Get A Clue

I was over at necolebitchie.com and I was reading a recent interview by Lisa Raye aka Diamond from Players Club. Here is what Ms. Raye had to say for herself and her choice of men:


“My whole life has been a fairytale. Every man that I have ever dated has always been powerful, had money and been generous to me. He (Michael Musicik) was just the next in line. It was like this is how I am supposed to treated. My father was my first introduction to power. I am attracted to power. So when people always ask me why you always date a man with money, why in the hell wouldn’t I? I have my own lifestyle, it’s like, I’m not going for less than what I have. If I can’t be spoiled because he is not that generous, loving and caring, I don’t want you. Go to the next one. I can wait. I don’t know what it is not to be pampered and spoiled. I don’t even want to try it. That’s like saying to me, I’ma be broke. What do you mean? What? No. That don’t work for me. That’s not an option for me. I’ve never been that.”

The more I read, the more knots appeared in my stomach. This seemed wrong on so many levels, where do I start? Well first let me say there is nothing wrong with expecting YOUR man to support you. So that we are clear lets define support.

Support= To uphold by aid or countenance; to aid; to help; to back up; as, to support a friend or a party; to support the present administration

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a man aiding his woman financially. However, unless otherwise stated, I feel that no man is indebted to a woman to be her sole financial care taker. In this modern day and age we should be able to take care of ourselves. I understand once you obtain a certain level of living and a higher financial bracket your crowd may change. No one lives in Bel-Air and goes to Compton looking for their soul mate, at least not on purpose.

But expecting your mate to be rich and powerful may leave a very limited amount of men at your disposal. This mentality has contributed to the profound lonely black woman syndrome. Today Black women are more likely to have a college degree, decent paying job and many other wonderful accolades than her male counterpart. However, it seems like we all are chasing the same group of wealthy powerful brothers. Could this be the reason that the rich and power men have their prime choice of women and women wait their turn to be with these men? Is this the reason that we are hearing so many married rich and powerful men are involved in extramarital affairs with several women?

Men are not stupid creatures. No one wants to feel used or looked at as an open check book. Most men are attracted to women that can fully support themselves. Independence is a sign of confidence and control.

If we only limit our search for love to the rich and power we might miss the man that posses the characteristics that money can’t buy.

History Making Health Reform

It looks like our Prez pulled out the big guns and got those fools in Congress to pass a bill that will reform our health care system. It baffled me that people that made at least 5-6 figures a year would deny health insurance to people who are living pay check to pay check. I am sure it is easy to scrutinize, procrastinate and simply shit on your fellow Americans when you are millionaire but try living week to week on a small paycheck and rent take up 65% of your take home pay and making simply enough to take care of your daily needs. When I say daily needs that means food, water, shelter and clothing.

I know some Republicans are quite salty behind this landmark decision but *****in my best Sam Cook voice…it’s been a looooooong, long time coming, but I know change gone come…Oh yes it will*****

Now there are somethings that I do not agree with in the bill, like in 2014, everyone must purchase health insurance or face a $695 annual fine. There are some exceptions for low-income people.



Here are the highlights of the bill


Cost:
• $940 billion over ten years.

Deficit:
• Would reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the first ten years. That is an updated CBO estimate. Their first preliminary estimate said it would reduce the deficit by $130 billion over ten years. Would reduce the deficit by $1.2 billion dollars in the second ten years.

Coverage:
• Would expand coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured.
Health Insurance Exchanges:
• The uninsured and self-employed would be able to purchase insurance through state-based exchanges with subsidies available to individuals and families with income between the 133 percent and 400 percent of poverty level.
• Separate exchanges would be created for small businesses to purchase coverage -- effective 2014.

• Funding available to states to establish exchanges within one year of enactment and until January 1, 2015.
Subsidies:

• Individuals and families who make between 100 percent - 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and want to purchase their own health insurance on an exchange are eligible for subsidies. They cannot be eligible for Medicare, Medicaid and cannot be covered by an employer. Eligible buyers receive premium credits and there is a cap for how much they have to contribute to their premiums on a sliding scale.
Federal Poverty Level for family of four is $22,050


Paying for the Plan:
• Medicare Payroll tax on investment income -- Starting in 2012, the Medicare Payroll Tax will be expanded to include unearned income. That will be a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for families making more than $250,000 per year ($200,000 for individuals).

• Excise Tax -- Beginning in 2018, insurance companies will pay a 40 percent excise tax on so-called "Cadillac" high-end insurance plans worth over $27,500 for families ($10,200 for individuals). Dental and vision plans are exempt and will not be counted in the total cost of a family's plan.

• Tanning Tax -- 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning services.
Medicare:
• Closes the Medicare prescription drug "donut hole" by 2020. Seniors who hit the donut hole by 2010 will receive a $250 rebate.

• Beginning in 2011, seniors in the gap will receive a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs. The bill also includes $500 billion in Medicare cuts over the next decade.
Medicaid:

• Expands Medicaid to include 133 percent of federal poverty level which is $29,327 for a family of four.

• Requires states to expand Medicaid to include childless adults starting in 2014.
• Federal Government pays 100 percent of costs for covering newly eligible individuals through 2016.

• Illegal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid.
Insurance Reforms:

• Six months after enactment, insurance companies could no longer denying children coverage based on a preexisting condition.

• Starting in 2014, insurance companies cannot deny coverage to anyone with preexisting conditions.

• Insurance companies must allow children to stay on their parent's insurance plans until their 26th birthday.
Abortion:

• The bill segregates private insurance premium funds from taxpayer funds. Individuals would have to pay for abortion coverage by making two separate payments, private funds would have to be kept in a separate account from federal and taxpayer funds.

• No health care plan would be required to offer abortion coverage. States could pass legislation choosing to opt out of offering abortion coverage through the exchange.
**Separately, anti-abortion Democrats worked out language with the White House on an executive order that would state that no federal funds can be used to pay for abortions except in the case of rape, incest or health of the mother.
Individual Mandate:

• In 2014, everyone must purchase health insurance or face a $695 annual fine. There are some exceptions for low-income people.
Employer Mandate:

• Technically, there is no employer mandate. Employers with more than 50 employees must provide health insurance or pay a fine of $2000 per worker each year if any worker receives federal subsidies to purchase health insurance. Fines applied to entire number of employees minus some allowances.
Immigration:

• Illegal immigrants will not be allowed to buy health insurance in the exchanges -- even if they pay completely with their own money.

Hey friends and fam,

Sorry for the delay in post but life has been coming at me full force! It has been raining like crazy here in the Midwest and guess what…………..MY ROOF IS LEAKING! Yes you read it right…my damn roof is leaking and I am seething with anger. I have not been in the house a year and my roof is leaking. When I purchased my home I was told that I had a new roof…before you ask yes I got the home inspected and every document I have on the home indicates that I have a new roof.

Well I asked a roofer to go on top of the roof and what do you know he comes down saying I NEED a new roof and he snapped a few pics for proof. Well of course I did not believe him so I called two more roofing companies and they both say “you need a new roof”. Oh by the way a new roof is about 5,000.00 to 8,000.00. My eyes popped out my mf’ing head.

I felt just like 50 cent when he said..................

I got the sickest vendetta when it come to the chedda
And if you play with my paper, you gotta meet my berretta

Chile there was all kind of neck rolling, tongue popping, eyes rolling and hand on hip action when I contacted my realtor. After several attempts of trying to contact the buyer and getting no response…what did you think a sistah did?


You damn right marched my ass straight to the civil court to file me a good ole law suite. I could not wait to hand the clerk my petition and 125.00 filing fee. I was on a mission and ready to take the entire real estate system down! Last weekend was nothing but rain so I had to pay 245.00 to have tarps placed on the roof. Ya know yo girl was ready to go straight hood. That was my damn electric bill money…aint nobody got an extra 245.00 just laying around looking for something to do. So after I spend 245.00 on the tarp and 125.00 on the filing fee here comes the buyer talking about working something out.

Oh now the bish can return a call! Are you freaking kidding me? I will keep y’all posted but if this chick try to play me, I swear I will be posting to this site from St. Louis City Medium Correction Center AKA The Justice Center AKA The Jerk House.


Keep me in your prayers.

Peace, Love and Light

Who Cares?

I admit it …. I read gossip blogs daily. And lately one issue has my panties in a bunch. Please tell me why people care so much that Reggie Bush is dating Kim Kardashian? Why do so many black women have a problem with the choice REGGIE has made? There were even reports that Essence magazine received backlash for having Reggie on the cover of their February (black love) issue. Some people felt that since he did not date a black woman he was in no position to be on the cover promoting black love. Even Reggie’s jump-offs are non-black, and guess what……….I don’t give a damn.

And sistah neither should you. First and foremost we all have preferences. Me, I like mine with broad shoulders, bald, goatee, and chocolate. Brother man may like his from other ethnicities and that is cool too. Who wants someone that does not want them? If black women feel that he only dates “others” then why would we even give him the time of the day? Why get pissed off about something you can not control? Do you boo. *Rocko song Imma do me is playing in my head**


Yes, we know that Kim is not squeaky clean and has an unscrupulous past. But she is human and prone to mistakes. Would Reggie date a black woman who had sex tapes that were being sold on the internet.............probably not.

I know some people would go so far as to say he doesn’t think black women are good enough. Well I can’t say what he thinks because I don’t know him personally. But in my opinion his thoughts does not have enough power to dictate the state of an entire race of women. Not to mention, if Kimmy makes Reggie happy then he deserves to be happy.

Let’s not base the values in ourselves on the thoughts of one jock. He is doing what makes him happy; I suggest you do the same.


So I’m going to file this issue under, I don’t give a damn!

Images From Haiti Continue to Stir Controversy

"I'd like to draw your attention to a photo that ran with an NYT story from Haiti. In my opinion, it's a beautiful shot of a mother who's given birth," a reader wrote Journal-isms.

"But it's also remarkable because you'd never see its like from a place such as Austin or Des Moines or Boston if a white woman were on the table. This photo feeds the debate over whether major newspaper editors at the Times and the Washington Post are willing to publish pictures of death and nudity where black foreigners are involved.

"I've never seen a photo like this in a family newspaper. I'd be willing to bet that if this quake had hit Armenia, Bosnia or any predominantly white nation this picture would not have run. And it begs the question of whether there's a racial double standard at play here."

The question of the graphic images from Haiti continues to be controversial. In a Jan. 16 piece, the Washington Post's Philip Kennicott wrote, "with devastating hurricanes, a failed political system, corruption, coups and riots, Haiti became the very definition of a failed state. To be blunt: It came to seem as if the people of Haiti had no status.

"If you believe that, then it is impossible to violate their privacy."

The Times and the chairman of the Visual Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists defended the photo, however.

"There was some discussion about running these pictures and ultimately we were very comfortable with the choice," Times spokeswoman Diane C. McNulty told Journal-isms. "We have run similar photos of women from various ethnic backgrounds in the past; race did not enter into it."


What you think?


Disclaimer: This article was Jacked from Journal-ism website. Blk Doll did not writ this it was writtin by Richard Price.

Starting My Journey

I am a 30-ish woman that is in a weird place in my life. Have you ever been in that place were you are suppose to be grown but sometimes you wish there was a parent around to take care of some of the issues in your life. No really… I wish I can say, “ Hey Mom, the mortgage is due, how much you got on it” or , “ Daddy the car note, life insurance, car insurance, and utility bills are do….can you handle it for me.”

Oh to be a child again, when worries were few. Well it’s not like I can go chill back at Mom’s because I don’t feel like being a grown up…so I guess I will face the music. *eye rolls*

For me clarity is essential and this year it has been my main focus. So with much thought I came up with a 5 year plan that I am happy with.


1. Obtain civil engineering degree.

I know this is going to be a challenge but getting a business degree was very easy for me. This is not to say that there were no challenging classes…believe me there were. But I did feel it was relatively easier than most degrees. But it is a very valuable degree to have. However, the engineering degree is outside the box for me. Its very math and science focused and I want to challenge myself to do something that requires me to go outside my realm of education and knowledge. Plus my job will pay for a majority of the classes.


2. Sell my home


I love my home but I don’t plan on living in STL forever so it may not be a good idea to keep the home. I plan to make some upgrades. But in 5 years I want to sell it for a decent profit.


3. Move back to California

Yes…. I’m going back to Cali. I did not realize how much I loved California until I moved back to STL. I actually yearn for the ocean. So I want to be back in Ventura County.


I’ve already been accepted into college and start my pre-engineering classes this summer. I just have to get myself back into school mode. I am going to start light at first then by fall hit it hard. I will be so proud of myself when I get this degree the classes for pre-engineering is enough to my me cringe

I’ll be required to take

Pre-Engineering Requirements
Math 1800 (80): Calculus I
Math 1900 (175): Calculus II
Math 2000 (180): Calculus III
Math 2020 (202): Differential Equations
Chemistry 1111 (11): Chemistry I
Chemistry 1121 (12): Chemistry II
Physics 2111(111): Physics I
Physics 2112 (112): Physics II
Engineering 2310 (144): Statics
Engineering 2320 (145): Dynamics

As you can see this ish is no punk. I may need a tutor but that’s cool too. So I ask for your prayers as I start this new journey. It’s time to start (in best Jill Scott Voice) Living my life like it’s golden, living my life like it’s golden, living my life like it’s golden.

It's Tax Time.....Did You Get Screwed?

It’s that time again…..that’s right tax time. I for one will be glad when this mess is OVA. If you are still going over to H&R (Ova Charge) Block, Jackson (making money off yo azz) Hewitt or any other instant tax refund place you are already screwed.

You see these people job is to sell you everything but the kitchen sink. I feel that these places exploit people that make low wages. Truthfully, how many instant tax places do you see in the nice part of your city? Noooooooooooo they make their money in the hood. I know that it has been a hard you so to get an “instant” refund sounds very tempting. But honestly folks, you are giving away a percentage of your tax return. You deserve every penny of that return so why give it away to some vulture? Then they are willing to give you $25.00 if you refer friends that will give his/her money away too.


If you ask me these refund loans is nothing more but predatory lending practices. Tax preparers, both independent operations and major chains, charge interest rates that can run on an annualized basis well into triple figures, all for the privilege of getting money a few days earlier. The IRS further mitigates the risk to lenders with its Debt Indicator service, alerting them to any claims (child support, unpaid federal student loan) against refund-loan applicants' refunds. I am sure the tax preparers pay the IRS for the information they provide, making it even more ridiculous to even consider taking out an instant refund loan.

Consumer Federation of America released their first major report on refund loans and customers in 2002. The organizations' 2006 report, based on data complete through 2004, shows that 12.38 million taxpayers got refund loans during that filing season, a slight increase from the 12.15 million such loans in 2003. To obtain the loans, the report says, consumers paid almost $1.24 billion in loan fees, "essentially borrowing their own money at extremely high interest rates." They paid another $360 million in administrative, electronic filing and application fees. Based on national averages, an Eared Income Tax Credit ( EIC) borrower could expect to pay $900 in fees for refund loan, electronic filing, check cashing and tax preparation fees to obtain a $2,150 refund. This is the only federal poverty program where the cost of distribution is imposed on the recipients," says Jean Ann Fox, CFA director of consumer protection. "It's very cheap for the government to distribute the EITC because they have put the applicants in the position of having to pay a commercial entity to help them apply for it."

Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL) are big business and everybody wants in. Tax prepares have formed “partnerships” with car dealerships, rent-to-own stores, and furniture stores to offer programs that allow you to use your tax refund as a payment toward high end products.
Some tax prepares have stooped to a new low, preying on the those with little to no patience. Pay-stub or "holiday" RAL's, offered before the taxpayer receives a W-2, are based on the latest pay. Yes some people are foolish enough to take their last pay check stub and get a “instant refund”.

The estimated amount, however, may not reflect pre-tax retirement deductions, or money withheld for child support or taxes and the taxpayer will have to pay the full amount estimated on the pay stub whether or not the refund is large enough to cover the cost of the loan and fees.

What really piss me off is once they get people to sign up for the instant loan, they try to sell them more crap. “Ms. Single Mom, for another 100.00 we can offer you platinum protection on your tax return” or “Would you like to place your refund into a IRA account with us for 70.00 more” .
I know times are extremely hard and many people are without jobs, but unless it is a dire unavoidable emergency I would urge you to file online and get your money in 10-14 days. And people please get a savings or checking account, paying someone to cash your income tax check is stupid.
Businesses are out to get every dime they can during tax season. Everything is on sale and they are counting on you and me to be reckless spenders. Don’t fall for it, get what you need and put that money up for a rainy day. Most of those businesses mean the consumer no good and sells inferior products specifically for tax season.

Don’t get played this year.