If you enjoy a chuckle now and then, try visiting the web site run by those guys who send college students out to paint houses every Summer. Go to www.collegeworks.com for a look. Actually, the web site is clean-cut and simple to use, so it no doubt makes a good impression on some visitors. You might even admire their marketing effort more without such claims as, “Ninety-nine percent of a great paint job has nothing to do with painting.” That’s what their door-hanger says (when the crew finishes up a job, they fan out to sell the other neighbors). No one really explains what it does have to do with.

Governor Blagojevich delivered his “State of the State” address on March 7th and unveiled a Gross Revenue Tax Proposal that could adversely affect almost every business in Illinois. If passed, the plan would take effect on January 1, 2008. All business entities (including partnerships, Subchapter S corporations, SSC’s, and LLP’s) would be required to tax business transactions betweeen businesses and consumers for goods sold at .05% for construction, manufacturing, wholesale, and retail and for services provided at 1.8%. T his becomes monumental, for a sales tax is levied only on the final sale, but the Gross Receipts Tax has the effect of pyramiding because the same goods or services are taxed over and over again in the process. Businesses with gross annual receipts of $1 million or less will not be subject to the gross receipts tax (for the first four years only), but will be liable for the corporate income tax and personal property replacement tax. Exemptions are provided for insurance and medical providers, gaming, non-profits, export sales, and groceries. Interestingly, the proposed legislation bars businesses collecting the Gross Revenue Tax from showing the amount of added tax to customers. Opponents of the plan disagree with the governor’s accusation that Illinois business does not pay its fair share of taxes, pointing out that all taxes are inevitably passed on to consumers through higher prices. Also at stake is the very real perception that the new Gross Revenue Tax will prompt even more business to leave the state for more tax-friendly locales, resulting in the loss of jobs and economic decline. Even Lieutenant Governor Quinn has indicated displeasure with the plan.

Seems like the season for company parties never quite abates. The biggest push always comes during the holiday season bookended by Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, but now we have a long Summer season of picnics, golf outings, and ballgames presenting a fresh round of social and business opportunities…along with the same old hazards and pitfalls. It takes a clear mind and hardy resolve to navigate such scenes successfully, particularly when event attendees include bosses, co-workers, and customers. Here are a few ideas which may make the next round of festivities go smoothly…

• Show up, even if only for a token hour. No one likes the no-shows.
• Regard the event as part of work. Behavior is judged, good or bad.
• Decide what’s more important before you go…letting down your hair for some serious partying, or keeping your cool and networking with the right people.
• Be careful about drinking too much…it’s so easy to get overserved.
• Be careful of what you say, and to whom. Don’t offend anyone.
• Wear appropriate clothes…show respect for the occasion, and class.
• Don’t get enticed into drugs if they show up…just leave, and keep your job and happy home intact.
• Thank the organizers and hosts for inviting you, and tell them you had a good time! It’s the courteous thing to do,…a gesture that will be appreciated.
• Don’t act bored or look at your watch too much. Relax, lighten up, be fun for others to have around.
• Follow up on new contacts after the event. They may bear business or career fruit…you never know.

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have “the rule of thumb.” Of course, meanings and definitions have a way of changing over time.…

Recent research shows that right- handed people live, on the average, about nine years longer than lefties. It was not indicated whether or not the ambidextrous split the difference.

Here’s a tip from our Gardening Department: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If the plant comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

Many years ago, in Merry Olde England, every man jack frequenting a corner pub had a small whistle baked into the rim, or the handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they simply hoisted the mug and used the whistle to get some service attention from the barkeep. “Wet your whistle” is, of course, the phrase that was inspired by this practice.