Janiece Saves the World, Part I - The Tax Code

Since I’ve not been writing for some time, I have a lot of things bouncing about in my brain. Some of these things make me want to take out an eye with a spork, some make me apoplectic with rage, and some make me happy. 

Unfortunately, in today’s world, the first two are far more common than the third. 

So I’m going to write them all down, and explain why I think I have some wonderful ideas. Many of these are not new ideas by any means, but they’re ideas I like, and I don’t see why I can’t add my opinions to those of the great unwashed. At least my ideas are back by research and facts. 

Yes, SUSAN, I am looking at you.

So today we’ll start with Part I, the tax code. 

(NOTE: Before someone starts bleating about socialism, you should know that I am a small “s” democratic socialist. That doesn’t mean I want the feds to control all aspects of production, or even most aspects of production. It does mean I believe in a welfare state. And by “welfare” I mean the actual meaning of the word:

“Welfare means the health, happiness, security, and general prosperity of a person, group, or community.”

What I don’t mean is so-called “welfare queens,” “freeloaders,” “moochers” or “welfare mothers.” Give people some dignity, why don’t you. 

So, balancing the budget. 

Even if the richy-rich-rich paid their full share of taxes, which they won’t, because ALL THE MONEY is still not enough, it would not close our existing $2 trillion budget shortfall, although it would certainly help. When you add in wealth taxes (typically cited as 2% annually for those whose net worth is over $50M and 3% annually for those whose net worth is over $1B), taxing unrecognized capital gains, and forcing the oligarchy to actually pay their fair share, we would still have a shortfall of ~$1T. 

So what’s the answer? I think it’s obvious (at least to a tax and spend liberal like myself) that we need to increase taxes. Let’s use Norway as an example, since they have a balanced budget and a surplus in some years. 

Here is their simplified plan:

• A 22% general income tax on net income (which includes capital gains)
• A 0-17.8% graduated bracket tax, with the poorest paying nothing, and the highest earners paying 17.8%. 
• Employees must also pay a mandatory 7.6% social security contribution from their gross earnings. 
• For corporate entities, a flat 22% tax on net corporate profits.
• In the Petroleum Sector, companies pay a 51% additional special tax. Note I did not say Energy Sector - only polluters have to pay. 
• Consumers also pay a standard rate of 25% on most commercial goods and services, with a reduced rate of 15% on food and groceries, 12% on public transport, cinema tickets and hotel accommodations.
• In addition, a net wealth tax on global assets exceeding NOK 1.9 million. The total rate is 1.0% (0.35% municipal + 0.65% state), rising to 1.1% on wealth exceeding NOK 21.5 million.
• Capital gains on securities and dividends are taxed at an effective rate of 37.84%.

That’s a lot of taxes, even up to 64.8%¹, not counting the sales tax! But what do they get for their taxes?

• Universal Healthcare & Medical Security with an annual out of pocket cap of ~$280. 
• Free universal healthcare for children including healthcare and dental
• 100% paid sick leave for all citizens funding by the welfare agency for a full year. No FMLA, no counted sick days.
• Parental leave policy which includes 49 weeks at 100% pay or 59 weeks at 80% pay, including a 15 week daddy quota. 
• Daycare costs are heavily subsidized by the government, with a legally mandated maximum cap (roughly $100 to $300 USD per month depending on the municipality).
• The state pays a monthly cash allowance (barnetrygd) to parents for every child from birth until they turn 18 to help offset the costs of raising them.
• Public primary schools, high schools, and universities are entirely tuition-free for citizens.
• Through the state fund Lånekassen, students receive low-interest loans and grants to cover their cost of living while attending college, a portion of which is entirely forgiven if they graduate on time.
• If a citizen loses their job, they receive a daily allowance equal to roughly 62.4% of their previous income for up to two years while they retrain or job hunt. Two years. Not 26 weeks.
• The National Insurance Scheme funds a universal basic retirement pension for all citizens, which is scaled upward based on lifetime income.
• Tax revenue funds highly complex civil engineering projects, including keeping remote Arctic roads clear, building extensive tunnel systems, and heavily subsidizing eco-friendly public transit networks. As opposed to, you know, collapsing bridges and potholes that would swallow my Mini. 
• The government aggressively reinvests taxes into environmental initiatives, which historically included massive tax breaks and structural perks for electric vehicle (EV) drivers. 

That’s a LOT of benefits. Without having to pay for many of these things, the tax rate doesn’t seem so awful, especially for the Norwegian equivalent of the middle class. 

Would such a plan work in the United States? I don’t know, I’m not an economist and I don’t have Paul Krugman, Robert Hall, or Michael Woodford on speed dial. But it has to be better than watching people die for lack of adequate medical care, seniors having to choose between their groceries and their medication, and people having to work until they literally drop dead in order to pay off student loans. 

¹Let’s all remember that the United States’ maximum tax bracket was between 90% and 94% between 1944 and 1963, and the wealthy still had plenty of money for yachts, homes on Martha’s Vineyard, and Deluxe Apartments in the Sky.

The barbarians are at the gates, and they're us

 

So. The rabidly incompetent Secretary of Defense and the demented President are planning on live-streaming the execution of Nidal Hasan, the convicted Fort Hood shooter who killed 14 soldiers in 2009. 

I have questions.

Let's start with if Nidal Hasan had been a White Christian Nationalist who had killed 14 soldiers, would the Pentagon and the Executive Branch want to livestream that person's execution, or is this something special, trotted out specifically for Muslims? The answer is self-evident. 

Firing squad. A firing squad. Really? Who are the soldiers who will be tasked with shooting Nidal Hasan? Will they take volunteers? Will it be assigned, like a collateral duty? Will all the weapons be loaded? What if a soldier refuses to participate on moral grounds? Will they be court-martialed? And let's be clear, here - the military has the authority to use any one of several methods to execute a convicted soldier. They don't have to use a firing squad, they're choosing to. Crap on a cracker, what a moral shit show.

Whose idea was this? Trump's? Hegseth's? Miller's? Not that it matters - the entire chain of command (and some not in the chain of command) are responsible. 

Who actually believes this is a good idea? Certainly not "Whichever way the wind blows" Vice President, who has indicated he will not be watching the event. And really, how morally bankrupt does an idea have to be before Vance draws a line on the other side of the Republican establishment?

If the House of Representatives didn't already have good reason to impeach Hegseth (war crimes, anyone?), they do now. Where are you, Republicans? Oh, that's right. The same place you've been for ten years - with your nose planted firmly up Trump's ass.

And lastly, what the fuck. No, seriously - what the actual fuck? For decades we've tsk-tsked the governments who have engaged in public execution as barbaric, primitive, untrustworthy, uncivilized. And now we're going to do the same because the administration is being run by the mentally unstable Insane Clown Posse? 

Have you no sense of decency, Congress, at long last?

Reconciling Lolita

 

One of my goals for this year is to read some classic literature that I missed during my schooling. I have a list of books on the agenda, and I'm spacing them out between my popcorn books so I don't get burned out. 

July's selection was Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, narrated by Jeremy Irons. It's the story of Humbert Humbert (H²), a pedophile whose actions, obsessions, and selfishness creates a most terrible outcome for everyone involved.  

First and foremost, Nabokov writes beautifully. His exposition provides a clear mind's-eye picture of H² and Lolita's experiences, without burying the reader in prose. His ability to turn a phrase into something so clearly descriptive is a wonder. 

Jeremy Iron's narration is also wonderful. His voice is perfect for the main character (written in the first person), with all his conflict, mental illness, selfishness, compulsion, and delusions. 

However, the subject matter of this book is....problematic. 

H² is the worst kind of pedophile. He grooms Lolita to be his lover, taking advantage of her lack of experience, and manipulates the situation to his twisted ends. And they are twisted. He's completely delulu when it comes to Lolita, thinking that she seduced him, so apparently his long-term abuse of a minor is a-okay. And while Lolita is a spicy kid, she is still a child, incapable of giving consent. 

And the worst part? H² knows what he's doing to her. He hears her sobbing in the night after she thinks he's asleep, he knows what he's doing is wrong (or why take such elaborate measures to hide their relationship?), and he simply does. not. care. 

As long as he has access to his "nymphette," he doesn't really care what happens to other people, or how his obsession is hurting the one person he claims to love.

In short, he's a complete and utter douche. Nabokov makes him completely unlikable, and if the character were flayed at the end it would be too good for him. 

So, how to reconcile Nabokov's craft with this most disgusting of characters? I'm still not sure. While listening, I spent a lot of time saying things like "EWWW" or "that poor child" or "dude needs to be keelhauled for his trouble." 

Would I recommend others read it when they don't have to? I have to say yes. The yuck is worth the study of Nabokov's writing, and how beautifully the author sends H² into a death spiral of obsession and hubris, selfishness and abuse. Will I reread it some day? Almost certainly not. There's only such much ew I can take. 

Welcome Back!

 

Welcome back! 

I haven't written consistently in a long, long time. Part of that is that blogs just aren't the medium anymore (hello, Substack), and part of that is a stunning lack of inspiration. 

However, one of my goals for this year is to resume writing on a semi-regular basis, on whatever subject suits me. I'll be cross-posting on my Substack, as well, since apparently that's where all the cool kids are, but I'll never give up this URL, or the history. 

RSS feed on the side, and link to my Substack above. 

I missed you guys. 

Saving those who cannot save themselves

My favorite picture of Moe, cosplaying Belle from Beauty and the Beast

As most of my readers know, I lost my daughter to suicide in 2013. It's been nine long years since we lost her, and I'm as sorrowful today as I was the day she died. 

Moe died of uncontrolled mental illness. She experienced severe depression, and was under a doctor's care for her condition. But we lost her anyway, leaving a Moe-shaped hole in my heart that nothing is able to fill.

Every day I mourn her loss in this world, and I would give everything to have her here with us again. But I can't have that, so instead I choose to perform service projects in her memory such as being a good ally to the LGBTQ+ community, and donating money to institutions she cared about, like our local library foundation.

And I also support  AFSP's mission in helping people who are at risk overcome their lack of hope and help those who have been affected by suicide.

This is the sixth year I've been up to participating in this event personally, but this will be the ninth year the Maureen's Marchers team is hitting the road in my baby girl's name on the annual Out of the Darkness Denver Metro Walk. The money raised in this event will go to fighting suicide and supporting AFSP's goal to reduce the suicide rate 20% by 2025.

The danger of suicide is especially high within the LGBTQ+ community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 24 and the third leading cause of death among youth aged 10 to 14. Among youth who identify as sexual minorities, the likelihood of death by suicide has been estimated to be two to seven times greater than the likelihood of death by suicide among heterosexual youth. These kids need help, and it's up to us to provide it in any way we can.

Please help us honor our lost, beloved Moe-Moe and consider donating to the AFSP by clicking the "Donate" button on this page. All donations are 100% tax deductible and benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), funding research, education, advocacy, and support for those affected by suicide. The AFSP is a Charity Navigator 4 star charity, and they spend 83.1% of their total budget on program expenses.

"When you are sorrowful look again at your own heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." ~ Khalil Gibron

DONATE

The value of conservatives

This was in my inbox this morning, and gave me some food for thought. 

As I continue to sort my thoughts regarding the schism in our country, I have come to realize that I don't - and never have had - a personal issue with conservatives when the word is used to describe the pre-Reagan Republican Party. I no longer agree with their platform, but I consider them the loyal opposition, and understand they're worthy of a place at the table. There is value in balancing the desire and need for change with the cautiousness of conservatism in a democratic republic. I used to be a Republican, after all.

There are still a few public servants out there who fall into this category, although they're few and far between these days. Mitt Romney. Liz Chaney. Susan Collins. Lisa Murkowski. The GOP calls them "RINOs," Republican in Name Only, and they're right - they are RINOs. Instead, let's call these Congresspeople conservatives, while the rest of the GOP can keep the moniker "Republican."

Because in today's political climate, to be a "Republican" politician is to work to undo our democracy through any means necessary to achieve Republican goals and to support the ultra-rich, disregarding the will of the vast majority of Americans. And if you stand by, see what's happening and do nothing, then you forfeit any claim you might have had to public service and patriotism, and you certainly forfeit any claim to the word "conservative." 

There are those who consider Islam, or liberalism, or progressives, or the boogie-man de jour an existential threat to our country and way of life. But I think it's those who would support autocracy who pose the biggest threat. Autocracy and authoritarianism are the exact opposite of how Americans are supposed to govern ourselves, and supporting it is the most unAmerican thing a citizen can do. 

January 6th was an insurrection, an attempted coup, and those who planned and executed it should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, regardless of who they are and what positions they may have held or hold today. And those who passively supported it should never be allowed to influence our government again, in any capacity. Let them pay for their cowardice by becoming pariahs in the present and excoriated in the history books of the future. 

More on Lashes

As you all know, I recently tried lash extensions in an effort to reduce my beauty requirements during our upcoming trip to Italy. This experiment was NOT a success, so my friend Cindy, a master aesthetician, recommended Le Grande Lash serum to see if I could get those suckers to grow, and here's my status report.

Before: 

After:

After, with makeup:

I'm going to call this a success, especially because I really don't want my lashes to be any longer with mascara than they are now. 

This is not a look I believe I can pull off at my current age. I do wear glasses, after all, and I live in a high-wind area. What if I took flight?

I think I'm going to stick with the Le Grande Lash product from now on, and my trusted and true Blinc mascara. Ciao, Baby!