On my way to work this morning, I heard yet another political ad on the radio. But this one, for Representative Pete King (R-NY), stood out. For those that don't know, Pete King has been representing Long Island in Congress since 1993. This veteran member of the House must have quite a resume to tout for his 25 years of service. Which must explain the ad he is running about MS-13.
Yes, the Republican congressman from New York's 2nd Congressional District, which comprises parts of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, is concerned about MS-13, the El Salvadoran gang known as Mara Salvatrucha. Certainly the constituents of NY-2 might be interested in hearing about Rep. King's stance on tax cuts? Maybe his thoughts on affordable health care? Or creating jobs? Nope, apparently the pressing issue facing this suburban district, with a median household income of $82,197, is gang violence.
Were it not emblematic of a much larger and frightening picture, it would be laughable. A fixture of New York politics, King has sailed to victory every two years and is suddenly running ads for re-election, ads that seem to gloss over anything he has done during his time in office. Straight out of the Republican playbook, championed by the Racist-in-Chief himself, King is using fear-mongering tactics to rile up his base and scare them into voting.
Until now, King didn't have to think much about re-election. But this Blue Wave moment has caused even politicians in the "safest" districts to worry. King is now facing his first serious challenge: former liberal activist Liuba Grechen Shirley is hoping that opposition to the current administration, and an endorsement from the New York Times, can propel a decided underdog to victory.
Though NY-2 is deeply red territory, Shirley is talking to those voters about gun control, a federal minimum wage and Medicare-for-all. Apparently unable to wage a campaign against Shirley on the issues, King has decided instead to wage war against the boogeyman. Those voters may prove just savvy enough to listen to the upstart candidate on Tuesday.
Monday, November 5, 2018
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
With Best Friends Like These...
New York City has been running a public service campaign to increase awareness of Naloxone, a medication used to block the effects of opioids, especially in overdose. As part of the "I Saved a Life" campaign, there have been ads posted on subway trains. The other day, I came across one that I had to read, and then reread, just to be sure:
According to the poster, Shantae saved his best friend's life. He also described that experience.
"I've had one best friend I could always rely on." It's great to have a friend like that.
"A few years ago, we were hanging out." As best friends do.
"He looked like he was falling asleep." Hey, it's not always non-stop excitement when best friends hang.
"I shook him to wake him up but couldn't." Hmmm, odd choice, but maybe he was missing the good part of the movie.
"He was overdosing." Okay, stop.
Seems Shantae neglected to mention earlier that part of "hanging out" included doing heroin. It also puts that whole "shake him to wake him" plan in a new light, like, this wasn't the first time that his friend looked like he was "sleeping" and needed to be forcefully awakened.
"I gave him a dose of naxolone and he came back." Right, so apparently his best friend was a real junkie, so much so that Shantae had taken to carrying a dose of an anti-overdose drug. You know, for when his BFF nearly threatens to turn into a BF RIP.
"Today, I still have my best friend." Sure, but I'm hoping that part of being a best friend includes urging that best friend to GO TO REHAB and get some help. Carrying naxolone may prevent an unnecessary death, but might it be better to prevent an overdose instead?
I get it. Using naxolone can save a life. But this whole campaign seems to be glossing over the other end of the problem.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Big Crumbs Are Still Crumbs
As news trickles in from around the country, the GOP tax cut has resulted in some positive optics for proponents of the plan. Walmart employees with 20 years of experience will receive a $1,000 bonus. AT&T also plans to hand out $1,000 bonuses. Still more companies announced bonus plans, raises and new jobs, so it's hard to argue, thus far, that the tax cuts have been bad for America.
Even the, ahem, president was out stumping, this time talking about how the tax cuts have breathed new life into the American economy. Standing before a employees of Sheffer Corporation, a manufacturer outside Cincinnati, OH, he declared “Your paychecks are going way up.” He was right, for once, since Sheffer awarded each of its 126 employees a one-time bonus of $1,000 following the passage of the tax cut.
News like that means Democrats are going to have a hard time navigating this tightrope. Raises and bonuses can't be spun as a bad thing, at least not in an obvious way. But there is a way that the Democrats can acknowledge something good, while still calling out the GOP on their Donor Relief Act of 2017.
For our argument here, let's say that Sheffer Corporation earns about $25 million per year. At the old corporate tax rate of 35%, that would mean Sheffer would end up with a tax bill of around $8.75 million. But thanks to GOP's corporate giveaway plan, Sheffer would be taxed at 21% on their earnings, leaving them with a new tax bill of only $5.25 million. That's a savings of roughly $3.5 million for tax year 2018.
Compare that giveback with the company's apparent generosity. Sheffer is giving each of their 126 employees $1,000, totaling $126,000 in payouts. Nothing wrong with that. But take the $126,000 that Sheffer gave out and contrast that with the $3.5 million that they just saved. The math says they are passing on to their employees only 3.6% of their total savings. And let's not forget that these bonuses are one-time payouts. Thanks to the GOP, Sheffer gets to save $3.5 million every year after that, too.
Just for laughs, and perspective, let's talk about Walmart. In 2016, Walmart's revenue was $482 billion. Their tax bill next year compared to the old tax plan? They could save around $67 billion thanks to the new corporate tax rate. It's estimated that all the bonus money Walmart is handing out would cost the company around $400 million. For those keeping score, that amounts to slightly more than one half of one percent (0.59%) of Walmart's total savings. Sometimes crumbs, no matter how big they seem, are really just crumbs.
Even the, ahem, president was out stumping, this time talking about how the tax cuts have breathed new life into the American economy. Standing before a employees of Sheffer Corporation, a manufacturer outside Cincinnati, OH, he declared “Your paychecks are going way up.” He was right, for once, since Sheffer awarded each of its 126 employees a one-time bonus of $1,000 following the passage of the tax cut.
News like that means Democrats are going to have a hard time navigating this tightrope. Raises and bonuses can't be spun as a bad thing, at least not in an obvious way. But there is a way that the Democrats can acknowledge something good, while still calling out the GOP on their Donor Relief Act of 2017.
For our argument here, let's say that Sheffer Corporation earns about $25 million per year. At the old corporate tax rate of 35%, that would mean Sheffer would end up with a tax bill of around $8.75 million. But thanks to GOP's corporate giveaway plan, Sheffer would be taxed at 21% on their earnings, leaving them with a new tax bill of only $5.25 million. That's a savings of roughly $3.5 million for tax year 2018.
Compare that giveback with the company's apparent generosity. Sheffer is giving each of their 126 employees $1,000, totaling $126,000 in payouts. Nothing wrong with that. But take the $126,000 that Sheffer gave out and contrast that with the $3.5 million that they just saved. The math says they are passing on to their employees only 3.6% of their total savings. And let's not forget that these bonuses are one-time payouts. Thanks to the GOP, Sheffer gets to save $3.5 million every year after that, too.
Just for laughs, and perspective, let's talk about Walmart. In 2016, Walmart's revenue was $482 billion. Their tax bill next year compared to the old tax plan? They could save around $67 billion thanks to the new corporate tax rate. It's estimated that all the bonus money Walmart is handing out would cost the company around $400 million. For those keeping score, that amounts to slightly more than one half of one percent (0.59%) of Walmart's total savings. Sometimes crumbs, no matter how big they seem, are really just crumbs.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)