Meet the HENRYs
Maureen: "Speaking of the Enterprise, Mr. Obama has a bit of Mr. Spock
in him (and not just the funny ears). He has a Vulcan-like logic and detachment.
Any mere mortal who had to tell liberals that our obligations in Iraq and
Afghanistan are far from over and tell Republicans that he has a $3.6 trillion
budget would probably have tears running down his face. "
~~~
Didi continues her seriously
cool portraits of various poets and one president. Shanna Compton is the
latest.
~~~
Sarah Gingrich.
From
The Free Library:
"Neither woman pulls her punches when it comes to the Speaker of the House. Molinari paints Gingrich as nothing short of an incompetent, delusional megalomaniac. An obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions. . Her behind-the-scenes description of last summer's failed coup attempt against the speaker reveals a world of ruthless backstabbingand deft double-crossing that would make Machiavelli proud. Molinari says Gingrich compared himself to Napoleon, FDR, Churchill, and Eisenhower and was overwhelmed by his own grandiosity. When Gingrich's four top henchmen, among them Molinari's husband, Bill Paxon, Republican congressman from Buffalo, NY., arranged an "intervention" to tell the speaker that he had to shape up, Gingrich dissolved into a rage. "People all over the world are listening to us, watching what we are doing. I'm at the center of a worldwide revolution," he huffed, turning to Paxon, adding, "You will never understand that, Bill."
~~~
Paleogenetics: "Still... I wonder what 75Myr-old mammal meat would taste like? What would be the medicinal properties of ancient herbs? How big were ancient octopi, or spiders? How many genes were in the first bacteria? How long was the first self-replicating RNA sequence?
"
And for the mathematician who has everything?
π ice
cubes.
~~~
An astounding display of guts and determination from Barry O:
"I realize that passing this budget won't be easy. Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington. I know that the insurance industry won't like the idea that they'll have to bid competitively to continue offer ing Medicare coverage, but that's how we'll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs for American families. I know that banks and big student lenders won't like the idea that we're ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that's how we'll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won't like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that's how we'll help fund a renewable energy economy that will create new jobs and new industries. I know these steps won't sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they're gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this:
"'So am I.'"The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don’t. I work for the American people. I didn’t come here to do the same thing we’ve been doing or to take small steps forward, I came to provide the sweeping change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November."
That's what happens when the "special interests" who elect you are the American
people.
~~~
Fortune (link
via CNN Money) has an article discussing "HENRYs", those who are High Earning,
Not Yet Rich. These include families that make from $250,000 to $500,000
and the article bemoans the fact that high taxes are really tough on them.
Most of the couples cited in the article are professionals (lawyers, doctors,
real estate agents, small business owners) with taxes equaling about 40% of
their income, which includes state and federal taxes, real-estate tax and local
sales taxes. I haven't done either the research or the numbers, but I
would guess that HENRYs, though they do pay a higher percentage of taxes, don't
pay that much more than a person making $50,000 from a sole proprietorship
(Let's call her Sally). First off, the FICA/Medicare taxes on the wealthy
stops at about $100,000 of earnings. Sally, however, pays the entire
near-15% of FICA/Medicare. Since it's at least 50% probable that Sally
rents, she doesn't receive any tax benefit from mortgage interest deductions,
either. The HENRYs may complain that they don't seem to be able to save
enough (what with the necessities of private school bills, in-house day care,
and the like), but in general they do save, mostly in the form of
tax-deferring IRAs and 401(k)s. None of this is consumption, and none of
it is subject to sales tax. Sally, on the other hand, has two kids in
public school, a car payment, rent, and grocery/household expenses that eat up
nearly all of the $35,000 the has left after taxes and social security
deductions. The grocery/household expenses (food, clothes, household
items, fast food, the occasional movie) represent most likely a much higher
percentage of her income than for the HENRYs, and are all subject to sales tax.
Both the HENRYs and Sally drive cars, and pay about the same dollar amount of
state and federal taxes at the pump. My back-of-the envelope calculation
is that the HENRYs may pay 40% of their earnings toward tax, but Sally pays over
30%. That may be progressive taxation, but it's not that
progressive.
~~~
'Becca on Rauan Klassnik's
Ringing: "I love this book and the fucking inside of it. There's a lot of it. It made me happy. I love good honest fucking in books. I’m not prim. I like forthright language. And I’m sick to death of polite poetry, poetry that is afraid to show its red teeth, poets that are afraid to step out of the circle of sameness, afraid of their own voices. I am sick to death of mediocre poets pretending to greatness because they follow the rules. These poems break rules and don’t care who knows it."
Also:
"Memes, for one thing. Memes are for lemmings, some sheep, and people who can’t think of anything original to write on their blogs even if that writing sucks canal water. People would rather copy and paste from other blogs in a continuous chain letter of lists (Name 100 boring things about your self! What music is on your iPod right this minute! Pick up a book on your desk and turn to page 27 and write that line down!) than make fools of themselves with their own words. It's not so bad to look foolish or tread murky waters. Trust me."
Hah! I just got another few lines posted and all I had to do was cut and
paste!
The other notable thing about Rebecca is that she's the only person left on
earth who refers to me as Dr. Bahr.
~~~
Charles wants to change the meme to "20 Poetry Books I Couldn't Stand": "I don't like a lot of the poetry I should like. I remember teachers in my MFA program looking at me with great sympathy and confusion when I said I'd rather stick red hot pokers through my eyes than read any more Wallace Stevens (the only poem of his I can stomach is "13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"). I actually described Stevens's poems as "word noise" in that class. I would rather replace my shower soap with sandpaper than have to read Elizabeth Bishop's Collected Poems again. And I, too, dislike almost all of Marianne Moore's poems."
~~~
OK, I'm leaving now to go pick up Sweet Junie at DIA. It's still Sunday,
but consider this the Monday post. I probably won't have time
tomorrow, what with all the hugging and smooching.
~~~
UPDATE: Der says you can find him playing with a jazz group at
Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant, usually on Saturdays from 6 to 9 PM, but check
their schedule.
Comments
I think it's sexy, Dr. Bahr.
Posted by: Rebecca Loudon | March 1, 2009 03:56 PM