[NYT]

We met our first Wingnut in 1967. The word wasn’t around at the time, but thinking back on it, he fit the type. Stupid. Confident. Jerk.

We were in third grade. It was Halloween, and instead of begging for candy and going through the Mom Ritual of fretting about apples embedded with razor blades, we decided to wander around the old neighborhood of modest two-bedroom homes with a distinctive orange box, trick-or-treating for UNICEF.

We don’t recall being especially concerned about Starving Children in Africa. It just seemed like the thing to do.

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“During Herman Cain[!]’s tenure as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, at least two female employees complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior by Cain[!], ultimately leaving their jobs at the trade group, multiple sources confirm to POLITICO.”

Last week, in an attempt to wrest a headline or two from Herman Cain, Rick Perry finally presented voters with an economic plan, the centerpiece of which is a 20% flat tax proposal. This sort of thing isn’t that unusual for a Republican candidate, one will recall that the flat tax was also the centerpiece of Steve Forbes’ short lived 1996 primary campaign. What’s different about Perry’s proposal, however, is a curious twist he’s added. In an apparent attempt to assuage fears that a flat tax would constitute a tax increase on poorer Americans, Perry has decided that his flax tax should be optional. If you like it, you pay 20% of your income to the Federal Government and you’re done (well… except for your state taxes), but if you remain unconvinced, you can stick with the current system.

This twist apears to have received little scrutiny among the commentariat. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Perry has largely faded from the scene, his numbers dropping precipitously after a series of dissappointing debate performances. Perhaps it is because the twist appears too gimmicky to merit serous consideration. Still it is suprising how little attention has been paid to the “optionality” feature since it implies a significant departure from the standard arguments that have, till now, been employed to promote the flat tax. Students of the various and sundry GOP tax proposals that have been floated over the last few decades are no doubt aware that one of the justifications that Republicans frequently provide for their flat tax proposals is the claim that under current law, the super rich are able to exploit loopholes allowing them to shelter much of their income from taxation. The flat tax, proponets have often argued, would actually increase taxes on those wealthy Americans who rely on an army of tax lawyers to help them escape taxation (the flat tax, by this argument, would actually be “fairer” and more progressive than the current system).

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Title: “I Never Thought I’d See the Day!: Culture at the Crossroads”

Author: David Jeremiah

Rank: 10

Blurb…

Is Western civilization in an accelerating decline? And if it continues will it eventually weaken and cause us to come to the end of cultured civilization as we now know it? “Yes,” says David Jeremiah, and in his book, I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THE DAY! he details numerous signs of this cultural decay including:

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If for some reason you don’t qualify for the handgun class at Keller’s Riverside Store in Mason, Texas, might we suggest instead a genuine Wood-Carved Bottle Stopper as a token of your visit?

[via @LuxMentis]

“Still, the true cost of the muffins remains unclear. Originally, the IG [Inspector General] had concluded that the [Justice] department had spent $4,200 for 250 muffins. In the revised report, the IG states the $16 figure was for more than just a muffin. Instead of a mere muffin, the $16 bought ‘a modified continental breakfast, which consisted of items such as pastries, fruit, coffee, tea and juice.’ The revised report does not break down the individual muffin price.” [Politico, via @daveweigel]