The latest hand picked work at home job opportunities have been posted. Each week it seems like Tuesday arrives sooner than the week before.

Work at home jobs are more in demand than ever because of spiraling commuting costs. However, the state of the economy suggests that jobs in general are going to be harder to come by in the days ahead, and many more may lose their jobs. My own full-time job has been cut to part-time hours and converted to contract status this week, so I'm feeling the pain with those who are getting laid off. For me, it's not the first time, so I've developed a thick skin. Still, it took me five and a half years to nail that job only to lose it three months later due to the economy. What timing!

I still think that if you can manage it financially and you have good ideas about what you want to do and at least a minimal amount of money, owning your own business is a better answer for many people than relying on others for support. Although I came close to it, I didn't completely close the doors on my business when I took the job, so I have my business to fall back on. I'll just need to ramp it back up from part-time to as full-time as I can make it.

My intent when I started writing this post wasn't to depress you. So here are some amusing observations I enjoyed while searching for this week's work at home jobs listings.

Funniest Work at Home Job Opportunities this Week

• Bartender - You'd have to have a pretty good reach to stay at home and tend bar at the local tap room.
• Waiter/Waitress - Same as the bartender, although many work at home or stay at home dads and moms would probably argue that they already work at home as unpaid waiters and waitresses.
• Receptionist - Maybe you could be a virtual receptionist for a company with a virtual office?
• Front Desk Help - Go man that front desk, if not in body, then in spirit!
• Showroom Manager - This one even suggested that a large part of your work at home duties would be to show customers around the showroom. Wow, really?
• Residence Inn by Marriott - Desk Clerk & Night Auditor - This was a CraigsList posting, and I doubt it was legitimate. I have no idea how you could work this job from home.

Good luck in your work at home job search. Remember that the competition is getting tougher and you need to be able to set yourself apart from the crowd. Also, if you're already employed, see if you can work with your employer to work at home, at least a few days a week on a trial basis. Jobs are like gold right now - if you have one, you may want to think about trying to keep it. A job today is like Yogi Berra's Aflac commercial - "If you don't have it, that's why you really need it".

Check the Latest Hand-Picked Work at Home Jobs

New York congressman John M. McHugh announced that he has introduced legislation that is designed to simplify the business use of the home tax deduction. His Website points out that only about one third of those who are eligible to take the deduction actually file the forms needed to claim it.

Taking the deduction is no walk in the park - not even with the assistance of tax preparation software. The other problem is that it has long been speculated that claiming the office in home deduction can make you the target of an audit. McHugh's bill would make it possible to claim a standard deduction of $1500 instead of going through all the hoops that are now required. Additionally, the standard deduction would be indexed for inflation, so the amount could increase in future years. The bill, known as the Home Office Deduction Simplification Act, was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means for consideration.

NOW JUST WAIT ONE MINUTE! Back on March 27th, 2007 I told you about a bill on home office deductions, the Parents' Tax Relief Act of 2007, that would basically have done the same thing, only it was even better as it would have provided a simplified flat rate office-in-home deduction of either $2500 or the total profit from your home-based business, whichever is less. That bill also included wording that would have encouraged employers to offer telecommuting options. That was over a year ago! Where are we now? Introducing watered down legislation and staring at gas prices in excess of $4 per gallon, that's where.

A check of the status of the Parents' Tax Relief Act introduced last year indicates as of June 15th of 2008 "This bill is in the first step in the legislative process". In other words, it's still in committee.

Why is it that multiple bills have to be introduced that pertain to the same subject? And why is it that bills go into committee for years, never to be heard of again until a second, third, fourth, or fifth bill on the same subject surfaces? Of course, each time a similar bill is introduced, the politician or politicians responsible for introducing take all of the credit without mentioning the bills that are already in committee. Is this any way to run a democracy? Am I the only one fed up with this?

Contact Information for US Senators
Contact Information for US House of Representatives
Claiming Office in Home Tax Deductions