Social Media Explained

Working Without A Net

"Safety net" has suddenly gone viral. All the Republican candidates are talking about it.

Recently Mitt Romney said, "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there."

Newt Gingrich retorts, "I'm for turning the safety net into a trampoline for the poor, so they can spring up and quit being poor." Newt elaborated by saying that, ideally, the poor would spring all the way up to the moon so we wouldn't have to look at them anymore.

Rick Santorum said that he considers safety nets to be a form of contraception against an unwanted outcome, and because the Vatican does not approve of contraception, safety nets for the poor are therefore immoral. Santorum suggested that some people might want to try the rhythm method to reduce their chances of poverty, but said he believes that a certain amount of poor people is God's will.

Ron Paul said that safety nets are neither bad nor good, but his point is that the government should not be in the safety net business. Said Paul, "In my administration, if you decide you want a safety net, fine -- go get one for yourself. Who's stopping you? It just won't be a government-issued safety net. And if you can't figure out how to get one without Uncle Sam's help, well, tough shit, pal. You're on your own."

"Me Too" Not Always A Good Idea

It's like Mom always said: Just because someone else does something doesn't mean you should do it too.

Obama does a surprisingly good job singing a couple bars of Al Green. So Romney decides to sing an entire stanza of "America The Beautiful":



America may be beautiful, Mitt, but that was not.

The Dispatch Taxes My Patience

The Columbus Dispatch editorialized today, condemning Barack Obama for promoting "class warfare" in his State of the Union speech when he again mentioned the fact that Warren Buffett's secretary is taxed at a higher effective rate than Buffett himself.

The Dispatch wanted me to know that this is not always the case, that most multi-millionaires and billionaires pay a higher effective rate than you or I. (Boy, I feel better already!)

The income taxes we pay are a result of the amount of money we make (higher incomes pay higher rates), how we make it (investment income is taxed at 15%, ordinary income anywhere from 10% to 35%), and our ability to reduce our taxable income via deductions, shelters, and credits (mortgage interest, contributions to IRA's, health savings accounts, charities, etc.).

Yes, the well-to-do generally pay more than lower income people (and they should), but not always. Lots of investment income and lots of write-offs can turn the tables, as in the case of Buffett. And in the case of Mitt Romney, whose recently-released tax return shows him paying just 14%. And there are many, many people making a hell of a lot less than Mitt paying a higher percentage than he is because theirs is ordinary income and they don't have shitloads of deductions.

Buffett calls such a situation crazy. He thinks it should be changed. Romney calls it the American way. He likes it just the way it is.

Obama sides with Buffett, and calls for change. And he continues to call for the expiration of George W. Bush's supposedly temporary tax cuts, at least on the top bracket (which should be back at 39%, not 35%). Dubya's supply-side, trickle-down magic tax cut didn't work, and combined with his two wars, it sent the deficit sky-high. This is what got us on the tax topic to begin with! A return to pre-Bush rates would provide a ton of helpful deficit-reducing revenue. But every time you mention it, Boehner, Cantor and McConnell pitch an absolute hissy-fit and threaten to shut down the government. Brilliant!

In his SOTU speech, Obama said that billionaires paying taxes equal to their secretaries is what "most Americans would call common sense."

The Dispatch editor disagrees, and claims Obama is being "deliberately misleading about the tax code, with the hope of stirring up resentment among voters."

Buster says if anyone's trading in misleading resentment, it's the D'Bag Dispatch.

"Oh Gosh, I Am So (Dis)Honored To Have Your Endorsement!"

Stupendous news! None other than Donald Trump -- The Donald -- has endorsed Mitt Romney. And just last week Palin and Cain came out for Gingrich. Wow. Such big names, it simply boggles the mind.

Buster's unnamed but highly reliable sources tell him that Glenn Beck, Howie Mandel, Carrot Top, and Krusty will be the next batch of clowns to endorse a Republican.

Do Unto Others . . . Then Get The Hell Out Of Town!

Breaking with long tradition, next week John "The Wonder Guv" Kasich will not give his State of the State address from the Ohio Capitol. Last year's little chat came in the midst of his SB 5 debacle, and the rotunda and the Capitol grounds were filled with raucous, chanting protesters. With the memory of his comeuppance still fresh, John-Boy's just not feelin' the love in Columbus, so this year he's leaving town. He'll address his subjects -- I mean citizens -- from the real heart of The Heart Of It All, Steubenville.

Steubenville, or as it's sometime called, suburban Weirton, is an old manufacturing town known for closed steel mills, political corruption, and Dean Martin. Kasich says it's as good a place as any to make a speech, and I suppose it is. But it's kinda like the President delivering the State of the Union address from, say, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Attendance could be fairly light. Some media will be there, of course, along with Kasich's family and a handful of retirees from the local mills. Beyond that, it'll be a crap shoot. The Ohio legislature will be in session and many lawmakers of both parties say they just can't spare the 5-6 hour travel time. Attorney General Mike DeWine says he can't make it. Ditto for Secretary of State Jon Husted. And nobody knows where the hell Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor is! Do you suppose she's working her ass off on Ohio's newly required health insurance exchanges?

Me neither.

The Komen "Race To The Right"

Yesterday, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the nation's preeminent advocate for breast cancer research, announced that they have cancelled their annual $500,000 contribution to Planned Parenthood, such contribution given for . . . breast cancer screenings! Huh? WTF?

Planned Parenthood has been around for a hell of lot longer than Komen, doing good and important work. It provides women -- often low-income, uninsured women -- with a variety of health services, including but not limited to abortions. Planned Parenthood receives federal funds, but, per the "Hyde Amendment", those funds are not used for abortions.


Nevertheless, abortion is the reason for the Komen Foundation's inexplicable decision. Less than a year ago, Komen recruited Karen Handel to be their Senior VP for Public Policy. Handel made an unsuccessful attempt to be the Republican candidate for Georgia governor in 2010. She is a virulent "pro-life" fanatic who has long wanted to de-fund and eliminate Planned Parenthood.

And just like that, Komen can no longer support breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood, the only place where some women can afford them. This is just weird. Komen's new public policy is counter-productive to their own mission.

In this case, the money is meaningless. It's just a drop in both buckets. Planned Parenthood will continue to provide screenings, thank you very much. And they may wind up getting more than $500,000 in protest/solidarity donations.

This is a case of Komen making a statement. Any claim to the contrary is 100% bullshit. For some reason (which they may regret already), Komen hired a conservative ideologue to oversee its public policy, and they got what they paid for. Komen now has a conservative ideological public policy. Ms. Handel made a statement, all right. A stupid one.

Up to this point, Susan G. Komen was never an obviously political organization. They took no sides, they just took money to do good work in a good cause. Their only drawback was their relentless pink-ifying of everything from baseball bats to buckets of KFC chicken.

But now they've taken a turn. It may please some, but it will piss off a lot more. Already has. I'll do a bit of advocacy myself: If you plan to run in the "Komen Race For The Cure", or just give them money, please think twice before you do. This year, consider giving that money to Planned Parenthood. I just sent them $20, and made my own statement.