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Am I getting older or just more irritated?
Published Saturday, June 21, 2008
Unfortunately, I’ve not seen any cougars to report, so if you came here expecting more cougar tidbits, please move along.
But to an extent, the downtown cougar sightings do play a little bit of a part in today’s rant.
I recently had a birthday and inched a little closer to the big 4-0, so I suspect a sports car, chest-revealing shirts and lots of gold bling are in my future.
I guess I’m getting too old, because I’ve started noticing a bunch of little things that just irritate the stew out of me.
Yes, I’m becoming the “old codger.”
First, let’s discuss the cougar connection. One thing that annoys me greatly is how many of us absolutely refuse to believe something unless we saw it with our own eyes. Now I can understand if it’s one of the supermarket-aisle tabloids featuring the boy with a two-foot tongue or the grandmother who bench-presses railroad train cars. Those are obviously suspicious tales at best.
But how many people immediately discounted the cougar sightings as fictitious just because they’d never personally seen one?
I’ve never seen a giant squid, but I know they exist. If someone said they saw one in the Mississippi River, I’d be surprised, but I wouldn’t instantly claim they were wrong.
Does anyone remember the story out of Memphis a year or so ago when someone spotted a Florida manatee in the Mississippi River?
That was a pretty outlandish-sounding story, at first, but danged if it wasn’t true. The crazy thing was the manatee would have cruised by Natchez and Vidalia on the way to Memphis.
Constant doubters annoy me. I’ve never physically seen God, but I know he exists.
More annoyances: TV commercials featuring people who seem to have cheated the system and are encouraging you to do the same.
“TaxBeaters.com turned my $50,000 tax debt into just $500!”
Well, isn’t that great. You didn’t pay your taxes and you figured out a way to “settle” with the government.
Those folks shouldn’t be able to advertise on TV. OK, maybe that’s harsh. This is America after all, but it sure does seem wrong to encourage others not to pay what they owe, but squirm out of the responsibility.
Cheaters annoy me, too.
Somehow, things and people that seem to violate basic rules of courteous conduct crawl under my skin, too.
Smokers who carelessly toss out their nasty, germ-ridden cigarette butts annoy me beyond belief. If there were a way to write them a citizens arrest warrant, I’d do this all the time.
It’s not like the cigarette butts magically melt away with the morning dew. They remain hanging around in the streets and against the curbs for weeks, slowly becoming frayed and even nastier looking. Thanks, smokers. If you want to kill yourself, that’s your right, but don’t toss the evidence in public spots. It’s just not right.
Finally, cell phones are the queen mothers of all annoyances. Almost all of us use them. They’re a great way to keep in touch with one another. Two things are annoying about cell phones.
The first annoyance is people who think it’s cute to set their ring tones to some kind of loud song. These folks often usually get an incredibly high volume of calls so everyone within a 25-foot radius hears the first few notes of “Freebird” over and over and over again.
The second annoyance is answering in places where cell phones don’t need to be use. I’ve seen people answer their phones in the middle of public meetings, stage performances, even a church service. A general rule, if everyone in the room is focused on some singular event, silence the phone, walk outside and call the person back.
Pass the Geritol. I’m going back to bed. Unless something annoying keeps me up.
Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539.
º or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.
Comments
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on June 21, 2008 at 11:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great artical Kevin!!! LOL...
Posted by fatherof4 (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 12:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Its not like all those miss-lou guides that are thrown in my yard, magically melt away with the morning dew also.
Posted by cherron (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 12:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
well, if i was that irritated about everything i wouldn't leave the house.
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 1:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You are just getting more "Wisdom" with more experience Mr. Cooper!
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 1:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Can we say LEXAPRO?
LoL
Posted by free_radical (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 1:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You missed your calling as a stand-up comedian Kevin. ;D
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 2:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How about the preacher whose cellphone went off while he was preaching...... (smile)
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 7:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What irritates me to no end is the " dead on truth" of this article. LOL, Kevin. Great article.
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 8:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks Kevin for more to think about!
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on June 22, 2008 at 8:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"Am I getting older or just more irritated?"
The answer to the first question is definitely YES. The answer to the second question is probably YES.
However, at your young age, you have not begun to realized the effect of old age or irritability. teehee!
Posted by kpage (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What irritates me about cell phones is the phone owner texting while I'm trying to talk to them. That galls me to no end. When I get up to walk off, they don't even notice...so they must not have been listening in the first place. I guess texting them would be the only way I could talk to them!
I'm with Kevin on the ring tone deal. If I'm involved in a conversation with a young person and "Low Rider" jingles from their phone, I'm walking away. They're gonna stop their conversation with me anyway so why not?
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I got my cell phone when my son was in Iraq and you bet when his ring tone sounded I stopped and talked to him. But first I explained to whoever I was with why I had to talk. EVERYONE understood that. If it rings when I'm talking to a client, it gets shut off and I call them back. Actually it's set on vibrate so no one even hears it ring. Why can't others do that? I had to wait in the drug store the other night for a prescription because the clerk was on her cell phone. Really irritates me!
Posted by oldschool (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Like I voice if you are on the cell phone when I reach the counter, in the store, your experience with me will not be a good one cause I am going to point you out. GREAT ARTICLE!! I have those too!!! Maybe I need some LEXAPRO!! But I get very irritated with these same things.
Posted by Idefinitelymight (Tom Scarborough) on June 22, 2008 at 9:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks, Kevin. You are spot on about smokers discarding their butts (and their empty cigarette packs). I don't think most smokers are even aware when they do this, though they need to become so. In addition to being unsightly litter, those filters are filled with toxins--one butt may not seem like much, but when you multiply those by the billions that are discarded each day around the world, that's a lot of toxins leaching into the soil, and polluting water sources. Not to mention the tons of carcinogenic smoke you all release into the air each day. Smokers--your car has an ashtray--use it.
Okay, rant over. I feel better.
Posted by ncogg (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ok, dude seriously you are starting to sound like the men from the grumpy old men, parts one and two movies. Which is pretty cool. Because everyone need that crazy uncle, dad, or whatever; to just gives everyone a piece of his mind at the next family function. Man I can't wait for my family reunion. ROTFL!!!!
Posted by straightshooter1 (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Kevin, welcome to the "old codgers are us" club, even though you are NOT old enough yet. Give yourself another 10 to 15 years then you'll really find out about all the things that irritate you....gravity working on things, someone doesn't replace the toilet paper roll, etc., etc. Great article...roflmao!!
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on June 22, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"the grumpy old men, parts one and two movies"
Now, that phrase probably is appropriate for me! The older I get the less tolerant I am or seem to be. Whoa, I think the wife has a different take. Her take is that I have always been that way! :o)
OH, WELL!
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 9:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Kevin, you are another Andy Rooney ,only better . I enjoyed your article and it's okay to vent about these things sometimes . Especially with a sense of humor. When we built our house not too long ago, we had a problem with our contractor throwing cigarette butts everywhere. Trying to communicate about this was imossible . So we started saving them in a plastic bag . On his last day at the house sight my husband put the bag of butts in his truck for him . We all laughed about it cause he really is a good guy and a great contractor . He just didn't think about where he put his butt .
Posted by ProNatchez (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 10:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks Kevin.
I hate litter as well, and I wish I could hand out tickets for it, too.
Posted by overthehill60 (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm AM old and irrated. You can't afford to go anywhere because of the outreagous gas prices. You can go in a grocery store & come on with one bag under $20. You can't take leisurely walk because of fear on being mugged , shot at or ran down by a hit & runner. You can't trust anyone with you kids or grandkids. Drugs are a constant fear.
I've always heard about the Golden Years well I'm still looking for the the silver lining.
As for politics I'm not even getting into that.
As for people not believing wild animals roam the streets of Natchez, let see how they react when the come face to face with this cougar!
And yes litter is uncalled for, from cigerattes to gum wrapers to comdom wrappers!
Cell phones attached to almost ever ear in the area is very unslghtly, but not as bad a teenage boys with the pants hanging half way down the legs.
Talking about young boys & what ever happen to the manners on a man holding the door for women? It's the older generation that shows that respect.
Posted by Username (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 2:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kevin-You say tax cheaters annoy you and "One thing that annoys me greatly is how many of us absolutely refuse to believe something unless we saw it with our own eyes"
I have a question for you that maybe you have the powers to get answers for...
Where is the specific federal statute requiring Americans to pay a tax on their personal incomes?
I will pay your 2008 federal taxes for you if you can present me with this statute. Just PM me(for the cash)if you are able to find this statute on the books.
Or for that matter anybody that can show me the statute I'll pay your tax for you when I see this statute.
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 4:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
income tax law: an overview
In 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/...) to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It empowered Congress to tax "incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration." The Internal Revenue Code is today embodied as Title 26 of the United States Code (26 U.S.C.) and is a lineal descendant of the income tax act passed in 1913, following ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment. While some states do not have an income tax (Nevada), all residents and all citizens of the United States are subject to the federal income tax. Not everyone, however, must file a return. The requirements for filing are found in 26 U.S.C. § 6011. As the largest contributor, its purpose is to generate revenue for the federal budget. In 1985 for example, the government collected over $450 billion in income tax from a total of $742 billion in total internal revenue receipts. The funds collected are essential for the shaping and preservation of a free market economy.
Some terms are essential in understanding income tax law. "Gross income" can be generaly defined as "all income from whatever source derived;" a more complete definition is found in 26 U.S.C. § 61. Other important definitions like "taxable income" and "adjusted gross income" can also be found in Chapter I of Title 26. These terms are not fixed nor should anyone be confident in understanding their true meaning after a cursory reading because their imputed definitions change with time. The Supreme Court, through case law, demonstrates the changing meaning of taxable income.
Individuals are not the only ones required to file income tax returns. Corporations do as well. While they are subject to may of the same rules as are individual taxpayers, they are also covered by an intricate body of rules addressed to the peculiar problems of corporations.
menu sources
federal material
U.S. Constitution
Article I, Section 8 - Congressional Power to Tax (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/...)
16th Amendment (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/...)
CRS Annotated Constitution:
Fourteenth Amendment: Individual Income Tax (http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/search...)
Sixteenth Amendment: Income Tax (http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/search...)
Federal Statutes
U.S. Code: 26 U.S.C. - Internal Revenue Code
Federal Regulations
Title 26 C.F.R. (http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/cfr.php?t...)
Federal Judicial Decisions
U.S. Supreme Court:
Recent Income Tax Decisions (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/...)
liibulletin Oral Argument Previews (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 4:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/search...)
Sixteenth Amendment: Income Tax (http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/search...)
Federal Statutes
U.S. Code: 26 U.S.C. - Internal Revenue Code
Federal Regulations
Title 26 C.F.R. (http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/cfr.php?t...)
Federal Judicial Decisions
U.S. Supreme Court:
Recent Income Tax Decisions (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/...)
liibulletin Oral Argument Previews (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/se...)
U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals: Recent Income Tax Cases (http://www.law.cornell.edu/usca/search/i...)
U.S. Tax Court: Decisions (http://www.ustaxcourt.gov/UstcInOp/asp/H...) (Jan. 1999 - present)
State Material
State Statutes
Uniform Division of Income for Tax Purposes Act (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uniform/vol7%... in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Washington)
State Statutes Dealing with Taxation (http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/state_...)
State Judicial Decisions
N.Y. Court of Appeals:
Recent Income Tax Cases (http://www.law.cornell.edu/nyctap/search...)
Commentary from liibulletin-ny (http://www.law.cornell.edu/nyctap/search...)
Appellate Decisions from Other States (http://www.law.cornell.edu/states/)
Other References
Key Internet Sources
Federal Agency: Internal Revenue Service (http://www.irs.gov/)
Income Tax Websites (http://www.taxsites.com/)
"The Tax Prophet" (http://www.taxprophet.com/)
Tax and Related Links (Harter,Secrest & Emery) (http://www.hsetax.com/)
Federation of Tax Administrators (http://www.taxadmin.org/)
Useful Offnet (or Subscription - $) Sources
Good Starting Point in Print: Donald Tobin and Daniel Posin, Principles of Federal Income Taxation Law (http://west.thomson.com/store/product.as...), West Group, 7th ed. (2005)
Other Topics
Category:Taxation
Retrieved from
Posted by DrunkenMonkey (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 4:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"The funds collected are essential for the shaping and preservation of a free market economy." --From Ntzmom's post
I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry at this.
Posted by Username (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 5:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ntzmom-atleast you tried,you copied and pasted some links (all from the same site) and that makes me think that it is a topic that you have researched before and are concerned about.
My question is "Where is the specific federal statute requiring Americans to pay a tax on their personal incomes?"
My hopes are to let someone think that I'll pay their taxes for them(lol)and then they/you can try to sue me and we can get in court once more and see if the 16th Amendment can really hold water.Sounds entertaining,huh?
Nobody will try to sue me though they just keep giving away their money to be spent on things that we would never approve spending our money on.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 8:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Username it's not..I have been looking into this for sometime now and have yet to find a law ...If you or anyone else does please let me know.....
Posted by starla (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 8:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can't stand it when people throw their nasty cigarette butts out of their car windows and the darn thing hits my windshield! Some redneck hag did that to me a couple of weeks ago!
People who drive while talking on a cell phone or those who talk too loudly on them in public irritates the crap out of me! I don't want to hear your conversations! As for the drivers, I can't stand who go 45 mph in the left lane and they're on the phone!
I also can't stand the low baggy pants or the guys who wear their hair down past their eyes!
Yes, alot irritates me too, but I'm not that old, yet!
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 9:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Kevin, it looks like they found the "black panther" smoking gun.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/D...
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 9:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You know what irritates me?...people being irritated by so many trivial irritations...lighten up folks...life is too short...BTW, Kevin get another decade on you, or two, then you'll have the gravitas to be a "codger"...I know, I was just initiated into the club...now that's irritating...LOL.
Posted by Peace007 (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 11:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kevin you should always remember, no matter how old you get...that there's only one alternative to growing older!
I find it ironic that the ad at the top of my page is for AT&T Sony cell phones, lol.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 23, 2008 at 4:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There are some differences of opinion on the ratification of the 16th amendment ntzmom:
"When his year long project was finished at the end of 1984, Bill had visited every state capitol and knew that not a single state had actually and legally ratified the proposal to amend the Constitution. 33 states engaged in the unauthorized activity of amending the language of the amendment proposed by congress, a power the states do not possess. Since 36 states were needed for ratification, the failure of 13 to ratify would be fatal to the amendment, and this occurs within the major (first three) defects tabulated in Defects in Ratification of the 16th Amendment. Even if we were to ignore defects of spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, we would still have only 2 states which successfully ratified."
http://www.thelawthatneverwas.com/new/ho...
Besides, earnings are not income. Earnings are payment for labor.
Taxing labor is far different from taxing income. Income is interest earned on investment. Income continues even through sickness and death.
A person living on income is free to pursue other desires while a person living on labor is not free, as he must work to live. Taxing labor prevents the laborer from accumulating capital that is his own property.
The income tax goes soley to pay the interest on the national debt. The income tax is not necessary for the preservation and shpaing of a free market economy, it is antithetical to a free market economy. The income tax is a transfer of capital from wage earners to the monopoly holders of the Federal Reserve System. The income tax destroys the middle class.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 23, 2008 at 4:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Federal Reserve System, the Internal Revenue Service, usury, fractional reserve banking, and all other forms of banking fraud irritate me. So do people who defend this system with no understanding of what it is and how it operates and what is objectionable about it.
The Federal Reserve creates money out of thin air by running bills off a printing press. For this privilege the taxpayers must pay the Federal Reserve interest on nothing. The income tax pays this interest. The Federal Reserve Bank bought the entire American economy by issuing three hundred shares for 100 dollars per share. Sen. Nelson Aldrich, Abraham Andrew, Frank Vanderlip, Henry Davison, Paul Warburg, Charles Norton and Benjamin Strong created the Federal Reserve in the ultimate dark smoky room meeting on Jekyll Island, Georgia in 1910. These men represtent 1/7th of the wealth of the world at the time.
The income tax goes to keep the descendants of these men and the descendants of the principals of these men in control of the American economy.
Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on June 23, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Kevin, you are not getting older. I think you are just mature. I just turned 30 in April, and everything you said in your article annoys the ____ out of me. But to add to my annoyance, I hate stupid questions. I give stupid answers, and the people are usually mad at me. For example, I was eating a bowl of cereal one day, and my cousin came and stood right beside me. She looked in my bowl and aske me, "What are you eating?" I politely looked at her, looked at my bowl, and said, "Oh, some fried chicken." She got mad at me.
Posted by kpage (anonymous) on June 23, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't feel so bad about getting older these days. I read a magazine article that said turning 40 is the new 30. Turning 50 is like turning 40 and so on. I really like that modernized perception of age. It's a shame Mother Nature doesn't.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on June 23, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Kpage, I enjoyed turning 50. It meant that I was through raising kids, they were college educated and they were married. No, I have not stopped raising kids or grandkids but I do not have an obligation unless something horrible happens. Hopefully, nothing horrible will happen.
Then, I told everybody that 50 was the ideal age, I had procreated , raised and educated my offspring. Now, I enjoy the grandkids and can send them home. hey!
Seriously, life only gets better with age.
Posted by Riffian1964 (anonymous) on June 23, 2008 at 5:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The most irritating thing in the world is to work on your yard to make sure it is attractive to passerbys and satisfying to you and your family AND THEN to have to clean Popeye's Bags, KFC bags, Burger King bags and assorted container trash out of your flower beds because some jerk can't find a trash can. Also the beer cans and bottles that break when they are thrown out of the car! Where is self pride? Where is common respect for others?
Posted by dangyankee (anonymous) on June 24, 2008 at 12:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow, people are REALLY cranky down here! Kevin, I have more than 10 years on you, age-wise, and I don't get that irritated about anything (except maybe spelling and factual errors in the local paper, but I don't even lose much sleep over those).
Probably you should get a cat--it will help keep your blood pressure down, or at least divert you from your assorted current peeves and give you whole new things to be peeved about. Variety! It will do your heart good (won't help you with the male pattern balding thing, though. Sorry.)
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on June 24, 2008 at 8:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Back to the editorial, I don't think people refuse to believe the cougar sightings do so because they never saw one themselves.
I think they refuse to believe because the Wildlife Dept says they are just not here. Big difference.
And you compare somehow those who doubt the sightings with tabloid readers who don't believe the tabloids?
Geez man no wonder you are conflicted.
When I turned 40 my lesson was that life was far more complicated than anyone every warned me it was.
When I turned 50 my lesson was to never underestimate the depth of the pool of ignorance the general population was swimming in.
Posted by kpage (anonymous) on June 24, 2008 at 8:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Before I reached my 40th birthday, I'd realized that life was not complicated at all...it's only when I egotistically took my brain out and played with it did I have issues (thinking I had all the answers). Life is simple...it's we humans who make it complicated. The older I get, the better I understand this concept. Another big lesson I've learned is not to believe everything our government spoon feeds us. It makes a big mess when it drips down the chin and into the lap.
Posted by dixiemama (anonymous) on June 24, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kevin, the next time I see 40 it will have a 1 before it. My years as 40 are beginning to be foggy. Enjoy it, because time starts flying & before you know it you will be an old man on a walker!!!!
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on June 24, 2008 at 2:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I guess this means you are finally seeing the humor of George Carlin. The world is a funny place,as long as you realize how small a part of it all you are.
Posted by NatchezBell (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
beammeupscotty...yes we are a very small part of it all. Never quite thought of it that way.
The new definition of a Cougar: A young man with an older woman...A Cougar. My friend is a cougar and my sister wants to become one...LOL LOL
I feel I've already raised my kids...why start with another young man.
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