Midnight Blue Says

Gotta love Philly – a midnight blue Democrat city that never found a tax it would not implement. So, if you blog in Philly and partake in advertising, Philadelphia department of revenue wants their cut even if you make no money on this endeavor.

Pay up:

Even though small-time bloggers aren’t exactly raking in the dough, the city requires privilege licenses for any business engaged in any “activity for profit,” says tax attorney Michael Mandale of Center City law firm Mandale Kaufmann. This applies “whether or not they earned a profit during the preceding year,” he adds.

So even if your blog collects a handful of hits a day, as long as there’s the potential for it to be lucrative — and, as Mandale points out, most hosting sites set aside space for bloggers to sell advertising — the city thinks you should cut it a check.

Note, I don’t pursue advertising on this blog and never will. Although, I wonder how this applies to bloggers that accept G-Pal or PayPal donations?

UPDATE: Now would be a good time to remind my local readers that all 17 members of Philadelphia City Council are up for reelection next year. Change begins locally and we surely can find 17 more qualified individuals to run and replace the current council.

Ed Morrissey weighs in on this story, he thinks its crass but legit for the city to demand a license fee. I can’t wait till the city starts demanding a business license for children’s lemonade stands and sundry yard sales that can be found in practically every neighborhood. Like the Cordoba mosque, this is a really bad idea.

Blonde Sagacity looks at the finer point of taxing ‘potential profit’.

First In labels Philly as tax capitol of the world!!!

PaWatercooler has several thoughts on this issue.

Aaron Proctor: Philly’s new blogger tax gouges free speech and free thought

Thanks to all of you who have emailed and offered assistance in changing my blog address. Since I don’t earn any income from this blog via advertising or a tip jar,  I’ve nothing to report on my tax form.  Actually, I’m stunned by the absolute absurdity of this issue.

One week ago, I was elected as a committee woman for Division 10, Ward 57 in Philadelphia. The most remarkable story of this primary season in Pennsylvania, outside of PA-12,  is the story of everyday Americans stepping up and becoming involved in local politics. To give you an idea of the distribution of committee people throughout the city -Philadelphia is divided into 66 wards, each ward is broken further down into divisions, with no fewer than 10 and no greater than 50. Within my ward and division, I am the only female committee member among my Republican and Democrat peers. In my small way, I shattered another glass ceiling for women in politics.

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Been busy battling a cold this week.  No, it is not H1N1 – just a garden variety cold.

Later this week – Thursday at midnight to be precise – I will join the legendary Larry O’Connor on Stage Right Radio to discuss all things related to being a hot conservative babe. Please join the conversation on Blog Talk Radio:

I have to give Jim Hoft over at Gateway Pundit for his tireless documentation of CoffinGate.

For those just tuning in to the story, let me share with you  a brief recap: Last Sunday, Jim Hoft and members of the St. Louis Tea Party Patriots held a mock funeral for the future victims of Obamacare outside Democrat Congressman Russ Carnahan’s district office.  Included in this mock funeral was a coffin draped with a U.S. flag and secured with several tea candles.

Once the mock funeral was finished, the Tea Party Patriots packed up their signs and carried away the coffin.  Sara Howard on behalf of her boss, Congressman Russ Carnahan, released a statement to the press that a coffin was left on the front lawn of the Carnahan’s residence.  The lapdog media ran like a jack rabbit with this press release.

Needless to say, the Jim Hoft was able to debunk the smear, but not before Russ Carnahan sent out a fund-raising email to squeeze money from this non-existent intimidation.

It is ironic to see the  media  and democrats hyperventilate over the use, or in this case, the non use of a coffin to make a political point. This is the same media who vociferously lobbied to have photographers present at Dover AFB when fallen soldiers returned home.

The left have consistently used coffin or coffin imagery to connect a strong sympathetic, emotional response to their anti-war/Bush/capitalism message.   The media never called them on the use of this tactic, reporters simply included the display as part of the scenery.  Democrat politicians have never denounced such misuse of a coffin – until last week.

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Wow, when Dan Riehl wants to get your attention, he goes right for the jugular.

The left are going bonkers over his post, Tommy Christopher is reduced to threatening Dan’s livelihood. Republicans are holding their collective noses and staying silent. Conservative bloggers are making the uncomfortable comparisons between what Dems have stated and what Dan is saying about healthcare.

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Rasmussen today:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 24% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18.

2010 CPAC blogger of the year, Ed Morrissey, brilliantly summarized this poll result:

It took George Bush almost six years to get to this level of job approval. Obama’s managed it in 14 months. That’s change no one can believe in, apparently.

What is the world coming to?

A Kos diarist who goes by the nom de plume of Meteor Blades has  erroneously identified MidnightBlue as a liberal blog.

Last time I checked MidnightBlue had a distinct conservative flavor. Perhaps all that cognitive dissonance got in the way of Meteor Blades fact checking his/her post.  I would advise the author to remove the link to this website from his/her list.

This interesting linkage is the basis of my latest poll. I want to know how my readers perceive the political slant of MidnightBlue. Don’t be shy, take a moment to share your idea of the material presented in this blog:

I’m glad to see most view the contents of this blog as leaning conservative. I’m still puzzled by the two votes for Liberal…is someone trying to be funny?

It’s been quiet on Midnightblue due to a spontaneous Snowmaggedon vacation. I decided to stay overnight at the Sheraton instead of driving home from center city Philly.

Best decision of the year..so far. There is something to be said about relaxing in an indoor pool while watching the snow fall from the atrium enclosure. The stress just melts away and you find yourself repeating ‘Let it Snow’.

Photos? Of course there are photos. Sorry no pool pics:

I’ve already volunteered to cover the office for ANY weather emergency in the future.

My hiatus is over and I’m so happy to be back blogging!  After two years of work and study, I have successfully acquired professional certification in infection control. This is a great milestone in my career and I now can look forward to adding this to my resume. Thanks for the kind comments and notes of support, I love you all!

Voting is over and I have purchased the camera that the readers have chosen for me. Check out my Flickr account -  photos coming soon!

FYI: Watching Mark Steyn pinch hit on  O’Reilly tonight and the topic du jour – obamacare.  His guest Dana Perino, former press secretary for President George W. Bush, remarked that the Dems have 60 votes and they are determined to have their historic moment.

Hmmm, sometimes historic moments aren’t in the best interest of mankind – Nagasaki was a historic moment, so was the burning of Rome – shall we add obama care to this list?

Dear readers – due to pressing personal issues I will be putting MidnightBlue on hiatus till December 22nd.  No worries folks, the personal issues are good issues and I will be more than happy to share the news with you in a few weeks time. In the meantime, please check out the following blogs doing the job the MSM refuses to do:

There’s a lot of hot air in Copenhagen – Watts Up With That has the story covered.

I was there in spirit: Support our SEALs rally in Norfolk

Vote for Curt – Politics Pa has a side bar poll of your candidate for the 6th district congressional election. The smart vote is for Curt Schroder.

Check out the Conservative Reform Network blog – a good read on the politics of conservatism in Pennsylvania

Little Miss Atilla, Flopping Aces, Bank of Kev, Marathon Pundit,  Stix Blog, This Ain’t Hell and Pa Watercooler are absolute must reads.

Don’t forget to vote for my Christmas gift and now would be a good time to pick up a copy of Going Rogue.