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'I don't think I've washed my hands for 10 years'












Taxpayers Getting Smaller Refunds in First Week of 2019 Filing
The average tax refund is down so far this year, according to IRS data covering the first week of the 2019 filing season. Last year, returns generated an average refund of $2,035, while this year the figure is $1,865, an 8.4 percent drop.
The number of returns is also down compared to last year, with 16,035,000 returns received in the first week, compared to 18,302,000 returns received in the same time period in 2018.
Accounting Today said Friday that some taxpayers were complaining this week on social media about their smaller-than-expect refunds — and in some cases, surprise tax bills. Tax professionals have warned that millions of people may have withheld too little this year in the wake of the new tax law, potentially producing unforeseen obligations. “There are going to be a lot of unhappy people over the next month,” Edward Karl, vice president of taxation for the American Institute of CPAs, told Politico’s Aaron Lorenzo. [The Fiscal Times, February 8, 2019]

Grammys
 
Can Alicia Keys host, well, everything? Keys, the first female host for the Grammys in 14 years, won high praise for bringing coolness and class to music's biggest night, which saw big wins for women and rap. Childish Gambino's "This Is America" made history, winning Grammys for song and record of the year. That's the first time a rap song has ever won those two coveted awards.

The "girl power" vibes started out with a surprise appearance by Michelle Obama during the show's opening, and they continued with country singer Kacey Musgraves nabbing four Grammys, including album of the year for "Golden Hour," and rapper Cardi B becoming the first woman to win best rap album. Soaring tributes to Dolly Parton and the late Aretha Franklin were highlights of the night, as well as Diana Ross' 75th birthday performance. Here's the full list of the winners, the night in photos and all the red carpet looks. [Good Morning from CNN, February 11, 2019]



 Sexual Harassment Abuse & Assault






In 2006, federal investigators began looking into allegations that Jeffrey Epstein, a politically-connected billionaire from Palm Beach, had sexually abused at least 30 underage girls. In 2007, U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta directed his office to sign a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein. As a result, Epstein escaped with a far lighter sentence than he would have otherwise faced and deserved.

A decade passed. Acosta is no longer a U.S. Attorney -- now he’s Donald Trump’s Secretary of Labor. But we can’t allow him to hide his shameful and inexcusable decision to let Epstein off with a slap on the wrist.

Here’s what’s happening: The inspector general at the Department of Justice has requested the authority to investigate Epstein’s plea deal. There’s just one problem: Due to statutory limitations, Congress must approve the inspector general’s request. The House of Representatives passed legislation granting approval -- but so far, the Senate has refused to take it up.

If you’re disgusted by Secretary Acosta’s sweetheart deal for an alleged pedophile, sign our petition demanding the Senate move forward with H.R. 202, the Inspector General Access Act of 2019.

Thanks,

The Allied Progress Action Team [February 7, 2019]



BORDER WALL






FOREIGN POLICY







Trump said he will hold his second summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Hanoi and predicted that the authoritarian country would someday become “a great Economic Powerhouse” under Kim’s leadership. [L.A. Times Headlines, February 11, 2019]


Taiwan

Press Release | U.S. Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado “This invitation would be consistent with U.S. law, enhance U.S. leadership in the Indo-Pacific region, and justly reward a true friend and ally of the United States and the American people,” the Senators wrote. “. . . President Tsai is a genuine democratic leader engaged in a struggle against an authoritarian and oppressive system that seeks to deny the Taiwanese people democratic rights and fundamental freedoms.  Extending an invitation for President Tsai to address a joint session of Congress in this historic year for U.S.-Taiwan relations would send a powerful message that the United States and the American people will always stand with the oppressed, and never the oppressor.”
The problem with inviting Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen to speak to a joint meeting of Congress - Richard Bush - Brookings The first flaw in the proposal is that it is contrary to a fundamental principle of U.S. relations with China. That is, when we established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1979, we pledged that we would carry out substantive relations with Taiwan and its government on an unofficial basis...The second flaw in this proposal is Taiwan would suffer. This initiative began in the United States, and Beijing would take the opportunity to pressure and squeeze Taiwan even more than it is already doing. [Bill Bishop at Sinocism, February 10, 2019]











This has been “Black Lives Matter at School” week across the country, and, as educator Rann Miller describes, “it only fits to acknowledge with [the] yearbook photo incident [involving Virginia Governor Ralph Northam] that anti-blackness is at work in our nation’s schools. . . . Blackface is an ugly part of our ongoing history; it dehumanizes black people for white entertainment.” But, more importantly, he writes, “the dynamics at play in schools reveal that anti-blackness isn’t only a sentiment within individual hearts. Anti-blackness is systemic. However, America would rather address individual acts as isolated racism, rather than address the mechanisms of white supremacy.” [The Progressive, February 9, 2019]



MANY QUESTIONS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

While reading the articles today, awareness hit me like a cold bucket of water.  Yes, black lives have mattered but have especially been noted only at their intersections with mainstream, white culture.  What black lives have mattered in a black-centered history?  How much has the mainstream missed?  How can the mainstream approach black history and not appropriate it?  People of white privilege need to ask questions of themselves and become informed if they want to rise above the ignorance of racism and of the structural racism. We need to be responsible to educate ourselves.  Ignorance has become an unacceptable excuse.




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FROM THE PORCH







NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as  a "community service" announcement.  These again are shared for their varying perspectives.


Any commercial or business interest information shared is purely informational, not an endorsement.  I have no connection with any such commercial or business interest.

Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post.  Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse.  They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended.
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