June is national LGBT Pride month. Last week, I was one of those who screened the documentary, Out In America. OUT IN AMERICA is an uplifting collection of unique, transformative stories and inspiring personal narratives told through the lens of the country's most prominent LGBT figures and pioneers, as well as many average, yet extraordinary, citizens … Continue reading Out in America
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot last Thursday. One of the things that always got me when I worked for the IRS (1980 - 1985) was that any scandal caused every single employee to be painted with a broad brush, even if those employees had nothing to do with it. That hasn't … Continue reading ICYMI: A big breakdown at the IRS
As a former employee - I spent six years there in the early 1980s - I hate to see the IRS in a bad light. The organization takes more hits than it deserves, but this time, the hit is well deserved. No way the IRS should be targeting a specific group of entities. Others have … Continue reading The IRS mess
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-PIlot Friday. The U.S. Senate is expected to take up the Marketplace Fairness Act today. Most expect it will pass. While the House of Representatives is another hurdle, I'll go out on a limb and say that it will pass there, too. The states are hurting and … Continue reading ICYMI: The end of tax-free sales online
What a horrible week! There are no words to express what the people of the Boston area have experienced this week. My thoughts and prayers are with them.
Kaiser Health Foundation wrote recently that two of the largest providers of health insurance to federal employees, retirees and dependents are in a battle to scoop as many people up as they can in an effort to increase profit, I am sure. Also, Obamacare is changing the way things are done, and insurers are ready … Continue reading Battle over getting a slice of Federal employees health care dollars heats up
"Taxes are what we pay for civilized society." - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Today is the deadline for filing your 2012 federal income tax returns (unless you get an extension). The IRS website has these Free File options for the do-it-yourself folks out there. The Virginia return is not due until May 1st. If you … Continue reading Tax filing day
This has to be one of the best videos making the rounds that I've seen in a long time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3KyvlMJefR4
The American Association of University Women (AAAU) has published a set of statistics on the subject of the gender gap in pay in this country. The figure for Virginia (pdf) is 78 cents on the dollar. That's $0.78 earned by a woman while a man earned a dollar. For doing the same work. The most … Continue reading AAAU publishes gender gap statistics by state
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. One of the many things on my mind of late is why people behave the way they do. I've come to the conclusion that at least some of that behavior is rooted in the lack of ethics, a personal code that tells us what is … Continue reading Finding that elusive line
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 