Republican National Convention

[jusplay4fun]

Biden is suffering from mental decline, obvious physical decline, and his refusal to see reality. Biden is as determined to hang on to power as was Trump in January 2021.

Biden Thinks His Dismal Polling Is Nothing To Worry About, But History Paints A Different Picture

President Joe Biden has insisted that he can recover from his polling deficit, but historically, candidates who have been in his shoes went on to lose their elections.

Biden claimed in an interview with BET on Wednesday night that several other presidents who were behind in the polls managed to pull off a November victory. Polling experts who spoke to The Daily Caller News Foundation said Biden’s optimism ignores one inconvenient fact: his low approval ratings. (....)


“This isn’t Bill Clinton down two points,” McHenry told the DCNF. “This isn’t Barack Obama down two points. This is an 81-year-old man who’s showing significant signs of wear and tear, down several points nationally, and by mid- to upper single digits in a lot of the swing states he would need to win.

Over the past few months, Biden’s approval rating has stayed below 40% while his disapproval rating has soared above 50%, according to FiveThirtyEight projections. Biden’s disapproval rating has exceeded his approval since September 2021.

“There’s nobody who’s been as underwater as he is now, with their job approval, who’s ever been able to come back and win,” Charles Bullock, the Richard B. Russell chair in political science and professor of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia, told the DCNF.

Biden’s standing is cause for alarm for Democrats, as he trails former President Donald Trump in seven key battleground states, according to RealClearPolling averages. Trump is narrowing in on Biden’s lead in states like New York, New Mexico, Minnesota and Virginia where Democrats have comfortably won for decades.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-thinks-his-dismal-polling-is-nothing-to-worry-about-but-history-paints-a-different-picture/ar-BB1qkrQf?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=70ae3adf228146a784b8acbc81ff5f1a&ei=12

[Pack Rat]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dan ... nald_Trump

Authors argue that the President's mental health was affecting the mental health of the people of the United States and that he places the country at grave risk of involving it in a war, and of undermining democracy itself due to his dangerous pathology.[4]

"Consequently, the authors claim, Trump's presidency represents an emergency which not only allows, but requires psychiatrists in the United States to raise alarms. While it has been repeatedly claimed that they have broken the American Psychiatric Association's Goldwater rule– which states that it is unethical for psychiatrists to give professional opinions about public figures without examining them in person[5] –the authors maintain that pointing out danger and calling for an evaluation is different from diagnosis. They have criticized the American Psychiatric Association for changing professional norms and standards, stating that it is dangerous to turn reasonable ethical guidelines into a gag rule under political pressure."





Trump does not know facts from obvious lies.

[mookiemcgee]

Today, President Trump designated J.D. Wentworth* to evict Kamala from 1 Observatory Circle and become the 50th Vice President of the United States.

My take ...

Pro:
- This is the final nail in the coffin of the Reagan-Bush party and firmly establishes the remake of the GOP into a revolutionary populist party. J.D. supports everything the Reaganites oppose: anti-trust laws, tariffs, and organized labor.
- He's perfectly positioned to succeed Trump as president in 2028. And, because he's only 40, he could serve as president for 16 or 20 years.
- Tall
- Man

Con:
- A Hispanic pick would be better but, with the election a foregone conclusion now I understand that Trump felt he could just pick anyone and doesn't need to unify any sectoral groups
- He's Catholic -- normally that's a dead end for me but he was a convert so wasn't raised in Popery so may be redeemable
- Weak hair and fat ... but he can fix those, at least

*fixed

[mookiemcgee]

Earlier today the Teamsters president heaped praise on JD Wentworth in a television interview. Trump is now the Sun himself, summoning all planets, moons, and minor asteroids into his orbit.

On Monday evening, Teamsters union President Sean O’Brien will speak at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin—a key battleground state where Republicans led a prominent attack on labor unions more than a decade ago.

It will be the first time a Teamsters president has spoken at the Republican convention. O’Brien’s presence highlights the dissonance in the party’s approach to union members, many of whom are the working-class voters they now depend on.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91156238/rn ... ion-agenda

*fixed (call 8 triple 7 cash now)

[Dukasaur]

No taxes on tips. - Trump

Which is ridiculous. Income is income.

I'm quite willing to posit that income taxes are too high, but giving special exemptions to special groups is nonsense. Reductions should be the same for everyone.

[HitRed]

Is a gift income.

[saxitoxin]

It's midnight and Trump is speaking to a crowd of 9,000 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

It's midnight and Biden has been in bed for four hours after earlier speaking to Jill for a bit.

[mookiemcgee]

No taxes on tips. - Trump

Which is ridiculous. Income is income.

I'm quite willing to posit that income taxes are too high, but giving special exemptions to special groups is nonsense. Reductions should be the same for everyone.

This is a tough one for me, because back when cash was 60-80% of how meals were paid no one was reporting cash tips as income so in some ways in America it's a 'newer' tax, and it is an extremely regressive tax targeting the poorest workers given 99% of restaurants pay minimum wage with no health plan or other benefits. In many states there is a special lower minimum wage specifically for servers which is somehow legal because they are expected to be making tips (which is it's own weird loophole where they don't report their tips and make $2/hour and have a low enough declared income they qualify for foodstamps/free healthcare ect ect). That said even when cash tips weren't being reported it was a sort of 'don't ask don't tell' type of policy where the official gov't stance was that this was taxable income, and I think codifying it as a special category of 'gift' not 'income' you are suddenly going to start seeing mountains of abuse and tip lines on the bill for basically any bill you pay (which has already started to happen, but once you carve out a legal way around taxes people will start to abuse it.
Then theres the issue that tips don't always go to employees, I worked at a restaurant in Whistler 20+ years ago and the owner took 25% off all tip money.

So yeah idk, it will marginally help alot people who are struggling but keeping jobs so thats good, but it's probably going to be so poorly written into law that it's going to become exploited.

as for hitreds last comment...Gifts are taxable income once it's over $10k/year but i think thats if it comes from one person? maybe it's if you receive over $10k in gifts/year regardless who it's from? I feel like koolbak would know. I'm sure the majority of full time servers do above $10k/year in tips

[mookiemcgee]

It's midnight and Trump and JD Wentworth* are speaking to a crowd of 9,000 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

It's midnight and Biden has been in bed for four hours after earlier speaking to Jill.

*fixed

[saxitoxin]

No taxes on tips. - Trump

Which is ridiculous. Income is income.

I'm quite willing to posit that income taxes are too high, but giving special exemptions to special groups is nonsense. Reductions should be the same for everyone.

Debt is debt. Waiving certain types of debt (student loans) for special groups (the upper middle class) is nonsense.

[GaryDenton]

No psychopaths for president.

[KoolBak]

I'm assuming the fiduciary IMPACT on our tax monster is essentially zero, from the feds POV.

The majority of tips are never reported, thus already not taxed. What is reported is nominal in the overall scheme.

The impact here is trump baby gets a massive voting block for nothing cause it makes them happy.

It's a scheme....a pretty smart, painless one if it works.

Focus on shit that matters, not nickel and dime games.

[HitRed]

The other side of not reporting tips comes later in life. Your potential social security payment is calculated on your income reporting through the years. So short term gain maybe longtime loss.

Some pastors can request tax exempt status, but again this hurts their social security.

[KoolBak]

IMO, completely irrelevant.

There's a calculator you can use to project your theory. Try it out.

EDIT: I did a quick one. My numbers showed a tax savings of $300M while giving up $100M in SS benefits. I'm historically a banker and accountant by trade; we use roman numerals, not metric. Thus my M is for thousand, fyi. I don't do "K".

Based on those figures, not reporting tips is a solid choice

(Current age 25. Salary $25M, tip income $25M)

[KoolBak]

Let's keep beating this dead horse.

I found a blurb that the IRS thinks 85% of tip income remains unreported annually and that figure amounts to $500MM (that's million in roman). At a punt of 20% fed tax rate, that's $100MM tax revenue.

Our last reported gross national income (income reported by all taxable entities to the IRS) was 27 trillion. At 20% that's some gawd awful huge number. The tip tax doesn't even register as a figure in comparison.

So....yes, a great campaign ploy

Go get em Trump-baby.

[HitRed]

Thanks for running the math.

[KoolBak]

A lot of punts, general assumptions, heresay and terrible research, but hey....it's something

Taxes are fun

[mookiemcgee]

A lot of punts, general assumptions, heresay and terrible research, but hey....it's something

Taxes are fun

I gotta take issue with the IRS claiming 85% of tip income is unreported...maybe it's just cus I'm in CA but 90+% of restaurants i interact with have moved to software sometime in the last 20 years that makes it impossible to have unreported tip income. Apps like doordash/starbucks ect automatically log tips as regular income... I get that a wafflehouse in Texas might not be reporting any tips but they make like $2 in tips per check.

It's not like reporting tips is left to the employees anymore, it's the business' doing it for them. but i mean IRS gonna IRS i guess.

[Pack Rat]

A lot of punts, general assumptions, heresay and terrible research, but hey....it's something

Taxes are fun

I gotta take issue with the IRS claiming 85% of tip income is unreported...maybe it's just cus I'm in CA but 90+% of restaurants i interact with have moved to software sometime in the last 20 years that makes it impossible to have unreported tip income. Apps like doordash/starbucks ect automatically log tips as regular income... I get that a wafflehouse in Texas might not be reporting any tips but they make like $2 in tips per check.

It's not like reporting tips is left to the employees anymore, it's the business' doing it for them. but i mean IRS gonna IRS i guess.

IRS goes after the working class and small business, cause it's easier than going after the uber-rich and large corporations that can bury the IRS with paperwork, hours to research and top notch lawyers and ex-IRS agents.

[jonesthecurl]

If tips become untaxed, more employers will employ tip-only staff. And automatically levy at least 20% tip.

[Dukasaur]

Is a gift income.

A question is usually terminated with a question mark.

Tips are "gratuities" in name only. In fact, they are bribes for services rendered. As the old saying goes, "TIPS = To Insure Prompt Service".

No taxes on tips. - Trump

Which is ridiculous. Income is income.

I'm quite willing to posit that income taxes are too high, but giving special exemptions to special groups is nonsense. Reductions should be the same for everyone.

This is a tough one for me, because back when cash was 60-80% of how meals were paid no one was reporting cash tips as income so in some ways in America it's a 'newer' tax, and it is an extremely regressive tax targeting the poorest workers given 99% of restaurants pay minimum wage with no health plan or other benefits. In many states there is a special lower minimum wage specifically for servers which is somehow legal because they are expected to be making tips (which is it's own weird loophole where they don't report their tips and make $2/hour and have a low enough declared income they qualify for foodstamps/free healthcare ect ect). That said even when cash tips weren't being reported it was a sort of 'don't ask don't tell' type of policy where the official gov't stance was that this was taxable income, and I think codifying it as a special category of 'gift' not 'income' you are suddenly going to start seeing mountains of abuse and tip lines on the bill for basically any bill you pay (which has already started to happen, but once you carve out a legal way around taxes people will start to abuse it.
Then theres the issue that tips don't always go to employees, I worked at a restaurant in Whistler 20+ years ago and the owner took 25% off all tip money.

So yeah idk, it will marginally help alot people who are struggling but keeping jobs so thats good, but it's probably going to be so poorly written into law that it's going to become exploited.

I mean, if you're working in a cheap diner you're probably struggling, but if you're working in a nice steakhouse you're bringing home $200 to $300 a night in tips, and if you're a bartender in a trendy dance hall you're probably pulling down $500 to $600.

Now that it's mostly plastic transactions, they are more and more having to be reported, but even 20 years ago they were still mostly cash and got "forgotten" on the tax form.

No taxes on tips. - Trump

Which is ridiculous. Income is income.

I'm quite willing to posit that income taxes are too high, but giving special exemptions to special groups is nonsense. Reductions should be the same for everyone.

Debt is debt. Waiving certain types of debt (student loans) for special groups (the upper middle class) is nonsense.

I don't disagree. On the other hand, the (arguably) deliberate push to crank up the cost of tuition to the point where only the upper middle class can afford it has to be seen as a policy failure. Everyone knows a story of some old-timer who worked his way through college bussing tables at the local pizzeria. That can't happen any more -- a year's wage at a pizzeria wouldn't buy you one credit at a decent school nowadays.

[KoolBak]

Re: gifts. There are a whole raft of irs rules regarding cash gifts, but for most of us, gifts of cash received and accounted for as such by the giftor are tax free

And I submit that the majority of tip income is NOT earned by restaurant / foodservice workers. Think Vegas. Hospitality, casinos, etc. That, I believe, is the state this theoretical ploy is aimed at.

Anyway, mook ....you make statements and don't follow up, like there being a total of 5 taco bells in Oregon after I explained that is wrong. If you wish to analyze the IRS assumptions re: tips, I'd be happy to ENGAGE that WITH you...else we'll leave it as it stands.

And there ARE 20+ fucking taco bells in Oregon

[mookiemcgee]

Re: gifts. There are a whole raft of irs rules regarding cash gifts, but for most of us, gifts of cash received and accounted for as such by the giftor are tax free

And I submit that the majority of tip income is NOT earned by restaurant / foodservice workers. Think Vegas. Hospitality, casinos, etc. That, I believe, is the state this theoretical ploy is aimed at.

Anyway, mook ....you make statements and don't follow up, like there being a total of 5 taco bells in Oregon after I explained that is wrong. If you wish to analyze the IRS assumptions re: tips, I'd be happy to ENGAGE that WITH you...else we'll leave it as it stands.

And there ARE 20+ fucking taco bells in Oregon

Taco bells? I thought that convo was about taco time? and I thought we hashed it out (sort of) that their own websites map is junk and you have to zoom in to find more locations. In any case I acknowledge there are way more taco times in Oregon that I thought.

I'm fine leaving the tips thing as it stands, I don't have any clue how they would even go about making an estimate like that but it's also fairly irrelevant and that we both agree making tips tax free wouldn't have a meaningful negative impact on tax revenues and would exceptionally popular with voters.

[KoolBak]

Sorry manno ...Taco TIME, you are correct! My bad

Agreed on the tip thing.

If only Taco Bell would add Mexi-fries and not those heinous Nacho-fries.

They could come up with some other racially inappropriate name like.....uh..... nevermind