I filed my taxes yesterday. Forgot to do the basic math to determine whose effective tax rate was higher: mine or Mitt Romney's. Though realistically, if you add Social Security and Medicare withholding, it's not even close. Keep in mind that only people who actually earn wages pay that tax. Investors like Mitt Romney don't have to contribute. So given that, it's actually not even close. Mine is going to be way higher. But I'll be back next week with a detailed breakdown.
- That whole "Dogs Against Romney" thing just got another shot in the arm: Ann Romney's birthday party is being hosted by a political operative by the name of Frederick Malek. And who is Frederick Malek?
Fred Malek III has had a long, illustrious career in politics— he's worked for President Nixon and the first, less-shitty of the Presidents Bush. In 2008, he served as the National Finance Co-Chair of John McCain's Presidential campaign. He's had a formidable business career as well, serving important roles with Mariott and the Carlyle Group and Northwest Airlines. But before any of this, he was just a young, drunk, blood-covered West Point graduate standing around a spit containing a slowly rotating, skinned dog.
You can just imagine how conversations between Romney and Malek might go. Hey man, what are you up to? Oh, nothing much, just a lazy weekend. Drinking a beer, watching the game, flaying the dog...the usual. Yeah, well, when I'm done strapping mine to the roof of Ann's other Cadillac, you can have at him, alright? Cool man, catch you later. - In the great State of Tennessee, hand-holding and kissing are now considered "gateway sexual activities":
Last week, the Senate passed SB 3310, a bill to update the state’s abstinence-based sex education curriculum to define holding hands and kissing as “gateway sexual activities.” Just one senator voted against the legislation; 28 voted in favor.
So much for holding your kid's hand when you're entering the crosswalk. That, after all, is a gateway to incestuous pedophilia. Oh, and maybe they do shit like that so they don't have to talk about what an abject failure their abstinence-only sex "education" policies are. - This can't help but end up on the Colbert Report next week:
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) says he was chased and nearly caught by four bears that were raiding his birdfeeders, Vermont Public Radio reports.
If anyone knows about getting arrrh, it would be Stephen Colbert. Word is, he can negotiate with the threatdown leaders in their own dialect.Shumlin said that "You almost lost the governor. Security was not there. I was within three feet of getting 'arrrh.'"
- Paul Krugman unleashed hell on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over his decision to cancel work on the tunnel connecting his state with New York.
- On the subject of taxes, the First Family released their returns:
Obama's own tax return for last year showed that he and his wife paid $162,074 in federal taxes on $789,674 in adjusted gross income, an effective tax rate of 20.5 percent. Their income plunged from $1.7 million in 2010, with declining sales of the president's books. In 2009, the Obamas reported income of $5.5 million, fueled by the best-selling books.
Wealthy? Sure. Car-elevator-lobbyist-wealthy? Not really. - California got pounded by some heavy storm cells on Thursday and Friday, and those storms came with plenty of thunder and lightning. This epic picture of lightning striking the Bay Bridge has become an instant hit.
Comments are closed.