links

[tielan]

If you sent me a Christmas card - thank you! I've received a bunch (gaffsie, crazy4orcas, and ladyjax for starters) and probably a few more that have kind of gotten lost in the mail piles...

--

Did I mention that I got pulled over by the cops for being out of registration? I forgot to pay my rego back in September (right around when I finished work) and didn't get any reminders. So right before Christmas, I got pulled up by a cop - followed around a shopping mall carpark, which is never a good look.

Result? Two fines at $600 a pop. One for driving unregistered, one for not being insured for injury/damage to the general public. Ouch. Still, apparently there's a third fine, which I mentally named "giving a cop any reason", but I was civil and polite and had a clean record so it was just the two. And the registration. And the insurance to get it back on the road. And...UGH.

Anyway. I probably won't forget that again.

--

I found someone's wishlist in my collection of links, but I don't remember whose or why I have it. Any ideas?

--

A few recipes:

Sourdough Discard recipes: for the rejects from my sourdough starter.

Greek Honey Cake: because HONEY CAKE.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes: lemon season is coming...

--

Some politics:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and stepped taxes: seriously, people, tax brackets for great justice!

I don't think tax brackets is a difficult concept for people to get their heads around. On the other hand, the greediness of humanity - MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE like a bunch of seagulls - is nearly impossible for people to get their hearts around.

Comments

[lynnenne]

On the other hand, the greediness of humanity - MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE like a bunch of seagulls - is nearly impossible for people to get their hearts around.

Agree, and it seems like the more someone has,mte greedier they get.

[tielan]

The equivalence of wealth with (self-)righteousness seems to be a big part of it, particularly in American culture. And compounded by the idea that they're 'classless', and that you can be 'self-made', and so forth.

[tjs_whatnot]

600 DOLLARS A POP?!?!? Holy crapsticks!

I don't know if it's the same where you live, but here, if you get your car registered and insured before the court date/fee is due, the drop the charges/fees. Or at the least, dramatically cut them.

[tielan]

Yeah, no, I wish! You pay the fine, and that's it. If you don't pay the fine there are court appearances, etc. and it becomes even more expensive.

So, yes, I've less savings now than I hoped...

[velithya]

Tax brackets are a good idea & in lieu of eating the rich America should probably implement them! I have no idea about the American tax system but I guess I kind of assumed that people with more money paid more tax. I guess I probably shouldn't have assumed that tho :(

[tielan]

I think that, in the main, there is a certain amount of tax bracketing in the USA, but probably not as emphatic as ours. Also, Americans get squiffy about paying tax - I suspect it's that whole 'throwing the tea in the sea' thing that they've never quite gotten over, except now they want representation without taxation and...it just goes downhill from there.

[velithya]

I found, having been to the US a number of times, that a lot of the Americans I met were... I want to say "entitled" but I'm not sure that comes across correctly? I mean that they were all (perhaps) unconsciously confident about what they were due/entitled to & would absolutely complain until they got it. I am unsurprised that this translates into a "MINE" mentality when it comes to tax. They are due that money, they earned it, why should they have to give it up?
:|

[tielan]

Social contracts of nobliesse oblige, etc.

And possibly the concept of universal human dignity, which people say they subscribe to, but don't actually seem to believe.

[velithya]

I think they want to believe in the concept of universal human dignity, but it's also pretty clear that a lot of people also believe - more strongly - in the perception that if you're poor/living in poverty/etc you must have done something to deserve it, and that's real hard to shake :(