County Fair Democratic Issue Board

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Saturday August 20, 2022 · 7:00 AM PDT

2022/08/20 · 07:00

Yesterday I did a 3 hour shift at the Brown County Democrats booth at the county fair. Someone had this great idea to ask all people stopping by the booth what their two top issues were. Blue dots were affixed to the board to reflect those chosen issues. Obviously not a scientific poll, but I’d make a few inferences from this.

One, don’t waste your time running on middle class tax cuts (which Gov Evers is doing). My middle class friends and neighbors don’t complain about their taxes. The taxes are reasonable. My friends and neighbors have a deep cynicism regarding tax cuts for the rich and major corporations. The 15% minimum tax for billion dollar corporations should be emphasized.

Inflation isn’t that great an issue. Gas prices in Green Bay are now running about $3.40 to $3.50 a gallon. Over the past 20 years when oil is at $100 a barrel, gas prices ranged from $3.40 to $3.60. No one is talking about gas prices. Hamburger and dairy are a bit higher than normal, but the blue dot count on the board shows this issue to be losing steam.

In Wisconsin, I’d be hammering on voting rights and the right to reproductive freedom. With the Dobbs decision, Wisconsin reverted to an 1849 law completely outlawing abortion. With the state legislature gerrymandered for complete Republican control, Dems should back an effort for a state referendum. Every Dem should be stressing the importance of keep the governorship and the state Attorney General posts in Democratic hands to stave off more draconian cuts to women’s rights.

On the voting end, I’d be harping that the drop boxes have been removed to inconvenience voters and I’d talk about the need to expand voting access.

Finally, fair notes. As I walked through the livestock barns, I was amazed by the variety of the roosters and hens, in both size and feather patterns. So may beautiful birds! The high note for me stood in the last stall in the last row of the horse barn: a massive draft horse, a magnificent animal. A deep brown color, his back was above my 5’10” head. His owners told me the horse tipped the scales at 2000 pounds! I easily believed that. Friendly, too. While nearly all the horses were shied back in their stalls, this giant had his head out in the aisle letting people pet and rub his noggin.

All in all, a fair day!

Poll

117 votes Show Results

Heck no! I'm not riding the...

117 votes Vote Now!

Heck no! I'm not riding the...

Ferris Wheel

28 votes

Tilt-A-Whirl

60 votes

Tea Cups

29 votes

Secret Santa vs The System

WorkinJoe

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Sunday January 03, 2021 · 8:26 AM PST

2021/01/03 · 08:26

With a few extra days off because of the holiday season, a half foot of snow on the ground and no interest in walking store aisles, I found myself flipping through YouTube videos on my smart TV. I came across a series of Secret Santa videos shot in small towns in eastern Idaho. Townspeople submitted letters recommending someone to a secret wealthy benefactor who selected certain nominated people for Secret Santa visits. As my heart has not yet turned completely to stone, I’ve enjoyed watching them.

A local news station produces the videos and the same reporter surprises the chosen people with the gifts. The reporter does a fine job, tactfully drawing out the recipient’s hardship story and dealing with the emotional responses. The anonymous benefactor started three years ago with $200,000, raising it to $250,000 last year and upping the gift budget to $500,000 this year. These videos are uplifting, the recipients’ relief and gratitude are real and I’ve dabbed a tear more than once. Yet, after a couple dozen videos, I felt uneasy.

From the outdoor shots, I saw that these eastern Idaho neighborhoods looked like mine. The streets were lined with vinyl-sided three or four bedroom homes, a car or two in the drive, paved streets, clean yards. The gift recipients were people I’d know; a high school counselor, a school cafeteria worker, a hospital clerk, a widowed retiree. Those not elderly or physically disabled had “good” jobs, working class jobs. All were in crisis from a life event such as the loss of a spouse and the accompanying income reduction; medical costs from a child’s illness; personal illness or physical disability. Reliable transportation was a huge issue. About half the recipients received new cars. Quite a few shed tears, some bent at the waist when receiving the cashier checks, the car keys, the gift certificates.

I wondered how the lifeline for these townspeople was the random selection by, and gifts from, a single wealthy donor living in their community. A living wage and universal healthcare would relieve at least half the distressed people in our communities. I applaud the generosity of the donor and the work of the reporter and news station, but how can this be?

Most of you reading this, like myself, lead comfortable lives. Most of us can absorb a financial hit like a broken appliance or a failing automobile. I think of how small the steps are to pay a living wage and to provide universal healthcare to lift a huge chunk of deserving people out of stressful, crippling situations. I recognize how high the hurdles are to make these small steps. I think of our system that allows four men to have the wealth of 150,000,000 people. Or several small towns reliant on one wealthy person to pull them from personal crisis.

Our economic system needs changing. Secret Santas aren’t the answer.

WisDems doing a great job with Mail-in Ballot and Poll Worker Info!

WorkinJoe

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Sunday August 23, 2020 · 5:22 AM PDT

2020/08/23 · 05:22

My 2020 slogan, available in Blue Tsunami.

Although I very much enjoy voting in person, I’ve given thought this election cycle to receiving a mail-in ballot and dropping the completed ballot at my municipal clerk’s office or drop box. Like most people, I wasn’t certain how to hunt down the proper forms to get the ball(ot) rolling.

This week, via the good efforts of the USPS, I received in my mail an absentee ballot request form from the Center for Voter Information, a nonprofit and nonpartisan group headquartered in DC area with a branch in Madison. The form had my name and address preprinted and had a separate page with instructions to include a photo of my driver’s license (or other acceptable ID.) I googled the group to satisfy myself that they were legit, and I googled the absentee ballot form number to confirm it was a legit form for use in Wisconsin. The form is in the mailbox now, awaiting the always reliable USPS to pickup and deliver this valuable instrument of democracy. Return postage is prepaid!

I also wanted to go through the steps to become a poll worker for this and subsequent elections. Our county Dem party newsletter had some contact information. This week I sat through a statewide Zoom conference call with a Democratic staffer tasked with recruiting poll workers. The presentation took about 45 minutes and served as an introduction to working the polls. The presenter had PDF files with phone numbers and email addresses to all municipal clerks in the state. During the Zoom meeting, we all emailed our respective clerks indicating interest in poll worker training. The Dems even have a web site with a checklist for me to follow as I complete training. If my smaller village doesn’t need additional poll workers, I’ll check with the Green Bay clerk. A trained poll worker can serve in any town or village within his/her county of residence.

As critically, volunteers may be needed to help clerks send out mail-in ballots by stuffing envelopes and assistance may be needed on election day to open envelopes and other tasks.

A tip o’ the hat to my county and state Democratic Party for their well coordinated efforts to provide sufficient poll workers and increase the use of mail-in ballots. It seems my preferred political party seeks to expand the vote to all eligible citizens!

As Trump Said, Magically, COVID-19 Is Gone

WorkinJoe

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Wednesday May 06, 2020 · 4:58 AM PDT

2020/05/06 · 04:58

In the end, its lifespan followed the classic bell curve. After ignoring warnings for two months, the Trump administration scrambled to put together a COVID-19 Press Conference Team, headed by Vice President Pence. Following a desultory start, Trump elbowed Pence away from the podium and ratings jumped geometrically daily. Monday Night Football ratings succumbed, as did the Bachelor Finale numbers. As ratings peaked, the White House Press Corp withstood withering whining, petulance, and braggadocio from the podium. The press conferences raged for hours daily.

At the bell curve peak, Trump heroically injected disinfectant into the press conference. The cleansing was immediate. Cable networks cut away from Trump’s ramblings. Reporters pointedly asked follow up questions and refused demands to switch seats. The ratings curve flattened, then dropped. The daily Press Conference appeared intermittently, then disappeared. Exhausted cable news TV producers pulled off their PPE. Trump climbed Air Force One’s steps, turned to salute a grateful nation, ducked into the jet and flew to Arizona, free to move about the country. With that, the COVID-19 Press Conference Team was dismantled, and COVID-19 no longer mattered. As before, it’s all up to the governors.

All that remains is to archive the COVID-19 Press Conference Team’s efforts for future administrations. Although an Oracle contact tracing database was never developed, Jared will submit his list of the four finalist fonts, detailing the pros and cons of each typeset, and Kushner will include a report obtained through a no-bid contract to a former classmate identifying the strengths of serif fonts when facing a pandemic.

Pence will submit his press conference papers to the National Society of Arts and Letters for further study of obsequious adjectives. Senator Marco Rubio has asked for a copy.

Ivanka remains quarantined in a Chinese sweat shop. She will arrive back in the US shortly as the Trump Chinese Travel bandaid isn’t difficult to get around. Ivanka will immediately resume leaking to the press.

As befits a national crisis, bid proposals are being solicited for commemorative statuary. The leading finalists are a granite Dr. Fauci with a hand over his face and a marble Dr. Birx, seated, eyes downcast, grimacing.

And now the nation, like its disinterested leader, is free to attend rallies, eat at restaurants, get those oh-so-needed haircuts, populate the beaches, theaters and arenas. COVID-19 is magically one day gone, as Trump so presciently predicted. Life is back to normal, once again. We need only to step around the dead, stacked like cord wood.

Amazon's $27 Billion Mirage

WorkinJoe

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Sunday February 17, 2019 · 4:42 AM PST

2019/02/17 · 04:42

I’ve constantly seen the number $27 billion as the return New York City and New York state would receive over 20 years from Amazon’s proposed NYC second headquarters. While this number is constantly repeated in every story, none provide a breakdown of how this number is reached. An article in the Seattle Times gives strong indication that the $27 billion is a mirage. Let me grab a pencil and flip my cocktail napkin over for some quick calculations. (Don’t discount the cocktail napkin. It’s how Paul Ryan wrote his healthcare proposal in four days.)

The $27 billion over 20 years breaks down to $1.35 billion per year in tax revenues to NYC and NY. This is incredibly unlikely. According to the Seattle Times’ study of Amazon’s SEC filings, Amazon reported that it paid $957 million in taxes to governments WORLDWIDE in 2017. Does anyone believe that Amazon is willing to more than double its tax burden by building on one site in NYC, or is it likely that Amazon knows it will never approach the $1.35 billion per year claimed in the proposal? It’s been widely reported in the past week that Amazon showed an $11.2 billion profit in 2018 and paid no federal taxes. The Seattle Times’ review of Amazon’s SEC filings showed that in 2017 Amazon received a $137 million federal REFUND! Like most huge companies, Amazon is very good at not paying taxes. Why would its NYC second headquarters be different?

What about the income taxes paid by the 25,000 employees? I found the NYC and New York state tax rates for 2018. I used the single filer category. Based on an average wage of $100,000 per year for the 25,000 employees, a single filer would pay $3,751 in New York City income tax and $6,064 in New York state income tax, or a total of $9,815 in state and local income tax. That $9,815 times 25,000 employees yields $245,375,000. Nothing to sneeze at, but still $1.1 BILLION short of the projected annual $1.35 billion Amazon’s proposal claims to provide. At $245 million per year, it would take more than 12 years to recoup the proposed $3 billion subsidies.

I willingly acknowledge that these numbers are back of a napkin calculations, but I’ve done more work than nearly every news outlet in examining the $27 billion claim. No way in hell is Amazon willfully planning to more than double its worldwide tax payments by building in NYC. The only explanation is that Amazon knows the proposal numbers are phony. The employee income taxes don’t come close to making up the difference. The $27 billion is a mirage.

We’re seeing the same thing in Wisconsin with the Foxconn boondoggle. Ex governor Scott Walker’s gang put together a $4.2 billion package for Foxconn with Foxconn promising 13,000 jobs. Within months, Foxconn has scaled back their big manufacturing plant to an R&D facility that will require a fraction of those jobs. Meanwhile, the interstate highway that was completely rebuilt five years ago at a cost of tens of millions taxpayer dollars is being torn up and rebuilt at a cost of tens of millions more taxpayer dollars to accommodate a phantom 13,000 person workforce driving to work each day to the phantom Foxconn manufacturing plant. We’ve seen our shimmering mirage in Wisconsin. New Yorkers, that shimmering $27 billion in the distance is also a mirage.

Insurance Deductible or Insurance Obstacle?

WorkinJoe

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Tuesday March 07, 2017 · 6:06 AM PST

2017/03/07 · 06:06

I’m 57 years old, a decade from retirement. As the legal guardian for my elderly mom, I’ve been impressed how easy it is to manage her healthcare, which is covered by Medicare. Government single payer insurance.

With the Repeal, Replace efforts underway, I checked out the Medicare.gov web site to gain an understanding how Medicare bills its enrollees and to see what I may have to pay in retirement. As a small business co-owner with my brother, I pay monthly premiums of $585 with a deductible of $6800.

According to Medicare.gov, if a person has paid into Medicare during working years, Part A (hospitalization) is free. I learned that if a person reaches retirement age and hadn’t paid into Medicare prior to retirement, that person can still buy into Part A for a monthly premium of about $430. The Medicare Part B (doctors) premium is $134 a month. The Part D drug benefit costs about $40 a month in my area. That’s a monthly premium of about $604 if I had to buy into Part A.

Here’s the big kicker. My private insurance obstacle is $6800 a year. Under Medicare, the annual Part B deductible for people earning under $80,000 a year in retirement is $183 annually. A 20% copay can be charged in some situations. What’s your preference? A private free market insurance obstacle of $6800 per year or a government single payer deductible of $183 per year?

Look, the ACA has nothing to do with rising insurance obstacles. The private insurance market has big data up the wazoo. The high obstacles are calculated price points meant to limit access to spending premium payments for health care by forcing customers to pay an annual amount that most customers can’t afford before health care payments are made by customer premiums. The high deductible is an intentional obstacle. With 42% of working Americans earning under $15 per hour (from the book “The Fight for Fifteen”), half of working Americans can’t afford spending $6800 of their income year after year on health care. Does this insurance obstacle really surprise anyone? The free market insurance industry’s interest is in making a profit off your premiums, not in paying for your medical care. We’ve seen that evidence for decades. Call the insurance deductible what it is: an insurance obstacle.

On a side note, I keep hearing Republican congressmen speak about how many areas of the country have only one insurer on the ACA exchange. Remember, the insurance companies have big data up the wazoo. I’d ask these congressmen how many luxury car dealers are in these same areas? How many 3 and 4 star hotels and restaurants? What percentage of the population falls in the healthy 26 to 40 range? There’s only one insurer in these areas because private insurers decided that there’s not enough wealth, population, or potential payees in the prime age range to bother entering that market. I got a sense of this during my business’ annual workmen’s comp audit. I commented to the auditor that the insurance company must be doing well because of all the expansion to the main office building. He told me that the company was now in six states, and he explained how they carefully review all data and only move into counties and areas that have sufficient population and wealth. In Texas, they are in the Dallas Fort Worth area, but certainly not in the rural counties. It’s the same with healthcare insurance.

A Geometric View of Income Inequality

WorkinJoe

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Thursday October 10, 2013 · 4:47 AM PDT

2013/10/10 · 04:47

Income inequality is an increasing problem. I've envisioned a simple diagram to highlight the problem and to ask people where they think we stand. Think of a cube. The vertical axis represents time, and let's make the bottom of the cube the year 1776. The top of the cube is some year in the future. Any horizontal plane within the cube represents the total population of the country for that year.

Now picture a pyramid set within the cube. The bottom four corners of the pyramid fit into the four bottom corners of the cube, and the pyramid's peak touches the center of the cube's top. Any horizontal slice of the pyramid represents the fraction of the total population that controls 90 percent of the country's total wealth for that year.

Back in 1776, the bottom of the cube and pyramid, wealth, as it were, is spread more evenly across the population. The question is, where are we now on the pyramid? What happens as we approach the pyramid's peak, the singularity when all wealth is concentrated in very few hands?

Recently, either Forbes or Fortune reported that the top 400 wealthiest Americans made more money last year than the bottom 150 MILLION Americans. That certainly adjusted my thinking of where we stand on the pyramid. The reduction of capital gains taxes, lowered income taxes, the battle to eliminate estate taxes, the offshoring of American jobs and the stashing of profits offshore to avoid tax payment, and the Citizens United decision allowing greater influence on elections by wealthy individuals are all combining to accelerate our climb up the pyramid.

Where do you think we stand on this pyramid? Are you concerned? What steps can be taken to redistribute the wealth? I don't begrudge anyone their wealth, except when the game is rigged, and it is increasingly rigged in the wealthy's favor.

Catholicism Question re: Pre-Born Souls

WorkinJoe

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Monday February 06, 2012 · 3:50 PM PST

2012/02/06 · 15:50

Everyone, clearly, would like to minimize or elimanate abortions. Santorum has gone so far as to state that he'd be in favor of states' rights to prohibit contraception, a move that certainly would increase abortions. I've heard many argue that life begins at conception. If that's the case, what is the harm in keeping the sperm from reaching the egg? However, if the belief is that the heavenly frequencies contain unborn souls waiting for an earthly vessel to inhabit, banning contraception would make sense. My question is whether the Catholic faith endorses the idea of pre-born souls. Is this the basis for the desire to ban contraception? What drives the Catholic battle against contraception?

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