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I am still fairly new to the ATXcommunity. I visit the site regularly and sometimes add a post. There are some really smart participants here, offering great information and strategies. However, at times it can be intimidating to some of us who do not want to feel belittled when asking a question, especially if it has unknowingly been covered in some way in a previous topic. I have read and felt that some "regulars" are exasperated by us newer participants because we are not always up-to-date with all the topics. I am uncomfortable with the squabbling. This site should lift us all up. I vote to keep this site friendly and professional. As for hi-jacking . . . any time it gets "personal" the thread is on its way down hill.

Apparently the closed captioning software doesn't have "Polar Vortex" programmed into its dictionary...

I am also shouting ...THANK YOU GAIL!!!!! As the poster of the original headache post, I stand behind it! Yes, it is often better to say nothing at all. But, when a serious question about a serious problem is posted, it should not be railroaded into something it was not meant to be. I had that same problem and Jack fixed it. Posters on the other ATX board are clamoring for an answer to the same question. I thought this was a place that Eric (bless him) had created for us to come together to share our tax questions and answers. I have no objection at all to the Jokes or the NT posts, but none of that belonged in that original thread. What happened to our companionship and dignity? Others have left this board because of innuendoes and downright mud slinging. More will if this keeps up. Many of us have become "friends" over the years even beyond this site. Many PMs are posted and often. This is the place I head when I need a friend or a tax answer. I have learned more here than I ever learned from a book. I would like us to become a Tax Family once again.

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Mr. Pencil, thank you for mentioning the "report" function that I would like to encourage people to use. In addition to be moderators, KC and I use the forum just like the rest of you by coming here to share ideas, help others, or we might pop on to quickly search the forum for posts that address a specific issue we are encountering in our work that day. I have my notifications set up so that I see a red number at the top of my screen any time a post is reported, much like the rest of you see when a PM is sent to you. This allows me to very quickly go to that reported post and see what the problem is without wading through all of the new posts that have occurred since my last visit. What is offensive to you might not seem so bad to me or to KC, and without you telling us, we have no way of knowing that a post or particular topic is bothering some of you. You shouldn't feel bad about using the "report" function either; you aren't being a tattletale. Try to think of it as raising your hand in class and giving us a heads up that will draw our attention more quickly to a post or topic.

That is part of the issue. You should NEVER feel intimidated here. It never used to be that way. People get tense during tax season but it is inexcusable for anyone to belittle any question. There used to be an often cited quote used here. "No question is stupid". No question is too simple not to deserve a courteous answer. To the poster, the question might be huge. Let's all try harder to keep harmony on this site.

We got a new Husqvarna snow blower this year (to replace the 30 year old one that still worked but no longer got remotely close to the ground or threw the snow past the driveway). Honest, it has heated handles! The only problem is we were convinced that by buying the new machine, we would be assured of a mild winter with almost no snow to have to blow (kind of like washing your car assures it will rain the next day). Should we ask for our money back?

I haven't said anything yet in this thread or the original, though I have otherwise been an active and controversial poster since joining last September. I have clicked the "Report" button twice, and both times got immediate action from the moderators. Both times (once here and once in Politics) I felt a post was improper even though it was generally on topic. The report allows a member to give a free-form explanation.

>>How about an "unlike" button and maybe after the post gets 10 unlikes it gets removed?<< I think that is an excellent idea. Maybe something less than 10 unlikes. Maybe 5.

I really try to focus on the technical aspects of keeping the forum going. I hate dealing with the squabbling. Sometimes I feel like my 2 year olds can be more civil to each other. I think Gail put it well -- it's not easy to strike a balance between keeping the informal/conversational tone and keeping the threads on track. I don't want the mods to go full-on police state, but it might not be a bad idea for the mods to be slightly more aggressive about hiding posts that are obviously derailing a topic. As always, suggestions are welcome about how to determine when a post needs to be hidden. We'll do our best to sort it out.

I agree. It's Jan 6 - time to get down to business on this part of the forum. All the personal jabs and innuendo should be saved for the "Politics" section, which is still going strong for those of us who want to indulge the urge to lob a few grenades at one another from time-to-time.

We only lost power a few years back at my house during the winter storm that passed through Georgia. I found the best light solution over the summer. It is called Luci and made by mpowered. If you want to search for this affordable alternative for light. I would google search for Luci Light. It was only 15.00 and have more than a few laying around the house and the car. Its light enough (no pun intended) to put in your jacket pocket.

Go to the 1099R and Go to Box 7 and choose 1 and L. It will put 1L in the column and route the 10% amount to the 5329

Is this a house where no one is living for the winter? When we used to go out of town in the winter, we shutoff the main water valve just as a precaution, and left the faucet at the highest level open. It does prevent pipes from bursting.

The mountains just west of me in Virginia have some temperatures in the - range. My son was home for winter break but sent him back last night to check the house and make sure the plumbing did not freeze. We are still on the + side here in Southwest Virginia where I live. It was 3 this morning.

I have a Brother Laserjet printer as well and I use http://fillserv.com/ and 123inkjets for their Generic toners that are less than half the genuine price. I think Fillserv is running a 15% discount and free shipping now. I can not tell the difference in print quality between a genuine Brother and a Generic. I am printing tax return copies not brochures so I am going for the least expensive options. There is a company from Las Vegas called Associated something that will cold call Tax Preparers and try to sell you a high capacity replacement for like $80. Beware. I got burnt last year and a friend of mine as well. It is the same generic toner but they charge a lot more.

I have very good luck with Compatible cartridges from Cartridge Warehouse on Amazon. The price is amazing and the mileage is too. My low toner light has been on for over a month and I haven't even shaken it yet. I have stocked up for the coming assault.

You have to think back to the basics of AMT to get your head around this. Every tax return is calculated two ways, according to regular tax and again using AMT rules. The taxpayer pays the higher of the two. (If regular tax is $20k and AMT is $25k, the tax liability on the return shows as $20k on line 44 plus $5k AMT on line 45.) For 2013 tax rates have increased, certain taxpayers are subject to phasing out dependency exemptions and itemized deductions, medical deductions now match AMT rules, and then there are the new Medicare and investment income tax surcharges. Thus regular tax rates are going up, so the difference between regular and AMT is no longer as great. In the above example, regular tax is now $23k so AMT is only $2k. Bottom line is still the same.

Just as soon as the IRS starts accepting e-files again, and the return meets MEF requirements. When you create the e-file, the program will tell you if it meets MEF or not. Jan 31 is currently the date.