As I have written about before I had to remove hate from my system. Because of what I experienced growing up and the toxic nature of those I was raised by / around I developed a deep anger building to intense hate. It was consuming me as I had no outlet for that poison it was ruining the being I was / could be. I saw Ron starting to pull away from me as he saw the effects of my inner struggle with hate even as he did not know why I had such deep emotions and intense reactions. I had a choice. I could go with the hate, give into it and make it all I was. That would make me like those I grew up with. Or I could excise it, leave it behind, look for and crave something far different that might be like cold water on blistered skin. A balm to help me heal and to build the person I wanted to be, not that they wanted me to be. I went from the “slave” name they called me to being Scottie. It was not easy, it still is not. I am not and never will be perfect. I struggle not to be easily angered, to look for the good in others, to not to imagine faults. But by making those first steps I was able to keep Ron and he guided me forward not even understanding he was doing it. Happy hugs. Scottie
I really enjoy how well someone who knows the bible and the meaning of the words of Jesus can turn the bible bashers arguments around on them to show support for the oppressed minorities. Hugs
WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced the Redistribution Of Billions by Instituting New High-income Obligations on Overlooked Debt (ROBINHOOD) Act to close the ‘borrow’ aspect of the ‘buy, borrow, die’ tax loophole that is used by the ultra-wealthy to finance extravagant spending without paying income or capital gains taxes.
“Working and middle-class Americans are paying their fair share – they do it with every paycheck. But the billionaires in this country? They’re using legal loopholes and tricky accounting to finance private jets and yachts while most Americans struggle to afford healthcare and groceries,” said Senator Gallego. “My legislation closes a critical loophole and brings us closer to billionaires finally paying their fair share.”
The ‘buy, borrow, die’ tax loophole has three stages:
Buy: A wealthy individual buys, or is given as part of their compensation package, assets, such as stocks. This allows them to store and grow their wealth without paying taxes since the gains from these assets are considered unrealized.
Borrow: The individual then borrowstax-free cash loans, often backed by those assets, to finance their extravagant lifestyles. All the while, their assets continue to gain value.
Die: Finally, when they die, their assets are gifted to their heirs on a stepped-up basis, meaning their heirs can sell the assets without paying taxes on the capital gains accumulated during the individual’s life.
The ROBINHOOD Act closes this loophole by treating taking out a loan as a realization event, meaning the individual would have to pay taxes on capital gains equal to the loan amount. The provisions of the bill apply to taxpayers who have an income over $100 million and/or assets worth more than $1 billion.
You can find a one-page summary of the legislation HERE.
You can find a section-by-section explainer of the legislation HERE.
You can find the full text of the legislation HERE.
Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10).
“While working, wage-earning New Yorkers pay income taxes on every single paycheck, billionaires live tax-free by borrowing against their stock portfolios, real estate holdings, and art collections without paying a dime in taxes on that money,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “By restoring basic fairness to our tax code and making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share and contribute what they owe, this bill will generate revenue to invest in universal pre-K, child care, and working families instead of subsidizing billionaires’ yachts and private islands. It’s long past time for the wealthiest people in the country to pay their fair share.”
For some bizarre reason that I don’t believe anyone has figured out yet, Donald Trump showed off a graph in the Oval Office, comparing the size of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to the size of skyscrapers. Seth Meyers said, “You’re not allowed to compare horizontal to vertical. If that was the case, I-90 crushes the reflecting pool.”
Trump showed off a chart which compared the freshly-painted 2,030-foot-long pool against the 1,451-foot-high Sears Tower in Chicago, New York City’s 1,454-foot Empire State Building, and the 1,776-foot One World Trade Center. Upon seeing these comparisons, many people said, “So what?” What does the length of the Reflecting Pool compared to the size of skyscrapers have to do with anything?
You can take this incident to point out how senile Trump is becoming, but it also proves that he is surrounded by enablers because somebody had to print this graph. He’s comparing a pool to buildings, horizontal to vertical. Michael Kosta of The Daily Show said, “I’d say you’re comparing apples and oranges, but at least those are fruits.” (snip-MORE)
It is 4:34 pm here in my office. Today I was struggling. But before that I had written an email to Ali that I was doing so much better and wanted to tell everyone. I had to go out to get my morphines this morning so Ron could take Tupac to the vet. When I got home I did a few things. Then I started doing the dishes and laundry. But by 1:30 pm my pain became so bad I was in tears. I desperatly did not want to take more medications, I get set back on my getting better every time I have to do that just to function. The federal government is trying to force my pain doctors to lower my pain medications yet at my last virtual appointment my pain doctor noticed how much pain I was in and did not decrease my medications anymore saying she could justify giving me that which RFK Jr. the road kill harvaster wants to deny all of us in serious medical problems. Remember this guy was also a cocaine addict who talks about snorting drugs off toilet seats.
So when Ron Ron got home from mowing his sister’s lawn he found me limping and nearly in tears. He had me take my blood sugar and I was having an issue with low blood sugar which could explain why I was shivering. He had me take two glucose tablets and stop doing any more work. I had been doing dishes and folding clothing by using my very high rolling stool that I moved from kitchen to bedroom and back as needed.
Ron made supper and I want to let everyone know that even as I was in tears from pain I ate a lot of food for me. I had five slices of rare roast beef and three small baked potatoes with gravy and a small bowl of green beans. I took my evening insulin which I have not had to do a lot of as I was not eating. But Ron was concerned after I ate that I was still distressed. So I agreed to give up trying to make this post for the morning and just post what it is. I do have more to add to it but my pain is so bad that sitting in my desk chair is horrible for me. I will add them to the next day’s post.
I thank everyone who is worried about me and I love that everyone enjoys these cartoons / memes / news posts. But I did promise Ron I wouldn’t take more medication which will make me sick and eat into my meager supply and would go to bed. I will try to make a larger cartoons / memes / news post tomorrow. Best wishes, love, and hugs to all. Scottie
During congressional testimony, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund, which his J6 insurrectionists/terrorists could have applied for, is dead. In the Oval Office today, Donald Trump said that he doesn’t know if it’s dead. He is lying.
The one thing that we do know for sure is that the immunity for Trump and his family from IRS audits is still alive and well. But more on that tomorrow.
The slush fund was not popular, even with Republicans, with one calling it “stupid on stilts.” Another unpopular thing, even with Republicans, is the appointment of Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence. Pulte is currently the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
When asked if he has concerns that Pulte would “weaponize” the position, given the role he has played during Trump’s second term in digging into mortgage records to see whether Trump’s political adversaries have committed fraud, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said: “We don’t need a weaponized DNI; we need professionals there.” (snip-MORE)
Recently I posted a cartoon after reading this Propublica story about the connections between a Don Jr. linked company and a $620 million Pentagon loan. We haven’t heard as much in the news during the second presidential term about the Trump family and their various grifts (probably due to Trump taking the oxygen out of the room with his various vanity projects), so I’m posting some cartoons from the first as a reminder the entire Trump family is in it all for themselves.
Andrew Paul Johnson was one of the insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He pleaded guilty to multiple nonviolent charges for breaching the Capitol, and was just a few months into his year-long sentence when Donald Trump gave him a pardon. Last March, he was sentenced to life in prison after a Florida jury found him guilty of five criminal charges, including molestation, lewd and lascivious exhibition, and transmission of material harmful to a minor.
Police reported that Johnson, 45, tried to keep the children quiet by telling them he would share millions of dollars in restitution money he expected to receive from the Trump regime in connection with his Jan. 6 case. Don’t worry, kids, he told them. Uncle Donald will take care of you. (snip-it’s disgusting that there is MORE just like this)
The video below is hilarious. Right wing trump loving maga Dave Rubin gets destroyed with facts and figures from podcaster Parkergetajob. While Rubin tries to spout maga talking points and fox news misinformation. Hugs
Hello all, hope you’ll enjoy the upcoming Pride month content! This year, I’m planning to post comics every single day until the end of June. If you caught a glimpse at comment sections under recent strips, it has already pissed off thousands! It’s just the beginning.
It’s been a while since I gave you any life updates. My husband and I are still on the IVF train – it’s slow but steady. We are being crushed under the weight of debts because of it, but at least we got to keep our car after this spring’s threats, for those who wondered. Such is the price for growing our little queer family! At least we’ve got health.
I’m still trying to make a living from my art. I believe covering the internet with queer and trans comics and making bigots foam at the mouth is an important job, and you can help make it happen by getting me a coffee or by subscribing on Patreon. Every bit makes a huge difference!
So I hope Pride month will be good to you all. Except the bigots.
Scottie's Playtime 