Investor Self-Sufficiency: Why I'm Voting For Romney
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- I did something unexpected the other day: I re-registered to vote. After swearing off the habit, it became clear that I need that symbolic act as part of my routine every four years.
It's one small way to alleviate frustration when I visit the little-known government Web site for the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. Maybe you have heard of it. All sorts of people likely use it, but it's a great tool for self-employed folks. You can submit estimated taxes on your own schedule without having to write a check.
For the last five-to-seven years, I have also spent time fiddling with the Internal Revenue Service's withholding calculator. Punch in some numbers and the IRS estimates how much money you'll owe in federal tax at the end of the year. Uncle Sam instructs you to adjust your tax withholding accordingly.
After using these sites for a while, scribbling basic math on Post-It notes and taking a closer look at Obamacare, I had no choice but to re-register (we also moved since the last election). Now, for the first time in 16 years, I will vote Republican. Across the bloody board.
My Political Oddyssey
I have taken an interesting political trajectory. In 1996, I cheered Pat Buchanan's victory in the New Hampshire primary. Three years later, I moved to San Francisco. It was there that I became what some might call a "flaming liberal." Over the last several years, I morphed into a socially liberal, fiscally moderate specimen. Obama conned me four years ago. I believed him. I swore he told crowds in San Francisco and Hollywood that he would pull troops from Iraq and Afghanistan in a jiffy. I must have been hearing things. My cousin just left for six months in Afghanistan. With any luck, he won't get maimed or blown to bits by an IED. Never again. Obama showed himself to the public for what he is -- a hack and a failure, at least at the job of being President. I'll be damned if I am going to support this guy just because he made history on the basis of the color of his skin and executed a transparent flip-flop on gay marriage.Select the service that is right for you!
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