Neither Gingrich nor Romney Pay Their Taxes, Obviously.

State of the Union? In Need of Tax Reform

Me and my pile of money will uphold this office.

Exploiting tax loopholes is a tradition practiced and revered by Americans across the country, not something reserved for the wealthiest Americans. H&R Block has built a business around clever manipulation of taxes and that business is booming.

Mitt Romney buckled under pressure and released his 2009 and 2010 tax returns. Showing that he paid a tax rate of 13% on his 45 million dollars in earnings which is considerably below that of normal Americans, even those high earners in the top tax bracket. The source of his income was his hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, income that is not considered as taxable under current regulations.

Romney is the captain of team .001%, but then again this shouldn’t be a surprise. If the nomination nod rolls toward him, he will be the 3^rd  wealthiest man to ever run for congress only behind Steven Forbes and Ross Perot, a Republican and Independent.

In lieu of these releases, the country is obsessed with who was rich when they ran for President. The stats were a little surprising, 5 of the 10 ten wealthiest people to run for President in the last 20 years are Democrats and only one has successfully secured the Presidency:  Bill Clinton. John Edwards, John Kerry, Hilary Clinton and Al Gore were also among those who had deep pockets, but still came up short at the polls. And to think, their opponents McCain and George Bush were accused by them of being to rich to relate to their constituents.

If top Democrats are just as wealthy and disconnected as their opponents, then which party is the champion of the down trodden and needy?

This brings into question whether or not many top politicians have any way of connecting with the average American. Recession and job loss are performance metrics for politicians, not realities that prevent food from being brought to their tables lest they had figured out how to prevent foreclosure.

Much of the explanation of the cult of personality surrounding President Obama may be explained by his modest upbringing and first hand knowledge of the middle class. Much of his failures in Washington may also be explained by how unfamiliar he is with the elite. Nepotism and cronyism run Washington, SuperPACs convey their messages and the average voter is apt to be thought of as either an appeasable or problematic spectator.

This is not President Obama’s definition of politics and because of this he is being accused of turning it into a socialist state by people on both sides of the fence. It is clear who has the most to lose if wealth is to be more evenly distributed.

The race to the 2012 Republican nomination is now being dubbed as a battle between the Establishment and an Insurgency (much like Iraq was).  The separation between the Romney Establishment and the Gingrich Insurgency is best shown by their now released tax returns. It would appear he only made somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 million dollars last year and evade just a few tens of thousand dollars in Medicare taxes.  

After such a strong showing in South Carolina and relentless attacks on Romney in Florida, this may have been the lucky break that underdog Gingrich needed to best his much wealthier opponent.

Maybe 2012 is the year of the underdog just like 2008 was.

"Paying taxes makes being rich not cool"

"For once, we agree in public"

A Look at the Third Most Important State Right Now: South Carolina

Newt Gingrich is a Republican John Edwards.

I'm Winning Our Future, right now.

Normally the South Carolina primary is a safety precaution to protect leading candidates from popularity surges of candidates who had stronger showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. Normally the winner of the South Carolina primary goes on to win the nomination, but will that be true for Gingrich like it was for Reagan or George W.?

Gingrich took all 23 delegates in South Carolina after finishing. fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire. 

The race has now become Establishment v Insurgent, with Gingrich acting the insurgent (establishment). He hopes that he and Winning Our Future will be able to secure his spot in the White House.

The real question is whether or not more than half the country wants the future to be won by Newt Gingrich instead of Barack Obama.

Though backed by Donald Trump and a tried and true stalwart of the Republican party, it was long believed that his campaign was dead and he would, in fact, not be receiving the nod as the Republican party’s 2012 presidential candidate.  

However, after receiving 40.5% of the vote in South Carolina, busting the assumed nomination of Mitt Romney who received just under 28%.

Though the race is heating up, it will be important to keep this victory in perspective. After explosive debate performances and Gingrich’s Super PAC, Winning Our Future, dumping money into the battleground state, he came out ahead and this should be no surprise. He was everywhere and campaigning effectively, starkly contrasting his opponent Romney.

While important, the South Carolina primary is not the best way to judge if a candidate has the momentum and charisma to take the Presidency. John Edwards won in 2004 election after coming in second in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire.

John Edwards also had infidelity issues and often was perceived as a pretty bad guy by most standards, but yet he remained fairly successful and went on to receive a nomination to be John Kerry’s vice president.

Who knows, maybe instead of a run for the top spot, Gingrich will settle to assist. It seems unlikely, but this situation certainly feels familiar.

See you in Florida, Newt Gingrich.

RIP Etta James

Her life was forever destined to be dependent on her beautiful voice.

1938-2012

Born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles to a black 14 year old girl could be considered a very rough hand to be dealt, especially when it is rumored that your father was white man. In 1938, the recession was wrapping up and R&B, blues and jazz were sweeping the nation. Without the help of her supposed pool player father, Etta James rose far above the caste into which she was born and into the limelight.

Her mother was rarely present and somewhat of a mystery, thus she was reared by caretakers, the most notable being Sarge and Mama Lu. Her career began in the church where she took her first lessons and drew her first crowds.

At 14, her mother took her to San Francisco and she began to listen to doo-wop. This was big for James and formed her first girl group, the Creolettes, named for her relatively light complexion. Though the story is unclear as to how exactly this happened, it was during this time that James met Johnny Otis and signed to Modern Records. She experienced a fair amount of success but her singles never quite evolved in a career that had consistent commercial success.

In the 1960s James signed with Chess Records, which is when she first sang the above hit "All I Could Do Was Cry." It was also during this period she released her signature song "At Last", though it did not receive as much notoriety when it was released as it does now.

In 2004 James was honored by Rolling Stones as one of the most influential musicians of all time and her sound will forever be remember as one that endured through the ages and gracefully evolved with trend and time.

Jamesetta, you will forever be remember as a beautiful voice and a compelling woman. Blues and soul are much better having had you. Now all we all can do is cry.

Hey Champ! Come Play My House.

 

This weekend everyone should sit down and write a letter to this ivy-league duo to tell them to get off their lazy Princeton educated, lawyer asses and come to Seattle to play a show at my apartment.

Its a true story, members Saam Hagshenas and Johnathan Marks went to Princeton. They were discovered by Lupe Fiasco and they currently have no shows planned. I know for certain SeaTac flies directly to O'Hare, so lets make this happen.

Their Soundcloud
Buy their album

You Won't Want to Leave the Stay Hotel in New York City

This combination of luxury and location makes for a perfect weekend trip to the Big Apple.

In the city that never sleeps, it is paramount a visitor can find someone comfortable to rest their head. Between the luxurious white sheets at the Stay.Hotel you will forget the world outside, even though on the other side the window is the chaos of countless vendors and the world’s most spectacular shows.

Two nights here and I genuinely wondered if my own bed would ever feel the same. My living room is also remiss of glass art and floor to ceiling fish tanks full of exotic beauties whose sightings are normally saved for BBC documentaries and island vacations. Through the lobby you will also find one of New York’s premier nightclubs that will come as a surprise as none of the noise travels up into the rooms.

If you have never been to New York City or if you frequent the streets, you will appreciate the short walk to the most important places in the world’s most exciting city. In the backyard of Times Square and just a few minutes walk down Broadway to Central Park, you will be able to begin your vacation as soon as you drop off your bags.

The hotel’s staff is very friendly and will be more than happy to call a cab, give you directions or debate amongst themselves the best recommendation for dinner in the city. Stay also understands if you’re swept up in the city and will need a late checkout with complimentary bottled water and offers packages to suit travelers with these needs.

Whether you are in New York City for one night, or an entire month, the Stay.Hotel will leave you wanting to do just that, Stay.

Tebow: Signs of a Second Coming

The Chosen people have found their quarterback.

If God wanted to communicate with His people, football may be the best way to do it. With the Superbowl garnering comparable attention to Christmas, and the recession in full swing, a different day may capitulate the first-born savior's monopoly on the most important day of the year.

It is true, Tebow may very well be the second coming of Christ. Have you seen this man chuck a football? Its like he looks out over his eye black and into the Hall of Fame heaven, and he has just begun. Hopefully, unlike his predecessor, he will not be struck down in the prime of his career.

This last weekend, during Tebow’s monumental and historic game where he threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to beat the Steelers, you were actually able to see the hand of God break through the clouds and pat him on the ass. His eye black that day said Phil 4:6-7.

 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (The verse seen on Tebow’s eye black)


And he obviously wasn’t anxious, waiting until the overtime to throw the ball and win the game. This need for adrenaline seems to be something God and Tebow have in common, while they could save the world/game early on, they prefer to work in more mysterious ways in order to build suspense.


What is even crazier is the Dan Brown type connection Tebow seemed to have with the number 316 that day. He passed for 316 yards with 31.6 yards as his average completion. This, to me, seems as though God is overwhelmingly telling his chosen people, Americans, to watch for Tebow as the second coming.


This lead to a flood of popularity never before seen by the King of Kings as John 3:16 became the most popular item searched on Google, God's window to the world. With both of His sons trending, it is likely that God feels more on top of the world than ever.

So, sorry starving children, foreclosed families and failing schools, God and his outspoken Evangelical BFF Superstar Tebow are busy tossing a pigskin around God's new house, The Denver Stadium. 


Maybe in 9 years, when Tebow comes of age, he will save you. Until then, it is only games will be saved.

Chris Christy: Biggest Thing at Camp Romney

No please, go on Gov. Christy.

Stone cold fox

     Governor Chris Christy (R – NJ) gave his buttoned up endorsement to Mitt Romney, the once front runner in the race for the Republican candidacy in the 2012 presidential race.

      

     When speaking on behalf of Mr. Romney this weekend in Exeter, N.H., in the town’s high school to be exact, Mr. Christy was heckled and responded with an ever ambiguous “You know, something may be going down tonight, but it ain’t going to be jobs, sweetheart.”

      

     The obvious problem with the response is not the supposed sexual nature. It is true, Governor Christy may have been announcing his pending escapades planned for after he was done rubbing elbows with mega millionaire, but painstakingly Mormon, Mitt Romney who would not be having the same evening. Fellatio aside, there is actually a bigger and equally demeaning problem with his statement.

      

     The more obvious problem of this statement, if you were to shift the meaning of “going down” to something a little more,  lets say urban, and intending it to mean “happening” then Mr. Christy underhandedly reinforced the statements made by these loud women. He could have been saying that people would not be going to night shifts at factories, or that people would be leaving home early as they were underemployed. This, I think, is more likely than the idea that Christ Christy might be getting a blow job.

     After Chris's declaration in question, he then went on to insult the woman, saying something about New Jersey voters were more intelligent than New Hampshire voters. This is impossible. The state that invents Jersey shore is forever ineligible to be know as the smart state.

     

     It is impossible to tell the effects of this statement as it was the governor from a different state and most people do not know who Mr. Christy is, and upon seeing him, would expect Chris Christy to say something like that. Who knows, maybe it will help Mitt Romney be anything but boring.

      

One thing that is clear? President Obama should be thanking Republicans.