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[sluissa]

I'm for raising taxes, especially on the super wealthy and those who inherit more money than they could ever conceivably need, but I don't think we're ever going to get an extreme enough tax plan past both public opinion and the desires of the rich ruling class currently in power in both parties to make any significant difference. I'd settle for just being able to pay for health care while starting to make a dent in the national debt for now.

I'd personally love to see those 70% top bracket numbers fly out there. Hell, bump it to 90%. There's precedent for it. But I just don't think that will ever happen. Most politicians don't want it on a personal level, and the media is too good at killing such ideas before anyone's ever had a chance to explain why it's not as bad as it sounds.

[Reelya]

Hence why people complain that there are so many different taxes. Rather than taxing 70% they tax income lower, but then add in every other tax, levy and excise, and you can end up with much higher effective tax rates.

[Loud Whispers]

Because inter-generational inheritance is the key contributor to creating a "useless class" similar to the slack-jawed English aristocracy. America had such high-tax laws in the past precisely because the Founding Fathers desired to avoid creating an embedded aristocracy.

As a minor point of information, the English aristocracy is probably a poor example to utilize here, as the English aristocracy were from childhood educated alongside the English gentry. This quirk of the English public schools system which you often must hear me criticise for its stifling effect did however possess one certain advantage in its early years; the English aristocracy, and I would certainly extend this to the Scottish, Welsh and Irish aristocracy, engaged in the exact same pursuit of professional accomplishment as their peers in the gentry. Hence the saying that Britain was a nation governed by shopkeepers, hence why British history is full of scientists, writers, engineers, bankers, officers, captains, statesmen, philosophers, administrators, businessmen and artists who weren't sponsored by aristocrats, they were aristocrats.
The inverse is also true; conspicuous consumers who flaunted lavish spending and idle days to vaunt their wealth, majesty and general uselessness, were no longer confined to the realm of royalty. New money unburdened by notions of stereotypical British good manners and empowered by two centuries of global dominance were capable of cultivating and exporting a culture of horrendous excess throughout the world. I am reminded of one anecdote in London where a pleasure garden had an architect on hire in perpetuity to continually refurbish the garden ever week in order to please its patrons. It is no accident that Britons would invent flexing at the same time as multiple financial scams and financial bubbles which would leave millions impoverished and a handful with millions.

While I do agree with you and your founding fathers; where you escaped aristocracy, you created financial dynasties and far worse - celebrities

[Folly]

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam recently made headlines when someone dug up his med-school yearbook and found that his page included a picture of two gentlemen, one in a Klan Kostume and the other in blackface, having a beer together. The caption read, "There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world so I think I'll have another beer." It's worth noting that Northam has denied being either of the men in this picture, and says that he had nothing to do with assembling the yearbook. Further, he was called to military duty immediately after med school, so never even got a chance to look at his page in the book and did not realize the picture was there until this incident went public.

Over the last few days, many critics have been calling for Northam's resignation. Many are saying that after seeing this picture they feel betrayed and traumatized. They also say that Northam is now completely incapable of doing his job, and resignation is his only option.

I apologize for my naughty mouth, but fuck all those PC-babies. They are idiots and their opinions are completely worthless.

[Kagus]

But they're having a beer together! That shows unity in the face of prejudice!


_{Later that night, after a few more beers, the klansman discovered that the black fellow was indeed "well hung".}

[Rolan7]

Not to ruin the joke, but the second man was in "blackface".  In other words, a klansman and someone parodying a black person.

[Kagus]

Artistic license.


That, or the dude in the klan robes was actually black, and the dude in the blackface was actually a klansman. I mean, who else would actually use blackface nowadays anyway?

[Frumple]

It was back in the 80s, not nowadays. Not much of an excuse because even then that shit didn't particularly fly, but still.

That noted, northam's response to the issue has been mindbogglingly incompetent, from what I've noticed. His follow-up to denying being one of the two in that picture was to then note he did "darken his skin" (or something along those lines) for a michael jackson costume during the same period, ferex, and overall has been shifty about stuff he really shouldn't have been.

Shit's just been kind of a train-wreck, and most signs seem to be saying most of us would indeed be better off if northam stepped down. If nothing else he's been being somewhat surprisingly piss poor at PR work

[Dunamisdeos]

Yeah I'm in VA and I'm having trouble following this. He was in the photo, he's not in the photo, he wore some blackface some other time, but wait it wasn't, it was a M. Jackson costume?

Wot

[Max™]

Uh, don't forget the surreal moment where he's like "well, one time for a talent show I did an impersonation of uh... *looks to his wife* what was his name, the singer?" and she helpfully whispers to him it was Michael Jackson, which is totally a normal name  for someone in the 80's to be unfamiliar with.

Says he used shoe polish for the blackface, but gives a tip: "I used a little bit--I'm not sure if anyone else has ever tried that--but you cannot get shoe polish off" which is quite helpful and something I think we can all agree is totally a relatable experience.

Got asked if he could still moonwalk and his wife told him it was inappropriate circumstances, dude shoulda turned 360 degrees and moonwalked out of there.

[Kagus]

Michael Jackson is the only celebrity I can think of that you'd need to use either blackface or whiteface depending on which era you're looking to recreate.

Got asked if he could still moonwalk and his wife told him it was inappropriate circumstances, dude shoulda turned 360 degrees and moonwalked out of there.

It is never inappropriate circumstances to moonwalk, ignorant woman! She brings shame to her family!

[ChairmanPoo]

*shrug* I honestly can't find any reasonable explanation for this scandal. I have literally a couple of hundred promotion mates from med school. I can barely remember most of them. I wouldn't feel bound to give explanations if one turned out to be a serial killer, let alone if one turned out to have distasteful opinions at some point in his or her life.

[Folly]

northam's response to the issue has been mindbogglingly incompetent, from what I've noticed. His follow-up to denying being one of the two in that picture was to then note he did "darken his skin" (or something along those lines) for a michael jackson costume during the same period

In the wake of this, the Michael Jackson costume was definitely going to come out sooner or later. The only reasonable thing for Northam to do was to get out ahead of it and claim full transparency. And he did go to great lengths to explain that he was not trying to justify his use of blackface, only draw a contrast between his idol-worship in comparison to the other guy in the picture who apparently put on blackface just so he could get drunk with a Klansman.

This whole situation is a bit awkward, but there's absolutely no reason why any of it should impact Northam's ability to do his job today. Forcing someone in an important government office to resign suddenly could potentially be extremely damaging to the people he is responsible for governing over. And to demand that resignation over something ancient and inconsequential, it's utterly petty and irresponsible.

[Dunamisdeos]

That's sort of what got me too, it's seeming more and more like he was completely un-involved, presumably knew he wasn't involved, and then made apologies anyway, but then brought up some rando Michael Jackson costume story?

I'd vote for him again if he moonwalked off that stage on that basis alone.

(Ninja'd by the above)

[Gentlefish]

Yeah I'm in VA and I'm having trouble following this. He was in the photo, he's not in the photo, he wore some blackface some other time, but wait it wasn't, it was a M. Jackson costume?

Wot

Yeah that basically sums up how he's been handling this whole situation ie poorly