So I have to do my mom's taxes and turns out she didn't get a cut, she has to pay a little more.  It's because she has a lot of itemized deductions so gets no advantage from the higher standard deduction, but they eliminated the personal exemption, which in the past would be tacked onto the itemized deductions. Even though her marginal rate went down, because her taxable income went up by about the amount of the old exemption, it worked out she'll pay a bit more.

To illustrate the numbers, her itemized deductions are $15,000 and in 2017 you add the personal exemption of about $4000 or whatever, so that was a total $19,000 reduction to her taxable income.  But in 2018 she still has the same $15,000 itemized deductions, but no exemption, so only gets a $15,000 reduction in taxable income. 

The standard deduction being raised from $6000 to $12,000 doesn't help her at all.  The new tax law was sold by saying, well the $4000 exemption goes away but you get it back with the higher standard deduction.

So help me think this through.  Is it unfair that people who have high itemized deductions now don't get quite the break?  Or is it "more fair" that they pay more because they were actually getting breaks all along that the rest of us weren't?

This calls into question why we get deductions anyway. What's the theory?  You get to pay less taxes because you spend money on certain things like medical care, employee expenses, local taxes, mortgage interest?  So what?  I should get to deduct what I spend on FOOD for godssakes.  Maybe all itemized deductions need to go away.

I read somewhere that the exemptions are only eliminated through 2025.  Does that imply they might come back?  I don't know how this sausage is made.

Something horrible is going on that everyone should be warned about.

I'm a little interested in the Chris Watts case so have been following it on YouTube.  The case itself is neither here nor there, but what has shocked the hell out of me is that they have released ALL the information concerning it, every last scrap, unredacted, including everything recorded of all the neighbors, friends, coworkers and family, including all their personal information like names, phone numbers and addresses as well as video footage of people's faces and inside their homes mostly from police body cam footage and recorded phone calls.  All of this is up on YouTube with nothing bleeped out. People talked about their schedules, who is and isn't home during the day, one lady said she and her husband both work during the day but her son is home alone (he looked about 12) as the police stood on her front porch where the world can see what house it is.  Nothing is bleeped out.

I understand this was all released by the district attorney via FOIA request. I thought FOIA was for YOU to get info on YOURSELF. Not for the general public to get detailed info on everyone else. Many people who had nothing to do with the case have their faces and personal information up there for millions to see. Neighbors who didn't even know them, but were interviewed while they were missing. Coworkers, friends of the family who had nothing at all to do with the murders but were just being interviewed by police to gather background info on the family.  Long, personal conversations that I'm sure the witness knew they were being recorded but had no idea it would be released and be all over social media.

I googled it a bit and discovered that police body cam footage has indeed opened a huge can of worms wrt privacy concerns. The laws related to releasing this information vary according to locality, city, county, etc. but there is no comprehensive rule concerning the privacy of innocent bystanders and witnesses.

From this I have learned something I want to share:  In ANY encounter with a police officer, you must assume you're being recorded, AND it may end up on YouTube. If a policeman knocks on your door and asks if you've seen your neighbor who has gone missing, assume whatever you say, including giving him your name, address and phone number, will be on YouTube WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT.

Man oh man... this makes me resolve to never speak to a police officer, ever, about anything.

Perfect example of what the FAR left is doing.  This is MY district; he's my rep. I've half a mind to go to bat for Cuellar myself.

https://www.texastribune.org/2019/01/11/justice-democrats-makes-texas-congressman-henry-cuellar-2020-target/

This is just too good not to share. Off to go eat my dinner of dead animal. Laters, guys!

Tucker Carlson has this vegan here saying we need to change our language. Can't say "bring home the bacon" we need to say bring home the bagel.

Can say "all your eggs in one basket" Say "all your berries in one basket".

"More than one way to skin a cat".  More than one way to peel a potato.

I can't

I gave this stuff to all my friends and neighbors for Christmas last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TatlZ4Dripc

Here's what he says about the coffee establishment (Starbucks, etc.):

"A mix of pseudo-intellectualism and conformity...they look like they should be chopping wood but they don't have the calluses to prove it."

BWA HA HA HA HA!!!

http://goudsmit.pundicity.com/21553/countdown-to-civil-war

"Two or more sides disagree on who runs the country. And they can't settle the question through elections because they don't even agree that elections are how you decide who's in charge. That's the basic issue here. Who decides who runs the country? When you hate each other but accept the election results, you have a country. When you stop accepting election results, you have a countdown to a civil war."


Feelings define identity politics. Identity politics are the foundation of today's leftist Democrat party. Feeling like a victim defines you as a victim. The Democrat party is the party of self-defined victimhood that embraces people of every color, age, religion, gender, sexual preference, and socio-economic status. What they do not tolerate is anyone who thinks differently. What binds these disparate groups together is their hatred for President Trump and refusal to accept the 2016 presidential election outcome. They do not accept President Trump as their president because they don't like him and since their feelings are more important than facts they behave as if he is not president. They are participating in the countdown to civil war.

Two generations of Americans have been deliberately indoctrinated toward collectivism in the leftist narrative that prioritizes feelings over facts. The Democrat leaders are deliberately exploiting the compliant and unaware young people that leftist indoctrination has produced. Anti-American Americans who refuse to accept the election outcome are the social justice warriors that have been duped into supporting the fiction of leftist socialism. Their leaders knowingly created divisiveness to produce the social chaos that will make the United States ungovernable. Why? Social chaos leads to civil war. Politics makes civil wars - not guns.

They added this:

"Political/Religious discussions are prohibited. This includes any language or discussion deemed to be political or politically charged in nature as well as any religious speech or text. This language is exceedingly destructive to the cohesion of the community and as such will not be tolerated."

Any religious speech or text?

What if I want to post this:

“Radiate boundless love towards the entire world…”

This is a genuine quote from the Buddhist scriptures. Do you think if I make that my sig line they will ban me?