Well, damn, I couldn’t figure out how to bring the photograph over, but if you click my avatar and go over to my sub stack, you’ll see my latest attempt at making rye bread.
The tax is "on anything people make over a million dollars." Keyword there is "over". The example was someone making $1,100,000 a year, so the tax would be on the 100k, not the million.
"...But they never flee the way they threaten to, largely because whether or not they like to admit it, they prefer to live in the kinds of areas where things are made nicer by the taxes they don’t want to pay."
I live in Rhode Island. Our taxes are appropriate for the region. Yes, I DO like to live in a place that is made nicer by the taxes I pay. We have these carpetbagger politicians (mainly MAGA GOP) who blow into the region at the beginning of an election cycle work to gin up how TERRIBLE the region is and how HIGH the taxes are! My feeling is - why are you here? Leave. Go. Our region is not terrible - we have fairly decent PUBLIC education, great social services like police, fire and ambulance, programs for the elderly, superb regional healthcare, decent roads, etc. Are there things we can improve on? Of course. Lack of affordable housing is one major issue right now.
In the grand scheme of things, it comes down to this - Our taxes pay for shit!
Obviously, I'm all for a national millionaire tax. But, FFS, we could close a lot of the gap if the IRS weren't three guys sharing a folding table and a carrier pigeon. I've seen articles stating just upping normal enforcement and collection of rich people who simply don't pay taxes they owe would raise billions of dollars - all without increasing any tax one thin dime.
I guess the moral of the story is, there is no deadbeat like a rich deadbeat.
Ta, Robyn. We see those people when we go to events at Lincoln Center. They may own homes in Jackson Hole, WY, but they visit them to unwind. They don't live there, and aren't about to start.
Yeah turns out the idea that wealthy people will flee if their taxes are increased is yet another empty threat designed to maintain the status quo and ensure that we never get nice things.
One of our mayors made that pitch for an increase in the city income tax during a recession, which, of course, all the naysayers said was crazy.
He he argued that when new businesses are enticed to the area, they need more than low taxes to entice them. Their people are coming with that business, and they're bringing their families, and they want good police and fire protection, and good schools and parks, and recreational and cultural events.
Regarding military folk teaching…I say yeah to that. Despite the perception of military as gung-ho Grampa Assmouth supporters, my experience says in the majority we are thoughtful, respectful, diligent, responsible and actively intelligent people. If the choice is no teacher or a teacher with life experience and some solid education but not a formal certification, I say bring it on. And actually this sort of program has been in place for states with difficulty recruiting teachers for years. FL isn’t breaking new ground here.
“Experience” is one thing. But knowing _how_ to teach, _how_ to manage a classroom, and all of the behind-the-scenes things teachers do are all vital and I do hope that those ex-military people are taking college courses in education so they’ll be effective.
I say bring on the certification. A teacher without the training and experience in the field to qualify for certification is a second-rate teacher no matter their other life experience, and our kids deserve better than settling for second-rate.
Yes to certified teachers. No to not enough teachers. The programs I’m familiar with allow the former military member to start teaching but then have x years to get formal certification.
Turns out when you ask the rich to chip in a little more, the heavens don’t fall, the yachts don’t sink, and civilization doesn’t crumble. The bridges just get fixed and the kids start reading better. Maybe paradise was never lost — it was just untaxed. Blessed be the ones who see wealth as stewardship, not escape.
MacKenzie Scott, who was smart enough to dump her ex, Jeff Bezos, distributes her untold billions to help programs and institutions that help society and the general welfare. And MacKenzie did more of the work to make Amazon a success than did Jeff, who has spent tons of money to fly into space for a few minutes.
https://substack.com/@brutusmac/note/c-171227335?r=6aexdu&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Well, damn, I couldn’t figure out how to bring the photograph over, but if you click my avatar and go over to my sub stack, you’ll see my latest attempt at making rye bread.
https://substack.com/@chickenatemyballot/note/c-170320918?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2knkk0
4% of one million dollars is $40,000
Not $4000.
Please be accurate. Still a trifle to the filthy rich.
The tax is "on anything people make over a million dollars." Keyword there is "over". The example was someone making $1,100,000 a year, so the tax would be on the 100k, not the million.
Tax the money hoarders!
A Virginian expressed horror at my California property tax bill, but my reply was "Yes, but then I get to live in California."
"...But they never flee the way they threaten to, largely because whether or not they like to admit it, they prefer to live in the kinds of areas where things are made nicer by the taxes they don’t want to pay."
I live in Rhode Island. Our taxes are appropriate for the region. Yes, I DO like to live in a place that is made nicer by the taxes I pay. We have these carpetbagger politicians (mainly MAGA GOP) who blow into the region at the beginning of an election cycle work to gin up how TERRIBLE the region is and how HIGH the taxes are! My feeling is - why are you here? Leave. Go. Our region is not terrible - we have fairly decent PUBLIC education, great social services like police, fire and ambulance, programs for the elderly, superb regional healthcare, decent roads, etc. Are there things we can improve on? Of course. Lack of affordable housing is one major issue right now.
In the grand scheme of things, it comes down to this - Our taxes pay for shit!
Obviously, I'm all for a national millionaire tax. But, FFS, we could close a lot of the gap if the IRS weren't three guys sharing a folding table and a carrier pigeon. I've seen articles stating just upping normal enforcement and collection of rich people who simply don't pay taxes they owe would raise billions of dollars - all without increasing any tax one thin dime.
I guess the moral of the story is, there is no deadbeat like a rich deadbeat.
Agree with you but to replace the three guys, card table and pigeon means hiring more .people and the Repubs won't do that.
Thanks for this. One of my favorite mottos is
TAX THE BASTARDS
Ta, Robyn. We see those people when we go to events at Lincoln Center. They may own homes in Jackson Hole, WY, but they visit them to unwind. They don't live there, and aren't about to start.
Yeah turns out the idea that wealthy people will flee if their taxes are increased is yet another empty threat designed to maintain the status quo and ensure that we never get nice things.
"There are people living in walk-in closets just to get to live there", that's my daughter going to school in NYC right now.
One of our mayors made that pitch for an increase in the city income tax during a recession, which, of course, all the naysayers said was crazy.
He he argued that when new businesses are enticed to the area, they need more than low taxes to entice them. Their people are coming with that business, and they're bringing their families, and they want good police and fire protection, and good schools and parks, and recreational and cultural events.
The increase passed.
What? A measley four percent? Under Roosevelt, it was 94 percent. Then again we had SALT tax policies.
Regarding military folk teaching…I say yeah to that. Despite the perception of military as gung-ho Grampa Assmouth supporters, my experience says in the majority we are thoughtful, respectful, diligent, responsible and actively intelligent people. If the choice is no teacher or a teacher with life experience and some solid education but not a formal certification, I say bring it on. And actually this sort of program has been in place for states with difficulty recruiting teachers for years. FL isn’t breaking new ground here.
“Experience” is one thing. But knowing _how_ to teach, _how_ to manage a classroom, and all of the behind-the-scenes things teachers do are all vital and I do hope that those ex-military people are taking college courses in education so they’ll be effective.
I say bring on the certification. A teacher without the training and experience in the field to qualify for certification is a second-rate teacher no matter their other life experience, and our kids deserve better than settling for second-rate.
Yes to certified teachers. No to not enough teachers. The programs I’m familiar with allow the former military member to start teaching but then have x years to get formal certification.
This NY transplant is very fond and proud of my adopted state of MA, TYVM. 🥳
Thank you for the excellent update!
Turns out when you ask the rich to chip in a little more, the heavens don’t fall, the yachts don’t sink, and civilization doesn’t crumble. The bridges just get fixed and the kids start reading better. Maybe paradise was never lost — it was just untaxed. Blessed be the ones who see wealth as stewardship, not escape.
MacKenzie Scott, who was smart enough to dump her ex, Jeff Bezos, distributes her untold billions to help programs and institutions that help society and the general welfare. And MacKenzie did more of the work to make Amazon a success than did Jeff, who has spent tons of money to fly into space for a few minutes.