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Taxes

Today on National Public Radio, I heard a report about the elimination of the IRS Direct File program by DJT's administration. After only one year in operation, Direct File is closed for business. The program was killed at the behest of lobbyists for tax preparers such as Intuit and H&R Block.

. . . and The Big Wheels keep on turnin'.

Moving right along, Professor Robert Reich lays down the law and tears monologist and tax dodger Josh Kornbluth a new one in Kornbluth's autobiographical 2015 comedy Love & Taxes. Astringently memorable to me is the following exchange between JK (asking how he can avoid paying taxes) and IRS Commissioner Sheldon S. Cohen (Reich):

Sheldon S. Cooper: "Mr. Kornbluth, without those taxes, there would be no money!"

Josh Kornbluth: "Okay, sir, I get that. But with all due respect, I think you're still kind of dodging the issue. I mean look, here we are in your beautiful office, right across the street from The White House. From what I can tell, sir, you have made quite a pretty penny from helping those pishers get out of paying their fair share."

SSC: "You don't know me, Mr. Kornbluth."

JK: "But, sir, I do know you. You're The Man. Your actions help this whole corrupt system fund its wars and bail out its corporations. While at the same time, the public schools, the libraries, health insurance -- everything I care about -- is falling apart!"

SSC: "Mr. Kornbluth, anyone can criticize the system. You don't like how the tax burden is allocated. You don't like public spending and where it goes. Then elect different representatives. It's on you, Mr. Kornbluth. I am not The Man. YOU . . . are The Man."

Featured Replies

  • The title was changed to Death of Direct Tax Filing
  • Author

Ever wonder how billionaires avoid paying taxes?

Not really, I pretty much assumed that they did it thru hiring really sharp, expensive accountants, but mostly thru buying all the pols, who write the tax laws, that's why the rich used to pay almost 90% tax rates during the 50s with Eisenhower, but since Reagan, 1980s for you younger folks, it's been a third of that or lower..

  • The title was changed to Taxes
  • Author

ATTENTION, CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS!

For the past couple of weeks Californians have been bombarded with mailers and text messages to sign a petition for the "Improving Transparency, Effectiveness, and Efficiency in California Government Act of 2026." What that mouthful means is "Follow the money!"

California billionaires (the backers of the act and funders of the mailer and texting campaign) are opposed to a ballot initiative that proposes a one-time 5% tax on billionaires' assets. Carpet-bombing The Golden State, billionaires -- led by Google co-founder Sergey Brin and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt -- are trying to sucker the proletariat into unwittingly negating the proposed ballot initiative should it pass.

Don't fall for the fat cats' flim-flam, Californians!

California One-Time Wealth Tax for State-Funded Healthcare, Education, and Food Assistance Programs Initiative (2026)

Billionaire Mailers Target California Tax Proposal

Poison-pill Effort to Cancel Proposed Billionaire Tax Hits Voters’ Mailboxes

Meyerson-on-Tap-102325.jpg

Let's hope they're smarter than the Southerners and Midwesterners, who always blindly support Repubs and the rich. I think they are smarter, but they still haven't caught on to how even their Dem leaders in the state keep selling them out on ever passing single payer healthcare..

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