There Must Be A Pony In Here Somewhere

You haven't heard a lot lately about the state of California's finances. They're still not good. A report from the state treasurer says the Golden State's debt burden — the amount of the general fund going to service debt — is up to 7.8 percent, more than double what it was eight years ago. According to the report, each Californian owes $2,542 this year for state debt, more than twice the national median of $1,066.

It could be worse.

Gov. Jerry Brown, in what may be a flair of libertarian independence, vetoed several bills this week which he said "protect the state budget and strengthen fiscal stability in California."

The most amazing thing is someone actually introduced these bills in the first place.

Take the bill sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Roger Hernandez. It would have allowed state welfare recipients to own "one car, or possibly more, of any value." That means someone living on the taxpayers' dole could own a Lamborghini. Gov. Brown sided with current law which limits the maximum value of a car to $4,650. "Until we better understand the fiscal outlook, we should not be making changes of this kind," he wrote. Excuse me, until we better understand the fiscal outlook? How about, "This is an insane idea."

But wait, there's more!  » Read More

If you have a job in this tough economy, there are a lot of people struggling out there who would really appreciate it if you would just zip it.

Image Source | Getty Images C'mon, dude. Let's hug it out.

But office-supply chain Staples

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[SPLS  Loading...      ()   ] knows the aches, pains and collating needs of the people and they’re willing to ask — what’s wrong, cubicle dwellers of America?

Hey, thanks for asking, Staples.

At the top of employees’ wish list was eliminating office politics — 44 percent of workers surveyed in Staples’ annual “Improve Your Office” survey said they’d like to see their fellow co-workers cut the crap.

You know what else would help improve things around the office?

 » Read More

Ramin Talaie/Bloomberg | Getty Images Demonstrators rally on Wall Street in lower Manhattan in New York, U.S., on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has moved west. They've set up camp in Los Angeles, where, yesterday, dozens of protestors carrying signs marched to the courthouse where Michael Jackson's doctor is on trial, chanting "This is It."

That was funny.

Say what you will about the protestors—do they know what they're talking about? Are they unemployed slackers with nothing better to do? Are the blaming the right people —they've struck a nerve with a lot of people. They represent deep seated anger in this country. What the Tea Party did for the right, Occupy Wall Street is doing for the left.

Americans are angry.

Angry at government, angry at big business, angry at banks, and sometimes angry at themselves or their neighbors for buying houses they couldn't afford.

It's not just on the fringe.  » Read More

My daughter is graduating college this year. She's decided she wants to apply to law school. She's busy working two jobs, studying for the LSAT, and researching loans, as my husband and I have made it clear we aren't paying for post graduate studies.

Comstock | Getty Images

At first I thought, "Do we really need another lawyer in the world?" It's so easy to disparage attorneys...until you need one.

Upon further consideration, however, I think she's made a smart call. No matter what's happening in the broader economy, the lawsuit biz just keeps growing. In a nation of laws, we are a litigious people.

Take the case of Mary Bach of Murrysville, PA. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Bach is a big fan of Banquet "Brown 'N Serve" sausage at Walmart

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[WMT  Loading...      ()   ]. She's a bigger fan of accurate pricing. Bach sued Walmart after it charged her $1 for sausage that was listed at 98-cents. The first time it happened, the store immediately gave her a refund.

It happened again when she returned to the store six days later to buy more sausage. (That's a lot of sausage, but, hey, it's National Sausage Month.)  This time, Bach wanted to speak to the manager, who offered her another two-cent refund. Bach refused in order "to weigh my options." Bach felt Wal-mart  was intentionally defrauding customers, so she decided to put her two cents in before a judge.  » Read More

Heath Korvola | Aurora | Getty Images Grin and bear it: In an extensive, peer-reviewed, well documented, non-scientific study the American Mustache Institute, has released a list of the top 100 "America's Most Mustache-Friendly Cities."

When it comes to mustaches, every region of the country has pockets where lip ticklers congregate.

Except California.

California has a hairy problem.

Actually, a hairless one.

In an extensive, peer-reviewed, well documented, scientific study (not) by the American Mustache Institute, California has only ONE city in the top 100 "America's Most Mustache-Friendly Cities". That would be Oakland, coming in 79th. Thank goodness for Rollie Fingers.

That disturbing factoid is buried within the massive "white paper" the AMI has released after a two year study focusing on five factors to determine which cities are most welcoming to the "misplaced eyebrow":  » Read More

Did you know that the popsicle, ear muffs AND the trampoline were invented by kids? And, more than a few kids have become rich off of their inventions before they even graduated high school.

ManCans When Hart Main said they should make candles in "man-friendly" scents, he was kidding. His mom took him seriously and now, he's an entrepreneur.

“Kids are natural innovators,” said Jon Dudas, who used to work for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office but is now the president of FIRST, an organization designed to help foster innovations by kids in science and technology.

Kids have been inventing things for hundreds of years and now, thanks to organizations such as FIRST and By Kids, for Kids, a group that connects kids with contests for young inventors, they’re feeling more inspired and more confident to invent. Turning their products into sales is also becoming more of a reality.

Click here for more than a dozen innovative and inspiring inventions by kids.

Watch Cindy Friday, Sept. 30 on the “Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda,” with special guest host Ben Folds, as she demonstrates some of these products invented by kids and offers tips for how your kids can become entrepreneurs, too. (Click here to watch the video.)

 » Read More



More From the Pony Blog:

When you hear about kids like Abbey Fleck, who helped her parents achieve their dream home, adopt a few more kids and put all five through college on her Makin’ Bacon money, it makes you wonder, how did she do it?

The Agency Collection | Getty Images Everyone knows their kid has what it takes to be a millionaire — but how do you get there from here?

Well, if we’re honest, it makes you wonder how your kids can become entrepreneurs — and maybe millionaires — too.

We talked to several kid inventors and their parents about just what makes them different from the rest of us. What are they doing that we’re not?

 » Read More

What drives you nuts about your co-workers? Loud talkers? (Yes.) Irritating ringtones? (Yes.)

Ofer Wolberger | Getty Images Hey - that's my sandwich!Americans are more irritated than any other nation if a co-worker takes someone else's food out of the fridge.

Taking food from the fridge that isn't theirs? (Oh yes.)

Hitting "Reply all" on emails? (This should be a felony.)

LinkedIn surveyed 17,000 office workers around the globe about pet peeves, and discovered what unites us and what divides us.

Americans are more irritated than any other nation if a co-worker takes someone else's food out of the fridge.

One co-worker has gotten so fed up with people taking her milk for coffee that she poured it into a plastic container and made a label saying...wait for it...BREAST MILK.

• Brazilians hate office gossip
• Indians detest ridiculous ringtones
• The Japanese don't care for office pranks
• And Germans are most annoyed by "dirty common areas" like the lunchroom

However, across this entire planet, we all agree on one thing. The top pet peeve among all workers is "people not taking ownership for their actions." Four out of five people listed this as their number one gripe.  » Read More