https://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2018/12/the-most-sobering-thing-about-the-racial-dot-map.html The University of Virginia used the 2010 census to create a map of the U.S. overlaid with different colored dots—one dot for each person. The map uses blue dots for white people, green dots for black people, orange dots for Hispanic people, red dots for Asian people, and brown dots for Native Americans or other racial groups. The map is utterly fascinating, especially when looking at cities, because it demonstrates the level of segregation that exists in most places. The level of segregation illuminated by these maps is sobering in and of itself. But there’s something even more sobering to be found in the racial dot map. While browsing through some rural areas, which are mostly made up of open space and blue dots (white people), I began to notice something odd. I kept finding random collections of green dots (black people) in weirdly delineated, concentrated areas. Hint: They were prisons, excuse me, "Correctional Facilities".
The big story today on Twitter was that a video was circulated of her in high school dancing on a rooftop for a video that was obviously a Breakfast Club homage. It was initially presented as if it was supposed to be something negative, and 99% of the responses on Twitter were "so we're supposed to be upset she was dancing and having fun in high school??" It was quite honestly one of the most ridiculous self-owns I have ever seen. The video makes her seem extremely attractive, vibrant, fun and goofy, and there is absolutely no negative connotation that can be drawn from it.
Y'know, the second thing that came to my mind after seeing this was a wave of pity for the guy who posted it. What kind of life do have to have had to look at that video and say to yourself: "Aha! Now that's something to be ashamed of!"
Proof that some conservatives are like the Fuddy-Duddies from Footoose.
Today much was made about about newly minted Representative Rashida Tlaib saying at a private event that we were going to "impeach the motherf****r". The pearl-clutching that ensued among conservatives and even the mainstream media was entirely predictable. This isn't even about the language, though I find people who scold about swearing to be mental children. It's the idea that we are supposed to have any debate about "civility" and "decorum" in the age of Trump. It drives me absolutely batshit that this is even a discussion. Trump didn't just destroy civility, he nuked it with 500 warheads. The whole goddamn point of his campaign was "we're too politically correct" as a society. He mocks and ridicules people on an hourly basis. But this freshman Rep is the problem?? I'm sorry, but ANYONE (and I do mean anyone, present company in this forum included) who voted for Trump NEVER gets to play the civility card for the rest of their lives. They gave away that right.
But what is really pissing off some on the right today (and even the cowardly centrist media) is that there are now Democrats who are figuring out how to play the game, and it is scaring the shit out of them. For years, the right has engaged in what someone has called the art of bitch-slap politics, in which the conservative media attacks someone, the mainstream media buys into the narrative, and then that person goes and cowers in the corner begging not to be hit again. This is how Republicans and the media EXPECT your average liberal politician to behave. Except some of these new women have them pegged. They are from a different generation. They have watched for the last ten years as Republicans never fail to double-down when they are attacked. So when Congresswoman Tlaib was questioned by the media about it today, she basically told them to go f**k themselves, essentially telling them "I said what I said, get over it". And the right and media have no idea how to process this, because it is not how 90% of Democrats would react over fake outrage. There are members of this freshman class who finally understand how to stand up to bullies. And bullies absolutely lose their shit when anyone figures out how easy they are to deal with. It's about damn time. Their politics aside, Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib should hold a seminar for every liberal in the country on how to deal with right-wing attacks and refuse to play into their narrative-framing. The problem with Democrats isn't their policies. Their policies have proven more popular for decades. The problem is they are weak and don't defend them. Ironic that it is taking a bunch of newly-elected women to finally show some balls.
Some will look at this post and declare it too vulgar and too angry. Maybe. But that's the point. Democrats need to get out there with some goddamn passion and defend their position. Americans like to think they are winners, and they'll even follow a transparent con-man if he promises they will. So get out there and act like one, not some loser who just had his lunch money taken for the 10th day in a row.
Well, the best response I saw to that was this (she also happens to be THE most insightful observer of the Russia Investigation, but you can check out her blog for that):
(As a side note, I know this is a PG-13 forum and respect that. I myself operate under the 1980s cinema rule of this, in which even PG-13 movies were allowed one "f-word" in most cases, but I do tend to self-censor any words I write that are above the level of "shit". However, I can't do this with a tweet, but if rules dictate it is put under a spoiler, I respect that as well. However, just as I was talking about earlier, it's harder and harder to take the idea of swear words being offensive in this day and age. Still, rules are rules).
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2018/12/the-most-sobering-thing-about-the-racial-dot-map.html The University of Virginia used the 2010 census to create a map of the U.S. overlaid with different colored dots—one dot for each person. The map uses blue dots for white people, green dots for black people, orange dots for Hispanic people, red dots for Asian people, and brown dots for Native Americans or other racial groups. The map is utterly fascinating, especially when looking at cities, because it demonstrates the level of segregation that exists in most places. The level of segregation illuminated by these maps is sobering in and of itself. But there’s something even more sobering to be found in the racial dot map. While browsing through some rural areas, which are mostly made up of open space and blue dots (white people), I began to notice something odd. I kept finding random collections of green dots (black people) in weirdly delineated, concentrated areas. Hint: They were prisons, excuse me, "Correctional Facilities".
Well, I did find Prairie View University while looking for the prisons via the map. So, at least they're not ALL prisons.
Also, there's a state jail I know of just off US-281, the main highway I go down between my place and my parents'. At night driving down the road you can see that jail for miles due to how brightly lit it is. I located it on the map just based on being a REALLY high concentration of Hispanics, but the shape isn't right or in quite the right place. It's more pointing at a field just northwest of the jail itself in an inverted U. There's no green to set it off, in fact I was expecting it a bit to the south based on the article, where there was a little splash of green, but that was just a small small town.
I also located "San Saba Transfer Facility" at a relatively low zoom as a nice green triangle in rural Texas. So, yes, the map can legitimately locate prisons fairly quickly.
There's an entire freaking complex north of Gatesville, Texas just west of Waco. Like half a dozen green or green and orange, with one dark blue. Which I have just google+wiki'd to find that the greenest is the largest female prison in Texas.
So Trump says he wants to call the Trump shutdown a "strike". He is a precious snowflake isn't he? The GOP started this shutdown. The last act of the GOP House, in collusion with the President, was to shutdown the government. The GOP Senate refuses to reopen the government by voting on an exact same bill that already passed in the Senate ike 100-0 before the shutdown. But now Mitch McConnell won't even allow a vote on the exact same bill they already passed.
None of that is a 'strike' Trump.
The man has to lie about every single thing. He must twist everything to make it look, in his mind, like he's in the right.
Reminder folks: the President lies. About everything.
Here are 6 ways the Trump shutdown is immediately hurting the country and raising risks for Americans
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/6-ways-trump-shutdown-immediately-hurting-country-raising-risks-americans/?fbclid=IwAR2B_bNofaiZ77WbwvF4FSyjYIXaiDmZOq-XbFwld83_eS1IZSHDlSLb3-o TSA agents are allegedly blowing off work. According to CNN, hundreds of TSA agents faced with demands to work without pay are calling in sick to get off work. While some may be doing so to protest the loss of pay, others may simply have no choice: a union official has said that many of the officers calling in sick need to look after their children now that they have no money to afford daycare, or else are working side jobs to get through the shutdown. For the record, Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton denied the reports in a combative statement, calling them “fake news”: More #FakeNews from @CNN. Security operations at airports have not been impacted by a non-existent sick out. CNN has the cell numbers of multiple @TSA public affairs professionals, but rather than validate statistics, they grossly misrepresented them. https://t.co/PzVeoIBt5R — Tyler Q. Houlton (@SpoxDHS) January 4, 2019
How 2 Student Reporters Exposed One Of The Internet’s Biggest Neo-Nazis
National Parks Are Overflowing With Poop Thanks to the Government Shutdown
https://www.thedailybeast.com/national-parks-are-overflowing-with-poop-thanks-to-the-government-shutdown At national parks across the country, human excrement is piling up, bathrooms have become unbreathable heaps of bodily fluids, and park officials are noticing visitors relieving themselves in places where they should not be. The shit storm—for lack of a more apt phrase—is a byproduct of a quirk in how the government has approached this shutdown versus those prior. Instead of closing the national parks, the Trump administration has kept them open but with little to no staff there to help manage the premises. With sanitation workers not on the job, human toxicity has been left unattended. And unlike other outcomes of the shutdown—from disrupted scientific research, to furloughed federal workers, to government programs operating on shoestring staff and budgets—this one has broken through the news clutter.
'Burn in hell': North Carolina teen is target of hate crimes for interracial dating
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823044/--Burn-in-hell-Hate-crimes-target-North-Carolina-teen-for-interracial-dating?detail=emaildkre A white family saw two of its vehicles defaced and burned by at least one vile racist who took issue with a mixed-race teenage couple. Amanda Miller of Goldsboro, North Carolina, reports that one of the family’s cars, a minivan, was covered with spray-painted hate, including a swastika, multiple calls to “burn in hell,” gendered insults like “whore,” and racial epithets like “nigger-loving bitch.” Another car, a crossover SUV, was actually set on fire. "And when you walk out, all you see is a swastika and you're like, 'Oh my gosh, what just happened?'" she said. The paint-wielding arsonist(s) appears to have targeted Miller’s 14-year-old daughter Brianna, who met her black ex-boyfriend at church. In an interview with ABC11, Miller, still shaken by the attack, ponders what could come next if police can’t catch the racist criminal(s).
Trump's shutdown: Navajo Nation residents trapped in their homes as federal snowplows stop running
Horrific video shows white man attacking black female McDonald's employee over a straw
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823053/-White-man-attacks-black-female-McDonald-s-employee-over-straw-in-horrific-video?detail=emaildkre A white man was arrested after attacking two black female employees at a McDonald’s in St. Petersburg, Florida, on New Year’s Day. The man, 40-year-old Daniel Williams Taylor, yelled at Yasmine James over a plastic straw and proceeded to reach across the counter and grab her by the collar. Understandably, James defended herself. As caught on video by a spectator, she fought back by punching him in the arm and pulling his shirt. What happens next is puzzling: Fellow workers pull James and Taylor apart, and then someone who seems to be a manager continues taking Taylor’s order. Why this happened, as opposed to the man being immediately removed from the store (or arrested) is unclear. What is clear, however, is that Taylor did not want to apologize and remove himself from the situation. “And I want her a-- fired right now,” he yells in the video, instead. James replies that he’s going to jail for attacking her, to which Taylor replies, “I was just asking you a f--ing question, b---h.” “You’re going to give me a goddamn refund,” Taylor then says to the manager. He should definitely be in jail.
Terminally Ill Harry Reid Minces No Words About Himself Nor Donald Trump
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823124/-Terminally-Ill-Harry-Reid-Minces-No-Words-About-Himself-Nor-Donald-Trump?detail=emaildkre Still, Reid added: “Trump is an interesting person. He is not immoral but is amoral. Amoral is when you shoot someone in the head, it doesn’t make a difference. No conscience.” There was a hint of grudging respect in Reid’s tone, which he seemed to catch and correct. “I think he is without question the worst president we’ve ever had,” he said. “We’ve had some bad ones, and there’s not even a close second to him.” He added: “He’ll lie. He’ll cheat. You can’t reason with him.” Once more, a hint of wonder crept into his voice, as if he was describing a rogue beast on the loose in a jungle that Reid knows well.
In Charlotte, Kidnapper Chases A Victim... Into A Karate Dojo. You Know How This Ends :-).
A strike is when a group a workers band together and refuse to work in an attempt to force a company to pay them better, not when you are expected to show up anyway when you aren't getting paid. The fact that he doesn't understand such a basic concept is frightening.
Meanwhile, Sarah Sanders claimed yesterday that 4000 suspected terrorists were caught coming across the border last year. This number is only off by 4000.
AOC is as taking alot of heat for suggesting a 70% top marginal tax rate. My question for those that oppose it is this: Was the United States a left-wing communist hell-hole until 1980, as this chart would indicate if this rate is so oppressive, or wasn't it??:
In fact, one could EASILY argue that the marginal rate we have now is closer to the one that was in place around the time of the Great Depression, and that when it was highest was when the middle-class in this country prospered the most (though mostly at the complete expense of African-Americans). But the question still stands. The rate was highest when Dwight Eisenhower was in office. I doubt anyone is going to claim he was the second coming of Lenin. And the rise of Reagan in 1980 marks pretty much the exact point when workers in this country started falling behind with no chance of catching up.
And to clear it up before it comes up, the top marginal rate would be the amount taxed AFTER anyone hits a certain income level, not the tax rate on 100% of their wages. In this case, the number suggested is $10 million dollars.
It was disappointing (but not surprising) to see how many people were invoking the Constitution to complain about this. But what was really disappointing was how many Kos commenters seemed to think that the counter to their BS was contained in the Bill of Rights. Nope, it's Article VI, Clause 3. I didn't have that memorized, of course, but seriously, that was 2 seconds on Google.
We should really, REALLY be paying more attention to the fact that the President is seriously considering invoking emergency military powers to deploy troops on American soil to build a wall without Congressional approval. It is absolutely unfathomable that if Barack Obama was suggesting something similar it wouldn't be the biggest story in the country. Moreover, this total abuse of power would have to involve EXTENSIVE use of eminent domain, a practice I have been told be conservatives for decades is practically the ultimate example of government tyranny. And Trump is threatening to do it by unilateral Executive decree.
@BillyYank I had a whole long discussion with someone on Twitter who maintained that Barrack O... Excuse me "Barrack HUSSEIN Obama" couldn't be Christian, because of his name. And I mean that "No Christian could be named Barrack HUSSEIN Obama" (allCaps his). And that he had been sworn into office on a Koran.
I replied that indeed he was Christian, but his father was Muslim, and named him. I pointed out that Keith Ellison was Muslim. And that one of Obama's big early "scandals" was over Rev. Jeremiah Wright who had some... "Interesting" views, and Obama was being asked to denounce him. Why would a Muslim attend a Christian Church for so many years? And also, look at the Funeral of George W. Bush, where the Obamas, the Clintons, and W. Bush and his wife, along with Trump and Melania. When time came to read the Apostle's Creed, The Obamas knew all the words, along with the Clintons and W and his wife. Who didn't stand or read, or appear to know or care? Trump. Honestly, I'd believe Trump was a Muslim before Obama.
He shut up, and I haven't heard from him since. i doubt I changed his mind. He's said the same thing to other people But I don't think he could argue with my points, either.
@BillyYank I had a whole long discussion with someone on Twitter who maintained that Barrack O... Excuse me "Barrack HUSSEIN Obama" couldn't be Christian, because of his name. And I mean that "No Christian could be named Barrack HUSSEIN Obama" (allCaps his). And that he had been sworn into office on a Koran.
I replied that indeed he was Christian, but his father was Muslim, and named him. I pointed out that Keith Ellison was Muslim. And that one of Obama's big early "scandals" was over Rev. Jeremiah Wright who had some... "Interesting" views, and Obama was being asked to denounce him. Why would a Muslim attend a Christian Church for so many years? And also, look at the Funeral of George W. Bush, where the Obamas, the Clintons, and W. Bush and his wife, along with Trump and Melania. When time came to read the Apostle's Creed, The Obamas knew all the words, along with the Clintons and W and his wife. Who didn't stand or read, or appear to know or care? Trump. Honestly, I'd believe Trump was a Muslim before Obama.
He shut up, and I haven't heard from him since. i doubt I changed his mind. He's said the same thing to other people But I don't think he could argue with my points, either.
During the whole Jeremiah Wright controversy in 2008, it was revealed that Sarah Palin had not only attended an exorcism, but that her husband was part of an honest to god secessionist movement in Alaska. Didn't even make a blip on the media radar in either case.
As for Trump, he revealed himself to be a total fraud on the religious angle the moment he said "Two Corinthians" at a gathering of the religious right. Anyone who has been to more than ONE church service in their entire life knows that it is 2nd Corinthians, and that anyone who would call it Two Corinthians is a complete and utter charlatan. Yet he is more popular with the religious right than pretty much any other politician in the country.
A strike is when a group a workers band together and refuse to work in an attempt to force a company to pay them better, not when you are expected to show up anyway when you aren't getting paid. The fact that he doesn't understand such a basic concept is frightening.
Meanwhile, Sarah Sanders claimed yesterday that 4000 suspected terrorists were caught coming across the border last year. This number is only off by 4000.
AOC is as taking alot of heat for suggesting a 70% top marginal tax rate. My question for those that oppose it is this: Was the United States a left-wing communist hell-hole until 1980, as this chart would indicate if this rate is so oppressive, or wasn't it??:
In fact, one could EASILY argue that the marginal rate we have now is closer to the one that was in place around the time of the Great Depression, and that when it was highest was when the middle-class in this country prospered the most (though mostly at the complete expense of African-Americans). But the question still stands. The rate was highest when Dwight Eisenhower was in office. I doubt anyone is going to claim he was the second coming of Lenin. And the rise of Reagan in 1980 marks pretty much the exact point when workers in this country started falling behind with no chance of catching up.
And to clear it up before it comes up, the top marginal rate would be the amount taxed AFTER anyone hits a certain income level, not the tax rate on 100% of their wages. In this case, the number suggested is $10 million dollars.
Sweden has a 70 percent marginal tax rate and it kicks in, not at $10 million like AOC proposes, but at around $98,000. AOC’s proposal is quite modest by comparison.
A strike is when a group a workers band together and refuse to work in an attempt to force a company to pay them better, not when you are expected to show up anyway when you aren't getting paid. The fact that he doesn't understand such a basic concept is frightening.
Meanwhile, Sarah Sanders claimed yesterday that 4000 suspected terrorists were caught coming across the border last year. This number is only off by 4000.
AOC is as taking alot of heat for suggesting a 70% top marginal tax rate. My question for those that oppose it is this: Was the United States a left-wing communist hell-hole until 1980, as this chart would indicate if this rate is so oppressive, or wasn't it??:
In fact, one could EASILY argue that the marginal rate we have now is closer to the one that was in place around the time of the Great Depression, and that when it was highest was when the middle-class in this country prospered the most (though mostly at the complete expense of African-Americans). But the question still stands. The rate was highest when Dwight Eisenhower was in office. I doubt anyone is going to claim he was the second coming of Lenin. And the rise of Reagan in 1980 marks pretty much the exact point when workers in this country started falling behind with no chance of catching up.
And to clear it up before it comes up, the top marginal rate would be the amount taxed AFTER anyone hits a certain income level, not the tax rate on 100% of their wages. In this case, the number suggested is $10 million dollars.
Sweden has a 70 percent marginal tax rate and it kicks in, not at $10 million like AOC proposes, but at around $98,000. AOC’s proposal is quite modest by comparison.
You can't get farther left than Bernie Sanders and AOC in American politics and their proposals compared to nearly ANYTHING in Scandinavia would probably be considered centrist.
AOC is as taking alot of heat for suggesting a 70% top marginal tax rate. My question for those that oppose it is this: Was the United States a left-wing communist hell-hole until 1980, as this chart would indicate if this rate is so oppressive, or wasn't it??:
In fact, one could EASILY argue that the marginal rate we have now is closer to the one that was in place around the time of the Great Depression, and that when it was highest was when the middle-class in this country prospered the most (though mostly at the complete expense of African-Americans). But the question still stands. The rate was highest when Dwight Eisenhower was in office. I doubt anyone is going to claim he was the second coming of Lenin. And the rise of Reagan in 1980 marks pretty much the exact point when workers in this country started falling behind with no chance of catching up.
And to clear it up before it comes up, the top marginal rate would be the amount taxed AFTER anyone hits a certain income level, not the tax rate on 100% of their wages. In this case, the number suggested is $10 million dollars.
The problem is that there's more to it than the top marginal rate.
Pretend there's 5 tax rates.
1/2/3/4/70 and 10/20/30/50/70 both have 70% as the top rate. So does 30/30/50/20/70. The tax burden is wildly different across the nation. And then on the microeconomic level for even for one person making 10.1 million dollars, it would depend on what the breakpoints for the rates are.
It takes more than one graph to explain the complexity.
I'd guess that there should be something like 75-80% after like 50 or 100 million. I've said before, we should have a LOT of rates. The historical average number of brackets has been about 8-10 or so. It adds a trivial amount of complexity, as the rate is just multiplication done after determining taxable income, which is where the headaches, debates, and major calculations are.
We have what, 7 rates presently (10/12/22/24/32/35/37). Plus 2 more for those falling under AMT (26/28).
Also, the decline started earlier with "stagflation" under Nixon/Ford/Carter. That basically primed the pump, then Reagan fired it by cutting the tax rate.
Here's what I keep trying to explain to people about this tax the rich bullshit. The total income of everybody making more than $20 million per year or more is about $46.4 billion. Take every dime of their income for the entire year and it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the national budget. This is not a solution people. This kind of policy is just a justification for theft and a punishment for success imho...
you can't take into acout only the top 0,...01% - that is, only the highest bracket, when determining the increase in revenue from progressive taxation.
what about the top 40%, the top 30%, the top 20% ... etc.
all of that adds up to infinitely more than $46.4 billion
Here's what I keep trying to explain to people about this tax the rich bullshit. The total income of everybody making more than $20 million per year or more is about $46.4 billion. Take every dime of their income for the entire year and it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the national budget. This is not a solution people. This kind of policy is just a justification for theft and a punishment for success imho...
I'd say the most telling part of that story is that those 200 people make more money than the ENTIRE city of Denver combined, which is the kind of income inequality that leads to guillotines.
the reality is that taxes need to go up for almost everyone in order to fund huge welfare state programs, but they should go up less for those that can't realistically be taxed a lot more than they already are. that's the whole "philosophy" of progressive taxation. more taxation overall should be followed by a corresponding increase in progressivity, because otherwise it's not going to work very well from a purely practical standpoint (macroeconomic and social costs may be too great)
so it's not so much that rich need to be taxed more, because it's some kind of cosmic justice or because the norwegians do it, it's that everyone has to pay more taxes, but a lot of people can really pay only a little more then they already are paying. so jack who earns 50k can pay maybe 15% more, but bob who earns 1b can pay maybe 40% more. the operating word is *can*
If the total yearly income of all people making more than $20 million adds up to $42 billion across the group, then adding a higher tax bracket of 70% for that group instead of the current cap of 37% would generate $15 billion in new revenue. $15 billion every single year is a lot of money in absolute terms. You can say it's a drop in the bucket, but the national budget is a pretty freaking big bucket. Currently, the government is being shut down over a dispute about only $5 billion.
And yes, that's just one aspect of a more progressive tax plan; raising taxes among the rest of the 1% and 10% would generate even more while impoverishing nobody (the top 1% of the population is not going to suddenly end up poor).
Ideally, we'd also implement a progressive capital gains tax, since a lot of the wealthiest folks make their money by collecting interest off of stock portfolios rather than earning a salary.
Personally, I'd make the corporate tax rate progressive as well. Currently, we've got a flat tax rate for corporations, which imposes a heavy burden on small businesses while generating very little revenue from larger corporations. If we accept the premise that higher-income folks should pay a higher percentage of their income--even if we don't agree that it should scale up to [name a percent] for people earning [name a salary]--then I see no reason we wouldn't apply the same logic to businesses as we do for individuals.
Here's what I keep trying to explain to people about this tax the rich bullshit. The total income of everybody making more than $20 million per year or more is about $46.4 billion. Take every dime of their income for the entire year and it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the national budget. This is not a solution people. This kind of policy is just a justification for theft and a punishment for success imho...
The logic underpinning your argument is that the top earners have done something wonderful to earn the incomes they get. What if, instead, the reality is that the top earners' income is so high for a rather different reason? Rather than their efforts being rewarded for the wealth they are creating, what if they are simply being given a larger share of the wealth created by everyone in the country - as a result of their incomes being effectively set by their peers in a rather cozy little club of the top earners?
During the 1940s to 1970s the share of US national income taken by the 0.01% of top earners was around 1%, i.e. about 100 times the average income. Since then, real incomes of most earning groups have hardly changed, but the top earners have enjoyed huge increases - such that they now take over 5% of national income, or 500 times the average income. Personally I'm unconvinced that the contributions of most of these earners justify such disproportionate earnings. The tax system is one potential way to try and rein in potential abuses, but I don't think it's a very effective one. I would prefer to see a far flatter tax system with other means used to control the tendency for high earners to ramp up each other's pay checks - for instance by setting a maximum multiple for the highest compared to the lowest earners in a company. That might itself vary according to company size, e.g. 10 for small companies, 50 for medium and 100 for large.
Here's what I keep trying to explain to people about this tax the rich bullshit. The total income of everybody making more than $20 million per year or more is about $46.4 billion. Take every dime of their income for the entire year and it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the national budget. This is not a solution people. This kind of policy is just a justification for theft and a punishment for success imho...
The logic underpinning your argument is that the top earners have done something wonderful to earn the incomes they get. What if, instead, the reality is that the top earners' income is so high for a rather different reason? Rather than their efforts being rewarded for the wealth they are creating, what if they are simply being given a larger share of the wealth created by everyone in the country - as a result of their incomes being effectively set by their peers in a rather cozy little club of the top earners?
During the 1940s to 1970s the share of US national income taken by the 0.01% of top earners was around 1%, i.e. about 100 times the average income. Since then, real incomes of most earning groups have hardly changed, but the top earners have enjoyed huge increases - such that they now take over 5% of national income, or 500 times the average income. Personally I'm unconvinced that the contributions of most of these earners justify such disproportionate earnings. The tax system is one potential way to try and rein in potential abuses, but I don't think it's a very effective one. I would prefer to see a far flatter tax system with other means used to control the tendency for high earners to ramp up each other's pay checks - for instance by setting a maximum multiple for the highest compared to the lowest earners in a company. That might itself vary according to company size, e.g. 10 for small companies, 50 for medium and 100 for large.
Yeah, I'm sure those people won't just take their fortunes elsewhere where the taxes arent as high. As far as the guillotines go, in this day and age I don't think it would work. The wealthy have the advantage of hiring their own security and with cameras, surveillance and 24/7 news I doubt they'd ever get caught unawares in their 'castles' again. Well, the more arrogant ones might I suppose...
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TwoMake that Three more.The Most Sobering Thing about the Racial Dot Map
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2018/12/the-most-sobering-thing-about-the-racial-dot-map.htmlThe University of Virginia used the 2010 census to create a map of the U.S. overlaid with different colored dots—one dot for each person. The map uses blue dots for white people, green dots for black people, orange dots for Hispanic people, red dots for Asian people, and brown dots for Native Americans or other racial groups. The map is utterly fascinating, especially when looking at cities, because it demonstrates the level of segregation that exists in most places.
The level of segregation illuminated by these maps is sobering in and of itself. But there’s something even more sobering to be found in the racial dot map.
While browsing through some rural areas, which are mostly made up of open space and blue dots (white people), I began to notice something odd. I kept finding random collections of green dots (black people) in weirdly delineated, concentrated areas.
Hint: They were prisons, excuse me, "Correctional Facilities".
Mueller grand jury extended for up to 6 months
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/mueller-grand-jury/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0a7c_F-52hjqcY-YHgB6LwI_7c4DKYfi65D8-irsU0GDbIK7A3U5PhCfYAny longer, and they will have to empanel a NEW Grand Jury...
Mueller Probe Cost $25 Million So Far, Report Says. It’s Pulled in $48 Million From Tax Cheats
http://fortune.com/2018/12/14/mueller-investigation-cost-tax-cheats/?fbclid=IwAR34PMUt1Hp52SES3HnXaphBOEuUnIVwf9gPY4uCz3w8Mtj3DlcBG6C9JeQThough the investigation comes with a hefty price tag, it may have actually paid for its own investigation, with its probe leading to monetary estimated gains of up to $48 million for the government through the tax evasion the investigation has revealed.
But what is really pissing off some on the right today (and even the cowardly centrist media) is that there are now Democrats who are figuring out how to play the game, and it is scaring the shit out of them. For years, the right has engaged in what someone has called the art of bitch-slap politics, in which the conservative media attacks someone, the mainstream media buys into the narrative, and then that person goes and cowers in the corner begging not to be hit again. This is how Republicans and the media EXPECT your average liberal politician to behave. Except some of these new women have them pegged. They are from a different generation. They have watched for the last ten years as Republicans never fail to double-down when they are attacked. So when Congresswoman Tlaib was questioned by the media about it today, she basically told them to go f**k themselves, essentially telling them "I said what I said, get over it". And the right and media have no idea how to process this, because it is not how 90% of Democrats would react over fake outrage. There are members of this freshman class who finally understand how to stand up to bullies. And bullies absolutely lose their shit when anyone figures out how easy they are to deal with. It's about damn time. Their politics aside, Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib should hold a seminar for every liberal in the country on how to deal with right-wing attacks and refuse to play into their narrative-framing. The problem with Democrats isn't their policies. Their policies have proven more popular for decades. The problem is they are weak and don't defend them. Ironic that it is taking a bunch of newly-elected women to finally show some balls.
Some will look at this post and declare it too vulgar and too angry. Maybe. But that's the point. Democrats need to get out there with some goddamn passion and defend their position. Americans like to think they are winners, and they'll even follow a transparent con-man if he promises they will. So get out there and act like one, not some loser who just had his lunch money taken for the 10th day in a row.
Trump: Tlaib's comments were disgraceful
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/01/04/trump-responds-rashida-tlaib-impeachment-sot-vpx.cnn
(As a side note, I know this is a PG-13 forum and respect that. I myself operate under the 1980s cinema rule of this, in which even PG-13 movies were allowed one "f-word" in most cases, but I do tend to self-censor any words I write that are above the level of "shit". However, I can't do this with a tweet, but if rules dictate it is put under a spoiler, I respect that as well. However, just as I was talking about earlier, it's harder and harder to take the idea of swear words being offensive in this day and age. Still, rules are rules).
Taco Bell employee fired after video shows him refusing to serve man who is deaf
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/taco-bell-employee-fired-after-video-shows-him-refusing-serve-n954736?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_maCNN reporter to Trump: Why isn't Mexico paying?
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/01/04/donald-trump-kaitlan-collins-steel-concrete-wall-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/So why not wait until the money is collected (from Mexico) to build said wall?
House Passes Spending Package in Bid to End Shutdown
https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-passes-spending-package-to-end-shutdown-11546570946?mod=e2fb&fbclid=IwAR3Q0rD4TteY-dSuPLx-CNKaDmmyoXfMpwSoukki28v6AuMZIRLR8IgNOaoOn their first day in power, House Democrats rebuff President Trump on border-wall funding; Senate unlikely to take up House bills
Trump Says Country Wants Border Wall, But That's Not What Polls Say
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-says-country-wants-border-033117679.htmlCustoms And Border Protection Paid A Firm $13.6 Million To Hire Recruits. It Hired 2
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/11/675923576/customs-border-and-protection-paid-a-firm-13-6-million-to-hire-recruits-it-hired?fbclid=IwAR3VPgUTSqbKzmgUYuRMlvUcuN5mB9XdFKyXRCfFszmNHV8Vy8U0bQFPe6oVideo appears to show Miami-Dade police officer kicking handcuffed teen suspect
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/video-appears-show-miami-dade-police-officer-kicking-handcuffed-teen-n954401?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_maThe incident happened in February 2018 and the officer was put on leave after the alleged assault.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg back working the Supreme Court 72 hours after lung cancer surgery
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ruth-bader-ginsburg-working-supreme-court-lung-cancer-surgery-health-rbg-a8698326.html?fbclid=IwAR1rUMTttTZwOjvC4iItXk-HOmzCexSHSEmqaU_t-2Y36vTOKrYvO1swUkIMan, she's like an unstoppable force- just keeps chugging along!
On a sad note:
DR. NANCY GRACE ROMAN, MOTHER OF THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE, GONE AT 93
http://kryptonradio.com/2019/01/04/dr-nancy-grace-roman-mother-of-the-hubble-telescope-gone-at-93/?fbclid=IwAR1MTk-gJAliMKybNqh7lyLIuqsr9xZvLlGOGEtvDQCHnkVcUaSVsOx8sCcDr. Roman, according to the New York Times, “oversaw the early planning for the Hubble Space Telescope, which began orbiting Earth above its atmosphere in April 1990 to capture an unobstructed view of the universe.”
https://www.facebook.com/WatchBLtv/videos/2224311801115666/?t=0
New Video Shows Migrant Children Shoved, Slapped, And Dragged By Shelter Staff
Also, there's a state jail I know of just off US-281, the main highway I go down between my place and my parents'. At night driving down the road you can see that jail for miles due to how brightly lit it is. I located it on the map just based on being a REALLY high concentration of Hispanics, but the shape isn't right or in quite the right place. It's more pointing at a field just northwest of the jail itself in an inverted U. There's no green to set it off, in fact I was expecting it a bit to the south based on the article, where there was a little splash of green, but that was just a small small town.
I also located "San Saba Transfer Facility" at a relatively low zoom as a nice green triangle in rural Texas. So, yes, the map can legitimately locate prisons fairly quickly.
There's an entire freaking complex north of Gatesville, Texas just west of Waco. Like half a dozen green or green and orange, with one dark blue. Which I have just google+wiki'd to find that the greenest is the largest female prison in Texas.
None of that is a 'strike' Trump.
The man has to lie about every single thing. He must twist everything to make it look, in his mind, like he's in the right.
Reminder folks: the President lies. About everything.
CNN’s Don Lemon Delivers Emotional Criticism of Kevin Hart’s ‘Ellen’ Interview
https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/don-lemon-kevin-hart-ellen-degeneres-1203100012/?fbclid=IwAR2-jxfSOK9IMZeSJ_NNEZkguil169iLBEBIgkz2DesLR8PpCz0cwVc1WIEHere are 6 ways the Trump shutdown is immediately hurting the country and raising risks for Americans
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/6-ways-trump-shutdown-immediately-hurting-country-raising-risks-americans/?fbclid=IwAR2B_bNofaiZ77WbwvF4FSyjYIXaiDmZOq-XbFwld83_eS1IZSHDlSLb3-oTSA agents are allegedly blowing off work.
According to CNN, hundreds of TSA agents faced with demands to work without pay are calling in sick to get off work. While some may be doing so to protest the loss of pay, others may simply have no choice: a union official has said that many of the officers calling in sick need to look after their children now that they have no money to afford daycare, or else are working side jobs to get through the shutdown.
For the record, Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton denied the reports in a combative statement, calling them “fake news”:
More #FakeNews from @CNN. Security operations at airports have not been impacted by a non-existent sick out. CNN has the cell numbers of multiple @TSA public affairs professionals, but rather than validate statistics, they grossly misrepresented them. https://t.co/PzVeoIBt5R
— Tyler Q. Houlton (@SpoxDHS) January 4, 2019
How 2 Student Reporters Exposed One Of The Internet’s Biggest Neo-Nazis
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/zeiger-nazi-daily-stormer-montreal_us_5c12886ee4b002a46c153980?ncid=APPLENEWS00001&fbclid=IwAR1MBonB_Si9O6X4ZNOhXoVgIsrPF6uYHUduf9_Ih2svJZkTUoXKEhD25mYTrump adds $2 trillion to national debt he promised to ‘get rid of’
https://shareblue.com/trump-2-trillion-national-debt-after-saying-get-rid-of-it/?fbclid=IwAR1h8-SMRcmZBpbe0MrB8bbLP-5Y8MzpuEdwQHpZ-WnoYXXX_OoQEf46E2ENational Parks Are Overflowing With Poop Thanks to the Government Shutdown
https://www.thedailybeast.com/national-parks-are-overflowing-with-poop-thanks-to-the-government-shutdownAt national parks across the country, human excrement is piling up, bathrooms have become unbreathable heaps of bodily fluids, and park officials are noticing visitors relieving themselves in places where they should not be.
The shit storm—for lack of a more apt phrase—is a byproduct of a quirk in how the government has approached this shutdown versus those prior. Instead of closing the national parks, the Trump administration has kept them open but with little to no staff there to help manage the premises. With sanitation workers not on the job, human toxicity has been left unattended. And unlike other outcomes of the shutdown—from disrupted scientific research, to furloughed federal workers, to government programs operating on shoestring staff and budgets—this one has broken through the news clutter.
Fact-checking the DHS border presentation
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/01/05/politics/dhs-border-control-presentation/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0cI8uW2FyZU0qeEYO2XA65orSs-3rGDM91EEhJJTQr4Tm4V4NxChD-lW8Government shutdown looms over farmers as they face tough decisions
https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2019/01/04/government-shutdown-makes-already-rough-farm-markets-even-rougher/2475446002/?fbclid=IwAR0_5VbPYsPnGlh-nyqzhkrPCrJ8tYb2nC30HkqyBDNqwjwFDlwC-MeQdpkRick Wilson: Trump Supporters "Not Sophisticated," Don't Understand Complexity Of A Border Wall
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/01/05/rick_wilson_trump_supporters_not_sophisticated_dont_understand_complexity_of_a_border_wall.html?fbclid=IwAR0yfHmYzrr7hkeGc1oblWLmNFw3ZAuwozIV1xOJw7sZd1_u_dOh_JbVybwDrugs or No Drugs, K-9s Will Alert to Your Car Nearly Every Time
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/court-case-reveals-police-dogs-signal-drugs/?fbclid=IwAR0NPJ0_y-9GWJb2agW2nw_CbCQMTrXmMGYsEmG_TD8hf7KwmpAqeoWLzQ8Former Oklahoma state senator sentenced to 15 years on child sex trafficking charge
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-oklahoma-state-senator-sentenced-15-years-child-sex-trafficking-n910516?fbclid=IwAR2rBn7ZFk4oeZ0gO5Nn1eR7StdxPSVZSL866EtA95t_R5oi5XRf2FpLptIRalph Shortey was arrested in March 2017 after police found him in a suburban Oklahoma City motel room with a then-17-year-old boy.
Trump claims support from past presidents for the wall: Clinton, Bush and Obama beg to differ
https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2019/01/04/trump-former-presidents-border-wall-1082562?fbclid=IwAR3RnFYu_kXCJ2GW-lwR70qSLe5FOgdJxWxwgxJmCxXaabeCSQ3zEfO7bM0Fact Check: Did the U.S. catch 4,000 terrorists at the southern border in 2018?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna954796?fbclid=IwAR3BiqOQ7FYhcxCDbElcwRDSPOxdlGPfV_73dEyy5N0ZmkddlGxG9Nci65QTrump reportedly said 'f--k' several times during a meeting with Nancy Pelosi, and later apologized
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-profanity-meeting-with-democrats-pelosi-government-shutdown-2019-1?utm_content=bufferf7f18&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-bi&fbclid=IwAR0uPQcJJUtGOmAVjjD5yGKs4Wfv1vG4sDIT5QFGooK3o9UPCp4IxJGfxuMSpeaking of hypocrisy, there is also this:
Bookstore Found Perfect Way To Show How Sexism Affects Book Publishing
https://www.fempositive.com/bookstore-found-perfect-way-to-show-how-sexism-affects-book-publishing/?fbclid=IwAR11xrpY1bPoUvIUdw8soqzYnl3lldHHk0Ul2MrnJ430GzfLv6pmSwWm8VY21 Examples Of Double Standards Proving That We Still Have A Long Way To Go
https://www.fempositive.com/21-examples-of-double-standards-proving-that-we-still-have-a-long-way-to-go/Trump to reveal his gutted version of the Endangered Species Act. Say goodbye to nature now
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823280/-Trump-to-reveal-his-gutted-version-of-the-Endangered-Species-Act-say-goodbye-to-nature-now?detail=emaildkreGreat. Just great.
Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib is ‘unapologetic’ after f-bomb, despite hypocritical GOP outrage
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/4/1823533/-Michigan-Rep-Rashida-Tlaib-is-unapologetic-after-f-bomb-despite-hypocritical-GOP-outrage?detail=emaildkreTrump's policies are so bad, even the massive gift of the Republican tax cut can't save corporations
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/4/1823484/-Trump-s-policies-are-so-bad-even-the-massive-gift-of-the-Republican-tax-cut-can-t-save-corporations?detail=emaildkreFinally, a major U.S. government body is being led by someone definitively NOT under Putin's thumb
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823346/-Finally-a-major-body-of-US-government-is-being-led-by-someone-definitively-NOT-under-Putin-s-thumb?detail=emaildkreThat being the House of Representatives
House Democrats hand the Senate a way out of this mess, but Mitch McConnell won't let them take it
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/4/1823487/-House-Democrats-hand-the-Senate-a-way-out-of-this-mess-but-Mitch-McConnell-won-t-let-them-take-it?detail=emaildkreHouse Democrats to scrap rule Republicans used to target nonpartisan budget analysis
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823281/-House-Democrats-to-scrap-rule-Republicans-used-to-target-nonpartisan-budget-analysis?detail=emaildkreLast spring, the Republican-controlled House reinstated a rule that allows Congress to target individual federal workers with pay cuts and to cut entire programs. In fact, in 2017 Republicans used the Holman Rule to try to eliminate the Congressional Budget Office’s budget analysis division. (Gee, why would they want to do that?) Well, there’s a new Congress in town, and Democrats are taking the Holman Rule out of play.
New Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) plans to ignore lame-duck power grab, tells Republicans: Sue me
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823207/-New-Wisconsin-Gov-Tony-Evers-D-plans-to-ignore-lame-duck-power-grab-tells-Republicans-Sue-me?detail=emaildkreExcellent.
Video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dancing in college shocks AOC-obsessed right wing—and nobody else
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823320/-Video-of-Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez-dancing-in-college-shocks-AOC-obsessed-right-wing-and-nobody-else?detail=emaildkreLOL!
Kathy Griffin has the best response to Ocasio-Cortez DanceGate
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823387/-Kathy-Griffin-has-the-best-response-to-Ocasio-Cortez-DanceGate?detail=emaildkre"This is cool...do you have a video of what Brett Kavanaugh was doing in high school?
Trump moves to restrict access to HIV, Depression, and Cancer medications for people on Medicare D
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823183/-Trump-moves-to-restrict-access-to-HIV-Depression-and-Cancer-medications-for-people-on-Medicare-D?detail=emaildkreTrump tells Schumer he can't work with Democrats to reopen government because 'I would look foolish'
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823251/-Trump-tells-Schumer-he-can-t-work-with-Democrats-to-reopen-government-because-I-would-look-foolish?detail=emaildkreIt was way too late for that years ago.
First openly bisexual senator takes oath with hand on law book as Mike Pence looks on in horror
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823417/-First-openly-bisexual-senator-takes-oath-with-hand-on-law-book-as-Mike-Pence-looks-on-in-horror?detail=emaildkreOh, the horror for Mike Pence. THE HORROR!"
Racists Meltdown After Newly Elected Congresswoman Swears Oath On Thomas Jefferson's Copy Of Koran
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823331/-Racists-Meltdown-After-Newly-Elected-Congresswoman-Swears-Oath-On-Thomas-Jefferson-s-Copy-Of-Koran?detail=emaildkreI love this.
Coal miners are dying from disease—and deregulation
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/12/28/1820479/-Coal-miners-are-dying-from-disease—and-deregulation?detail=emailLLNearly 70 former judges want courthouses declared off-limits to ICE arrests
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/12/26/1819188/-Nearly-70-former-judges-want-courthouses-declared-off-limits-to-ICE-arrests?detail=emailLLIncoming House Democrats break barriers, including the first black female to serve as floor director
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/01/02/1822979/-Incoming-House-Democrats-break-barriers,-including-the-first-black-female-to-serve-as-floor-director?detail=emailLLLeaked 'comedy' audio reveals Louis C.K. mocking Parkland shooting survivors, queer youth, and more
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1822970/-Leaked-comedy-audio-reveals-Louis-C-K-mocking-Parkland-shooting-survivors-queer-youth-and-more?detail=emailLL::Sigh.::
Coal finishes 2018 at its lowest level since 1979, while Trump gives coal owners golden parachutes
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823028/-Coal-finishes-2018-at-its-lowest-level-since-1979-while-Trump-gives-coal-owners-golden-parachutes?detail=emaildkreRepeated errors cost hundreds of people their homes—now Wells Fargo wants to buy their silence
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823002/-Repeated-errors-cost-hundreds-of-people-their-homes-now-Wells-Fargo-wants-to-buy-their-silence?detail=emaildkre'Burn in hell': North Carolina teen is target of hate crimes for interracial dating
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823044/--Burn-in-hell-Hate-crimes-target-North-Carolina-teen-for-interracial-dating?detail=emaildkreA white family saw two of its vehicles defaced and burned by at least one vile racist who took issue with a mixed-race teenage couple. Amanda Miller of Goldsboro, North Carolina, reports that one of the family’s cars, a minivan, was covered with spray-painted hate, including a swastika, multiple calls to “burn in hell,” gendered insults like “whore,” and racial epithets like “nigger-loving bitch.” Another car, a crossover SUV, was actually set on fire.
"And when you walk out, all you see is a swastika and you're like, 'Oh my gosh, what just happened?'" she said.
The paint-wielding arsonist(s) appears to have targeted Miller’s 14-year-old daughter Brianna, who met her black ex-boyfriend at church. In an interview with ABC11, Miller, still shaken by the attack, ponders what could come next if police can’t catch the racist criminal(s).
Trump's shutdown: Navajo Nation residents trapped in their homes as federal snowplows stop running
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823008/-Trump-s-shutdown-Navaho-Nation-residents-trapped-in-their-homes-as-federal-snowplows-stop-running?detail=emaildkreThat sucks.
Goodbye, Paul Ryan: He leaves office with a 12% favorability rating
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/3/1823103/-Goodbye-Paul-Ryan-He-leaves-office-with-a-12-favorability-ratingLie down with Dogs...
In Alabama, the GOP reluctantly invested in preschool education. Here's the incredible result
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823042/-In-Alabama-the-GOP-reluctantly-invested-in-preschool-education-Here-s-the-incredible-result?detail=emaildkreSpoiler Alert: It worked.
Horrific video shows white man attacking black female McDonald's employee over a straw
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823053/-White-man-attacks-black-female-McDonald-s-employee-over-straw-in-horrific-video?detail=emaildkreA white man was arrested after attacking two black female employees at a McDonald’s in St. Petersburg, Florida, on New Year’s Day. The man, 40-year-old Daniel Williams Taylor, yelled at Yasmine James over a plastic straw and proceeded to reach across the counter and grab her by the collar. Understandably, James defended herself. As caught on video by a spectator, she fought back by punching him in the arm and pulling his shirt.
What happens next is puzzling: Fellow workers pull James and Taylor apart, and then someone who seems to be a manager continues taking Taylor’s order. Why this happened, as opposed to the man being immediately removed from the store (or arrested) is unclear. What is clear, however, is that Taylor did not want to apologize and remove himself from the situation.
“And I want her a-- fired right now,” he yells in the video, instead. James replies that he’s going to jail for attacking her, to which Taylor replies, “I was just asking you a f--ing question, b---h.”
“You’re going to give me a goddamn refund,” Taylor then says to the manager.
He should definitely be in jail.
Terminally Ill Harry Reid Minces No Words About Himself Nor Donald Trump
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1823124/-Terminally-Ill-Harry-Reid-Minces-No-Words-About-Himself-Nor-Donald-Trump?detail=emaildkreStill, Reid added: “Trump is an interesting person. He is not immoral but is amoral. Amoral is when you shoot someone in the head, it doesn’t make a difference. No conscience.” There was a hint of grudging respect in Reid’s tone, which he seemed to catch and correct. “I think he is without question the worst president we’ve ever had,” he said. “We’ve had some bad ones, and there’s not even a close second to him.” He added: “He’ll lie. He’ll cheat. You can’t reason with him.” Once more, a hint of wonder crept into his voice, as if he was describing a rogue beast on the loose in a jungle that Reid knows well.
In Charlotte, Kidnapper Chases A Victim... Into A Karate Dojo. You Know How This Ends :-).
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/4/1823579/-In-Charlotte-Kidnapper-Chases-A-Victim-Into-a-Karate-Dojo-You-Know-How-This-Ends?detail=emaildkreOxford U. Professor: Trump Scores Higher Than Hitler On Psychopath Exam
https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/oxford-u-professor-trump-scores-higher-than-hitler-on-psychopath-exam-qKnLYugll0-AwpwiupxjEQ/?utm_source=Amplify&utm_medium=Intellectualist&utm_campaign=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3pe5R7S549xmqfzofZkKuej_sYpqG8BA-fD4vMI9zZgbTqtw6ib-Mw1TAMeanwhile, Sarah Sanders claimed yesterday that 4000 suspected terrorists were caught coming across the border last year. This number is only off by 4000.
AOC is as taking alot of heat for suggesting a 70% top marginal tax rate. My question for those that oppose it is this: Was the United States a left-wing communist hell-hole until 1980, as this chart would indicate if this rate is so oppressive, or wasn't it??:
In fact, one could EASILY argue that the marginal rate we have now is closer to the one that was in place around the time of the Great Depression, and that when it was highest was when the middle-class in this country prospered the most (though mostly at the complete expense of African-Americans). But the question still stands. The rate was highest when Dwight Eisenhower was in office. I doubt anyone is going to claim he was the second coming of Lenin. And the rise of Reagan in 1980 marks pretty much the exact point when workers in this country started falling behind with no chance of catching up.
And to clear it up before it comes up, the top marginal rate would be the amount taxed AFTER anyone hits a certain income level, not the tax rate on 100% of their wages. In this case, the number suggested is $10 million dollars.
Vets slam Trump for treating military like his own ‘construction crew’
https://shareblue.com/veterans-trump-border-troops-personal-construction-crew/amp/?__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR01SHuNLXrTQ53bSMKGwlCXJYfRMPdKr0pOcxQXLzZA8m5SzbOgb7Yr7OkDemocrat Accuses Kirstjen Nielsen Of ‘Outright Lies’ On Border, Calls For Hearing
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kirstjen-nielsen-border_us_5c30523ee4b073352832ee7a?fbclid=IwAR3lTzTG48N0UhhLGUE3rXpZPViMJlgLtm4cxv-nPaGSpo-qmZIL5fGCop4GOP lawmaker doubts government workers live paycheck to paycheck
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-lawmaker-doubts-government-workers-live-paycheck-to-paycheck/ar-BBRfjcz?fbclid=IwAR1K4SbYpfoBV6NbVwD_s39qp-W1PDW1xvUgHlMJmixuWFUnhGu5Rwr7qb0Why Trump Supporters Believe He Is Not Corrupt
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/08/what-trumps-supporters-think-of-corruption/568147/?fbclid=IwAR3DV1H3t40Wy7nqINpSnlzB9tXBcBFojNbYfZco7uE9KojeJjvneoUFZR4Moms Offer Free Hugs at Pride Parade for Kids Whose Parents Rejected Them
https://thestir.cafemom.com/healthy_living/213854/moms-offer-free-hugs-at-pride-parade/?utm_content=beingamom_fanpage&utm_medium=sm&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3zlTKXoHd-loL0-kg4xqX1mTIgpMpg6Rm6mIHIC51lBSqODPqp9vsS1nwWe should really, REALLY be paying more attention to the fact that the President is seriously considering invoking emergency military powers to deploy troops on American soil to build a wall without Congressional approval. It is absolutely unfathomable that if Barack Obama was suggesting something similar it wouldn't be the biggest story in the country. Moreover, this total abuse of power would have to involve EXTENSIVE use of eminent domain, a practice I have been told be conservatives for decades is practically the ultimate example of government tyranny. And Trump is threatening to do it by unilateral Executive decree.
I replied that indeed he was Christian, but his father was Muslim, and named him. I pointed out that Keith Ellison was Muslim. And that one of Obama's big early "scandals" was over Rev. Jeremiah Wright who had some... "Interesting" views, and Obama was being asked to denounce him. Why would a Muslim attend a Christian Church for so many years? And also, look at the Funeral of George W. Bush, where the Obamas, the Clintons, and W. Bush and his wife, along with Trump and Melania. When time came to read the Apostle's Creed, The Obamas knew all the words, along with the Clintons and W and his wife. Who didn't stand or read, or appear to know or care? Trump. Honestly, I'd believe Trump was a Muslim before Obama.
He shut up, and I haven't heard from him since. i doubt I changed his mind. He's said the same thing to other people But I don't think he could argue with my points, either.
As for Trump, he revealed himself to be a total fraud on the religious angle the moment he said "Two Corinthians" at a gathering of the religious right. Anyone who has been to more than ONE church service in their entire life knows that it is 2nd Corinthians, and that anyone who would call it Two Corinthians is a complete and utter charlatan. Yet he is more popular with the religious right than pretty much any other politician in the country.
Fearlessness, or idiocy? The phrase "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" comes to mind, and describes his presidency so well. The problem is that there's more to it than the top marginal rate.
Pretend there's 5 tax rates.
1/2/3/4/70 and 10/20/30/50/70 both have 70% as the top rate. So does 30/30/50/20/70. The tax burden is wildly different across the nation. And then on the microeconomic level for even for one person making 10.1 million dollars, it would depend on what the breakpoints for the rates are.
It takes more than one graph to explain the complexity.
I'd guess that there should be something like 75-80% after like 50 or 100 million. I've said before, we should have a LOT of rates. The historical average number of brackets has been about 8-10 or so. It adds a trivial amount of complexity, as the rate is just multiplication done after determining taxable income, which is where the headaches, debates, and major calculations are.
We have what, 7 rates presently (10/12/22/24/32/35/37). Plus 2 more for those falling under AMT (26/28).
Also, the decline started earlier with "stagflation" under Nixon/Ford/Carter. That basically primed the pump, then Reagan fired it by cutting the tax rate.
Here's what I keep trying to explain to people about this tax the rich bullshit. The total income of everybody making more than $20 million per year or more is about $46.4 billion. Take every dime of their income for the entire year and it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the national budget. This is not a solution people. This kind of policy is just a justification for theft and a punishment for success imho...
what about the top 40%, the top 30%, the top 20% ... etc.
all of that adds up to infinitely more than $46.4 billion
so it's not so much that rich need to be taxed more, because it's some kind of cosmic justice or because the norwegians do it, it's that everyone has to pay more taxes, but a lot of people can really pay only a little more then they already are paying. so jack who earns 50k can pay maybe 15% more, but bob who earns 1b can pay maybe 40% more. the operating word is *can*
And yes, that's just one aspect of a more progressive tax plan; raising taxes among the rest of the 1% and 10% would generate even more while impoverishing nobody (the top 1% of the population is not going to suddenly end up poor).
Ideally, we'd also implement a progressive capital gains tax, since a lot of the wealthiest folks make their money by collecting interest off of stock portfolios rather than earning a salary.
Personally, I'd make the corporate tax rate progressive as well. Currently, we've got a flat tax rate for corporations, which imposes a heavy burden on small businesses while generating very little revenue from larger corporations. If we accept the premise that higher-income folks should pay a higher percentage of their income--even if we don't agree that it should scale up to [name a percent] for people earning [name a salary]--then I see no reason we wouldn't apply the same logic to businesses as we do for individuals.
During the 1940s to 1970s the share of US national income taken by the 0.01% of top earners was around 1%, i.e. about 100 times the average income. Since then, real incomes of most earning groups have hardly changed, but the top earners have enjoyed huge increases - such that they now take over 5% of national income, or 500 times the average income.
Personally I'm unconvinced that the contributions of most of these earners justify such disproportionate earnings. The tax system is one potential way to try and rein in potential abuses, but I don't think it's a very effective one. I would prefer to see a far flatter tax system with other means used to control the tendency for high earners to ramp up each other's pay checks - for instance by setting a maximum multiple for the highest compared to the lowest earners in a company. That might itself vary according to company size, e.g. 10 for small companies, 50 for medium and 100 for large.