Links for 1/29/19

https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-12919
Trump is not being impeached because he is a bad leader or a thumb fingered idiot (both are true) but because he committed obstruction of justice in order to cover himself for something and continues to do so (if unwittingly - and he is witless - then he should be censured and removed if he knew what he was doing), campaign irregularities to cover up infidelity (which could have been settled quickly with a fine), violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by dealing with unsavory oligarchs and becoming a Russian Asset, again unwittingly, as I am sure he thought he was controlling Putin when the reverse was true. Whether Tom Steyer's ads hurt or help getting rid of Trump is immaterial. If he is a criminal, his popularity is irrelevant/ An unpopular president is easier to remove, but that is not why you remove him (hear the echo? If anything, leadership is too cautious, as is Mueller. If he is a Russian Asset and there is proof, he needs to be arrested now.

I am shocked, shocked I say, that rich neo-liberals would think that they know better than the public on whether they should be taxed. More seriously, low tax rates on the CEO and Mega-owner class give them an incentive to get even richer by saving labor costs. If that savings were taxed away, This eventually cuts purchasing power so much that the economy requires large worker debt loads to grow.  More importantly stil, at least for them, because the tax used to pay back the debt without crashing the economy is the income tax (FICA goes to an insurance fund, although it is borrowed from)

Because we finance war with deficit spending, to get out of debt we must make the rich pay,. The same is true for reimbursing the Baby Boom in retirement (in other words, now) and in shifting from rolling over interest payments to new debt.  Payment of an income and inheritance surtax on all income received over $100,000 to fund these things while adopting a Goods and Services Tax and an Employer paid VAT for discretionary and social spending,will demonstrate why the rich need to pay more now,..We do not have a per capita direct tax. It was never actually implemented though written into the Constitution.

The Sixteenth Amendment allowed a progressive income tax, which provided a revenue stream that could handle a larger debt. The liability for the debt, therefore, is not per capita but a function of income tax paid. Currently, $1 paid means $13 owed in debt. $10,000 paid means owing $130,000 in debt. $100,000 paid means a debt load of $1,300,000, etc. If the rich do not pay this, their children will; not the entire next generation - just their progeny (with interest). That should provide enough incentive for adequate taxation. This is a better alternative to the Wealth Tax proposed by Senator Warren.

Sadly, unless Pelosi picks Warren or Senator Harris to take over the Speakership should Pence resign under indictment, Warren will not be on the ticket in 2020.  The youth of Harris balances the age of Pelosi, Biden or, God forbid, Clinton. That Pelosi and Harris are both from the Bay Area means Biden is the best candidate to succeed Trump after impeachment, with Harris, not Warren, as the VP. Of course, if Pence stays on, Warren would be the ideal candidate in 2020, with Harris as VP,

Political Scientists do not suggest strategy (regrettably for designing fiscal policy solutions). They merely interpret the facts on the ground. They do a good job with elections. Don't blame the messenger. Of course, they are not known for out of the box thinking either, nor is the media or the legal profession. The truth is that Trump will be in jail (or dead from the shame) for every reason cited above. We will have either Pence (who has a Gerry Ford problem, even if there is no pardon) or an incumbent Democrat. As long as the new president performs well and it is clear why Trump had to go (I would hope being a spy is enough reason for all but the MAGA devotees), he or she can skate to a win (but will make it look like a close race to get out the vote). That the Senate will change hands is an easy call. The House fell to the Democrats even without saying the word impeachment because the voters did. Democracy works.

The reason Hillary lost to Obama in 2008 and to Trump in 2016 is because her entire campaign message was that it was her turn. There was no vision other than empowering Democratic women, even though it is their turn. Her other mistakes were flubbing the Partial Birth Abortion question (and Trump's readiness to raise it and the Bishop's to exploit it - almost as if she was hacked - and ignoring the demographics of the Obama win, which mobilized Black men in record numbers and did not get excited by either Clinton or Tim Kaine. Had either one of those things changed, we would not have a Trump problem. If the Mueller probe reveals Russian assistance on Partial Birth Abortion, then the Pro-Life Directorate of the USCCB has a big Trump problem. Things which are done in the dark are revealed in the light.

One student wearing a MAGA hate says nothing about the movement. A group of them wearing such headgear is a sign that the pro-life movement has always been about electing Republicans and enriching fundraisers. It has nor can it do anything for the unborn. Pro-life Democrats need to drop the idea of criminalizing abortion and stress relying on tax incentives or direct aid for parents to provide for the living wage mandated in the Magisterium. Of course, such a stance is unwelcome in the rest of the movement, which is all we need to know, even without MAGA hats. Move the March to April 15 to show that attempts to overturn Roe are futile.

Labor is resurgent because the lot of workers is worse and people want unions, probably in spite of the efforts of Republican Administrations to deny union rights. Some are turned off by their association with the Democrats and their teacher union base, especially those who serve as delegates to the national conventions. Labor and Catholic candidates and officials need to educate members, voters and the Church about the nature of the GOP pro-life movement, with or without MAGA hats.

Brooks and Winters reference to turn of the last century's ethicists is the height of obscurity. Jesus made clear that self-reliance has no place in the Kingdom of God, either hear or on Earth when he spoke about the rich being as unlikely to understand it as it is to get a camel through the gate called the Eye of the Needle. Doing so requires joint efforts and trust in God for the camel to behave. The only reason that is also obscure is a failure of interpretation by theologians, priests and bishops (especially the latter) who like self-reliance so that they don't get it either.

Speaking of obscurity, the American press does not cover Africa and political science and history curricula rarely mention the motherland. The BBC, however, does a much better job. The election of Obama, whose father was a noted Kenyan revolutionary figure (despite his personal demons) likely got people noticing that Africa is big and complicated and merits our attention I had the advantage of several close continental African friends and currently have a Ghanan roommate who I mourned with when Kofi Annan died. I actually know who Charles Taylor was because I pay attention. Most don't.. My hat is tipped to those that do as well.