In God We Trust...

An interesting video find on YouTube has come to my attention that I wanted to share with the Salisbury News readers.

This is an amazing explanation about our Economic System in America. A must-watch for those who are perplexed by our system of governance in regards to finances including taxation and whether or not its even legal for the government to be taxing citizens. Also addressed is major corporations being involved in this plot to make digitized slaves of us more than you already are today.

Perhaps this will explain to many why Donald Trump is such a threat to the establishment within the Beltway. He threatens a lot of people and why the MSM is so desperate for him to not be victorious in November. After watching this, you’ll realize it’s no wonder everyone seems to be against the only person who knows how this system works and how to destroy it.

From YouTube Description:

Is there a law which requires you to pay the Federal Income Tax? Is the Federal Reserve a part of the United States Government, or is it a private bank owned and operated by multinational corporate interests? Do they have our nation’s best interests at heart? Unless something changes, what does the future of the United States look like?

The answer to all these questions and more in this incredible documentary by legendary filmmaker Aaron Russo (February 14, 1943 – August 24, 2007).

Informed voters vote responsibly and with purpose.

AMERICA: Freedom to Fascism (A Documentary)

 

Salisbury Ranks Among Most Affordable Towns in Maryland

WBAL has ranked Maryland’s Most Affordable Housing Towns. Salisbury ranked fourth behind Cumberland, Clinton, and Hagerstown.

Contractor Tears Siding Off Wrong House

An Iowa homeowner was surprised when he looked at his house and half the siding on it was gone, leaving an exposed underbelly of bare white plastic. No other nearby houses were affected. Had a highly localized tornado swept through and targeted just the side of his house? Nope. A local contractor got the address wrong and taken the siding off the wrong abode. The timing was pretty poor, too, as the homeowner had just put it up for sale. And because of insurance bureaucracy, it may be a while before the siding goes back up.

"We just found out they got the wrong house," the contractor, Rausch Companies, told KCRG. The goof also put the damper on some kids' hopes that day. "We were supposed to have a birthday party, but there were nails all over, electrical exposed, so obviously we couldn't take the kids outside," the man renting the house said.

The landlord has had to pay himself to get the outside walls patched up to prevent against water damage. Rausch said that the matter was being handled by insurance. "It seems that they are in the process of coming up with an offer or something that I am not aware of," the landlord told TV9. Rausch's insurance company said they would get to it as soon as they could, but many of their adjusters were occupied assessing recent storm damage in the county.

Meanwhile, the house sits waiting, an eyesore on the market.

Contractor Rips Siding Off Wrong Marion Home [KCRG]

from Ben Popken @ The Consumerist

If The Debt Ceiling Isn't Raised, You'll Pay For It On Your Credit Card

The game of political brinkmanship over the debt ceiling isn't just an abstract battle of wills. If it isn't raised, you can expect that your credit card interest rate surely will be.

As Credit.com explains, if the U.S. AAA credit rating goes down, interest rates will rise across the board, including the rate you have to pay on your favorite piece of plastic:

So if the U.S. has to pay more to borrow, the prime rate that banks pay to borrow money to lend out to consumers goes up. And guess what happens when this increase makes it all the way down the food chain to the consumer? The vast majority of credit cards have variable rates and they go up and down with the prime rate. So if the prime rate goes up, your variable rate goes up by the same amount.

More than likely, the debt ceiling will be raised by one method or another just before the deadline. But if it isn't, "open every piece of mail that your credit card issuer sends you," advises Credit.com. It may just contain a nasty notice about your jacked up interest rate. And if that happens, that's just the beginning of our worries.

If the Debt Ceiling Isn't Raised, Your Credit Card's Interest Rate Will Be [Credit.com]

from Ben Popken @ The Consumerist

Social Security Payments Would Fall With New Inflation Gauge

A new measure to calculate inflation that's catching on in Washington, D.C., would have a big impact on how much cash is distributed by Social Security.

More important for politicians debating how to fix the nation's bloated budget: Analysts say it would cut the deficit by $200 billion to $300 billion over the next decade.

The bipartisan "Gang of Six" plan presented by six senators last week proposed shifting to a so-called chained consumer price index. The traditional CPI simply tracks a basket of goods, everything from cars to kitchen utensils. The basket of goods doesn't change.

The chained CPI shifts goods in the basket every few years, based on consumer preferences. The idea is that if the price of a good such as beef shoots higher, consumers will start buying more chicken. The basket would then give a larger weighting to chicken than beef.

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Price of Dinner Foods Up Almost 5% in One Year

The "Food at Home" component of the recent consumer prices report surged almost 5% on an annual basis as grocers passed on to consumers the 12-month jump in corn, rice, sugar and oats.

The measure, defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as "total expenditures for food at grocery stores," rose 4.8% during the 12 months ending in June. That's up from a 4.4% annual increase from May's report. Plus, not counting the temporary spike in inflation during the aftermath of the credit crisis, this is the biggest price increase by grocers since 2004.

Prices for corn, rice, and sugar are up more than 60% in the last 12 months. Part of this is because of growing demand in emerging markets, but many investors also say the Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates essentially negative for so long is largely to blame for the price spike.

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Maryland High Court to Consider Rules That Will Require Proof of Debt

Marquis Jones doesn't believe she owes money on a credit-card account that a debt-buying company sued to collect from her.

More importantly, though, the firm never proved she did.

But because the Severn woman wasn't given notice of the lawsuit — the company's process server claimed her nonexistent "wife" accepted the summons — she wasn't in court to point this out. So an Anne Arundel County judge approved a $992 judgment against her last fall.

The scene has been repeated in courtrooms throughout Maryland and across the country. Companies that buy past-due consumer debts and sue to collect have won judgments against Marylanders even though, advocates and regulators say, the documentation to prove those cases often has been very thin.

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Talbot Landfill to Charge Fees

Beginning today, residents will be charged $5 per trip to take as many as seven bags to the Mid-Shore I Regional Landfill homeowner drop-off site off Barkers Landing Road in Easton. Residents also may purchase a punch card for $10 for five trips, or $20 for 10 trips.

The landfill accepts yard waste (one to seven bags or a small pickup truck load per trip), trash (one to seven bags), used oil and antifreeze (free), batteries (free) and recyclables through Mid-Shore Igloo Service (free).

Residents unloading more than seven bags of trash or debris, furniture, appliances, construction debris, scrap metal or tires must use the scale and will be charged $63 a ton, which includes a $5 transfer fee to Mid-Shore II. The charge is prorated and will be a minimum $7 for 160 pounds or less.

Customers using trailers, box trucks, dump trucks, flatbed trucks, panel vans or other commercial vehicles also must use the scale, at the same price per ton.

Yard waste disposal charges are $23.50 per ton, including the $5 transfer fee for quantities larger than seven bags or for a small pickup truckload. Plastic bags must be emptied.

Since Talbot County began hosting the Mid-Shore Regional Landfill 20 years ago, MES operated and maintained a free homeowners' drop-off facility, also referred to as the HODO (HomeOwners' Drop-Off) facility.

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Price of Gas Jumps 8.5 Cents in Last Two Weeks

NEW YORK — The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States rose for the first time since early May following an increase in the price of crude oil, according to the latest nationwide Lundberg survey released Sunday.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was slightly more than $3.70 on July 22, an increase of 8.58 cents in the past two weeks, according to the survey of some 2,500 gas stations in the continental United States.

The increase per gallon is nearly the exact same as the rise per gallon of a barrel of crude linked to the benchmark West Texas Intermediate, which jumped to $99.87 per barrel, up from $96.20 two weeks ago.

"It is crude, period, that did this," Trilby Lundberg, the survey's editor, told Reuters.

High unemployment and a general weak economy has been affecting demand for gasoline.

"If it had not been for the recent crude oil price hikes, we would have seen prices fall at the pump because of that weak demand and the economy," Lundberg said.

A year ago, the price per gallon was $2.73, about 96.72 cents less than the current price.

At $$3.28 a gallon, Tucson, Arizona, had the lowest average price for regular gas, while Chicago drivers paid the highest at $4.07, the survey found.

from Reuters / MSNBC

Why Students Don't Need iPads

With their portability and user-friendliness, tablet computers seem perfect for students. But before you go spending big money on an iPad for a student, you should consider the limitations of the devices.

DealNews makes an argument against buying tablets, namely iPads, as gifts for the studious set.

Knocks against the devices include:

*Cost. The high-end iPads cost $829, not including the subscription to 3G plans. You can usually find more powerful laptops that boast more memory and capabilities for your dollar.

*Note-taking is rough. Unless you tote along a cumbersome keyboard attachment to provide some tactile feedback, the touch screen is less than ideal for speed-typing, and editing can be imprecise because you'll need to place the cursor with your clumsy fingers.

*It's so portable that it's droppable. Light and slim, it's easy to manhandle tablets. Students who are used to tossing around backpacks could damage the devices if they're inside, and those who carry iPads as they would books risk dropping them.

If you've used an iPad for school or work, what positives and negatives have you found?

10 Reasons Not to Buy an iPad for Students [DealNews]

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

Are You Spending Too Much Money On These Household Products?

Look at you! You're practically leaking money from your pockets, spending all that dough on name-brand medications, paper towels and toothbrushes. Check out a few common household items you could be paying too much for and stop that cash leakage.

Forbes.com knows where we're hitting our pockets the hardest, and highlights a few items consumers could either cut back on or find a cheaper alternative for, in order to save some big bucks.

Name-brand medications: The recipes for aspirin and other pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen are pretty basic, and buying a name brand version can be up to 40% more than generic. That's just silly. Compare labels and active ingredients when making your choice of over-the-counter meds.

Buy refills for replaceable products: Is your liquid soap out? Don't buy a whole new bottle and pay for that packaging — grab a big refill of your favorite detergents, soaps and cleaners and fill the dispenser back up.

READ MORE …

Saved Money On Electronics By Haggling?

Surveys done by our corporate cohorts at Consumer Reports have found that around 50% of people who make an attempt at haggling end up getting some kind of a deal, even when shopping online. Now the editors at CR want to hear tales of successful haggling from consumers who've been able to bargain down the price at electronics retailers.

from The Consumerist

More Would-Be Home Buyers Backing Out Before Closing

Real estate agents don't have it easy these days — well, these years — and their jobs have become even more maddening lately thanks to the recent trend of home buyers canceling sales at the last minute. The rate of home sale cancellations rose from 4 percent in May to 16 percent in June.

CNBC reports the National Association of Realtors' chief economist says he's befuddled by the spike:

“I think it's the broader, very slow economic activity. The economy is expanding at a very slow pace, job creation is very slow, the consumer confidence has certainly taken hit in the second quarter, so there could have been some buyers who had some second thoughts and just decided to pull out of the contract, but at the moment it's still unclear as to why there was a measurable rise in cancellations."

Why do you think more home buyers are backing away just before closing?

Cancellations Roil Realtors [CNBC]

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

Easton Cable to Increase Home Internet Rates

Easton Cable will increase residential high-speed Internet prices in August for the first time since launching service 13 years ago. The utility said hardware and software upgrades are driving the higher fees.

Effective with August bills, Residential Starter Service will increase to $30 per month from $25 and V10 (formerly Residential Full Service) will increase to $45 per month from $40. Packages including either of these services, including the Triple Play, will increase by $5.

In the past year, Easton Cable said in a release that it has doubled the maximum download speed of its V10 service. Since launching cable modem service in 1998, Easton Cable has increased maximum download speeds to 100 times the original levels.

Easton Cable Vice President of Operations Geoff Oxnam said even with the increase, Easton Cable offers the fastest Internet in town at prices lower than comparable service from other regional providers.

"Our goal is to deliver the performance our customers demand at competitive prices," Oxnam said. "The Easton Cable Velocity upgrades are essential to continue to meet that goal today and into the future."

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Tips for Spending Less at the Pharmacy

When you're in the market for crucial, life-improving medication, saving money may not be your top priority. But keep a level head, know what to look out for and you can avoid being gouged when you're at your weakest.

Alpha Consumer has some hints on how to save money when you're buying medicine.

One tip is to shop around. Pharmacies can offer wildly varying prices for drugs. Check out Frugal Pharmacies, which helps you do some quick comparison shopping. The post also recommends asking for generic versions of drugs, as well as buying in bulk, preferably via the mail, to cut down on costs of drugs you use regularly.

How do you save on medication spending?

How to Spend Less at the Pharmacy [Alpha Consumer]

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

How To Save Money For A House

If you want to scrape together as much money as possible for a down payment on a home, you'll have to cut your usual expenses. The trick is deciding exactly what you can and can't do without.

Blonde & Balanced offers a primer for how to chip away at your budget and cobble together some extra scratch.

Suggestions from the post:

*Shop for clothes as little as possible. If you can make your clothes last twice as long as you'd usually wear them, you'll cut your clothing budget by 50 percent.

*Find cheap hobbies to eat up your free time. Run outside rather than join a gym. Hit the library rather than a bookstore. Watch movies at home rather than at a theater.

If you've cramped down on spending with a goal in mind, how did you cut costs?

Buying Our First Home: How To Save Money For A House [Blonde & Balanced]

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

Understanding The Hidden Costs Of Investing

Investing newbies may be shocked by the amount of unexpected fees that siphon away their funds. When you're searching for a brokerage, it's wise to investigate hidden costs involved.

MoneySmartLife provides a glossary of several clever ways in which money managers skim a little off the top of your investment. Some examples include:

*Brokerage transaction fees. You pay these on every trade. Some brokers charge flat fees, while others base it on a percentage of the transaction.

Operating expenses. These tend to be higher in actively managed funds, and include distribution fees, which go toward marketing and other costs. Look for the total amount of fees in an expense ratio that explains how much you'll be paying to invest.

If you invest money, which fees caught you off guard?

6 Investment Costs You Pay to Play [MoneySmartLife]

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

How To Appeal A Health Insurance Denial

Getting your health insurance claim denied can feel like insult added to injury, but if you take these steps you can get your claim "rehabbed," and get your money.

The NY Times Bucks blog interviewed Martin Rosen, whose business, Health Advocate, helps employees negotiate the tricky waters of their employer insurance. He offered these tips:

1. Double-check all the rules of your insurer's appeals process, especially deadlines.
   
2. Get all your documents ready and organized.
   
3. Call HR if you get insurance through your employer. They might become your advocate.
   
4. Ask your doc to write a "letter of medical necessity" and send it to the insurance company.
   
5. Make a log of all your calls when you contact the insurance company, including dates, times, whom you spoke to, what you talked about, and the length of the conversation.
   
6. Write down and refine your logical argument for why your claim should go through and refer to it when necessary throughout the process.
   
7. Keep checking on the status of your claim with the insurance company.

Have you ever had to dispute a health insurance denial? What methods did you use?

7 Steps in Appealing a Health Insurance Denial [bucks.blogs.nytimes]

from Ben Popken @ The Consumerist

Franchot Warns of New Tax Scam Targeting Poor, Elderly

Comptroller Peter Franchot has issued a warning to state residents of a new tax scam spreading throughout the Midwest and South that is targeting poor and elderly taxpayers and those drawing Social Security and government assistance, who normally do not file tax returns. Scammers claim the victims can receive “free money” from a “special stimulus program” and other fake refund programs.

Victims have been called by someone claiming to represent “Human Services Associates LLC.” The caller asks for personal information and permission to file the victim's tax return so that they can receive a refund check, according to a release from Franchot's office. The Ohio Attorney General is investigating the Michigan company.

Franchot reminded residents that they never should let someone prepare their tax returns without seeing the final document.

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St. Mary’s College Among Most Expensive in Country

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, listed in a new federal report as one of the most expensive public colleges in the country, has found itself defending its service while at the same time realigning to its mission of serving a diverse population.

A new U.S. Department of Education website shows the highest and lowest tuitions in the country, and based on figures from the 2009-2010 school year, St. Mary’s College’s tuition, which was $13,234, was the fourth highest among public colleges.

Only the main campus of The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh and University of Vermont had higher tuitions.

Del. John Bohanan (D-St. Mary’s) said this week that he is working to include a one-time addition of state money to the college in next year’s budget, which would rebase the funding formula for future years. He said any extra money would be expected to go toward tuition assistance.

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