I Take Honey with My Tea

While I didn't participate in one of the 500 tea parties that took place in the U.S. today, (I'm more of a coffee drinker myself) I do have a few things to say about the significance of this protest.

As I watch hundreds of mostly Republicans wave tea bags and riot all over CNN and FOX News, it makes me think further about the state of our economy. More specifically the future of hard working independent business owners.

I come from a long line of hard-working people. My grandfather immigrated from Lebanon when he was eight-years-old and eventually started his own company that is still successful today. My other grandfather built a pool empire that eventually my own father took over and grew immensely. My mother, uncles and cousins are no different. A strong work ethic was instilled in us since we were young.

Which is exactly why I feel like the black sheep as I sit comfortably in my apartment attempting to claim my weekly benefits. But if our president is just going to raise our taxes, I really don't feel that motivated to go back to work. I think I'll just live off of other people's hard earned money. (Don't kill me for saying that Dad, I'm trying to prove a point.)

But seriously, Barack ORobin Hood is going to kill the spirit of independent business owners and hard working people. I know that my own family would not have been able to grow their businesses had the taxes been higher.

Now we have people waisting their time throwing Lipton bags at news anchors and calling our president a fascist. Surely, some of these tea partiers have better things to do, maybe even get to work. Apparently, I'm not the only one unmotivated to earn a buck.

I'm worried. Will people not care to start their own businesses and be successful? What happened to the American Dream? The dream is starting to become a nightmare. People don't care to work, just to protest. That doesn't get us anywhere either.

Our options are grim right now: party like it's 1773 or collect government money.

Call me un-American, but I'll try an English Breakfast with honey while I wait for my check from the government, dahling.

Tax Day Happy Hour or Tea Party?

Hopefully you're not spending these final hours at H&R Block anxiously crammed in with hundreds of others to turn in your taxes. Whether or not you are, I'm sure you could use a drink today to celebrate the end of this tax season.

Harry's Bar at the Helmsley Hotel is extending their happy hour tonight from 5pm until midnight. That gives you plenty of hours to down some half-price drinks and appetizers.

Or if you prefer to protest Tax Day, you can join in on one of the Tea Parties going on across the country. But don't put all your tea bags in one cup.

I am eagerly awaiting my tax return, which will be a huge help to my unemployment piggy bank. At this point, any sum of money will seem like the lottery to me. I wish I could spend that nice little bundle of joy on some fabulous shoes or trip to Cannes, but unfortunately it will be going to my survival fund (not to be confused with my essentials fund). Now I have no shoes to wear and I'm stuck in the continental USA. If you see a barefoot girl walking around NYC, please give her your spare change.

Happy Tax Day! Will you protest with tea leaves or swallow the inevitable?