“Being a citizen means having the benefits of being one but also the responsibilities: such as paying taxes, and looking out for others. Wearing masks, getting vaccinated (if you can, which is the case for the vast majority) is part of that. There is a limit on how selfish you can be in a society.” (The Guardian, 17 Feb 2022)
Quotation of the day
“It has been said that a pretty face is a passport. But it’s not. It’s a visa and it runs out fast.” (Writer julie Burchill, quoted in Psychology Today)
Millionaires: the other side of the coin
The reason why President Biden’s Build Back Better Act has failed to pass is because it raises taxes on the rich. Other budget bills like the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill all passed with support from all 50 Senate Democrats. The difference between these bills and the Build Back Better Act is that the latter is fully paid for by increased taxes on the wealthy and corporations.
The excuses that Senators Manchin and Sinema have respectively deployed for their opposition to the Build Back Better agenda simply don’t add up. What does make sense is that their billionaire donors wouldn’t like having to pay their fair share in taxes because of the bill. (Douglas Rooks, Patriotic Millionaires 10 Feb 2022).
My take. The US has gotten itself into a corner by allowing the very rich to get away with minimal taxation, the savings being used t0 protect that cozy arrangements by funding yes-men to stand for Congress. Having allowed this undemocratic arrangement to persist there seems to be no way of halting the tax pandering and kow-towing to the super-rich. One of the reasons ancient Rome fell apart was the growing gap between rich and poor (and never-ending wars). “But what is the use of history?” Sound familiar?
Brexit “opportunities”
This week’s biggest Brexit news is firmly in the ‘beyond satire’ category. Jacob Rees-Mogg is now UK Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency (Rees-Mog is not regarded as serious by some). Response of pro-EU activists was very short, though probably still longer than Mr Rees-Mogg’s list of opportunities.
Former top civil servant Jill Rutter demonstrated the Whitehall skill of saying pointed things politely: “The problem for Rees-Mogg here is that…..the rhetoric of benefits of Brexit comes much more easily to the government than actually crystallising them.”
Many will fear that Mr Rees-Mogg’s idea of a Brexit opportunity might be lowering standards. They won’t be reassured by reports that Canada is pressuring UK to allow growth hormones for cattle, as a condition for joining the 11-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Meanwhile, the UK government, desperate for a US trade deal – is confronted by the fact that levels of toxic chemical in beef are 5000 (yes, five thousand) times higher in the US than the EU considers safe.
Less than 24 hours after Mr Rees-Mogg’s appointment, the House of Commons’ cross-party Public Accounts Committee pointed to huge difficulties at the borders that Boris’s Brexit built. Worse is likely once travel picks up post-Covid restrictions and full border checks are introduced. PAC Chair Meg Hillier said: “the only detectable impact of Brexit so far is increased costs, paperwork and border delays.”. ( The Guardian 14 Feb 2022)
Saved by a cornflake eater!
The influence of public personalities in the US is not a modern phenomenon, in case you thought it was. A little incident, bordering legality, from my youth:
I hitch-hiked to most corners of the US in my early twenties, In the course of this adventure I visited good friends of my parents, the Nivens, who lived in Rochester NY. Howard Niven was CEO of the Xerox Corp (part of Kodak), but he and his wife also “moonlighted” as actors in TV advertisements, just for fun (they didn’t need the money). They were a very handsome couple, with a huge illuminated picture of themselves, about thirty feet high, on the concourse of New York’s Grand Central Station at the tim.
The Nivens took me on an outing to the Niagara Falls, and we duly crossed into Canada. On the way back I suddenly realized that I had not brought my US visa or British passport to return- enter the US. General consternation. Howard Niven wasn’t the least concerned. He approached a junior border official and explained the situation. No I couldn’t enter the US. Then the supervisor appeared, took one look at Howard and exclaimed, “I know you – you advertise Kelloggs cornflakes on television don’t you, with your wife! Yes, I know you!” Please, go on through. Peace of mind restored, Howard receiving an avalanche of thanks.
Could this help with ataraxia happen nowadays? Just asking.