It was just a year ago that I wrote my initial rant about the price of gas. May 10, 2007 to be exact.

At the time, it was $3.19 per gallon in my neck of the woods.

Media reports preached that breaking the $3 mark would change the driving habits of Americans.

I didn’t see any difference.

So, today, we officially hit the $4 mark in Connecticut.

I’m not complaining though.

When they’re not covering the typhoon in Myanmar or the earthquake in China, the news reports have been exactly the same as they were a year ago with catchy titles like “Pain at the Pump”.

It wouldn’t be shocked if they’re just recycling old archived stories — they could, few would notice.

Sure, the price has risen 81 cents for me in 12 months, but as with May of 2007, I still feel the same way:

…even with the price rising, it’s not affecting my budget at all. It’d have to raise at least another $2/gallon before I’d even have to reconsider my driving habits…

I went back and did a little research on my gasoline expenditures over the years. So far, in 2008, from January 1 thru May 15, I’ve spent $483.14 on gas. That works out to $24.87 per week. Not a budget breaker.

               Gasoline Expenditures 

          Year     Total        Per/Week
          2008    $483.14        $24.87
          2007    $402.11        $20.85
          2006    $403.29        $20.91
          2005    $463.27        $24.02

So, you can see, the upswing in the price of gas isn’t as significant as they make it out to be on the news — at least for those of us who don’t drive for a living.

A four dollar per week increase shouldn’t cripple your finances — I wish these folks they interview on the news could see the actual difference. For those smokers out there, that’s far less than a package of cigarettes. Think about that for a second…

I understand that the price of gas causes the price of food to go up as well (along with countless other consumables), but really, we’re talking very small amounts in the grand scheme of things.

So, again, I’m still not anywhere near the point that I’m about to change my driving habits. In fact, we’re planning a cross country driving vacation right now.

And I’m not even sure I still agree with my guesstimate of $5.19 per gallon being my limit. Hey, if the daily doomsday predictions in the media are correct and on target, we’ll see that price by Labor Day.

I’m not happy about it, but I’m also not about to cry poverty over it either.

So this morning I wrote and mailed the check for June’s mortgage payment.

Sure, it’s a little early but had it not been for the Tax Stimulus check coming in last week, I wouldn’t have been able to write that check just yet.

I’m not sure I feel stimulated by the experience.

Actually, I’m not feeling any stimulation. And I think that will be the case for most who receive these paybacks.

Though one could argue that by sending my entire stimulus check to Countrywide (a company on the brink of bankruptcy), I am doing my part to “save” the economy from a recession…

I guess?

Anyway, I still have my original plans for the payout on my mind, it’s just that, now, I’m gonna use the next coming paycheck to fund the frivolous spending…

That is, if the plumber doesn’t ‘up’ the bill significantly…

So last night I went to the IRS website and played with their new “Where’s My Refund?” script.

As is common for the IRS website, in my experience, it crapped out and didn’t tell me anything.

Seems most government sites have this problem — you know, a nifty calculator or pay online option where you enter all of your information, click submit, wait a few seconds, and then get an Error 500 — Internal Server Error.

Anyway, last night, the “Where’s my Refund?” script said my SSN and number of exemptions from my 1040 didn’t match their records…

Um, hello? Yes they do — my 1040 is right in front of me.

Anyway, I was out of luck.

This morning, though, I find myself $1200 richer. Thanks America.

Over the weekend, I came across an AP report regarding the blue prints for the NYC Freedom Tower that they’re going to build in place of the World Trade Center:

Report: NYC Freedom Tower plans found in trash

By Associated Press

NEW YORK - A homeless man has come forward with two sets of confidential ground zero blueprints that he says were dumped in a Lower Manhattan trash can.

The man brought the Freedom Tower plans to the New York Post, which says the 150-page schematic is marked: “Secure Document — Confidential.”

The documents are dated October 5, 2007. They contain plans for each floor, the thickness of the concrete-core wall, and the location of air ducts, elevators, electrical systems and support columns.

The agency that owns the World Trade Center site, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, calls it a serious security lapse.

Spokeswoman Candace McAdams says mishandling the blueprints would be “cause for serious disciplinary action.”

Now, other than for the company who designed the blue prints (it is their product, after all), what is the big deal?

My inadequate engineering skills can tell you where the support columns are for the building I work in. The elevator shaft is, well, just walk into the lobby, you’ll see it. Push up a ceiling tile and guess what? You can see all of the duct work and much of the electrical wiring too!

Do these specific Freedom Tower blueprints expose a weakness, you know, like a ray-shielded thermal exhaust port along a heavily fortified trench that could lead to the destruction of the entire building?

I guess my point is that not every one is a terrorist — it’s just paranoia run amuck. And this is hardly the security lapse they’re making it out to be.

This is like when that women offered the recipe for Coca-Cola to Pepsi. Actually, that story was more of security breach — these blueprints weren’t even stolen…

Look, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine how a building is constructed — what, are the going to drape the entire project, right downtown, in thick black canvas and a sign that reads, “For National Security’s Sake, Please don’t Peak Behind the Curtain?”

Will they go so far as to do background checks on every single contractor working on the project and give them security clearance to work on the project?

They obviously didn’t go that far building the new Yankee Stadium, another high profile site, and that one could arguably be considered an equally “guarded” NYC construction project.

Reading an article on CBNC today, I came across a bothersome quote from an analyst in reference to the rising number of people “walking away” from their mortgages:

“I don’t know where the tipping point is,” Wachovia chief risk officer Don Truslow told analysts on a conference call. “But somewhere when a borrower crosses the 100 percent loan to value, somewhere north of that…their propensity to just default and stop paying their mortgage rises dramatically and really accelerates up. It’s almost regardless of how they scored, say, on FICO or other kinds of credit characteristics.”

Yikes?!

So let me get this straight…

If the value of my house drops below what I paid for it, I should just consider walking away cause it isn’t worth what I’m paying for anymore?

That *is* what it says, right?

That really says something about American society these days, huh?

Yep, I have good credit, so you let me borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars and I signed a contract saying that I’d pay you back. Thought I was getting a deal, but then it didn’t turn out to be such a great deal, so I’m going to ignore the contract and screw you over…

I can’t fathom doing this. I just can’t.

How many of us have continued making payments on a car that was worth less than we owed? I’m pretty sure most all of us have — but we still made the payments, because that’s what we’d made a commitment at the time of purchase to do.

Pay back your debts! It’s the right thing to do.

I guess the right and honorable thing to do isn’t important anymore.

Where did this sense of entitlement come from?

Personally, I hope these folks walking away in situations like this never recover. Ever.

They don’t deserve it.

Today at lunch while listening to the radio, I heard a report the the price of oil had reached a new high — $113 per barrel.

Moments earlier, there was a report about inflation and the value of the US dollar falling in comparison to other currencies.

Hmmmm… think the two stories are connected?

I do — but they never mention that on the news.

Of course the “price” of oil in USD is going to rise as the value of the USD falls!? Makes perfect sense to me.

So, did the price of oil *actually* go up?

Or did the value of US currency just fall?

It’s one or the other…

I’m guessing it’s the latter.

Maybe due in part to all of the new $5 bills they just printed. :0)

Since it was first announced that we’d all be receiving an Economic Stimulus Payment in the mail back in January, I’d been hearing varying numbers. For us, at first, it sounded like we’d automatically receive $1200…

I was pretty excited about that news.

Then the media made it out like it would be only $600 or perhaps even nothing, because of our income. More recently, I read elsewhere that it would be $1000 based on our situation. There didn’t seem to be a real concrete number — a hazy gray area.

Don’t get me wrong, even on the lower end, $600 for nothing is pretty nice. $1200, though, is a totally different game.

Our plan is (was?) to use the $600 to buy my wife a new computer. She’s never had a new computer — always one of my hand-me-downs, overloaded and customized with all of my personal crap.

We’re going to get her a new one and she can set it up as she likes. It can even come with a pink keyboard and fuzzy mouse if she likes — this one won’t be mine.

So this morning, I ventured on to the IRS’s website to see if they’d posted any new information on the stimulus checks…

I’d visited before, but all they had was a bunch of hard to understand legalese. Even their “rebate calculator” was a hassle (and for the first few weeks, it would error out).

Now though, it appears they’ve got some pretty solid info with easy to understand examples:

Examples of ways the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 may affect taxpayers who are married, file a joint return and are either childless or do not have children who qualify for child tax credit payment:

1) Married couple with no children, wages of $4,000, no federal income tax liability.
Rebate is $600

2) Married couple with no children, no wages, veterans’ payments of $2,000, social security benefits of $2,000, no federal income tax liability.
Rebate is $600

3) Married couple with no children, no wages, no social security benefits, veterans’ payments of $4,000, no federal income tax liability.
Rebate is $600

4) Married couple with no children, no wages, no social security benefits, no veterans’ payments, AGI is $20,000, federal income tax liability is $250.
Rebate is $600

5) Married couple with no children, AGI is $25,000, federal income tax liability is $750.
Rebate is $750

6) Married couple with no children, AGI is $60,000, federal income tax liability exceeds $1,200.
Rebate is $1,200

7) Married couple with no children, AGI is $160,000, federal income tax liability exceeds $1,200.
Rebate is $1,200
Phaseout reduction is ($500)
TOTAL is $700

If I’m reading it right and I’m sure I am because, for once, they give real life examples in plain English, we’re going to receive the originally advertised $1200 sometime during the first week of May. That is uplifting news.

Even with payout to be double what we’d expected and planned on, I think the plan is still to buy a new computer — maybe with a few more bells and whistles than originally thought.

And I’ll probably blow around $200 on myself for something short-sighted and stupid (hey, I want something shiny and new too!) with the remainder likely going into savings.

Or perhaps we should save it to pay our property taxes in July?

Nah…

I really liked the Planet of the Apes movies. Even the cartoon shows that they used to air.

I still do enjoy sitting down and watching them, though more often than not, the Marky-Mark version is the one on television these days.

I never did like Charlton Heston though, in the original or the Marky-Mark remake.

He died last night at the age of 84.

To me, in movies, he was a bit like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.

You know, a good looking guy with a huge ego and zero acting skills.

Funny how all three men are considered “legendary”. I wonder why? (Really, why isn’t Steven Seagal a legend too?)

I disliked him even more for his work with the NRA.  His one-sided ignorance and arrogance on the subject of gun control, and the reverent attitude he received from those who supported him, has definitely hurt this country. Celebrities should not put their weight behind causes.

I’m hoping no celebrity replaces him as the face of the NRA — or if someone does, I hope it’s someone with a little less ego and a lot more substance.

Charles Bronson? Oh wait, he’s dead too… Shame, he might have been a good fit.

(obviously, Brainy Smurf is of the anti-gun stance…)

Connecticut might not be gaining people very fast, but it’s at the top of the pack when it comes to gaining income. In 2007, Connecticut not only remained the nation’s richest state — it widened its lead, a report today showed.

Total income per person rose from $50,762 in 2006 to $54,117 last year — the highest in the nation and more than 40 percent higher than the national average of $38,611, according to the report, from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The 6.6 percent gain in Connecticut’s per capita income from 2006 to 2007 was well above the 5.2 percent national average.

Connecticut’s high proportion of white-collar workers has been a major factor in keeping the state’s per capita income the highest in the nation; 39 percent of workers over 16 saying they are employed in management or professional jobs, according to the Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey. Another 15 percent said they held office jobs.

I knew I lived here for a reason…

But seriously, while it might sound like it’s the greatest place in the world to live, it’s also very expensive… Not Southern California expensive, but not real far off either…

I couldn’t find the raw data anywhere, but I find it shocking that the total income per person was around $54k!?

Do they really mean per person?

I’m pretty sure the “average” family of 4 in Connecticut isn’t pulling in over $200k… Atleast I hope not… or I’ve got to start thinking about getting a second job!

My guess is that it should say that it was the average among wage earners.

Still seems a wee bit high to me.

You hear about “the Fed” on every broadcast of the nightly news these days, you see his face more often than not in the graphic to the right of your local anchor’s head, but who is this guy? Where did he come from?

Amazingly enough, Ben Bernanke came from South of the Border…

No joke.

For anyone who has ever driven the entire length of I-95, from Maine to Florida, there isn’t a lot to look at. From Boston to New York it’s a seemingly endless traffic jam for no apparent reason. New Jersey to Washington DC is just one toll booth after another.

Once clear of the related congestion, things open up, but then you have to deal with the Virginia drivers.

This is also where the signs begin to pop-up for Dillon, South Carolina’s kitsch roadside attraction “South of the Border.”

This is no Taco Bell.

The billboards for this place start to dot the shoulders along I-95 well over 100 miles in advance — with mileage updates every few miles. It actually makes the drive go by a lot faster, getting a small chuckle every few miles.

For a kid, or even an adult, the anticipation these signs ingrain is incredible. You honestly start to think that in “just” 133 miles, you’ll see the greatest thing in the world.

Five miles later, it gets even better. “You never sausage a place.”

By the time you hit the South Carolina border (assuming you’re traveling south), and then Dillon, you can see the Sombrero tower on the horizon. You’re there.

The destination you’ve heard so much about, albeit via primitive highway billboards.

Yes, you’re now South of the Border.

And this is where arguably the most influential man in the country today got his start…

Waiting tables… wait for it… wait for it… in the Sombrero Room.

My wife and I stopped (how could we not?) and, gasp, even stayed at South of the Border back in 2006. I can’t say it was the greatest hotel we’ve stayed in (what can you really expect for under $40/night) and I wouldn’t recommend staying there, but they weren’t kidding on the billboard where they state that they have a car port for every room. They really do.

In fact, I’d guess that almost everything they boast on their 100 or so billboards is actually true. It’s… odd.

We spent a couple of hours walking around, posing for photos with all of the ridiculous kitsch sculptures as most of the shops and attractions were closed while we were there. Understandable as it was late on a Tuesday night, I believe.

But we did have a late bite to eat there, oddly enough, in the Sombrero Room. Unbeknownst to us at the time, it was Bernanke’s old stomping ground. It’s hard to fathom.

I remember being slightly disappointed with the quality and the service but quite happy about the price.

One thing I don’t remember, however, were any future Fed Chairman types working the counter.

Hey, you never know…