Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation last week that will tax documents filed with county auditors to provide a form of reparations to victims of past housing discrimination. KING 5 News, a Seattle TV station, described it here as a “$100 processing fee for homebuyers,” but the l[...]
Archive for May, 2023
May 16th, 2023 - 8:44 pm § in Racism
Washington enacts race-based reparations program for homebuyers
Panicky Buffett dumps shares in Taiwan chipmaker
Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s holding company, has sold all its recently-acquired shares in Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), which makes nearly all the world’s most advanced computer chips. He was explicit about why: He’s worried about the location of TSMC’s factories in T[...]
What’s wrong with work requirements?
As part of their debt ceiling demands, Republicans are demanding expanded work requirements for food stamps and Medicaid. On Tuesday, May 16, 2023, GOP House Speaker McCarthy seemed to enlarge that to all safety net programs (read story here). It looks reasonable on its face. But as with many things[...]
May 16th, 2023 - 2:32 am § in Politics, Republicans
Defeated Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley’s fundraising raises eyebrows
It was inevitable that Tiffany Smiley, a novice candidate, would lose her quixotic bid for a U.S. Senate seat as a pro-life candidate in a solidly blue state. In the process, she burned through $20 million of Republican money (the bulk of which came from GOP megadonors, see story here), and ended up[...]
Ex-GOP legislator gets prison for Covid relief fraud
Michael Capps (photo, left), 45, who served a single term in the Kansas legislator (2019-2021), will go to prison for stealing $475,000 of Covid relief funds (read story here). Capps was convicted of falsifying Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) and Small Business Administration (SBA) loan applications,[...]
If you saw a car barreling at you, would you get out of the way?
A U.S. debt default is no joke. Federal employees and military personnel wouldn’t be paid, Social Security checks would be late, and up to 8 million workers could lose their jobs. But a crisis-weary American public isn’t paying much attention. NBC News describes (here) the recent drumbea[...]
May 15th, 2023 - 1:24 pm § in Misc.
Bikejacking or misunderstanding?
The social media narrative that followed the video below is that a crowd in New York City prevented a white female hospital worker from taking a rental bike from a young black man after he paid for it by pretending she was being attacked. Read story here and watch video below. The hospital has suspe[...]
May 14th, 2023 - 10:51 pm § in Misc.
I hope a tiger didn’t eat their kid
Tourism is a big thing these days. Do you want to climb Mount Everest or go birdwatching in Mongolia? You can sign up for a guided tour, although Everest could be tricky if you’re obese, out of shape, and suffering from COPD. In other words, there are limits to tourist behavior, no matter how [...]
Texas Gov. Abbott blames Dominion for Carlson’s firing
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) is blaming Dominion Voting Systems for Tucker Carlson leaving Fox News (read story here). He’s knee-jerk reacting to an Axios report that Carlson was fired as part of Fox’s settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Other reporting has portrayed Carlson as an out-o[...]
It’s tough being a Supreme Court justice
Deciding cases and writing decisions is the easy part, especially if you’re a partisan hack. The tough part is living with the notoriety. If being a SCOTUS justice has perks, there’s also a downside: You’re famous, and your critics know where you live. This is Justice KavanaughR[...]