Back on the AO, there was some thread of “Things you’ll never say” or something like that.
My contribution was “I can’t believe I just voted for a Democrat.”
I just filled out my ballot (for 2024, of course). I voted straight ticket Democrat. I have no ragrets.
Also, the League of Women Voters should get a Nobel Peace Prize or something. I’ve utilized their resources for every election I’ve ever participated in.
Here’s the website (courtesy of the League of Women Voters Education Fund) to look up your ballot:
I was talking about something very similar recently with my ex bass player: “Remember when we were the conservatives in the band?” I suppose we’ve both moved, but it seemed to us that mostly Conservative left us far far behind.
It was only through, first the Pod Save America podcast, but redirecting me to LWV, that I found a recording on Facebook of a local school board candidate Q&A at the library. From that I found 3 of the 4 attendees sane, and the 2 who didn’t attend sent in the joint statement,
"Our mission is that the top priority of the school district be the concerns of parents and the community, even if that opposes the will of the state.
I voted for my 3. But otherwise, I couldn’t find even a online newspaper article or a Tweet or blog.
Someone posted the LWV voter’s guide for their district in Texas. Of the Republican candidates, the majority declined to respond to the questionnaire (including Cruz and the candidate for the house). The questionnaire is 2-4 questions per candidate, one of which is “what are your qualifications” and non-controversial.
Every non-Republican, including all of the 3rd party candidates, answered every question.
If you’re part of the cult, you don’t need a non-cult voter guide.
I think balletopedia is a website that does much of the same thing as lwv. Not sure who runs that.
Yes, I’ve used that one, too, in the past.
Wisconsin-based Lucy Burns Institute sponsors Ballotpedia.
I’ll put this here because it’s an article about taxes.
From Now Let’s Get Rid Of The Income Tax
Just read the last sentence which has an extra period in it.
However, the idea of replacing the Income Tax with the VAT — including a full repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, and probably a new Amendment overtly banning a Federal Income Tax and maybe State income taxes too — has been popular among conservative economic experts for some time. President George WWormhole. Bush’s economic advisor Lawrence Lindsey recommended it in 2013.
As has always been my position: ease it in over 10 or more years. And make it hurt rich people more.
How do you make it hurt rich people more where they can shift a lot of money out of the U.S. or just leave it in investment vehicles? Also seems like there are plenty of ways to avoid the VAT or get breaks on it by routing spending through corporations. Plus the simple fact that rich people spend a smaller fraction of their money than middle income and low income people.
Could make the first, say $50k of expenses exempt, then ramp it up from there. Would be hard to keep track of, but ordinary folks wouldn’t pay much compared to wealthy people taking a bunch of vacations or whatever.
Or just do a wealth tax.
Sounds like an amazing tax cut for the super wealthy.
Just give everyone some flat amount as a rebate.
No deductions.
Sure that works too.
That hurts rich people the least.
Are we actually discussing a national sales tax to replace income taxes? I thought that had been talked to death. We get a “FairTax” bill in every new congress. This time it is H.R. 25
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/25
Yes, it includes a “prebate”. That can make it progressive if we compare low income people to median income people. It is still regressive when we compare median income people to rich people.
As people get more income, they spend smaller fractions on the things that would be subject to sales taxes. I think that if we have some people who just can’t figure out what to buy with all their money, then that money should be subject to the highest tax rates.
Add on wealthier people are more readily able to spend their money outside the country dodging the tax altogether.
Most countries have both a national sales tax and income tax…
