Omega Mart Weird Retro Commercial, Meow Wolf Las Vegas

Cain's Apology - NOT

 For those of you who care, and I'm guessing not many if any at all, Acid's death has left Cain scrambling to find her "sucker" base.  Her chief enabler has died.  She knows this.  She also knows she has alienated most of the family.  

Cain has hated me for decades.  I know this.  I don't really care.  I got a text message out of the blue from Cain stating how sorry she was for being "cold" at her mother's funeral towards me after I went to give her a hug to acknowledge her loss.  There is an entire backstory to that one.  For starters, I'm not so evil to not acknowledge a loss for someone who hates my guts.  Losing a mother is traumatic.  I was not going to pour salt into a wound on the day of the funeral.  I gave Cain a hug and said I was sorry for her loss.  She recoiled.  

Anyway.......a couple days after Acid's funeral Cain texted me.  I don't know how Cain got my number as we are not "friends."  The text stated how sorry she was for being cold.  I did not buy in.  I know the horrible things she said about me and my family.  I was not about to let her hide behind a text.  If Cain hates me, bring it on.  Say it to my face.

I replied to her text, "This situation deserves a genuine, face-to-face-conversation."

She knows that I know that she knows that I know.  LOL.  Besides, I've learned never to try to settle disagreements via text.  I just does not work. 

After Cain read my text message she then wanted to bring in her sister, Abel, to act as a mediator to our face-to-face meeting.  Fine.  Bring that on as well.  Bring in your older sister to try to fight your fights for you.  I'm ready.  

Now it's excuse after excuse after excuse as to why she can't meet me face-to-face.  

Yup.  I'm holding her accountable.  Nope, she can't handle it.  All of Cain's life somebody has shielded her from facing her own s+*T.    Shield is now dead. 

Anybody who knows me knows that I will rip open the jugular if you mess with me or my family if it's unjustified.  Be prepared.  I *will* own you in the argument.  On the other hand, I am fair.  I will own my own part if I'm guilty in a disagreement and will work toward a resolution to move forward.  

Bottom line:  most people can't face their own s*** when called on it. 

Acid's Death

 My sister-in-law died Tuesday morning.  She was my husband's eldest sister.  The very first time I met her was at Kaiser Hospital in San Rafael 38 years ago.  She had tubes running down her nose.  She told me, "It's nice to meet you, I've looked better."

I thought the comment cute but somewhat out of place.  Nobody expects anybody to look glamorous while lying in a hospital bed.   Looks and appearances were very important to Acid. 

I will be skipping and jumping all over as I've been running the gamut of emotions and associated family dynamics that are six generations deep.  Yes.  I said it.  Six generations deep.  I've known my husband's family for SIX generations of women.  How many of you out there have personally known family members that spanned six generations?  I'm guessing not many.  Does that make me an expert?  NO!  What that does make me is a very keen observer in how family karma and issues are passed down.  There are patterns that play out generation after generation.  The eldest female of Clan Whack-O I met was born in 1896.  The newest female was born in 2017.  ALL of them live(d) in Sonoma and Marin Counties. 

My sister-in-law had a name that one does not hear everyday.  It's not over-the-top weird, but it is not a name that is widely used.  When I was texting one of my CA besties letting her know what was going on with us (my friend lives up the street and the noticed the flurry of cars and people) autocorrect spelled my late sister-in-law's name as ACID.  

Yup.  That about fits it perfectly.  

Acid was the family enabler and head feces re-arranger (a.k.a. $h*+ disturber).  Acid has been mentioned several times over the seventeen year span of this blog.  Acid had two daughters, whom I refer to as Cain and Abel.  Cain, over the course of her life, would spend time in jail for various reasons ranging from voter fraud to stealing to auto theft to lord-only-knows-what-else.  

Cain would neglect her children to the point where the authorities had to be involved, drink herself into a drunken stupor and then trip at the doorway of Safeway.....and then SUE Safeway for selling a 50 year-old woman liquor (Safeway should have KNOWN better to sell liquor to an adult with a valid identification).  They just wanted a cash settlement from Safeway for more booze money. 

Oh, we have not even mentioned where Cain felt up her preteen nephew at a holiday family dinner function and Acid took the side of Cain (oh, it should be excused as Cain had too much to drink to which I said -- BULLSH*T!

That was the end of it for me.  I don't care how much booze you've had.  You don't feel up your preteen nephew as the 45 year-old aunt at a holiday dinner (or any dinner for that matter) and not expect repercussions from the rest of us wanting to toss Cain out into the street IMMEDIATELY.  

Again, I am the BAD GUY for holding Cain accountable and ruining the holiday dinner and telling her she is a sick f***!  Somebody had to  stick up for my nephew, who is the victim of incest and sexual assault.  Yup.  I am the one exiled from Clan Whack-O along with my husband and kids.  What a blessing.  When my kids got married it was a few less wild cards at their weddings as we did not invite them to either one. 

Whew.  Bullet dodged.  Anyway, I'm getting off track.

All of this child molestation, alcoholism, child neglect that Cain did was excused by Acid.  Cain was NEVER responsible for ANYTHING.  Acid would defend Cain to a fault.  I dared to speak up to the dysfunction only to be shot down.   I never played into their sick little dysfunction game and never coddled nor enabled Cain; therefore, I was the "bad guy" and continue to be to this day.  

As you can tell, Cain could do no wrong.  Cain is the Sim character you want to put in the pool and then remove the pool ladder so the character drowns. 

Where was Abel during all of this?  She was rescuing both Acid and Cain from whatever she could because she is also an enabler of sorts.  

Well, well, well...........Acid is no longer around to enable Cain.  Cain is grasping at straws wondering what is next.  Her meal ticket and defender has died. 

Freddy's Beach House

 Over the past four or so years our family has befriended Freddy.  We have befriended Freddy because he is really close to my daughter's in-laws.  Freddy is always at family holidays and events.  He is a really congenial guy and also very smart. 

Freddy is the kind of guy who is generous almost to a fault.  He is also the kind of guy who has roots here in Sonoma County to where thoroughfares you drive on daily are named after his family and you don't even realize it. 

Great.  Steep roots in the county.  $$$$$$$ galore coming out his ga-zoo.   Freddy thinks nothing of spending $100's on a bottle of wine for a crappy back yard BBQ at our house where cheap beer would suffice.  

Where I'm going with this is Freddy has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  His days are numbered.  He is not sitting around feeling sorry for himself.  He is building a deck for my daughter and son-in-law for their home (build date 1880's - so it's DUE).  

We were all at a family party not too long ago before Sissy and I knew of Freddy's condition.  Sissy and I were talking to Freddy and just engaging in party-type chit chat.  Freddy let on that he had this gorgeous beach house and one of his dying wishes was to have a blow-out party there before he got too sick from his cancer to enjoy it.  He wants the party to be his funeral.  He does not want people sad, crying, and having a downer of a time.  He wants to draw everybody together at his beach house while he is alive and have a kick @ss party while, in his words, "I don't have to have anybody wipe drool of my chin nor my @ss."

Well, the party has been scheduled.  I'm going to a funeral while the person is alive and cognizant.  That is the way he wants it.  He knows it is about to change rapidly.  

PARTY AT FREDDY'S BEACH HOUSE!!!  

I can't help but have mixed feelings about it.  I want to honor Freddy and his wanting to have a blow-out party at his beach house, but I'm still hopeful there is treatment for his cancer.  He truly is a good guy.  I want to help his wife plan for the party as one of my talents is cooking for large crowds.  I know they have butt-tons of money and could easily afford to cater everything but that is not the point.  I truly just want to show appreciation for the happiness Freddy has brought to our lives.   

Where I'm going is that all of Freddy's beach houses and all of his friends, could not put poor Freddy back together again.  

From the outside Freddy looks like he has the world by the b@llz.   He has all the exterior trappings our society fawns over.  He has houses galore, property galore, blah, blah, blah, galore.  Here's the truth:  He is sad and dying.  He is lonely despite being married.  

All the glitz means NOTHING when the final days are being ticked off on the wall.  

 All your material possessions, no matter how fancy and desirable, mean absolutely nothing at the end.  Why do we fight so hard during our lifetimes to accumulate? 

That's all. 

 

 

French Bulldogs Part II

 Sonoma County is a small place.  My hairdresser's father had a litter of French bulldog puppies about a year and a half ago.  Several female members of my family go to the same hair dresser that I do....why?  Because it's Sonoma County.  If you find a decent hairdresser you hang on for dear life.  

Why does any of this matter? Because my niece got one of my hairdresser's father's French bulldog puppies.  

Are you following the bouncing ball?  I don't blame you if you don't.  It's my in-law's family and I can't even keep track.

Here's where I'm going.  Nobody likes their French bulldog pup.  They are hyper.  They jump and piss all over everything.  They are obnoxious.  

My hairdresser, who loves dogs, told me how sorry she was for taking in a pup from her dad's French bulldog litter.  Same statement from my niece, who also took one of the pups.

Moral of the story:  Don't get sucked into the "breed of the day" fad.  

Want to See Tesla Drivers Loose Their $h*+?

 Here's a new sport for you all.  We all know the self-righteous environmentalists who claim they love the earth, save baby seals, photograph polar bears, etc., etc., etc.....

Here's where they have cognitive dissonance (a-hem hypocrisy) when called on their own bull.  

Did you know that those who drive around their electric vehicles, over the course of one year, eradicate their so-called care for the environment with ONE plane trip?  

Yup.  One plane trip wipes out what they think they "saved" the environment from.

Air travel is a HUGE component to fossil-fuel emissions that contribute to global warming.  However, the self-righteous Tesla drivers, et al, don't want to deal with that little inconvenient truth.   

I had a dialogue with a so-call environmentalist who cares so much about global warming and the earth the other day.  However, he thinks NOTHING of his own travel that involves planes, trains, and automobiles to photograph polar bears in the arctic while his photography blog laments about the impact on the bears because of global warming.  HE IS CAUSING IT AS WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why do all the environmentalists want to pat themselves on the back for driving an electric vehicle and then turn around and pollute the air on their self-indulgent adventures?  

You have no idea as to the trouble I stirred up even bringing this up.  

I love it.

I Don't Get It

 It's Super Tuesday as far as elections go.  Here's what I don't understand.  Nobody likes the two supposed front runners.  However, how do they get to where they are?  

PEOPLE MUST BE VOTING FOR THEM

So, why do you keep voting for people you despise? You are ENABLING the corrupt SYSTEM.  Go outside of the box!  

Nobody likes our California congressional front runners, either.  However, they are getting votes.  WTF??????  The ones who can help us the most are getting the least number of votes. 

I just don't understand how people we can't stand keep getting projected into office.  There is a disconnect somewhere.  Who is voting for these candidates NOBODY likes??????? 

Bottom line:  There are other names on the ballot who may not have the $lick television advertisements.  Those are the people you really want to vote for.  They are not bought and paid for.  I wish I could shake people and tell them that glitter-bombing television ads does not a good candidate make. 

Low-Low-Low-Low-Low-Low=Low

OK, this is a mandatory song that is played at all wedding receptions as of late.  It is also a song that is played at my old lady exercise class.  At age 50+ I can still get low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low.  I proved it today in the park.  AND BONUS!  Turned around and got my big booty a slap! 

Another Trip Around the Sun

 I am a Pisces, so I just celebrated another trip around the sun.  How I went from getting a fake ID from SSP's sister so I could sneak into bars to obtaining an AARP card to get the "wisdom discount"  is both a blink and a blur.  

I have no idea as to whom reads this blog - assuming anybody actually reads it all - as I do have a reflection question for you all.  You ready? 

What advice would you give to your younger self? 

Plastic - The Beginning and Our End

 Sometime in the late 1940's to early 1950's my late mother-in-law was working in San Francisco.  At the company she worked for investors would come in and pitch their ideas.  She was not a "hot shot" at the company as she worked in the accounting department.  

One day, a man came in to pitch his idea for investing in plastics.  He pretty much preached to the entire company to get in on the ground level and invest as this is going to be HUGE and plastic will CHANGE THE WORLD.

My mother-in-law was skeptical, plus they did not have extra money at the time to gamble on an investment.

Well, well, well.....fast forward 70 years.  The man who pitched plastics was right.  It was a huge investment opportunity and those who got in at the ground level made piles of money.  

Sadly, it is now killing us and our planet.  Plastic is polluting our bodies and our environment to the point where even our hormones are impacted.  It is impacting plants and animals alike.  

I sure hope Mr  Investor enjoyed his piles of money at the expense of our planet.  

My maternal grandmother, who was born in 1903 and lived her life in rural Minnesota without electricity nor plumbing for most of her life was right.  Her stance on pretty much everything was, "If it ain't natural, it ain't good for you.  Anything that comes from a factory or laboratory is poison."

Gramma, you're not wrong.  Mother-in-law, you were right to be skeptical. 

Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup (Unedited Version)

In honor of Toby Keith and his red solo cup.  RIP Toby.  This party resembles my high school years.  We sure had a great time.  Maybe that's why I laugh everytime I see this video.   

 

The Beatles - 60 years ago today

It was 60 years ago today the Beatles made their first American appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  America has never been the same since.  I have been an avid Beatles fan all of my life.  I love the boys from Liverpool and I always will.  Enjoy!!!

Toby Keith: Red Solo Cup

I'm very sad to learn that Toby Keith died.  He was my red solo cup hero.  There are so many people who are sick and dying.  Life is short.  Live it.  I've worked full-time since I was 18 years old.  I'm now looking at rounding the curve to 60.  I was also a student while working full-time AND raising kids.  I worked HARD to put myself through school, have a career, and raise a family with no monetary help. 

That's why I'm now hiring somebody to perform my fiduciary duties on my behalf so my husband and I can travel the world - FIRST CLASS.  We've earned it.  

Hey Toby Keith....we will proceed to party. 

Tortoise and the Hare

 One of Aesop's fables is the Tortoise and the Hare.  The tortoise is slow and methodical - dare we say BORING.  The hare is arrogant, brash, and overconfident in his ability to beat the tortoise in a race.  A tortoise beating a hare to the finish line?  Really?  In WHAT world? 

In my world.

That's exactly what I do.  

Sure.  Hares can jump up and down.  They can run fast.  A tortoise is so slow and boring in comparison.

I know lots of hares.  They may jump up and down and run fast, but they burn out just as quickly leaving a trail of destruction behind them.  If they don't burn out they get divorced, have money problems, get addictions, get health problems, get mental problems, or all of the above.  

Right now I'm on my fifth hare who is trying to beat me to the finish line.  Here is what is so amusing.  The hares are running a relay race where they keep passing the baton to the next hare via elections.  Each hare thinks he has the ALL answers to ALL of our industry problems and is worthy of dismissing my existance.  

Me?  I'm the lowly tortoise.   I'm just plodding along slowly and prudently without pomp and circumstance.  

I'm still around.  All these hares think they have all the answers.  They don't.  They just reshuffle the deck hoping you will forget what their last hand was.  They don't solve a problem without creating three new ones.  Maybe it should be the tortoise and the hydra. 

Next!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

United Airlines

Please, for the love of God, do NOT fly United Airlines if you can at all help it.   At this moment, I am in St. Pete's Beach, Florida, and I *thought* I had a first class ticket home tomorrow afternoon from Tampa to San Francisco with a stop over in Houston, Texas.  Hey!  I purchased a first class ticket!  One would think United would honor that classification.

WRONG!

Getting to the conference from San Francisco to Tampa was no problem.  It's ALWAYS the return trip west bound flights going home that are giving everybody a headache as of late.  When I booked, I looked for flights that were NONSTOP as there is less of a chance of things getting effed up due to air traffic control issues, people not showing up for work, weather, etc.  

Yes, perhaps I sound snobbish to some of you.  Fortunately, I don't care what you think.  I've paid my airline traveler dues for well over 1/3 of a century.  After many, many years of traveling the not-so-friendly skies seated in the plebian-economy-leg-crunching- butt-sniffing seats that happened to be adjacent to screaming babies, I've earned my premier traveler status.  

United Airlines could not care less.  One million miles and United really does not care one lick.  I'm as good as a crated animal in the cargo section to them for all the money and loyalty that has been invested on my end. 

I digress.  Why am I in Tampa?  I'm here for a work conference.  The conference ends tomorrow, which is Wednesday, at noon.  I had my first-class ticket booked to leave Tampa at 3:30.  Perfect.  Or so I thought.

I go to check into my flight using my iPhone during a very dry presentation given by a woman with a monotone voice (think Lilith from Cheers) with lots of numbers and graphs.  It was either get up and get more caffeine or diddle on my phone to keep myself awake.   I decided to diddle on my phone to check into my flight using the "friendly skies" app.

It was then and there I discovered that the flight from Tampa to Houston was just fine and dandy; however, the flight from Houston to San Francisco was cancelled.

Great.

I find out about this.....now?  There was no effort from United to find an alternate flight with another airline or anything.  NOTHING.  The onus was on me to scramble to get on a flight to get me home in time for my work obligations the following day.

Now the fun part.  

I had paid for a first class ticket.  There are no first class seats available for the flight back to San Francisco I re-booked.  I'm in the dreaded middle seat at the back of the plane in the butt sniffing section. Now, again, the onus is on *me* to contact United to get a refund/credit for getting bumped out of a confirmed, first-class ticket that was PAID for a flight I did not choose for a seat that midgets would find uncomfortable.

Here's the rub.  I use their so-called sophisticated artificial intelligence online virtual agent that is supposed to have customer service super powers. 

Nope.  Their crappy AI (which stands for Artificial IGNORANCE in this case - but the ignorance is so REAL) can't handle crediting/refunding customers.  Capitalism at its best.  Policy is ALWAYS for the advantage of the business.  Screw you little customers.  You can be replaced by thousands more little customers.  The pool of little customers is endless......United does NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. 

In the end the super virtual agent told me that I had to call United's 800 number to get a refund/credit issued.  

I called the 800 number.  It told me to call back as the lines were overwhelmed.  <repeat> <repeat><repeat>

Sigh. 

I contacted the super virtual agent again.  Now, I'm supposed to go through United Airlines website to ask for a refund/credit.  

So far, there is nothing super about this virtual agent.  There is no credit/refund for the first class experience that I PAID for and did not receive unless I spend hours on the phone or internet fighting for it.  I have to spend MY TIME fighting for services PAID FOR that were not rendered.  What is MY TIME worth?  

Don't answer because United Airlines does not give a f***. 

Here's my advice:  Avoid flying at all costs.  Zoom into meetings whenever possible.  If you have to fly, do NOT FLY UNITED.  You are better off crawling on your belly for thousands of miles over broken glass.  Trust me.  You will get there before a United flight can.  

At least broken glass will not cancel your flight at the last minute and leave you hanging and not caring how you will get home. 

Flori-DUH

 It has been some years since I've been to Flori-DUH.  I've never been on Flori-DUH's west coast.  I leave at butt-crack of dawn tomorrow from San Francisco to Tampa.  

I've been to Miami a few times and also to Disney World.  I don't recall being very impressed.  I do recall the weather with unbearable humidity and unsavory people like the Russian skanks at South Beach who threw themselves at all my male work counterparts when we got off our chartered bus for a business reception at an iconic landmark.  The Russian skanks were looking for American businessman money.  To my male co-workers' credit, they were even grossed out by it for the most part.  Should I have been angry as none of the Russian skanks even tried anything with me?  Maybe I did not look lesbian enough.  Maybe they had suspected that I knew what their game was.  Whatever.  I do know a few Russian words that can relay that I don't deal with the likes of them. 

"Fuck-eee Fuck-eee cheap-cheap!!!" coo the Russian skanks as they wrap their legs teasingly around these dorky businessmen from all across America disembarking from the chartered buss on our way to our corporate reception. 

 Only one guy in my work group was even mildly amused by it.  He made the mistake of making eye contact with one of them  trying to act innocently, humorously, quasi-interested.  That was a huge mistake.  Once the eye contact was made with the Russian Skank Hord, he had to swat the Russian skanks off like flies on dung.  It was like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror film, 'The Birds'.  I hope he did not contract a disease in the process of the attack.  I will never know as that is private information between my work counterpart and his wife.  Yup.  You read that correctly.

Moving on.

Have you ever *really* watched the news or other trash television?  There's always a story about a Flori-DUH Man.  I venture to say there is even a movie about it.  There is always some horrible crime, dumb-ass, fill-in-the-blank event that always ends up on some crime show titled, "America's Dumbest" or the like.  

They ALWAYS feature the Flori-DUH man.  

The most featured Flori-DUH man these days is Governor DeSantis, who is vying for the White House.  I used to think that he was Trump with a brain.  Now I know that neither have a brain.  NEXT!!!!!

Wait!  Nikki Haley has entered stage left.  What?  She's got something to say!  STFU and let's listen. 

 

Las Vegas

 Sissy, who is turning 50 later this month, has never really been to Las Vegas.  She went 25 years ago when she was first married and Treasure Island still had the live pirate shows.  

A lot has changed in 25 years, but a lot has remained the same.  

Sissy said that she wanted to celebrate her 50th with me, my daughter, and her daughter.  She wanted just the four of us girls.  

Here's the issue.  Sissy is a high-ranking employee at a law enforcement agency.  Her daughter is only 19.  Both myself and my daughter are of legal age and status to do whatever we want, and can take on the task of planning and executing a birthday Sissy and her daughter will never forget.  We did not want to be recognized by small-town Sonoma County. 

Mission accomplished.

We did all the classic, cheesy things people do in Vegas.  We went to see Thunder Down Under.  We went to see the Cirque du Soliel O Show at the Bellagio.  We went to the top of the Paris tower at sunset.  We went to the new sphere to see all the innovations in technology.  

We even went to the Taco Bell Cantina.  Who every thought Taco Bell could be so much fun?

We walked about 10 miles per day. 

Additional Taxes on Employers

 I completely understand why nobody wants employees -- especially in California.  For starters, CA has the most restrictive employment laws in the world.  Employers are to pay for and provide just about everything imaginable for the employee, including places to breast feed their babies and to also provide toilets with a luxury brand of toilet paper that the employees claim does not chap their @sses.  

You think I'm making this up.

Gavin Newsom, who is the governor of California, has hopes of federal office someday despite his statements to the contrary.  We all know politicians lie.  This is his sure fire admission of his ambition.  

Here's where Newsom will get into a quagmire.  His California is in big trouble.  The rest of the nation knows it and wants nothing to do with it.  We have the highest taxes (on the so-called rich) coupled with the highest poverty.  If high taxes solved everything, California would be a model for the world.  

Cough.  Cough.  High taxes have backfired.  Big Time.

"Oh, California has a HUGE budget surplus and the state is awash in CASH," gushed the governor not so very long ago to the point of issuing checks (read:  bribes) to residents.

Really?  I pondered this question not so very long ago myself in a previous blog.  I correctly predicted that this sudden influx of cash was fools gold accompanied by CA legislative foolish behavior.  Nobody wanted to listen to me then.  

Where am I going with this?  California is in trouble.  California caters to illegal immigrants.  Democrats use illegals as a potential voting base by playing Santa Claus to them by giving them everything they want, i.e., free health care, free education, subsidized housing, etc.  The problem is that NOTHING IS FREE.  Every handout is at the expense of somebody else PAYING for it.  Meanwhile, hard-working, legal, Californians are struggling.  Nobody cares about them as they don't produce emotionally provoking headlines in the media. 

Republicans LOVE illegal immigrants as their slave work force.  They use them for cash-under-the-table jobs that are lower than legitimate employers can offer.  Sure, it's easy to give a low bid if the employer ducks workers' compensation insurance and does not pay into Social Security or other payroll tax obligations.  

I will venture to say that even democrats LOVE the illegal work force for the very same reasons republicans do.  They just won't publicly admit it.  

Well, well, well.......CA needs to collect even more payroll taxes to cover the enormous debt.  There is an additional FUTA tax and also an additional CA SDI tax on employers that somehow went unreported by mainstream media.   

Did I mention the mandatory additional sick pay to CA employees? 

No wonder employers are leaving CA in droves.  No wonder why nobody wants an employee in CA and everybody wants to classify them as an 'independent contractor.'  It's simply unaffordable otherwise.  

Texas????  Ohio????  Pennsylvania? ??????  Brace yourselves for the wave of middle to upper-income CA residents getting taxed to death.  

Don't believe me?  Here's a notice I got from QuickBooks payroll about the additional taxes ON EMPLOYERS because California has defaulted on their unemployment loans from the feds.  Why doesn't pretty boy Newsom or the media ever talk about THIS????????  Because it looks like shit on the democrats, that's why.  If the shoe fits...........

Dear Valued Customer,

Due to outstanding federal unemployment loans, CA and NY are subject to FUTA Credit Reduction for 2023. This means New York and California businesses will be assessed additional FUTA taxes on the Form 940 payment and filing for 2023. What is a credit reduction state? Some states take loans from the Federal Unemployment Trust Fund if they lack the funds to pay unemployment insurance benefits for residents of their states. If a state has outstanding loan balances for two consecutive years, the FUTA credit rate for employers in that state will be reduced until the loan is repaid.  This results in employers owing additional unemployment tax. You can get more information about the increased taxes and determine the rate increase for your state in our FUTA help article. What do I need to do? We will notify you by email in mid-January of the exact amount due so that you can ensure that the appropriate funds are available. Intuit will process debits for the additional tax owed after January 15.  In addition, we will prepare and file your Form 940 and Schedule A and pay the taxes due on your behalf by the January 31, 2024 deadline. To estimate the additional taxes you will owe, calculate the total 2023 wages paid for each employee in a credit reduction state, up to the maximum of $7,000. Multiply this by the percentage indicated for your state. To review a report with your 2023 FUTA wages: From your Assisted Payroll company file in QuickBooks Desktop, select the Reports menu, Employees & Payroll, then Payroll Item Detail Click Customize Report Select the Filters tab. Scroll down on the Filters list and select Payroll Item From the Payroll Item dropdown, select Federal Unemployment, then click OK Set the date range to January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023 View your Total 940 FUTA wages from the Wage Base column of the report If you have employees in multiple states,you will need to calculate the FUTA wages for employees in each credit reduction state (CA and NY). We hope this notification helps your business prepare for the additional tax liability due in January for Federal Unemployment Tax. Sincerely, The QuickBooks Team

CA and NY are FUTA credit reduction states for 2023