Friday's Odds and Ends

States such as Michigan and New Jersey and New York are going to extremes to collect state income taxes. For instance some trucks hauling goods have actually been stopped in those states and held until the corporation pays income taxes on what is being carried through the state. Local revenue agents have seized out-of-state trucks that are simply passing through and sometimes refuse to release them until the businesses that sent the trucks pay corporate income taxes. In some states, finance departments have sent out-of-state businesses bills for thousands of dollars in corporate taxes just because one worker may have visited the state sometime during that year, perhaps for a convention.

Normally, state income taxes are not levied against a company from another state unless they have branch offices in the other state, so this seems to be quite a stretch to grab some more money.

I read recently where the 2016 GOP national convention is going to be held in Las Vegas. It could've been held in Dallas but I guess the Republicans really wanted to party big.

Anybody but me think this is a colossal waste of money?

Freelance writer Jonathan Look Junior wrote an op/ed piece for the Dallas Morning News about the constitutional phrase "the pursuit of happiness" and made it clear that the Constitution does not guarantee happiness for everyone but it does give everyone the right to pursue happiness. He found a quote that was popular in that 1800s that says, "The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it your self." For Jonathan Look that means that "happiness is not something the government can ensure; rather, government can help create a habitat for happiness and fertilize the ground in which it grows."

Amen to that.

I had to agree with the writer of a recent letter to the editor in the Dallas Morning News about the Academy of country music awards last Sunday. The letter writer, Ronnie Smith, said he's not normally a country music fan but decided to watch the show anyway, and he thought that it was a good show, "It moved quickly, the humor was funny, and it was done without any profanity in the music and the performances were enjoyable." But what he really noticed was that the ladies were all able to sing very well - and with all their clothes on. He wished other award shows would take notice of how to produce a family friendly show.

Can I hear another, "Amen?"

 And now some fun from the comic strip B.C. by John Hart. In the first frame we see B.C. painting a very large Easter egg. Peter walks up and asks, "What in the world is that?"

B.C. says, "Easter's almost here. I'm decorating and egg."

"That's an egg?!"

B.C. answers, "Yepper."

Peter says, "Where on earth did you find it?"

"Would you believe the world's biggest bunny? Just kidding. It was in the woods over there."

Suddenly Peter's eyes get real big, and B.C. says, "What?"

In the last frame, Peter says, "Don't look. Just run!" Behind B.C. we see at dinosaur - a very angry dinosaur.

Finally, just a quick note of advertising. My police procedural mystery, Doubletake, is free for the next four days for Kindle and Kindle apps. Grab a copy if you are so inclined, and, as always, I would be ever so grateful for a review.