Florida Agenda

CNNMoney reported this week that same-sex spouses pay as much as $6,000 a year in extra taxes than their straight counterparts, in large measure because Uncle Same doesn’t recognize gay marriage. According to an analysis conducted by tax specialists at CNNMoney, same-sex families don’t receive the same benefits because they are prohibited from filing their federal returns jointly.

As CNNMoney reported on December 26, “the imbalance persists despite increasing acceptance of gay marriage as a legal right. More than 12 states now grant full or partial marriage rights to same-sex couples, and a recent Gallup poll showed–for the first time–that a majority of Americans favor gay marriage.”

The federal government, by contrast, is restricted from doing likewise by the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). “Even as more same-sex couples are able to file jointly at the state level, they are still forced to file as single when submitting federal returns to the IRS,” the report noted.

This means they can’t combine their income and deductions to take advantage of lower tax rates. It’s also harder for them to qualify for certain tax breaks because the credits phase out sooner for single filers.

Ken Weissenberg, a partner at the accounting firm of Eisner Amper and himself in a same-sex marriage, told CNN: “It’s costing these families thousands of dollars a year, as well as the emotional pain and suffering.”

The single light in the tunnel for same-sex spouses is

the so-called marriage penalty. As CNNMoney reported, for same-sex spouses in higher tax brackets who work and have no children, filing tax returns using the “single” status makes their liability a little lower than that of heterosexual married couples.

And CNN points out that even same-sex families, who live in states where gay marriage is legal, typically have to file four separate returns — including mock federal returns — to cover both state and federal tax burdens.

“But it shouldn’t stop anyone from getting married,” Weissenberg insisted to CNNMoney. Although he says he pays $5,000 more in taxes per year, he notes, “If I had to pay twice as much in taxes to be married to my husband, I would.”

By Paul Rubio

Outside of plane delays and unforeseen inclement weather, one of the biggest frustrations of traveling overseas is the challenge of money loss via bad exchange rates. Simply put: nobody likes to see money devalued in a Madonna-esque “Impressive Instant.” It doesn’t seem like the US dollar will triumph the Euro or the British Pound anytime soon, but you can save 3-10% of your dollar value by adhering to a few essential tips on your international travels.

Charge Away – A number of credit cards have upped the incentives for charging purchases abroad. The American Express Platinum Card has removed its 3% foreign transaction fee, charging purchases at the official market rate. Several Chase credit cards have followed suit – including the British Airways Visa Signature Card and the Chase Continental Presidential Plus Mastercard. Using these “no transaction fee” credit cards is the best way to save money; you even earn points on your purchases (and you can track your spending).

Cash Reserves – It’s always a smart idea to carry cash if traveling somewhere remote. If you need ready money, don’t bother exchanging currency before your trip. All major international airports have ATMs in the arrivals area; and official bank ATM exchange rates via debit card withdrawal are superior to the rates of exchange counters (e.g. Bank of America charges only a 1% currency fee on cash withdrawals abroad).

Get with the times – American Express Travelers Cheques are as dated as $40 barrels of oil.

True, the cheques come with extra security if lost or stolen, but fewer and fewer places accept them. On average, your dollar is devalued by 5-10% by using travelers cheques because foreign banks offer inferior exchange rates upon conversion. If you are adamant about using Travelers Cheques, buy them online from American Express in the correct foreign currency before your departure (instead of US dollars).

Airport Exchange – If you are one of those people that physically enjoys changing currency as a right of travel passage, first verify the official market exchange rates online or on your high-tech phone. Exchange rate counters in airports prey on tourists unaware of the real market rate and often fool them with a “no commission” policy. There may be no commission per se, but these exchange rates are vastly different than market rates, resulting in large differentials against your favor. When in doubt, check XE – Universal Currency Converter (www.xe.com/ucc).

In total, you’ll never be able to avoid fluctuations in global currencies, but you CAN avoid the heavy fees and trickery designed to evaporate your riches!

By Christian Alexander

I may have sounded more than a bit cynical when it comes to medication, the doctor’s who prescribe them and the pharmacies that distribute them, but I have reason to be. I have been told by more than one doctor that if I didn’t take their medications for my HIV, I wouldn’t live long enough to follow any of my dreams. These were and are doctors – people I was raised to trust in and believe without question.

For a very long time, I played the good little patient and took their concoctions, all the while feeling worse on them than I did off. After an unscheduled “treatment holiday,” I just stopped taking my meds when my lover was dying. As distraught as I was over what I was going through and my up-coming nervous breakdown, physically I started feeling better. Then, my partner died. I spent more than a few days “resting” at a nearby hospital, all the while denying the HIV medication they wanted to shove down my throat.

When I got out of the hospital, I began drinking … heavily … and often. You know those miniature bottles of booze they serve on airlines? I had them stashed everywhere-around my apartment, in the glove box of the car, in the trunk of the car, hidden in my closets, stashed in my desk at work, hidden all around the spa that I ran. I mean everywhere. Breakfast, lunch and dinner for years.

Somehow I managed to keep up appearances, made it to work, didn’t have any car accidents and kept my quarterly doctor’s appointments for blood work. I had been mostly on and sometimes off my medications since my diagnosis in 1994. My number’s (T-Cells and later viral load) tests were never great, but they were never that bad.

Oddly enough, when I began to disregard my doctor’s orders and got to the stage where I could drink Karen Walker under the table, my numbers actually improved. For over four years, I’d get checked every three months and for four years, I was “ok.” Even though I didn’t feel I needed to be on the meds, the doctor’s spiel was always the same.” You need to be on medication,” and because I had learned a thing or two and argued with them, they never took me seriously.

When I destroyed my life in 2001, I went through detox and rehab. I stayed sober for nearly a year, then I got sick.  Very sick. Several days and two spinal taps, sick. I joked with my doctor that if this was sobriety, I was going back to the bar. He disregarded me, gave me new medication to take. After the scare I had in the hospital, I was inclined to take them. Long story short, it got a lot worse before it got better.

Having been on one of the meds, I was on led to my tranquilizer addiction. I always thought it rather ironic that they would give a known alcoholic heavy duty tranquilizers, but back then, I didn’t know what it was and wasn’t about to question the doctor.

The more I have thought about it, the pharmaceutical companies are greedy. That’s business in America. They are out to make a buck just like everyone else. But, it seems now, we also have more disorders, depression, aches and pains and anxiety than we ever did in the past. Is it that society is under so much stress that our minds and bodies create problems that need to be fixed?  Or is it that the drug companies are creating the need through seeing these trends and are quickly coming up with medications to placate us.

Of course, there are drugs out there that do wonderful things for people. Cancer patients are living longer, although I am forced to question the price for that time. I’ve seen people go through chemo, it’s a literal hell with no guarantee that it will work.

I have no doubt that there will always be a real need for newer and better drugs, but I don’t see anything other than greed by changing a formula on a proven medication just to pad their pockets more.  Sure, an extended release tablet is more convenient, but what is this convenience worth when the older one is available generically for a tenth of the price?  Which do you choose:

convenience or cost? Especially with some insurance companies cutting off paying for the “older” drug in favor of funding the “newest” formula.

Stay healthy, but if you do fall ill, ASK QUESTIONS!!!