History In The Making...On The Backs Of Veterans

I know not everyone wants to read the Political details, so skip to the bottom if you want to know how to help in as little as two seconds. Your help would show that you care for Veterans.

Last night, I decided to watch a show about the White House decking the halls, and boy, I wish I had skipped it. I shook my head at the army they employed to get it all done in two days, my eyes grew when I saw the stupid topiary that took six months to make {ONE flippin' FAKE topiary}, but I had to turn the dang TV off when they pulled out the 24Karat gold outdoor decor. How in the heck can the White House spend SO much on decorations during this budget crisis? My exact Facebook status reads thus: They have 24Karat gold Christmas decorations at the White House, yet they want to take money from Veterans...

In case you haven't heard, Congress is currently voting on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. Now normally, I would be happy that they aren't waiting til the shit hits the fan in January, but this Act takes money from Veterans. As Military Special Needs Network puts it:

Christmas for the Troops came early this year. Congress decided it needed to show the entire military family exactly how much they appreciate the sacrifice, dedication, honor and commitment that our troops, veterans and families show every day. In a special moment of bipartisanship, US Representative Paul Ryan  (R-Wisconsin) and US Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington) decided to help balance the budget on the backs of the approximate 1% of the American population who are either active duty or retired military, and lighten our pockets and the terrible burden of our mediocre retirement plan by reducing it further. It’s a Congressional two-fer!

Before anyone even tries to rationalize this, DON'T. Even if you aren't against them reneging on their promises to Veterans, remember this is the tip of the iceberg. If they can steal from America's heroes, who do you think is going to be next? It is time to show Congress that this isn't just a game of Monopoly, and that they are playing with REAL lives... We now have our own voice through social media, and we sure as heck need to start using it. What we are trying to do here, is bring attention to the fact that the Fat Cats on The Hill are trying to cover up their mistakes by stealing from the ONLY Americans that are putting their lives on the line for this country. They promised all Veteran's that they would take care of them, and now the scum are trying to tell them to "Embrace the suck". Our response to that is "Embrace your promise".

Like I said, if you support Veterans that have fought so that you don't have to, please help us get the word out that 'Merica isn't okay with stealing from Vets.

Don't tell #Veterans and #MilFams to embrace the suck. Tell your Senators to #KeepCOLA and #KeepYourPromise. #SayNOtoBipartisanBudgetAct2013
— Janna Renee (@Janna_Renee) December 16, 2013

To make this super easy for you, you can directly ReTweet this from right here. It's like magic, I tell ya.

If you can't stand behind them, then we would LOVE to have you stand in front of them.

*Comments have been turned off today. Get to Tweetin'.

Somebody Is Trying To Steal Our Money!

I say "somebody" because it happens to be a department of the government, and I don't need them flagging me for airing their dirty laundry. Let's refer to them as the "Check Eaters". You know, the ones that take most of your pay before you even see your check?

Source: Uploaded by user via Janna on Pinterest

Now I accept the fact that they eat our checks. We elected all the fools that put us in this economic spot, so there is no way around it at this juncture. What I can't accept, is when the Check Eaters try to steal from soldiers and their families. Allow me to explain...

When a soldier deploys, the money that they make during their deployment is tax free as a little perk for putting their lives on the line. Fair enough? So we did our taxes this year, got a little money back and were happy as a lark. Then all of a sudden, the Check Eaters in Virginia (our home of residence) decided that we should be taxed on a portion of the money Will made while he was deployed. Now I could see this as a mistake if they tried to tax him on all of the income, but how does a trained Check Eater look at a soldiers W-2, see income that is non-taxable, and decide that he should pay taxes on a portion of that. He's all like, "For shits and giggles, let's see if these suckers will pay this."

Um...no.

So what did we do? We called and explained ourselves to Check Eaters that acted like they had never come across a situation like this. They had no clue that we shouldn't be taxed or so they said, made us send them his W-2 again, and said they would review it. Cue to a few weeks later and we got ANOTHER letter saying that we owed the money PLUS penalties.

Um...what?

We called AGAIN. This time, they searched their office for his W-2, and found that it had not been "reviewed" yet. So let's get this straight...

1) They don't know how to do their jobs.

2) They just tell people they owe random amounts of money.

3) They assess penalties when they are the ones that are too busy to review W-2's.

We are pretty sure that they are going to review it and we will be off the hook, but think about how many times the Check Eaters tell people they owe money after they have already filed, and how many people just pay it because they assume that a Government Agency would not try to screw you.

Moral of the story:
ALWAYS second guess it when someone tells you that you owe money after the fact. Especially when that someone is a "Check Eater". It could save you hundreds of dollars. You're welcome.

A Little Bit Of Jealousy Is A Good Thing

I have a confession to make...
I am jealous of Jessica Biel, but NOT for the reason you are thinking.
I could care less about Justin Timberlake *GASP

Once upon a time, I asked Will who he thought was a "hot" celebrity and he mentioned Jessica Biel. From that moment on...I have LOATHED her. Is it dumb? Probably, but oh freakin' well.
She can take her awkward Mary Camden self and go pop out some brats.
I know you are reading this, Will, and I KNOW that you are laughing. Don't care ;)

Anywhosit,
I'm assuming you have all heard of JustFab?

I've been looking for boots like these:

Source: kohls.com via Janna on Pinterest

And ended up on JustFab.com
I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I ordered boots for my Halloween costumes for $19.99! Yep, two costumes this year and the boots will match with both. Plus the wedges will be a lot more comfortable and will be great for Baltimore's cobblestone roads.

Source: justfab.com via Janna on Pinterest

At first I was confused about the membership, but now that I know how it works I thought I'd share. Don't want you all having the same confusion.

#1 You sign up and create your "boutique".
#2 Shop your boutique and other deals.
#3 Purchase your selected deal.
#4 Agree to the terms, which means that you agree to buy a pair each month OR skip the month within the given time frame. I was confused where it said that you will be charged if you forget to skip the month, but then I saw that they give you a credit, so it's not a loss either way.
#5 Get your purchase in the mail in about a week and enjoy!

**Do not sign up if you don't have the will power to say no. Don't say I didn't warn you**

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I watched the debate last night of course, and am happy to be putting my ballot in the mail tomorrow! The debate didn't change my opinion one way or the other, but it was the highlight of my Monday night. I think my favorite part was the dialogue that Will and I had during and afterwards. We have never really talked politics in depth, so this has been a new and fun experience for us.

Does anyone else enjoy talking politics with their partner? Or is that a touchy subject?

My favorite political blog post this week was from  Kelly @ Mrs. In Training. She really thought outside of the box and I read every word. I love the bloggers that can make you feel empowered through their political posts without alienating anyone whether you agree or disagree.
Mad props, girl!

And now, in the words of Bob Schieffer's Momma:

"Go vote. Makes you feel big and strong."

PS. It looks like taxes are already going up in January no matter who takes office. Just thought everyone should know that we may all need to cut back $19/week! If they won't warn you, I will.