Business meals at a restaurant are now fully tax deductible — at least for the next two years. To promote increased business spending at restaurants, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021” directed the IRS to increase the deduction from 50% to 100% of the cost of food and beverages provided by a restaurant.
The IRS had previously issued final regulations about the deductibility of expenses for entertainment or food and beverages as provided in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The final regulations disallow deductions for entertainment expenses and limit deductions for food and beverage expenses paid or incurred after December 31, 2017. The final regulations apply to tax years that begin on or after October 9, 2020. The temporary allowance of 100% deductions applies only to food and beverages provided by a restaurant and only for tax years 2021 and 2022. The final regulations will again apply to business restaurant meals after 2022.
Entertainment does not, however, include the cost of items that, while satisfying the personal, living, or family needs of an individual, are “clearly not regarded as constituting entertainment.” For example, expenses such as the cost of a hotel room paid by an employer for an employee to use as lodging while that employee is traveling on business, or the cost of an automobile provided for business even though the employee may use the automobile for routine personal purposes such as commuting to and from work, would not be considered entertainment. Providing a hotel room or an automobile to an employee who is on vacation would, however, be entertainment.
Meals Provided with Entertainment
The regulations say that entertainment “does not include food or beverages unless the food or beverages are provided during or at an entertainment activity.” Those costs are generally treated as part of the nondeductible entertainment expenditure unless they are purchased separately from the entertainment, or the cost of the food or beverages is stated separately from the cost of the entertainment on the receipt or invoice. The amount charged for the separately purchased items must be the venue’s “usual selling cost” or a reasonable price.
When Are Entertainment Expenses Deductible?
Entertainment expenses that fall into one of the following eight categories generally are 100 percent deductible if the ordinary and necessary rule of Section 162 and the substantiation rules of Section 274(d) are satisfied:
- Expenses for facilities used in connection with the furnishing of food and beverages primarily to the taxpayer’s employees on the taxpayer’s business premises
- Expenses treated as compensation to the recipient of the entertainment, amusement or recreation
- Expenses incurred or paid by a taxpayer that are reimbursed to the taxpayer under a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement in connection with the performance of services for another person
- Expenses for recreational, social or similar activities (including facilities) primarily for the benefit of non-highly-compensated employees
- Expenses directly related to business meetings attended by a taxpayer’s employees, stockholders, agents or directors
- Expenses related to attending business meetings of business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards and boards of trade
- Expenses for goods, services, and facilities made available by the taxpayer to the general public
- Expenses for goods or services (including the use of facilities) which are sold by the taxpayer to customers
Food and Beverage Expenses
Taxpayers generally may continue to deduct 50 percent of expenses for food and beverages if: (1) the expenses are not lavish or extravagant under the circumstances; (2) the taxpayer, or an employee of the taxpayer, is present at the furnishing of such food or beverages; and (3) the food or beverages are provided to the taxpayer or a business associate.
Travel Meals
Food or beverage expenses paid or incurred while traveling in pursuit of a trade or business are generally subject to the 50 percent deduction limitation as well as the limitations for luxury water transport, education travel, and travel expenses of a spouse, dependent or friend.
Exceptions to 50 Percent Disallowance of Food and Beverage Expenses
The deduction limitation for food and beverage expenses does not apply to a taxpayer when such an expense is:
- Treated as compensation by the taxpayer to the recipient of the food or beverage
- Reimbursed to the taxpayer under a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement in connection with the performance of services for another person
- For food and beverages served at a recreational, social, or similar activity primarily for the benefit of the taxpayer’s non-highly-compensated employees
- For food and beverages that are provided to and primarily consumed by the general public
- For food and beverages sold to customers
As a result, food and beverage expenses that fall into one of these categories generally are 100 percent deductible if they are not lavish or extravagant under the circumstances, and the ordinary and necessary rule of Section 162 and the substantiation rules of Section 274(d) (when applicable) are satisfied.
If you have questions about taxes for entertainment and food and beverage expenses, give us a call at 502-451-8773 or stop by for a visit. We are here to help.
Back in the day, before Bill joined Bourke Accounting, he lived in the city of New York. Recently, he spoke about getting his first apartment in Manhattan. While it was only a block from the subway, it wasn’t nice. Bill described it as a dark, ground floor, roach motel of a place in a questionable area. The rent, $2,050 a month, was a lot more than he wanted to pay, but he considered himself lucky for having found it. After avoiding break-ins and muggings for two years, Bill received a notice from his landlord. When he re-signed the lease, his rent would be increased to $2,500. He couldn’t believe that this could be remotely legal. With a chagrined smile, Bill mentioned that the new Starbuck’s being built across the street should have been an indication that the neighborhood was in the midst of change.
What is needed is protection for hardworking tenants. What is needed are restrictions against greedy, evil landlords. Money-motivated gentrification must be stopped! What we need is rent control…right?
Rent control, a regulation designed to help lower-income tenants and the elderly to stay in their homes, seems like a great idea. The landlord is only allowed to raise the rent to a certain amount and, once that amount is reached, there can be no more increases, ever (ApartmentGuide.com). Happy tenants can now live without fear of a surprise rent hike that would send them scrambling to find cheaper homes. In addition, defenders of it suggest that rent control leads to more stable and safer neighborhoods, as the residents have a vested interest in making them so. Without having to move every couple of years, tenants have security, close ties with neighbors and a “greater stake in their community” (PSMag.com), which leads to time and effort being devoted into making a nice place.
Rent control, it’s argued, is also good for landlords. Since tenants will renew their leases year after year, landlords don’t have to worry about numerous vacancies in their buildings. Landlords also save money, about $2,000 per apartment, if they don’t have to constantly prepare apartments for brand new tenants (GoodLifeMgmt.com). Rent control, therefore, is responsible for building nice neighborhoods with nice neighbors, all affordably living in nice housing. There simply cannot be a downside.
Except, of course, there is. One of the first problems with rent control is that the people who could most benefit from it aren’t necessarily the people who receive it. For example, one study showed that 10% of 2,300 controlled apartments in New York City housed tenants with incomes of more than half a million dollars (HomeownershipMatters.realtor). Further example, former NYC mayor Ed Koch paid a mere $450 a month for his controlled apartment (MarketUrbanism.com). The wait for one of these places can last decades and, it seems, you have to know the right, well-placed people.
Another issue is the fact that rising property taxes and flat-lined rents don’t leave a lot of money for apartment maintenance. Since landlords can’t/won’t find the money, repairs don’t happen (MarketUrbanismReport.com). What good is a $450 a month apartment if the roof is caving in? Finally, there are the landlords who decide to leave the rental headache behind by converting their properties to condominiums – leaving lower-income renters behind, as well (MarketUrbanismReport.com).
Everyone should be able to live in safe neighborhoods. However, like healthcare, we haven’t been able to sort out the details. While some geniuses suggest that the answer is to simply build more housing, this wouldn’t solve the underlying issues (and, you know, space is finite). If anyone has a workable plan, we’re ready to hear it.
Bourke Accounting experts can’t get you an apartment, but they will offer you financial suggestions that can help you to afford one. Your home is your sanctuary and Bourke Accounting pros are willing to share their expertise to assist you in sound housing choices within your budget. Until we build affordable palaces in the sky, your Bourke Accounting rep is here for you on the ground.
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
The way things are going, wouldn’t it be nice to leave the corporate world behind? Have you ever considered buying a little farm, waking to the sound of roosters each morning and filling your days with the good, honest work of teasing a living from the land. Sure, your muscles will ache, but clean dirt is easier to get off of your hands than cyan ink from exploded printer cartridges. If this is your dream, then you’re in luck; not only do Bourke Accounting experts know their way around corporate tax returns, they also know what to do with a farmer’s return.
As with other businesses, farms are eligible for tax breaks. However, if you think you can just start deducting because you have a few rows of corn in your backyard, please believe that the IRS might get curious. The differences between a “hobby” farm and a business farm are actually the same as any other hobby and self-employed business. For example, you have to show that you’re operating your farm in a businesslike manner, you depend on the income from your farming, you change your methods to make the farm more profitable and the farm makes money in some years (Agfax.com). In addition, the IRS expects you to have a business plan, profit and loss statements, “daily activity logs and financial records” (Chubb.com). Obviously, growing and selling some tomatoes after your office job isn’t quite going to meet these standards.
Also like in other businesses, farmers are allowed to deduct expenses. Wages paid for farm workers, utilities, insurance and equipment are all examples of deductible expenses (IRS.gov). In addition, depreciation regarding equipment is also available for farmers. In an odd turn that makes sense, even livestock are depreciable “assets.” According to Beef Magazine, a cow should be considered a “current asset that is not depreciated” until that cow has her first baby. After that, she is “transferred into the breeding stock as a fixed, depreciable asset” (BeefMagazine.com). The University of Nebraska advises that the number of productive years for most cows is between 3-5 years. If a farmer uses five years for each cow, the general depreciation would be “$250 per head per year” (Beef.unl.edu).
Although some rules benefit farmers, there is one that seriously does not. If farmers suffer crop damage or loss, they can receive insurance payments – which is great. However, that money has to be counted as income on tax returns and the farmer still has to pay taxes on it (Money.com). Also, crop disaster payments, given by the federal government, are counted as income, too (Money.com)! It would seem that some rules make hard times even harder.
And then there are rules that can only be described as shady loopholes. Under the Greenbelt Law in Florida, for instance, land used for agricultural activities are taxed “on the current ‘use’ value…versus its development value” (SaundersRealEstate.com). This amounts to much lower property taxes. What land developers (who aren’t quite ready to build or are in the process of building) do is rent a few cows, let them wander around the property and avoid high property taxes (TheAtlantic.com). Walt Disney World has reportedly saved $1.5 million by employing some of the happiest cows on Earth for this purpose (TheAtlantic.com). Unscrupulous developers save about $1 billion a year in property taxes (UnusualInvestments.com) and it’s completely legal.
When you’re ready to quit your 9-5 and live off the land, remember that there are programs and breaks to help. And let’s all keep in mind that, while technology is amazing, we can’t eat computer code. Love to the Farmers!
As we said above, Bourke Accounting tax preparers and bookkeepers know how to handle a farmer’s return. Your Bourke Accounting pros will do everything they can to help make your hard-working fantasy a reality. With a Bourke Accounting expert on your side, all you have to do is keep an eye on the sky and Bourke Accounting will do the rest.
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
It’s Halloween! To celebrate, Bourke employees are engaging in a “Decorate Your Right Arm” competition (hopefully, this won’t become a tradition, as it was a lot harder than it sounds). While a lot of us really like Halloween, there is an aspect of danger to the holiday that isn’t evident in any of the other festive days we celebrate.
Halloween is, by its nature, spooky; it’s a holiday defined by ghosts walking the earth, scary costumes and creepy stories. Even the urban legends, especially those concerning poisoned trick or treaters, are blatantly grotesque. But isn’t it unsettling when urban legends come to life?
Rumors surrounding poisoned candy is believed to have started around the time of the Industrial Revolution, when “when food production moved out of the home” (Wikipedia.org). All of a sudden, food wasn’t made by Grandma, but by some stranger who might want to cause harm for unknown reasons. In the 1930s, with the advent of trick or treating, poisoned candy gradually morphed into poisoned Halloween candy. Although there has never been a child murdered by poisoned Halloween candy (HowStuffWorks.com), this is an urban legend that still has parents checking fun size Snickers bars every year. Wait, did we say no child has ever killed by poisoned Halloween candy? That’s not exactly true, actually. However, the murderer wasn’t a faceless monster, but someone very well known to the 8-year-old victim.
On Halloween, 1974, Ronald O’Bryan took his two children, Timothy and Elizabeth, trick or treating with a neighbor and his son. When no one answered at a particular house, the children and the neighbor moved on. O’Bryan hung back, but quickly reappeared with five large Pixy Stix. “You must have some rich neighbors,” O’Bryan quipped to his companion, handing the candy to the children (Statesman.com). Once the group returned home, O’Bryan allowed his kids one piece of candy each. Timothy wanted the Pixy Stix, but couldn’t open it, so O’Bryan kindly helped his son. Timothy complained that the candy tasted bitter, drank some Kool-Aid and toddled off to bed.
Within the hour, Timothy was vomiting and in extreme pain. Although the ambulance arrived within minutes, Timothy was pronounced dead at the hospital. An autopsy showed that Timothy had died from potassium cyanide poisoning and a mad search for the remaining Pixy Stix ensued. None of the other children had eaten the candy (one boy had his in bed, having fallen asleep before he could open it). Over the following days, O’Bryan tried to remember where he had gotten the candy, finally accusing a man with an air-tight alibi.
Authorities became a little suspicious. When it was discovered that O’Bryan was heavily in debt and had bought life insurance on his children days before Halloween, they became a lot suspicious. After an investigation turned up cut Pixy Stix tops and a knife covered in cyanide at O’Bryan’s house, he was arrested for murder. In addition, O’Bryan’s in-laws testified how, at Timothy’s funeral, O’Bryan had giddily listed all of the things he was planning to buy with the insurance money. The jury took 46 minutes to decide on a guilty verdict and Ronald O’Bryan was put to death on March 31,1984 (Medium.com).
O’Bryan, AKA The Candy Man, thought that his murder would be chalked up to an insane and unknown Halloween poisoner. Instead, he added credence to the urban legend and even more danger to an already creepy holiday. Remember, Parents, it’s never out of fashion to check that candy!
Bourke Accounting has clean, safe Halloween candy. During this scary time of year, why don’t you come talk to a Bourke Accounting pro about your financial future? With all of the weirdness going on, your money issues shouldn’t be a mystery or reason for sleepless nights.
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
The above meme made the rounds on social media a while back (variations of it still show up, often including threats of rotary phones, as well). After reading it, maybe there’s a little chuckle, a flicker of superiority and perhaps a muttered, “Millennials are useless,” before scrolling on to the next image. Obviously, memes aren’t great examples of intellectual thought and philosophy, but they are solid evidence of popular mindsets. So, what does the above say about all of us?
A few years ago, there were a lot of condescendingly written articles about the growing popularity of “adulting classes.” If you’re unaware, an adulting class is pretty much what it sounds like: young people learning how to function in the world. These classes teach basic skills like “personal finance, cooking, home repair, job interviewing and even etiquette” (Parade.com). One of the first adulting class founders, therapist Rachel Weinstein, noticed that her younger clients were struggling with even the most rudimentary adult requirements. These young people were overwhelmed when trying to manage money or even clean out kitchen pantries (Bloomberg.com). Weinstein started up her class in 2016 and now, the concept is so sought-after that colleges, like UC Berkeley, have to turn kids away from their adulting courses (KTVU.com).
While many laugh at young people for taking a class on how to change a tire, the indictment should be laid at the feet of the elders; it was the responsibility of the older generations to say, “hey, kid, lemme show you how this works.” Clearly, there was a failure in the education of the upcoming generation. Although studies show that Millennials “may be the most educated generation in history” (Study.com), it seems that some pretty important stuff was left out.
When parents pushed their kids to excel at academics, they seemed to have forgotten that not all of life occurs within the classroom. In addition, helicopter parents attempted to “shield their children from the harsh realities of life by doing everything for them” (Parade.com). Rachel Flehinger, principal of the Adulting School, recently attested that parents are still making doctor appointments or calling college professors to contest grades for their Millennial children. Basically, if you never allow a kid to walk, don’t complain when the kid relies on a wheelchair.
Although Millennials aren’t entirely to blame for the flaws of their generation, sometimes they make it easy to shake our collective head in exasperation. For example, Millennials are three times more likely to suffer from narcissistic personality disorder (Time.com). In addition, and maybe as a result of those participation trophies, 40% of Millennials think that, in the working arena, they should be “promoted every two years, regardless of performance” (Time.com). There is no doubt that Millennials really, really like themselves.
Every generation has a problem with the one trailing at its heels. As a Gen Xer, my own people were accused of not caring about anything (we did, we were just taught not to show it) and being too slackerish to make money a priority (as Sinead said, “I do not want what I haven’t got”). Generations don’t happen in vacuums – every other generation has a hand in its creation. So, the next time we laugh at a snotty meme regarding a younger generation, we ought to save some derision for ourselves.
It’s okay if you don’t know how to complete a tax return – your Bourke Accounting tax preparer does! And if you don’t know how to manage your money, your Bourke Accounting expert will be more than happy to give you some pointers. While not as fun as adulting classes, Bourke Accounting can put you on a path to a better financial future and teach you some neat things along the way.
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
Although I’ve said it a million times, I’ll say it again: Bourke Accounting is very pet friendly. If my dogs were to get sick, my bosses would allow me time off – without repercussions – to care for them. That’s because Bourke bosses acknowledge that my ill-mannered puppies are family; you will never hear a Bourke boss say, “Get over it. It’s just a dog.”
When we hear a story of animal abuse, most of us cringe. We get angry. We threaten crazily about the things we’d do to the perpetrator if given ten minutes alone. Decent human beings understand that animals are living things with the capacity to feel pain. In addition, most household pets are virtually defenseless and normal people don’t want to intentionally hurt innocent, weaker creatures. Deliberate pet beaters are easily and righteously hated; the lockdown, however, introduced a new strain of offenders. For want of a better term, let’s just call these people the “accidental abusers.”
When people first started getting laid off or working from home amid lockdown, a lot of them had the great idea to adopt a pet. They figured that they’d finally have the time to lavish a pet with training and love. A CNBC report from April told us, with breathless excitement, that shelters were having “a hard time meeting demand” (CNBC.com) from all the would-be adopters. Applications for adoption and animal fostering went up nearly 70% compared to last year and one Chicago animal shelter ran out of animals for the first time ever (CNBC.com). USA Today was equally optimistic when reporting that shelter euthanasia was down 43% as a result of all these pound puppies leaving for their forever homes (USAToday.com).
It certainly seemed like the perfect time to be a shelter animal. But then, amid the happy stories of wagging tails and full bellies, sadder stories started to bleed through. For example, there was the account of the highly esteemed doctor who set his Rottweiler “free” in the suburbs because, without his domestic help, the dog turned out to be a lot of work (DeccanChronicle.com). By September, animal shelters started to see an increase in surrender requests; one animal rescuer stated that the most common reason given for surrendering an animal lately has been that the owners “just don’t have time” (TheJournal.ie).
Just as adoptions went up 70% during lockdown, there was almost a 70% increase in pets surrendered back to shelters by October (TodayFM.com). Apparently, these new dog owners are just now realizing that dogs and blenders are different (well, not too different – both can be returned). While their furry, comfort animals were awesome when working from home, taking morning walks and cleaning up accidents after a long day is obviously too much. There is a reason shelter workers repeat, numerous times, that animals mean a commitment of years.
Unfortunately, it’s not just lazy, impulsive people who are giving up their animals. Shelter employees have seen animals surrendered as a result of escalating numbers of owners experiencing mental illness, poverty, incarceration and drug abuse (Today.com). It’s sad that those who would benefit the most from animals can’t have them.
Caring for animals is good for us; animals have a calming, anti-depressant effect that greatly enriches our lives. We need to work harder to make sure that we deserve these fuzzy, nonjudgmental critters. Animals are people, too, guys.
When you visit your Bourke Accounting bookkeeper or tax preparer, you will be treated better than a shelter dog in his new, forever home. Bourke Accounting reps want to ensure that you’re in a good place both financially and emotionally. Bourke Accounting experts will work hard for you, even if they don’t scratch you behind the ears.
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
We learned all about Social Security in elementary school. As a kid, it seemed like a pretty sweet deal: you work hard all your life, you contribute some of your check each week and, years later, Big Daddy Government gives everything back; it sounds like a safety net mixed with a gently forced retirement plan. Although we were taught this stuff, it seems that there is still some confusion regarding the whole concept.
For example, a few months ago, that Guy in the White House ran an ad accusing Joe Biden of “promising your benefits to illegal immigrants” (Politifact.com). Not only has Biden been trying to systematically dismantle Social Security, the ad claims, but he wants to give all of your hard-earned money to ineligible people who haven’t even paid their dues!
It would be a disturbing story – if it were remotely based in reality. In actuality, a vast amount of working illegal immigrants pay into the system without ever seeing a dime of Social Security upon retirement. It goes like this: “many immigrants who aren’t authorized to work in the US buy fake Social Security cards.” Then, the employer takes out tax payments and sends them along. When that number isn’t associated with an actual citizen, the federal government holds onto the taxes and, later, drops the cash into the Social Security trust funds; this money then ends up in the hands of retired Americans. (TheAtlantic.com). In 2010 alone, the payments from falsely documented workers “contributed roughly $12 billion” (TheAtlantic.com) to Social Security.
Another thing we get wrong is thinking that what we put into the system will find its way back to us, in full. The Social Security website promises that benefits are calculated based on your “lifetime earnings” (SSA.gov). That sounds just like what we were taught! Wait, though, what’s that next sentence? The SSA continues (as if that “lifetime earnings” thing never happened) by admitting that they only count the “35 years in which you earned the most” (SSA.gov). Some of us have been working on the books since the age of 16, and if we continue to work until 72, that means that there’s 21 years of payments that just go Poof – lost in the ether. Since more than “three out of five retirees” (Fool.com) depend on Social Security for about half of their income, that missing 21 years would come in handy for a lot of people.
Cavalierly ignoring years of work history freed up plenty of time for the Social Security Administration to write rules for uncommon situations. For example, if you’re responsible for your spouse being the opposite of alive, don’t expect those nice survivor death benefits to appear in your bank account (CNBC.com); you won’t even be eligible for the $255 lump-sum death benefit (CNBC.com)! Minor kids playing Norman Bates with Mom and Dad are likewise banned from receiving survivor benefits (CNBC.com). While this makes senses – bad behavior should never be rewarded – it’s frightening to think how many times the situation came up before guidance finally had to be written.
Social Security is a nice program with limitations. These limitations are to be expected, as the Social Security Administration itself warns that the payments were “never meant to be the only source of income” (SSA.gov) for retirees. Social Security helps, but it’s important to understand exactly what to expect upon leaving the workforce. We can’t depend on a partial program to meet all of our Golden Year needs – it’s up to us to make sound financial choices and save as much as we can for the rainy season.
Bourke Accounting bookkeepers and tax preparers understand the subtleties of Social Security. Not only can Bourke Accounting pros counsel you on the best time to retire, they can also discuss ways in which to make the transition painless. Talk to a Bourke Accounting expert for advice on what to do now in order to ensure the best retirement ever.
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
Considering our current viral interloper, health care and health insurance are more important than ever. We hear reports of parents too afraid of the specter of homelessness to seek medical attention for sick children. Anecdotal stories of entire families struggling through Corona infection, without doctor involvement, have become commonplace. If we didn’t know that health care was important in 2019, 2020 has shown us how devastating being without it can be.
The employers at Bourke Accounting know that healthy workers are productive workers. It’s because of this that Bourke employees are offered decent insurance; besides some copays and deductibles here and there, our insurance is paid 100% by the bosses. All we had to do was sit on our butts and make doctor appointments. Yes, it certainly was the good life. Oh, did you notice the past tense? Recently our insurance premiums went up and Bourke employees were given an option to take some of the financial pressure off of our fearless leaders. Being team players, we all agreed to said option, but now it’s clear that the Devil invented the Fitbit.
Wellness incentives are nothing new in the workplace – perhaps the crew decides to engage in a healthy eating contest or a weight loss competition with the winner getting a day off. Our new Fitbit-adorned incentive is sort of like that, but a lot more intensive. By synching our Fitbits to a certain insurance carrier’s application, we earn points for things like daily workouts and getting enough rest. Oddly, more points are awarded for dental exams and annual physicals than actually getting physical. Theoretically, the premiums get lower as we get healthier; this is, of course, a good thing, as preventative treatment now avoids heartache (and heart attacks) later.
However, this program is not without its drawbacks. In 2018, the West Virginia Public Employee Insurance Agency (PEIA) attempted to force all of its school workers to participate. Anyone who refused was “charged an additional $25 per month, up to a $300 yearly burden” (NewRepublic.com). That’s a pretty big punishment for teachers with close to the lowest salaries in the US. After the teachers and bus drivers went on strike for nine days, the PEIA canceled the contract with the insurance company and found another way to save money.
Another issue with this sort of insurance program is that could prove detrimental. Those with disabilities or eating disorders could end up hurting themselves in order to meet their “goals.” In addition, larger employees might feel discriminated against in the event that they can’t perform the physical challenges (NewRepublic.com). Finally, a study by the American Journal of Managed Care found that there “were no significant changes in clinical measures of health, absenteeism or work performance” (AJMC.com) as a result of these programs. Since those rubrics are the reason for these programs, that’s a bit of bad news.
Most people don’t want to engage in work when they leave the office. Most people don’t want to be tracked like an exotic animal in a nature preserve. These programs are simply intrusive; furthermore, it’s distasteful to have to dance like a trained monkey in order to afford a doctor’s visit. However, needs must when the Devil drives and my Devil-driven Fitbit is telling me it’s time to walk another 25 steps.
Whether voluntarily or in, Bourke Accounting bookkeepers and tax preparers are on the road to wellness! When you see your Bourke Accounting rep, don’t be surprised if you notice a lot of marching in place. Naturally, you’re welcome to join! However, even with a Fitbit secured, your needs are even more of a priority than 250 steps an hour. Wish us luck, please and thank you…
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
Bourke Accounting has nothing but respect for our postal carriers. We understand that they perform a hard and physically demanding job. We also understand that mail delivery is vital and postal carriers must be held to a higher standard than other types of workers. Americans must be able to trust that the civil servants with the well-muscled calves are accurately distributing documents and packages. Because of the obvious import of the mail, recent incidents are scary, to say the least.
Back in the 1980s, Americans learned a new phrase: Going Postal. This is a gallows humor term to describe an employee who is two steps away from shooting up the office. Sadly, as there was a string of homicidal postal workers who attacked customers and co-workers, the expression was based in reality; between 1970 and 1997, more than 40 people were killed by current or former postal employees (En.Wikipedia.org). Thankfully, this postal practice appears to have declined and we don’t read about Mailman Matt taking his frustrations out on the interns quite so much.
However, while post office violence has gone down, it seems that other avenues for postal maleficence have opened. For example, last week in Louisville, 112 ballots were found in the dumpster outside of a house undergoing renovations (WDRB.com). The carrier has been fired and could face federal charges as a result. In addition, a New Jersey worker has already been charged by federal authorities for ditching about “1,875 pieces of mail…including 99 general election ballots (NewsNationNow.com).” Finally, also last week, two Pennsylvania postal workers have been charged with delay or destruction of mail. If convicted, both men “face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000” (Brehambanner.com). One of the men, Sean Troesch, had been leaving multiple, large garbage bags on the curb for trash pick up for months. When a neighbor discovered that Troesch worked for the postal service, the law was called. After authorities searched the bags – which included 1,311 pieces of political mail – Troesch clearly had no choice but to ‘fess up (Triblive.com).
Generally, these stories haven’t reported the motivations behind the offenses. This could be to minimize fear that postal workers have become politicized, as that Guy in the White House has been squawking about voter fraud for most of the year. However, the Pittsburgh City Paper has reported that Troesch is an avid supporter of QAnon (PghCityPaper.com). QAnon believes that the Guy in the White House is single-handedly fighting baby-eating, pedophilic, Satan-worshipping Democrats. Seriously. While the paper is careful not to equate dumping mail with Troesch’s political affiliations, the implication is fairly obvious.
Unfortunately, there are criminals hiding in every profession. With elections coming up, destruction of mail is an important topic, but it’s not a new one. If you google “Postal carriers who threw away mail,” you’ll see thousands of articles spanning the decades. Sometimes, a bad mail carrier is just lazy and not a political provocateur. For the most part, our postal carriers are hardworking, dedicated people – don’t let a few idiots crush your faith. However, if you still haven’t received your requested ballot, check the status by visiting the Kentucky State Board of Elections at vrsws.sos.ky.gov/VIC/.
Like the best postal workers, Bourke Accounting bookkeepers and tax preparers are dedicated. Whether it’s snowing or after-hours, Bourke Accounting pros won’t rest until their work is done. In addition, Bourke Accounting experts will never just throw documents out with the trash – Bourke reps answer to you and the IRS and neither enjoy security breaches.
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.
After watching a vampire movie, do you spend the next hour smiling mysteriously and secretly believing that you would look great in a cape? What about when you view a good old-fashioned bullet, punch-‘em-out, tough guy action flick like The Doorman? Do you walk down the street with a new swagger, just wishing that some bad apple would try some of that bad apple stuff on you?
When you find yourself mildly affected after seeing some little bit of fantasy, you are not alone – many of us find ourselves in the same exact place. For example, The Crow was released over 25 years ago and, every year around Halloween, armies of Eric Dravens can still be seen descending upon bars and parties. If you’ve ever been around someone dressed like this, you’ll have noticed that personalities seem to change slightly with the addition of the Alice Cooper make up: usually gregarious folks become more subdued and voices deepen to octaves much lower than normal. It’s both funny and harmless fun.
But is it possible for someone to become influenced by violent media to the point of criminality? Take, for instance, the 2006 murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart. Cassie Jo was a high school girl stabbed to death by two of her friends, Torey Adamcik and Brian Draper. After watching the teen slasher film, Scream, multiple times, the boys decided that they wanted to engage in homicide, too.. When the boys learned that Cassie Jo would be housesitting alone, they cut the power and played a sick cat and mouse game with the 16-year-old girl before ultimately taking her life (Ranker.com). Both boys cited a desire to be famous, along with admitting that they were heavily influenced by the film.
Through the years, popular media has often been blamed for society’s ills. Perhaps the belief that violent images cause violent behavior can be attributed to psychiatrist Fredric Wertham. In 1948, Wertham began a crusade against comic books. It was his argument that blatant homosexuality and savagery in comics such as Wonder Woman and Batman caused young people to become sexually aggressive criminals. While the people trusted Wertham as a leading authority, it turned out that he had fabricated some of his findings and, at times, outright lied regarding his research (Vox.com).
While it makes sense that continuously wallowing in brutal programming could lead to antisocial acts (thanks, Doc Wertham), legitimate research doesn’t support this. When studying increased violence in PG-13 movies, researchers found that, between 1985 and 2015, “overall rates of murder and violence actually fell” (Consumer.healthday.com). In addition, researchers at the Friedman Brain Institute, using PET brain scanners, discovered that violent images “enhance aggression only in those already prone to it” (NBCnews.com). If you’re a reasonably balanced citizen, watching House of 1000 Corpses will make you question nothing more than how such an awful movie received funding.
Constantly immersing oneself in violent content might cause depression, but it doesn’t cause killers. With that being said, however, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to watch The Princess Bride this week.
Hanging around with Bourke Accounting tax preparers and bookkeepers won’t lead you into a life of crime. However, your Bourke Accounting pro will most certainly influence your financial future for the better. Call now for an appointment with a knowledgeable Bourke Accounting expert and see how much better off you are with Bourke in your corner.
Come see us any time. Our number is 502-451-8773 and don’t forget to visit our website at www.bourkeaccounting.com. See you soon!
Written by Sue H.