What do state sales taxes look like nationwide? #map

Posted By on February 17, 2024

As an entrepreneur who has owned a business that sells in several Ohio counties and collects sales taxes (all counties are different), I do monitor the steady sales tax percentage increase over the decades of doing business. It is also interesting to know how managing a business in Ohio compares to other states (click map for larger).

State Sale Tax Map

The TaxFoundation has always been a great place to go in monitoring changes and what state offers a tax friendly climate for business (and overall personal State and Local tax liabilities). On a side note, here’s a tidbit: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recent move from Washington state to Florida saved him enough money in “state” capital gains tax on selling some of his $AMZN shares to purchase his $500,000 yacht (mentioned on FoxBusiness 2/13/2024 and Seattle Times – quote below)

Jeff Bezos didn’t cite taxes among the reasons for his recent move to Miami from the Seattle region, but the fiscal benefits of his relocation to the Sunshine State are becoming very obvious.

Leaving Washington, which in 2022 introduced a 7% tax on capital gains, could have saved Bezos $288 million in taxes after he unloaded $4 billion of Amazon stock in the past week.

Bezos said in November that was he moving to Florida, which doesn’t tax capital gains, from Seattle to be closer to his parents and the Cape Canaveral operations of his space-exploration company Blue Origin. The announcement came a week before he put in place a 10(b)5-1 plan to sell as many as 50 million Amazon shares, worth potentially more than $8 billion.

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Inflation is still an issue for those living paycheck to paycheck

Posted By on February 16, 2024

Although those reading MyDesultoryBlog.com more than once or twice are probably tired of me mentioning inflation … it is still an issue even as costs and prices are “rising” slower than previous. We all have policies,  political figures and economic idealogy in mind when pointing our fingers … but I’ll leave that to voters come November 2024 (No I probably won’t … I’m sure I’ll opine on it again). 😉 

Inflation

Archive: A few leftover Valentine’s Day photos to make me smile

Posted By on February 15, 2024

This content is restricted.

Happy Valentine’s Day: A NEW, but OLD, television series for us

Posted By on February 14, 2024

V-day Feb14After subscribing to PeacockTV in order to watch one of the NFL playoff games this year, Brenda and I found a new but older television series call “The Office.” PeacockTV LogoWe are not so disconnected from popular TV entertainment to not have known about it, but just never spent time watching television when it was in production (9 seasons from 2005-2013). Still … like other comedy shows for me … it is addictive and we are now hooked on the series.

So for Valentine’s Day this year we enjoyed the “Dwight” meme and likely continue with another episode. We’re paying for PeacockTV streaming service another month beyond January … so we can eventually finish the show. Also we are looking forward to watching the movie “Oppenheimer” coming to PeacockTV on February 16, 2024.

Oppenheimer PeacockTV

My Favorite Commercial from Super Bowl LVIII was by Volkswagen: “An American Love Story” #video

Posted By on February 13, 2024

vwbugcanoe vwbugcanoeshadow

As a long time Volkswagen guy … I enjoyed the “An American Love Story” commercial (YouTube) in Super Bowl LVIII. Of course there were a lot of creative advertisements, but the VW one tugged at my heart-strings.

Those who know me, know that I’ve had a memorable history with VW vehicles, from my high school years (water damaged photos above), to my friend Charlie‘s microbus, to Brenda’s Wolfsburg Golf, Katelyn and my Jetta TDI years, Taylor’s GTI and now their current Tiguan and AllTrack (click links above to see a few photos).


This commercial has me wanting to own a Volkswagen again (and therefore it works)!
 

The passing of Toby Keith makes for a sad Music Monday

Posted By on February 12, 2024

Toby Keith in Concert

The passing of a great American patriot and country music singer/songwriter Toby Keith Covel last week from stomach cancer at age 62 was depressing. Surprisingly I have not posted about Toby Keith in the past on the blog or for Music Monday, but really should have considering his impressive career and devotion our military and their families through the years.
 

  Toby Keith – “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue”
             Youtube music video below the break

No song triggers “The Angry American” in me as much as “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” inspired by the death of Toby Keith’s dad and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.  

The reaction was so strong that the Commandant of the Marine Corps James L. Jones told Keith it was his duty as an American citizen to record the song. “It’s your job as an entertainer to lift the morale of the troops,” Jones said to Keith. “If you want to serve, that is what you can do.” 

LINK

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Super Bowl LVIII: The Chiefs beat the 49ers in OT

Posted By on February 11, 2024


It was an excellent Super Bowl from a football fan perspective … especially if your favorite team wasn’t playing. Both Brenda and I were hoping to see the San Francisco 49ers win, but only because we’ve grown tired of seeing the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs and winning recent Super Bowls.

The game came down to the final seconds in the 4th quarter as Patrick Mahomes again marched his team down the field to tie and take it into overtime for only the second time in Super Bowl history.

The 49ers scored first in OT, but only 3 points, but then KC marched the ball down and scored 7 to win. Final score: SF 22 – KC 25

 

Sloothing a college friend, a shoe throwing incident and a seagull

Posted By on February 11, 2024

While on vacation and walking the beach, Brenda threatened a bird with her sandal who was boldly getting a little to close to her while we were snacking on a granola bar. I laughed at her as the thought about ONE of the Christmas break trips to Florida with my college and a memory came rushing back. I had to relay it to Brenda BEFORE she threw her sandal. If my recall is correct, one of my friends, Doug Fitch (we called him “Frog”), threw his shoe at a seagull; it may have injury it, but we really don’t know since it did eventually flop away down the beach — so … Brenda kicked sand and decided not to throw her shoe (the Pelican and birds below were at risk, but I wanted an excuse to include the video)! 😊

As we talked about it, Brenda mentioned that she didn’t remember Doug? He was one year younger than Jerry, Don, Dallas and myself, but a really great guy next to live next to and hang out with in Founders Hall at ONU. The age/class difference would make him two years behind Brenda at the Raabe School of Pharmacy, so she would probably not have known him.

Anyway, one thing led to another and I decided to do some internet sleuthing after remembering he was from Crestline, Ohio. Doug Fitch from the Fitch Pharm Farm websiteI figured he might have landed back in his home area since he had a serious girlfriend and close relationship with his family. Sure enough, it looks as if he ended up founding the “Fitch Pharm Farm” outside of Ashland, Ohio. I enjoyed reading the history … very cool.

Hm … it might be a great place to take the granddaughters or meet Katelyn and family to learn about Maple Syrup and buy some Ohio milled pancake mix (would be great to send some to Jerry Moody too)! 

Fitch Pharm Farm website

What doesn’t belong here? Very Waldo-ellian! #DDJ #humor

Posted By on February 10, 2024

Mystery Snail Ok … so the title of this post is questionable.  The twisting of the “Where’s Waldo” picture game with the Orwellian like doublespeak obviously shows that I was too tired in preparing to add this photo to the blog.

My plan in putting this “snail shell” in a palm tree was to

  1. See if it would still be there the next time we walk through the trails to the beach and
  2. For our granddaughter to spot it in the photo and find it when they come to Florida for vacation.

They may need help with the “find it” partHug Emoji of the challenge (but I am thinking about them!) 

Look below break if you can’t see the snail shell … 

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Tech Friday: Are we getting closer to a foldable Apple iPhone?

Posted By on February 9, 2024

As an Apple advocate and device user from the 1980s and someone who as been begging for a foldable iPhone flip phone (or even slider) since using and retiring a foldable Samsung SPH i500  PalmOS device years ago,I can’t wait… as I mentioned to tech influencer Evan Kirsten

We seem to be getting closer, but according to rumors, “an appearance won’t be until at least 2026.” ☹️ 

iPhone flipphone ideas

iPhone 16 could be foldable: Apple is developing ‘at least two’ smartphones that fold horizontally, report claims

Apple is reportedly developing iPhone prototypes that fold like flip phones

According to The Intelligence, Apple is developing ‘at least two’ prototypes for iPhones that can fold in half.

These designs both fold horizontally, in a classic flip-phone design, rather than folding vertically like a book.

But, don’t expect to see these hit the shelves any time soon, as Apple says they won’t be ready until at least 2026.

Foldable iPhone

Apple is reportedly working on ‘at least two’ prototypes of the folding iPhone. The report suggests that these will be horizontally folding, as shown in this artist’s impression 

LINK

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Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
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