It’s time for my annual Public Service Announcement about checking your eligibility for the Kansas City, Missouri Earnings Tax refund. From the point of view of someone who doesn’t reside in the KCMO but is unfortunate to work there, the Earnings Tax is a way to confiscate 1% of a person’s gross income and hand it over to what what one blog refers to as a “privileged class”, so they can continue to enjoy a tax free lifestyle.
I bet you didn’t know that the famous song “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” had more lyrics than the title. If Argentina had a peso for every time a tourist quotes this song, no one would ever have to work for living there. But until then Argentina just charges Americans $140 to cross the border and lets them walk around all day humming this song off-key for no additional charge.
After this trip to Argentina my non-existent bucket list got a lot smaller:
If you are looking for a an interesting destination and don’t mind paying the price, Argentina might be a place to consider.
Contrary to multiple tour guides and websites, nothing in Argentina is an extreme bargain, except for the public transportation. Your meals will probably cost you about the same as here, maybe slightly cheaper depending on the restaurant. Clothing is more expensive, and although you can find high quality leather products, a good leather jacket starts at $250. Vodka and vine cost about the same as here. Electronic items are significantly higher but most of them are unusable here anyway. I have no idea how much precious stones cost in this country, but I’ve been told that they are cheaper in Argentina where many of them are mined.
Speaking about food. Although I’ve never seen a similar density of cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, sandwich stores, ice cream places, chocolate stores and whatever food establishments one can imagine, food was somewhat a disappointment for me. Not because it was bad – it wasn’t – but because it was so ordinary and somewhat bland. I was shocked to discover that Argentinians are not fans of spicy food. Their famous grilled meats served in omnipresent parrillas are usually just seasoned with salt and lemon juice. The quality of meat is excellent and the servings are huge with beef, chicken, pork, several kinds of sausages including blood sausage, chinchulín (chitterlings) and mollejas (sweetbreads) served in one huge pile on a plate.
Quality of construction in this area always puzzled me. Every year we see a local weather-woman imploring us to take cover while wearing a complete football player’s outfit; every year we see photos of damage and destruction; every year someone we know has to replace a roof, a window or a whole house. Yet the houses many of us live in are constructed of plywood, duct tape and termite excrement. I saw my house being built and I don’t hold any illusions about my survival chances in case of a tornado. That’s why I have reservations about sleeping naked during the storm season, you never know where my body may touch down.
With that in mind, I had to take a few pictures of the new apartment building currently being constructed downtown.
Before you bring old folks to your house make sure their shots are up to date and they are toilet-trained. Old folks like to sit around and watch TV, read newspapers or pretend to solve puzzles while secretly peeking into the back page for the answers. Leave your old folks plenty of room to walk and play. Keep your house temperature around 75F, old folks tend to feel cold. They will let you know they are hungry by shuffling around the house and aimlessly opening and closing the refrigerator. If you want to feed your old folks, there is no food they like better than “Old Folks” Country Sausage Gravy, and it says so right on the box! It’s fatty, nutritious and doesn’t require chewing. Remember to scratch your old folks behind the ear while they are eating, they will enjoy it. As Seen At Hy-Vee in Olathe
After 4 weeks of feeding your old folks with the Country Sausage Gravy you will notice a youthful spring in their movements and a healthy shine in their hair. They may try to use their gravy-fed youthfulness to escape. Keep your doors locked at all times. If you properly care for and feed your old folks they will provide many years of fun and companionship.
Giving the Life Magazine a break, we continue onto the May 1914 issue of the Rotarian Magazine which was largely dedicated to Kansas City. Filled with photos and articles where mustachioed men took turns extolling the virtues of Kansas City, its businesses, theaters, schools, real estate and architecture. If you are bored at work a fan of Kansas City history, you should be reading this magazine already. 1914 was the year when the Kansas City Union Station was opened and the magazine dedicates the cover and several pages of photographs and essays to the “largest Union Station in the world”.
