Fashion Board 4-6-04 to 5-7-04

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
When I saw a quick film clip of this on the news, the first thing I though of was y'all.

It wasn't quite as disturbing as discovering my first thought on hearing of JFKJr's plane crash to be "huh, that dude needs to change his moniker," but it was a little unnerving.

historic question:
Did he make the change the first Monday after the crash? Was there any lag time at all?

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Mister_Ruysbroeck

The fact is, however, a lot of gay people who live together file their taxes as married couples. Your 1040 doesn't ask your gender and the automated systems that check your tax return are not able to distinguish "male" names from "female" names.

Presumably a straight, unmarried couple could do the same thing. The next question, however, is why would you want to? Even with the increased standard deduction for married couples, if both of you are earning decent money, you're better off filing as singles. So unless Rosie is keeping her wife home barefoot and pregnant, why file together?

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
historic question:
Did he make the change the first Monday after the crash? Was there any lag time at all?

It was like he knew before the papers. In fact, I'm not sure if he didn't change it before it happened. hmmmm.

All I remember was some jackass jumping up and down, yelling and screaming about how inappropriate it was to belittle the dead in that painful, painful time.

TM

[Bad_Rich_Chic]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
historic question:
Did he make the change the first Monday after the crash? Was there any lag time at all?

He made the change within hours - he had made it before I lazily got around to sending him an e-mail saying "dude, gonna change your name?", which I did sometime the day after the crash (i.e.: within a few hours of it being reported).

[mmm3587]

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
You are correct. It was 400 thousand million lira (they don't say 400 billion lira, for some reason, although now I suppose that's because they do all these deals in Euros).

You are also a tool for doing the math. Just so you know.

Sheet, if I had a quarter for every time I've caught a important math error because all the other lawyers assumed that the consultants and the accountants had done all the math perfectly, I would have like two or three dollars.

That's like five seconds of math, and I just saved your client $199.8 billion dollars.

[Mister_Ruysbroeck]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Presumably a straight, unmarried couple could do the same thing. The next question, however, is why would you want to? Even with the increased standard deduction for married couples, if both of you are earning decent money, you're better off filing as singles. So unless Rosie is keeping her wife home barefoot and pregnant, why file together?

Only reason is kids. Or, if you live in a state that gives you a credit for being married that offsets your federal marriage penalty.

Other than that, you're right. No reason for DINKs to file as married.

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Presumably a straight, unmarried couple could do the same thing. The next question, however, is why would you want to? Even with the increased standard deduction for married couples, if both of you are earning decent money, you're better off filing as singles. So unless Rosie is keeping her wife home barefoot and pregnant, why file together?

there's a marriage penalty? Ohmigod.

They would file together on principle. To make a point. Send a message, as it were.

[mmm3587]

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
they don't say 400 billion lira, for some reason...

There isn't a lot of use of billion in Europe because it means different things to different people. I think, to the British, it's the same as our trillion (10^12). I think that, to the rest of Europe, it's the same as how Americans use it (10^9). But, it's something like that.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick


They would file together on principle. To make a point. Send a message, as it were.

Expensive point. Although I guess it would be sort of funny if the IRS made a big thing by coming after them for filing as married, but then said "we're prosecuting you for overpaying."


MR: Can't one or the other partner deduct the kids as a dependent regardless of marriage?

[ETA]: I always had some respect for the couple we read about in tax law that got divorced every Dec. 31 and remarried every Jan. 1 just so they could file as unmarried.

[Bad_Rich_Chic]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Presumably a straight, unmarried couple could do the same thing. The next question, however, is why would you want to? Even with the increased standard deduction for married couples, if both of you are earning decent money, you're better off filing as singles. So unless Rosie is keeping her wife home barefoot and pregnant, why file together?

I think significant income disparities are generally more common than they are among the people most of us know - we all know a few lawyer/housewife and lawyer/schoolteacher combos, but we often know a lot more lawyer/lawyer or similar combos. Unionized factory worker/drug store clerk, for instance, involves an income disparity sufficient to yield definite tax advantages.

Also, there is an emotional aspect to it - there is something nice and mushy about doing everything together. Not rational, but there it is.

For a small minority where one spouse is not a US citizen but needs or wants a green card or citizenship based on marriage, filing jointly is highly, highly recommended regardless of tax disadvantages - if you aren't filing jointly it looks to them like you are keeping separate finances (i.e.: it is a fraudulent marriage). I've known some couples who would really have taken a serious tax hit and get letters and extensive documentation from their tax advisors, basically saying "they wanted to file jointly but I told them not to because it would have cost them $XX,XXX in additional taxes," and still they got shit during the immigration application process because that was deemed so "suspicious."

BR(I friggin' hate immigration)C

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
He made the change within hours - he had made it before I lazily got around to sending him an e-mail saying "dude, gonna change your name?", which I did sometime the day after the crash (i.e.: within a few hours of it being reported).

How could you be so cold? At that point there was still hope that Camelot might still be alive. I know I hadn't given up!!!!!!!!

P.S. The Queen had Diana killed.

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by mmm3587
Sheet, if I had a quarter for every time I've caught a important math error because all the other lawyers assumed that the consultants and the accountants had done all the math perfectly, I would have like two or three dollars.

That's like five seconds of math, and I just saved your client $199.8 billion dollars.

I want you so bad.

[ABBAKiss]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
P.S. The Queen had Diana killed.

Nah, it was Charles and Camilla.

I was about 100 yards from the crash when it happened.

[notcasesensitive]

Originally posted by ABBAKiss
Nah, it was Charles and Camilla.

I was about 100 yards from the crash when it happened.

paparazzi scum.

[purse junkie]

Originally posted by ABBAKiss
Why would the rest of us even bother with bras? We're all going to sag anyway since we don't have implants. It would be more useful to post a site about jock straps with two cups.

Oh, they'll sag--those implants have heft. But the parts hanging way down by her waist will look really, Carmen Electra shapely.