I consider myself a student of history. I like to believe I have a good grip on why American history has unfolded the way it has unfolded. Yesterday, I learned about the Teller and Platt Amendments for the first time. I’m writing about them because they say so much about the dominance America wishes to… Continue reading The Teller and Platt Amendments Explained
Category: Law and Politics
WIC Explained
This is the first in a series of posts that will describe government benefits programs offered by the United States. The next section will give basic details about the Women and Children’s Nutrition Program (WIC). The subsequent section will give facts about WIC participation.
Redlining Explained
With Facebook in trouble for allowing people to exclude potential renters based on race, redlining has been in the news lately. So, I thought it would be good to remind everyone of what redlining is and of ow it was critical to the federal government’s efforts to segregate America.
Stepped up Basis Explained
So-called stepped up basis is a term most people have never heard of and even fewer understand; however, stepped up basis, as you will see, is a critical component in creating our unfair tax code.
National Emergencies Explained
Now that Trump has declared a national emergency at the border with Mexico, I thought we should discuss national emergencies. I will briefly describe the National Emergencies Act and its key provisions.
Capital Gains Taxes Explained
It has been a long time since I’ve written a nerdy post. So, I needed to exercise that need. Capital Gains taxes aren’t a sexy topic by any means; however, understanding a little about capital gains taxes will help you understand how rigged the system is in favor of wealthy. It’s things, like capitals gains… Continue reading Capital Gains Taxes Explained
Border Residents Don’t Want the Wall
The US-Mexico border runs through four states: Arizona; California; New Mexico; and Texas. There are nine Congressional districts on the border. In April of 2017, the Wall Street Journal polled all 17 members of Congress representing border districts and states and couldn’t find a single person who supported Trump’s wall. At the time, Trump was… Continue reading Border Residents Don’t Want the Wall
Interesting Ballot Questions Around America
In earlier posts, I covered the statewide ballot questions in Oregon and the local ballot questions In Portland. As the title indicates, this post is about some of the interesting ballot questions around America.
Knute Buehler’s Record
This post will not contain any opinion or commentary; furthermore, this post does not indorse nor discredit any political candidate. The purpose of this post is to give Oregonians information about Knute Buehler’s voting record during his time in the Oregon Legislature.
Being white, rich, and Living in a Blue State is Good
The Census Bureau released two critical reports demonstrating a lot about American society in 2017. Together, they highlight the widening gap between the rich and those living in poverty, the advantages of living in blue states, and the racism that still dominates much of American life.