Here are my observations on items in the news.
Sen. Pat Toomey stands against high-tax states (billypenn.com)
HOORAY FOR SENATOR TOOMEY – “There’s no good reason why federal taxpayers all across the country should have to subsidize, have to pay a higher federal tax rate to subsidize those municipalities that choose to have high taxes,” Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) told radio host John Catsimatidia.
Toomey added that there is “no good reason” for the Senate tax reform legislation to include a federal tax deduction for local taxes, a deduction included in the House version of the bill.
Of the six states seeking the deduction, three – New York, New Jersey and California – have no Republican senators who could cause opposition to the GOP bill. I must remind you that those high-tax states voted for Hillary Clinton.
REPUBLICANS WORKING ON THE TAX PLAN are looking at the repeal of the ObamaCare individual mandate as part of tax reform, a move that would save $338 billion over 10 years.
If you like your ObamaCare plan, you can keep it. If you don’t want it or can’t afford it, you don’t have to pay a penalty. There would be no changes to benefits or coverage for pre-existing conditions. This would be tax relief for low-income families.
Professor Yanhah (photo cordozo.you.edu)
TALE OF A BLACK PROFESSOR – “Donald Trump’s election has made it clear that I will teach my boys the lesson generations old … I will teach them to be cautious, I will teach them suspicion, and I will teach them distrust … (and) I will have to discuss with my boys whether they can truly be friends with white people,” wrote Ekow N. Yankah, a professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University.
In his op-ed piece in The New York Times, “Can My Children Be Friends With White People?,” Yankah seemingly wants readers to believe that his four-year-old son was wrestling with the meaning of “friendship” after he viewed the images of violence in Charlottesville. “Some people hate others because they are different, “he told his son,” who responded, “but I’m not different.”
“Meaningful friendship is not just a feeling,” Yankah states, “It is not simply able to share a beer. Real friendship is impossible without the ability to trust others, without knowing that your well-being is important to them.
“We can still all pretend we are friends. If meaningful civic friendship is impossible, we can make do with more civility – sharing drinks and watching the game,” he says projecting little hope.
I feel sorry for the professor’s sons.
SOME TIME AGO, I wrote of a simple suggestion to blacks: stop referring to themselves as African-American. However, it has been determined that individuals, who appear black, and experience more discrimination tend to identify with the experience of prejudice towards the African-American community, are more likely to reject the unhyphenated “American” label.
It has occurred to me, however, that as long as they settle for that reference to ethnicity, they only perpetuate an identity as “a minority.” I generally do not differentiate by race in my blog, but when necessary, I refer to an African-American as a “black,” unless the hyphenated identity is in a quote.
The Godoy family, Geiszel, Manuel, Valencia and Mori will star in the book series, The Mori’s Family Adventure. (Graphic from Kickstarter)
HERE’S SOMETHING MEANINGFUL – “My son and daughter are my biggest inspirations,” writes Geiszel Godoy, “Seeing them live a life of “privilege” made me want to share that experience with other kids, while also emphasizing the traditional black family unit.”
After barnstorming with her veteran children’s book author husband, Manuel, she decided to focus on a travel book for children. “I love telling our story and showing my husband as the alpha male leading the family,” she writes, “It seems tradition has been thrown to the side recently, and I felt it was important for kids to see a mother and father together in a children’s book.
“We need to normalize the black family again. The mainstream media is hellbent on pushing the narrative of the broken home, but it’s not true,” Godoy says.
In 2012, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center reported that 93 percent of the 3,600 books they reviewed were written about white children. As of 2016, 73.3 percent were primarily about white children, while 12.5 percent were about non-human and animals.
If you are interested in her worthy project, click here to see a video presentation.
