marriage

SAN FRANCISCO — Albany resident Alan Eckert was alone on the corner of Seventh and Mission streets early Tuesday morning holding a colorful sign that read, “GAYS — we love Boies,” a play on words praising lawyer David Boies for helping oppose California Proposition 8.

Eckert felt the need to stop by before work to hold the sign outside the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco because he wanted people to know the court would be deciding the fate of Prop. 8 by 10 a.m. Tuesday.

“I’m half of one of the 18,000 married same-sex couples in California, and I’m very grateful it wasn’t taken away from me,” Eckert said. “I just wish that it wasn’t taken away from the rest of these citizens.”

Eckert was one of roughly 100 people drawn to the courthouse steps to show their support for same-sex marriage, a crowd that erupted in celebration when they found that Prop. 8 was deemed unconstitutional.

Opponents of Prop. 8 began arriving as early as 8 a.m., uncertain whether the appeals court’s decision would be made public before its self-imposed 10 a.m. deadline. Castro Valley High School student Austin Bruckman should have been in school, but his parents called him in sick so he could head down to the courthouse.

“What better way to start the day than to say, ‘Hey, we’re not all equal in California,’” Bruckman said. “As a human being, we all have the right to love and be loved, and that’s what this is all about.”

However, because no public announcement was planned, the crowd was forced to furiously refresh the court website on their smartphones, tablets and laptop computers as the 10 a.m. deadline for the decision neared.

The crowd, which had huddled in a circle, went from tense to jubilant as one woman read aloud the case summary stating that Prop. 8 violates the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution and then raised her laptop above her head.

Eventually, printed copies of the 100-page court decision as well as shorter summaries of the decision were brought out of the courthouse, which the crowd grabbed to read and take home as memories of the day’s proceedings.

Although he was pleased with the decision, Jeremy Sell, a law student at UC Hastings, was not nearly as optimistic after reading the entire summary.

He took issue with Judge N. Randy Smith’s dissenting opinion that the designation of marriage is not necessarily related to a same-sex couple’s ability to be good parents.

“Unfortunately, Judge Smith thought this was unrelated to child rearing when children are always having to answer questions about whether their parents are married or not,” Sell said.

After the crowd had finished reveling in its victory, they headed down to city hall for a rally and to meet with different religious figures who would symbolically marry same-sex couples.

However, the couples could not legally marry because the court is waiting to issue a formal mandate, allowing Prop. 8 supporters to file an appeal and seek a stay in the full 9th Circuit Court or the Supreme Court.

Bruce Ivie and David Bowers, Castro Valley residents, nevertheless waved signs calling for equality in marriage.

The two celebrated the decision as the most recent victory in their 31 years together, having married in San Francisco in 2004, then having their marriage nullified by the Supreme Court, then marrying again in 2009.

“Everyone in the world has the right to love the person that they love and to marry that person,” Ivie said. “I know that it’s my right as a U.S.-born citizen and a taxpaying adult.”

IRS Eases Up on Abuse Victims

by on January 30, 2012

It is a real tragedy that someone can escape an abusive marriage, only to find themselves being pursued by the IRS for the abuser’s tax debts.  How does it happen ? Filing a joint return will usually result in a married couple having a lower federal tax than the total of two married filing separate returns (The total of the two returns as single might be even lower, but that is not an option if you are married).  it is rare for couples or their tax advisers to seriously consider filing separately even for the last year of a marriage.  I believe that this is a mistake.  Filing jointly, which is an irrevocable election, has a price – joint and several liability.  an irrevocable election is something you can choose to do, but cannot undo.  Joint and several liability means that the IRS can collect the entire amount of any deficiency from either spouse.  The deficiency can come either from an audit or from the return being filed without full payment. 

There is the possibility of relief for “an innocent spouse”, but it can be difficult to obtain.  The good news is that the IRS recently announced that it is going to make it somewhat easier particularly for spouses who have been abused.  That piece of good news came in Notice 2012-8, early this month:

Review of the innocent spouse program demonstrated that when a requesting spouse has been abused by the nonrequesting spouse, the requesting spouse may not have been able to challenge the treatment of any items on the joint return, question the payment of the taxes reported as due on the joint return, or challenge the nonrequesting spouse’s assurance regarding the payment of the taxes. Review of the program also highlighted that lack of financial control may have a similar impact on the requesting spouse’s ability to satisfy joint tax liabilities. As a result, this proposed revenue procedure provides that abuse or lack of financial control may mitigate other factors that might otherwise weigh against granting equitable relief under section 6015(f).

The analysis that is done in an innocent spouse case is a weighing of factors.  one of the factors that weighs against relief is knowledge (including what should be known) that the return is wrong or that the tax will not be paid.  Abuse is a factor that weighs in favor of relief.  What they seem to be saying is that abuse might cancel out the knowledge factor rather than just weigh against it.

There is additional relief concerning the effect of the community proper laws and the possiblity of granting relief even on tax attributable to the requesting spouse’s income when the other spouse ran off with the funds to pay the tax.

Here is the better news.  The Chief Counsel has ordered IRS attornies to apply the new standards to all the cases that are in the pipeline.  if you are currently involved in an innocent spouse case it would be a good idea to print out both those notices and wave them in front of whoever you are dealing with.  when you are having IRS trouble, there are three different faces of the IRS you might be dealing with.  CID carries guns and can arrest you and, knock on wood, in thirty years I have never had to deal with them.  From what I have heard of them, they think of themselves as law enforcement. Exams are the people who audit you and difficult as they may be, all they can ultimately do is send you a bill.  They are very similar to tax practitioners.  Innocent spouse cases are in the hands of collections.  They don’t carry guns, but they are authorized to request armed escort.  They can be a little hard nosed sometimes and although they can’t arrest you they can, after a greater or lesser amount of due process, actually take your stuff away from you or tell other people to pay them what they owe you.  They don’t always keep up to the minute on developments, which is why I recommend you print out the notices. One of the most gratifying moments in my blogging career was when someone wrote me and told me that they were able to close a deal after their attorney showed an IRS collections guy a notice they had learned about from my blog.  Who knows ? Maybe lightning will strike again.

____________________________

You can follow me on twitter @peterreillycpa.

IRS Eases Up on Abuse Victims

What is gay marriage? a marriage consists of a wife (the woman) and a husband (the man). Can one person be a wife one day and a husband the next day? Is it decided at the time of this marriage that one person will be always be the husband and the other the wife? or are the concepts of husband and wife to be thrown away like so many other outdated and useless old concepts?

Two people of the same sex committing their lives to each other constitutes a friendship, not a marriage. People often ask why it has to be that way. If two people love each other why shouldn’t they have the right to get married? the fact is, if two people of the same sex want to have a ceremony and dedicate their lives to each other, they can call it a marriage and no one will come and knock on their doors to stop them. the United States is a tolerant country and Americans are a tolerant people who accept the fact that people are different.

But people want same sex marriage to be recognized by the law and this means that other people have to accept the idea that a man can marry a man or a woman can marry a woman which to most people, on the face of it, is ridiculous. there is a difference with identifying your own relationship as a marriage and forcing other people to abide by that classification.

Liberals on the left and libertarians on the right may ask why the government should be in the marriage business anyway? Andrew Napolitano of Fox news said government should not try to stand in the way of a marriage between two people. so in his mind, as long as a marriage is between two people, it doesn’t matter if they are of the same sex.

If that is the case, why does the definition of marriage have to stop at two people? In fact, in this day and age, when a husband and wife often both have to work, why not have a husband and two wives? Instead of sending kids to get day care by strangers or hiring a nanny, the kids can have two legitimate mothers. one mother can work and the other can take care of the children.

Changing the definition of marriage can be rationalized in many different ways. At some point, if it is to have any meaning, it has to have a definition. Every relationship between individuals does not constitute a marriage.

Some people look at same sex marriage as a civil rights issue. This is incorrect as well. there are no separate rules for straight people vs. gay people. Every man has the right to marry every woman and every woman has the right to marry every man. It is not as if one group has one set of rules and another group has a different set of rules. If a man doesn’t want to marry a woman, he doesn’t have to do so. No one in society is forced to get married.

That marriage exists between a man and a woman is a self evident truth that most people, whether they want to admit it or not, know instinctively to be true. all the rationalizations and twisting of logic and the calling of people who feel that same sex marriage is a ludicrous idea ‘Homophobes’ does not change this reality.

At the heart of the movement to legalize same sex marriage is something far more insidious than the idea that two people of the same sex should be allowed to get married. same sex marriage is an attack on the institutions, traditions and stability of the country.

Aldous Huxley, in his forward to a Brave New World wrote the following: In a few years, marriage licenses will be sold like dog licenses, good for a period of twelve months, with no law against changing dogs or keeping more than one animal at a time. As political and economic freedom diminishes, sexual freedom tends compensatingly to increase. and the dictator … will do well to encourage that freedom … it will help to reconcile his subjects to the servitude which is their fate.

In the classic novel Brave New World, history and traditions are wiped out. Classic works of literature are eliminated. the only thing that matters is stimulation of the senses where promiscuity is encouraged and rewarded. Thus this conversation from the book:

Lenina: Somehow… I hadn’t been feeling very keen on promiscuity lately.

Fanny: but one’s got to make the effort … After all, every one belongs to every one else.

We are constantly hearing from the left about how we need to think less of ourselves and sacrifice more for others. They never talk about the successful traditions of the past. They don’t talk about religion or God. the left seems to have an inherent hatred for all religious and time tested traditions. Gay marriage is their perfect vehicle to diminish these traditions.

For a dictatorship to thrive, all the traditions that came before must be discredited. one of the most important traditions in any civilized society is the idea of the family. By blurring the most basic, common sense idea – that marriage is between a man and a woman, you are opening up the door to making everything subjective. some things ARE black or white with no gray in between.

Barack Obama mentor and left wing agitator/community organizer Saul Alinsky understood this all too well when he said: an organizer working in and for an open society is in an ideological dilemma to begin with, he does not have a fixed truth — truth to him is relative and changing; everything to him is relative and changing.. To the extent that he is free from the shackles of dogma, he can respond to the realities of the widely different situations.

At some point people have to make a stand for reality and truth. some things are so obvious that there is no rational argument to be made. the left has made people question their own gut instincts. a country is more than a group of people living within defined boundaries. a country is defined by ideas and values. when a dictator wants control of a country he must attack it at its foundation. make a country mean nothing, make it stand for nothing, and there is nothing left to fight to preserve – nothing to stand in the way of the would-be dictator because nothing is left worth defending.

When you walk into a corporate building in the month of June, you are likely to see a sign that says the following: XYZ Company is proud to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender month. Is XYZ Company proud to celebrate this or is it afraid NOT to celebrate it? At the risk of attracting the wrath of all the compassionate people out there, if you’re going to celebrate Transgender month, how about a celebration for schizophrenia? Where is the month celebrating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? How about signs in the corporate lobby saying XYZ Company is proud to celebrate Bipolar Manic-depressive month?

We have become a society of people that enjoy the thrill of a 3-D movie but can’t name any Supreme Court justices. we are a society of people that know all the contestants on American Idol but can’t name the current Vice President (of course many people who DO know who the Vice President is often wish they were part of the group that didn’t). In short, this is a society made up of people who have become gullible to the stimulus around them provided by the left. They have been told to be tolerant and non-judgmental. By the way, every time people use their brains they are being judgmental so when people tell you to stop being judgmental they are basically telling you to stop thinking. we are getting closer and closer to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.

Is same sex marriage an important enough issue to debate and legislate? Is it even worth writing about while so many really dangerous things are happening? People were asked to tolerate differences, and most agreed that it was the right thing to do. but toleration is not celebration.

The United States is a country of individual rights and individual responsibilities. Though many have tried to pervert what the framers of the constitution meant, their main idea was that human rights come from our Creator, not from other people. In other words, the founding of this country had a religious and moral beginning and it is that idea that has been the backbone of the country’s success. that success will not continue if we abandon those principles.

I keep hearing about couples sleeping with other people. How many people do that? Doesn't their marriage end? How can some people have sex with someone then go home and have sex with their wife/husband and say they love them?

That is a good question. Some people want to live by the new age way of thinking however, it is just a disaster waiting to happen. I heard of people doing this and I truly think it is disgusting.

Necole Bitchie.com has gone dark from January 18, 2012 at 8:00 am until January 18, 2012 at 8:00 pm to protest SOPA/PIPA and Internet Censorship. Learn More here »

In the February issue of Essence, loves of nearly three years Union and Dwyane Wade talk candidly about their views on marriage — and why Union may be headed to reality TV. "We're not rushing it," Wade, a 29-year-old NBA player, says.

Dwyane Wade celebrated his 30th birthday at the Setai Hotel in South Beach, FL. many big stars were in the building to celebrate the occasion including Gabrielle Union, Kelly Rowland, Lebron James, Usher, Alonzo

Conservatives for Michele Bachmann are hoping that she can win the presidential nomination for the GOP in 2012. Based on the recent polling numbers, it looks like she has a good chance to become the Republican nominee. Most people are just now learning who she is, as she is relatively new to the Republican scene.

Bachmann’s early life
Michele Bachmann was born in Waterloo, Iowa. after her parents divorced, she was raised by her mother in Anoka, Minnesota. She attended Winona State University and graduated in 1978. She attended Law School at the O. W. Coburn School of Law. the school became a part of Oral Roberts University. the school moved to Regent University in 1986 after she graduated, and she helped establish the law school at Regent. She and her husband moved to Stillwater, Minnesota in 1988 where they have lived for 23 years. She and her husband have five children, and they have also provided care for 23 foster children.

Bachmann’s Christian background and tea party support
Bachmann has a history of supporting Christian values. She supports pro-life causes and opposes gay marriage. She is the founder of the House Tea Party Caucus. Conservatives for Michele Bachmann recognize that she supports conservative causes, and she is a favorite among Christian conservatives.

Michele Bachmann views on gay marriage
She served in the Minnesota Senate from 2000 to 2006. She established a strong conservative record and organized religious leaders to support a state amendment to define marriage as between a man and woman. the amendment failed to pass. She has taken a strong stance against raising taxes against the wealthy.

Michele Bachmann views on political issues
Michele Bachmann first rose to national prominence in 2006 when she was elected to Minnesota’s 6th congressional district for the 110th United States Congress. In her early years of Congress, she opposed the Iraq troop surge of 2007. She wanted the President to hold a hearing to explain why we needed a troop surge before voting yes for the resolution.

Conservatives for Michele Bachmann love that she is not afraid to speak her mind. unlike many of the political figures in the federal government, Bachmann has strong views on most conservative issues. In 2007, she opposed the higher education finance bill. She felt that the bill favored government run lending programs and did not include any serious reforms for education financing.

Michele Bachmann views on oil exploration
Conservatives for Michele Bachmann love her strong views on gas and oil exploration. When gas prices spiked at over $4 per gallon in 2008, Bachmann was one of the leading voices for expanding oil exploration in the United States. She also believes that global warming is a hoax. this is in stark contrast with her GOP opponent Mitt Romney, who recently proclaimed that I believe the world’s getting warmer. I believe that humans contribute to that. She may be able to garner a lot of support among conservatives for her views on this issue.

Conservatives for Bachmann believe she can win the GOP nomination. Based on her voting history and her Christian background, she is a strong conservative candidate. I think that conservatives for Michele Bachmann have a good chance to see her nominated as the GOP candidate for 2011.

Conservatives for Michelle Bachmann – What Does She Believe?

It’s been mere hours since Britney Spears accepted Jason Trawick‘s marriage proposal and the 30-year-old pop superstar can hardly contain her excitement.

“Still glowing!” she tweeted Friday after Us Weekly exclusively revealed that she and her former agent will soon tie the knot.

PHOTOS: How Britney and Jason fell in love

The couple plans to celebrate their engagement — and Trawick’s 40th birthday — Friday evening at Planet Hollywood and Chateau nightclub in Las Vegas.

“About to jump on a plane to Planet Hollywood in Vegas. Throwing a Bday Party for Jason…So fun. Xxoo” Spears — mom to sons Sean Preston, 6, and Jayden, 5 — added Friday afternoon.

PHOTOS: Brit’s adorable little boys

A source confirmed to Us Trawick popped the question on his actual birthday, Thursday, when he and the “I Wanna Go” singer shared a romantic dinner. Trawick later confirmed the engagement to Access Hollywood and said he and his bride-to-be are “over the moon.”

PHOTOS: Biggest engagements of 2011

“This is something they’ve both wanted for a long time,” an insider tells Us. “It’s a way to cement their family. They’re both extremely happy and can’t wait to become man and wife.”

Britney Spears “Still Glowing” After Jason Trawick’s Proposal

Bishop Eddie Long’s wife, Vanessa Long, has filed for divorce!

Vanessa Long made the announcement today in the following statement:

“After a great deal of deliberation and prayer, I have decided to terminate my marriage to Bishop Eddie L. Long. accordingly, I authorized my attorneys to file for divorce on December 1, 2011. it is my sincere hope that this matter can be resolved expeditiously, harmoniously and fairly. I ask that you respect my privacy and that of my family, as my attorneys and I have agreed that we will not try this case in the media, and I do not intend to make any further statements concerning this matter.”

The couple married in 1990 and have three children together, Edward, Jared and Taylor.

As we previously reported, last fall four young men accused Eddie Long of sexual abuse. although Long vowed to fight the charges, he later settled the matter out of court for an undisclosed sum of money. it was later revealed that a fifth man, Centino Kemp, also received settlement money.

RELATED:

Eddie Long Seeks To Recoup Sex Abuse Settlement Money

Eddie Long Accusers Risk Losing Settlement Money By Speaking out [FULL INTERVIEW]

Eddie Long’s fifth Accuser Centino Kemp goes off on Twitter

Bishop Eddie Long: “I will Honor & Abide By my Commitment of Confidentiality”

Eddie Long had fifth Accuser [VIDEO]

Bishop Paul Morton Says Eddie Long no Longer Takes his Calls [VIDEO]

Atlanta Pastor Says Eddie Long’s “Got Problems,” Invites Ex-New Birth Members To his Church [VIDEO]

Report Says Bishop Eddie Long Settled For $24.8 Million, Gave Private Apology

Creflo Dollar Tells Former new Birth Members To go Back, Compares Scandal To Car Wreck [VIDEO]

Sherri Shepherd goes In on Eddie Long [VIDEO]

Settlement Reached In Eddie Long Sexual Misconduct Case [VIDEO]

Bishop Eddie Long: “I’m Gonna Fight” [VIDEO & PHOTOS]

Bishop Eddie Long – “No Hands” [SPOOF]

Bishop Eddie Long’s Wife Files For Divorce!

Actress Zooey Deschanel has split from her husband Ben Gibbard after two years of marriage.

Zooey Deschanel has split from her husband Ben Gibbard.

The 31-year-old actress – who married the Death Cab for Cutie frontman two years ago – has decided to call time on her marriage, a representative has confirmed to US Weekly magazine.

A source said: “It was mutual and amicable. there was no third party involved.”

Ben – who also fronts the band She and him with Zooey – said in September he thought of his wife as “very beautiful”.

He revealed: “I’d seen her movies and obviously I thought she was very beautiful. [When we were introduced] I was awestruck that she was even talking to me!”

Zoeey – who is a model for make-up brand Rimmel and is known for roles in films including ‘Yes Man’ and ‘(500) Days of Summer’ – previously said she enjoyed marriage as it makes a relationship more concrete.

She said: “You can’t expect to make no effort. You still have to make the effort and be kind and understanding. It sort of just solidifies your commitment.”

Was Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and KOKO really on the Gilmore GIrls finally? What Do you think of Thurston Moore's Solo Albums? The song is “Sheena is a punk rocker” by Thurston Moore and Jemina Pearl. It's the

The rock power-couple is separating after 27 years of marriage and one daughter.

by mark Bazer | Sep. 22, 2011 OK, I'm biased, as that's where we do The Interview show. But I don't think I'm alone in my opinion. For those who don't know The Hideout, this description from the bar's website explains the place far better than I ever

With a career lasting for three decades, Thurston Moore has dipped a toe in most musical genres. Tossing aside his iconoclastic reputation, the singer recently surprised fans by completing a stripped back acoustic album.

Indie power couple Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, both lead vocalists of the iconic band Sonic Youth, have announced that they are separating Do not dismay, Sonic Youth fans. Though the couple is calling it quits after