Yogurt Tax

Marion Barry, the former mayor of Washington DC and now a Councilmember, has reportedly taken a stand against taxing yogurt, saying that a yogurt tax is "crazy," and pointing out that "Yogurt is really more healthy than some other things, as is cottage cheese."

However, there isn't actually a yogurt tax. Barry apparently misheard a reporter who asked him about a so-called "yoga tax," which is a proposed tax on gyms and health clubs.

I grew up in DC when Barry was mayor, so it gave me a warm glow to see that he's still making the news.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 24, 2014 - Comments (8)
Category: Government, Regulations

Groucho Sells Bonds

Who would buy anything that Groucho was trying to sell? I can't imagine this campaign moved too many bonds.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 31, 2013 - Comments (15)
Category: Government, Money, Advertising, 1940s

Mystery Cabinet

Who are these fanciful fellows? Answer after the jump.



More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 12, 2013 - Comments (4)
Category: Government, 1950s, Europe

Federal Employee of the Year:  2011

2011 Federal Employee of the Year from Partnership for Public Service on Vimeo.

It takes a huge talent for boredom to make one of the worst disasters of the past decade seem vapid. "The pressure was somewhere between high and low." Duh....

If only this fellow had been in charge of TIMBER BRIDGE INSPECTION, life would have been perfect.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Oct 04, 2013 - Comments (3)
Category: Authorities and Experts, Boredom, Destruction, Government, Officials, Science

Charley in New Town

Once upon a time, the suburbs were going to be utopia.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 21, 2013 - Comments (7)
Category: Domestic, Dreams and Nightmares, Government, Urban Life, Utopias and Dystopias, 1940s, Europe

The National Scream

The National Scream by Robert Awad & by David Verrall, National Film Board of Canada

The Canadian National Beaver is missing!

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 12, 2013 - Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Government, Humor, 1980s, North America

E-Plates - the future of driving

License plates may not seem like a product that requires improvement, but Compliance Innovations begs to differ. They've come up with "e-plates" that use an electronic ink display. They cost a lot more than traditional plates — over $100 versus less than $5. However, they allow the DMV or police to remotely change what the license plate displays. So if you're late with your registration payment, "Expired" appears in bright red letters. No state has yet decided to adopt these e-plates, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. [epoch times]

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 25, 2013 - Comments (10)
Category: Government, Cars

Miss Treasury Department

Shown is Helen G. Sweeney who won the title of Miss Washington D.C. back in 1924. But she also served, more specifically, as Miss Treasury Department.

Apparently young women were chosen to represent all the various offices of the federal government. So in addition to Miss Treasury Department there was:

• Miss Bureau of Standards (Betty Grace Tucker)
• Miss Veterans Bureau (Elsie L. Schulze)
• Miss Commerce (Estelle Meisenheimer)
• Miss Navy (Etelka Kearney)
• Miss State Department (Adeline Shuler)
• Miss Post Office (Ellen S. Waller)
• Miss Department of Justice (Helen T. Gallagher)
• Miss Civil Service (Irma Beaver)
• Miss Labor (Margaret McKinley)
• Miss Bureau of Engraving (Elizabeth Thompson)
• Miss War Department (Pearl B. Henry)
• Miss Government Printing Office (Evelen M. Smith)
• Miss Agriculture (Jewell Sager)
• Miss Interior (Minnie Jean)
• Miss Federation (Margaret M. Mattare)
• Miss Interstate Commerce (Sarah M. Boyle)
• Miss U.S. Employee's Compensation Commission (Edith S. Webb)

Source: The Washington Post, Dec. 1, 1924

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jun 22, 2013 - Comments (6)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Government, 1920s

Confidencias de un Senderista

Governments sometimes produce comic books for propaganda or educational purposes. "Confidencias de un Senderista" is an example of this genre. (According to Google Translate, that means "Confessions of a Hiker"). It was a 37-page comic book produced by the Peruvian government in 1989 and handed out in shantytowns around Lima in order to inform people about the violent tactics of the Shining Path. Reportedly the comic book met with "mixed reactions."

If you read Spanish, you can check out the entire comic book over at scribd.com.

Posted By: Alex - Thu May 02, 2013 - Comments (5)
Category: Government, Comics, 1980s

Parakeet demands tax refund

It's a long-standing tradition in the media to come out with stupid tax stories around April 15. Here's one from 1955.

Jo-Jo Kay the parakeet was paid $615 a year by the Kay Jewelry chain to go around to their stores and say the phrase "It's Okay to owe Kay." Of this money, $20.50 went to income tax and $12.30 to Social Security. However, Jo-Jo claimed $25 in deductible travel expenses and $1 in charitable contributions (given to the zoo). This dropped his total income to $589, which was less than the $600 personal exemption. So Jo-Jo asked for a refund.

The IRS responded by pointing out that Kay Jewelry wasn't paying Jo-Jo the minimum wage, which meant they were liable to have their property (including Jo-Jo) seized as a penalty.

The picture shows Jo-Jo standing on the head of Internal Revenue Commissioner T. Coleman Andrews. [Milwaukee Sentinel — Jun 24, 1955]

Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 10, 2013 - Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Government, Money, 1950s