| Unshackle Upstate offers sensible ideas for tax reform
The cost of doing business in New York is the second-highest in the nation, according to the Milken Institute's annual index. It ranked the 50 states according to wages, tax burden, the cost of power and rents. When the states were compared, New York was 31 percent above the national average. Ouch! That sorry news came in a week when the Unshackle Upstate coalition announced its ambitious policy agenda for 2008. This coalition of more than 60 organizations wants Albany to focus on tax relief, economic development policies and regulatory reform. Unshackle Upstate's agenda for tax relief offers several ideas that make sense, especially to small business. These are the businesses that are more likely to stabilize upstate's economy in the long run, since the days of the company town are long gone here.
SUSAN TOMPOR: Don't splurge after a buyout
This is a good primer. • Think about taxes. Tax money is withheld from buyout checks. But it might not be enough to cover the actual taxes you'll ultimately owe. Run through some numbers with your tax preparer, and set aside more money to cover future taxes, if necessary. • Check out options for tapping into your 401(k) money. If you turn 55 or older in the year you've left the company, you might want to keep money in the company's 401(k) plan, said Ed Slott, an IRA expert and founder of www.irahelp.com. If you do that, you can take money out of that 401(k) plan and not pay a 10% penalty. You would pay regular income taxes on the money withdrawn. By using this strategy, you can take money out one year, say when you're 56, and you won't be required to take a set amount of money out each year in future years, as you would with some other withdrawal strategies for younger retirees.
Will bitterness be winner in S.C.?
Did Obama cross the line in claiming Hillary Clinton will "say anything" to get elected? Maybe. But that's for the voters to decide. It's hard to see how any of this is outside the parameters of past campaigns. Maybe that's not a high standard, but again we're talking about politics and grasping for power. What about Bill Clinton's role? Some observers noted that former President George H.W. Bush never jumped in feet first when his son, the current president, was running for the White House. But the emotional bonds of a marriage work differently from parent-child ties. Which one is stronger? Maybe you should ask Chicago Ald. Dick Mell, who found himself estranged from his daughter in his very ugly, very public dispute with his son-in-law, Gov. Blagojevich. Bill Clinton is not just any political spouse.
Washington Post Spreads Clinton's Angry Dose of 'Hey Diddle Diddle'
Baker's story is far too polite to correct Clinton's angry dose of "Hey Diddle Diddle." He couldn't note Clinton quickly left office and scored a $12 million book advance and began making tens of millions of dollars from making speeches around the world. Baker's story is also too polite to recall for readers that Ken Starr indicted – and convicted of multiple felonies – Jim and Susan McDougal, who were business partners with Bill and Hillary Clinton in the failed Whitewater Development real-estate venture. (Overall, Starr's team convicted or drew guilty pleas from 14 people in the Clinton scandals.) This Post story did noting to "set the record straight." It merely let Clinton characterize it in the way most to his liking. Baker's story reported Clinton is trying to "win the referendum" on how people see the Clinton years.
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