Well Miriam, they also say that flying is far safer than driving a
car. But when I fly my stomach is in knots, and when in a car I am
relaxed. Which proves that my inner self is not concerned with
statistics.
Speaking of statistics, I believe they will bear out that every decade
in our history has been as full of trials and tribulations as were the
previous decades. I recall the Cuban scare under Kennedy. We were
expecting our daughter, and we knew that Judy would need to have her
delivered by C section. We were on needles and pins worrying that
if we became involved in an all out war with the Soviet Union, our
child's birth might be effected.
And when we had become so powerful that we had no real enemies around
the world, we created a few. And we began a "War on Drugs". In fact,
if we just listened to the daily news, we would probably have wound up
in the Loony Bin.
My first wife's folks worried over the idea that "Colored" people
might somehow buy a home in their neighborhood, driving the prices way
down and causing all their neighbors to sell and move.
Then in the 60's we had the "Long Hot Summer" and the Race riots.
I'm not certain if it's worse today, or if it seems worse because my
brain is getting fuzzy and I don't remember all of the feelings I had
back in earlier times.
Since we each do what we are able to do, even though we wish it could
be more, and even though all that we do is like spitting in the wind.
Nonetheless, I believe that it's important to keep some balance in our
lives. Because my interests are varied, I find enjoyment in kicking
back and listening to a wide range of music. I follow the University
of Washington Huskies, and the Seattle Sea Hawks. I watch Jeopardy
and sometimes I even watch "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Voice". Even
once in a long while, Judge Judy has something of interest. And of
course, we do have family. And family can consume lots of good, fun
time. Our eldest grand daughter bugs her grandma Cathy to spend long
weekends with us. When a grand child come visiting, forget what's
going on in the world and just kick back and enjoy the moment. In
short, I'm a firm believer in that old saying, "All work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy".
I had to learn that by personal experience. My involvement in the
affairs of our Blind Organization, along with my involvement in the
local Democratic Politics, brought an end to my second marriage. Of
course, all's well that ends well. And I have had 35 very happy years
with Cathy, in great part because I learned to lighten up and live
life fully.
Carl Jarvis
On 11/3/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The world is really becoming very ugly and scarey or maybe, it's just that
it's always been that way and I'm just realizing it now? I say that only
because each time I read a bit of detailed history, I discover how little
of the truth was really evident to me at the time that things were
happening. Well, one bit about our revolution that I came across twice after
providing my cynical summary of it to Roger the other day is that another
reason for it was to retain slavery. England had already decided to outlaw
slavery. American slave owners did not want this new English law to be
imposed on them and they were afraid that it would be, if they remained an
English colony. And just now I'm listening to yesterday's edition of
Flashpoints on which there's a description of precisely what kinds of things
are being done to that Muslim minority in Burma. One of the things is that
people are being burned alive. Another bit of disgusting information that I
acquired last night, listening to a Real News report on the Clinton deal
with the DNC, the reason that the DNC was in such bad shape was that Obama
disbanded the party's fundraising mechanism after he was elected. He
organized it to serve his campaign, but he didn't want it to become
independent and work toward other goals after he was elected. Therefore, the
party became bankrupt. There are lots of statements to the effect that
there's a silver lining to all this increasing misery, and it's that people
are joining together, organizing, finding common ground. Sorry, that isn't
cheering me up because the bad stuff is increasing at an intolerable rate of
speed. These immigration raids, the imprisonments, and the fact that people
are so frightened about the possibility of terrorist attacks that they'll
accept removal of our civil liberties. Two people who were planning trips,
told me that they're uneasy about traveling because of the possibility of
attacks. The statistics say that you have a better chance of being killed by
being struck by llightening than by a terrorist attack. But one can't
convince people of that.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2017 10:58 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Republican Tax Plan Milks Blue States to Pay
for Cuts for the Rich
This proposal is not merely the Trump Privateers thumbing their collective
billionaire noses at the American People, it is a full salute by the Middle
Finger that shouts out, "Fuck You Working Class America".
The thing that should scare the pants off all of us is what will happen when
Donald Trump's faithful voters realize that they've been sold out, and are
worse off than they had been under Barack Obama.
Odds on that they will not turn to the Democratic Party. And all the time
the Trumpsters are raking in their booty, an ugly stirring is beginning to
bubble up.
Carl Jarvis
On 11/3/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
C First Look Media. All rights reservedTerms of use UNITED STATES -
NOVEMBER 02: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady,
R-Texas, center, Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left, GOP leadership and
members of the committee, conduct a news conference in Longworth
Building to unveil the Republicans' tax reform plan on Nov. 2, 2017.
Tax paying citizens also attended. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll
Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP
Images)
Photo: Tom williams/CQ Roll Call/AP
Republican Tax Plan Milks Blue States to Pay for Cuts for the Rich
Kate Aronoff November 2 2017, 5:20 p.m.
The most recent version of the Republican tax plan unveiled Thursday
leaves Republicans representing blue states in a tough spot,
threatening to derail the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act train just as it's leaving
the station.
Subsidizing tax cuts for the wealthy by making middle-class people in
Democratic-leaning states pay more might make for satisfying politics
for House Republicans, but the math will be difficult for them. The
issue comes down to state and local taxes. Blue states tend to have
higher rates, along with the better social outcomes that come with
them. Taxpayers are able to write off the amount they pay in state and
local taxes on their federal taxes.
Some Republicans want to end that entirely, but the House Committee on
Ways and Means indicated last week that it would likely preserve a
more limited version of the state and local tax, or SALT, deductions.
The version of the plan released Thursday morning, however, eliminated
them entirely, leaving only some relief - capped at $10,000 - for
property owners. Now the question is whether Republicans from high-tax
states like New York, New Jersey, and California, which were opposed
to the repeal, will ultimately decide to support what could be their
party's first major legislative achievement of the year.
Twenty Republicans, many of whom have constituents who benefit from
SALT deductions, already voted against the budget resolution last week
after Sen.
Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., inserted a last-minute amendment
outlining its removal. The defections made the resolution's passage a
narrower victory than Republican leadership might have hoped and set
the stage for debates that will now begin in earnest this week.
"The language is too explicit about cutting state and local taxes," Rep.
Tom
MacArthur, R-N.J., told reporters in the Capitol recently, referring
to the budget resolution. "I don't think it can pass the House. If
deductibility of state and local taxes is wholesale gone, I don't
think it can pass." That state and local property deductions remain
mean the deduction is not yet wholesale gone - but that may not be
enough to make MacArthur and others change their minds.
As of Thursday morning, several Republicans held reservations. Rep.
Dan Donovan, R-N.Y., told the New York Times that the "people of New
York City deserve a tax break." Another New York Republican, Rep. Pete
King, is also among the most strongly opposed to the plan. "Almost
half of my constituents benefit from the SALT tax deduction, and
taking away these deductions would be crippling to New Yorkers," King
said in a press statement last week. "I will do anything I can to
prevent any attempt to take away these important deductions from Long
Islanders."
In an interview with radio talk-show host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday,
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Kevin Brady dismissed the
idea of a compromise on SALT deductions: "The answer is 'no.' . Our
lawmakers in those high-tax states really believe their families are
being punished most by property taxes."
In other words, Brady is saying that by removing the deduction, towns
will be pressured to cut property taxes. Balancing tax cuts for the
rich by forcing towns and cities to slash property taxes would
effectively be using school funding to pay for those tax cuts.
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 02: Flanked by Speaker of the House Paul
Ryan and House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Kevin Brady
(R-TX), President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform legislation
during a meeting with members of the House Ways and Means Committee in
the Cabinet Room at the White House, November 2, 2017 in Washington,
DC. Also pictured at left is Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) On Thursday,
Republican lawmakers unveiled their plans for a massive rewrite of the
U.S. tax code. (Drew Angerer/Getty
Images)
Flanked by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and House Ways and Means
Committee chairman Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), President Donald Trump
speaks about tax reform legislation during a meeting with members of
the House Ways and Means Committee in the Cabinet Room at the White
House, November 2,
2017
in Washington, DC.
Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Rolling back SALT deductions is seen by the GOP as a way to balance
out the estimated $1.3 trillion the plan's tax cuts for corporations
and the wealthy could add to the deficit, with state and local
deductions accounting for about a third of that amount. Republican
representatives in blue states already see themselves as subsidizing
the rest of the country with high tax rates, meaning a repeal of the
state and local deductions could be seen as adding insult to injury.
"The issue is that states like mine . pay more than we get back,"
MacArthur said. "Of course, [other states] have lower taxes in some
cases because we're not only paying for our poor people, we're paying
for their poor people."
Publicly, Republicans in Congress and the White House have remained
stalwart that the amount their tax plan would add to the deficit would
be more than balanced out by its potential to drive growth through
corporate tax cuts.
Discussing an initial version of the plan with CNBC, Chief White House
Economic Adviser and former Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn said,
"We think we can pay for the entire tax cut through growth over the
cycle,"
predicting tax reform and deregulation would drive growth
"substantially over 3 percent."
There is little empirical evidence to suggest that will be the case.
As Roosevelt Institute Fellow and Research Director Marshall Steinbaum
told me recently when talking about the Republican tax plan, "We have
run a four-decade-long experiment in reducing effective marginal tax
rates on the rich, both in the individual and corporate tax systems,
and it has definitely failed to fuel economic growth."
That's largely because cutting taxes for the rich doesn't increase
their spending, because they are already buying whatever they want.
That's what it means to be rich.
Other proposals have invited pushback, as well. Developers and real
estate interests have aligned against proposed changes to the mortgage
interest deduction, which would cut the benefit in half by capping it
at mortgages of $500,000. That plan would further eliminate the
ability to deduct medical expenses, and - in a coup for top income
earners - would just about double the cutoff at which households
become eligible to pay the estate tax - exempting a family's first $22
million.
Republicans say they hope to have a bill on the president's desk by
Christmas.
