I came across this is little story today, it's not breaking news. I suspect that a member of the housekeeping staff knows something about the bomb threat that required the sweep for weapons.
According to police in Secaucus, the bomb threat — which later was determined to be bogus — was called in to Hudson Regional Hospital on July 18. During a search, bomb detection dogs led investigators to an unlocked office closet containing dozens of firearms.
Among the weapons were 11 handguns and 27 rifles or shotguns, according to police. The closet also contained a .45 caliber semi-automatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine that was determined to be an assault rifle, and a 14-round high-capacity handgun magazine.
The arrested the guy the next day.
What the heck do you think this guy was doing? It sounds very ominous that he was keeping those weapons there.
"This divisive legislation targets a small group of Kansans by placing government mandates on them and dictating to parents how to best raise and care for their children," said Kelly in a veto message on Friday. "I do not believe that is a conservative value, and it's certainly not a Kansas value."
She vetoed a similar bill almost one year ago, saying, "Companies have made it clear that they are not interested in doing business with states that discriminate against workers and their families."
She continued, "By stripping away rights from Kansans and opening the state up to expensive and unnecessary lawsuits, these bills would hurt our ability to continue breaking economic records and landing new business deals."
Divisive animus is the intention of the right wing obsession with the the LGBTQ+ community. Curated "concern" keeps the sense of grievance fresh for the angry Trump base. Facts and reality don't matter as much as their feelings.
Maybe you could tell us why the wealthiest individuals and corporations should pay a lower tax rate than the working class. Give us a good reason. Explain how the decrease in the tax rates for the wealthiest has benefited We the People, if you can. The income inequality that follows the failed Trickle Down ideology is toxic to our society and I'll be interested in your take on how we remedy that.
Yeah, when people have so much money that they feel comfortable throwing it toward destructive and dangerous pursuits, they won't really be hurt by revisiting an earlier tax rate.
We boomers are aware of historical tax rates of 90% for personal taxes and about half of that for the.corporate tax. 37% seems pretty fair to me, especially for the masters of the universe class who have lawyers to wriggle out of paying less. Also we didn't have a large very wealthy class back then. Silicon Valley changed everything. We haven't made policy changes.to include this new reality. But try to change any tax code now ? Can't be done with the buffoons concentrating on the evils of bathroom choices.
Depends on what you qualify as "wealthy." People with an income over $609,000 plus are in the highest tax bracket of 37%. That doesn't mean they actually pay that amount. Jeff Bezos paid a true tax rate of .98%.
Bezos, chief executive of Amazon and the owner of The Washington Post, paid $973 million in taxes on $4.22 billion in income, as his wealth soared by $99 billion, resulting in a 0.98 percent "true tax rate.”
Propaganda works. Do the math. $973 million is not 0.98% of $4.22 billion.
Most of his wealth that they are counting is in assets such as stocks and real estate. Which can gain and lose value, btw.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Beerman said:
Propaganda works. Do the math. $973 million is not 0.98% of $4.22 billion.
Most of his wealth that they are counting is in assets such as stocks and real estate. Which can gain and lose value, btw.
That's right. They generate income in those assets which is not taxable unless they sell them. There is a host of US tax avoidance strategies which allow the uber wealthy to enjoy very comfortable lifestyles with a tax rate of less than 5%, all very legally, while they carefully build enormous wealth.
In that year, Bezos, who filed his taxes jointly with his then-wife, MacKenzie Scott, reported a paltry (for him) $46 million in income, largely from interest and dividend payments on outside investments. He was able to offset every penny he earned with losses from side investments and various deductions, like interest expenses on debts and the vague catchall category of "other expenses.”
In 2011, a year in which his wealth held roughly steady at $18 billion, Bezos filed a tax return reporting he lost money — his income that year was more than offset by investment losses. What's more, because, according to the tax law, he made so little, he even claimed and received a $4,000 tax credit for his children.
His tax avoidance is even more striking if you examine 2006 to 2018, a period for which ProPublica has complete data. Bezos' wealth increased by $127 billion, according to Forbes, but he reported a total of $6.5 billion in income. The $1.4 billion he paid in personal federal taxes is a massive number — yet it amounts to a 1.1% true tax rate on the rise in his fortune.
I bet Jeff wouldn't struggle to pay his utilities, his rent, or his grocery bill if his tax rate was higher.
The Trump tax break for the working class expires next year. When those taxes go back up will it also be true that none of those folks will feel a pinch in affording essentials?
That's right. They generate income in those assets which is not taxable unless they sell them. There is a host of US tax avoidance strategies which allow the uber wealthy to enjoy very comfortable lifestyles with a tax rate of less than 5%, all very legally, while they carefully build enormous wealth.
I bet Jeff wouldn't struggle to pay his utilities, his rent, or his grocery bill if his tax rate was higher.
The Trump tax break for the working class expires next year. When those taxes go back up will it also be true that none of those folks will feel a pinch in affording essentials?
Yes, and he doesn't get income either from that until he sells those assets.
I don't have a problem listening to a argument that we need tax reform, as I agree. But at least get the facts strait when making the argument. He doesn't pay 0.98% income tax.
And, I thought Trump tax breaks didn't benefit the working class? According to Trump haters, anyway...
I don't know much about it but I was curious about what Subee said "true tax rate" and it still doesn't quite make sense that it's put that way.
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The ProPublica report focuses on what it calls the "true tax rate," which it defines as how much in taxes were paid by the wealthiest Americans annually versus the estimated growth in their wealth during that time. For instance, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos paid $1.4 billion in personal federal taxes between 2006 to 2018 on $6.5 billion he reported in income, while his wealth increased by $127 billion during that same period. By ProPublica's calculation, that reflects a true tax rate of 1.1%.
I wonder what my "true tax rate is". My "wealth" might have increased because the value of my home has increased, and it wasn't only until three years ago that our 401B/403B had an IRA option where I pay taxes now instead of later, so a good deal of my retirement account has grown tax free for now. I don't think my wealth has increased much lately as my retirement funds are still not to their high in 2021. It looked like I was about to reach that high again but it's gone down again.
Property taxes here in Florida are set by the county you live in, not the state. My county's rate is about 1.25% of the selling price or "fair market value" whichever is higher. So if a person bought a house for $0 they would still have property taxes. But then you're locked in and it doesn't fluctuate based on the value and has a max they can raise it (and they do) I think of 3%. We also get a "homestead exemption" whatever that is, if it's not a snowbird residence or investment property but you actually live there of $25,000 knocked off the value. I bought my house in 2000 so I'm paying based on that price. My property taxes have risen over the years but not by much on a year-to-year basis.
About Trump tax cuts, I don't think overall they've had a big impact on me personally. I was reading a chart the other day that my benefit might have been $1,300 which I suppose I should be happy about but hasn't made much of an impact. I paid over 15,000 in income tax, and any benefit has been wiped out living in the land of high insurance rates. No state income tax so there is that. I suppose I should have better tax avoidance strategies. LOL
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That means most middle-income and working-class earners enjoyed a tax cut that was at least double the size of tax cuts received by households earning $1 million or more.
Too late to edit this in my post above. (I probably edit 99.9% of my posts. LOL) I suppose it's relative. A tax cut to someone making $50,000 might be double the rate of someone making one million but it can be debatable who benefited most. But it's probably fair to say both "benefited". I saw a cute meme yesterday "Don't worry, I was going to pay off my student loans when the tax cuts to billionaires trickled down to me".
I wonder what my "true tax rate is". My "wealth" might have increased because the value of my home has increased, and it wasn't only until three years ago that our 401B/403B had an IRA option where I pay taxes now instead of later, so a good deal of my retirement account has grown tax free for now. I don't think my wealth has increased much lately as my retirement funds are still not to their high in 2021. It looked like I was about to reach that high again but it's gone down again.
Property taxes here in Florida are set by the county you live in, not the state. My county's rate is about 1.25% of the selling price or "fair market value" whichever is higher. So if a person bought a house for $0 they would still have property taxes. But then you're locked in and it doesn't fluctuate based on the value and has a max they can raise it (and they do) I think of 3%. We also get a "homestead exemption" whatever that is, if it's not a snowbird residence or investment property but you actually live there of $25,000 knocked off the value. I bought my house in 2000 so I'm paying based on that price. My property taxes have risen over the years but not by much on a year-to-year basis.
About Trump tax cuts, I don't think overall they've had a big impact on me personally. I was reading a chart the other day that my benefit might have been $1,300 which I suppose I should be happy about but hasn't made much of an impact. I paid over 15,000 in income tax, and any benefit has been wiped out living in the land of high insurance rates. No state income tax so there is that. I suppose I should have better tax avoidance strategies. LOL
Do you collect capital gains as a portion of your income?
No. A good deal of my portfolio has went into the account untaxed but I haven't made any withdrawals and paid taxes on it yet. For the past three years I've paid taxes on the contributions to a 403B Roth. I've not paid any taxes on any gains above my contributions.
The middle class aren't without their tax breaks and benefits but I do think the system benefits those of lower incomes who seem to get huge refunds and the ultra-wealthy and the tax burden is on the middle class. I have coworkers who pay virtually no taxes due to lower wages and having children, while I paid $15,000 on a middle income and got $200 back this year, and last year I believe I paid $700 paying a similar amount through the year.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Beerman said:
Yes, and he doesn't get income either from that until he sells those assets.
I don't have a problem listening to a argument that we need tax reform, as I agree. But at least get the facts strait when making the argument. He doesn't pay 0.98% income tax.
And, I thought Trump tax breaks didn't benefit the working class? According to Trump haters, anyway...
Interest and dividend payments somehow are actual income for the wealthy but not taxed as income. How convenient. The ProPubluca article calculates a real tax rate for him. You can disputethem if you prefer.
Trump working class tax cuts didn't do much for the working class but they aren't permanent like the cuts for the wealthy corporate intetests, which were transformational. Thanks for making that point and highlighting that part of the lie and con. Here's a reminder. By the end of 2025 working class Americans should expect a tax increase somewhere between 1-4%.
The Trump tax breaks didn't help the working class much, but they did trouble our national revenue stream and help the wealthy disproportionately.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Tweety said:
No. A good deal of my portfolio has went into the account untaxed but I haven't made any withdrawals and paid taxes on it yet. For the past three years I've paid taxes on the contributions to a 403B Roth. I've not paid any taxes on any gains above my contributions.
The middle class aren't without their tax breaks and benefits but I do think the system benefits those of lower incomes who seem to get huge refunds and the ultra-wealthy and the tax burden is on the middle class. I have coworkers who pay virtually no taxes due to lower wages and having children, while I paid $15,000 on a middle income and got $200 back this year, and last year I believe I paid $700 paying a similar amount through the year.
That was my mistake. The real question should have been did you collect any income from dividends or interest payments on your investments like the wealthy do?
Correct, the tax code places the tax burden firmly upon the working class. Trump promised his wealthy donors to protect their low tax status ahead of his big fund-raising event last week. He said that worked really well and they donated a ton of money to his legal defense fund. It's hard to believe much of what a habitual liar says, but his words are like gospel to his devoted followers.
toomuchbaloney
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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kansas-governor-vetoes-gender-affirming-trans-care-ban/story?id=108746228
Divisive animus is the intention of the right wing obsession with the the LGBTQ+ community. Curated "concern" keeps the sense of grievance fresh for the angry Trump base. Facts and reality don't matter as much as their feelings.