Wassup !........ with the election polls???

Barack Obama’s plan to raise the top two federal income tax rates would increase taxes on between 663,000 to 1.3 million small businesses that file taxes under personal income categories, according to rival analyses.

The Tax Foundation contends the Obama’s tax increases could amount to a $30 billion annual tax increase on 1.3 million small businesses in higher brackets. Another analysis by the Tax Policy Center says 663,000 of the 34 million personal income tax filers who claim business income are in the top two rates eyed by Obama.

Many of those small businesses are startups, sole proprietorships and home-based companies. Other small firms file under traditional business tax categories.

Obama is calling for personal income tax rates to increase from 33 percent and 35 percent to 36 and 39.6 percent, respectively in the two top brackets. The Illinois Democrat also wants to adjust current brackets so the increases would impact those making $250,000 or more.

Half of the small businesses filing individual returns fit into middle income tax brackets Obama said he will leave alone, according to the Tax Policy Center.

The current 33 percent bracket affects married couples making between $200,000 and $357,000 and singles earning $164,000 to $357,000. The 35 percent rates now applies to single and married income of $358,000 or more.

The Obama camp also points to other benefits in his tax plan for small businesses including zero capital gains for startup firms, two-year tax credits for domestic job creation, middle and lower-income tax rebates, and credits for mortgage interest, college and health insurance.

Arizona Sen. John McCain said he wants to keep personal income tax rates at current levels and favors a 10 percent cut in corporate income taxes. He also has proposed a 7.5 percent, two-year reduction in the capital gains tax.

The McCain campaign and some small businesses say Obama’s tax increases on higher incomes are just the beginning of spending plans that will prompt future tax increases on those outside the affluent categories. Obama says he would not extend his tax increases and points that the top bracket hikes just take those rates back to 1990s levels.

"Dude, I went to HS on the corner of Westheimer and River Oaks Boulevard."

Is that any where near Texas city?  ..and you in Aanta now arn't you FriedShrimp? 

Dan Linscomb, 40, of Texas City, Texas, ate the buffet at the Iron Skillet restaurant in northwest Atlanta on Oct. 21. He admitted, an Atlanta police report said, that his girlfriend “ate a couple bites from his plate.”

When he was charged for two $7 buffet meals, Linscomb refused to pay for one of them. He said that “there were no signs in the restaurant that said someone could not have some food off your plate,” the report said.

The restaurant staff called police, who came to the restaurant on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and arrested Linscomb on a charge of theft of services. He was taken to Fulton County Jail.

Linscomb got out of jail two days later after pleading guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct, Fulton County sheriff’s Sgt. Nikita Hightower said.

Linscomb could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. The Iron Skillet manager who was working when Linscomb was arrested, Jose Quintero, declined to comment.

Nonprofit organizations serve vital functions in the Houston area. From homelessness to health care, from education to art, the range of issues addressed by Houston’s nonprofits is evidence of their commitment to a brighter future for all who call Houston home.

The success of a nonprofit organization hinges on the ability of its executive director to lead effectively. Not only must the director be knowledgeable about the nonprofit’s particular function within the community, he or she must follow sound business strategies to deal with changing economic forces, competition for funds and the need to do more with less. The new Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives (LINE), offered by the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University, has been designed specifically to meet these development needs.

If you are an executive director of a nonprofit, the LINE program may be the catalyst you need to propel your organization to the next level of success. If you aspire to become an executive director, completing the LINE program will help you acquire the skills necessary and give you the confidence to pursue your career goals.

Completing the LINE program will increase your understanding of what makes a leader effective within the nonprofit sector and will help you set goals to improve your leadership practices. You will learn to be a more proficient manager of teams and projects and improve your technical skills in the areas of strategic planning, management and governance, fundraising, financial management, legal and ethical considerations, marketing and public relations, information management, human resources and organizational effectiveness.

The LINE program consists of seven core courses, two electives and a practicum. The entire program can be completed in less than a year.

Who should apply:

• Executive directors of nonprofits 
• Current staff members of nonprofits who aspire to become an executive director
• Professionals seeking a career change

• Participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of leadership and management, financial management, legal and ethical issues, marketing and public relations, human resource management, fundraising and organizational effectiveness as they relate to building and sustaining a successful nonprofit organization.
• Participants will receive an understanding of strategic planning and gaining the public’s trust, as well as best practices for influencing the variety of individuals and organizations who are key to their success.

Prerequisite: Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college.

Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership: Once you have successfully completed the educational requirements, the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies will issue a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership. Satisfactory attendance and participation in the core courses, practicum meetings and electives as well as successful completion of the practicum are required to earn the certificate.

This program is supported with funding from Houston Endowment, The Frees Foundation and Rockwell Fund.