[Boston-editorial] GROOOAANN Tax Day column from Responsible Wealth member

Fri Apr 15 16:24:18 PDT 2005

I'm sorry, Pete. I didn't think this would be controversial because 
it's clearly a commentary and I thought we were OK with those. The 
controversy was about press releases in the sense of groups announcing 
we did X or we're taking position Y in response to issue Z. I certainly 
agree we oughn't to be featuring things of the latter sort until we 
work this matter out.

I beg to disagree on the matter of quality. While it's certainly not 
the best written thing we've ever received, it's OK and it's definitely 
better than the MGA press release. I mean, it's clear what the author 
is talking about. Still, if you feel that strongly about it, you can 
take it down. I'm not particularly attached to this one.

So, if we get future commentaries from UFE or any other paid staff 
members of other groups, do we really want to not feature them until we 
get this thing settled? May be we should just check in with each other 
first, since commentaries are often less time sensitive then other 
things.

But press releases in the strict sense of the term, yes, definitely we 
should hold off on centering them till we come to some agreement.

-- Matt

On Apr 15, 2005, at 1:14 AM, Pete Stidman wrote:

> Why would you center this in the middle of a debate
> about the last piece, especially considering that the
> piece by this group is the one that started the whole
> debate in the first place?  It defies logic Matt,
> really.
>
> To top it all off this article is even worse that the
> MGA piece in quality.
>
> I didn't center the MGA piece, that was abundantly
> clear.  I din't defend it, that was also abundantly
> clear.
>
> I'm really sick of people throwing in stuff they know
> is going to be controversial just to see me get pissed
> off.
>
> I feel so frustratedI with this process, I feel like
> quitting.
>
> I'm going to be proactive here and rip both down
> before, once again, really shitty press releases get
> posted to national.
>
> I think we should ban all press releases from the
> center column unitl this is resolved atr a meeting.
> can people agree to this to preserve all of our
> sanity?  pretty please?
>
> -Pete
>
>
> --- Matthew Williams <mw21 at mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>> I featured this, adjusting the little
>> about-the-author thing at the end
>> to note that Responsible Wealth is a Boston-based
>> group. -- Matt
>>
>> On Apr 14, 2005, at 10:44 AM, Betsy Leondar-Wright
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Tax Me More
>>> By Heleny Cook
>>>
>>> This Tax Day, I'm telling Congress to stop giving
>> me tax breaks. I'm
>>> wealthy. I don't need them, and they're bad for
>> our country.
>>>
>>> As a teacher, I can't look my students in the eye
>> and tell them
>>> millionaires
>>> should get tax cuts while schools and libraries
>> are hit with budget
>>> cuts.
>>>
>>> As a citizen, I can't face a military family and
>> tell them they should
>>> sacrifice while millionaires get tax breaks.
>>>
>>> The budgets passed by the House and Senate deserve
>> an F for economics
>>> and
>>> ethics.
>>>
>>> It's irresponsible to dig our nation deeper into
>> debt to give tax
>>> breaks to
>>> millionaires.
>>>
>>> It's immoral to cut health care and child care to
>> give tax cuts to
>>> millionaires.
>>>
>>> Our government is not fulfilling the promise of
>> equal opportunity for
>>> children, it is undoing it.
>>>
>>> Households with incomes above $1 million got tax
>> cuts averaging
>>> $123,600
>>> last year. That tax break could cover the pay of
>> three teachers.
>>>
>>> Tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent will cost
>> more than $1 trillion
>>> over
>>> the next ten years if they are made permanent.
>>>
>>> That translates into $300 million a day less for
>> education and public
>>> health
>>> and safety. It means $300 million a day less for
>> clean water, clean
>>> air and
>>> renewable energy, $300 million a day less to
>> invest in research, job
>>> training and small business development.
>>>
>>> Federal tax revenues have fallen to their lowest
>> level as a share of
>>> the
>>> economy since the 1950s. Medicare and Medicaid
>> didn't even exist in the
>>> 1950s.
>>>
>>> We can't build 21st century education and
>> healthcare on a 1950s tax
>>> base.
>>>
>>> We're becoming a society increasingly divided
>> between haves and
>>> have-nots.
>>> The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting
>> poorer, and the
>>> middle
>>> class is one layoff or illness away from
>> bankruptcy.
>>>
>>> The tax system is being reshaped so that a growing
>> share of tax revenue
>>> comes from workers' paychecks and a shrinking
>> share comes from wealthy
>>> investors. Already I pay a larger share of my
>> teaching income in taxes
>>> than
>>> I pay from the income I earn on my inherited
>> investments. That's wrong.
>>>
>>> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like
>> me, we should invest
>>> in
>>> the education and research that are essential to
>> our nation's progress.
>>>
>>> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like
>> me, we should fully
>>> fund
>>> Head Start and assure that no one is closed out of
>> college because they
>>> can't afford to go.
>>>
>>> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like
>> me, we should invest
>>> in
>>> affordable housing and health care.
>>>
>>> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like
>> me, we should
>>> strengthen
>>> Social Security.
>>>
>>> Instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires like
>> me, we should invest
>>> in
>>> renewable energy sources so we can reduce our
>> dependence on oil and
>>> other
>>> fossil fuels that damage the environment and spark
>> international
>>> conflicts.
>>>
>>> Public opinion polls show that most Americans
>> believe it is more
>>> important
>>> to have a strong safety net and fund education,
>> environmental
>>> protection,
>>> health care, Social Security and other vital
>> services than cut taxes. A
>>> majority says it's more important to reduce the
>> deficit than to reduce
>>> taxes. Most Americans believe that upper-income
>> people pay too little
>>> in
>>> federal taxes, not too much.
>>>
>>> It's time for Congress to act on these priorities.
>> It's time for
>>> Congress to
>>> stop robbing the poor and middle class to give to
>> the rich. It's time
>>> for
>>> Congress to support the goal of equal opportunity
>> instead of
>>> undermining it.
>>>
>>> When I paid my taxes this year, I also took action
>> to change
>>> irresponsible
>>> tax policies. I'm supporting the Responsible Tax
>> Pledge sponsored by
>>> Responsible Wealth, a national network of
>> businesspeople, investors and
>>> other affluent Americans concerned about growing
>> inequality and
>>> working for
>>> more widely shared prosperity.
>>>
>>> I'm donating my 2004 tax cut to organizations
>> fighting for fair,
>>> adequate
>>> and responsible taxes. My students deserve no
>> less.
>>>
>>>
>>> Heleny Cook is a member of Responsible Wealth
>>> (www.responsiblewealth.org)
>>> and a high school English teacher in Washington,
>> DC. She can be
>>> reached at
>>> helenyc at comcast.net.
>>>
>>>
>>> 628 words
>>>
>>>
>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>> Betsy Leondar-Wright
>>> Communications Director, United for a Fair Economy
>>> (617) 423-2148 x113
>>> 29 Winter Street
>>> Boston, MA 02108
>>> http://www.FairEconomy.Org
>>>
>>>
>>> United for a Fair Economy is an independent
>> national organization
>>> that raises awareness of the damaging consequences
>> of concentrated
>>> wealth and power.
>>>
>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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