Death Tax or Dearth Tax?

Real Fox News fun fact; what percentage of estates actually pay estate tax? Is it 10%, 5%, or 3%? Actually it's less than that, in fact it's less than 1%, in fact it's one-eighth of 1%. So rather than call this the "death tax" a term endearingly used by so many very rich right-wingers, it should be called the dearth tax, because it's so darn rare. Death Tax or DearthTax?

Facts for 2012

The great Daniel Moynihan  said "This is America; everyone is entitled to their own set of opinions but not their own set of facts", and the facts are in for this year especially on Wall Street. And here they are; the Dow is up 7.26%, the NASDAQ is up 15.91%, the S&P 500 is up 13.4%, so as the "princess of quite a lot" would say, if you want to live like a Republican vote like a Democrat.

ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

If I owned a major newspaper (or even a smaller one) my front page on Monday would be as follows: 28 pictures of 28 victims, with only their first names underneath so we might know them just a little bit, like those who will forever miss them did. And underneath I would write just this: Can we please talk seriously  about revisiting the assault weapons ban, please?

Friday Fauxlosophy

It is safe to say that avoidance is a much more dominant human trait then proactivity

THE GREAT MARVIN MILLER

In the summer of 1973, while in Majorca, Spain, due to my failure to
grasp his historical importance, I missed an opportunity to meet retired
baseball player Curt Flood. Mr. Flood died way too young in 1997 at
the age of 59 and I never got another chance. He was of course forever
linked with labor leader Marvin Miller in their fight for major league ball
players’ right to earn free agency, and while they lost their first battle,
they of course won the war. So when it was announced in January of
2011 that Mr. Miller would be doing a baseball meet and sign event,
maybe his only one ever, I did not miss that time. He was articulate,
introspective and genuinely kind, and I am forever glad for a personal
conversation where I had the joy and privilege of his company.
To those who debate if he did more harm than good for baseball,
and resent millionaire ball players, I would suggest they consider the
attitude of billionaire owners who would have kept these men in
contractual servitude indefinitely if they’d been allowed to. Mr. Miller
never lived to see himself inducted in the Baseball hall of Fame, but
ironically got to witness the admission of George Steinbrenner who
as much as any owner ever, employed Mr. Miller’s breakthroughs in
financing his championships. But as to the question as to whether he
helped make baseball better or worse, he without doubt made things
better for baseball players and the rights of people employed in other
sports and venues as well. His legacy is that he outlived the archaic
attitudes of most of his opponents, and the breakthroughs he achieved
will outlive us all.