Imagine five men who go out for dinner every night. The total bill for all five comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way our tax system works (based on a progressive structure), the costs would ... View MoreImagine five men who go out for dinner every night. The total bill for all five comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way our tax system works (based on a progressive structure), the costs would be distributed as follows:
Men 1, 2, and 3 (Lower income): Pay nothing.
Man 4 (Middle income): Pays $20.
Man 5 (Highest income): Pays $80.
The men are happy with this arrangement, until the restaurant owner proposes a discount. "Since you are such good customers," the owner says, "I'm reducing the cost of your daily dinner by $20".
The new, total bill is $80. So...
The first three men still pay nothing.
The fourth man pays $16 (saving $4)
The fifth man pays $64 (saving $16)
The first three men are thrilled—they still pay nothing, which means their share of the savings is zero. But they feel the system is unfair because the 5th man (the richest) gets the largest share of the tax break. The fourth man (who saved $4) agrees with them.
If they split the $20 equally, everyone gets $4 back.
However, the 5th man argues that he should get the largest reduction because he pays the largest share of the bill.
The other four men become angry. They surround the 5th man and beat him up, complaining that the system exploits the poor and favors the wealthy.
The next night, the 5th man does not show up for dinner. The remaining four men sit down to eat, but when the bill arrives, they realize a dire consequence: They only have enough money between them to pay for a fraction of the $80 dinner.
Eliminating gerrymandering would be very simple.
Overlay the state map with a grid of 6 mile x 6 mile squares. Starting from the upper left and moving right, count the people living in each square. W... View MoreEliminating gerrymandering would be very simple.
Overlay the state map with a grid of 6 mile x 6 mile squares. Starting from the upper left and moving right, count the people living in each square. When you get to the number required for one representative, split THAT square into 1 mile x 1 mile squares and starting from the upper left to the lower right and count the people until you get to the number required, make those squares the first district and continue to the right. when you reach the eastern border, drop down a row and start counting again, this time to the left (this will ensure that all districts are contiguous). If a grid extends past the boundary of the state, count only the people in this state's part of the grid. If a grid line intersects a home, the home will be considered to be entirely in the grid the northern and western most corner of the home is in.
Some people have a very low tolerance for seeing or hearing anything different from what they think, even when it's of no actual consequence to them. Personally, I think that holds us back as human be... View MoreSome people have a very low tolerance for seeing or hearing anything different from what they think, even when it's of no actual consequence to them. Personally, I think that holds us back as human beings... wasting effort (and sometimes assets) that could be put to more productive use...
Observe and learn (either what to do or what NOT to do), and teach by example. Good ideas will be emulated (or adapted), bad ones will fall out of favor. It should be easy... if we could only get rid of that pesky desire to control others for no other reason than "we don't like them or what they're doing"...
The answer to a negative influence is a positive one. Convince, don't control. Isn't that what liberty is supposed to be? Freedom from control?
Preventable medical errors kill more people every year than shooters, car crashes, and drownings combined.
Personally I think it stems from people cheating their way through school and not being com... View MorePreventable medical errors kill more people every year than shooters, car crashes, and drownings combined.
Personally I think it stems from people cheating their way through school and not being competent for the job they have.
But where is the outrage.?
130,000 people in Ohio are caring for kin with little help from the state. Four years ago, the Sixth Circuit federal appeals court ordered every state in the Sixth Circuit to start paying these caregi... View More130,000 people in Ohio are caring for kin with little help from the state. Four years ago, the Sixth Circuit federal appeals court ordered every state in the Sixth Circuit to start paying these caregivers the same amount they do foster parents. Kentucky appealed to the US Supreme Court and they refused to hear it, leaving the Circuit Court ruling stand. The case was D.O. v. Glisson.
On average, Ohio non-foster caregivers get from 5 to 15% of what they should be getting, through different programs. When asked, caseworkers tell people, contrary to the court ruling, that they can't get kinship payments (which are in Ohio a small percentage of foster benefits) until they get full custody. Then they file continuance after continuance to delay as long as possible even that small payment (I think it's $250 per child, once every six months). Plus many of these caregivers have abandoned their former lives to give care to these children. My daughter quit school two years ago to care for three extra children (she has two natural children of her own). We're still waiting on her case to finally be heard for full custody. I help how I can, I moved the whole family into my home, partitioned my family room into two sleeping areas and a study area, and it's very hectic (especially since the schools closed, they're (my two grandchildren plus the three extra kids) sharing two laptops for school work, and I'm buying more as I can afford them, and all my utilities have at least doubled).
Here's the other thing. States' Jobs and Family Services departments get federal grants for every child that has been removed from their natural parents, so if the state isn't paying the caregivers, where is this money going? The other states in the Sixth Circuit, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee, are all complying with the Court's ruling, and 31 other states were already doing it. Why isn't Ohio?
There have been a few articles about this, but considering the number of people affected, not nearly enough. Spread this around. Contact your state legislators and the Governor's office. Make Ohio comply with the ruling.
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