Open Thread March 29, 2024

 Posted by at 6:12 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 292024
 

Yesterday, I got up earlier than i had been doing, and got a few things accomplished, including my taxes. It should have been easier than it was had I not somehow lost track of my Social Security 1099, lost some time looking for it, and finally I had to go online and download it. But it’s don now. I even got the email the IRS has accepted it. (As I predicted, no money will change hands either way.)

Johns Hopkins is very proud of this study, and with reason. It’s the first ever To consider non-fatal shootings along with deaths (And it’s like pulling teeth just to get the truth on deaths.)

Yes, I’m doing an all-gun post today. The two stories came out at the same time so although they’re not exactly the same, I feel they are related, and thought I would put them together

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Open Thread March 18, 2024

 Posted by at 6:31 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 182024
 

Yesterday, Trinette was by again – I didn’t have much in the way of recyclables (I will next week) but I did have a big bag of trash. And she was kind enough to change the batteries in my thermostat. Not that it’s terribly difficult, if I weren’t so short (I used to be 5’5″ but I’m down to 5’0″) and so easy to get off balance. She went home to work on her taxes, and I came back to my “den” to work on this. And maybe my taxes too. I don’t envy her – she has not only her own taxes to do, but her two sons – pne of whom has out of state income and will again this year at least. Me, so much of my income (all of my Social Security) is non-taxable (yes, that means there isn’t a lot of it, but it’s enough) that I really don’t legally need to file. But I do.

This is certainly not good news – but – because it’s a real threat – we need to know about it.

Here’s some good news – where it’s been long needed.

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Video Thread 12/29/2022

 Posted by at 12:12 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 292022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s tax returns and the corruption at the top of the IRS during the Trump years

Thom Hartmann – This Proves We Haven’t Lost to Climate Change Featuring Featuring Michael Mann

Farron Balanced – Mark Meadows Might Have Already Flipped On Trump

Rocky Moutain Mike – MTG – Butt plugs and Dildoes

Family Finds Someone In A Taped-Up Box

Beau – Let’s talk about a Christmas special…. [this is long, but the way his staff set him up, especially at the end, is priceless.]

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Video Thread 12/22/2021

 Posted by at 11:57 am  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 222021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s Newly Issued “Statement” Suggests that he Knows & Fears that Justice is Coming for Him

The Lincoln Project – Corporate Accountability

Now This News – Psaki Responds to Joe Manchin Not Supporting Build Back Better [She has the patience of Job.]

politicsrus – Voting Rights HD

Armageddon Update – Present Traumatic Stress Disorder

If Tax Prep Ads Were Honest

Beau – Let’s talk about Fox News and grocery stores….

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Video Thread 9/10/2021

 Posted by at 11:36 am  Open Thread, Politics
Sep 102021
 

Glenn Kirschner – House Committee Wants Phone Records of McCarthy, Gaetz & Others; McCarthy & Co. Decide to Obstruct

Meidas Touch – Trump’s ‘America First’ Hypocrisy EXPOSED!

CNN – Trump singled out election official. Hear the horrific voicemails he received

MSNBC – How One Bar’s Liquor License Case Could Bring Down The New Texas Abortion Ban

Ring of Fire – Treasury Says Top 1% Are Responsible For $163 BILLION In Unpaid Taxes Each Year

Really American – Trump’s 9/11 Lies Exposed

Robert Reich – Why the Filibuster is Unconstitutional

Beau – Let’s talk about my morning routine and plot holes…. (By all means let’s use a different letter. And I know exactly which one to use.)

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Open Thread for July 7, 2021

 Posted by at 7:17 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 072021
 

I have a technician appointment for tomorrow for the phone. The computer seems to stay connected better when it is not quite as hot. News from Carrie’s appointment yesterday: “Both growths removed and sent off to lab. They are probably benign, but a little concern about one that was changing.”

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Oxfam Denounces OECD Global Tax Deal as ‘Skewed-to-the-Rich and Completely Unfair’
Quote – While some tax equity campaigners applauded the agreement as a good start, Oxfam International executive director Gabriela Bucher slammed the deal as “no more than a G7 money grab,” referring to the seven wealthy nations that have helped spearhead the talks.
Click through for story.  to Mitch.

Crooks and Liars – Biden Quickly Nominates Diverse Slate Of Federal Judges
Quote – Thus far, Biden has tapped 32 judicial nominees, maintaining a rapid pace for both nominations and confirmations that is putting even what Sen. Mitch McConnell did on behalf of the Federalist Society and Donald Trump to shame. “That number is notable for its historical context: It puts Biden on the fastest pace for judicial confirmations in a first presidential term in more than 50 years. The last president to have seven confirmations by this point was Richard Nixon in 1969, according to a White House official,” CNN reports
Click through for details. Yes, it isn’t the Supreme Court. But it is a pool from which future justice will be drawn.and it’s a sign of a good attitude toward the Judicial Branch.

Wonkette – GOP Rep Pretty Sure Soldiers Can Just Quit Over Vaccine Requirements
Quote – There’s a wee bit of a problem with all of that though — as many people were happy to point out to Massie on Twitter, you can’t just “quit” the military, because when you sign up to join the military, you sign a contract and you are required, by actual law, to serve out your time unless otherwise dismissed by the Department of Defense. If you “quit,” that is called “going AWOL” or “desertion” and could result in “dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a one-year confinement.”
Click through for more of Wonkette’s inimitable style. Beau also has something to say on this topic in the video thread.

Food for Thought

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Open Thread for June 11, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 112021
 

Turns out I wouldn’t have needed to be home today – but I will tomorrow. I wish i could (honestly) say I got a lot done. But I didn’t. I didn’t even succeed in gtting used to the heat we are finally starting to have. However, I do welcome it, after what seemed like a forever winter. I did get some bills paid on line, which is always satisfying, so there’s that.

Cartoon

Short Takes

The Conversation – Supreme Court affirms tribal police authority over non-Indians. If I have addressed this beforeI apologize for the duplication – but isn’t it nice to see something positive come out of thei Supreme Court – and with a 9-0 ruling, yet!
Quote: Federal Indian law attorneys feared that a Supreme Court decision limiting tribal policing authority would further undermine the safety of Indians and non-Indians living in Indian country. They worried such a ruling could hamstring the ability of tribal police to detain and search potential criminals.
Click through for more background.  We know that Breyer (who wrote the opinion), Kagan, Sotomayor, and, surprisingly even to me, Gorsuch are dependable supporters of Native Americans’ rights. But this case did not hang on finding a fifth justice to vote the right way. It was decided unanimously. Amazing.

Wonkette – Hey, Look, Some Of Barack Obama’s Judicial Nominees Finally Got Confirmed! They’ve been waiting a long time. And so have we, for them.
Quote: I wish Democrats had hammered Republicans on their obstruction from the personal level. We should’ve known the names of every nominee McConnell blocked. It should’ve become a political liability for every Republican senator from the nominee’s state.
Click through for more story. Hey, Joe, there are lots more where those came from.

Daily Beast (opinion) Fire the IRS Chief Who Doesn’t Care if the Rich Don’t Pay
Quote: Within hours of ProPublica’s blockbuster report showing just how little America’s 25 wealthiest people pay in taxes, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig announced an investigation, which, of course, is what great journalism into a scandal is supposed to generate: a renewed commitment by senior government officials to fix an obvious scandal. But Rettig wasn’t looking into how broken the tax system is in favor of the wealthy, but rather about who leaked the documents proving that to the press, stating that he intended to prosecute the whistleblower if the investigation found the records were distributed illegally.
Click through fpr more thoughts.

Food for Thought:

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Open Thread – 12/27/2020

 Posted by at 10:43 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 272020
 

It’d a tired day here in the CatBox.  It’s also slow day for news to report.  It’s a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.  My Broncos Play the Chargers, but it’s not televised here.  I’m ready for a nap.  Have a great day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:35 (average 5:48).  To do it, click here.

Cartoon:

Christmas Dinner:

1227xmasdinner

Short Takes:

From NY Times: On the campaign trail, Joe Biden argued for higher taxes on Americans who make more than $400,000 a year. Those tax increases, he said, would help fund his broader agenda and reduce inequality.

But depending on the outcome of Georgia runoff elections next month, as president he will face either a Republican Senate majority that is dead set against tax increases, or a very narrow Democratic majority that will need to choose its battles carefully.

That will present him with a political conundrum: How do you raise more money from the wealthy if you can’t raise tax rates?

One potential answer: do better on enforcing the existing tax laws.

Tax experts have long identified a large “tax gap” between the amount Americans owe and what is actually collected. This is disproportionately a result of underpayment of taxes by high earners, especially in certain types of closely held partnerships and midsize businesses that face little scrutiny from either the Internal Revenue Service or outside investors.

That is exactly the type of structure — including dubious deductions — that allowed President Trump to minimize his tax bill for years, according to reporting on the president’s taxes by The New York Times.

One problem is that Republicans have been gutting the IRS’ budget for years, so they wont have the money to investigate and prosecute the rich.  I’m all for this , but to do it Biden needs to get IRS the funds to do it.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence (from The Concert in Central Park)

 

Ah… The memories!  RESIST!!

23 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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