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Tax rebate for illegal immigrants?

 Jan 31, 2008

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Should illegal immigrants be included in the upcoming tax rebate?

According to Politico.Com, they could be unless a change in wording is made.

Here’s a snippit of the story on Politico.Com:

“The text of the House passed bill contains language making “non resident aliens” ineligible for the tax rebates. But every year, hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants use individual taxpayer identification numbers, known as ITINs, to file income tax returns with the IRS. These ID numbers are used instead of Social Security numbers.”

So, it seems the house version of the bill doesn’t stipulate that only people with SSN’s are eligible.  The report says that lawmakers are scrambling to find ways to change the wording so only legal citizens with Social Security numbers can get a rebate.

Immigration rights advocates reportedly believe many legal citizens use ITN’s, so changing the wording would be unfair.

Some also might say that the rebate, which is intended to spark the economy by boosting consumer spending, would be just as effective in the hands of a person who isn’t a legal resident.

What do you think?



Posted by Josh Smith

UPDATE: Satellite may hit North America

 Jan 30, 2008

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Last night, I logged on at home to read about the Florida primary results.  Instead, I saw this headline:

“Large Spy Satellite May Hit North America Next Month”

Forget Florida.  They sky is falling, or at least something that’s been floating in the sky is falling.  Now, the spy satellite, said to be the size of a bus, is broken.  And it’s sinking toward planet earth.  NASA says it (or unburned up parts of it) could fall somewhere in North America sometime in late February or early March.

Because what goes up… must… well… you know.

A co-worker said, “That thing had better not mess with March Madness!”

A few days ago, we talked about this on the Morning Edition blog.  No one seems panicked (a good thing).  One blogger even wrote that he hoped the bus-sized hunk of metal landed on politicians in Washington D.C..

Now are we worried?  Please know… I’m not saying we should be.  I’m just curious whether this is something that’s crossed your radar screen?

Wonder if we can track that falling bird on VIPIR?



Posted by Josh Smith

Hey, did you see me on YouTube?

 Jan 29, 2008

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What do you think of local police departments putting their Most Wanted videos on YouTube.Com?

Forget about the “most wanted” posters at the post office.  Now, you just go to the website and type in Johnson City Police or Kingsport Police to get a video with mugshots and music.  I checked, and as of this morning, more than 250 people had viewed the 3 day old Kingsport Most Wanted video.  And did you hear about the woman on Johnson City’s Most Wanted YouTube video?  Someone recognized her while driving past her car on Interstate 26.  The person called 9-1-1, and police nabbed the woman at a nearby intersection.

I can just imagine her reaction.  “Now, one more time.  You recognized me from where?” she might have said.

To quote my wife’s grandmother, “What would the Apostle Paul think?”

I like the most wanted videos.  They’re, shall we say, a refreshing jolt of creativity and vigor from our friends at the local cop shop.

Just for giggles, I typed WJHL into the YouTube Search box.  There were some classic sign-on and sign-off’s from decades ago.  And for some reason, someone put some newscast opens and newscast closes from WJHL in September last year.

OKAY.

I also searched YouTube.Com for Josh Smith.  If I’m there, my clip is way below clips about an NBA star by the same name.

Do you YouTube?  What do you think of the thoroughly modern notion of taking videos of yourselves or others and posting them for millions to see on-line?



Posted by Josh Smith

Satellite “size of a bus” crashing toward Earth.  Someone call Bruce Willis!

 Jan 28, 2008

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Did you ever see the movie “Armageddon”?  Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck and other pretty people save the earth by flying into space and blowing up a big ole asteroid. 

I love that movie.  It was so… so.... well… 1990’s.

Now, we’re told a U.S. spy satellite - reportedly the size of a bus - has lost power and could hit the Earth late next month or early March.  Operators can’t control it anymore, so no one knows when and where it will hit.

Maybe in March, NASA said.  Maybe.

OH, and I forgot to mention that it’s carrying hazardous materials.  According to the Associated Press, “....a National Security Council spokesman says they’re
exploring options to “mitigate any possible damage.”

Thank goodness.

Apparently, these things fall from the sky every now and then and burn up in the atmosphere without much attention from the general public.  The size of this satellite and the inability of NASA to control it most likely is why this story made the news.

Does this freak you out?

No doubt, Bruce Willis would hop in a rocket and go get that sucker.  Me?  I’ll just stay here, pray for the best, do a little blogging, and enjoy the last Monday of January 2008. 



Posted by Josh Smith

Anger over school’s snow schedule decision bubbles over, hits the web

 Jan 25, 2008

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Everytime it snows, we get the calls here at News Channel 11.

“Have you heard if my school’s closed today?” asks the caller who, you can tell, isn’t a day over 9 years old.

It’s my experience that when it snows on a school-day morning, we all get a little crazy.  Even the wives of school administrators whose job it is to make “the call.” Read this:

WASHINGTON (AP) - At least one school official in Virginia could
be hoping it never snows in his area again.
That’s because a student who called his home to ask why snow
hadn’t closed schools got a frosty response, which led to an online
storm.
Last week, the student called the listed home phone number for
the chief operating officer of Fairfax County schools, and asked
why he hadn’t closed schools after an estimated 3 inches of snow
fell.
The official’s wife returned the call, during which she used the
phrase “snotty-nosed little brats,” and said, “Get over it, kid,
and go to school!”
The student posted the taped message on a Facebook page.
The official tells The Washington Post that the incident has
been “horrible” for his wife, but says the student had courage to
stand up for his convictions.

(end of AP story)

Because I love you, click here for the link to the call on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNfJA0Q80bA

My first reaction: next time you go on an angry phone rant, watch out!  It may end up on the web… and on the Morning Edition Blog.

What do you think about this?



Posted by Josh Smith

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