With his singular style, Tom Toles tackles the complex issues of the day. This Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist skillfully targets political, economic and social concerns — in particular complicated environmental issues — with a clear-eyed precision that hits the mark every time.
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Comments (74) (Please sign in to comment)
dtroutma
said, 5 months ago
the elephant only deals in bull.
Dycel
said, 5 months ago
And gets stuck with the ?
braindead08 said, 5 months ago
Many on there boards have challanged others to define what’s fair. It’s fair to say that it’s a pretty difficult task.
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However, it’s pretty to recognize some situations as UNfair. For example, Romney paying 13% on an income of $20 million, or whatever it was, is obviously unfair, even though it may not be illegal. The same is true of hedge funds paying little or nothing on incomes in the millions or tens of millions.
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A single person making $50,000 will pay about twice the percentage that Romney does. Payroll taxes + income taxes (no, they’re not zero) will take about 25% of that income. Call the tax anything you like, but the govt gets its 25%.
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I realize that it’s all nice and legal.
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If anyone wants to claim that this situation IS legal, please show your work. And remember that this example is for 2011, so the dreaded ACA taxes do not apply.
Clark Kent said, 5 months ago
The republicans are looking for ways to cook and eat that goose.
I bet you thought I was going to say rethuglicons, didn’t you?
Respectful Troll said, 5 months ago
If I recall the story correctly, a con man tricks a boy into trading the family cow- itself on the way to market because the family had no money- for “magic” beans. The beans end up actually being magical and this young man, born in poverty, climbs the highest heights, faces enormous challenges, and at the end of the day, makes life better for himself, his familiy, and by destroying a threat- his community. Sounds like “the American Dream”.
As one who feels the current republican party is made up of plutocrats who are more interested in protecting the wealthy than lifting the poor and middle class to a better place, it amuses me to see the “con man” trying to give Jack the cow back. Obama took the Republicans beans- Romney care became Obama care, the Dream Act became an executive order permitting children raised in our nation a path to citizenship, etc.- and despite unprecedented obstructionism, started the slow climb out of the muck he inherited as President. There’s still a long way to go, and in our story, we have yet to face and overcome the dangers to come, but at least we are making the effort and climbing.
Now if we can just keep anyone from cutting down the tree while we’re still climbing. And sadly, we have too many in politics willing to do harm to protect donors and dogmas.
Respectfully,
C.
ScullyUFO said, 5 months ago
@Respectful Troll
Which story was found in the “Fairy Tale” section of the library.
Ms. Ima said, 5 months ago
You know you are a liberal…
if you speak in percentages instead of actual numbers.
13% of 50,0000 is $6,500.
13% of $20,000,000 is $2,600,000
Who pays MORE?
Just shows figures lie and liars figure.
Chillbilly
said, 5 months ago
@Ms. Ima
You’re making a classic simpleton’s argument. Nice job.
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A family living in most parts of the US can barely live off $50,000 as it is. Take away $6,500 and you create a crisis and undermine a struggling family and you’re taking someone on the cusp of public assistance and knocking them over the edge.
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On the other hand, ANYONE can live lavishly off $17,400,000. Take away $2,600,000 and you create a temper tantrum and motivation to lobby the government using the millions they still have.
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People who are willing to sit in their mansions and watch their neighboring communities collapse around them because they feel unaccountable to the workers, communities, governments and public infrastructure that made them rich are the worst kind of traitors and fiends.
masterskrain said, 5 months ago
@Chillbilly
Actually, it comes naturally to Ima.
After all, he/she/it IS a classic simpleton…
CasualBrowser
said, 5 months ago
@Ms. Ima
Are you trying to say that all Americans should pay the same dollar amount in taxes? If so, how do you see that as being fair, much less practical? If not, what did your last post mean?
Nantucket19 said, 5 months ago
@HOWGOZIT
Trump and Romney were both born rich and have connections. Trump’s company was started by his father and he declared multiple bankruptcies. So much for good choices.
Romney got a $10 million bailout for Bain in 1992 – the FDIC wanted Bain liquidated to pay back a $15 million loan but Romney handed all cash out as executive bonuses. As there wasn’t enough to liquidate, the FDIC had to settle for only $5 million.
Do you define “life’s choices” as where you start in life?
ARodney said, 5 months ago
Ima believes that the rich need more, the poor need less. He’s a conservative, and they’ve been winning that war for the past thirty years. Anyone who truly believes that “all men are created equal” would be very leery of dynastic wealth, but people like Ima truly believe that the rich are better people.
Simon_Jester said, 5 months ago
@HOWGOZIT
Lemme tell you why….
20% of the income of a billionaire means having to wait until next year to afford that private island
20% of the income of the working poor means having to wait until next year to afford DENTAL work
Simon_Jester said, 5 months ago
@Nantucket19
And how did the Koch brothers get their money?
Or Sheldon Adelson
lookinside said, 5 months ago
Burn a few billionaires at the stake, and see how long it takes them to divest themselves of their ill gotten gains. The Reagan tax cuts were an enormous conspiracy to steal everything in sight. I’ve been angry about this for thirty years. God help them if some doctor tells me I have only a few months to live…