I just realized that I have never gotten an internal parasite from eating lunch at Bourke Accounting’s weekly staff meeting. As internal parasites are one of my greatest fears (2nd only to bedbugs), I am pleased by this streak of good luck. However, since some of you may be traveling this summer, I decided that a public service message was in order. So, for everyone hitting that open road, here are three hitchhikers to avoid picking up:

1) Tapeworms. Tapeworm infections aren’t common in the US; the CDC estimates that fewer than 1,000 people are infected each year (Health.com). Since the longest worm ever found in a human was 82 feet long, it pays to be careful, though (Healthfacts.blog). Tapeworms may enter our bodies if we eat the undercooked meat of an infected animal. Then, they set up camp to share in our dinner plans. Interestingly, tapeworms have evolved their craft to the point where they, generally, don’t cause many symptoms; “when they do, it’s usually a stomachache, diarrhea or weight loss” (Health.com). If the worm and the human are able to get along, the worm lives “for up to a few years” (Health.com) and dies, whereupon the human’s body either absorbs the dead critter or passes it. However, the pork tapeworm is a different customer: this one can live in your brain, cause seizures and death (Health.com). This infection is caused by eating pork worm eggs “directly from infected human fecal matter” (Health.com). So, make sure you wash your hands and the hands of others. Often.

2) The Human Botfly. This fly lives in Central and South America and, while the fly itself doesn’t cause disease, her babies are evil. The botfly grabs a carrier (usually a mosquito), glues a bunch of eggs to her underside and lets her go (Wired.com). When the mosquito gets close to a human, the human’s body heat causes the eggs to hatch, allowing the babies to tumble onto the victim (Wired.com). The kids either slide down the hole the skeeter made or any other cuts that might be available (Wired.com). The baby then makes whatever hole bigger and shoves its face further in, “the opposite end barely pokes out the skin, allowing the larva to breathe” (Wired.com). They breathe out of their butts, I guess. As they get older, the host usually notices something’s up – botflies “rotate in their little burrows…creating this sort of intense shooting periodic pain” (Wired.com). Womenshealthmag.com suggests covering the botfly hole with bacon, nail polish or petroleum jelly to suffocate it before pulling it out. If you’d like to let it grow up in a good home though, let it be. After about three months, these guys will just sort of fall out and squish away (Wired.com).

3) Loa Loa. This is known as the “eye worm” (Businessinsider.com). Can you guess when it hangs out? If you get bitten by an infected deer fly in Africa, you’ve just made yourself a new pal! After Loa Loa gets inside of its victim, “the worm begins floating around tissue…until it stops and causes swelling and irritation in that spot” (Businessinsider.com). Your vision will usually be fine, but Loa Loa can “be painful when moving about the eyeball or across the bridge of the nose” (Web.stanford.edu). Besides being visible in the eye, they can also sometimes be seen slithering under the skin. Surgery can be used to get them out of eyes and there are medications available to clear up the entire little colony (CDC.gov). Oh, and by the way, they can live inside of you for up to 17 years (Businessinsider.com).

You know what? Don’t go anywhere. Don’t go anywhere, don’t eat anything – let’s just hide under the bed.

You won’t contract any of the above at Bourke Accounting. And if you must go traveling soon, make sure you see your Bourke Accounting pro first; filing your returns before July 15th with a Bourke Accounting expert will make your vacation so much more relaxing. Also, your Bourke Accounting prepared tax return refund will come in handy!  Happy (and safe) travels!

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.

Yes, so I can dream of escaping this h*ll of a life called work and live my days at my beach house sunning and reading Danielle Steel novels – Bill when asked if he plays the lottery.

I’ve never been a gambler, but as you can see from the above statement, Bourke Accounting’s Bill is. In Bill’s mind, a few wasted dollars is well worth the chance to be independently wealthy. Bookkeeper Christina plays, too, saying, “I play sometimes just for fun and hoping that I can win some big money.”  Perhaps I just don’t have the competitive drive of my managers, but I avoid games of chance with an almost Puritanical intensity. Because of my bias, I am sharing Sweepstakes-Gone-Bad stories:

Beginning in 1997, television network HGTV has run a “Dream Home Giveaway.” This year’s winner can choose between a house worth $1,787,809 (plus $250,000 in cash, home furnishings and a car) or a cash prize of $750,000 and a car (HGTV.com). Who wouldn’t love to own an architectural masterpiece in a great neighborhood? As it turns out, many would like to, but few actually can. According to Cheatsheet.com, in the entire history of the contest, “only six [winners] have stayed living in the house for more than a year.” What’s the problem? Murderous neighbors and the angry ghosts of realtors past? Maybe. Or maybe it could just be taxes.

According to one study, winning the house comes with “an average income tax bill of $700,000,” not including state and real estate taxes (Cheatsheet.com). In addition, the houses are huge, so one must consider the horror of utilities. Finally, this year’s house is located on Hilton Head Island, SC. Ever been? Put it this way, chain stores are forced to use tasteful wooden signs (even McDonald’s had to tone down the color of the Golden Arches), so landscaping and maintenance on the new house alone would be enough to bankrupt the winner.

Speaking of bankruptcy, HGTV’s contest actually did bankrupt one of the winners. 2005 winner Don Cruz lost his house after two years. He said that his “tax liability was close to $800,000 and [when he gave up the house] he was already $1.4 million in debt” (Doyouremember.com). One could argue that he should have sought professional financial help before it got to that point, but come on, he was a winner!

So, what about the average joe who buys an average lotto ticket at the local bodega and wins millions? A good story, unless you were Abraham Shakespeare. In 2006, he won $31 million; by 2010 his body was dug out of a shallow grave in his backyard. Shakespeare was illiterate and not great with money when Dee Dee Moore walked into his life in 2008, under the pretense of writing a book about him. By April of 2009, Moore told his friends that Shakespeare was on vacation to avoid moneygrubbers. At one point, Moore pretended to be Shakespeare and texted friends to tell them that he was okay. Friends, surprised that Shakespeare had learned to read, contacted authorities. Moore offered a few scenarios of the murder, one of which featured her 14-year-old son as the killer. The jury didn’t buy any of her concepts and she is now serving life for murder and theft (Murderpedia.org).

So, as you can see, my argument regarding the evils of seemingly innocent contests is valid; the evidence shows, wasting money is bad, but winning money can be even worse.

Although some Bourke Accounting pros play the numbers, you don’t have to worry about getting a new bookkeeper or tax preparer if they win. Bourke Accounting experts are so dedicated to meeting your needs that they could never walk away. While your Bourke Accounting specialists may, one day, be the richest financial authorities in the world, they’re definitely the best right now.

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.

Since I began writing Bourke Accounting blogs, I’ve written about unscrupulous tax preparers pumping up fake deductions and I’ve written about illegal practices of stockbrokers. I’ve even written about people claiming kids who are in the sole custody of exes. The amount (and diversity) of shady and petty things we get up to is astounding.

I stumbled across something yesterday that really exemplifies some bad apple taxpayers of the past. The interesting thing about what I have learned is that implications of deception were almost instantly apparent.

With incredulity, I give you The Tax Reform Act of 1986. Under this reform, taxpayers were obligated to include the social security numbers of any dependents aged five or older on their tax returns (SSA.gov). For some of us, we can’t remember a time when a social security number wasn’t required; including our socials (and that of our dependents) is as second nature as filling in first and last names. Shaking our collective head, we question: Wait, if you didn’t need an identifying number, what was to stop people from claiming as many kids as they wanted? Remember that instantly apparent deception? The tax reform was responsible for turning a big old spotlight on less than legal practices.

In 1986, tax returns listed 77 million dependents (LATimes.com). That’s a lot of kids, but perfectly understandable, considering the meager television offerings of Alf and Growing Pains. However, by 1987 (the first year the tax reform went for a spin), “only 70 million exemptions were identified” (LATimes.com). I’m no demographer, but it seems kind of strange that 7 million kids all turned 19 the same year. And in terms of money, this wasn’t the same as taking a penny from the little tray at the store register: 1987 filers ended up paying an “extra $2.8 billion in taxes” (LATimes.com). I can just picture armies of 80s IRS agents smiling gently and saying, “we foxed you, you bad, bad civilians.”

Perhaps it was because of the stark evidence of ne’er do wells in our midst that Congress, in 1988, decided to join the game as Player 2. Congress’ idea was for all parents who took “a special tax credit for childcare expenses to identify their daycare providers” (WashingtonPost.com). Likes socials, this is another simple requirement that we’re all accustomed to. It was most likely a result of those 7 million kids who all grew up at once, but by 1989, “2.6 million babysitters” (CSMonitor.com) also disappeared. Without those caregivers, taxpayers claiming the credit dropped by 30 percent (CSMonitor.com), decreasing credits from “$3.7 billion in 1988 to $2.5 billion in 1989” (WashingtonPost.com).

Since these new rules have come into effect, one would think taxpayers would stop claiming invented children. You should know better. As recently as 2011 Norma Coronel was given an 18-month Federal prison sentence and ordered to pay $302,186 to the IRS (LATimes.com) for tax fraud. After having one kid, she “applied for and obtained Social Security numbers for at least 20 fictitious children” (LATimes.com). She claimed that she had all of these kids on the same day and, uh, well, I guess no one thought that was weird.

There’s nothing I hate more than a thief. Well, except for a stupid thief. I’ve said it before, but paying taxes is paying for the upkeep and future of our country. As citizens, it’s our job to pay our share and to play the game fairly. You know, those streets don’t fix themselves with happy thoughts.

At Bourke Accounting, the customers are always right – unless they’re not. While Bourke Accounting experts like kids, they’re not willing to play catch with fake ones. Your Bourke Accounting bookkeeper or tax preparer might not be keen on bending the rules, but with their vast knowledge and skill, there’s never any reason for them to cross the moral, or legal, line.

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.

Now that I look at the title, I’m wondering if I should have called this something else…

Lawyers see a lot of divorce; real estate agents see it, too. I’d like to say tax firms, like Bourke Accounting, are exempt from such sad occasions, but that would be a lie. If you work in the financial industry, you’ve probably experienced that awkward silence that comes after cheerfully joking with a client, “Hey, [Your Significant Other] is too good to meet with me today? What’s up with that?” After the awkward silence, there’s an even more awkward explanation regarding SO’s current location. Sometimes, it’s a quick and easy divorce story: It just didn’t work out. But sometimes, sometimes there’s nothing easy about the story; heartbreak, betrayal, four-letter words, pool guys and secretaries…

Divorce is sad. Generally, when people walk down the aisle, they’re not planning the uncomfortable tax preparer meeting a few years in the future. Whether the divorce occurs because of abuse or money issues, most people simply don’t expect their “I do” to someday expand into “I do hate you.”

However, for anyone going through the Big D, I have a little bit of good news for you. If your spouse happened to accidentally fall into bed with your best friend, why don’t you sue that conniving, dirty best friend of yours?

Although this sounds mental, if you live in Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Dakota or Utah (AJC.com), it is legal to bring down a storm of litigation onto the head of your own personal homewrecker.

If you live in one of the above states and your SO left you for someone else, why not try alleging Criminal Conversation or Alienation of Affection (AJC.com)? These torts began life in 17th century England (so you know they’re classy), “based off the notion that a man ‘owned’ his wife’s affection” and anyone who turned the wife’s head, ought to be held monetarily liable (AJC.com). To win with Criminal Conversation, infidelity must be proven, generally with photos or video. It’s almost like taking your spouse to the cleaners during the divorce proceedings, but you get to exact revenge on that hotsy totsy seducer, as well.

Alienation of Affection is a little more difficult to prove, but seemingly worth it. For this offense to be effective, you must prove that a third party was responsible for your break-up. While it’s mostly used against the other woman/man, it also includes “therapists, clergy members and family members” (Divorcenet.com). For this to work, you have to prove that you and your SO had a good marriage and someone else’s “wrongful and malicious behavior directly caused the alienation” (Divorcenet.com) between you and your SO. If your mother-in-law convinces your spouse to leave you, you just might be looking at a cool payday. For example, in North Carolina in 2011, Betty Devin, the mistress (and now wife) of Donald Puryear was ordered to pay $30 million to his ex-wife, Carol Puryear (Wikipedia.org). Puryear will probably never get the money, but she made her point. I guess.

These claims are stupid and archaic. A third party has no responsibility to protect the sanctity of someone else’s relationship. When people get married, it’s their responsibility to stay true. These torts are akin to one engineer suing a rubbernecking bystander after the train crash. Obviously, these lawsuits are designed to sooth hurt feelings and wreak vengeance upon another person.

Your Bourke Accounting professionals have dealt with divorced clients before, so you won’t shock anyone with tales of torrid affairs. Also, your Bourke Accounting specialist can help you and your ex come to reasonable, financial terms. Bourke Accounting experts aren’t divorce attorneys, but they can guide you and your unintended to an equal and fair resolution.

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.

Having an open mind is a beautiful thing. At our weekly staff meetings, Bourke Accounting employees are encouraged to share ideas. Whether it’s a proposal for a new business-related practice or a philosophical concept, all thoughts are welcomed (this extends to clients, too). Lively debates give us the opportunity to peek into each other’s minds while making things a lot more interesting.

It was during one of these meetings that someone mentioned the Flat Earth Society. I’ve heard of people who are convinced that our Earth is flat, but I never really gave it much thought. Without any study, I – perhaps evidencing a narrow mind – considered the idea on par with Lizard Men from Outer Space and 5G mind control.

Back around 500 BCE, the ancient Greeks deduced that our Earth is round. Since then, we have come to accept that we live on a spinning ball. However, in 1881, Samuel Rowbotham published Earth Not a Globe, a book arguing for the flat earth premise (Wikipedia.org). Rowbotham came to his conclusion using the “Zetetic method.” This belief system suggests that “sensory observations” are the only observations that can be trusted (Livescience.com). Therefore, if you perceive that the Earth is flat, the only possible “deduction is that it must actually be flat” (Livescience.com).

Stunningly (and incomprehensibly), the concept of a flat earth is gaining wider acceptance; YouGov reported that about one third of Americans (aged 18-24) believe our world is flat (Phys.org). Social media influencers, musicians and athletes are among the newly indoctrinated (Phys.org) and they are loud.

When confronted by any conspiracy theory, I always ask who gains from having the masses believe the party line and why do “they” want us to believe it. According to the Flat Earth Society’s website, the who in this case is every single government. The round Earth lie started during the Cold War, when all countries faked space travel to keep up with each other’s “accomplishments” (TFES.org). When the Cold War ended, the Flat Earthers contend, “space travel” programs continued to provide “them” with vast sums of money to embezzle (TFES.org). That’s right, every “astronaut,” pilot and official are all in on it.

Also, oceans don’t drip off into space because what we call “Antarctica” is actually the name of the huge sheets of ice that encircle our floating plate. No one has been there and pictures purported to be taken there are photoshopped. Not to mention, NASA guards the edges. With weaponry (Sciencesensei.com).

But, Sue, we can see other planets and they look round, so why would Earth be different? That’s easy: “Earth is not a planet…as it sits at the center of our solar system above which the planets and the Sun revolve” (TFES.org). Since Earth is so unique, it is folly to compare it with anything else we can observe in the night sky. Question answered.

Believing that the Earth is flat is pretty harmless. Although, in February 2020, “Mad” Mike Hughes – using a homemade rocket in an attempt to snap pictures of a flat Earth – did accidentally kill himself (Globalnews.ca), but this is not the norm. Flat Earthers are a calm bunch and, while I don’t share their belief, I’m happy these people are around just to make things interesting.

Feel free to discuss your unconventional views with your Bourke Accounting expert (if you can change Bill’s mind concerning anything, I will personally give you a dollar). Bourke Accounting specialists are a perfect mix of traditional bean counters and innovative iconoclasts; Bourke Accounting reps are able to think outside of the box while keeping a healthy respect for the box.

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 the current societal climate, it was natural for me to start thinking about villains. In America, we really love our fictional bad guys. For example, at Bourke Accounting, Boss Bill’s favorite is Krystle Carrington from Dynasty. I think he may be messing with me, as she’s described as a “tender, loving woman” (Wikipedia.org), but with Bill, one can never be sure. Bookkeeper Christina, self-proclaimed rapscallion admirer, immediately chose The Joker as portrayed in Suicide Squad. My favorite is Amy Elliot-Dunne from Gillian Flynn’s novel, Gone Girl. While she doesn’t share The Joker’s wholesale murderous mania, her ability to chip away the humanity of every person in her life is diabolical.

So why do we like the naughty fellas? First, and obviously, is because we need a bad guy in order to have a hero. Without the Joker (and the murdered parents), Batman would just be Bill Gates. The villain’s only function is to give the hero purpose. Also, villains add drama to what would otherwise be a boring storyline; as The Violent Femmes questioned, “Don’t you know it’s boring when it’s quiet and serene” (“Life is a Scream”)?

Purpose. Humans like purpose. Also, humans like over-the-top psychos. Look at Darth Vader. The man vaporized Princess Leia’s entire home planet of Alderaan simply to show off a new toy. Maybe it’s some part of our reptilian brain at work, but we enjoy living vicariously through antagonists. We watch someone do what they want, when they want, and perhaps feel a tinge of jealousy. Chances are, you will never get the opportunity to destroy a planet. I’m sorry.

Additionally, the idea of a villain is the idea of freedom. Villains don’t have morals, so they never experience that sleepless, “dark night of the soul.” Villains never apologize; villains never cringe after hurting a loved one’s feelings. Villains also know exactly who they are – they are the most self-aware individuals in any story. The bad guy is fully cognizant of the difference between good and evil and consistently chooses evil. We know that we can depend on the bad character to be reliably bad.

Finally, the villains always look the coolest. Think of Maleficent. Besides being way more interesting than the boring little princess and prince, Maleficent can turn into a dragon. Best wardrobe change ever.

While watching supremely intelligent, cool-looking baddies on film is great, the concept doesn’t lend itself to reality. Most real-life bad guys have the pettiest and silliest motivations behind their misdeeds. For example, there’s a guy who teargassed civilians because his fragile “masculinity” was damaged when he was forced to hide in a basement. Also, think of every man who killed his wife because he wanted to start a life with a another woman. These are clearly not super-genius villains.

Another problem with real bad guys is that they very rarely are aware that they are, in fact, the bad guy. Take racists, for instance. Whether it’s a matter of poor upbringing or sheer mad dog stupidity, most racists can’t understand that what they stand for is grotesque. They don’t comprehend that there’s a difference between being proud of one’s heritage and actively stomping on the lives and rights of those they deem “inferior.”

While we may enjoy criminals on screen, criminals in real life are frightening. Therefore, it’s up to us to actively try to be the good guys. And remember, the main job of heroes is to constantly foil the plans of the demented malcontent bent on the destruction of unity and justice.

We might not be saving the world, but make no mistake, Bourke Accounting specialists are the good guys. At Bourke Accounting, the main goals are protecting the financial stability and futures of our clients. After sitting down with your Bourke Accounting expert, you will know that a hero is supporting you all 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.

According to Bill over here at Bourke Accounting, I am one of those artsy-fartsy types. I believe this is a fair assessment. I read a lot, I write a lot, perceived “bad” art angers me (I once broke up with a guy because I couldn’t stand his poetry) and I believe that art, no matter the medium, is essential to life.

Just so you know, my people are everywhere; in fact, I would go so far as to say that art deeply affects all people. While I like a good painting and while I may play with the written word here and there, honestly, my heart really belongs to music.

Like I said, I’m not alone. Take, for example, the night of April 5, 1968. A day earlier, Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered. Riots and protests were erupting in over 100 cities across the country (En.wikipedia.org), people were devastated and the terrible times were getting a lot worse. And over in Boston, James Brown had a concert scheduled.

Boston’s mayor, Kevin White, felt that the best possible course of action was to cancel the show all together. Boston had seen rioting the night before and White felt that, since the venue was located at the city’s center, the level of violence and damage would be greater (History.com). That’s when Tom Atkins, “the lone African-American on the…city council” (WGBH.com) stepped in. Atkins argued that not having James Brown perform would cause even more damage. Atkins pointed out that, since the people were already enraged over the death of King, the cancellation of the show might just be the thing to push them over the edge (WGBH.com).

Instead, Atkins suggested something better than genius. He recommended allowing the show to go on AND finding a way to broadcast it free and live, “in the hopes of keeping most Bostonians at home in front of…TV sets rather than on the streets” (History.com). After a mad scramble to find a station that had the capabilities to do it – they were only a few hours from the proposed start of the show – they settled on WGBH, part of the Public Broadcasting Service (History.com).

After only a 45-minute delay, James Brown hit the stage. At one point, as some kids tried to get up on stage with Brown, the cops moved in with billy clubs. Brown quickly averted brutality by instructing the kids to act like gentlemen and telling the cops to step back because he had it all under control (History.com). Both groups listened! Tell me, would you ignore the Hardest Working Man in Showbiz! And whereas other cities faced rioting that night, Boston was relatively quite. Did James Brown save the city of Boston? I’m going to say “yeah.”

As a side note, after the concert, WGBH realized that they should expand their programming to include more diversity. They introduced Basic Black (originally Say Brother) a weekly show that “reflects the concerns and culture of African Americans” (En.Wikipedia.org) that’s still running today.

Call me artsy-fartsy all you want. I’m in good company.

I think there’s a reason that music is always playing at Bourke Accounting: even in the most stressful of times, art calms a wounded spirit. If the music doesn’t blow your anxiety away, just sit down with one of our Bourke Accounting experts. And if our soothing Bourke Accounting specialists don’t make you feel at ease, then you just don’t want to feel better.

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.

Just when I thought I could no longer be surprised by shady people and the shady things they get up to….ARRRRGGHHH!

Let me rewind. As you know, I like working for Bourke Accounting. My co-workers are cool, the boss is…interesting and I like the job. I also like the steady schedule: 8 AM to 5 PM (we even get to leave at 3 PM on Fridays). I know that if I come to work and do my job, my paycheck is going to be the exact same from week to week. Call me boring and I will gladly agree.

I received a text from someone I hadn’t spoken to in years. Within a few exchanges, she attempted to sell me lipstick. I politely declined. She then told me of her success and wealth and invited me to join her in the great and lucrative business adventure of direct sales. When I, again, declined, she subtly shamed me for being anti-woman and little more than a tool of a capitalist, patriarchal society. I never thought it would happen to me, but it did. I had narrowly escaped evil – A.K.A. “The MLM (Self-Proclaimed) Boss Babe”.

Since then, I’ve done some reading only to find that I am not alone. First, MLM stands for Multi-Level Marketing. An MLM is a “business strategy where revenue is generated from both product sales and the recruitment of new distributors” (TheGuardian.com). When a person (the “upline”) recruits someone (the “downline“) to sell a product, a portion of the money from every sale is kicked up from the downline into the upline’s pocket (Huffpost.com). While this looks like a pyramid scheme, since an actual product is being sold, an MLM is considered a legal business model (TheGuardian.com).  Obviously, MLMs can’t be bad, right?  Even that person staying in the White House bunker had his very own MLM!

MLMs target stay-at-home moms, single women and single mothers with the promises of sisterhood, empowerment and, of course, lots of money (QZ.com). Recruiters gush with pretty stories of the pride that comes with financial freedom and owning your own “business.” Sadly, this isn’t quite the experience of many who try. A consumer advocate group study showed that about 99% of participants either don’t make money or actively lose money (Huffpost.com). This is because a “consultant” is forced to buy a certain amount of product every month or risk being kicked out of the scam (Huffpost.com), even if they currently have tons of unsold product. Since these people are trying to recoup at least some of their losses, they fall further into debt.

If you like heartbreaking stories, simply Google “MLM Horror Stories.” Former “Boss Babe” testimonials include being pressured to lie to partners about money spent and eventual divorces. Some women have been coerced to open secret credit cards, sell cars and forgo needed surgery to buy more product. Well, of course, the uplines are trying to recoup their losses, too. Another problem is that a lot of these products are not easy to sell. For example, as of 2018, the haircare company Monat had over 550 customer complaints and lawsuits filed against it (MLMnewsreport.com). This is because Monat has burned scalps and, in extreme cases, caused permanent hair loss. Consultants are advised to tell customers that this is the normal “one-month detoxing” period (MLMnewsreport.com). I’m not making this up.

Hard work and entrepreneurialism are great things. However, empty promises and taking advantage of desperate people are not. Generally, companies that offer thousands of dollars a month for minimal work should not be trusted. Going further, companies that take advantage of the downtrodden should be held accountable and punished severely. We have enough to worry about right now, don’t we?

Bourke Accounting is not an MLM and I am not a Boss Babe. When your Bourke Accounting expert makes a promise, you better believe that they will follow through. Your Bourke Accounting bookkeeper or tax preparer will never betray your trust and they will never make excuses. Honesty and integrity are not mythical beasts, they are attributes deeply ingrained within every Bourke Accounting specialist.

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.

In the wake of recent, devastating events and the social fallout, the Coronavirus doesn’t seem to be taking up as much space in the collective unconscious. Perhaps this is because, after fighting an unseen enemy for months, Americans now have a tangible personification of evil in Derek Chauvin. Like the rest of the world, Bourke Accounting employees are talking about little else.

It was during one of these conversations that Bill asked me if I had heard about the protests that have been taking place worldwide. I allowed that I saw a headline or two, but hadn’t really looked into it. When I did look into it, I was surprised.

Since the Revolutionary War, America has sort of been like the tough, cocky, reckless (sometimes mad dog dumb) younger sibling to the rest of the world; as far as countries go, we’re the baby. And as far as our attitude goes, “My Way” might as well be acknowledged as our theme song.

It’s wonderful that people, thousands of miles away, are empathetic and strong enough to lend their voices to protest despicable and lethal racist practices. While our current troubles are clearly a dark mark on America’s reputation, it is astounding that the gravity of our plight has reached so far. For example, a few days ago in Berlin, Germany, protesters demonstrated outside of the U.S. Embassy (NPR.com). Also, in London, England, in Trafalgar Square, demonstrators took a knee for nine minutes (NPR.com). Even Iran hosted protesters for a candlelight vigil, complete with “Black Lives Matter posters and illustrations of Floyd posted” (NPR.com).

So far, the international protests have been extremely peaceful. Maybe it’s because protesting another country’s problems is one thing and destroying your own city is quite another. Maybe they’re just better behaved than us. From what I’ve read, the only incident that even hinted at potential violence was in Australia; apparently a demonstration was cancelled because people on social media “threatened to create havoc and protest against the event” (TheGuardian.com). Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison also warned protestors against “importing things happening in other countries” (TheGuardian.com) to their own. After watching some US protests, it’s hard to blame him.

Besides showing solidarity against prejudice in general, many international activists point out that there are race relation difficulties within their own countries. For example, Australian protesters mention that, since 1991, there have been “more than 400 Indigenous deaths in [police] custody” (TheGuardian.com). These deaths have yet to be explained. Additionally, in England, riots erupted after police shot and killed Mark Duggan, a man “under suspicion of planning an attack” (BBC.com). During the riots, it was discovered that the police were “four times more likely to use force against black people than white people” (BBC.com).

Sadly, bigotry is not just an American pastime. With the world watching, we can prove that the US does not condone discrimination. We can also demonstrate that change can happen without violence and destruction. We must not allow ourselves to be drawn into a bloody civil war because some guy, squatting in the White House, has nothing better to do than antagonize a wounded nation. Let’s show the world that, while we may be cocky, we’re not as dumb as we look.

Bourke Accounting understands the importance of solidarity – not just regarding their clients, but concerning the world, as well. Your Bourke Accounting bookkeepers and tax preparers know that teamwork makes the dream work (laugh at me all you want, but you know I’m right). With Bourke Accounting, as with life in general, cooperation makes us better than we are alone. When we stand up for each other, we stand up for a greater, more peaceful world.

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.

If income taxes were suddenly abolished, I would be out of a job. Since I like working for Bourke Accounting, and hate job interviews, that would be hard for me. Also, we’d all notice quite a change in our society if taxes were no longer a thing: sure, we’d have more money in our pockets, but no one to call if a stranger, emerging from a dark alley, decided to relieve us of that money.

We understand that taxes are a necessary evil that we simply have to live with. Well, most of us understand that. There are, however, people who refuse to accept the inevitability of our American taxation system. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you The Tax Protester.

First off, a tax protester should not be confused with a tax resister. A tax resister is someone who refuses to pay taxes because s/he disagrees with something the American government is doing. For example, before women won the right to vote, many Suffrage organizations suggested that, as a form of passive resistance, taxes not be paid. These thoughts were later reflected during the Vietnam war when many protestors, as “conscientious objectors,” decided that they did not want to fund a war that they felt was immoral (En.Wikipedia.org).

Tax protesters are a little different. Tax protesters refuse to pay taxes, “claiming that the tax laws are unconstitutional or otherwise invalid” (En.Wikipedia.org). Naturally, there are some tax protesters who believe that the government “covers up the ‘truth’ about the income tax in order to continue oppressing the people and taking their money” (ADL.org), but we’re just going to slide right past that one.

One argument that tax protesters use is that “money you receive for working isn’t technically income [but] an equal exchange of your labor for fair market wages” (USAToday.com). Because this is a “trade,” there is no “’gain’ to be taxed” (USAToday.com). They concede that taxes should be paid if one sold a lot of stocks or won the lottery, but W2 earnings should be left out of every taxation equation.

Another tax protester rationalization compares paying taxes to slavery. The belief suggests that, since slavery is illegal, so are taxes. Kentucky’s own Rand Paul pontificated that “if we tax you at 50%, you are half-slave, half-free” (USAToday.com). The Internal Revenue Service has never felt this to be a compelling debate issue.

Then there are the folks who have decided that a tax bill doesn’t pertain to an individual, since “IRS correspondence is written in all capital letters” (TheDailyBeast.com). Because of this, protesters feel that a tax bill is really addressed “to a legal entity which shares your name but is not you” (TheDailyBeast.com). Again, the tax courts don’t agree with this defense in the slightest.

Having the tax court disagree with a claim is one thing; however, if the IRS deems you are filing a frivolous argument, you can be fined from $5,000 to $25,000 (USAToday.com). In addition, there’s the chance that the IRS will prosecute for tax evasion – complete with prison and penalties (USAToday.com).

Perhaps I have become complacent, but it seems to me that defiantly refusing to pay taxes is rather like screaming at a cloudy sky because you wanted to go to the beach. It might make you feel better in the moment, but what is it really going to accomplish?

Bourke Accounting bookkeepers and tax preparers don’t want you to go to prison. Your Bourke Accounting pro will listen to you vent about the tax system, but as soon as you suggest some hairbrained scheme, your expert will shut you right down. Your Bourke Accounting specialist wants to keep your good name intact, as well as making sure that you never have to learn how to make a shank.

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.