Monday, March 28, 2005
i feel great
Moving away from the usual nonsense, I just watched Bob Tway at the Tournament Players Championship on television get a twelve on a par three hole. Not for nothing, but my day is made, as it confirms for me what I have always said. Every now and then, I can play golf just like the pros...
Sunday, March 13, 2005
the bush leagues index
Those who know me know that I do not exactly love either the President or the present congress. I am absolutely convinced that the vast majority of the American public who voted for these folks have absolutely no idea why they did so, or what they were voting for. Add to this the fact that my wife has gotten tired of my rants over our president. Frankly, so have I. It has made me wonder if perhaps my dislike for Mr. Bush has overwhelmed my sense of fairness.
With this in mind, and with this entry, we introduce a new feature, which with a little newspaper reading, editorial perusing and (gulp) television watching (including FoxNews, just to be fair), we hope to make an ongoing feature. I humbly call it "The Bush Leagues Index", because I like the name, and because I can't resist at least one dig at the guy. It works like this:
I'm going to review issues in the news that effect people day to day, whether subtly or right between the eyes, and make a determination as to whether or not the position of the President supports big business, big money, big government interests (heretofore to be referred to as "The Big Guys") or the average, everyday person (heretofore known as "The Little Guys"). We will keep a running tally, which, as noted, we will call "The Bush Leagues Index". To be fair, I will not rehash old stories in the news to include in the Index. To be included, the story had to be written up in a public newspaper, such as The New York Times or Billings Gazette, widely circulated news magazine, such as Time or Newsweek, or featured in the news on television on any non-public access station, such as CNN or FoxNews. The story must have been published no earlier than today's date, March 13, 2005. If you see any such story you would like tallied in The Bush League Index, let us know.
Our first entry is from the March 13, 2005 New York Times lead editorial.
The alternative minimum tax has turned out not to be the weapon to ensure that rich people and corporations pay their fair share of taxes. It turns out instead that it is catching more and more middle class families due to the fact that it considers local and state property tax write offs an unfair tax dodge, and capital gains and dividends write offs that upper income people take advantage of something that does not warrant any particular attention. As a result, more and more middle class people are paying the alternative minimum tax. In the interest of full disclosure, I paid the alternative minimum tax last year, and expect to be hit with it again this year. The Bush tax cuts are adding to the rolls, making his "cuts" an unwritten tax increase on the middle class. The Bush solution? Extend the tax cuts and the low capital gains and dividend tax, allowing upper income people to shelter more money, while hitting the middle class with higher taxes. There is no provision in his current tax plan to provide relief to the middle class from the alternative minimum tax.
The Bush Leagues Index -- Big Guys 1, Little Guys 0.
With this in mind, and with this entry, we introduce a new feature, which with a little newspaper reading, editorial perusing and (gulp) television watching (including FoxNews, just to be fair), we hope to make an ongoing feature. I humbly call it "The Bush Leagues Index", because I like the name, and because I can't resist at least one dig at the guy. It works like this:
I'm going to review issues in the news that effect people day to day, whether subtly or right between the eyes, and make a determination as to whether or not the position of the President supports big business, big money, big government interests (heretofore to be referred to as "The Big Guys") or the average, everyday person (heretofore known as "The Little Guys"). We will keep a running tally, which, as noted, we will call "The Bush Leagues Index". To be fair, I will not rehash old stories in the news to include in the Index. To be included, the story had to be written up in a public newspaper, such as The New York Times or Billings Gazette, widely circulated news magazine, such as Time or Newsweek, or featured in the news on television on any non-public access station, such as CNN or FoxNews. The story must have been published no earlier than today's date, March 13, 2005. If you see any such story you would like tallied in The Bush League Index, let us know.
Our first entry is from the March 13, 2005 New York Times lead editorial.
The alternative minimum tax has turned out not to be the weapon to ensure that rich people and corporations pay their fair share of taxes. It turns out instead that it is catching more and more middle class families due to the fact that it considers local and state property tax write offs an unfair tax dodge, and capital gains and dividends write offs that upper income people take advantage of something that does not warrant any particular attention. As a result, more and more middle class people are paying the alternative minimum tax. In the interest of full disclosure, I paid the alternative minimum tax last year, and expect to be hit with it again this year. The Bush tax cuts are adding to the rolls, making his "cuts" an unwritten tax increase on the middle class. The Bush solution? Extend the tax cuts and the low capital gains and dividend tax, allowing upper income people to shelter more money, while hitting the middle class with higher taxes. There is no provision in his current tax plan to provide relief to the middle class from the alternative minimum tax.
The Bush Leagues Index -- Big Guys 1, Little Guys 0.
