Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

~~~

~~~

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

LIGHT POSTING FROM WEDNESDAY TO MONDAY...

 

Family visiting from New York and Tours, France.




 GOOD NEWS:



26 comments:

Les Carpenter said...

A glaring example of the absolute greed that has consumed the ruling economic class in America. A class to which Trump has always considered himself as belonging to. He made sure he took care of HIMSELF and his wealthy BUDDIES. And the rest of America pays for it.

TRUMP is not the average working man or women's friend. Never has been. Never will be.

It's time America woke up to Trump and the GOP's real plans for America. Bleed the middle class dry is the real Trump/GOP plan for America.

Sam said...

A continuation of tax cuts started under Reagan, which started our multi-trillion-dollar debts. We are over 30 trillion dollars in debt; are tax cuts what we really need now? The Republicans would like to kill Social Security and give that money to their corporate buddies, leaving millions of elderly dying from lack of food and medical care. Is that the America younger people want? Look back before FDR and his social policies, the suffering was horrible. If you want government help, you have to pay for those services. If not, then live in a horrible America.

Grey One talks sass said...

I hope y'all have the best couple of days. Good food, good peoples, lots of love. What's not to appreciate? Mmmm - probably in my mind but I can smell your kitchen from here. Good memories to be sure.

Joe Conservative said...

Higher interest rates are bringing inflation down... and since the fed didn't lower them, the market crashed and the economy is in for a hard-landing... all because the fed need to cut rates next month to make the stock market go up by November...so that the democrats can pretend that the economies "stronger" than it looks. @@.

JoMala "Truth 101" Kelly said...

We live in a society that holds wealth and greed above all else. I figure Trump and Elon Musk will soon commission a new bible to justify this stuff. The Sermon on the Mount will be discarded for the new and improved Sermon from Mar a Largo. Gonna suck for the majority of the magats when they find out they will be burning in hell for eternity cause they aren't wealthy enough. due to all the money they spent on maga merchandise and old trucks they will sit and rust in their front yards.

possumlady said...

Enjoy your family! This weekend starts birthday month celebrations for me and I started Medicare on August 1!

I have noted this before but want to state for the record again that the 2017 tax overhaul did NOT benefit me or many of my co-workers. Instead of getting a decent refund that I had always gotten since I bought my house in 1998, I owed money to the IRS. I also remember the nightly news that first year around tax time--they interviewed regular middle class folks and like me, they were shocked how much their taxes went up that year.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Happy Birthday to you! Some of my favorite people (2 sisters) were born in August! Sending you best wishes for a wonderful celebration.
When I qualified for Medicare, that saved my life! With my health challenges, I would have ended up in the poor house if I didn't have Medicare/plus my supplemental.
Imagine people like you and me having to send money to the IRS at tax time when multi-billionaires pay NOTHING!

Shaw Kenawe said...

So, you're an economist too? Is there ANYTHING you don't have an opinion on?

Les Carpenter said...

The New Gospel according to Trump and the GOP:

May the wealthy prosper and pave their roadways and by ways with gold.

May the wealthy be served and honored by the shrinking middle class and the poor.

May the billionaires and corporate cabals flourish, the result of the hard work by the middle class and poor.

May the well of greed and unfairness never run dry.

May the least among us continue to support those with the most, unyeildingly and forever.

May the planet continue to absorb the abuses and destruction of the natural word in support of the never ending grasping and greed of the wealthy.


Thus spoke Trump.

God bless Trump and God bless America.


Dave Miller said...

I'd make one small correction... I believe we're winning the battle against inflation. If we can get a couple of years of 2-3% inflation, then I'll confidently join you and say we've won.

But for now, it's looking good. Unless you're a MAGA person of course.

skudrunner said...

No Offense PL but a decent refund means you loaned the government a decent amount at zero interest. Did your taxes go up and did the percentage paid go up. I believe if you live in a high RE tax state and lost the deduction over 10K you would pay a little more. Sorry about that but those who live in reasonable taxed states don't have to pay for those who do.
I'm sure you were fine paying some rich kids tuition and that was not even tax deductible. Support The Fair Tax and you won't have a small refund because you won't overpay to begin with and we can punish those billionaires who underpay and everyone will get the opportunity to pay their fair share.

Joe Conservative said...

Sports... unless its' the home team. Then I cave to peer pressure like any good tribal sycophant.

possumlady said...

Offense taken, SK.

Les Carpenter said...

On this point skud I agree totally with you. The government tax refund should include 5% interest on the loan you give the government.

Or, like it took me too long to figure out, just claim the correct # of deduction when combined with exemptions that yield neither a deficit or an over payment. Although that can be tricky given that it keeps changing.

But, I never really minded paying taxes to receive the services I use every day. But that's me. I just wish the government would handle the nation's finances a bit more like I and my better half handle our finances. Because the truth is there is waste in government that is actually built into the system.

But I f course that is a subject for a different day.

Les Carpenter said...

Forgot to note sarcasm off.

skudrunner said...

Les, I agree with everything you said.

Dave Miller said...

Yesterday former President Trump said the United States of America was now a "Banana Republic Third World Country."

Is that a true statement, was trump lying, or does he get a pass because he actually believes it to be true?

What kind of person running for president of the US believes this stuff?

Shaw Kenawe said...

Dave M.,

Yesterday at a rally, Trump also called the vice president of the United States an "incompetent lunatic." (IMO, that was actually a self-own.)

I've been around a few years, and I've heard a lot of political speeches, but Trump has been the single politician who has sunk our political discourse into the sewer with his name-calling, lies, and threats. And I'm pretty sure that's because he knows NOTHING about policy; he doesn't know how to articulate a policy position, and essentially he's an old, mentally failing bully, used to getting his way, and getting away with criminal activity.

What sane person wants that wreck of a human being to lead this country?

Dave Miller said...

Shaw said Trump... "doesn't know how to articulate a policy position".

I'm not sure about that, it's something I've been thinking on a lot lately.

Is it possible he is just choosing not to take a firm position on anything not because he can't articulate it, rather, it's because he does not have one?

This would allow him to do and say whatever he wants, whenever he wants without the burden of being nailed down on anything, thus leaving his "negotiating" positions open.

It's like this... why stake out a position until the very last moment, untill you have to?

Les Carpenter said...

Approximately 80 million people if his support holds at 2020 levels.

And what exactly does that say about Americans.

Whatever it is it certainly is not a positive statement that's for damn sure!

possumlady said...

From Modern Diplomacy: "The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) was touted as a way to decrease the tax burden of the American people and increase the productivity of the American economy. Central to the TCJA was the cap on exemptions of deducting interest paid on home mortgages and on deducting state income taxes from an individual’s federal income tax. The passage of the TCJA has hurt school funding for the so-called blue states in that the blue states traditionally have a higher tax rate to support their K1 to K12 school systems. The TCJA did not hurt the red states as much since many red states have Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF) which typically fund the K1 to K12 school systems and so do not need the additional income from a state income tax to finance their educational systems.

Not considered in the TCJA was that all investment income derived by state SWFs is not taxable income. The Republican Party crafted the TCJA to restrict educational benefits in typically Democratic states, to economically punish the blue states for their economic choices, and reducing the blue-states ability to fund adequate education for their children. By maintaining the tax-exempt status on the investment income of state SWFs, the Republican Party maintained the ability of primarily Republican states to continue to fund the education of their children, rather than to promote the economic security of the American people as a whole."

So thanks to the trump administration for purposely hurting American citizens who live in blue states. Who the hell does that?? Only someone from the trump administration. So fuck off SK

Shaw Kenawe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shaw Kenawe said...

Dave M., when I wrote that statement, I was thinking of the times when Trump was asked a direct question about some policy by an interviewer, and he never directly answers but, instead, he talked about whatever shiny object his mind brings forth, usually incomprehensible. I've seen so many videos of this, but I have no time to go looking, since I'm putting together a seafood lasagna for tonight's dinner with my family.

It's an assortment of fin fish, scallops, shrimp, lobster in a béchamel and spinach sauce over lasagna, baked with toasted bread crumbs on top after it come out of the oven.

Dave Miller said...

WOW! Sounds delish. Cook away...

Dave Miller said...

You guys ever feel sorry for Trump and his nutty partisan base?

Even GOP Pollster Frank Luntz sees Trump as toast. I won't go that far, but what Luntz is hearing Shaw is that GOP and conservative voters aren't buying what Trump is selling.

Today following on the heels of some great retail sales news, the Biden Admin announced more results from negotiating drug costs for Medicare patients. This means costs for medical care for seniors is coming down.

This was only possible because President Biden had the ability to negotiate with drug companies, something Project 25, which Trump supports, would end the ability of a president to negotiate on behalf of the American people.

More middle class help for America, coming from the Biden Admin...

Les Carpenter said...

Maybe, just maybe, conservatives and republicans (they are no longer synonymous) are wising up to Trump's MAGA Con.

Only time will render the end results and it is best to think like true underdogs rather than to allow over confidence to settle in.