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Saturday, May 31, 2008
What a bozo manuever
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sometimes, you just shake your head in disgust.
Clayton County students who graduated from high school Friday and Saturday did not receive diplomas in recognition of their hard work because the district’s new superintendent, John Thompson, insisted that they be given diplomas printed with his name on it.
“It’s not important my name is on it. It is important the superintendent’s name is on it,” said Thompson, who took office a month ago. “I am the superintendent.”
Oh please. So he did it for the sake of the children?
No, he did not. He did it because he valued his own ego gratification more than he valued the students he was hired to serve. Replacing the original diplomas ordered in December would have cost the district $80,000, but the company that prints the documents, Herff Jones, has announced it would do so for free and try to rush their production. Good for them.
But who on earth decided to hire Thompson in the first place?! Oh, that’s right. The Clayton County School Board did.
My last shot at the FairTax
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You don’t have to have a degree in economics to see the failings of the proposed FairTax, although economists say there are plenty. You don’t need to be a lawyer or accountant to see where it would all go wrong, although lawyers and accountants who have studied the idea say it’s unworkable.
All you need is the good sense your momma and daddy gave you, along with a knowledge of human nature.
The core of the idea is to replace the federal income tax, estate tax, capital gains and payroll tax with a 30 percent sales tax on all goods and services. And to offset the impact of a high sales tax on low-income Americans, every household in the country would receive a significant check every month from the federal government. This year, for example, a family of four would get a monthly rebate of $537, regardless of their income.
Human nature being what it is, tens of millions of households would quickly become addicted to that check. Each month, they would depend on the generosity of their dear Uncle Sam to help them make their car or house payment or buy groceries for their kids. And that ought to drive conservatives nuts. Their biggest fear is a populace that becomes dependent on government, and the FairTax would do more to encourage dependence on government than any program liberals have ever concocted.
(For the rest of the column, click here)
