On, July 1st, the Feds will own the “Other White Meat” or at least the rights to use it. The U.S. Food Policy blog is alleging this is a big truck of pork-barrel politics. The smoking ham? That the federal Pork Board has already been using “Other White Meat” national advertising campaigns without a squeal of protest from anyone. Here’s the phony baloney:
government
The Government Data Mines Everyone
By 5.23.06
If you’re curious exactly how far the government’s data mining is going, the Wall Street Journal has a scary article up about how the government is literally combing through every single record you have these days for evidence of criminality. It doesn’t stop at the nation’s telecoms: your AOL account, your bank records, any record that could possibly be used against you is routinely being requested by and granted to the Federal Government.
H&R Block Creates National Tax Holiday
By 1.11.06
What do Hallmark and H&R Block have in common? They both are based in Kansas City, Missouri, and they both create holidays to celebrate an occasion for you to give them more money. H&R Block has created National Tax Advice Day to ostensibly help you learn such ethical tips as how to claim your iPod as tax deductible. (We aren’t joking.)
Claim Your Crap in Three Clicks or Less
By 11.30.05
Out there in the great expanse of the mind, you might have misplaced a few tokens of ownership, like the keys to your car or your children’s bones. That is as natural as the sun’s hateful rays, and we do not condemn you. But did you know that someone may have misplaced property or money for you?
Third-Party IRS Payment By Phone with 2.5% Fee
By 11.8.05
Would you like to pay your taxes with a credit or debit card via the phone? If so, be prepared to spend an additional 2.5% of your total payment amount to use one of the approved third-party payment services. Both the disengenuously named Official Payments and Pay1040 charge a two-and-a-half percent service fee (okay, 2.49% for Pay1040) for performing the simple task of taking your money and passing it on to the IRS.
FEMA Call Center Tension
By 11.1.05
Customer service centers are sort of an obsession for The Consumerist. When executing effectively, they can make a bad consumer experience go away in the fellest of swoops. When they are staffed by underpaid, overworked employees who can barely muster a smile in their voice, let alone any actual competence, they make a bad experience go Category 5.
