After notorious time delays on everything from how to handle the North Korean crisis to new state laws, a new senate bill is being fast-tracked in an effort to get the fines rolling in for those who “refuse” health care.

The new bill, if passed, will fine Americans who refuse to buy medical insurance, much like state laws now fine automobile drivers with insufficient or no insurance.  This is incredibly dangerous on a number of fronts.  With the potential of $1000 fines annually for people who don’t have or can’t afford medical insurance, it’s unclear as to what the purpose will serve.  For the now 50 million-plus Americans with no health insurance, it’s certainly not because anyone is refusing it.  It’s simply not an option when there are groceries to buy and mortgages to cover.  Who determines what “affordable” is remains to be seen as well and hasn’t been addressed, at least in the media, to sufficiently answer this and other questions.

With the estimated $36 billion dollars in fines the government expects to collect over the next decade, where exactly will these dollars go?  Will they go into a pool to cover those who can’t afford what the government is calling affordable?  Will these funds be used to offset any of these additional burdens on the mother with two kids and barely enough to cover the bases before being forced to buy an “across the board” medical insurance policy?  For a tax system that’s been broken for years, it hardly seems realistic to expect these fines to be collected via the IRS, which will be responsible for collecting these fines.

With the clever name our equally clever political leaders have devised, “Shared Responsibility Payments”, the fines will be based on what the government defines as “affordable basic medical coverage”.  It’s the basic medical coverage now that’s responsible for 66% of all bankruptcies being filed in this country.  It’s insufficient even when folks aren’t being forced to buy it and certainly not enough to keep people from going bankrupt.

And the saving grace?  A government exemption for hardship cases. Again, who exactly will define hardship cases?  Whoever it is will have a tall order to fill with unemployment numbers that continue to climb, despite reassurances from these same government leaders that the recession is on the decline.  Will a family who’s lost not only their jobs, but their homes and every possession they’ve worked for be enough to justify a hardship case?  If so, look out - the line will definitely be long for those wishing to apply for the exemptions.  Take a look around - there are few, if any, who can’t identify someone they personally know who have lost everything.

Medical insurance, or the lack of it, is certainly a priority in this country.  But it stands to reason that a decline in unemployment will greatly reduce those who have no health insurance, homes,  groceries or automobiles to get to those jobs.  Americans refusing medical insurance?  That’s doubtful.  It’s more like Americans refusing to allow the government to shove insufficient medical insurance that will serve very little purpose down their throats, especially when there are clothes to buy for the school year, food to put on the table and utilities that require immediate attention.

With each passing day, a new realization for at least two American automakers is that of an inevitable bankruptcy filing.  Is that really a big surprise to anyone, though?  In a post several months ago, the big question was who these automakers thought would be buying new cars in this economy.  Massive lay-offs, skyrocketing personal bankruptcies and foreclosures are all repercussions of the recession we’re neck deep in and with no real light at the end of the tunnel.  When the “Big 3″ approached the government for bailout money several months ago, many knew it most likely wouldn’t end well.  Today’s news regarding both GM and Chrysler is proof of no ‘happily ever after’.

So where did the billions of dollars go?  The one big question that hasn’t been answered is whether or not this will be included in the bankruptcy filings.  Because of the parameters defined when the money was

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released, it’s difficult to categorize it in such a way that would determine if it’s even eligible for inclusion in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  But where was it spent?  Who received it?  And for a group of people who were running some of the largest companies in America, how could they have been so wrong about their insistence that it would be the cure-all for all that ailed them in these tough economic times?  Surely they knew there wouldn’t be a customer base in a position to purchase new automobiles.  The numbers don’t lie.  Each month reveals alarming numbers of newly unemployed people, company closings and other economic nightmares.

And what happens when people lose their jobs?  Their credit ratings start slipping.  This only serves as yet another obstacle that would prevent someone from buying a new car or truck.  This latest development has left many feeling as though they’ve been kicked in the teeth.  Unfortunately, the odds of other companies in different sectors who were recipients of some of the bailout funds will most likely find themselves facing the same fate.

If these automaker’s bankruptcies do come full circle, maybe they’ll find themselves next to others and lawyers in courtrooms who were forced into personal bankruptcies.  They’ll be able to see first hand how difficult it is for many who didn’t have the luxury of sweet talking a committee of politicians into releasing billions of dollars to pay the bills.

U.S./Mexican border

Mexico has now surpassed Afghanistan and Iraq in terms of the biggest threat to the U.S.  Only Pakistan and Iran are considered more dangerous to us.  There are now two drug cartels that have decided to join forces in an attempt to keep law enforcement on both sides of the U.S./Mexican border at bay.  What’s frightening is the fact these combined forces of the Sinaloa and Los Zetas cartels are almost equal in the number of troops Mexico has to fight this increasingly violent groups of thugs.  It’s estimated nearly 100,000 “foot soldiers” are smuggling large amounts of drugs across the border and into this country; by contrast,  Mexico’s number of troops are somewhere near 130,000.  In the past twelve months, those determined to move illegal drugs have been willing to do anything - up to and including murder; to date, there have been over 7,600 bodies abandoned along the U.S./Mexican border.  Most were decapitated or found in tanks of acid.

Mexico has shifted the vast majority of the responsibility onto our federal government and has demanded more prosecutions of those entering our country illegally, especially if there’s any suspected involvement in or knowledge of anything related to the drug cartels.  It’s simple math: the more prosecuted and jailed here mean fewer for Mexico to deal with.  The only problem with that is when many of these people are caught trying to enter this country, they’re allowed to sue - and win - American property owners who’re attempting to protect their private land.  Remember this post from a couple weeks back?  It appears there’s a figurative wall around those only wishing to legally keep trespassers off their land when there should be a literal wall ensuring they’re kept out.

If two violent drug gangs can join forces to strengthen their illegal activities, you’d think our own government would step up to the plate to protect the rights of those who are undoubtedly wishing they owned land anywhere else instead of what’s becoming a dangerous frontline near the border.  Even the drug cartels are buying loyalty from some Mexican officials, which of course is exacerbating the situation and making it difficult to determine who’s being paid off to look the other way within Mexico’s government.

This is going to get a lot worse before it begins to get better and the mixed messages our country’s sending makes us appear not united.  As a result, it most likely will be construed as a weakness and that’s just not an image we can afford.

Links to Criminal Lawyers, Immigration Lawyers and Attorneys.

As the government continues to provide monies for corporations to bail themselves out of financial ruin, and AIG officials tackle their personal grooming habits with retreats to California at the country’s most expensive spa, spending nearly $900,000 on, among other things, manicures and pedicures, cities are reporting record numbers of homeless families who have lost their homes due to foreclosures.  As if 49 million uninsured Americans weren’t bad enough, families - with children - are finding themselves on the streets with no idea where to find the solutions.  Cities like Atlanta, New York and Seattle are seeing record-breaking numbers of homeless people.  It’s been said a combination of job losses, the high number of foreclosures and rising food and fuel costs have contributed to this crisis.  Up until this year, the numbers had been declining.  Some cities had reported as much as a 12% decrease of people living on the streets.  Now, though, the city of New York had less than 2,100 homeless families this time last year.  One year later, the number is at 2,750.  These numbers reflect the number of families - not individuals. 

I remember thinking after Katrina how much we take for granted.  No electricity for a week was tough, but this?  It’s a whole new ballgame.  At least in the days after the storm, we knew the power companies would be appearing any second to restore power - and air conditioning, specifically.  August in the South - you’ve never known a hot day until you’ve experienced 100% humidity with heat indexes above 100 degrees.  I have a feeling that a few hot days are nothing compared to what some of these people are facing with winter knocking at our doors. 

So while the American Big Businesses are clawing their way to the money tree, mothers are clawing their way to the nearest food banks and shelters in their efforts to ensure their little ones are warm and fed.  There’s something insanely wrong with this picture.   Even with the new federal law that’s providing nearly four billion dollars for cities and communities to buy foreclosed properties to house the homeless, it’s of little comfort to those who don’t even know it exists.  My guess is with no roof over their heads and no food in the pantry, they’re not likely to have access to CNN or Fox News or any other media that announced this new law. 

Are representatives from local Social Service agencies setting up tables at the food banks and shelters to notify people that help is out there?  Is the right information being funneled to the right people in the right departments?  We all know the evils of the red tape.   And if AIG officials have enough free time for a week long manicure, perhaps they could find a little time to volunteer at a food bank.  A little perspective is good for the soul.  Better still, perhaps a good use for their hands might be to pick up a hammer with Habitat for Humanity instead of picking their hands up and out of the cuticle conditioner.    It might serve as a reminder the very ones they need as customers for their insurance and other financial offerings are the ones who are most betrayed.

So you get one of those little green “here comes bad news” cards in the mail alerting you to the fact you have a gift at the post office that requires your signature. Your heart sinks to your recently pedicured toes and you think it can be one of two things: the hubby took the chicken route in notifying you of his desire for a divorce, or worse, the IRS wishes to correspond with you. Since you could care less if your less than perfect spouse is up to no good with the secretary from the fourth floor, you begin to prepare for a slow dance with the Internal Revenue Service. It’s not long before you realize you will need the services of a tax attorney. Sounds easy enough, but when you have no idea where to start, it’s more than a little overwhelming. The first thing you want to do is gather any relevant information, including the certified mail that triggered this need for legal assistance. If you’re not sure, err on the side of caution and include paperwork that might or might not be useful. A good tax lawyer will, by nature, have to be a patient soul. After all, he or she deals with the IRS on a daily basis, right? Be sure you’ve made your lawyer aware of any deadlines you might have previously agreed to or any other offers the IRS might have made in the past - before you hired counsel. It’s also beneficial to your sanity to organize this information by date. These problems, nerve wracking as they are, are fixable - but only after you’ve gone through the whole song and dance that will appease the government.

Choosing a good tax lawyer sounds easy, but don’t be fooled. Ideally, you want to choose someone you feel comfortable with and who you feel as though understands the nature of your specific problem. Good lawyers recognize that although they deal with their specialties on a daily basis, each client has his or her own nuances and unique situations. Just as it’s important to choose a lawyer you feel most at ease with, you also must extend a level of trust and know that even if you don’t hear from your lawyer on an hourly basis doesn’t mean your case has hit the back burner. Often, just as you are at the mercy of the IRS’s timeframes, your attorney is too. His training has taught him when to panic and any IRS attorney worth his salt will tell you there’s very little reason, if any, that justifies panic mode. You do your part - provide all of the information that will help your lawyer help you and then give him the time to do the very thing you hired him for: negotiate on your behalf to get you out of this quagmire.

If it’s any help, the IRS, over the past decade, has managed to soften its image as well as its approach to past due tax bills. Only under the most extraordinary circumstances will you face mountains that appear to have no resolution. Usually, a few phone calls, a little negotiation between your lawyer and the IRS and a solid repayment plan will break the chains you feel are weighing you down and preventing you from giving the deserved attention to the other legalities in your life: teaching the hubby the do’s and don’ts of a proper affair and the consequences of having been caught.

There are two siblings in college, each with a monthly spending allowance of one thousand dollars, no questions asked by their parents. The parents, in their efforts to show much trust they have in these kids, have really painted themselves into a bit of a problem. Because they never questioned where the money was going, and in fact, found themselves depositing even more money when the kids called mid-month and demanding more, they realized they’ve sunk more than fifty thousand dollars into two separate accounts that have basically been mismanaged. Not only that, but what they figured was just the cost of educating their kids has resulted in lazy kids who are flunking out of an ivy league school.

The parents are owners of a large corporation with many employees. Now the parents are broke and have decided to not extend bonuses or raises for their employees, and further, they expect to not add to their employment base and have even considered rescinding offers of promotions to many of the employees. It’s clear they expect their loyal employees to take the hit for the mismanagement of their personal finances and poor choices of giving their now-grown kids free rein. The problem with the employees, besides the obvious, of course, is if they stand together and decide it’s not acceptable - after all, these employees have no problems living within their means and saying no to their kids - and choose to institute a company-wide resignation, the whole community suffers. It’s one of the largest employers in the state, so it will certainly have an effect on a state level as well. The guilt begins and the employees begin to feel the pressure. They want to remain loyal to their own sense of pride and responsibility, but they also don’t want to be forced to finance the solution to this wealthy couple’s lapse of judgment. No matter what these people choose to do, it’s a no-win on some level.

Meanwhile, Mom and Dad are still sinking money into checking accounts for two kids who refuse to acknowledge their roles. As spoiled kids go, these two are top of the line. They feel entitled and believe indulgence is as much their right as the right to vote.

Understandably, the employees are concerned that this will be a short-term and temporary fix since the parents of these kids/company owners, believe they’re being reasonable. The employers feel it’s been a successful year and since they’ve always treated their employees like a large family - turkeys at Thanksgiving, extended maternity leaves - they can’t understand the hesitance, resentment and even anger from those on their payroll.

Even when the employees request a more detailed explanation and a satisfactory reason as to why they should shoulder this huge parenting failure, they’re told they have no right to ask. These company owners aren’t obligated to release any proprietary information, which is how they refer to this problem. Ah, but in the middle of all this drama, the company gets audited and huge discrepancies in earnings and reportings are discovered. Not much incentive for the employees to bail their employer out, is it?

The employees, it appears, will be forced to eat this liability. Think it doesn’t affect you? Well, maybe it does.

The two spoiled kids would be Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

The parents are the government

The company employees are you and me

And the auditors? This would be the FBI who’s just released a statement announcing they’ll be conducting and investigation into both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.