Don't be swayed by soft "liberal" media coverage: Donald Trump's tax plan is a big fat turd that mainly helps the super-wealthy. Also, don't be swayed by the promise to close hedge fund tax loopholes, or by vague promises to close other corporate tax loopholes, and certainly don't be swayed by the promise of no taxes for folks who make less than $25,000 (which is, thanks to the EITC and the CTC, already happening!) -- note well that Mr. Trump would slash the top rate from 39.6% to 25%, would slash the corporate tax rate from 35% to 15%, would repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax and the Estate Tax, and would allow corporations to repatriate offshore profits at 10%, which will only encourage more offshore tax sheltering.
Rick Cohen at Nonprofit Quarterly finds redlining still alive and well in America. Key quotation: "it is kind of remarkable how much of the public has slowly bought into the notion that the problems of, for example, mortgage foreclosures have been largely due to borrowers making silly or stupid decisions about how much debt they could carry and not about banks selling more expensive loan products in minority neighborhoods and lenders engaging in often nefarious, even fraudulent practices." Yes, we are too quick to criticize the folks who've been victimized by evil, and very slow to criticize the folks who do the evil.
NASA scientists declare that Mars must contain liquid water, after finding water molecules in the salt deposits on Martian mountainsides. No one has observed water actually flowing on Mars yet -- the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter observes the surface once a day, at the hottest point of the day, which is what I'd do if I wanted to be sure Mars had water -- but more vigorous observation may yet find it.
Ho hum, Jeb Bush releases his energy plan. So, is there anything good about it? Well, let's see: it would gut federal regulations on coal and fracking, punt a lot of responsibility and accountability to the states, allow us to export oil and gas which won't lower energy prices but which will make oil and gas CEOs wealthier, and would approve the Keystone XL pipeline, so no, no, no, and no. Oh, but it would also impose a strong 40%-by-2040 renewable energy standard, because we've got to find new ways to create energy! I kid, of course -- Jeb Bush doesn't care about renewable energy, because renewable energy CEOs aren't his people.
Finally, Good Jobs First points us to a study from the Ewing Marion Kaufman Foundation, suggesting that most small business leaders think state laws and programs benefit large corporations more than small businesses. Which you already knew, but, as always, it's nice to have some data behind it. And anyone who complains that the survey includes responses from only 41 business leaders had better complain just as loudly when pro-big corporate articles include responses from single business leaders. Spoiler alert: they won't.
Comments