Wednesday, June 29, 2011

POSITIVE STEPS, BUT WE'RE STILL NOT EQUAL

Last week, a gay marriage bill was signed into law in New York. It goes into effect in 30 days. After that, gay couples can marry in the state, just like everyone else. Hurray! It has been a long wait for this blogger.

In practical terms, what this means is, married gay couples will be able to automatically inherit from each other under state law, can file joint state tax returns, and be considered next of kin when there is a medical emergency.

So, all is well and good in the gay New Yorker's world now, right? Far from it. While NY passing a gay marriage bill is monumental and historic, gay married New Yorkers still will not have equal rights under the law.

The reason for this is that gay married New Yorkers will still not receive the over 1,000 federal benefits that straight married couples receive.

Some of these federal benefits include:

1) the ability for a surviving spouse to receive social security survivor benefits
2) the ability to file joint federal tax returns
3) the ability to take advantage of federal estate and gift tax exemptions afforded a heterosexual surviving spouse.

In addition, unlike heterosexual spouses of deceased veterans, homosexual spouses will not be afforded health care, death pensions, educational assistance, home loan guarantees, and bereavement counseling. Gay spouses of living military personnel are not afforded any benefits given to heterosexual spouses of living military personnel, including health care, family relocation assistance and family separation pay.

Also, gay spouses of federal workers are still not permitted to receive health insurance or retirement plan benefits of a deceased federal employee.

The issue that concerns this blogger the most is the social security survivor benefits. Consider this scenario: A young gay couple gets married in NY this year. Both are about 30 years old. They have children. One spouse stays home to raise them, and the other works out of the home for 35 years, paying into the social security system. At age 67, that spouse dies. The surviving spouse will not be entitled to even one cent of her deceased spouse's social security. Instead, the government gets to keep it. Is that fair?

President Obama has waffled on the gay marriage issue. Before he was elected, he was all for civil unions for gay couples under federal law. Now, he says gay marriage is an issue to be decided by the states. Basically, this means he doesn't give a crap about gay couples having any federal benefits. He cares more about not rocking the boat for the 2012 election. And that sucks.

I am very grateful for what the NY legislature has done. It is proof we have come a long way as a society. But apparently, the fight is not over, and we have a long way to go. It's ok, though, we're prepared.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

DIETS TO DUDS, BECAUSE WE ARE SICK OF POLITICIAN STUDS

The only big thing in the news so far this week that caught our eye is the Anthony Weiner scandal. We can’t write about it, because writing about a man named Weiner who took all kinds of pictures of his penis is just tooooo funny, and bizarre, that the entire blog would be two words, “Nuff said.”

So what we did instead was investigate some cool downloadables to get everyone motivated to improve their life. We are firm believers in thinking positively about life. That’s really the main reason this site was created, because we wanted to give people a place to vent and release. If you can’t let go, you can’t move on and make it better.

So here are a few of our top picks:

The owners of this site struggle with extra pounds all the friggin’ time! Now the pressure is on to look great since it is bathing suit season. For a diet to help you look great all summer, check out this link.

Making money is part art, part mindset. One of the owners of this site has been dabbling in securities since age 17. Last year, one of her teams competing in the NYC Stock Market Game beat out 1,446 teams to take first place. She believes in calculated risks. One good calculated risk with big reward potential is investing in penny stocks, that is, stocks that sell for a few pennies a share. Pick the right stock, and you can quadruple your money in a few days. A good guide for getting you into this type of investing is at this link.

The job market is disgustingly tight right now. Politicians keep talking about the “recovery” that took place in our economy last year. You know what? They are full of crap. The stock market is down 500 points in the last couple of weeks, and unemployment rate is still at 9%. Mind you, that’s reported unemployment. If we were to factor in everyone else who is looking for work, the rate would be more like 12%.

To get a job, you need a great resume. It sums up your life on one page, so it has to set you apart from the pack. The resume writing program we found has been featured on ABC News, in the Wall Street Journal, in the New York Times, and many other places. They guarantee to get you hired in 90 days. If you want to check it out, then click here!

Tattoos are a very popular form of self-expression. This Burn blogger has two tattoos and is contemplating another one. Tattoos let you say who you are, and they are a great reminder of what you stand for every time you look at them. To find the perfect tattoo design, check out the thousands available at this link

It has been said clothes make the person. We don’t necessarily agree, but what has definitely been proven is that a person’s impression of you is formed in the first 30 seconds they meet you. Logic would dictate that a lot of that impression is therefore based upon what you’re wearing, since you can’t get a whole lot out of your mouth in 30 seconds. To get your style going, check out this link, featuring designer names at 70% off:

OK, well we hope this has been fun and helpful. We’ll do this from time to time, depending upon what’s in the news (or not). Let us know if you liked our picks!