In the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts, we have a hidden tax known as the bottle and can deposit. Every time you buy something in a can or a bottle, you pay a five cent deposit. So for every twelve-pack of Diet Coke I buy, I have to plunk down an additional $0.60 for this hidden tax. Now, I can return these bottles and cans back to the place of purchase for the refund of said deposit. There is a little problem with this. If I return a bottle or can to a place that doesn’t sell that exact item, they don’t have to refund the deposit. That means I can’t return a beer bottle to the grocery store.

Okay… I still need to be environmentally good and have to recycle my crap. That means I put my stuff out on the street, and the city collects my recyclables. What happens to the deposits that aren’t refunded? The state gets to keep it. Thus, it’s a hidden tax.

Today, I returned a full bin of cans and bottles, only to collect $3.40. Most people just put it out on the street for the city (or the homeless people) to collect.

So few states put a deposit on cans and bottles anymore. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should put a stop to this hidden tax.

Really… I’m not making this up.

http://www.hubpolitics.com/archives/000707.php

I’m listening to Air America because my iPod is out of comission at the moment. A coworker needed my cable and I gave it up.

These people are crazy. I’m not a huge fan of the president, but come on… he’s not THAT bad.

I dropped Reggie off with Aunt Beth and Uncle Paul. I wasn’t planning on staying long, but they offered food. When offered food at their house, one would be a fool to refuse it. It was good—spicy, but good.

I miss Reggie already, but I needed to get him out of here so I could get some work done. I miss his little heavy breathing, and the next two days are going to be long. But this will be good for both of us. When I left, he was giving Buddy a run for his money. They have three “purples” to play with and the objective appeared to be keeping them away from each other. Incidentally, I stopped by WalMart and picked up three more. I’m done. No more Purples. If we run out, Reggie will need to find a new favorite toy. However, we won’t run out for quite some time.

I haven’t said much about the illegal alien crisis our country is in. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t being hypocritical about how I feel toward my friend who is going through the immigration process. He’s had to work hard to go through the process legally. Why can’t everyone else? He didn’t sneak across the border. He had to have an employer sponsor his work visa. That’s the way it should be. He followed the rules. Why can’t everyone else? I’m not a fan of amnesty for those who are currently illegal. They broke the law. They should go back where they came from and enter the country legally. The media keeps saying that the illegals are doing the work that Americans won’t. This is the United States of America. We’ll adapt. We always do.

I’ve had about enough of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. She’s all pissed off because a capitol police officer got in her way and physically stopped her from entering a house office building. She claims she was a victim of excessive force because she is black. Here is the newsflash. The congresswoman wasn’t wearing her identification. Of course the officer should have stopped her from entering the building.

Congresswoman, people don’t hate you because you’re black. We hate you because you’re a bitch and a raving lunatic. Worse yet, you play the race card when it’s absolutely inappropriate.