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KC, I am on the other side of the fence from you when it comes to politics and probably some other social issues. However, I know that when I meet you, for one day we will meet, I will sit down with you, drink a cup of coffee and we will like each other. We will talk about taxes and family and baseball and we will joke a bit and we will like each other. We people in the US are more alike than not. All of us want the same thing in life: for our children to be healthy and educated, to have food in our bellies, a roof over our head, to have friends and family that love us. I come to this board for the comaraderie of my fellow tax preparers. I get so much of the divisiveness of our country from other sourcess that I simply do not look for that divisiveness here.

I'd love it if we could hover over the thread title and get to see what the thread is about before making a committment. Nothing personal to anyone. I love you all. Like a fat kid loves cake.

I have been a member of this Board (and it's predecessor) the entire time I have had a practice. I think those who have known me during that time will agree that I don't 'sound off' or say things that are critical of others, but I am compelled to end that streak today. In my mind, the topic of this thread (and the fact that KC had to post it in the first place) threatens the very essence of this Board. We provide invaluable advice to each other as colleagues. We support each other through tax and business challenges. We have also, however, been through deaths, illnesses, personal crises, weddings, graduations, birth of children/grandchildren, etc. I know as much about many of you - rejoice in your joys and cry with you in your sorrows - as any colleagues I have locally. It is the relationship that allows me the safety of asking questions about tax situations and trusting the answers. It seems to me that every couple of years someone relatively new to the board tries to rock the boat. I am at a loss to understand why. I remember several years ago when a few new people complained because Jainen was too blunt in some of his answers and it hurt their feelings. Jainen left the Board for what felt to me like a long period of time, and that was an incredible loss to the community. Jainen had bluntly pointed out my errors a couple of times. I deserved it; I learned from it, and I'm a better preparer for it. I bring this up because it appears that now someone is trying to shut down KC's posts, and i fear a similar loss. Who do you people think you are? If you don't like the community and its structure, find another! Positive suggestions for the betterment of everyone? Great! Whining because long-time, incredibly knowledgeable members don't do things the way you would - not so much. Please respect what is here and has been cultivated over many years. If you don't like someone's posts, don't read them. Every post is clearly identified, and it's easy to avoid those you don't want to see. If I sound defensive, I am. I look back on the beginning of my practice, and I didn't even know what it was that I didn't know (and without Jainen and OldJack going into Professor mode, I might never have bought a clue). Without this forum, and some of the incredibly knowledgeable folks here willing to give FREE advice during the busiest time of the year, I would have made some mistakes early on that might have changed the entire course of my practice. This is a learning environment in a community that cares about its members. Don't ruin it for the rest of us. I am a sole practitioner. This Board is my 'firm'. There are other Boards out there, but this one is unique. On another note, I don't have an opinion about what the Board should be called; however, if it changes, I hope I'm on the 'notification' list! (Especially after this post.) Thanks for listening. d

"The forum formerly known as ATX"? 1. Yes, topics frequently stray from the original. I see no problem with that. 2. If I don't like a topic (or have no need for it in my practice, at all or just not right now) I skip it; so can others. 3. I feel safe here posting "dumb" questions, and also feel confident that the responses I get will be both correct and helpful (even if occasionally hard to hear). 4. People who disagree with the above have plenty of other online places to go hang out. Here's your hat and don't stumble on the way out. 5. NT means NT. Whether it's a joke when you're in a bad mood, or a political topic, you are warned. 6. If you can't keep your nose out of an area you _know_ you don't like, and get your nose out of joint, that is seriously not _my_ problem. Grow some control. I love all my friends here, even those whose views I disagree with. And I think if we had a chance to just sit down and chat, we'd find far more things we agreed on than either of us suspected at the start. I say every year -- and I mean it every year -- that I could NOT run my practice without my online forum friends as my backup.

KC, I don't agree with your politics all of the time, but I will defend the right of anyone to say what they think as long they say it without being hateful or mean to those who hold different views. I don't think I have ever seen you say a hateful or mean thing. As for your comments, FTM, I don't know if anyone is pointing Bobby to your comments on this board but it is a public forum and he (or Kimmie) could just as easily read them for themselves. You don't even have to be a member to read the comments - only to add to them. I personally was rather grateful when your anti-ATX, anti-Bobby and anti-Kimmie posts were put in one place where if I was not in the mood for vitriol I could avoid them. I stuck with ATX this year, and I can understand your feelings. It has been the longest, most frustrating, most time-consuming tax season I can remember. But sometimes I felt that you were a little overboard, and I was glad to be able to avoid those comments when I was short of time. And most of all, I agree with RitaB. I love you all! And I love Rita's simile!

Everyone should hide any pressure cooking devices they own. The administration is certain to enact tight controls on ownership and purchase of pressure cookers now.

Hundreds of people defend themselves succesfully every week with legally owned guns. The stories RARELY make the liberal media.

Lion, dear, you are also missing the point. The point is that evil and deranged people will always find ways to destroy and to kill. NONE of the proposed additional regulations would have had even one iota of effect on Newtown. What COULD have helped in Newtown was a principal who had a locked cabinet with a loaded shotgun. A janitor or teacher with concealed-carry and defensive shooting training. Instead those poor, brave, defenseless souls tried to stop a killer with NOTHING on their side. If having firearms locked up and declaring "gun free zones" worked, then there would have been NO violence at Newtown -- the school had already been declared gun-free! So there were no guns there, right? Crazy does NOT mean stupid. Did you know that the Aurora CO killer purposefully did NOT go to any of the TEN theaters closer to his home? The one he went to, the one he carefully chose, was one that advertised itself as "gun free." He KNEW, going there, that NO ONE would be able to STOP him, and he could continue his murderous, evil spree until the cops showed up -- during which time he had sitting ducks. Victim creation. There was an attack at a school just a week or two ago, with an Exacto knife used as the weapon. Dozens hurt. Are we going to ban exacto knives? Pressure cookers, like they used just two days ago here in Boston? Fireplace pokers? Cars? More people are MURDERED every year with CLAW HAMMERS than with firearms. The worst mass killing in the US was at the beginning of the 1900's by a deranged man in Maine, who used TNT (or dynamite, or something - can look up details online) that he legally obtained (used in rural areas to get rid of tree stumps) and hoarded FOR A YEAR beforehand. Oklahoma City -- fertilizer and diesel fuel. EVIL is the problem; evil and the choice to commit an evil act. The tool is NOT the problem. Focusing on the tool DOES THE WORK OF EVIL because it leaves the REAL problem -- the problem of evil -- ignored while everyone gets all frantic to DO something about a tool!! Firearms, in the hands of law-abiding citizens, SAVE tens of thousands of lives EVERY year. Most of those times the gun is never fired; merely brought out in the open. We don't ban cars because drunk drivers kill (and kill far more people annually than all firearms deaths). We take away the drunks' licenses (and far too rarely, in my view). Mrs. Lanza may never have been called to defend her town. The Constitution says she should be ready IF called. The score-political-points-using-dead-children crowd think there should be no magazines with more than 7 rounds. So, it's OK with them for a killer to have 7-round magazines? That can be changed in seconds? And use them uninterrupted for 10-15 minutes until the SWAT team shows up? But not OK for someone defending their family (or the kids in their school) to have a 20-round magazine? Where is the sense in that? Define "lots" of ammunition? One state nitwit here in Mass said a few years ago she didn't know why anyone would "need" more than 50 rounds for practice in any week. If I am practicing Olympic standard pistol, I can go through 200 rounds in less than an hour. (My husband keeps telling me to try out for the US Olympic Team in Ladies Standard Pistol; someday I just might.) Maybe I don't know why anyone would "need" a BMW 7-series car; what's wrong with a Ford Focus or Pontiac Vibe? WHY is it the government's job to decide what I need? --It is NOT their job; and none of their damned business, either. A government that decides how much ammunition you "need" will next decide how much soda you can drink -- whether you may purchase water in plastic bottles in your town -- if meat is too "resource intensive" for people to eat -- whether you get treatment for your illness or not -- and turn King George's tyranny into benevolent negligence by comparison. The Constitution was designed to LIMIT the government's power over individuals and keep it OUT of our day to day lives. I say again -- the proper place to look for answers is how EVIL gets hold of people, how it twists them, how it grows hatred -- and how to stop evil. Do NOT help further evil's agenda by blaming the tools it uses.

And, I love all the people here, especially KC and Eric who provide a home for us all. I tell my clients that I am not alone, that I have my virtual watercooler of helpful and caring tax preparers. Just like at the watercooler, we're going to discuss business but also take a break and discuss NT. But, we're never going to tell someone to go away or even be rude -- because everyone's listening! (Mom & Pop might have to discipline one of us, though.)

Well said, Maribeth. I don't agree 100% with the politics on either side of the aisle, and I don't mind anyone expressing their view as long as it isn't a rant. I learned some things the other day from Catherine about the global warming debate that I hadn't heard from either party because the radicals on each side are too busy...well...being radical. I enjoy the diversity of the group and reading all of the posts, and I love cake. To Florida Tax Man, I agree that Bobby might be reading this forum for himself. Some of your posts made me smile, some didn't. I simply read most all of the posts and move on. I don't really care if the NT posts are separated or not. Most of the threads end up somewhat hijacked and stray from the initial posted topic anyway. It makes me smile because no one here ever points that out or gets reprimanded for hijacking a thread that causes the discussion to wander off in another direction. Other forums I'm on, the hijacker might get blasted by other users or the moderators. It's refreshing to see that we bean counter types that are perceived to be sticks-in-the-mud aren't that rigid. The name might need an update, but whatever it turns into, I'll be here. Thanks to all that participate and make the busy season a little more bearable.

I haven't deleted any of your posts, only consolidated them. I didn't do it because I found them offensive. People were reporting your new threads as spam because there were so many posts made so frequently that were all quite similar in theme. In other words, my goal was to improve the signal to noise ratio in the forum--something that's even more important when so many people are having trouble with their software and trying to find solutions. There's nothing wrong with sharing your feelings about ATX/CCH. Just don't all over the place while you're doing it. EDIT: New emoticon added!

>>Can the partnership returns be amended to capitalize the improvement back in 2007 when everything started?<< I'd like to hear what you tell the other partners--"Please cancel the big deduction you took back in 2007. Even though it means more ordinary income with five years penalty and interest, you will have lower long term capital gain!" Anyway, no. That accounting change would require a Private Letter Ruling. And it wouldn't be approved, because there is no business purpose other than tax savings for one of the partners who wants to cover unrelated investments. I don't understand what "loss" you are referring to. If he couldn't take the original losses because they were passive, they are still available for the year of sale. If he couldn't take them because they exceeded his investment basis, he doesn't have much to complain about. It kind of sounds like he DID take them but just didn't benefit because he was already at zero. In that case, you might take a look at an NOL, but 2007 is pretty much off the table by now.

There was one person on the Drake forum who said he would not renew with Drake. Everyone else indicated that a one-time problem, as bad as it was, was not a reason to switch. Drake probably had thousands of calls and was unable to handle all of them and, as one Drake user pointed out, he would rather have them working on fixing the problem instead of answering telephone calls. Drake finally got things working about 11:00 P.M. at which time I was sound asleep since I sent my last transmission before the system went down. If Drake had multiple problems, it would be a good reason to switch, but switching for a one-time problem would be like one of your clients switching if you made a one-time error in preparing their return. A week or two earlier, all of Drake's web sites were not working. They claimed the problem was not within Drake, but elsewhere on the internet. At that time I could access any web site other than Drake's. A day later, I I could not get on the internet at all--to Drake or anywhere else. An hour or two later the internet was up and running again. There is always a risk that massive last-minute filings could overwhelm either the IRS or the software provider, so people who wait until the last minute to file or request an extension deserve at least equal blame.

I don't know how many of you have ever met KC in person, but I have broken bread with her. There is not a more charming, giving person in the world. My heart still breaks for her loss in the last year, and the health issues she has gone through. During that entire time, she was still here with us. I consider her a friend. If she is not here, this board will be greatly diminished. Tom Hollister, CA

Next will be a move to ban ownership of pressure cookers and canners, ball bearings, BBs, nails, screws and all scrap metal, by the American public to prevent what happened in Boston. Same logic applies.

I don't have much of an opinion on that myself. I own and will continue to own the atxcommunity.com domain. If, at some point it's decided that it makes sense to change the name and we get a new URL to match, atxcommunity.com will always continue to get you here. This forum software has so many features, it borders on insanity. I'm sure there are quite a few features that even I don't know about.

I think the NT helps me avoid what I don't have time for that day. I wish the Software forum handled all the software complaints and questions; but that's because I'm here to learn about taxes and dealing with clients and the IRS and not to learn about ATX, because I stopped using ATX shortly after this board was born. I do think we need a new name so others understand this is a tax preparation forum and not one dedicated to using a specific software. I think a new name would help us gain new minds that are searching and answering questions re our profession and not new minds that just want a place to rant about ATX.

I RESEMBLE THAT REMARK!!!

I like your NT posts. I like my NT posts. And I like most other people's NT posts. If I see one I don't like, I just don't look at it anymore. It just isn't that complicated. As far as renaming the Forum is concerned, it might be worthwhile to modify the name. It is an unofficial forum for any vendor of any product. That is by far its greatest strength. It had its genesis with ATX users, yet we've always welcomed non-ATX'ers as well. Next year I think there will be MANY more of them, assuming ATX is still on the market. So maybe we should call it the Unofficial ATX (and other vendors) Forum - or someting more descriptive.

I wouldn't

I have had the same issues all year...I have never felt so inefficient in all my years...boxes unchecking and checking, assets dropping, numbers changing and I have to go back and rework everything, Taxable social security disappearing, and all I ever hear from ATX is we apologize for that..we understand your frustration. GET REAL...this is our reputation on the line. I have made the best decision I could possibly make for this practice and that is to find a new software, as much as I have loved the forms based software, it is just not in my clients best interest to stay with ATX

Good perspective. Let me add my sincere blanket apologies as well.

In view of this development . . . . I'm really, really(!) sorry to all you who I might have ticked off this tax season.

This is just a friendly reminder that the Senate will begin voting on gun control tomorrow. And I don't know what 'my #9 post' means? As this is the 8th post of mine in this thread? Believe me, I have had a hard time resisting posting about abortion, given the Gosnell trial.

Taxpayers generally will NOT accept any responsibility for being "last minute." As though they are the only taxpayer in the whole world.

No, Ari, Lanza used a semi-automatic rifle, no automatic rifle can be legally purchased. And even those proposing enhancement of background checks admit that it would have had no effect on him, as he stole the weapon, not bought it. While I hate what he did as much as anyone, any sane person anyway, the truth is that you can not stop insane people from doing insane things by passing another law. Are you now going to ask for a law against pressure cookers? I'd suggest before you totally buy the idea that getting rid of guns would make us safer, you study the actual results when Australia actually did it. http://www.lexrex.com/articles/australia.htm http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2013/02/gun-confiscation-in-australia-not-shown.html As for this post being on here, it is clearly marked Non Tax and also the topic name makes it clear, I believe, that if you don't want to read about such things, you can skip it. But given that the national media tends to ignore many of the things like the stories I posted, where law-abiding citizens are being attacked for merely having legal weapons, I feel it makes sense to bring those stories to a larger audience I totally respect your right to ignore them that is why I made the topic clear what this thread was about. I just reserve my right to speak out about things that concern me, as long as they are properly labeled. After all, mass shootings are extremely rare events. They were even rarer before the modern era of gun regulation and mass media. To take away everyone's ability to protect themselves, in an attempt to prevent events such as Newtown, makes no sense to me at all. Perhaps the fact that I live in the country, where calling the cops would mean at best a response in 25-30 minutes, makes me more sensitive to this. Yes, there have been home invasions near me, in the last year, and in both cases the homeowners were tied up and beaten, and then killed. I do not want to have my ability to defend myself limited by some politicians who have armed guards whenever they travel out in public as well as while they are working. [in the rare cases where they actually work.] I'm not a trained marksman, although I have taken some firearms training, so I want to know I have enough shots that I can take on several thugs without running out of ammo. If you don't want that, that is fine with me.. It is your choice. But it's not your right to take away my rights.

Drake went down intermittently all during the 15th and their customers couldn't even transmit TO them. From what I hear their vaunted phone lines went dark too. Nobody's perfect. I wonder why all the drake people aren't in here bitching?

Of course in that just born nation, guns were flintlocks and the US had no real army to speak of, nor a Navy as you mention. Militias and privateers were necessary to defend the nation. The ability of our armed forces has changed just a wee bit, wouldn't you say?

NO!!! You need to go study the Constitution and the history of that time. The 2nd Amendment is the most strongly worded absolute prohibition in the entire Bill of Rights. Additionally, the entire purpose of that amendment is to ensure that We, the People, have a last-ditch protection against a government turned tyrannical (remember the Constitution was written barely FOUR years after the Treaty of Paris - which ended the Revolutionary War - was signed). The War of 1812 was won because of the efforts of _privateers_ -->privately owned _warships_ that were as heavily armed (or more so!) than our small and, at the time, rather pathetic nascent Navy. I would support regular training requirements (the meaning of "well-regulated militia"), and prohibitions against legal firearms ownership by violent criminals after prison release. Please note that violent criminals rarely bother trying to acquire firearms legally -- they just buy them on the black market. If we can't keep drugs out of constantly-guarded prisons, it will never be possible dry up the black market in firearms.

ATX used to have more flexibility, some of that was taken away this year. I was a longtime user since almost the beginning, it had worked very well in past years, and it was a good fit for my small practice. That being said, I can't consider using it again unless CCH changes their refund policy since I did receive a refund from them. Their current policy says that I can't ever request and receive another one. What if that future program is defective or doesn't work for me? I won't throw money away. Drake worked well for me this year. It was faster in almost every respect and handled my multistate returns better than ATX ever has. It might not be for everyone though, and that's why we have choices that should be evaluated each year. None of us knows what the future of any of these programs will be as technology changes and as programs are rewritten. I like JohnH's policy of having a program in reserve.

What does it say when 26 forms were updated 4-15 and 18 forms updated so far 4-16??

1. All of my family is OK. 2. Fiona was at work about two blocks from the explosions -- she felt the shockwave from the blasts. They locked down the store for a bit then shut down and sent everyone home. 3. I do know some people who have relatives currently in the hospital and in surgery. One of my contacts runs a really excellent community newspaper north of Boston; his sources are just fabulous and I've been getting my news mainly through him on Facebook. Tom Duggan is the name if anyone wants to look him up. 4. Prayers are always in order and appreciated for all those hurt. This story has several good sources for helping: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/04/15/how-you-can-help-in-the-wake-of-the-boston-marathon-tragedy-and-what-others-are-doing/

Let me know if you find one.

Is there an island somewhere where the last handful of us who are still sane can go and live in peace?