I think this will be an effective gimmick for the election and we underestimate it at our own peril. It's a way that every diehard maga can spread the good news of their lord and savior on a very local, granular level.
Think about how many maga grandpas will be winking at the diner waitress when they leave their 15% tip and a scribbled note saying trump won't tax tips.
The waiters and waitresses aren't thinking about social security implications when they retire. This is more money in their pockets right now. And they're not necessarily wrong to think that way.
I think this is more dangerous than it appears. It's capable of going maga viral. It's a tangible, daily action that anyone can make. You can add an extra couple bucks and maybe buy a cheap vote.
The reasons driving Trump's "no tax on tips" ploy are the service workers in Las Vegas casinos who have historically backed Democrats. This is just a ploy to peel enough of their votes away to win battle ground state Nevada.
Unfortunately I am not an Atlantic subscriber so I couldn't read the story about earthquake detection, but so far in my experience they are 0 for 1, whereas personal experience with the "signs" of an impending quake would be 2 for 2 if I knew how to read them. I think it was last year after I got my first iPhone that I received an earthquake alert...about 30 seconds after the quake. Another time years ago my formerly feral cat kept on bugging me all day with her constant mewing about something. When the quake hit we had been looking at one another. She just glared at me and left in a huff like, "I told you so!" And stopped her chatter. Then another time before the 7.3 Landers quake the ceiling lamp in my room started up a rattle that went on all night until it hit at 4:57 am June 28, 1992 (gosh, that's tomorrow!) At that point it hit me what the rattle was trying to tell me...
Thanks! I'm already swamped with my subscriptions to The Bulwark, New York Times, Washington Post, Adam Kinzinger and my local paper that I have a hard time with adding another subscription, especially with longer articles the Atlantic has. (Slow reader here.)
I don't expect Trump to follow through on his "no tax on tips" thought. But, if tips are not subject to taxation for purposes of federal income taxes, what about state taxes? Each state would have to change their tax laws and lose revenue, or not. And, if tips aren't income then they aren't subject to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid taxes. This may sound good until the individual retires and they get less Social Security because their earned wages are less. Employers will love this proposal because they'll pay less payroll taxes. Employers will also be even less concerned about properly allocating tips to employees because if they aren't taxable why account for them? Employers will lobby federal and state legislators to lower the minimum wage so more and more of the income received will be tips. This will become similar to the game employers use with independent contractors versus employees. Employers will try to redefine income that is currently taxable and subject to payroll taxes as being tips. Are bonuses tips? What about commissions? As mentioned by someone else, which tips qualify and can government arbitrarily decide which tips are tax-exempt and which ones aren't (i.e., lawsuits). Any benefits based on income will also be negatively affected. On the bright side, anyone receiving tax-free tips will have lower taxable income so they may more easily qualify for government benefits at the federal and state level, or Republicans will rewrite those laws to prevent this. This "passing thought" makes about as much sense as whether you want to be electrocuted or eaten by a shark. As Rick Wilson says ETTD (everything Trump touches dies).
Quote: "The Washington Post and the Schar School at George Mason found that voters in swing states were concerned about threats to democracy—and that Trump is more trusted than Biden to protect democracy."
Why? Who is at fault here? I think that the GOP and FOX news have caused this. Yet, in a sense, I do not blame them. I blame the individual voters. I say that by the time you grow up, you should understand that the world is full evil people. Conniving people who will do anything for money. FOX News is in business of selling fear, dread and lies for money. They make huge sums of money doing that. The owners and top talent such as Tucker Carlson make millions of dollars. A grownup should know when people are exploiting you. It is common sense. It is the kind of lesson life used to teach all of us.
We think of FOX viewers as distrusting others. As I see it, they are too trusting. They are gullible. Old people in particular seem more gullible than they used to be. Perhaps because life has been soft for many decades. My parents' generation that lived through the Great Depression and WWII were more cynical. If they saw Tucker Carlson making millions and saying things at odds with the rest of the media, and at odds with some ordinary reporter who earns $50,000 a year, they would have assumed he is lying. They may have trusted Walter Cronkite somewhat, as did I. We knew that Cronkite made a good deal of money by the standards of the time. He had a 20 foot boat. * If he had been making millions, enough to afford a lavish yacht, we would have assumed he was up to no good.
* Cronkite's wife said: "Walter always wanted a 60-foot yacht with a 20-year-old mistress, but he ended up with a 20-foot boat and 60-year-old mistress."
I posted this elsewhere, but I'll re-post it here. There are two very suspect issues with that Washington Post poll:
First, it claims the majority of respondents believe that Trump will try to be a dictator, but the majority also believes Trump will "protect democracy" better than Biden. These two findings quite obviously and directly contradict each other. When a jury renders contradictory verdicts, such verdicts are usually thrown out because the contradictions show that the jury did not understand the questions it was asked to decide. I believe this poll indicates the same thing -- the respondents did not understand the questions as posed by the poll.
Second, WaPo conducted the survey with George Mason University, home of the Antonin Scalia School of Law. George Mason is rated as one of the most conservative universities in the country and is subsidized by Koch Industries. So this poll had a biased co-sponsor to say the least.
My favorite story about politicians and the Ten Commandments was when Baptist Congressman Lynn Westmorland was forced to admit he did not know them. See:
Appearing on “The Colbert Report,” a satire program mimicking personality-driven pundit shows, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., was asked why he co-sponsored a bill declaring the Ten Commandments “fundamental principles” and “the cornerstones of a fair and just society” and requiring their prominent display in the U.S. Capitol.
“Well, the Ten Commandments is not a bad thing for people to understand and to respect,” Westmoreland said. “Where better could you have something like that than in a judicial building or a courthouse?
“I think if we were totally without them we may lose a sense of our direction.”
The Congressman stumbled when Colbert asked him, “What are the Ten Commandments?”
“What are all of them?” he asked. “You want me to name them all?”
“Don’t murder. Don’t lie. Don’t steal. Ummmmm,” he said quietly, before admitting, “I can’t name them all.”
. . . I would bet good money that Trump cannot name them either. Reporters should ask all bible thumpers to name them.
Seems like “no tax on tips” would get Trump a lot of votes. He’d follow through with it too, by increasing taxes on someone he hates, or an industry that attracts blue workers. Hang on. That’s how he rolls.
I see a problem with the no tax on tips. Right now Trump is talking about the tips waiters & waitresses & bartenders get, & those folks are pumped up, as I would have been when I was spending my summers between college semesters waiting tables at my local HoJo's in New Jersey. But about the tips valet parkers get, taxi drivers & Uber & Lyft drivers get? What about the tips I give my hairdresser & my husband gives his barber?
For that matter, what about the tips in all those "tip jars" on counters of candy stores & ice cream parlors & bakeries? Is Trump going to support doing away with taxes on ALL tips? That's going to cost the government big bucks in tax revenue, isn't it? How is Trump going to make all that up?
I would not take stock in any polling that does not either: 1. include a clear definition of terms - within the polling questions themselves - or 2. give a complete demographic breakdown of the respondents by age, race and economic status. What is a "crisis that put the country ay great risk?" A pandemic or a border invasion of Mexican rapists? Sorry, but that question has a built-in "eye of the beholder" factor. Just like "Who do you trust more to protect our democracy?" From who or what? Those who are not White Anglo-Saxon property-owning males? Or from the resurrection of the Confederacy? If you are really talking about who do I trust more to deal with a border invasion of rapists and smugglers and ethnic erosion I supposed even I would have to concede that a protector would have to be someone who actually perceives these things as putting our country and our democracy at risk.
Trump is a BS machine on steroids. He is pandering simply for votes. He is the High School candidate promising that the vending machines would be filled only candy and no money needed. They are empty promises to get something he needs, votes
Bill's list of things to do on a Tuesday to pass the time is funny. Most of us who are not of retirement age (or I guess presidential candidate age) will check out of political angst by doing our day jobs.
I'm looking for pet enclosures since my naughty little girl decided to eat parts of several hard cover books that she had ignored for 3 months (today in fact) that I've had her when I went to the store. God knows what the people who had her for her 1st 18 months did with her!
Funny/not funny how an insipid troll named Catturd has become an avatar of the MAGA movement. In addition to Mike Lee, I suspect Elon Musk takes his marching orders from Catturd.
Perfect timing on the "no taxes on tips" thing now that the Supreme Court ruled that public officials can legally be bribed-- sorry, TIPPED-- for their official actions. He's not doing it for the waitress at Applebee's, he's doing it so all his cronies can pocket even more money during his next administration.
I wish I had read this before the debate...lol
I am just really behind on newsletters at the moment
I think this will be an effective gimmick for the election and we underestimate it at our own peril. It's a way that every diehard maga can spread the good news of their lord and savior on a very local, granular level.
Think about how many maga grandpas will be winking at the diner waitress when they leave their 15% tip and a scribbled note saying trump won't tax tips.
The waiters and waitresses aren't thinking about social security implications when they retire. This is more money in their pockets right now. And they're not necessarily wrong to think that way.
I think this is more dangerous than it appears. It's capable of going maga viral. It's a tangible, daily action that anyone can make. You can add an extra couple bucks and maybe buy a cheap vote.
Clever little bastards.
Maybe mike lee should be djt’s veep.
what a whore
The reasons driving Trump's "no tax on tips" ploy are the service workers in Las Vegas casinos who have historically backed Democrats. This is just a ploy to peel enough of their votes away to win battle ground state Nevada.
Unfortunately I am not an Atlantic subscriber so I couldn't read the story about earthquake detection, but so far in my experience they are 0 for 1, whereas personal experience with the "signs" of an impending quake would be 2 for 2 if I knew how to read them. I think it was last year after I got my first iPhone that I received an earthquake alert...about 30 seconds after the quake. Another time years ago my formerly feral cat kept on bugging me all day with her constant mewing about something. When the quake hit we had been looking at one another. She just glared at me and left in a huff like, "I told you so!" And stopped her chatter. Then another time before the 7.3 Landers quake the ceiling lamp in my room started up a rattle that went on all night until it hit at 4:57 am June 28, 1992 (gosh, that's tomorrow!) At that point it hit me what the rattle was trying to tell me...
sometimes MSN has Atlantic articles that do not require a subscription. Here is a link to the earthquake story https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/whatever-happened-to-the-big-one/ar-BB1oZLgx
Thanks! I'm already swamped with my subscriptions to The Bulwark, New York Times, Washington Post, Adam Kinzinger and my local paper that I have a hard time with adding another subscription, especially with longer articles the Atlantic has. (Slow reader here.)
I don't expect Trump to follow through on his "no tax on tips" thought. But, if tips are not subject to taxation for purposes of federal income taxes, what about state taxes? Each state would have to change their tax laws and lose revenue, or not. And, if tips aren't income then they aren't subject to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid taxes. This may sound good until the individual retires and they get less Social Security because their earned wages are less. Employers will love this proposal because they'll pay less payroll taxes. Employers will also be even less concerned about properly allocating tips to employees because if they aren't taxable why account for them? Employers will lobby federal and state legislators to lower the minimum wage so more and more of the income received will be tips. This will become similar to the game employers use with independent contractors versus employees. Employers will try to redefine income that is currently taxable and subject to payroll taxes as being tips. Are bonuses tips? What about commissions? As mentioned by someone else, which tips qualify and can government arbitrarily decide which tips are tax-exempt and which ones aren't (i.e., lawsuits). Any benefits based on income will also be negatively affected. On the bright side, anyone receiving tax-free tips will have lower taxable income so they may more easily qualify for government benefits at the federal and state level, or Republicans will rewrite those laws to prevent this. This "passing thought" makes about as much sense as whether you want to be electrocuted or eaten by a shark. As Rick Wilson says ETTD (everything Trump touches dies).
Quote: "The Washington Post and the Schar School at George Mason found that voters in swing states were concerned about threats to democracy—and that Trump is more trusted than Biden to protect democracy."
Why? Who is at fault here? I think that the GOP and FOX news have caused this. Yet, in a sense, I do not blame them. I blame the individual voters. I say that by the time you grow up, you should understand that the world is full evil people. Conniving people who will do anything for money. FOX News is in business of selling fear, dread and lies for money. They make huge sums of money doing that. The owners and top talent such as Tucker Carlson make millions of dollars. A grownup should know when people are exploiting you. It is common sense. It is the kind of lesson life used to teach all of us.
We think of FOX viewers as distrusting others. As I see it, they are too trusting. They are gullible. Old people in particular seem more gullible than they used to be. Perhaps because life has been soft for many decades. My parents' generation that lived through the Great Depression and WWII were more cynical. If they saw Tucker Carlson making millions and saying things at odds with the rest of the media, and at odds with some ordinary reporter who earns $50,000 a year, they would have assumed he is lying. They may have trusted Walter Cronkite somewhat, as did I. We knew that Cronkite made a good deal of money by the standards of the time. He had a 20 foot boat. * If he had been making millions, enough to afford a lavish yacht, we would have assumed he was up to no good.
* Cronkite's wife said: "Walter always wanted a 60-foot yacht with a 20-year-old mistress, but he ended up with a 20-foot boat and 60-year-old mistress."
I posted this elsewhere, but I'll re-post it here. There are two very suspect issues with that Washington Post poll:
First, it claims the majority of respondents believe that Trump will try to be a dictator, but the majority also believes Trump will "protect democracy" better than Biden. These two findings quite obviously and directly contradict each other. When a jury renders contradictory verdicts, such verdicts are usually thrown out because the contradictions show that the jury did not understand the questions it was asked to decide. I believe this poll indicates the same thing -- the respondents did not understand the questions as posed by the poll.
Second, WaPo conducted the survey with George Mason University, home of the Antonin Scalia School of Law. George Mason is rated as one of the most conservative universities in the country and is subsidized by Koch Industries. So this poll had a biased co-sponsor to say the least.
My favorite story about politicians and the Ten Commandments was when Baptist Congressman Lynn Westmorland was forced to admit he did not know them. See:
https://goodfaithmedia.org/baptist-congressman-cant-name-ten-commandments-cms-7527/
Appearing on “The Colbert Report,” a satire program mimicking personality-driven pundit shows, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., was asked why he co-sponsored a bill declaring the Ten Commandments “fundamental principles” and “the cornerstones of a fair and just society” and requiring their prominent display in the U.S. Capitol.
“Well, the Ten Commandments is not a bad thing for people to understand and to respect,” Westmoreland said. “Where better could you have something like that than in a judicial building or a courthouse?
“I think if we were totally without them we may lose a sense of our direction.”
The Congressman stumbled when Colbert asked him, “What are the Ten Commandments?”
“What are all of them?” he asked. “You want me to name them all?”
“Don’t murder. Don’t lie. Don’t steal. Ummmmm,” he said quietly, before admitting, “I can’t name them all.”
. . . I would bet good money that Trump cannot name them either. Reporters should ask all bible thumpers to name them.
Seems like “no tax on tips” would get Trump a lot of votes. He’d follow through with it too, by increasing taxes on someone he hates, or an industry that attracts blue workers. Hang on. That’s how he rolls.
I see a problem with the no tax on tips. Right now Trump is talking about the tips waiters & waitresses & bartenders get, & those folks are pumped up, as I would have been when I was spending my summers between college semesters waiting tables at my local HoJo's in New Jersey. But about the tips valet parkers get, taxi drivers & Uber & Lyft drivers get? What about the tips I give my hairdresser & my husband gives his barber?
For that matter, what about the tips in all those "tip jars" on counters of candy stores & ice cream parlors & bakeries? Is Trump going to support doing away with taxes on ALL tips? That's going to cost the government big bucks in tax revenue, isn't it? How is Trump going to make all that up?
I tip cash, even when I pay for a meal with a card. That way the waiter can pocket a little before reporting the income.
I would not take stock in any polling that does not either: 1. include a clear definition of terms - within the polling questions themselves - or 2. give a complete demographic breakdown of the respondents by age, race and economic status. What is a "crisis that put the country ay great risk?" A pandemic or a border invasion of Mexican rapists? Sorry, but that question has a built-in "eye of the beholder" factor. Just like "Who do you trust more to protect our democracy?" From who or what? Those who are not White Anglo-Saxon property-owning males? Or from the resurrection of the Confederacy? If you are really talking about who do I trust more to deal with a border invasion of rapists and smugglers and ethnic erosion I supposed even I would have to concede that a protector would have to be someone who actually perceives these things as putting our country and our democracy at risk.
Oh how lovely the musings of our future Supreme Court Justice Lee.
Who takes his marching orders from an odious troll named Catturd.
Trump is a BS machine on steroids. He is pandering simply for votes. He is the High School candidate promising that the vending machines would be filled only candy and no money needed. They are empty promises to get something he needs, votes
Yet effective because:
- gullibility?
- stupidity?
- distraction?
-??
Bill's list of things to do on a Tuesday to pass the time is funny. Most of us who are not of retirement age (or I guess presidential candidate age) will check out of political angst by doing our day jobs.
I'm looking for pet enclosures since my naughty little girl decided to eat parts of several hard cover books that she had ignored for 3 months (today in fact) that I've had her when I went to the store. God knows what the people who had her for her 1st 18 months did with her!
Funny/not funny how an insipid troll named Catturd has become an avatar of the MAGA movement. In addition to Mike Lee, I suspect Elon Musk takes his marching orders from Catturd.
Perfect timing on the "no taxes on tips" thing now that the Supreme Court ruled that public officials can legally be bribed-- sorry, TIPPED-- for their official actions. He's not doing it for the waitress at Applebee's, he's doing it so all his cronies can pocket even more money during his next administration.
Someone needs to offer a $5 million "tip" to each Justice who participates in a case overruling Dobbs and reinstating Roe. COD, of course.
Exactly. And more, now he can tip his lawyer any old time without scaling up the amount to cover taxes.