Hysterical Headlines (Funny or Absurd) for April 3rd
Bottom Line: These are the daily doses of nonsense in the media and my hot takes on them...
The richest Americans get a $33,000 tax break under the GOP tax law. The poorest get $40. - Sun Sentinel
Hot Take: Of course, what they managed to fail to point out is that the "richest" cited in the story (those earning $732,800) will pay aprox. $238,000 in federal taxes compared to "the poorest" who will profit from the federal code through federal tax credits. This just in, if there's a reduction in the rate of income tax and you don't earn much money you'll save a lot less than those who earn a lot more. Of course, the class warfare game will wage and attempt to make those paying $238,000 (and Republicans who passed the law) feel guilty while making those who earn little and actually profit from the code out to be victims. This is absolute B.S.
Here's a reminder of who pays taxes based on the most recent info:
Top 1%: 39% of all federal taxes paid
Top 5%: 60% of all federal taxes paid
Top 16.8% (all who earned $100k or more): 80.6% of all taxes paid
And what's real? I presented a two-part story about what the new tax law meant to individuals and businesses after it passed. Here's an excerpt from those entries: Median income is currently $44,668. Using standard deductions...This person pays $5,319 in federal income tax currently. Under the new law the average person will pay $3,539. This means that the average Floridian making the average full-time income will save $1,780 per year in federal income taxes.
That's what's real. It's journalistic malpractice to perpetuate a headline or a narrative as 180 degrees out of reality as the bunk advanced by that headline and much of what's omitted in the story itself. Everyone who earns income benefits from a reduction in tax rates because of the tax code. If you don't earn much money the savings won't be as significant. This just in.
Can You Prove You're Not a Racist? Lionel Shriver, The Spectator
Excerpt: Hey, we’re all racists, to a greater or lesser degree. That is, we’ve all developed preconceptions about one another.
Hot Take: Maybe the admission is admirable by the author of this article but this screams of speak for yourself man...
Here's the definition of racist: a person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another
While I do think there's a point to be made about inherent prejudices we have, I don't think the term racist is something that should flippantly be thrown around to a "greater or lesser degree" and I certainly hope that we aren't all racists. If it really were such an inherent part of the human condition - why would more than 360,000+ predominantly white union soldiers die fighting to liberate 3.9 million black slaves?
There's a difference between predispositions and feeling one's superior to another simply based on skin color. Stereo-typing isn't racism. There's enough awful rhetoric out there without going to this unhappy place.
Until tomorrow...