Posted by: kmorrison33 | September 16, 2014

The NFL a very Profitable Non-Profit

While it may be considered ‘piling on’ to kick the NFL while it’s down, citizens should realize that the NFL is a tax-exempt non-profit.  This isn’t true for the individual franchises, but it is for the League itself as it is listed as a trade organization.

It’s questionable whether this could ever be changed when the NFL, and other pro-sports leagues in the same boat, wield considerable power in Washington, but at minimum people should know who is getting cut a break on taxes.

New York Times - End the N.F.L. Tax Breaks
CNBC - Tax-exempt? The NFL’s nonprofit status by the numbers
Sports On Earth - The People vs. NFL Welfare
Washington Post - Why Congress will never take back the NFL’s tax break

Posted by: kmorrison33 | October 17, 2013

As They Say, “Vote Early & Vote Often”

Vote Early & Vote Often

Paraphrased from a Sunday News show*:
Evan Bayh:  If the American people want more moderate politicians that are willing to compromise then they need to vote during the primaries. 
Dana Perino:  Neither party wants more moderate candidates elected.
Evan Bayh: Yes, but polls show the American people do.
Dana Perino:  Well lets see if they come out and vote.  I don’t think they will.
Hey, Evan Bayh just told you how to fix Washington, and the political parties don’t want you to think about it.  The trick is, vote.  Vote early, vote often, and more specifically vote in the primaries.  This decides whether a partisan candidate, or someone more pragmatic makes it to the big dance.  Partisans typically vote for partisans, and they often show up en masse to vote during the primaries.  More power to them; literally, those who vote hold the power.
Yes, this sounds like a cheesy civics lesson, but consider why parties spend millions on get out the vote efforts.  The power is ultimately in the hands of the people.  The question is, ‘Do you really want Washington to change?’  A little time, attention, and homework, and you can figure out who represents you best.  Wading through slogans, and pettiness, and all the campaign rhetoric can absolutely be aggravating, and the political parties are counting on you giving up.  Don’t.
Washington politicians are maddening, yet we have the good fortune of living in a democracy.  These goobers weren’t selected for us.  There was no coup or violent revolution that installed them, and it’s easy to forget how fortunate we are to live with this peaceful yet maddening system.  We picked them, so like it or not their ours.
I don’t write about politics much anymore.  One main reason is that I don’t feel my opinions need to be your opinions.  If you ask, I’ll tell you that I lean right fiscally, and lean left socially.  If you disagree - no problem.  I doubt that we can all get along, but some of us can.  I write this in an attempt to convince you of only one thing - Washington can change via simple arithmetic.  The polls continuously report that ‘the people’ are fed up with Washington and its acrimony and discord.  So if ‘the people’ care enough to pay attention and vote in the primaries and not just the general election that is a remarkably simple solution to what seems to be the endlessly annoying problem of Washington politics.
*Couldn’t find the transcript for Fox News Sunday from October 16, 2013, so the quotes are paraphrased.
Evan Bayh is a member of No Labels a group working to promote bipartisan solutions.
Originally posted at Rambling Web : Vote Early & Vote Often.
Posted by: kmorrison33 | April 18, 2013

The National Anthem from the Boston Garden

Posted by: kmorrison33 | April 18, 2013

Hoyts Came within a Mile of the Boston Marathon Finish Line

The Hoyts have provided Boston with inspiration for years.  Yesterday the Hoyts were running great  when the race was stopped, and spectators provided them with help and a ride…

Quoted from Mass Live Team Hoyt - Rick and Dick Hoyt - stopped 1 mile short of Boston Marathon finish line; inundated with support from public

As a tribute to those who lost their lives and as an example to those responsible for Monday’s bombing about the spirit and strength of America, the elder Hoyt says it would be an honor for them to finish the race one day.

“I think it will mean a lot to lot of people,” Dick Hoyt said by telephone Tuesday morning. “If they ask us, we are ready.”

Known as Team Hoyt, the 73-year-old father and his 51-year-old son have been running and competing in triathlons and marathons for more than three decades, inspiring people around the world with their story of perseverance.

Over the past 18 hours, Dick Hoyt said, he and Rick Hoyt have been deluged by well-wishers, supporters and members of the media clamoring for their perspective on the marathon bombing.

The Hoyts’ run on Monday was halted about a mile short of the finish line in downtown Boston, and the Hoyts were only able to make it back to their hotel thanks to a helpful bystander with an SUV who volunteered to give them a ride.

Via Rambling Web

Posted by: kmorrison33 | April 6, 2012

The Women’s Vote vs. Men’s Vote - Game On

I’m a little tired of politicians not just courting the ‘women’s vote,’ but decreeing what issues are ‘women’s issues.’ Therefore in the interest of fairness we should really clarify not just the ‘women’s issues’ but also what are ‘men’s issues’.

The most commonly claimed women’s issue - reproductive health. Fine, we are the ones to get pregnant, so that one goes in our column.

Following that logic, I declare ‘beer and guns’ a men’s issue. Now I like beer, but the numbers are what they are, beer and guns go to the men.

Consequently, the environment goes to the ladies. You ever tried to get a dude with a rifle to drive a Prius? Good luck - we’re taking the environment.

So since the guys have the guns, the military goes to the men – that’s only fair.

However, that also means foreign relations goes to the women. Don’t want the cowboy with the beer and the weaponry trying to talk to the ambassadors of Israel and Saudia Arabia about ‘Peace in the Middle East.’

The economy is more challenging. Concerns about gas prices will have to go to the men since they’re driving the hummers, and the women are driving the hybrids. Jobs are tricky, the women are at home barefoot and pregnant, so they may not need the job. However, are you going to hire the guy who pulls up to work in his Hummer with a 40 in one hand and a rocket launcher in the other? I’m thinking the women are more employable, so that means men are more concerned about the lack of jobs, and the women are more concerned about favorable economic conditions for businesses. Hence cost of gasoline and unemployment concerns go to the men. Deregulation and lower taxes go to the women.

That’s fair, right? Just following the numbers and the facts to their logical conclusion.

Hopefully everyone realizes this is tongue and cheek. However, the analysis that men are all about ‘beer and guns’ is only slightly more offensive than politicians that think women are all about reproductive health. So I’m a pro-environment, small government, socially moderate (maybe even a little left-leaning depending on your POV), fiscally conservative, independent woman who is quite interested in a range of issues that may or may not be deemed ‘women’s issues.’ So good luck candidates, I’m not the only girl out there not interested in your opinion on how I should think or vote.

 

Posted by: kmorrison33 | March 18, 2012

Good Reasons to Leave GoDaddy

The following post, Ditch GoDaddy, is from Broad Side of the Barn blog that focuses on web development and internet issues.  While the focus of the article is on GoDaddy’s terrible customer service, there are several reasons to not use GoDaddy’s services.  If there was ever a company that has earned its bad reputation, GoDaddy is it…


If you follow the buzz on the internet you probably know that GoDaddy has raised the ire of plenty of the internet’s faithful. Their latest and most damaging transgression is supporting “SOPA” a poorly written law opposing internet piracy. While opposing internet piracy is hardly a radical stance, GoDaddy was in position to know that the specific law drawn up would cause huge headaches and potential legal problems for many reputable internet sites. Godaddy eventually withdrew it support for this law when customers started leaving in protest.

This, however, isn’t GoDaddy’s only public relations blunder. The president of company trumpeting his ‘big game’ hunting, and a series of tasteless and trashy commercials have left many web professionals looking for an alternative. While they are the most well know domain name registrar they are also likely the most disliked as well.

Yet my complaint about Godaddy is due to their customer service and business practices. I strongly recommend looking for another registrar like Network Solutions or NameCheap, because GoDaddy misleads its customers and bleeds money from them through their dubious practices. The most recent example I encountered is of a client who purchased a domain and email service believing they had also signed up for a hosting account. Technically they could ‘host’ their domain at GoDaddy, but it was a severely limited plan that only allowed for a canned page to be ‘hosted’ at Godaddy, which left them without the actual service they needed. Currently, Godaddy is not accepting bitcoins while other services like Namecheap accept. As there is a rise in bitcoin trade due to the discovery automated trading bots, in future it may integrate bitcoin payments. Here is a bitcoin up review to learn how the automated trading bots work.

My initial problem with GoDaddy is that I placed an order using their ‘speedy checkout’ option. This wasn’t a short cut through the order process like it sounds, it was a sneaky way to get customers to sign up for auto-renewal for particular products. Obviously I hold responsibility in this mistake, I should have read over the fine print. However, Godaddy has made a lot of money by misleading people into purchasing the wrong product.

They also hold your credit card number, and you can only check out if you agree to let them hold this information on file. For most online businesses, this is a voluntary choice, not a prerequisite to ordering. GoDaddy is the last company I trust to hold my credit card information, and I highly recommend not allowing them to store your information. At one time, GoDaddy was the only real cost effective choice for domain registration. That is no longer the case, and taking your businesses elsewhere to a company that will treat you fairly is a prudent and wise decision.


I have moved my business to NameCheap.com. I have nothing against Network Solutions, but NameCheap is more affordable and has a good domain management set up. SWITCH2NC is a coupon code you can use to get a dollar off each domain name transfer (effective early March - don’t know the expiration date.) There are other domain name registrars as well, these are just two of GoDaddy’s most prominent competitors. -Katherine Morrison

Posted by: kmorrison33 | January 4, 2012

Edith & Carolyn on CNN Caucus Night In Iowa

A delightful reminder of what is so great about the small early voting states. They run due to the work of people like Edith and Carolyn.

Posted by: kmorrison33 | November 17, 2011

Huntsman Hits NH Airwaves

Posted by: kmorrison33 | October 19, 2011

First In the Nation Primary - Why New Hampshire?

So it may seem like asking a Granite Stater why New Hampshire should have the first in the nation primary is sort of like asking someone from the Windy City why they think Chicago makes the best pizza. However, the only way to really understand the benefits of New Hampshire’s first in the nation primary is if you have experienced it. I have. I supported and volunteered for Senator McCain in his presidential bid. He won me over during the NH primaries. I joke that I’m an ‘Unrepentant McCain Supporter’ because if I had it all to do over again even knowing the results I would - I don’t regret one moment of it. I still think he was worth it.

Yet I am not compelled to participate in the same manner as last time. However, I am compelled to defend the process. This is a unique element of our political process that is worth keeping. First, let me defend a somewhat accurate criticism of the process, “It’s not fair.” Honestly, it’s not completely fair that NH gets this opportunity when other states don’t. The problem is that the fixes to make it fair don’t work. New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina are the three places where candidates have to meet, talk to, and take questions from actual voters. A national primary day, often described as a fair solution, actually means that presidential contenders no longer have to meet and address voters directly. It would make the process very similar to the general election where candidates with money buy ads and saturate the airwaves with what many consider hollow self-serving sound bites. This doesn’t address fairness; it simply means candidates no longer have to deal with real voters in a meaningful way.

Which brings us to the crux of this issue, why is this part of the process needed and important. The New Hampshire primaries are an important test of the candidates. It’s a sincerity test; can this candidate look me in the eye and honestly tell me why he/she should be leader of the free world? It’s a competency test; can the candidate explain their positions competently and clearly without talking down to the voter, or over simplifying their message? Also, can the candidate deal with the crazy protester in the back that starts wildly yelling when all the protester needed to do was raise their hand and ask their question? It’s a test of empathy and compassion; when a voter who disagrees with a candidate nervously tries to get their question out, does the candidate mow them down, or do they hear them out and address the voter’s concerns? None of these things are adequately addressed via TV. Voters need to meet the candidates in person and this is the point in the process where that’s done.

So why does New Hampshire have the first primary and not other states? First, is tradition - not tradition for tradition’s sake, but tradition because of the level and sincerity of participation. Generation after generation has gone to town halls to test the candidates, and many Granite Staters accept it as a duty and responsibility. By and large, they participate in significant numbers, and they test the candidates in a sincere and responsible manner.

Many states think they want to move up in the primary process, but their citizens are not invested in the manner that Granite Staters are. Do they really want the campaign phone calls a year and a half before the general election? Do they really want to spend their Saturday driving to see a candidate at a town hall that they may find out does not actually suit them? States want the attention that could come from a jump forward in the process, but have not shown that their citizens actually want the responsibility.

Also, there’s a logistics issue when states try to move forward in the process. The more that try to move up, the earlier the vote gets, the more crowded the calendar gets, the more the primary process starts to mimic general election politics and that unique test of the candidates is either watered down or lost.

So if you want to say I am biased, you’re right. I’m a New Hampshire voter and I want to preserve our unique tradition. However, the reason I want to preserve this tradition is not so that I can say that I have something you don’t. I want to preserve this tradition because it significantly enhances the presidential political process. It does benefit New Hampshire, but more importantly it benefits the country. This is an important first hurdle that gives candidates short on money a shot, and stops candidates short on sincerity, ideas, and motivation in their tracks. Don’t let this part of the presidential process evaporate, no one benefits from that in the end.

Posted by: kmorrison33 | June 28, 2011

Nice Clean, Quiet, Condo in Southern NH up for Sale

So for a little shameless self-promotion, I have a nice clean, quiet, condo in Epping, NH up for sale.  It is perfect for a political campaigner/staffer, or media member who is looking to cover the 2012 primaries.  Last election I attended numerous campaign events in Exeter, Hampton, Portsmouth, Manchester, Bedford, Rochester, Keene, Concord, Claremont, and more.  Okay so Claremont was a drive, but this condo is perfectly situated, just minutes from Rt 101 and Rt 125. This makes both the Seacoast and the Manchester area very accessible. It’s a town over from Exeter, 25 minutes to Manchester, 20 minutes to Hampton, 1 hour to the Lakes Region, 1.5 hours to Boston, 2 hours to the White Mountains, 15 minutes to Rt 95, and 20 minutes from Rt 93. This condo isn’t just convenient, it’s nicely situated in a quiet wooded area. It has new appliances and floors, and was hooked up to town water just last summer. It is an excellent deal, and a great opportunity for a first time home owner whether you’re into politics or not.  Live in tax free New Hampshire, and take advantage of easy access to the ocean, the lakes, the mountains, and the cities, while living in Epping, a delightful small New England town.

Check out the listing for this charming Epping NH Condo.

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