Affiliate Marketing Becoming An Endangered Species

Affiliate marketing is a major backbone of Mom bloggers.

Through affiliate marketing, Mom bloggers are able to make their blogs profitable; thus compensating them for their hard work and time.

With the current economic crisis that is affecting our nation, more and more shoppers are looking to online resources as a means to finding better deals. In turn, states are seeing a rapid decrease in sales tax collections and are eager to recoup those losses.

"The trouble began in 2008, when New York passed a law requiring Amazon (and other retailers) to collect sales taxes if they had 'affiliates' in the state," writes Chris Null of Yahoo! Tech. Null continues, "New York claimed that having these local affiliates meant Amazon was operating a physical 'nexus' in that state, thus subjecting any sales there to New York state sales tax. Amazon sued the state, and lost."

Other sites with affiliate marketers, such as Overstock.com, decided to instead "fire" their affiliates; thereby eliminating any claim by states of a nexus.

As a results of New York's victory, four other states - California, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and North Carolina - have successfully or plan to institute a plan to collect sales tax on internet sales.

Amazon, one of the internet's largest affiliates, is already responding. Rather than continue their efforts to abolish internet sales tax with the judicial system, Amazon instead opted to terminate their affiliate ties with participants in those states.

Anyone who currently participates in affiliate marketing needs to be keeping an eye on their state's stance pertaining to this issue. And in the meantime, you should contact your Representatives to let them know you do not agree with such measures.

It should be taken into consideration that, as these states continue to create more havoc with their frivolous taxation, they will be creating an even greater number of those suffering income loss; which, in turn, will reduce the number of goods and services sold thereby slowing down even more an almost idle economy.

And I can assure you, just as we have seen throughout history, government won't be able to manage the money made from internet sales no better than they properly allocated funds previously collected. So what will be their next target for taxation and the excuse for doing so?

I agree with Lynn Terry as she states on her ClickNewz blog, "Personally, I applaud the merchants for taking a stand, and the affiliates who have written to their state Representatives regarding the new internet sales tax laws."

Will you take a stand? Or will you set idly by as government once again taxes us for their inability to manage a budget?

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Victim of Foreclosure? How To Apply For Section 8 Housing

After reading an emotion-wrenching article in the July 2009 issue of Parenting magazine about families that are living in shelters across America following job losses and/or foreclosure, I felt inspired to create a post that could be helpful to others in or facing a similar situation.

While it seems that most of America is focused on bailing out the car companies, little is being done in the meantime to help families who have a bigger issue at hand: homelessness.

Until we can someone convince good deeds groups (as I call them) to stop building homes in Honduras, and other like places, and take care of their neighbors first, hopefully this information on how to apply for Section 8 housing will be useful in getting shelter for those in need.

Section 8 is also known as Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is Federal housing program which provides housing assistance to low-income renters and homeowners in the form of rental subsidies; which reduces the amount (often significantly) rent paid by assistance recipient.

Applying for Section 8 subsidies is easy. Just visit your local housing authority or other designated program administrators for an application.

I encourage you can visit the Affordable Housing Online website for information on how to find your local housing authority/HUD program administration and answers to the most commonly asked questions about the Section 8 program.

• Interested persons may also wish to check with their local Habitat for Humanity program for information about their housing program.
  
  
• Those not meeting HUD eligibility requirements may also wish to visit the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development website for information on their housing loan programs.
  
  
• Veterans are eligible for special financing through the U.S. government. How to Apply for a VA Home Loan from About.com offers detailed information on this program and the application process.

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How To Create A Household Budget That You Can Live With

This post has been moved to The Babbling Brunette

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How Is Your Household Saving Money In This Economy? (Aloha Friday)

This week I decided to join in the Aloha Friday fun!

If you're new like me and wondering what Aloha Friday is, here is the information provided the meme's host, An Island Life:

"In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!"

Now for my question of the week:

How Is Your Household Saving Money In This Economy?

My Answer:

My family has been very blessed to not have been effected by this economy much despite that my husband works in a manufacturing facility that the majority of their business is automotive related. (I am a stay at home mom). However, realizing that at any time we could be greatly effected, we have been cutting costs as much as possible. One of our biggest cutbacks has been in the eating out department. We used to eat at least two meals out a week due to hectic schedules, but now we make an effort to cook each meal at home. We're also cutting our grocery budget to accompany our savings from the take out meals by using more coupons.

Thanks for stopping by! I can't wait to read your answers (I will be sure to visit!) and put some your tips to use!

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Tuesday Tribute:

The more I listen to and watch the news, the more disgusted I become. So for this week's Tuesday Tribute, I'd like to give a shout out to the United States Congress:

Dear Congress,

As a taxpaying, property owning, voting and law-abiding citizen of the United States of America, I want to thank you for all of your recent hard work as it relates to the finances of our country.

I want to give you this heartfelt thank you for passing out bailouts like it's dime store candy. Bailouts that are sure to indebt not only our children and grandchildren, but our great-great-great grandchild. That's assuming that America is still its own country.

I want to thank you and Miss Hilary Clinton personally for recently promising the Palestinians $900 million dollars. After all, they should be rewarded for burning our flag and dancing in their streets immediately following the events of September 11, 2001.

I want to thank you for handing out billions of dollars to the CEOs of huge corporations that flew in with their hands out in big corporate jets. I may have given you the benefit of the doubt if these executives had flew coach; a lot more credit if they had gone "green" (as you and our new president like to tout so loudly) and pedaled in on a bike.

There just aren't enough appropriate words to express my heartfelt appreciate to you for essentially placing our country in what will result in bankruptcy.

I hear through the grapevine that Washington is being bombarded with tea bags these days. If you're as dense as I believe you are, you may not be getting the message: your approving taxation without representative (it's not what your constituents want you to do) and come next election...YOU'RE FIRED!

Yet Another Jay and Deb Production.

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