Senate Tax Plan Graph

Here is a nice graph showing how the tax plan put forth by the Senate benefits the wealthy and that this benefit increases over time.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/11/21/the-trump-tax-plan-is-much-worse-than-you-thought-a-new-analysis-confirms-it/?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-c%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.e9b29281d608

Children suffer the economic consequences of our government's decisions

Nothing makes my heart hurt more than seeing children suffering because we don't have a good safety net for their parents. And, the Republicans and Trump are working everyday to destroy what tiny amount of help our incredibly wealthy country offers to the people that weren't handed millions of dollars from their parents.

The story link provided below shows how people that live in the real world are trying to help suffering families that can't afford to feed their kids. It demonstrates some lovely Americans making the best of a difficult situation. But to me, it shows how truly self-centered and selfish our government is right now. They are voting to take away health care, graduate school support, and child tax breaks to give millions of dollars to billionaires.

Have you no heart? No shame? We will remember that you did this to millions of families and children.

https://www.axios.com/axios-am-2510952721.html?rebelltitem=2&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=organic#rebelltitem2

Trump's usual racist, sexist bullsh**

A picture or graph is worth a thousand words...

https://www.axios.com/axios-am-2509544122.html

Maybe I have a little Republican in me...and so do you

No, I don't have a small mini-me inside my brain that looks like Newt Gingrich. But, I am a complicated person with values that cross the divide between the political groups. A piece in Axios today talks about how and why Democrats and Republicans have become so divided since the early 1990s. One of the most shocking items in the story is the poll showing that 75% of liberals and conservatives reported not wanting to live next to anyone from the other side of the aisle.

I began to ponder if there was any items I actually agreed with conservatives about, and I managed to surprise myself. 

1.) A balanced budget - if I have to do this so should our government
2.) A strong military - within reason
3.) Strong families and social networks - though not defined in a traditional heterosexual, married kind of way

Maybe if we consider and discuss our common goals (rather than our rage-inducing differences), then we'll want to live next to each other again. Because it is nuts that we can't be in close proximity to certain people simply because we disagree. We are not toddlers.

https://www.axios.com/axios-am-2509201075.html?rebelltitem=1&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=organic#rebelltitem1

Destroying the ACA on the down-low

The Trump administration is quietly destroying the chance to bring down medical costs. 

Original ACA plan: to decrease our soaring health care costs by paying for quality of care over quantity of procedures.  Doctors won't have incentives to do unnecessary procedures to make more money. Instead, doctors would be rewarded for good outcomes and high quality of care.

- 2 initiatives have started to reduce the costs of cardiac and orthopedic surgeries
---> HHS under Trump and Price (an orthopedic surgeon who benefits from the old system) halted these programs and exempted tons of physicians. So, the goal of bringing health care costs down by trying other systems of care has been severely hampered.

Comparing Trump and Obama's approaches to this health care problem demonstrates the core of these two men. One is careful, thoughtful, and detail-oriented. The other is ego-driven and careless.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/12/health/doctor-pay-trump.html

Sexism and Tech: don't buy a Tesla!

Women in tech get paid crap compared to their male counterparts and get treated like crap by a white, male dominated industry. Tesla is a huge offender.

Do something:
Don't financially support companies that clearly don't respect women or equal rights.

FYI: that would mean also not using
Google
Amazon
Facebook
Uber
and pretty much every tech company that exists.

Ok, so gender discrimination is prevalent and tech is one of the biggest offenders, on par with Wall Street financial firms. It would be really difficult to stop using all the above companies products.

But, the one thing that tends to get the attention of rich, white men - monetary losses.  Guess who makes most monetary decisions in a household? Women.

So... don't buy a Tesla.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/20/the-tech-industrys-gender-discrimination-problem

Wealth Disparities: The estate tax - are you rich enough?

Super rich people are trying so hard to get richer. The Trump administration is working hard to get us to believe that their tax plan won't help the wealthiest Americans. I have to give them credit for lying with such straight faces (Impressive!).

Facts about the estate tax:
1.) You only get taxed if your estates is valued at more than $5.5 million (single) or $11 million (married couple)!

2.)  This tax applies to 0.5% of Americans.

Does this apply to you? If so, please send any single male relatives (who will inherit!) my way, over 30 years old please. Because only the very wealthiest Americans will pay this tax and no, they don't deserve a break on taxes. You know who does deserve a break on taxes? People making less than $50,000 per year. They need help. Not you rich a**holes.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/11/08/who-really-pays-the-estate-tax/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_wonkblog-estatetax-1028am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.5f6a3d0e28c1

China's Iron Grip on the press and Mr. Trump

Xi Jingping doesn't answer to anyone: not the press and certainly not the Chinese people. During the speeches, Xi insisted that no questions be allowed and Trump agreed (no argument). President Trump loved this... for once he wasn't held accountable by the press. China as a country has shown amazing economic growth but they allow no freedoms nor do they respect the people they rule. Sadly, Trump has this in common with Xi. This is not what America stands for now or ever. You are an embarrassment Mr. Trump.

https://www.axios.com/trump-plays-by-china-media-rules-2508050795.html

http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/23/news/economy/donald-trump-china-currency/index.html

Gaming to redistrict?

A supreme court case is being heard in regards to Republican gerrymandering that resulted in a huge advantage to Republicans leading to the disintegration of one person = one vote. A gaming option has been proposed as a way to redistrict that favors neither side and frankly, it's pretty cool.

https://www.axios.com/researchers-propose-a-gaming-solution-to-gerrymandering-2507567048.html

'Time is on the side of change' - RBG

Democrats have resounding victories in elections yesterday. And women are fired up, me included. I see a ray of hope in what has been a shameful time in our history as a country.  We still have a chance to become the country we all thought we were prior to 11/2016.

A laugh - The Onion

I often feel this way in January... 

https://local.theonion.com/squirrel-who-really-chunked-out-unable-to-look-neighbor-1820219855


 

Wealth Disparities - widened by the Republican/Trump Tax bill

An opinion piece in the Washington Post shows a few questions and answers that perfectly sum up the impacts of the tax bill on the middle class and poor vs. the wealthy and corporations.

And BTW, one of the principal writers of the bill is negotiating his salary with a corporation that is heavily lobbying for the corporate tax cuts. Gee, do you think that is a conflict of interest?

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/corporations-arent-people-under-the-republican-tax-plan-theyre-better/2017/11/06/3447b790-c344-11e7-aae0-cb18a8c29c65_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-c%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.1e1d4c45e91d


 

Gun Control - Republicans running scared from the discussion.

Republicans refuse to even talk about the problem. Democrats are requesting a committee be formed by congressmen (half Republican and half Democratic). The goals would be to determine what the root causes are of gun violence (mental illness, gun background check loopholes, etc.). Republicans refuse to even talk. They obviously have the more pressing problem of trying to protect the US citizens from Hillary Clinton. At least they have their priorities straight.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/11/07/democrats-to-try-forcing-vote-on-bill-establishing-select-panel-on-gun-violence/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_texas-demsguns-1033am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.e4a9c88fe73a

Robert Mercer buys elections through offshore banking.

Apparently, avoiding the US tax system is not illegal = offshore banking is not illegal. If you hide the fact that you are doing it, that act is illegal. I'm so tired of filthy rich people having completely different rules to live by as poor people. Here is a man doing questionable things that costs the US millions in tax revenue so he can get even richer (no punishment for this).

Compare this to the single, working mom of 2 who gives the presidential motorcade the finger on her daily bike ride. She gets fired! This country feels rigged for the rich, white man. And, fuck everyone else.

http://nypost.com/2017/11/06/woman-fired-after-giving-trumps-motorcade-the-finger/

https://www.axios.com/axios-am-2507376803.html?rebelltitem=8&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=organic#rebelltitem8

Working Homeless on West Coast - Wealth disparities

https://www.axios.com/axios-am-2507376803.html?rebelltitem=6&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=organic#rebelltitem6

A fire in my belly.

I'm scaring my facebook friends. So, it's time to blog instead. A place where I can post articles I think are important and rant without driving my acquaintances up a wall. So, here we go.