The Tax Return (Socialism - Yay or Nay?)

I've never been a huge fan of filing taxes.

Who is, right?

I think I'm slightly cynical towards filing taxes though, just because of my history with it.


Yeah, that's right.

That was my tax return the first year I filed. My second time wasn't much more, but I will say I cleared the $100 on that one. Plus, that was the year I got a federal stimulus check, which of course ended up being spent entirely. (That was the point of those stimulus checks, right? Lol.)

So, this year, I didn't expect much, per usual. I think that might be part of the reason I waited until two days before the day they're due. That and the fact that actually doing taxes are a drag. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it), I've always qualified to file with the 1040EZ, so life is a little easier. Of course, by qualifying for the 1040EZ, I'm also able to E-File online at any licensed 3rd party company for free. So, that's what I did this year.

And boy, am I glad I did.

I'd actually tried to do my taxes two weeks ago... But that was a failure. I was using the online forms from the IRS as I filled out my return while following the instructions in the book they sent me, when for some stupid reason, my computer shut down without warning, and would not turn back on until I unplugged it. Needless to say, it took alot of self-restraint to keep myself from throwing my laptop through the wall right then and there. But, I didn't thankfully. Luckily, I'd gotten far enough through my return to the point where I knew how much my refund was gonna be. More than $500, that's all I'll say. I was happy about that, but then I wasn't. I made about $15,000 in 2009 (Big money, I know), and by my calculations, I get taxed $1.83 for every hour I work. So, $500 kinda feels like I'm being shafted by the government.

So, where am I going with this? Lol. (Sorry for the long lead up.)

I consider myself pro-socialism. (Go ahead, say it.) I think the ideas of government healthcare and higher taxes for a better country are right. But, then on the other hand, I dislike taxes for the sheer fact that they are often misappropriated, and then that so many of them are stupid. (Aka, the "sin taxes.") So, to summarize: Zac likes taxes, but he doesn't like taxes. Following so far? Good.

The thing I'm asking myself right now is, rather than a tax return, wouldn't I rather have access to healthcare (I'm uninsured, mind you), more funds for public transportation and other alternative transportations, and so on? Or would I rather have a lump sum right now, so I can buy the things I want, and just hope that I don't get sick or hit by a bus? It's a strange dilemma.

As we've already established, I made about $15,000 last year. So, I'm not exactly rolling in the benjamins, ya know what I say'z? I don't live in poverty, but I'm not exactly in a constant state of financial security. So, for the time being, I will take that tax return. Why? Because, it's my money, and I'm gonna do with it what I see fit. But (and only but), if I were to get a call from Uncle Sam, and he asked me the following: "Hey Zac, ummm... that tax return we put in your bank account... Umm, we actually need some of it back. See, Ben Franklin Transit is short on funds this year, and we know you don't wanna see your route cut, so we're gonna save it with that money, ok? Oh, and then we'll need the rest of your tax return back so that we can open you an account at Kennewick General Hospital so that you'll be able to go in whenever your sick or hurt and get medical services for really really cheap. So, you able to help us there buddie? You are? GREAT! Thanks so much buddie." I'd say yes in a heart beat. But, because I live in America, I really don't see that happening.

And no, I'm not gonna play my usual argument, but you know I'm thinking it right now. So there.

So, to conclude: I took my tax return this year. And it's alot (for me anyways). Take my first tax return (from the picture above) and multiply it by 100 and it's still more than that. So, that's gonna be getting spent, though not for awhile. However, I'd much rather have health insurance and better infrastructure for public transportation and roads and so forth. And, if I could vote, I'd be going to the polls pro-"real" taxes. Unless it's a Tim Eyman initiative. Lol. (Look him up if you have no clue what I'm talking about.)

Tri-Cities Community Connections

Something that I enjoy doing, especially in the last year or so, is utilizing public transit operated by various agencies in the Eastern WA/OR to journey to new cities, away from the Tri-Cities, and essentially "play tourist." This post is intended as a reference for just some of those options. Unless otherwise stated, I have personally utilized each option I will be discussing. Also, keep in mind that I am striving to make this purely based on facts alone, but some personal opinions and observations may make their way in, to help me better explain the subject matter.

Ben Franklin Transit
Ben Franklin Transit, the local operator for the Tri-Cities area of Washington State, operates a total of 25 routes that allow acess to all three cities, as well as West Richland. One route in particular, Rt. 170, allows access to the nearby communities of Benton City and Prosser. Travel is between the Knight Street Transit Center in Richland and Stacey Street Transit Center in Prosser, which takes 53 mins, with a 7 min layover before returning to Richland.

WESTBOUND
Richland Knight Street Transit Center	Hazel Avenue/Horne Drive (Benton City)*	Prosser Stacey Street Transit Center
5:37AM**	N/A**	6:08AM**
7:15AM	7:40AM	8:08AM
9:15AM	9:40AM	10:08AM
11:15AM	11:40AM	12:08PM
1:15PM	1:40PM	2:08PM
3:15PM	3:40PM	4:08PM
5:15PM	5:40PM	6:08PM
EASTBOUND
Prosser Stacey Street Transit Center	Hazel Avenue/Horne Drive (Benton City)	Richland Knight Street Transit Center
6:15AM	6:40AM	7:08AM
8:15AM	8:40AM	9:08AM
10:15AM	10:40AM	11:08AM
12:15PM	12:40PM	1:08PM
2:15PM	2:40PM	3:08PM
4:15PM	4:40PM	5:08PM
6:12PM**	N/A**	6:58PM**

* = Times listed are arrival at time marker. There is a 6-minute layover before the bus continues on the route.
** = The first and last runs are on an express routing, running from the Richland "Y" [BFT Bus Barn/Dispatch] to Benton City Park-N-Ride to Stacey St T.C., and vice versa.)

For travel within the Tri-Cities (including West Richland and Benton City), an Adult fare on BFT costs $1.25, while a Youth fare $0.80. A day pass for either costs $3.50. However, BFT has a add-on fare for travel to/from Prosser. For Adult fares, the add-on is $1.00 to the normal fare, while Youth fares add $0.50. (This also applies to a day pass or monthly pass.) It should be noted that some drivers are more dilligent about enforcing the add-on fare than others.

Prosser Info: prosserchamber.org
Benton City Info: www.ci.benton-city.wa.us

Grapeline
Grapeline is the result of a partnership between WSDOT and Greyhound to provide service between the city of Pasco and the city of Walla Walla, along with stops in the communities of Burbank, Wallula, Touchet, and College Place. Operated by Bellair Charters (who also operate the Airporter Shuttle), service is provided 3 times a day in each direction. Each trip takes approximately 1hr, 55 min, from the airports of Pasco and Walla Walla. However, the majority of users board from Walla Walla Transit Center and 22nd Ave Transit Center (Pasco), which takes 1hr, 35 min.

Stop	Trip #1	Trip #2	Trip #3
Walla Walla Airport	6:15AM	11:45AM	5:15PM
Walla Walla Transit Center	6:25AM	11:55AM	5:25PM
College Place (Frog Hollow Hobby Shop)	6:35AM	12:05PM	5:35PM
Touchet (Chevron Station)*	7:00AM	12:30PM	6:00PM
Wallula (Post Office)	7:20AM	12:50PM	6:20PM
Burbank (Shell Station)	7:33AM	1:03PM	6:33PM
Pasco Intermodal	7:48AM	1:18PM	6:48PM
Pasco 22nd Ave Transit Center	8:00AM	1:30PM	7:00PM
Tri-Cities Airport	8:10AM	1:40PM	7:10PM
TURNAROUND
Tri-Cities Airport	9:35AM	2:35PM	9:35PM
Pasco 22nd Ave Transit Center	9:45AM	2:45PM	9:45PM
Pasco Intermodal	9:55AM	2:55PM	9:55PM
Burbank (Shell Station)	10:10AM	3:10PM	10:10PM
Wallula (Post Office)	10:23AM	3:23PM	10:23PM
Touchet (Chevron Station)*	10:40AM	3:40PM	10:40PM
College Place (Frog Hollow Hobby Shop)	11:05AM	4:05PM	11:05PM
Walla Walla Transit Center	11:15AM	4:15PM	11:15PM
Walla Walla Airport	11:25AM	4:25PM	11:25PM

* = On some trips, the driver may make a 5-10 min layover at the Touchet Chevron Station. This is not always the case however, and it is more common on the Walla Walla to Pasco trip.

The fare structure is based on the simple idea that the farther you ride, the more you will pay. The fares are as follows:

Destinations	WW/CP	Touchet	Wallula	Burbank	Pasco
WW/CP	N/A	$4.00	$5.00	$6.00	$6.50
Touchet	$4.00	N/A	$4.00	$5.00	$6.00
Wallula	$5.00	$4.00	N/A	$4.00	$5.00
Burbank	$6.00	$5.00	$4.00	N/A	$3.00
Pasco	$6.50	$6.00	$5.00	$3.00	N/A

Walla Walla Info: wallawalla.org

People For People
People For People is a non-profit organization operating in Central and South-Central Washington State, who provide a variety of services, including transportation services for the general public and special needs population, employment & training services, and 2-1-1 Information & Referral Services. Among their transportation services, one of the routes they run is a weekday, free-fare bus from Prosser to Yakima, with intermediate stops along the way. It is dependant on the time of day, but the average run takes the bus about 2 hours each way. The last runs of the night run as express routes and take 1hr 10min and 1hr 35min respectively.

Stop	Trip #1	Trip #2	Trip #3	Express
Yakima (Transit Center)	6:15AM	12:00PM	4:10PM	5:20PM
Wapato (International Market)	6:30AM	12:20PM	4:30PM	5:40PM
Toppenish (Yakama Nation Health Ctr.)	6:45AM	12:35PM	N/A	N/A
Toppenish (People For People)	6:50AM	12:40PM	4:50PM	N/A
Toppenish (Safeway @ SE Corner)	N/A	N/A	N/A	5:55PM
Zillah (Sun Mart)	7:00AM	12:50PM	5:00PM	N/A
Granger (Chandler's Conoco)	7:10AM	1:00PM	5:10PM	6:10PM
Sunnyside (WorkSource)	7:30AM	1:20PM	5:30PM	N/A
Grandview (Park & Ride)	N/A	N/A	N/A	6:30PM
Grandview (Post Office)	7:50AM	1:40PM	5:50PM	N/A
Prosser (Stacey St. Transit Center)	8:10AM	2:15PM	6:10PM	N/A
TURNAROUND
Prosser (Stacey St. Transit Center)	N/A	8:10AM	2:15PM	6:20PM
Grandview (Post Office)	N/A	8:25AM	2:30PM	6:30PM
Grandview (Park & Ride)	N/A	N/A	N/A	6:35PM
Sunnyside (WorkSource)	N/A	8:45AM	2:50PM	6:45PM
Granger (Chandler's Conoco)	N/A	9:05AM	3:10PM	7:05PM
Zillah (Sun Mart)	5:15AM	9:15AM	3:20PM	N/A
Toppenish (People For People)	5:30AM	9:25AM	3:30PM	N/A
Toppenish (Safeway @ SE Corner)	N/A	N/A	N/A	7:25PM
Toppenish (Yakama Nation Health Ctr.)	5:35AM	9:30AM	3:35PM	N/A
Wapato (International Market)	5:50AM	9:45AM	3:50PM	7:40PM
Yakima (Transit Center)	6:15AM	10:00AM	4:10PM	7:55PM

As already stated, People For People's transportation services are free-fare, so you don't have to pay a single penny!

Yakima Info: visityakima.com

Other Options
Though these do not technically fall under the term "public transportation," they are worth noting as anything that can get you somewhere without a car is at least a start.

-Airporter Shuttle
Operated by Bellair Charters (also operate Grapeline, see above), this is a direct link service between Yakima and Seattle, the key focus being the service it provides to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Stops along the way include Ellensburg, Cle Elum, and North Bend. More info: Central Washington Airporter

-Amtrak
As most people are aware of, Amtrak is the national operator of passenger rail in the United States. Though service is more prevalent on the eastern half of the country, Amtrak can get you where you need to go. Plus you can't beat the scenery you'll see along the way. More info: Amtrak

-Greyhound
Once again, Greyhound is a system most are familiar with. Though not the only bus company, it is the most well known and has the most destinations available. Tickets are cheap and easy to get, especially if you buy well in advance. There are downsides to travel via Greyhound however, such as the "first come, first serve" policy for seats, but if you're smart about it and flexible with your plans, it can be a fun way to travel. More info: Greyhound

Love is NOT for everyone... (Rammstein/Censorship)

On October 16th, 2009, Rammstein released their 6th studio album, "Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da," (abbreviated as LIFAD) to the fanfare of many, myself included.

On or around November 6th, 2009, LIFAD was added to what many of the citizenry of Germany refer to as "the index."

What is "the index?" The Index is a list of media, art, film, etc, which has been deemed by the government agency known as the "Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien" (Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons) to allegedly be harmful to minors. See, in Germany, freedom of art and expression is not without it's restrictions. Germany is in a special situation compared to other nations where this sort of thing is realistically necessary, what with the Holocaust and WWI/WWII, and the Nazi's and oh so much more. Other countries (mostly) just use laws to govern and restrict such things. Like, for example, you can't sell Playboy at the cafeteria in an American public school. It's a silly example, but it makes the point I think.

So, essentially, the "Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien" (BPjM for short) has decided that LIFAD was soo allegedly harmful to the youth of Germany that it had to be added to "the index." Okay, well why? What made them add it?

Heh.

Rammstein has never been a band to avoid controversy. On their first CD, they released a song called "Rammstein," a song which was a testament to the tragedy of the Ramstein Air Show disaster back in 1988 (if my memory serves me right). On their second CD, they had a song called "Bück Dich" ("Bend Over"), which is a song about sodomy. When they played that song on their live shows, Till and Flake (singer and keyboard player) would engage in simulated sodomy with a phallic toy that Till concealed in his stage outfit. This was also what subsequently got them arrested on June 5th, 1999, at a show in Worchester, MA. On their fourth CD, they released their most controversial song ever (before LIFAD), "Mein Teil" (My Tool). The song was about a man named Armin Meiwes, who gained worldwide attention when news broke of his consumption of another human being.

So, how much worse can it get, right? Oh, we're just getting warmed up here.

On LIFAD, they've had controversy surrounding at least 3 of their songs so far. The first song is "P****." (Yes, yes it is.) The song was released as a single, as well as accompanied by a video, which had clips of the band playing, but also had uncensored adult video (using body doubles on certain angles). Needless to say, the only place to view that music video is on an adult website. The second song is also a single, "Ich Tu Dir Weh" ("I Hurt You"). This song also contains severe adult material within the lyrics, this time dealing with the sort of stuff people use whips and chains for. The third song is called "Weiner Blut" ("Welsh Blood"). This song is about the Fritzl case from Austria, which is controversial enough. More controversy is drawn from the live performance of this song, which features numerous baby dolls hanging from above the stage as the song is played, and ends with an immense display of fireworks as all the babies explode. Then of course, there's the cover and the inside booklet that is also controversial. The cover itself features all the band members sitting around a table with a nude woman on the table surrounded by other food, implying that they may be about to consume her. On the inside booklet, there are pictures depicting various scenes at this table and the band members involvement in the events. One of those pictures is of the guitarist, Richard, spanking the woman's bottom.

According to the BPjM, it was specifically the songs "Ich Tu Dir Weh" and "P****" as well as the CD booklet/cover that led them to rule in favor of adding LIFAD to "the index." So, what does this mean for LIFAD? It's changed alot for the CD in Germany. As of now, the CD cannot be sold to minors AT ALL. It cannot be advertised in any manner where minors could potentially see it. If it is sent by mail, which even then is heavily restricted, the shipment has to be recieved by an adult who can provide proper ID. It cannot be rented out, unless done so in a shop inaccessible to minors. The new version of LIFAD being sold in Germany is without the song "Ich Tu Dir Weh," instead replaced by 4 seconds of silence, as well as without the controversial image. On the back, where "Ich Tu Dir Weh" was originally listed, a line is drawn through it with an disclaimer underneath, reading "Entfernt nach Zensur durch die Behörden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (Removed after censorship by the authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany). Also, the BPjM has officially banned Rammstein from even playing "Ich Tu Dir Weh" at any performance within Germany. When LIFAD was released, it was at #1 in the German music chart, but now, due to the obvious reasons, it has completely fallen off the chart.

Me personally, I've never agreed with censoring music. I think it's pointless and stupid. No matter what, every song will appeal to someone out there. If it's something that people don't want to see or hear, they can figure out how to avoid it. But, obviously the German government doesn't agree with me. Go figure.