Introducing...Butter Scotch!

So, I've been gone for a minute and focusing my energy on two of my first loves...food and fashion. I've decided to create embark on a new venture that will allow me share my both of my loves with the world.

I formally introduce you to...Butter Scotch; the new place for all things awesome!

Butter Scotch is divided into two pieces, The Good Taste Shop and The Bake Shop.

The Good Taste Shop features sweet clothing and accessories available for purchase from my adventures in thrift and vintage shopping. Please click on the Good Taste Shop link to learn more information.

The Butter Scotch Bake Shop features a menu of my homemade sweet treats that are available for purchase. Please click on the Bake Shop link to learn more information.

I'm so very, very, very excited to bring This Moment to all of you! I appreciate all of your support in advance and know with you this will be a great success!

Let's Shake and Bake!

When all else fails, manipulate the data...

Ok, so I have been getting a little frustrated with the talk about President’s Obama/The Democratic plan to increase taxes FOR THE UPPER/HIGHEST earners in our county. A lot of the back lash is not coming from the people in the upper bracket, which is currently $379,150, but instead from the people, I assume are in the 1-5 lower brackets $0-$300,000.

My issue with this is…why? Why take this position? Why are those who are not getting taxed more under the new proposal so concerned with the increase? The increase, which in my opinion is EXTREMELY FAIR AND OVERDUE. Increase the taxes of the people who are making the most money in the country.

Please see the current tax brackets below.

Tax Brackets 2011      Single                      Married Filing Jointly     Head of Household10% Bracket                $0 – $8,500               $0 – $17,000                    $0 – $12,150
15% Bracket                $8,500 – $34,500       $17,000 – $69,000            $12,150 – $46,250
25% Bracket                $34,500 – $83,600     $69,000 – $139,350          $46,250 – $119,400
28% Bracket                $83,600 – $174,400   $139,350 – $212,300        $119,400 – $193,350
33% Bracket                $174,400 – $379,150 $212,300 – $379,150        $193,350 – $379,150
35% Bracket                $379,150+                 $379,150+                       $379,150+

As you see, once you make at least $379K your taxes are no longer increased. This means the person making $379K is taxed just as much as the person making $30 Million! Does this make since? Especially when taxes go up a whopping 25% for the people making $8,000 -$379K. How is it cool that if there is a $370,000 increase you are taxed 25% more. No ones saying nothing about that, however, there is extreme backlash when Democrats and our President suggest adding a new tax bracket only adding a 5% increase (although this is a $700,000 increase in wealth) to those who are making $1,000,000 and above.

How can one call this unfair, or even unconstitutional? It is unsound and makes no mathematical since. Here is the breakdown:

25%  tax increase for making $300,000 additional

5% tax increase for making $700,000 through infinity additional!

The new tax increases would help the middle class who you can see from the chart above SUFFERS the most under the tax brackets as they are currently structured. Taking 30% in taxes of  a family who makes $200,000 hurts SIGNIFICANTLY more than taking 40% from someone who makes $5,000,000.

Let's go further and take a look at the history of tax increases and decreases over the past 40 years:

As you can see from the chart above, who's taxes are going down and whose are going up? The lowest earners in the countries taxes have steadily increased from 1960. And who's have had the biggest drop...the highest earners! Back in the 60's these people were paying over 40-70% in taxes! And when did the big drop happen, during the Reganomics error oops, I mean era. Now do the math on that! You can see the drop right around 1982 when Reagan and his crew approved historic low tax cuts for the richest in the county! Come on son. A mere 5% increase under the Obama presidency is no where near catching our country up to where it had been with equal distribution of taxes from previous years.

How is it that one cannot see this? We are not taking about the actual amount of money you receive from each person, but the financial impact, percentages. Who decided that at the point you reached $379,000 you should no longer be impacted by tax increases? Is this a perk for making more money?  And those of us who make our way up the middle class ladder are stuck paying more and more and more taxes every year?

Let’s keep it real. Most of us will never make it over $379,000 per year. However, I do know people who are making over this amount of money and they are behind the tax increases! They believe it is only fair to redistribute the wealth. Taking an additional 5% from millionaires can benefit our county A LOT more than taking 5% from me! You can’t do nothing with that!

I cram to understand why the rich Republicans who hold their wallets so tight and have been allowed to go unscathed by taxes, big breaks for major companies, hiding their wealth under business expenses, have so many champions who will never know that wealth. These people need to fight for the middle class and lower classes who actually need and cannot afford the champions. I have not heard the richees campaigning for you. They are trying to screw you with medicare, social security, increased taxes, jobs, housing market, gas...I could go on.

People, please don’t be fooled by Headliners like “Obama wants to increase your taxes”. Or “Obama’s tax plan is unconstitutional”. Tell me where in the constitution does it mention giving a pass to every Millionaire for the next 500 years. We are smarter than that. Before we make assumptions on things, we need to stop being "glamoured" by fast talking car salesmen who want to portray the Democratic political party as big bad wolves targeting the poor helpless defenceless rich folks. As we can see from history, many Presidents before Barack Obama campaigned for themselves, its fine time we have a President who is finally campaigning for us.

Obama 2012, Stop Playing and Let's Go!

Children's Place

So I very rarely shop for my kid because we get a lot of hand-me-down clothes from my BFF. They are perfect for her and me because i don't have to think about shopping.

Well, its been a minute since we've been home to Detroit to pick up our next shipment and the temperature is dropping so I'm shopping for Lil' K.

For any other moms interested Children's Place is giving you 20% off though October 31 on all items online or in the store! Tell em I sent you.

Here is the printable coupon: 20% Off

Damn Good Biscuits!

One of my passions is baking. Its one of the only "normal" events I can remember doing with my mom when I was little:-) I'm working on a lot of recipes, adding new ones to my Rolodex and hopefully beginning a new business venture in a couple of months (more info coming soon).

Anyhoo, today, I had a taste for biscuits. Not the biscuits in a can, but some guuuud biscuits. I found a recipe and it had to be sent from the Lawd himself. But ladies, beware...only make this recipe if you are trying to get him to fall in love, do the laundry, watch the kids, get a ring, you get my point. Please don't waste this recipe on someone stupid. Don't make these for someone you don't really care about. These biscuits will take your stock wayyyyy up! I promise!

I mean, some women are pretty, some smart, maybe even good in bed...but wake up in the morning roll some dough from scratch and make a man sweet bread...ha, ha, ha, you are worth your weight in gold!

I even got Lil' K involved. She will have it down early!

Here is a recipe I adapted from a cozy kitchen blog and its great.

Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks of very cold butter (or 6 ounces), cubed
1/2 cup cold and shaken buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of milk or water (egg wash)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Working quickly, add the cubed butter and break it up with your hands until all of the butter is broken into bits and resembles small peas.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Add the buttermilk mixture and maple syrup to the flour mixture. Mix until barely combined. Lightly dust your kitchen counter with flour and dump the dough onto it. Knead a few times (maybe 4 or 5) until the dough comes together. Press or gently roll the dough into a 1-inch thickness. Cut out biscuits using a 2-inch cutter (I used the rim of a glass) and place on lined baking sheet. Re-roll dough scraps to get a few more biscuits. Brush the tops of the biscuits with egg wash and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until tall and golden brown.

Try it and tell me what you think!!! I want to commit this to memory. Every chica should have a good biscuit recipe in their holster!

Education: Is the system still segregated?

As Lil' K gets older, I start thinking more and more about her education and what that means for us as her parents. We both are very intelligent and raised on public schools. I lived right across the street from my elementary school growing up and would go on a limb saying I had some of the best education Detroit had to offer. I love the fact that kids can go to school in their neighborhoods and receive a quality education, especially considering I live in a county that pays THE highest taxes in my state.

I started researching preschools and elementary school and was not in love with any of our local options. I saw class sizes larger than the national average, testing scores only average and in some areas below. I look at the kids on the metros and kids going to charter schools and also see (at least from their foul behavior) they aren't getting much better educations than if they would have stayed in their communities.

It makes me wonder...though schools are "integrated" is their still segregation of the quality of the education received in Black neighborhoods as opposed to White neighborhoods? You hear the story of the Ohio woman who was actually jailed for trying to give her children a chance by utilizing a school whose education system was superior than the one offered in her community. Jailed! And it makes you wonder...why did we stop fight for equality of education?

Bill Gates, the richest man in America has taken up this fight. His kids don't have to worry about this because one his is rich, and another, sad to say, he is White. Why, even in the richest of Black neighborhoods, do we still allow the school systems to remain sub par.

An article featuring Bill Gates reported his anger after learning about the continued disparity in the education system: 

"he struggles to figure out why Blacks, particularly in inner cities, aren’t also mad as hell and ready to pound the pavement for change. “Why isn’t there outrage, absolute outrage over this issue? Why aren’t there protests every day? I don’t understand,” he says. “Why wouldn’t this activate people the way that it did during the Civil Rights Movement?”

Black people...why isn't there? Our child is only 2 however, we have already begun the research. I plan to visit the schools in our neighborhood and sit in on classes. I plan to talk to the principles. I would like to be able to utilize my communities services and not have to have my child bused out of our neighborhood to receive a education. Some of my personal friends are paying more than $10,000 per year for Elementary School! This is on top of the taxes we pay for these services.

Black people...why aren't we becoming involved in our communities and more importantly our education systems. For people who utilize public schools for their children, are you happy with the quality of the services provided by the neighborhood school? In comparison to other schools, do you feel the level of service is adequate? If not, what have you done or what can be done? Is the answer to just pay for private school or wait for Superman with a lottery ticket?

Why aren't we protesting? Why aren't we fighting for the right to have our children equally educated as the children in White(r) neighborhoods? In this day in age, it isn't necessarily about income because Prince George County is one of the richest counties in America. However, it has one of the highest dropout rates.

We have to stop this, and its not too late. If your children are in school...do you know the teacher? The teacher's qualifications? What rights do parents have to make changes in their schools?

This will be a reoccurring topic for me and I will post information as I discover it. I hope, since we are starting 2 years before Lil' K enters the school system, we can make a change.

Let's Go!

In My Ears: Our First Time

This DMV dude changes the Bruno Mars song PERFECTLY. I wouldn't change a thing. I've listened to this about 400 times today and can't stay. I want to remember this moment in time.

Thank you for sharing your gift...

Is Weave "Natural"?

So, the great debate...Can you wear weave most of the time (80-90%) and still call yourself a Natural?

Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnn

I don't comment much on weave because I'm at a "to each its own" place in my life. I've worn weaves, braids, etc and I get it. But what I don't get is the Weavers saying they are Naturals. To me, that is an oxymoron. Its like saying I'm against drinking, but I have wine with dinner.

Recently, one of my favorite natural chicks, Curly Nikki, completed a few celebrity interviews. These "Natural" hair celebrities say they wear weave all the time, for work, for convenience etc but their hair is natural underneath. These interviews can be found by clicking this link. This first were with Mo and Kita, Terrell Owens home girls and the other was with Angela Simmons (from Run's House). These women all talk about how they have flowing natural hair going down their back, but to the world and for "work" they choose to keep it weaved all the time.

I ask the question...whats the f'in point???? If you live your life publically as a weaved girl and only you only see your natural hair between track installs, why call yourself a natural? Just not getting a perm doesn't make you natural. Maybe they would be considered in the transitioning stage. Transisition because they haven't come to grips with their natural hair. I don't get how you say "oh, I have long big beautiful hair, however, its not good enough to show to the world"? Aren't you buying in and perpetuating the same image of beautiful (silky, long, straight hair that never poofs up and nor has any emotion) that we, "The Naturals" (yes I say this like we are a crew) are all about?

Kita and Mo have even gone as far to speaking to young girls and have a new company about "Defining their pretty" which includes the sales of the hair they wear to the masses. I get it, they feel prettier with somebody elses hair that behaves better than their own; however, is this the message we want to promote? That our young girls have to hid their naps, or kinks, or poofs to be accepted? How are they showing they feel pretty just being themselves if they never take the weave away and just get naked?

Again, I'm not judging the weaves as a whole. I think they are a great way to help your hair grow and protect your hair, and give your natural tresses a break. But if you spend 90% or more of your life in somebody elses hair, what are you saying about your own? Angela Simmons even goes as far to say she goes to the hairdresser 2-3 times a week to get her weave tightened up. Why not give that same tender loving care to your own hair?

These women for the most part, never wear their hair out. They say if they do, they have to add additional tracks here and there for fullness, or whatever. Some of them have never even tried to manipulate their hair in its natural state without pressing, perming, etc. So I ask, why not give it a chance? Why are we so down on what we have? What makes straighter hair, thinner hair better? Aren't we trying to get past that by categorizing ourselves as "Natural"?

I guess every one's reason for going "Natural" is different. Mine reason was to show my daughter that her hair is good no matter what length or what texture it is. I want to teach young girls that you don't have to change yourself or assimilate into society. Society can accept you as you are as long as you accept who you are.

For the grown women out there, I'm in no way taking anything from you. I know a lot of women currently transitioning with braids and weaves and its great. But to make a lifestyle of doing only that seems a little fraudulent IF you are too claiming to be "Natural". If you are a weave girl, just be proud of that. If you are a lace front, be proud of that. But double dipping as a lifestyle...ehhhh, I'm not feeling that.
Don't say your are a weave girl, don't say you are a "natural" girl, just say...It's Complicated!