Tuesday is shaping up to be the biggest election in my lifetime and no matter who you plan to vote for there are plenty of freebies being handed out. National companies like Starbucks and Ben & Jerry's handing out free coffee and ice cream on Tuesday, but only one business is giving away a freebie with as much potential for change as the current election.

New Look Laser Tattoo Removal in Texas is giving any voter who brings in proof of voting, or swears on their bad ink, a free consultation and one tattoo removal treatment. This is a great deal, but just like a win on Election Day is only the first step for the next president, the free session is just the beginning. A full tattoo removal will take several visits and can cost upwards of $100 per session depending on the age, size and type of tattoo.

New Looks' November 4th free tattoo removal is the most valuable Election Day freebie yet, but there is another service that is needed even more post election; bumper sticker removal. Bumper stickers are relatively easy to remove, but lately they seem to be as permanent as ink. I still can't drive around town without seeing bumper stickers urging me to vote for John Kerry. I'd love to see a car dealer or auto parts store to step in and offer voters a quick removal of the constant reminder that their candidate lost, if only so I don't lose my sanity.

via Slickdeals

Krispy Kreme wants your vote! Actually, the company doesn't care who you vote for as long as you vote. On November 4, locations around the country will be handing out free star-shaped donuts with red, white and blue sprinkles to anyone with an "I Voted" sticker (we're guessing other proof may be allowed, in case your polling place is out of stickers). The effort is non-partisan, so don't worry about one of the candidates forking over a wad of leftover campaign money in some kind of weird get-out-the-vote effort. This is just about Krispy Kreme trying to get some foot traffic of its own.

"We can't guarantee that your candidate of preference will win on November 4, but we can guarantee that your right to voice your choice will be rewarded with a patriotic doughnut that will remind you just how tasty freedom really is," said Krispy Kreme's Chef Ron Rupocinski in a press release. "Krispy Kreme encourages everyone to take part in this historical election and vote."

Could someone please come up with an online tax calculator that includes all of each of John McCain's and Barack Obama's tax proposals? I wrote a few weeks ago about how alchemytoday.com came up with a tax calculator using data from the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Yesterday the Obama campaign came out with a tax calculator on its own website showing how much your own taxes will be under his plan.

I got a flurry of comments on the old post saying how Obama's tax calculator wasn't non-partisan. Um, yeah, I realize that. That's why I sent readers to this non-partisan tax calculator.

I still think we need a more comprehensive, non-partisan tax calculator that takes into account the various sources of income and deductions. (Though, the more complex a calculator is, the more it's like really doing your taxes and so unappealing.)

The latest newsworthy item in the U.S. presidential race is the statement by Cindy McCain, wife of Republican candidate John McCain, that she will not release her personal tax returns. On Thursday's Today show (video below), she says that it's a privacy issue and she would not release her tax returns, even if her husband was elected president.

Of course, the Democrats are making a big deal about this, saying that when John Kerry was campaigning for president, his wife released her separate tax returns. So what? She made her choice, and Cindy McCain is making hers. It's suggested that John McCain is not making "full disclosure" by not releasing his wife's separate tax returns.

I say too bad. Even though he may have benefited from her family's fortune, the law doesn't say she has to release her tax returns. That is her private information and she is not the candidate. Would it make for some interesting reading? Probably. But I don't have any problem with Cindy McCain refusing to produce her tax returns. What is there really to be gained from seeing them, other than to fulfill our curiosity?


Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.