DOUBLE JEOPARDY = Damned if you Do or Don't!!

If you have ever played it close to the bone when making a payment or paying a bill like I have; then you know how important it is to know you are credited with the proper documentation that proves you made the deadline. Most of the time, it was a USPS postmark that provided that proof. But now, with new rule changes, that postmark might not get done right away, leaving you with no proof that you beat the deadline! Imagine this: you drop your property-tax check into the neighborhood blue box on January 31, confident and triumphant — and three days later you get a cheerful postcard that says, “Late fee applied.”  Welcome to the age of the regional postmark , an August 2025 USPS policy change that quietly moved the place (and the day) where your mail gets stamped.  It’s bureaucratic roulette, and your tax bill might be the marble. Here’s what actually changed (short version): until August 2025, postmarks were typically applied when mail was first handled at the local post ...

If you’ve ever dreamed of reviving the family road trip aesthetic — complete with fake wood paneling and a cooler stuffed into the back — the Trump administration says your retro fantasy just got a regulatory assist.  The Transportation Department’s newly proposed rollback of fuel-economy rules would lower the industry-wide target to 34.5 mpg by 2031 (down from roughly 50.4 mpg under Biden-era guidance ), and officials cheerfully noted that easing the car-vs-truck classification could nudge automakers to build more passenger wagons again. “This rule will actually allow you to bring back the 1970s station wagon — maybe a little wood paneling on the side,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNBC , pitching the change as a victory for consumer choice.  “We can bring back choice to consumers so yeah the minivan is awesome but maybe the station wagon is cool too.”  It’s an image that lands somewhere between nostalgic and, well, very 1974. Why would a fuel-econom...

, If you sleep with one eye open because you’ve got a ring of cameras protecting the crib, congratulations — you’re modern, cautious, and legally allowed to feel smug.  Now imagine someone shows up scouting your property with a tiny, illegal box that turns your vigilance into static... That’s the world of Wi-Fi jammers : small, portable devices that drown your home network in noise so cameras, doorbells, and smart locks lose their voices at the worst possible moment.  Time to stop imagining it and start 'hardening' your security. How jammers work (short and not too geeky): a jammer blasts a stronger radio signal on the same frequency your devices use (usually 2.4 GHz , sometimes 5 GHz ), forcing them to drop packets, reconnect, or simply flake out.  It isn’t a Hollywood hack — it’s basic RF interference .  Thieves reportedly have used this trick: news outlets documented incidents where homeowners’ cameras went fuzzily blank as burglars approached — one KPRC Clic...

Polk County  Florida homeowners, gather ‘round — it’s time to read the fine print like it owes you money... The previous headline a while back about property taxes was delightful: the county announced that it cut its millage rate .  The reality, for many residents, felt more like a sleight-of-hand trick performed by a budget committee: multiple Non-Ad Valorem assessments ( MSTUs — think stormwater , parks , library , etc.) quietly climbed at the same time, producing higher total tax bills even as the advertised “tax rate” dropped.  If taxes were a magician, this would be the part where it pulls your retirement out of a hat and calls it a public safety improvement. Here’s what a preliminary, not-terribly-magical AI generated audit found: between fiscal years 2021–2024 , Polk County adopted several MSTU increases — in a number of cases roughly 7%–9% above the rolled-back rate .  Simultaneously, the headline millage was reduced.   The combined effect?  A l...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a theatrical — and politically combustible — road-map for what he says is the ultimate homeowner flex: eliminating property taxes on primary residences .  Think of it as the fiscal equivalent of ripping off a Band-Aid while promising to sew the bandage back on later — but only if 60% of voters nod in 2026 and lawmakers play ball. “People are being pinched across the economy in a lot of things,” DeSantis told FOX Business ’ Varney & Co.  “We're doing fine at the state [level], but the local property taxes are hurting people.”  He doubled down on the rhetorical mood: “The reality is these local governments have overspent, and people are paying more and more for that.  And at some point it's like, when is enough, enough?”  Those lines land like campaign slogans with actuarial consequences. Here’s the skinny on what’s being floated in Tallahassee : a $500,000 homestead exemption (with a potential $1 million cap for senior...

On December 7, 1941 , service members and civilians lost their lives in a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor .  We remember the bravery of those who died and the lives forever changed that day — especially the sailors and Marines aboard the USS Arizona , many of whom remain entombed within her hull.  Their sacrifice deserves solemn respect every time we step onto that hallowed ground. A very brief history, straight and true: on the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese forces launched a surprise aerial assault on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii .  The attack sank or damaged a swath of battleships, destroyers and support craft, destroyed hundreds of airplanes, and resulted in roughly 2,390 American casualties on that day — plunging the United States into World War II . The battleship USS Arizona suffered the heaviest losses: 1,177 sailors and Marines perished when the ship blew apart and sank; more than 900 of them remain with the ship to this day, ...