taxes
Instead of stalling senseless sequester slashing, the GOP prefers to prove a point by sinking a ship instead of saving it -- but it's their Party's that's submerging slowly.
The 75 Republicans who speak for repealing DOMA are former players, out of step and out of power, dreaming of a moderate GOP future, but stuck in a moderate GOP past.
A former Senator nearly gets blocked from becoming Secretary of Defense because he had the good sense to get out, while he left the senseless back on the Hill.
They say rats flee a sinking ship, but this time everyone else has fled the Party and the rats in the GOP are doing the sinking.
After the haggle and Hagel, you need a huggle, so embrace an evening of engaging imbibing at your local progressive social club.
DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.
The end of the world came and went and instead of a Mayan apocalypse, we saw the NRA proposing its own.
The Christmas holiday came and went and instead of creating peace on earth, we scuttled Santa's sleigh with drone strikes.
The fiscal cliff's about to come and go & though no deal is better than a bad deal, both sides will use the dire, urgent moment to push unwanted, unnecessary ideas.
Seems like the biggest disasters aren't made by Mayan prophecies but the ones we bring on ourselves.
Let's put away our guns and drones, man-made crises & political apocalypses -- and instead of ending the world, how about we just end the year?
Here's to a healthy, happy, big-hearted more progressively prosperous new year.
In the meantime, share a night with us, sharing reflections, resolutions & a toast at your local progressive social club.
DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.
A year ago, my ex-husband and I sat down to negotiate the end of our marriage. Using standard forms downloaded from the state website, we planned the termination of a twelve year marriage- including custody of two young children, distribution of assets, and division of debts. No one was happy with the agreement, but truthfully, it has worked fairly well so far. The secret of the successful compromise is we understood there would be pain and sacrifice for everyone, but ultimately if we worked together we could find a way to make it tolerable.
Everyday people have to make life-altering decisions all the time- my ex and I did. It’s time for our government to figure out how to communicate at least as well as a divorcing couple.
Congress and President Obama find themselves in need of similar skills of negotiation this week, as they work to end a budget dispute that has dogged the country for years. To avoid falling off a fiscal cliff, our government must work within itself, like a family, to find a way for everyone to get what they really need, and be willing to give up that which they don’t for the greater good. Read more
Mitt continued his big lie about Medicare -- and while Obama didn't take it lying down, he didn't stand up strongly enough, letting the lie live another day. Romney denied his own tax plan to reduce taxes for the richest 1%, but the President demurred his own chance to bring up 47% and rally for the 99%.
Mitt said he'd fire Big Bird --he likes firing people…and Muppets too. But even this didn't inflame Barack, who seemed lacking his own fire-power. Don't lie down in front of lies, don't power down, get fired up, because now we see the Real Romney: a liar, denier and Big Bird Fire-er.
Come debate the debate, cheer & jeer, as you share your thoughts & toast a beer at your local progressive social club.
DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.
I file my taxes every year, just like millions of other Americans, online — electronically that is. It seems to work just fine; the system has its safeguards so as a filer I have confidence in the system. It always works for me, year after year, and I always get my refund quicker than if I simply mailed it in.
The question is, if our government can make it so easy for Americans to file their taxes electronically, online, safely and securely, then why can it not set up our voting system to do the same, and make it uniform across all states in all districts? Read more
The Trickle-Down effect (Reaganomics)
Many Americans bought into the idea presented to them back in the 80′s that cutting taxes for businesses, corporations and those who invest in those corporations would somehow stimulate the economy and create jobs. We were told our economy would be better because the better off business was, the better off all of us would be. That really just did not happen.
What really transpired from that moment on and even until today was that, a small percentage of Americans grew much wealthier at a faster rate but many Americans began to lose out, even before they knew they were losing out. Read more
Who likes paying taxes? I write as committed liberal social democrat and Obama supporter. I care about humanity, and I have devoted my writing and volunteering life to advocating on behalf of the poor, the disenfranchised, the marginalized and all peripheral peoples—wherever I find them. But who likes paying into a ponzi scheme—which is what our tax system is all about? May Bernard Madoff rest in peace when he finally dies in prison. I mean, really. And let us not beguile ourselves into thinking our tax conundrums are the exclusive shenanigans of liberals or conservatives. Both are guilty of the moral and political infelicities associated with a system that is in need of radical reform. Read more
Stephen King has been on a roll lately. His most recent novel 11/22/63 was a welcome return to form and his best work in years. And now he has this excellent essay, in The Daily Beast, on the subject of taxes: Read more
The organization “Americans for Tax Reform” founded by Grover Norquist is well known for its anti-tax pledge which most Republican lawmakers and candidates for president have signed. The pledge binds those who sign it not to raise taxes for any reason. The pledge is really meant to protect the wealthy and large corporations from their taxes being raised, even though I’m sure Mr. Norquist would never admit to that. Read more
The Politicus invites everyone from around the United States to participate in our 3rd annual user generated challenge. Contestants are asked to create smart, sophisticated and topical full length articles about politics. The article can cover any subject from education, taxes, environment, energy, government reform and any other subject related to politics. Contestants are encouraged to submit multiple articles if they would like. Contest begins 11/4/11 and ends 12/31/11; all blogs created during this time period will be automatically entered into the contest.
User Generated Challenge Winners:
1st Place: $1,000 • 2nd Place: $500 • 3rd Place: $250
How To Enter The Contest:
1. Become a member of The Politicus. Click here! Read more
Let's assume for the moment that partisan-opposition doesn't exist. I think we can all pretty much agree that the USA needs more people working (and paying taxes). Read more
You may have heard the Occupy Wall Street protesters are being paid to camp out. Read more
Boy, are accountants going through a rough patch now -- even rougher than we taxpayers are.
Despite software that has greatly simplified tax preparation, American accountants suffer a host of daily aggravations.
They're responsible for filing on behalf of some 82 million U.S. taxpayers and for understanding the U.S. tax code's 5,600 incomprehensible pages, according to AccountingToday.com. Read more
