country can
not afford to lose another newspaper that has such a rich history.

The Boston Globe is not the only newspaper to hit rough times. The
Rocky Mountain News in Denver shut it's doors completely. The
Christian Science Monitor and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer are now
only available in an online format. The parent company of the Chicago
Sun Times and 58 other newspapers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in
March. The future of newspapers as we know it remains a question mark.
Could it be that in the future we only can get our news online? Let's
hope not.

What can you do? Continue to buy newspapers in print edition. Every
little bit helps. As more and more traffic shifts online, we will see
more and more trouble with our nations newspapers.