Free Republic

Konstantin Anikeev, an experimental physicist, assembled everything he needed for an inquiry far outside his field. His materials included American Express cards, the government’s view that credit-card rewards aren’t income, and his own willingness to spend time buying gift cards and money orders. He pulled the concept from personal-finance websites: Exploit the difference between unlimited 5% rewards and lower fees on gift cards and money orders. “If one has a theory, one can test it experimentally. Some are easier to test,” Mr. Anikeev said. “Others require a Large Hadron Collider or something like that. But this one was a bit...

Some of the drivers that bought new cars through cash for clunkers are learning that it wasn't quite the deal they hoped for. Keloland Television: But many of those cashing in on the clunkers program are surprised when they get to the treasurer's office windows. That's because the government's rebate of up to $4500 dollars for every clunker is taxable. "They didn't realize that would be taxable. A lot of people don't realize that. So they're not happy and kind of surprised when they find that out," Nelson said. We imagine that MOST people didn't know the rebates were taxable......

RCMP officers in Montreal have dismantled an international operation that they allege was selling marijuana seeds over the internet. INDEPTH: MarijuanaInvestigators claim they seized 200,000 seeds, enough to run 500 grow operations if planted and nurtured correctly. That many plants would have the potential to generate about 42 million joints, reporters were told as police displayed the seized material Tuesday. See-through envelopes each held half a dozen tiny khaki seeds, and carried labels displaying names such as Thai Tingler. Police also showed stacks of high-denomination bills, some bars of gold, several computers and a black T-shirt printed with the URL...

American workers have been getting the short end of the stick since 1943. That's when the United States Congress, in response to the costs of World War II, passed the Current Tax Payment Act. The act requires employers to withhold taxes from their employees' paychecks, overturning the previous system in which workers were paid first and settled their tab with the government later. The Current Tax Payment Act is why so many people look at their paychecks and wonder where all their money has gone. My poor dad -- who also happened to be my real dad -- often said...