Think Again - Brian Houser's Blog

While I've always been a libertarian (by the n...

2009-07-27T21:54:56.880-04:00

While I've always been a libertarian (by the numbers and philosophically), I struggle placing my military beliefs. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on (anti-)militarism in a future installment.

Same thing as everyone else. No Rebate. Company we...

2009-06-08T11:59:59.246-04:00

Same thing as everyone else. No Rebate. Company went bankrupt and the new company handeling the rebates has no record of my submission. Called Adobe and they were no help. Said they had legal issues with the first rebate company. Don't let the rebate entice you. You won't get it.

I've been trying to get my $20 rebate from the pur...

2009-04-27T11:01:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to get my $20 rebate from the purchase of Adobe Elements 7 since November, 2008. After numerous calls to the so-called "rebate center" in January, February and March, 2009 they finally told me to resubmit the paperwork in March, 2009. I had previously asked them a number of times if I should resubmit everything and they always said NO. I resubmitted everything, waited 4 weeks and called. They said they didn't have it and I should wait another week. I called 2 weeks later and they said they still didn't have it and I should resubmit everything again. They wouldn't give me a fax number or email address. It's the end of April and I am about to resubmit the information for the second time but I don't really believe I will ever receive the rebate. THIS APPEARS TO JUST BE A SCAM AND I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ADOBE PRODUCT AGAIN!!!!!!!

I'm about to submit a rebate for my copy of the El...

2009-03-21T13:13:00.000-04:00

I'm about to submit a rebate for my copy of the Elements 7 combo. Wish me luck!

I have the infamous tab 1, the completed form, a "rebate receipt" from Fry's Electronics*, and a copy of the page with the amount paid off my receipt (invoice) from Fry's as well. I've scanned everything, including the stamped envelope!

What's tab #2 for, anyway? Just to confuse us? lol

*I wonder if the special rebate receipt that lacks a total amount paid will be an issue (probably, huh?). It just has the date, product, and some rebate information.

Additionally, the fine print states that certain stores are excluded from the rebate, including Best Buy, BJ's, SAM'S CLUB, Costco Wholesale, OfficeMax, and Wal-Mart. Wow.

Wish I had better news about adobe rebate. I boug...

2009-01-12T16:18:00.000-05:00

Wish I had better news about adobe rebate. I bought shoptshop elements 7 with premier 7 at Costco, it came with the typical $30.00 NON rebate. I submitted all the paperwork as required, logged on "adoberebatesstatus.com", entered my ID info and got a page stating that my rebate would be paid on dec. 17, 2008, never happened. I have logged on twice since and got a different story, still NO rebvate. tried to log on today and can't find the site, but I found this one so I am telling my story. I last bits of info i sent adobe was that I will file a complaint with California State Consummers Affairs and the states AG for all the good it will do. I will try and return for a refund the software to Costco. By the way watch out for Fry's electronics extended Warranties they are about as good a Adobe's rebates.

I think I have every Adobe product imaginable, but...

2008-10-18T11:21:00.000-04:00

I think I have every Adobe product imaginable, but I like Premiere elements for same reason you do. Quick, fast and YouTube friendly. However I have never received a submitted request for the promised rebate. Adobe makes it VERY hard, if not impossible, to get rebate easily. It has to be deliberate, especially using Mickey Mouse “tab 1” method. You should be able to just send in receipt, box top, rebate form and be done with it. Thanks for opportunity to vent. While we are on the subject of getting grilled, DON’T EVER BUY a TEC Grill with so called 10 year warranty. They will not honor it even after I wrote the CEO. Thanks again! Mike

I have had a similar experience after a purchase o...

2008-08-29T12:42:00.000-04:00

I have had a similar experience after a purchase of Adobe 6.0, promising a $20 rebate. My postcard from them said I didn't include "Tab1". There was a sheet inside the top flap which I tore off and sent in but nothing that said "tab1". I called the number left by someone previously, on this blog, and did eventually get thru to a warm body. He insisted there was a "tab1" clearly marked as such. There wasn't. He was able to get rid of me by giving me a fax number [480-606-4313] to resubmit the copy of what I had already sent.
Pretty sad.....glad I wasn't counting on the rebate from the start.....

Well, I can report that as of August 25, Adobe is ...

2008-08-23T13:24:00.000-04:00

Well, I can report that as of August 25, Adobe is still doing the same thing. I'm having trouble getting a rebate for CS3 because they say I didn't include a screen shot that I did include. Thank you for drawing attention to Adobe's fraudulent practices. What can be done to stop them?

I found this post while trying to fill out my reba...

2008-03-22T11:15:00.000-04:00

I found this post while trying to fill out my rebate. I too used a previous version of Photoshop and Premier Elements Bundle. I have other image and video editing software including Photoshop CS2 and Premier Pro 2.0. There are features in the Elements versions that come in handy for quick tasks and I like them. I recently upgraded from Win XP to Premier and the previous versions would not work. I had a hard time locating the tabs to which the rebate offer referred. I finally found that they meant the tabs supporting the closing flap on the box to which the instructions referred to as the right inside flap. Geesh!

Greg Johnson

Brian, thanks for responding.

You are about...

2008-03-15T19:21:00.000-04:00

Brian, thanks for responding.

You are about the ONLY person in Fairtax that takes on the difficult issues you tried to deal with.

You asked why the government shouldnt pay its own taxes.

Should? Thats not the point. It CANT. I thought I made that clear.

Its IMPOSSIBLE for the government to pay itself an income or sales tax, SINCE IT WRITES the check TO itself.

Sure, the government can write itself a check every day, for 100,000. But at the end of 10 days, it doesnt have an income of a million.

Really - its IMPOSSIBLE for the government to pay itself 800 billion dollars and count that as income.

Should has nothing to do with it.

Then you asked why medical costs shouldnt be taxed.

Well Brian, take the case of 2 million people in nursing homes. 80% of those are on medicaid of some type. They make less than 1000 a month, and thats ALREADY deducted, they ALREADY pay all but like 10 dollars of that.

SO they DON'T have another 30,000 a year for a sales tax.

Also, the parents of a child with leukemia DOESNT HAVE 50,000 extra for sales tax on the chemo and radiation and doctor bills. They just DONT have it.

Also -- what do you think would happen when these people I mentioned started seeing these HUGE taxes -- no one on EARTH makes nursing home patients or cancer patients pay a sales tax. W

What do you think these people will do?

THey will scream bloody murder, thats what. They will call their congressman, their Senator, the local TV station, everyone.

DO you think a congressman will say "tuff -- pay the tax or face charges of tax evasion"?

No, believe me. Congressmen wont do that. Congressmen will bend over backward exempting these kinds of people from those taxes.

Brian, what makes you think someone can get more tax prebate than they make? Was that a typo?

Yes if they made nothing or 199 a mont.

But a person could get 50,000 in sales taxes -- when they only make 20,000. Yes, if they had a child with leukemia, and had to pay 150,000, they could get a sales tax from fairtax of 50,000. Maybe they had to sell their house to pay the bills -- but would they have to go to jail if they didn't pay the sales tax?

Fairtax really --honestly -- is a farce. The leaders know its a farce. They are fooling you. They hope you don't wake up to their con.

They have NO intention of this ever passing -- they would soil their pants if it passed, cause THEY know its a crock. THEY know it would be a disaster and a joke for 100 years.

Mark,

Yes, I think I understand the FairTax...

2008-03-15T15:56:00.000-04:00

Mark,

Yes, I think I understand the FairTax book (and the plan in general). And I agree that the things you point out are true. But I disagree with your view that these are negative characteristics of the FairTax.

Sure, the government will pay taxes. Why shouldn't it? It shouldn't receive special treatment like it does today. Perhaps putting the government on equal footing with private industry will encourage more people to advocate a smaller government.

Why shouldn't medical products and services be taxed? Is it fair to healthy people today that their taxes provide for people who have abused their health and want the rest of us to pay for their lives to continue indefinitely? People need to make responsible choices rather than expecting the rest of the country to support them for life.

Yes, a person may receive a FairTax prebate that is larger then their income. That a side effect of the progressive nature of the FairTax and I say that's how it should work. Everyone receives a prebate to counter the tax on a basic level of goods and services. This is really not much different from today's income tax where low income families receive tax refunds larger than their income; FairTax just does it in a much simpler and equitable way.

Of course renters will pay tax on rent and utilities. Why shouldn't they? Homeowners will pay tax on their mortgage interest and utilities. New homes are taxed on the sale price. This ends up being more fair than today where homeowners get special treatment by way of the mortgage interest deduction.

You seem to have forgotten how much extra spending money people will have after not having to pay income tax, payroll tax, social security, and medicare tax. This will have wonderful effects on our economy as people have more flexibility with how to spend all of the money they've earned.

Mark, what would you prefer over the FairTax? It is a much better alternative to our current tax system as well as other reform proposals that have been made.

-Brian

Good luck with that rebate! Adobe has been giving...

2008-03-10T19:24:00.000-04:00

Good luck with that rebate! Adobe has been giving me the run-around forever. Its just a scam and you've got to keep after them. You can call this #: 1 888 788 4928 and listen to your rebate status. After it has given you the information, keep pressing 0 until you get through to a customer service rep. They will try to lose you by passing you around, but if you get angry enough someone will eventually send you to a manager who will at least pretend to help. I still haven't gotten my rebate, but I'm optimistic!!

Brian,

Hello. Do you understand the fair...

2008-02-15T16:30:00.000-05:00

Brian,

Hello. Do you understand the fairtax book? Really?

Do you know fairtax has the government paying a major portion of our taxes?

Yes. Now, Fairtax says only PEOPLE pay taxes - and they are right. But on page 148 Neal writes "the federal government itself will be a major taxpayer".

And thats right -- Fairtax has the government itself paying about 500 billion dollars in taxes -- to itself.

For example, everything from the space shuttle, to air craft carriers, to jets, to toothpaste for the Amry, will pay a fairtax.

Every tank. Every bullet. Every pencil.

Also, did you know cancer surgery is taxed? Chemo? Did you know nursing home patients are taxed?

Did you know a person could get more fairtax than they have income? yes, in fact, many would.

I know people who had 130,000 dollars in medical care, in just two months. Yet their income was less than 30,000 a year. Insurance and medicare paid their medical bills.

Who would pay those taxes on that?

Fairtax depends on getting 460 billion in taxes, just from people who pay medical care.

Did you know renters will all pay the fairtax - on their rent?

ANd all their utlities?

And on all their insurance premiums?

I bet you didn't know all this.

And I bet you don't the ramifications of pretending to collect money from the government to pay the government.

Do you reself a favor, quit believing this farce, its already a joke amoung people who know anything about math or taxes.

Yes, it would work - IF you could have a tax rate of 60-90%. Because health care, rent, other things would get exemptions.

I discovered Ron Paul's writings back in Oct./Nov....

2007-05-20T23:35:00.000-04:00

I discovered Ron Paul's writings back in Oct./Nov. of 2006.

I've heard his message in the debates but I already believed in his message prior to his announced run for President.

I've struggled somewhat trying to understand what was so special about him until I finally realized it isn't about him personally, it is the message he brings with him as a calling card. That message is liberty and freedom. Ron Paul has stated many times how powerful this message is and I really believe in the message he brings to the table.

I also think the "sleeping giant" in America is beginning to awaken to the sounds of the liberty message. I won't be the least bit surprised if he DOES get the nomination. Ron Paul really doesn't belong in any political party if you ask me because his message applies to all in the interest of our country, not a political party.

There has been a fair bit of talk about how somewh...

2007-05-20T23:01:00.000-04:00

There has been a fair bit of talk about how somewhere around 10-15% of the voters are libertarian-ish in their thinking.

I would think that voting bloc has not been too happy with the Republican Party for the past decade at least.

No chance in my mind that Paul will win. There are just too many "let's bomb them all and let God sort them out" Republicans out there.

But, Ron Paul's candidacy might help identify and give a voice to that anguished limited government segment of the population.

MB

Very true, although i don't agree with you on him ...

2007-05-20T22:48:00.000-04:00

Very true, although i don't agree with you on him not having a chance at the nomination. I believe strongly that his fan fare on the internet will create a strong grassroots movement, and by passion and word of mouth people will learn of this great message of liberty and smaller government. I believe that America is ready for this change and has expressed this since generation-x and beyond. And now those old kids (myself included) have had enough and can finally vote on principles and not on the lesser of 2 idiots.

I couldn't agree with you more. The lack of transp...

2006-09-18T12:56:00.000-04:00

I couldn't agree with you more. The lack of transparency into the movie rating process is a travesty.

There's a great film that just got released, and an accompanying petition being signed just for this very purpose:

http://www3.ifctv.com/thisfilm/petition.php

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2005-12-29T17:12:00.000-05:00

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Enjoyed your write up on LOST. I am an avid watch...

2005-10-21T12:20:00.000-04:00

Enjoyed your write up on LOST. I am an avid watcher of the series and got hooked on it part way through the season last year. I got caught up on the shows that I missed over the summer. The show offers many possibilities and theories. Next time you are up in PA seeing the folks we can discuss.