Tax Exemptions For the Military

The tax exemptions of the armed forces can be very confusing for those who are not aware of it. Nevertheless, a member of the armed forces should understand this privileges to enjoy it and maximize their money in other essential ways.

A soldier can get his/her tax exemption for his/herself, partner as well as every person that's qualified as the member's dependent. On the other hand, if another person, who is also paying taxes claims an exemption for the military person or his/her partner, the armed force member can no longer get an exemption on his/her tax return. And, if the soldier already get an exemption for his/her dependent, the dependent can no longer claim an exemption on his/her tax return.

If the member of the armed forces would like to claim an exemption for his/her dependent, the service person must present one the following requirements: (1) individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), (2) social security number (SSN) (3) adoption taxpayer identification number (ATIN) for every dependent for every dependent. Lacking of any of said requirements, the claim for exemption may not be granted.

When one of these requirements is available for reference, the member of the armed forces can only get an exemption for his/her dependent when he/she passes the five tests . These five tests are as follows:

a. Citizen or resident test - a dependent should be an American citizen or resident or a resident of Canada or Mexico.

b. Gross income test - the dependent should have a gross earnings of less than $2800

c. Relationship or member of household test - the dependent must be related to the service person that does not live with the service member.

d. Joint Return Test - the dependent must have not filed any joint return.

e. Support Test - the dependent must obtain more than half of his/her support from the service person in the year.

There are lots of benefits for our reputable men and women in uniform. They only need to know and understand it to make the most of their income and be able to help their loved ones in their day to day living.

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Ike And Tina Then Bobby And Whitney And Now Chris And Rihanna

According to the Centers for Disease Control, domestic violence is a serious, preventable public health problem affecting more than 32 million Americans, or more than 10% of the U.S. population and only a third of cases are actually reported. Since celebrities are also humans – although some fans and stars believe that they are gods and goddesses - some of them are amongst the 32 millions victims.

Ike and Tina Turner were one of the greatest duos of the 60s and 70s; and since they were a "married", they must have looked the perfect fairy tale couple. But things weren’t as they seemed. They were rumors of Ike abusing Tina and that he had a drug problem. Tina finally left Ike in 1976 after 16 years of marriage. In 1986, she wrote a biography title I, Tina which she talked about her life, Ike’s abuse towards her and his drug addiction. The book was adapted into a movie What’s Love Got To Do With It? which was released in 1993, the same year Ike was released from prison after serving four years on drug and weapon charges. Ike denied the abuse allegations. saying that he only hit Tina a few times and that Tina often hit back. – So it was kick boxing and Ike always won. – In 2001, Ike published his autobiography Takin' Back My Name in which he admitted that he "slapped Tina...there have been times I have punched her for no reason" Because of the huge negative image the book and the movie gave him, Ike had troubles rekindling his career; but he managed to win a Grammy in 2007. He passed away that same year, from a cocaine overdose. – Proof that drug really can kill.

Unlike Ike and Tina Turner, Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston were married for sure, didn’t perform together, were both successful solo singers, and were both addicted to drugs. In other words, they’ll get high together. – I know, how romantic! – On January 11th 2000, security at the Hawaiian airport found marijuana in their luggage. They were a lot of rumors of Bobby beating Whitney. In 2003, Bobby was arrested for hitting Whitney, but, as usual, she took him back. Whitney went to rehab in 2006 and on April 24th 2007, she divorced Bobby after 14 years of marriage and got the custody of their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston-Brown. Now something which I find kind of funny: Whitney was offered the role of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It? but had to decline due to maternity. I wonder if playing Tina would have been an earlier wake up call. Everyone knows that Bobby always had a drug problem while Whitney always had a clean good girl image thru out her career. That makes it easy to assume that Bobby was the one who introduced her to drugs. In 2008, Bobby wrote an autobiography titled "Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But" which was scheduled to hit the shelf on May 2008. In the book, he says that he was only into cocaine and Whitney was the one who introduced him to other drugs. He didn’t confirmed whether or not she was bisexual and admitted that he wasn’t faithful to her. He also said: "Whitney and I had our arguments and fights just like everyone else. It was no Ike and Tina type of fights, but that’s what the media made the public believe." In April, Whitney made him sign a confidentiality agreement in which he promised not to write anything about her. "Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth" was still published on December 2008 by Derek Handspike as an "unauthorized" biography of Bobby Brown. Maybe it will be adapted to a movie and become as successful as What’s Love Got To Do With It?

The latest one is totally different. It’s the twenty first century, they are both young, have clean images, weren’t married and reportedly never used drugs. On February 08th, Chris Brown was accused of beating and threatening a woman who was later identified as being his girlfriend Rihanna. – Everybody already suspected that. – Rihanna was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center hospital where it was reported that she beard visible bruises and that her face was bleeding. Chris gave himself up to the police later that day; he was released from jail after paying a $50,000 bail. There are reports that the couple where spotted arguing. The reason is still unknown but many say that Rihanna got angry after reading a message from a woman to Chris. According to People, they got back together and after spending some time at Diddy’s Miami Beach's Star Island. And that's not all! They will record a love duet together. Unbelievable. - I think that's called Love, or is it Stupidity, maybe Blindness. Yet again, what's the difference. - Whitney Houston and Oprah Winfrey advised her not to take him back. Tina Turner is rumored to be planning to meet her to try and change her mind. Since books and autobiography seem to be the best way to get back at abusing spouses and that the pen is mightier than the fist, we should be on the look out for autobiographies where they will be trashing each other, in the years to come.

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America's Black Presidency: Lessons to The World

Barely two years ago any prediction that gave a black man any chance of living in America’s whitehouse and presiding over the nation’s executive branch twenty years later, would have been viewed as myopic if not melancholic. This is because those blacks who dared to run for their respective party nomination races hurriedly quit before the real contests commenced. Not even Rev. Jersey Jackson with all his popularity and good relationship with a broad spectrum of compatriots, whites, blacks, Spanish and other minorities. General Colin Powell’s announced intention to run for the republican party nomination ended with that announcement. Neither Rev. Al Sharpton a democrat nor Alan Keyes the twice runner republican made any headway. Martin Luther King jr. paid a supreme sacrifice for voicing too loud his dream that has today transformed into Obama’s white house. No wonder it appeared so unbelievable that religious fanatics termed it a miracle of God. Others say that Obama is predestined to be president of America.

But these two beliefs are most unfair to both president-elect Obama and American electorate especially the white voters who displayed utmost magnanimity in their voting pattern whereby race was not an influence. If these majority white voters had behaved otherwise by voting along racial lines, Obama would have ended up where his fellow black earlier runners ended that is not even winning the party ticket. Therefore the world at large have a lot to learn from this event (1)To eschew all forms of discrimination, segregation,marginalization and religious bigotry/intoler ance. (2)To accept that all men have equal rights. (3) To be aware that no condition of a people is ever permanent and that it is only a matter of time. Ofcourse Obama’s strong message skill and hardwork, toiling night and day across the lenghth and breadth of this vast continent-size country USA can not be played down as contributory to his success.

With this great lesson open for emulation by those countries where one form of discrimination or the other is still in full force like Germany, Russia, India, Italy,Nigeria, Sudan etc. the unacceptability of those inhuman behavior to fellow man would be better appreciated and soon become a thing of the past.

By Erasmus U Ikedilo

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Five Things You May Not Know About George W. Bush

When George W. Bush was first seen as a candidate for the United States presidency, many people including some of his opponents underestimated him and thought of him as little more than a candidate trying to make it based on the name of his father. His father George H.W. Bush had been a lifelong politician who held a number of positions including Director of the CIA, Vice-President of the United States under Republican Ronald Reagan, and eventually the President of the United States. George W. Bush was a two-term Governor of the state of Texas and would in 2000 defeat former Vice-President Al Gore to become President himself. He would then go on to defeat Democrat John Kerry in 2004 and proceed to serve his second term as President of the United States. Much is known about this polarizing figure in politics, but here are five things you may not know about George W. Bush.

1. Though often credited as a one-time owner of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers, in truth George W. Bush’s ownership stake in the team was less than two percent.

2. President George W. Bush had a sister named Robin who died from leukemia in 1953 when she was just three years old.

3. When George W. Bush applied to be in the Texas Air National Guard in early 1968, he was required to take a written aptitude test like all pilots desiring to be included in the program. He was admitted into that branch of the service with the lowest possible passing grade.

4. George and Laura Bush’s twin daughters Barbara and Jenna have the middle names of Pierce and Welch respectively. George’s mother Barbara Bush’s maiden name was Pierce and Laura Bush’s maiden name was Welch.

5. George W. Bush first ran for public office in 1978. He ran as a Republican and was defeated in the race to be the US Representative from Texas’s 19th district by Democrat Kent Hance. Eight years later, Kent Hance would switch parties and run for office as a Republican.

Based on many factors including wiretapping, torture, the war on terror, the war in Iraq, and more, George W. Bush has been one of the more controversial Presidents that the United States has ever had. He has often portrayed himself as a good old boy from Texas even though he was largely brought up in and went to college in the East. George W. Bush has at different times during his presidency been extremely popular as well as extremely unpopular, and will go down in history as having one of the most fascinating and intriguing administrations of any United States President ever.

by Mark Peters

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Five Things You May Not Know About Hillary Clinton

There are few American political figures who are more polarizing than Hillary Clinton. As the first lady of the United States during her husband Bill Clinton’s presidency, she became the focus of groups that both respected and admired her, as well as groups that despised her and saw her as an example of what was wrong with America. Hillary Clinton is an extremely knowledgeable woman who excelled early in life as a college student and then a lawyer. She then became known mostly as the first lady of Arkansas and then the first lady of the United States. Much is known about this figure in American politics, but here are five things you may not know about Hillary Clinton.

1. A Democrat most of her adult life, in 1964 Hillary Clinton volunteered to campaign for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and in 1968 she attended the Republican National Convention in Miami.

2. Bill and Hillary Clinton’s wedding took place in the living room of their newly purchased house.

3. In 1969, Hillary Clinton, Rodham at the time, was the first student ever to give the commencement address at Wellesley College. This event made the national news and was noted by many publications at the time.

4. Despite it being one of the most diverse states in America, Hillary Clinton is the first female to be a United States Senator from the state of New York.

5. Politics is not completely new to the Rodham family, Hillary Clinton’s father Hugh Rodham ran for public office on one occasion, for the position of Chicago alderman, but was defeated.

Hillary Clinton followed her time as a first lady who was not content to just sit back and concentrate on the interior design and decoration of the White House with a run for the United States Senate in New York. She successfully won the race and was then re-elected in 2006. The 2008 presidential race saw Hillary Clinton enter as a viable candidate and stay in it until the very end before being narrowly defeated by Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton is a trailblazer for women in a number of different ways and will be remembered for a very long time by friends and foes alike.

by Mark Peters

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Five Things You May Not Know About Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney has quite a family pedigree to be pround of and he has also accomplished a great deal himself. The first time that most people in the United States probably heard his name was when he was named the president and CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games held in Salt Lake City, Utah. He turned around an organization that was losing money and found a way to be profitable in the end. Earlier in his life he had been a very successful businessman in the Boston, Massachusetts area and had also made an unsuccessful run for the senate seat held by Ted Kennedy. His father, George Romney, had been the Governor of Michigan years ago and Mitt Romney followed in his footsteps when he was elected the Governor of Massachusetts in 2002. Much is known about this American success story, but here are five things you may not know about Mitt Romney.

1. Mitt Romney’s father was George Romney who was Governor of Michigan and who ran for President in 1968.

2. The name “Mitt” comes from a cousin of Mitt Romney’s father who actually played quarterback for the Chicago Bears in the 1920’s.

3. Mitt Romney served his mission time for the Mormon Church in France during the mid 1960’s.

4. When Mitt Romney was hired to serve as the president and CEO of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games held in Salt Lake City, he donated $1 million dollars of his own to the organization and then donated his $850,000 salary to charity.

5. Mitt Romney’s first attempt at elected office was when he challenged incumbant Ted Kennedy in 1994 for the United States Senate. He lost soundly but eight years later the citizens of Massachusetts elected him as Governor.

Mitt Romney would go on to make a run at the United States presidency in 2008, but in the end he was defeated by United States Senator John McCain. Romney ran a campaign that was largely seen as successful and emphasized his great amount of experience from the private business sector. Mitt Romney went on to be one of the most speculated about people in terms of whether or not he would be considered a possible candidate for Vice-President or not. Mitt Romney has truly been a success at nearly everything he has tried.

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