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.

Crank Up the De-Humorizer

Senator Al Franken was accused of kissing and groping by Leann Tweeden, a radio talk show host and former model. The incidents, which took place in 2006, occurred during a USO tour in Afghanistan.  For his part, Franken’s office issued an apology.

Admittedly, my first response was to take sides, assuming the Democrat from Minnesota couldn’t be as awful as the Republican candidate from Alabama or the Groper-in-Chief.  It’s an accusation that conservatives will make, so I’ll own up to it now.  Defend your own.

That said, what Franken is accused of doing hardly rises to the same level as some of the other scandals out there.  According to Tweeden, then-comedian Franken was guilty of over-aggresively kissing his sketch partner during a rehearsal.  Unwanted?  Sure.  Telegraphed?  Absolutely.  

Look, this isn’t to say that Tweeden wanted to kiss Franken, even in the context of a comedy show.  Nor is it to excuse Franken’s behavior, which according to Tweeden, went much further than she wanted.  For his part, Franken says he remembers the kissing differently, but apologized for his behavior.

But the incident that will grab the biggest headlines — “He Groped Me While I Slept!” — is completely overblown.  Since Ms. Tweeden was asleep and didn’t realize she’d been assaulted, the only evidence is the photo.  In it, a leering Franken smiles towards the camera as he appears to grab Tweeden through her flak jacket.  But that’s all it is — it appears.  In the picture, Franken is miming grabbing her breasts.  Yes, it was an absolutely juvenile and offensive stunt.  As Tweeden says, it was humiliating.  But if Franken never actually makes contact, he’s not groping her.  Splitting hairs?  I don’t think so.  There is a big difference between making a tasteless joke and actually committing assault.

It’s early yet, and the blogosphere has yet to kick into overdrive.  This story may morph during the news cycle, and cooler heads may not necessarily prevail.  Do I think this offense merits Franken’s resignation from the Senate?  Lord no, liberal bias not withstanding.  If we are going to litigate every instance of bad behavior by a member of our government, there won’t be many politicians left.

Whose Vote Counts?

Tyler Comrie / New York Times

Following the events of November 8th, and increasing in volume since, was a call to abolish the Electoral College. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by a wide margin but was denied the presidency. On the face of it, it certainly seemed unfair, if not downright wrong. 

I was a holdout though, believing that while the Electoral College is a flawed system, both candidates played under the same rules. Both candidates spent their time, money, and energy criss-crossing the same "battleground states" and both mapped out their electoral strategy based on amassing those 270 votes. 

But I guess I am tired of having nothing more than a symbolic vote for president. In a New York Times editorial today, the Times' Editorial Board laid out a solid case for finally getting rid of this antiquated system. I am finally sold.

Why should my vote "count less" because I live in New York?  That's not my fault -- that's my choice.  I don't want to live in Ohio, although they seem to decide the election every four years.  I don't want to live in Wyoming, even though their votes count far more in relation to mine.  If by eliminating the Electoral College and choosing a president by popular vote means that smaller, less populous states might not have as big an influence as the larger states, so be it. 

Nearly 3 million more people wanted Hillary Clinton to be the next president.  The people have spoken.  Except that the system that was created over 300 years ago didn't hear them.   It's time to listen up.