Damned if I can figure out why this photo of me in the Newburgh airport last week is rotated. Probably because Gene took it. E.
Salon Weekly
~ In 4 Color-Coded Sections:
- Table Notes
- Events & Opportunities
- Articles, Letters (“opinions expressed are not necessarily mine”...ellen)
- Books, Reviews, Films, Magazines
- Tri-State Treasures: mysteriously absent this week.
A Weekly Email Publication of The Lloyd House: Circulation: 650. Growing out
of the Wednesday Night Salon . For info about the Salon, see the bottom of
this email. Join us at the Lloyd House every week of the year at 5:45 for pot
luck and discussion. 3901 Clifton Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio. To Submit events
for the Weekly, send (not attachment) me email, subject line
"Weekly-Events:(description)", in Times New Roman font, Maroon color. FOR ARTICLES, send me, in Times New Roman, Navy color. to ELLENBIERHORST@LLOYDHOUSE.COM,. Saves me a
lot of work that way. Send submissions by Wednesday evening.
To: Friends on our Pot Luck Salon list (c. 600)... Now in our
seventh year),
(to unsubscribe see below, bottom of page).
................................................... Section One: Table Notes ............................................................................ (Note: these notes were taken at the table and have NOT been approved or corrected by the speakers. Reader beware of inevitable misunderstandings and misrepresentations. E.B.)
At the table Wednesday 8/13/08
Bob Witanowski, Mary Biehn, Alan Jozwiak, Carolyn Aufderhaar, Mr. G., Q. Benedikt, Bill Limbacher, Shawn Charton, Ellen Bierhorst, Janet Kalven, Mira Rodwan, Ginger Lee Frank, Brooke Audreyal
Preamble read by Q.
Ginger: rip off at a car repair place.
Alan: will be celebrating my mother’s 80th birthday next Wed.
Mary: Time mag. announces development of a spray-on condom.
Bob: 12 “dirty dozen” fruits veg that should be organic : peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes, pears, spinach, potatoes. Only buy organic of these foods because “conventional” methods use huge amounts of pesticides. Also, avoid non-organic carrots because they take up lots of heavy metals like lead from soils that are contaminated. In fact are frequently used to detox contaminated land as a throw away crop.
Carolyn: got the best peaches of my life from the Northside market today; organic. Every Wed. 3 – 7 pm.
Shawn: my stay at the Lloyd House is brief... Will be here another week, then closing on my new house.
Mira: handouts; from “Save Energy cinci” saveenergycinci@yahoo.com for a free multi media presentation. Sat 20 Sept 1:30 – 4 at St. John’s UU church. Free workshop on saving energy. Also new issue of Earthwatch Ohio newspaper.
Bill : yesterday evening met a young man asking for 9 gallons of gas money. Promised me to send a check in two weeks. Most amusing.
Q: all summer I have learned that the president of the congregation has to do all the landscaping at the shul. This Sunday is open house at our new building. Reconstructionist Jewish Synagogue, on Lake Chetac Drive off Butler/Warren Rd. near Field’s Ertle. Congregation B’nai Tikvah. http://www.bnai-tikvah.org
It’s like Jewish Unitarians. It’s about having your religion bring focus to your life and helps you improve the world. “Our religious tradition has a voice but not a veto.”
... Friday started the Olympics. Repugnant that the Georgia-Russia warfare started that day. ...
RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN CONFLICT
Q:There are two areas within Georgia who wanted to be independent from Georgia . This was ok for years until just now, Georgia attacked these two areas. So then Russia attacked back. There is an official Georgian news service where I read this. A friend translated for me. ... Russian soldiers swept into Georgia, not just those two areas. (See below, article about Georgia, contributed by Q)
Bill: these areas are pro Russian in sympathies, and many Russians live there. There are also two other ethnic groups besides Russians and Georgians. ALSO Ga. has an oil pipeline and Russia would like to control that. It goes down to Turkey.
The president of Ga. Is very pro-western; irks Putin of Russia greatly.
Mira I think there is fault on both sides, but maybe it could set off a wider war.
BOB: WHAT ABOUT THE 550 METRIC TONS OF YELLOW CAKE URANIUN THAT WAS SHIPPED FROM IRAQ TO CANADA JUST THIS SUMMER. I read it in the Cinti. Enquirer.
Q: yellow cake uranium is .071% of fissionable uranium, a small amount. So has to be enriched. One of the by products is called “yellow cake”. It is a potential source of uranium. It would need a huge amount of treatment. Incidentally Fernald had thousands of metric tons of yellow cake and couldn’t give it away. There is no market for it. It is difficult and time consuming to extract the fissionable material. (Note: Q knows his uranium. Worked for years on the Fernald clean up project. Ellen)
Ginger so it is being sent to Canada as waste almost certainly.
Bill Back to Georgia. The Georgians told us bluntly that they helped us in Iraq, so they wanted our troops to help them now. Why should they expect that, given that they are right next to Russia?
Q: today for the the first time Pres. Bush made a statement pro Georgia. For the first time.
Mr. G.: since when can a state just secede from their country? We wouldn’t allow that in the US.
Bob: God, glory, and gold are the three reasons for war. There’s got to be some underlying reason.
Shawn a small segment of a larger nation should not be allowed to secede is to confine chaos.
... Has anyone been to Russia since the breakup of the USSR?
Carolyn: in 94-95 I was in Ukraine and it was devastated. Depression. I was in Russia 3 or 4 summers ago and and it quite prosperous .
Shawn: a lot of gay porn stars come out of Eastern Europe.
Bob the mafia very strong in Russia. (See McMafia article in last week’s Weekly. Ellen)
Q. There have been some situations where people were horribly oppressed, and the US gave them asylum. ... If your government does not represent you, you have the right to secede. ... Since the 18th century there is a standard that you can leave your government if it does not represent you.
Shawn so many of my generation feel, “How do you know what is really so?”
... The question is should we in America have a say about a state’s secession in Georgia.
Brooke: we have been in Georgia for two years training troops.
Bob maybe we could go and gather some information about this conflict and talk about it next week.
HOWARD DEAN HERE WITH THE OBAMA BUS THIS EVENING
Brooke Dean has lost a lot of weight. He is running the convention AND going around the country with the Obama bus. In Evanston. No media. Springer, Mallory were there. Maybe 100 people were there. They all spoke a little. Cal Pen spoke (an actor). Dean spoke last: the difference will be to register more people than 4 years ago, AND get them to the polls. It is going to boil down to who works the hardest. Only 15 % of new registrants actually vote. He feels the personal contact is what is important, going door to door. Uniting with those who are different from you on issues that you have in common. So we activists should vote early so we can help people get to the polls.
It is a great message. There is a coming together now; we can enhance that a lot in this election.
Bill there is a new group, “Republicans for Obama”. Good thing.
Shawn I don’t want McCain but I am not sure Obama is the answer.
Mira Ralph Nader on Talk of the Nation today. Says he is the “tugboat”. Said it was the Democrats who shut him out of the debates. Maybe this time will be different.
Bob the Bruce Ivans case. I wanted to know the details. I have downloaded articles; they guy was mentally unstable; the FBI had no real evidence. ... I don’t think Bruce Ivans got a fair shake.
Bill I work all day, I have time to read the NY Times, the London Times, and I don’t have time to read more. What am I supposed to do?
Bob I was particularly interested in this case, so I researched it.
Mira: the US is more moved by fear than any other country. Why?
(We are used to security? )
Shawn I was a Hillary supporter. Always been troubled about Obama. He went to Saudi Arabia, came back and started changing his positions. ...
Brooke it is a plus to be able to learn and change positions. I am going to work for and vote for Obama, though I have questions as well.
Bill I do feel like some of Obama’s changes are political, but you have to be able to change...
Shawn sometimes I feel it doesn’t really matter; feels futile...
Brooke: don’t you see strong differences between Clinton’s administration and Bush? That’s a big reason to vote for Obama.
Shawn: the question for me is to vote for Obama or not to vote.
Janet You never have a perfect candidate . You tend to vote for the lesser evil. ... I didn’t think JFK was “lesser evil”.
Brooke McCain has a bad temper...is more and more volatile.
~ End of Table Notes~
- Hugs to everyone,
Ellen
Section Two: Events & Opportunities
Please pass this on to ... Everyone. Ellen
Residential or office space~
We have a vacancy at the Lloyd House
This is a two-room suite on the third floor, with private bathroom. Large closet. Shared kitchen with 3 other housemates. Monthly housing contribution: $460 includes heat, water and wireless high speed internet. Off street parking. Share many other spaces including zendo meditation room, living/music room w/ grand piano, spacious veranda, dining room, yard, weight room, sauna... The Lloyd House is a gem, beautiful stone Victorian castle. Multicultural environment—5 adults including me, Ellen.
- Give me a call! 513 221 1289 Ellen Bierhorst
We are building our election efforts and really need your help to spread the word about upcoming volunteer opportunities to reach voters during this crucial year. Join us at our office on one or more of the following dates listed below. To RSVP please click one of the links below:
Phone Banking
(calls to local activists and inviting them to join us in our efforts)
Thurs. Aug. 14, 5:30-8pm <mailto:gtyus@americavotes.org;mwilson@americavotes.org?subject=Yes%21%208/14/08%20PB>
Mon. Aug. 18, 5:30-8pm <mailto:gtyus@americavotes.org;mwilson@americavotes.org?subject=Yes%21%208/18/08%20PB> Thurs. Aug. 21, 5:30-8pm <mailto:gtyus@americavotes.org;mwilson@americavotes.org?subject=Yes%21%208/21/08%20PB>
Thurs. Aug. 28, 5:30-8pm <mailto:gtyus@americavotes.org;mwilson@americavotes.org?subject=Yes%21%208/28/08%20PB>
Day Of Action
(face to face contact with registered voters)
August 23, 2008 10:00am until 2:00pm <mailto:gtyus@americavotes.org;mwilson@americavotes.org?subject=Yes%21%208/23/08%20DoA>
For more information or to RSVP, CLICK HERE <mailto:mwilson@americavotes.org?subject=I%20want%20to%20volunteer%20with%20America%20Votes%21> !
If these opportunities don’t work for you, let us know when you can join us!
Contact:
Randy mwilson@americavotes.org <mailto:mwilson@americavotes.org> (513) 481-7108
Gina gtyus@americavotes.org <mailto:gtyus@americavotes.org> (513) 481-7110
There is a lot of work to be done this year and we can't do it without your help!
Sincerely,
The America Votes Cincinnati Team
www.americavotes.org <http://www.americavotes.org/oh>
PEACE VIGILS TOMORROW
From IJPC Cincinnati:
Join us this week for our monthly PEACE VIGILS!
Please notice some of the time and location changes from last month continue to stay in place.
IRAQ MORATORIUM: NEIGHBORHOOD PEACE VIGILS THIS FRIDAY!!!
3rd Friday of every month, 5:30pm
MARK YOUR CALENDARS...
Upcoming date: August 15
WHERE: ALL over the city!!!
Notice some cancellations, time changes, and location changes:
LOCATIONS:
*Spring Grove Village: Corner of Derby & Winton
Contact: Kristen Barker: 513-403-9963
NEW LOCATION
*Price Hill: Corner of Enright and W. 8th
Contact: Sue Casey Leininger: 513-579-8547
*Northside: Hoffner park, corner of Blue Rock and Hamilton
Contact: Elizabeth Motter: 513-591-1407 or emotter@fuse.net
NEW TIME: 4:30-5:30
*Clifton: Fountain in Burnet Wood, corner of Clifton and Ludlow
Contact: Judy Cirillo: jcirillo.1@juno.com
*Mt. Healthy: Heritage Park, on Hamilton, right after Cross County
Contact: Karen Arnett, karen.arnett@fuse.net
NEW TIME: 5:00-6:00
*Northern Kentucky: Newport Peace Bell, (corner of York and 4th St)
Contact Vicki Dierig - vickidierig@yahoo.com
*Anderson: -CANCELLED THIS MONTH-
*Miami Township: New location being determined. Contact Lauren Thamann-Raines, lpt89@hotmail.com
- Bring any relevant peace signs if you have them. IJPC has several banners and signs and will provide some at each site. .
Do you live in a neighborhood that didn't have a vigil? Are interested in having one next month? Great! Just call Sue at IJPC for more details, 579-8547!
Learn about GREEN ROOFS
the League of Women Voter's "Green Roof Afternoon," planned for Saturday, August 16, 12:30 to mid-afternoon. If you don't know anything about vegetated roofs (or you want to see what one looks like in person), this is a good opportunity. Three experts will be talking. You do not need to be a League member to attend. Just make your reservation by calling 281-8683 weekdays, send in your check, and show up at the Civic Garden Center on Reading Road. Lunch is included in the $12.00 fee.
Nancy Dawley
The Childhood Vaccination Controversy
Explained by Jack Armstrong, D.C. (a friend and a great guy. Ellen)
· By the time your baby is 6 months old, he or she will
receive 45 different vaccines.
· By the time your child is 1 year old, he or she will receive 64 different vaccines.
· By age 4-6, he or she will receive 74 different vaccines.
Are all those shots necessary? Are vaccines safe? Effective?
This is a BIG decision!
Get informed and make a conscious choice!
Dr. Jack Armstrong will be sharing his knowledge and insights about this on:
Thursday, August 21st from 7:00 - 8:30pm
At WholeCare
A Transformational Chiropractic
& Holistic Health Center in Blue Ash
Pre-registration required. Cost: $10
513-489-9515
www.wholecarechiropractic.com <http://www.wholecarechiropractic.com>
Presented by Dr. Jack Armstrong
Dr. Armstrong has 29 years in his holistic, chiropractic and nutritional practice. Come and enjoy his unique perspective.
A Workshop to Learn Great Foot Massage
with Alan Hundley, LMT, LLC
Sunday, Aug. 24
1:30pm – 4:30pm
Shine Yoga Center • 3330 Erie Ave.
$40 in advance, $50 at the door
Register at Shine or online at shineyoga.com/events
or call 513-533-9642
Join Alan to learn “the 33 Foot Form” – an easy step-by-step approach to foot massage that will help some lucky person in your life to have happier feet. Just like the 33 joints in the foot, this technique is made up of 33 individual movements taught in sequence. The form uses reflexology, spirals, torsions, compressions, extensions and even some energy work to provide the most thorough experience. Handouts will be given to diagram the sequence. Bring a friend or come alone. Feel free to bring a pillow or two and an oil or cream you’d like to use. Clean feet are a big plus.
NOTE: YOU Do NOT have to be a massage therapist to attend!
Alan now has a DVD of the “Happy Feet” technique available for $19.95.
He will offer it to workshop attendees at the discounted price of $14.95.
To order one, contact Alan directly at 513-281-8606.
CHECK OUT DAVID PEPPER’S BLOG:
on 8/10/08 3:18 PM, David Pepper at DPepper@ssd.com wrote:
> Ellen -- when I met with you guys, I mentioned that I had started a
> blog. A think the group would find it interesting. Can you forward the
> site to your membership — Http://cincypeptalk.blogspot.com. Thanks.
David
BLACK BOX VOTING FINDS PROBLEMS WITH OHIO REGISTRATIONS: check your registration now at http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/voterquery.aspx?page=361
Subject: Citizen discovers problems with Ohio voter registration Web page
OHIO: Please see the important information uncovered by Ken from the CASE_OH election protection group, below regarding problems with the Ohio voter registration web page. If you are a registered Ohio voter, please and test it yourself and report back with what you find.
Link to check your registration: http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/voterquery.aspx?page=361
=========QUOTE==========
From Ken
found a problem with how that web page works:
I entered only the required data (those fields flagged with the red asterisk) and it correctly displayed my name preceded by a little '+' box. This purpose of this little icon (I'm assuming) is to provide more information about the displayed name, e.g., polling location, address.
I can't say for certain what information that clicking on the '+' box is supposed to provide because it didn't provide this for me. Poking into the code more, I discovered (what I suspected) that this is a javascript function (named "expandContractDiv(p_oImg,p_oTbl,p_oPrefText)"). I then checked my browser's (firefox's) settings/Preference, found I already had javascript enabled (and know that it has worked recently on other web sites). I then used firebug and found it reported numerous errors for this webpage, including numerous javascript errors. In short, there's a problem with this web page and it should be fixed.
I'm confident that the javascript function on this web page will work for many people (otherwise the code developers wouldn't have deployed it). But I'm also confident that it won't work for many other people... and this page should work for *everyone*. Having been a web developer myself and worked in IT for a couple decades, I would recommend a technically simpler solution, one not employing javascript or other browser plug-ins or add-ons. This could be implemented quite easily and would be much more reliable. We've already had quite enough of technology shown not to be reliable.
In addition, I would strongly recommend to the web developers at the SOS that their registration confirmation web resource employ solely standards-based HTML for displaying search results. This would not be difficult to do.
I would hope that other people would go to the Ohio SOS's webpage at
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/voterquery.aspx?page=361 and see if it works properly for you. If not, please provide notice.
=========END QUOTE=======
Black Box Voting has notified the Ohio Secretary of State's office about this. Because the page will sometimes work properly, sometimes not (depending on what system you use when accessing it), it is important to have as many citizens check the page as possible. You can report what you find here:
http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/73/77477.html
From the Black Box Voting Tool Kit 2008 - http://www.blackboxvoting.org/toolkit2008.pdf, page 30: "Find out if your state has a Web page to check voter registration status:
- For every jurisdiction in the state?
- Is it accurate? (Test with a list of names)
More: http://www.blackboxvoting.org/toolkit2008.pdf
Other Tool Kit 2008 predictions coming all too true -- page 28-32 of the Tool Kit discuss problems Black Box Voting is expecting to see with the new statewide voter registration databases. In Florida this week, DURING VOTING (early voting for Aug. primary), the statewide voter database choked, causing some voters to experience long delays. The slowdown was statewide. It was caused by Walton County, Florida trying to update just six records.
It's time to get off the defense, don't you think? We know the voter disenfranchisement playbook from 2004. Black Box Voting analyzed trends from over 20,000 incident reports and news articles to develop the free Tool Kit 2008, to let everyone know what to look for in 2008.
If you would like to receive a printed copy of TOOL KIT 2008 send a request by e-mail with your name and mailing address. Printed pocket Tool Kit 2008 booklets will be mailed in August.
* * * * *
TO DONATE: http://www.blackboxvoting.org/donate.html
by mail:
Black Box Voting
330 SW 43rd St Suite K
PMB 547
Renton WA 98057
* * * * *
to remove, hit "reply" and write "remove" in the subject line.
to change address, hit "reply" and write "change address" in the subject line.
MEET NEW DIRECTOR OF CINCINNATI OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Larry Falkin will talk at Earthsave
4:30 Sun. Aug 24
Clifton U. Methodist Church
3416 Clifton Ave 45220 (Corner Senator P.)
Pot luck: bring vegan dish to share and your own plates, cups, utensils.
http://cincinnati.earthsave.org
Everyone needs a psychologist sometime in their life.
Ellen Bierhorst Ph.D. is a good one. In practice over 30 years. 513 221 1289
- Get a fresh perspective. Sort out tangles in interpersonal relationships. Clear away the messes of the past. Become empowered to launch your new life. Heal trauma, change, loss. Escape from the bondage of addictive behavior(alcohol, drugs, food, tobacco, gambling, etc.)
- Central location (Clifton Ave. at Lafayette)
- Beautiful setting (The historic Lloyd House)
- Many health insurance plans will pay a percentage. (Standard fee $125/hour. Some pro bono work available.)
- Compassion and good humor.
- Rapid results.
Dear students of Fanchon Shur's Pure Movement Class,
We will be enjoying the live cello sound for our Wednesday Classes (9:30 to 11:00am). Alok Narayana is a cellist who has developed a harmonious and dynamic ability to use his cello to uplift, energize, and interact with the students in class. Alok has studied with me for two years and he integrates all the body, movement, mind, emotions into rich sound accompaniment.
Plan to be uplifted and filled. It will feel like you are personally the person for whom he is playing.
We are looking forward to your joining class.
Call before you come back or are a new student.
Remember, the first class is free!!!!!!
Fanchon Shur
Director, Growth in Motion,Inc
www.growthinmotion.org
4019 Red Bud Ave.
Cincinnati, Oh. 45229
513-221-3222
fanchon@growthinmotion.org
CCAC Goes Big Time With
Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) goes Bigtime
Inaugural Exhibition: Floodwall
The Board of Directors of Clifton Cultural Arts Center is thrilled to announce our inaugural public exhibition, Floodwall - A Katrina Memorial by Jana Napoli.
A 100-foot long sculpture containing 350 drawers salvaged from discarded furniture in the neighborhoods ravaged by Katrina, Floodwall has been seen by over one million people in installations in New York, Austin and Baton Rouge. Its cathartic impact has been likened to that of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall and Washington's Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Now, in its Midwest debut at CCAC - beginning August 28th, the third anniversary of Katrina - you can witness its testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of art to create healing and renewal.
Please join us for - and spread the word about - this very exciting exhibition.
For hours, directions and more information, please visit http://www.cliftonculturalarts.org/floodwall.html
P.O Box 20041 | Cincinnati, Ohio 45220
info@cliftonculturalarts.org | www.cliftonculturalarts.org | 513-497-2860 phone
HEALTHCARE REFORM:
ANNOUNCING
SPAN OHIO’s 2008 WALK FOR HEALTHCARE JUSTICE
Monday September 1 to Tuesday September 23
Our friend Dave Pavlick is at it again. In 2006 he made a 600 mile walk around western Ohio, promoting the Health Care For All Ohioans Act. This year he is making a similar trek around the eastern half of the state (see Upcoming Events for itinerary). He will leave Cleveland on September 1 headed for Painesville and 22 days later, on Sept 23, he will return to Cleveland, having walked approximately 560 miles.
Dave, a single-payer activist, has been happily married to his wife, Taffy, for 30 of his 55 years and is the father of three grown children. He is a former Marine, and worked for the Sheriff’s Department for 26 years before being appointed to his current position as a servicing representative for the United Auto Workers. He is an active member of his church, Trinity Lutheran. Dave is involved in this movement, and doing this walk, because he believes it is what he can do to follow the Biblical admonition to “love your neighbor as yourself.” He is walking so that all Ohioans will have equitable healthcare—not health insurance—healthcare.
At issue is how much care a healthcare dollar can buy. Every other industrial nation provides healthcare for its citizens at a cost of approximately $3000 per person per year. In the United States we pay approximately $6,000 per person, yet 47 million in the country still are without health insurance, 1.5 million of whom are Ohioans. The reason is not hard to understand. Insurance companies receive up to 30% of the health care dollar, distributed between a wasteful bureaucracy and very great profits. In addition, every healthcare provider must have an administrative staff that can cope with the regulations and forms of hundreds of insurance companies. Together, half of the healthcare dollar is wasted.
SPAN Ohio intends to fix that in this state and, in the process, to provide an example for the remainder of the country to follow. But we need money as well as signatures to accomplish that. The insurance industry will be spending millions to convince the public that they can fix what is wrong with the system; your contributions to SPAN will be used to give the public the facts, which show that the insurance industry IS what is wrong with the system. So will you make a contribution by sponsoring Dave’s walk? Can you give $23.00, a dollar for each day of his walk? Or $46.00, to commemorate the 46 Ohioans who will die unnecessarily during Dave’s walk for lack of healthcare? Or can you sponsor any number of the 560 miles Dave will be walking? You can charge your donation to your credit card via Pay Pal through our web site, or send a check payable to SPAN Ohio, c/o Barb Walden, 31100 Cedar Rd., Pepper Pike, OH 44124-4433.
YOGA at Lloyd House. Wednesdays 9:15 – 10:30 am. Open, free practice group led by Nina Tolley.
FREE MEDITATION & YOGA AT BURNET WOODS
This year we (Gratitude Yoga Studio) are bringing you something special at Burnet Woods: WORLD PEACE YOGA!
10:30 am -11:00 am: Seated Meditation»
11:15 am - 12:15 pm: World Peace Yoga»
Gratitude in Motion
Articles
- Gene Bierhorst on Rich, Poor and Taxes: why everyone wants to vote for the Democrats. Talking points.
- Q researches Georgia for us
- Is NPR corrupted by corporate agribusiness?
Gene’s Persuasion:What to tell people in the check out line at the grocery as to why they should vote for Obama.
You’re in The 40-40 Club!! (as in, you make $40G and pay 40% in taxes)
And you don’t know it. Suppose you are single, you rent where you live, and you make, say, $41,000 per year (or you are married and you each make that).
Then your federal income tax rate is 25%. That is, the last dollars you’ve earned cost you 25 cents each that you never get back any of at the end of the year. 25%. (any money you ever do get refunded at year-end is other money because they withheld even more than the 25% they’re keeping).
You also pay 7.65% social security/Medicare that you never get back any of at the end of the year. And your employer matches that in your behalf—there’s another 7.65%. That’s your money, too, you just don’t see it listed. So, the 7.65% x 2 = 15.3%. On top of the 25% federal income tax. Adding those puts you up to 40.3%. Now add 6% for state income tax and you get 46.3%. That’s your tax rate (most states are around that—Ohio takes 4.5% of the dollars over 40,000). It means that out of your last $100 earned, taxes ate up $44.80 in Ohio!
Not a penny of that is ever refunded at year-end. So, at that 44.8%, they have taxed away almost half of your last paycheck. I guess the club is more precisely “The 41-44.8 Club.” ($41G earned and 44.8% tax bracket for Ohioans).
Now, suppose you made only $17,000 (singly, or each of you if married)--then the total final rate that was 44.8% drops to 34.8%. You are some pretty poor, working people there—your pay is only about $8 an hour. Out of your last $100 earned, $34.80 got taken. Oh well. “The 17-34.8 Club.”
O.K., now let’s look at the “Million Dollar-15% Club!” Those worthy Americans make all their money on investments. So:
1. They sell some stocks they’ve owned for a year or more. Then the tax rate is 15% federal + 6% state = 21% total. That’s it—vs you pay 46%.
2. They get some dividends. Those are treated the same way, so, total 21% on that--vs you pay 46%.
3. Or, they sell some stocks quicker than a year. Then it’s 35% plus the state’s 6% = 41% total—vs 46% you pay. But you know, they tend to keep it just long enough to go over a year, right?—so they can fit into #1 above. Wouldn’t you?
4. Or, they earn some interest. Same 41% total—vs 46% you pay.
That 41% is their worst case. They typically get most of their money in the lower areas. The stuff that’s taxed at 21%. And they are in control of it. They make the decisions of how to stall off and otherwise minimize their own taxes.
5. Hey, wait! What if their stocks go up a lot but they don’t sell them by year-end, then the tax on that is…-0-. And guess what? --they tend to not sell stuff before the end of the year. Wait at least ‘til January if they need some money. (As if they ever need some money.) These stocks are completely liquid, by the way—they can just write checks on their brokerage accounts—it’s just like money growing in a bank account that earns interest (except this growth is not being taxed). Folks will say, “but if you tax the gains on stocks that haven’t even been sold, then wouldn’t you tax the gains in value of other unsold things (a house…my antique car, my steller giant goldfish and Martin guitar and really great photographs)?”… Nope! Just the stocks. They are just like cash, after all. You can write a check on them and just that amount will automatically and immediately be sold. You’ve got to have a yard sale to get give away that other stuff (especially the yard and house).
6. Wait a minute! What about the social security/medicare that’s costing you $15.3%? Don’t they pay that? Nope. Zero of that nasty stuff. The reason, you see, is that none of their income is what’s called “earned” income. That is…they… don’t…work. You know how you get up in the morning, get dressed and presentable wearing the stuff you bought special just for going to work, get in the car and go somewhere (after stopping at the gas station) and spend, oh… the whole day there and buy “lunch,” get fat and drive home at night, etc.? All that. They don’t. Too messy.
7. Obama promises to only raise the taxes on families of 4 if they make over $250,000 a year. Just under that he’ll leave all the taxes as is, and further down under that he’ll lower the taxes a bit.
When I tell this story to people, they are surprised. Do you believe it? (They do tend to believe it.) Can you tell it to someone so he/she will get it?* Can people believe that in a democracy, they can vote to really change that, specifically?
When someone replies “Yeah, it’s a rip-off, but it’s no skin off my nose, I guess,” you can remind them that the tax system is a seesaw—lighten the tax load on the few people on one end and all the folks on the other end sink. Raise the tax burden on the rich on one side and all the people sitting on the grass (in the dirt) on the other side will be lifted.
Do they know, for instance, that if they vote-in healthcare for themselves, they will actually, really get it? That the Democrats have been fighting for this for 15 years and the Republicans keep vetoing it and promising to continue doing so?
Do they know that in 45 other countries, the people live longer than we do?
Can you name 45 countries…without a sneaky brush-up? Alone--no helpers.
*Note: Keep it simple. Even if you have to omit half of it. Are the social security/medicare tax on every single dollar and the “they don’t work” and the fifteen percent stuff about enough? Pare it down, print it, carry 5 in pocket, and hand it out. Three. 3 a day. Make you feel good. 2! Give someone 2 (10) and ask him or her to find and teach others. Report back what works! --gene
Q. Researches Georgia for us:
I'm very glad to have been able to make it to the Salon, and sorry I had to leave early.
Q (Q Benedikt, salonista)
http://www.sfetcu.com/content/Etymology-name-Georgia-country
The origin of the name Georgia is still disputed and has been explained in the following ways:
1. Linking it semantically to Greek and Latin roots (respectively, γεωργος "tiller of the land" and georgicus "agricultural")
2. Its derivation from the name of St. George. At least, popularity of the cult of Saint George in Georgia influenced the spread of the term.
3. Under various Persian empires (536 BC-AD 638), Georgians were called Gurjhān (Gurzhan/Gurjan), or "Gurj/Gurzh people." The early Islamic/Arabic sources spelled the name Kurz/Gurz and the country Gurjistan (see Baladhuri, Tabari, Jayhani, Istakhri, Ibn Hawqal, etc.). This also could evolve or at least contribute to the later name of Georgia.
The terms Georgia and Georgians appeared in Western Europe in numerous medieval annals including that of Crusaders and later in the official documents and letters of the Florentine de’Medici family. Jacques de Vitry and English traveler, Sir John Mandeville, stated that Georgians are called Georgian because they especially revere and worship Saint George. Notably, the country recently adopted the five-cross flag, featuring the Saint George's Cross; it has been argued that the flag was used in Georgia since the 5th century.
Georgians call themselves Kartvelebi (ქართველები), their land Sakartvelo (საქართველო), and their language Kartuli (ქართული). According to legend, the ancestor of the Kartvelian people was Kartlos, the great grandson of the Biblical Japheth.
The native Georgian name for the country is Sakartvelo (საქართველო). The word consists of two parts. Its root, kartvel-i (ქართველ-ი), specifies an inhabitant of the core central-eastern Georgian region of Kartli – Iberia of the Classical and Byzantine sources. By the early 9th century, the meaning of "Kartli" was expanded to other areas of medieval Georgia held together by religion, culture, and language. The Georgian circumfix sa-X-o is a standard geographic construction designating "the area where X dwell", where X is an ethnonym. The term Sakartvelo came to signify the all-Georgian cultural and political unity early in the 11th century and firmly entered regular official usage in the 13th century.
David Rosenberg forwards Frances Moore Lappe’s piece complaining, “NPR misses the boat on world hunger”
From: David Rosenberg [mailto:woodenshoegarden@fuse.net]
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 9:34 PM
Subject: NPR and World Hunger
I am saddened when companies that contribute to so many structural economic and social problems become sponsors to NPR. As I listened to the free market litanies last week on the NPR series on hunger, I realized why. This money seems to be affecting the way we get our news. Isn’t it bad enough that they have bought both political parties (and the Charterites in Cincinnati)? Who will analyze why Honduras, with ample agricultural resources, can’t feed its population if not NPR? Would land reform help? How about living wage programs? How much is the “free market” engulfing and poisoning the very resources that we depend on for food? I echo Frances Moore Lappe’s plea to request better reporting than what we’re getting. Read what she had to say below.
David Rosenberg, proprietor
Wooden Shoe Gardens (and faithful salonista! Ellen)
The Huffington Post
August 11, 2008
Frances Moore Lappe
NPR Misses Real Story, Plants Wrong Seeds
Posted August 11, 2008 | 03:05 PM (EST)
Read More: Ecology, Food, Food Crisis, Food Prices, Genetic Modification, Green Living, India, Latin America, Monsanto, Npr, NPR Morning Edition, Sustainable Agriculture, Wal-Mart, World Hunger, Green News
Too bad.
I depend a lot on NPR, so my heart sank as I listened to Morning Edition's recent series on the world hunger crisis. Using Honduras as its case study, the four-part series reinforces dangerous myths that actually block us from seeing the real solutions to hunger all around us.
We're told that "across the globe .... [f]ood is expensive and there's not enough food to feed empty stomachs." No. In fact the world produces enough to make us all plump. True, today an estimated 100 million additional people are, or will soon be, facing hunger as food prices exceed their budgets, but the deeper lack they're experiencing is not food itself. It is power.
Drawing the distinction between lack of food -- a symptom -- and lack of power -- a cause -- is essential to seeing solutions. Yet this series portrays as progress examples that do nothing to correct, and in fact worsen, the underlying power imbalances at the heart of hunger.
In the broadcast, we hear that Wal-Mart is a solution because it provides a market for poor Honduran farmers who otherwise would have no way to sell their produce. But if access to a market is, in itself, farmers' salvation, here at home each year more than 10,000 farmers would not be going under. The question is who controls a market: Where the answer is a few monopsony buyers -- what Wal-Mart represents in the NPR case study -- power remains with them. They set the terms and they decide whether to stay or to leave.
Fortunately, in Latin America and elsewhere some rural communities are beginning to free themselves from distant, monopoly power. Imagine this: In what may be the pesticide capital of the world, the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, pests developed insecticide resistance and genetically modified (GM) cotton failed to live up to Monsanto's promises. Farmers faced catastrophic losses, triggering thousands of suicides, and many then began to move in another direction. Now, almost two thousand villages are embracing community-managed sustainable farming using natural pest controls, not purchased chemicals, and are enjoying improved incomes and health.
Yet, the NPR series ignores such hopeful examples. It notes gloomily that most small Honduran farmers will cut back on production this year, despite higher prices for their crops, because "prices for fertilizer and pesticides have gone up even more than food prices."
In a disturbing disconnect, the series still promote as solutions not only purchased farm chemicals but genetically modified seeds; yet the cost of these seeds puts them out of reach of many poor farmers, as acknowledged at the tail end of the second piece in the series. Worse, and not acknowledged, are the documented, serious environmental and health risks linked to GM seeds.
NPR misses the real story: On every continent one can find empowered rural communities developing GM-free, agro-ecological farming systems. They're succeeding: The largest overview study, looking at farmers transitioning to sustainable practices in 57 countries, involving almost 13 million small farmers on almost 100 million acres, found after four years that average yields were up 79 percent.
NPR chose to reinforce the myth that the only hope for poor rural people is dependency on concentrated economic power when, all over the world, poor farming communities are discovering their own power to work with each other and with nature to build healthier, more secure, and more democratic lives.
What a lost opportunity.
Frances Moore Lappe of the Small Planet Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the author of sixteen books, most recently Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity, and Courage in a World Gone Mad.
Books,Movies, Reviews It’s up to you folks to send me blurbs. I know you are reading. What? Is it good? Ellen
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The Lloyd House Salon (usually about 12 people) Meets on WEDNESDAYS at 5:45, EVERY Wednesday, 52 WEEKS/YEAR come hell or high water, as my mother used to say.
We of the Lloyd House Salon gather in a spirit of respect, sympathy and compassion for one another in order to exchange ideas for our mutual pleasure and enlightenment.
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Our Salon blog is a promising interactive site: http:lloydhouse.blogspot.com
Also, we have an Interactive Yahoo Salon group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LloydHouseSalon
For Pot Luck procedures including food suggestions, mission and history visit
http://home.fuse.net/ellenbierhorst/Potluck.html . You are invited also to visit the Lloyd House website: http://www.lloydhouse.com
> To unsubscribe from the Lloyd House Potluck Salon list, send a REPLY message
to me and in the SUBJECT line type in "unsub potluck #". In the place of #
> type in the numeral that follows the subject line of my Weekly email. It
> will be 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7or 8. This tells me which sub-list your name is on so I can
> delete it. Thanks! ellen bierhorst
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