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Kurt Kolaja, our filmmaker friend who lives on the Eastern Shore, was up early with the camera recently and got this wonderful shot of a female cardinal. Kolaja calls this "morning hair" because he thinks it was before the lady bird had a chance to do her morning grooming. But I think it's just a style thing.
Bob Luke, author of a new book on the Baltimore Elite Giants and one of my guests on Midday today, makes this suggestion in the epilogue: "A permanent memorial to the Baltimore Elite Giants would ensure that their days in Baltimore are remembered. Why not build a facsimile of Bugle Field [where they played in East Baltimore during the days of the Negro National League] large enough to show fans in the stands and players in Elite uniforms on the field? Placed at an entrance to Camden Yards, it would remind fans of all ages and hues that Baltimore was once home to one of the top teams in the Negro leagues."
Listen live on WYPR 88.1 FM or online at wypr.org. You can call during the show at 410-662-8780 or toll-free at 866-661-9309, or drop us an e-mail at midday@wypr.org.
Wednesday, February 25, Noon-1:00 pm EST
A bill in the General Assembly would establish Negro Baseball League Day, making Maryland the first state to honor the many black players who were kept out of the majors and its farm systems and had to play in a league of their own. One of the best-known teams in the old Negro Baseball League, the Baltimore Elite (pronounced E-lite) Giants did more than provide entertainment for Baltimore's black residents at their ballpark on the east side of the city; the team and its star players gave hope to an African-American community still oppressed by Jim Crow. We'll recount the team's history with former Elite pitcher Bert Simmons and Bob Luke, author of The Baltimore Elite Giants: Sport and Society in the Age of Negro League Baseball, new from Johns Hopkins University Press.
1:00-2:00 pm EST
The day after his speech to a joint session of Congress and the nation, we'll take a look at Barack Obama's use of television with Sun TV critic David Zurawik. Also, as a part of The Z's monthly visit to Studio A, we'll have to talk to him about Maryland Public Television. He's been blogging about MPT a lot lately, calling out its "mad programmers" for pre-empting PBS offerings, including Frontline, and depriving its Maryland audience of some strong shows. And, I'm not sure, but we might have to get into the YouTube prank that came out of Baltimore and got a local TV reporter fired.
It appears that not everyone agrees with the snubbing -- dare we call it shunning? -- of Mayor Dixon by the Obama administration. This email just arrived from Sun reader Marcia Kargon:
Snubbing the Mayor is a snub at the citizens of Baltimore.
Snubbing the Mayor denies the citizens of Baltimore a voice at the table.
Snubbing the Mayor is a snub at the legal process: A citizen is innocent until proven guilty.
Snubbing the Mayor is petty. It scores no political points. It makes the citizens of Baltimore angry.
We should not turn President Obama into an icon. He is not immune from controversy. There was no justification for this outrageous act.
Mayor Dixon did not award tax breaks. It was part of a well thought out process that had O'Malley's blessing. Mayor Dixon is a single women who had a fling (God bless her).
Mayor Dixon is the voice of the citizens of Baltimore. Until she is removed from office, official political protocol must respected.
Listen live on WYPR 88.1 FM or online at wypr.org. You can call during the show at 410-662-8780 or toll-free at 866-661-9309, or drop us an e-mail at midday@wypr.org.
Monday, February 23
Noon-1:00 pm EST
The Baltimore Examiner has ceased publication and the Sun's parent company has filed for bankruptcy. What will become of print journalism in the age of shrinking newspapers, and can technology save the printed news? We'll look at the future of journalism with Paul Gillin, who runs the Newspaper Death Watch blog, and John S. Carroll, former editor of the Sun and Los Angeles Times, and current advisor to ProPublica, an independent, non-profit newsroom.
1:00-2:00 pm EST
Given the inevitability of crisis -- accidents, sudden trauma, illness -- we all wonder: who survives, and who doesn't? Who bounces back, and who collapses? Who keeps fighting, and who freezes in the life-or-death moment? What does it take to overcome life's unavoidable challenges? Ben Sherwood, author of The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life, offers some fascinating answers with some riveting stories.
I asked David Cordish what he thought of the various proposals for a new downtown arena. The Baltimore developer, who wants to plant a billion-dollar casino and entertainment complex next to Arundel Mills, gives the suggestion of the present site, now the First Mariner Arena, an A-minus. It's good, he said, but he'd like to see a new arena more connected to the Inner Harbor in some way. Still, the location -- and the fact that the present arena would be out of business for a couple of years during demolition and construction -- are the only factors on the down side of keeping the site. The ideal, Cordish said, would be further to the east, perhaps where the Baltimore City Community College's downtown campus is now -- closer to the Inner Harbor.
(And, of course, closer to Cordish's Power Plant Live!)
Paula Smith owns and operates Curry Printing and Copy Center in downtown Baltimore, and she has decided to offer to give people looking for work 10 free, nicely-printed copies of their resume and 10 free blank sheets of matching paper for cover letters. "I want to try and help people put their best foot forward," she says. "This would be at my new Copy Cat location at 2229 N. Charles Street. I even got my paper supplier to donate the paper, and a recycled stock no less. Adam Parsons, from Lindenmeyr Munroe in Odenton is going to donate it to us. The staff at Copy Cat is really jazzed and excited about helping out!" If you can use this service, call 410-889-4800, or contact Ms. Smith at 410-685-2679, paula@curryprint.com
Let me tell you -- my friend, Al The Gadget God, knows the blues. He caught some last summer, but more importantly, he smoked 'em, and the result was heaven. Al is my pal. He's blessed with techno-tendencies. He's got a gift for gadgets, and he's as much at home with sophisticated computer software as he is with a boning knife. I turn to him for help with installing a modem and advice on baking bread. He's the all-purpose flour of a friend. Everyone should have one.
Al loves to cook and he loves to cook what he catches on fishing trips on the Chesapeake with Capt. Ed Darwin. He's got a propane-fueled, commercial-style smoker as big as a filing cabinet on his deck in Linthicum. He gave me a slab of last fall's smoked bluefish, and this is what I did with it: I chopped it up in little pieces and threw it into a sauce pan with a jar of Bertolli's garlic Alfredo sauce (on sale at Giant), adding two shots of dry vermouth. I let it simmer a bit, then ladled it over a pile of fettuccine. Let me tell you -- that was my blue heaven. Delicious. (And please, no cracks about the Bertolli's. In a pinch, itza not bad.)
Someone already has formed a facebook group to bring the new Social Security data center to Baltimore -- not within 40 miles of the city, but within the city.
The feds want to build a new Social Security data center within 40 miles of Baltimore? Let's have some smart growth on this and build it within Baltimore. This -- and not a casino -- is the jump start the city needs. Maybe around Westport, on the southwest side. Or near the Ravens stadium, and the site of that city casino that should never be built. Or one of the proposed arena sites.
Five thousand to 6,000 jobs, and a chunk of them here? Are you kidding me? At times like this, with such a prospect, it would be nice to have a mayor with whom the president of the United States would not mind being seen.
A concerned reader from Towson writes:
"For the past several weeks I have seen a young lady who appears to be about 18 years old on the concrete island at Dulaney Valley Road and Goucher Boulevard. She is standing where she can see the cars in the southbound left-turn lanes of Dulaney Valley Road. Sometimes it's after 11 pm. She is holding a small cardboard sign stating "homeless, cold", etc. I have seen this scenario at many intersections and sometimes hand out a few dollars and sometimes not. But there is something special and different about this young lady. She is about 5 feet-3 and only weighs about 100 lbs. She is intelligent and quite articulate, cute as a button and is like a little angel. My reason for contacting you is to possibly somehow have you help her. I have given her money whenever I get the red light (which I purposely try to catch) and have tried to briefly tell her how dangerous the streets are, even in Towson. I am not complaining about her! My wife and I have two daughters and two very young granddaughters and we are just very concerned about this young lady's safety. Any help would be so appreciated. Thank you."
We never know quite what to do here, do we? Look away. Get on the cell phone. Get the windows up. Reach for some quarters in the cup holder. (The panhandlers of Russell Street say some guys drive by and spit on them. No doubt, some people still look upon beggars with scorn, and it was always thus.)
But start a conversation? Ask those with the wrinkled cardboard signs on the median strips why they do what they do? Most people never go there. I've tried it a couple of times, and anything I say always seems preachy and judgemental. (Jeff Singer of Health Care for the Homeless says not to be so self-conscious about this; he urges us to engage the people of the street, talk to them, show an interest; it might actually lead to some good.)
I've told my kids for years that, if you see someone out there, holding up a cardboard sign, for long periods of time -- in the heat, in the cold -- there's probably something deeply wrong with their ability to think rationally. I don't think they're lazy. I assume there's something wrong upstairs, that they are mentally disabled in some way. And many to my eye seem sickly, or disabled. I don't think they are participants, or pawns, in an organized scam, either. If so, such a thing would have been exposed by now. The median strip panhandlers seem to have become a permanent presence in American society, and in the bumps and pushes from a recession we're bound to see more of them.
I understand the Towson writer's concern -- a young, petite woman on a suburban median is unusual. But what to do about it?
I've been thinking about Elijah Cummings' pitch to Alex Rodriquez that A-Fraud come to Maryland this spring to take part in an anti-steroids conference for kids. I've got a better idea for the congressman -- invite a professional baseball player who has done just fine in the era of banned steroids, someone who has presumably managed to perform well without juicing, someone who came up to the show after Major League Baseball banned and started testing for steroids. Let's try Nick Markakis. You could start there, E.C. Maybe kids needs to hear from someone who can boast of making it on his own -- and making on average about $11 million a year now -- without cheating.
Early comments on today's column, about the muskrat for sale at Faidley's. (The run is on!)
"Thanks Dan. I was wondering where I would get my supply this winter. I used to buy marsh rabbits from a fish stall at North East Market on Monument Street. He shut his business recently and I thought I wouldn't have one of the great Maryland delicacies this year. I will be in line this weekend to get at least five marsh rabbits to put in my freezer. They may not look very appetizing, but the meat is better than chicken. Marsh rabbit ranks up on my list with Chesapeake Bay oysters, Maryland blue crabs, and terrapin soup like my grandmother used to make. I'm getting hungry just thinking about marsh rabbit in onion gravy and some biscuits for sopping. Oh my goodness, this must be heaven!!!"
-- Mary M. Thomas
"Loved today’s column. Hmmmmmmm, wonder how Marsh Rabbit tastes grilled?"
-- Janet Canapp
MIDDAY WITH DAN RODRICKS
Listen live on WYPR 88.1 FM or online at wypr.orgwypr.org. You can call during the show at 410-662-8780 or toll-free at 866-661-9309, or drop us an e-mail at midday@wypr.org.
Monday, February 9
Noon-1:00
Well, was it true and did it work? Can listening to Mozart boost a child's IQ? That's one of the questions we'll pose to our guests in the first hour of today's show. Mariale Hardiman, an assistant dean at Johns Hopkins and former public school principal, and Dr. Martha Denckla, a neurology professor, have been looking past fads and trends to try and help educators, in particular, better understand how children learn. We'll hear what studies of brain development show and how, collected and shared, it might advance classroom achievement for boys and girls. Connecting brain research with effective teaching -- the still-new field of neuroeducation. Next on Midday, after the news at noon from NPR
1:00-2:00 pm EST
Spring training starts in a week, with a major story brewing in Major League Baseball -- the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez has become the latest star of the game to have reportedly tested positively for steroids. I'll talk about A-Rod and steroids in baseball with Baltimore Orioles pitching legend and Hall of Famer Jim Palmer. The Orioles have 37 pitchers headed to Fort Lauderdale to help rebuild one of the poorest-performing staffs in the American League. So we'll talk some hot-stove baseball, too. Plus, I'll get Jim's thoughts on athletes and celebrity, and staying fit well into retirement.
On-time comment from Allen Warfield, a listener of my Midday show:
"As a licensed thoroughbred owner, I was disappointed to see such a poor response for licenses. I am intrigued by the Cordish proposal because we could end up with the benefits of slots without Magna Entertainment. Magna has mismanaged most of its enterprises. If we had the benefit of slots and a new owner of the Maryland Jockey Club we could possibly see a rebound in Maryland racing. This is going to be very interesting."
For more, read today's column
There was a hot blues band performing in the Lexington Market arcade during lunch hour today. I mean, these guys cooked up a feast. The band is called Black Magic, and they drew a large, happy crowd on the floor and along the rails of the mezzanine. Like all arcade concerts, this one was free. If you haven't been for a while, get over there. You can see a listing of upcoming musical performers at Lexington Market by clicking here . . . The oysters and clams were fresh, cold and succulent, as usual, at Faidley's, and the crab cakes at the Crab Pot -- broiled, all lump and creamy -- were not to die for; they were to live another day for. Less is more with me and crab cakes, and the Crab Pot gets this just right . . . Brand new in the market: A combination boulangerie and patisserie called Mon Ami Roger. It's operated by Jean-Luc Calvet, a native of Marseille, and Emmanuel Ahoussou, of the Ivory Coast. The stand is named after the D.C. lawyer who helped Calvet get his visa, Roger Abizeid. I wanted to try the baguettes ($2.05), but they were all out by 1:30, so I had Ahoussou put two croissants chocolat ($1.85 each) in a bag. Was there ever a French place in Lexington Market? Could this be a first?
A friend writes:
"I was invited to attend a fundraising event at Coburn’s Tavern and Grill in Canton for a new organization in Baltimore called 'Back on My Feet: Moving the Homeless Forward One Step at a Time.' The program was established by runners in Philadelphia in July 2007, and Baltimore is the first city in their expansion plans. It's about helping the homeless in many ways, including getting them involved in running to build their confidence and health. You can check out their website at www.backonmyfeet.org to get more details. The event attracted around 125 people who seemed to have a real interest to getting involved as volunteers. There is a volunteer session scheduled for the middle of February. . . . My feelings with our new administration in office are: 'What can we do to help?' I sensed that feeling at that gathering -- a bunch of runners eager to get involved to help out with something they enjoy doing. A good match, it seems. Andrew Marr is the executive director of the Baltimore chapter and he can be contacted at 610-306-5439 or Andrew@backonmyfeet.org. He seems to be a very energetic guy."
MIDDAY WITH DAN RODRICKS
Listen live on WYPR 88.1 FM or online at wypr.org. You can call during the show at 410-662-8780 or toll-free at 866-661-9309, or drop us an e-mail at midday@wypr.org.
Thursday, February 5
Noon-1:00 pm EST
How effective are such initiatives as Baltimore City Health Department's "Safe Streets" program, and what other measures are necessary to reduce gun violence in the city? Daniel Webster, associate director of the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will join us for a discussion on the latest police tactics credited with reducing homicides in the city.
1:00-2:00 pm EST
Governor O'Malley and other leaders had hoped slot machines licenses would provide a quick fix for the gap in the state budget. But so far, there's more fizzle than sizzle, and certainly no taxpayer windfall from companies that submitted bids to operate slots in Maryland. A look at this week's slots fizzle with Karen Hosler, who covered the story for WYPR.
Tuesday's column, about the lack of snowfall in this region over the last three winters, brought an outpouring of responses from lots of readers who, it turns out, share my longing for a big snow. Make sure you see the pictures from Saskatoon.
"When someone asked me yesterday what I thought of the snow predicted for overnight (Carroll Co. schools were closed for approximately 4 flakes of snow - the sidewalks are still sidewalk colored, for Pete's sake!) I said that I was disgusted. I don't want to hear about snow again until we get FOUR SOLID feet of it. I want enough snow to for the Governor to make an official proclamation delaying Valentine's Day (like they did for the storm of 1983 when my mom walked to the Acme in the snow to make sure she had Valentine's Day hearts for my brother and me!) Enough to make panicky stupid drivers stay home, enough to open all the blinds and watch it fall with a nice cup of tea......but then my 7 year old reminded me that she's only 4'2 and she'd get lost if there were four feet of snow! hahahahaha!! (and the mental image of Sheila Dixon in a fur coat on a snowplow was good for a 4 pm giggle!)"
-- Anne May
Just chuckled when I read your article. Putting aside the Sheila Dixon PR dilemma, I'd like to share something with you that I experienced. I don't know if you are aware of it , but us Marylanders (particularly Baltimoreans) have quite a reputation in the Midwest concerning snowfall. Last year, the last week of March, I visited my daughter, Lysa, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The day my plane landed they had a snowstorm. I told her we ought to go to the store to get milk, bread and of course toilet paper. She just kind of looked at me and asked, 'Why, mom?' As I explained my Baltimore logic to her that we need to stock up in case we get snowed in, she laughed at me and said how much toilet paper do you need to last. I insisted on going 'shopping.' So we headed to Meijer's grocery store in the "blizzard". We were greeted by an employee of the store. I acknowledged her greeting and laughed as I mentioned about having to fly in from Baltimore to Michigan to see any snow. The lady's smile turned serious as she asked ," Is it true that before the first flake comes down that schools close and everyone rushes to the store for toilet paper, milk and bread?" I must have turned red as she asked me this. I told her that it was true. She said that she had heard that "rumor" but could not believe it. She then told me to have a nice day shopping. I did my shopping and headed home in the "blizzard". I would like to say that the store was not overcrowded and there was plenty of milk, bread and toilet paper on hand. No one panicked. Did buy these three articles. Too embarrassed to put them in my cart. Oh and the school buses were running a normal schedule."
-- Theresa E. Streight
"I commend you on your comical 'Longing for Snowfall' piece. It is nice to know there is at least one person in the media that appreciates a good nor'easter snowfall. Back in the day....... we just dealt with and appreciated it instead of whining about it."
-- Rick Glock
"Ah, Dan, did you say you wanted snow? These shots are from Saskatoon, Canada. Enjoy! (BTW, London, UK, currently has a foot of snow on the ground and more expected. People are fussing that the government 'hasn't done anything about it!' )
-- Dani Rice, in Bradshaw, Md.
"Good for you! I 'love snow' (even at 82 years) ... when I say that
some of my 'friends' suggest that I should call Shepherd-Pratt
to see if they have a room available.
Several years ago we had only about one total inch of snow by
December. I complained to my wife that I 'needed' to have
some snow (as if she had the 'magic' to produce a major snow-storm).
My birthday comes early in January - and my
favorite birthday gift from her was a 10 day trip to Iceland in
February for both of us. It was wonderful - lots of snow,
beautiful, beautiful scenery... swimming in an out-of-doors lagoon
when the ambient temperature was 0 degrees C.
Of course it was heated by underground thermal water.....it was like
swimming in a warm bath ....until we had to
make a mad dash to the change room for a warm shower and comfy
clothing. It was a great experience to have so much snow!
Things seem quite and peaceful following a beautiful snow - except for
those who have to grippe about it. (I am appreciative
of those who have to work out-of-doors .... police, fire-fighters,
utility people, etc.)
P. Phil has seen his shadow and perhaps his forecast will give us a
six week chance.
You close today's piece with "Let us pray". As a (now retired)
member of the clergy I will do just that - for snow!!
Sincerely,
Clyde R.Shallenberger
Chaplain Emeritus, The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Towson reader Jane Lewis exclaims: "My kids are wearing their pajamas inside out & backwards, throwing ice cubes out their bedroom windows and basically doing anything they can to bring on a big snowfall!!! Totally agree about Rob Roblin - he's definitely Mr. TV Snowman!!! Live in Towson and raised here my entire life so I definitely know about
the snow drama (and actually love it!!!) Here's to 24 inches of snow!!!!"
It's not the economy. It's that the nation is saturated with slots. Maryland is getting into this racket too late. There are only six states now that prohibit slots. We have slots from sea to shining sea. And, as I reported last fall, they are no panacea for budget problems.
From an earlier post:
Look around: At least four other states with lots and lots of slots -- Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut -- are having big budget headaches, too.
Nevada -- that's the state with Las Vegas, and Las Vegas has lots and lots of slots -- one for every eight residents, in fact. And yet Nevada is among the many states facing huge budget shortfalls, something like $898 million, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. . . . Nevada has a declining economy. In fact, the Rockefeller Institute of Government reported recently that no state economy has been worse since January 2007. The measurement is based on tax revenue, the unemployment rate -- now at a 23-year high of 7.1 percent and expected to hit to 7.6 percent in January 2009 -- real wages, average weekly hours worked, the labor market and payroll data. The Nevada governor, Jim Gibbons, and the state legislature have cut state spending by $1.2 billion, and Gibbons warned that another 14 percent cut could be coming in winter, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Things are so bad that the state plans to close the rural East Ely Railroad Depot Museum, a historic link in the state's copper mining history, to save a few bucks. (Why don't they just stick a few slot machines and a black jack table in the place?)
Sounds like Nevada, with its huge gambling industry, just doesn't have a good deal with the casino operators -- or that maybe gambling revenue isn't the ever-flowing revenue stream the "gaming industry" claims it is.
Closer to Maryland, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, also blessed with lots and lots of slots, is facing a budget shortfall of about a billion bucks. Since the new fiscal year began, the Keystone State has seen its biggest first-quarter revenue drop in 20 years. At the current rate at which revenues are plunging, the budget shortfall by next summer could be about $1.3 billion, according to published reports. Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in August, the highest in five years.
In Connecticut, revenues from gambling don't seem to be able to fill the gap -- at least not at the current collection rates. Estimates on the budget shortfall there range from $300 million to $800 million.
New Jersey has lots of slots -- in Atlantic City. This state is staring at $1.7 billion budget shortfall.
Any way you look at this -- with slots or without slots -- states are facing recession, revenue shortfalls and cuts in services and programs. So, with slots or without slots, what's the diff if the "gaming industry" ends up keeping so much of the profit? I remain opposed to Maryland's slots account of the fact that no one listened to me. There should have been a state gambling commission established to oversee the Lottery and all forms of legal gambling. State-sanctioned gambling ought to be state-operated gambling, with no greedy fat cats in the middle -- or it shouldn't be at all.
Got a couple of nasty e-mails from some Rush Limbaugh fans who appreciated neither my Sunday column nor related blog posts about taxation rates on super-wealthy Americans during the Bush years. More than one nastygram writer took up for the uber-rich and defended the $18.4 billion in bonuses Wall Street gave itself last year, dismissing the rest of us as either ungrateful or unproductive -- or at least not as productive as those hard-working and talented people who now live where the air is rare. One guy, who said he paid $200,000 in taxes last year, offered two of the tired myths about all this: that the rich will work – and contribute -- less if they get taxed more under Obama, and that the rich already bear the bulk of the nation’s tax burden.
I asked Sam Pizzigati, editor of Too Much, an online weekly on excess and inequality, and an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, for his comments:
"First, the super rich don’t get rich from the 'work' they do. They get rich from the assets they own. In 2006, the new IRS figures released last week show, America’s most affluent 400 averaged $263 million each in income. Over $205 million of that came from collecting dividends and interest and reaping capital gains from buying and selling securities and various other assets. These 400 can sit on their duffs all day long, live off their assets, and still clear more income in a year than average Americans can make in several dozen lifetimes. In fact, we might all be better off if these super rich did sit on their duffs all day long. Their 'work' – their madcap speculating – has driven our economy into the ditch.
"Secondly, the tax 'burden' on Americans with mega fortunes has shrunk, not increased, over recent years. In 2006, for instance, the top 400 paid, on average, 17.2 percent of their incomes in federal tax. A half-century ago, in 1955, the top 400 paid taxes at a 51.2 percent rate. Average middle class Americans, when you tally up their combined federal income and payroll taxes, today pay taxes at well over a 20 percent rate.
"Multi-billionaire Warren Buffett has pointed out that he pays total taxes at a lower rate than his secretary. In 2006, for instance, he paid 17.7 percent of his $46 million income in tax. His secretary paid 30 percent of her $60,000. Buffett has offered $1 million to any of his fellow billionaires who can show him that they paid more in taxes, as a share of their incomes, than their receptionists. So far, not one billionaire has met Buffett’s challenge.
"It is true that the wealthy, as a group, pay a higher proportion of the nation’s tax bill than they did a few decades ago. But that’s only true because the rich are taking in phenomenally more in income than they did back then. In 1955, for instance, the top 400 averaged – after adjusting for inflation -- $12 million each. Since then, after taking inflation into account, top 400 incomes have increased twenty-fold.
"Meanwhile, average weekly wages in the United States are today running, after inflation, behind where they were a quarter-century ago."
Bloomberg's analysis of the latest Internal Revenue Service data shows that the average tax rate paid by the richest 400 Americans fell by a third to 17.2 percent through the first six years of the Bush administration and their average income doubled to $263.3 million. The 17.2 percent tax rate in 2006 was the lowest since the IRS began tracking the 400 largest taxpayers in 1992. Tax breaks for the filthy rich, more trickle-up economics -- just what the nation needed. Republican presidents since Ronald Reagan have all supported tax policies that supported the super rich over the middle and lower classes (you can look it up). It's why, as I say in Sunday's column, the rich have developed such an obnoxiously high level of entitlement over the last 30 years, and why Wall Street in December and January treated itself to billions in bonuses at a time of economic crisis. It's time for a maximum wage in this country -- at least for the suits in companies we're bailing out. Shock therapy may be the only thing that brings them out of this.
Bruce Springsteen, quoted in the Sunday New York Times by John Pareles:
“Once you start doing that kind of writing, it feeds off itself. You write ‘The Rising’ for this, it gets picked up and used for that, so you end up here. If someone had told me in 2001 that ‘you’re going to sing this song at the inaugural concert for the first African-American president,’ I’d have said, ‘Huh?’ . . . But eight years go by, and that’s where you find yourself. You’re in there, you’re swimming in the current of history and your music is doing the same thing. . . . A lot of the core of our songs is the American idea: What is it? What does it mean? ‘Promised Land,’ ‘Badlands,’ I’ve seen people singing those songs back to me all over the world. I’d seen that country on a grass-roots level through the ’80s, since I was a teenager. And I met people who were always working toward the country being that kind of place. But on a national level it always seemed very far away. . . . And so on election night it showed its face, for maybe, probably, one of the first times in my adult life. I sat there on the couch, and my jaw dropped, and I went, ‘Oh my God, it exists.’ Not just dreaming it. It exists, it’s there, and if this much of it is there, the rest of it’s there. Let’s go get that. Let’s go get it. Just that is enough to keep you going for the rest of your life. All the songs you wrote are a little truer today than they were a month or two ago.”
Well, that was the greatest Super Bowl half-time show ever, and I know I speak for many of my fellow Marylanders in thanking Channel 11, WBAL-TV, for squeezing Bruce Springsteen's concert into a tiny box -- versus, you know, pre-empting him altogether -- so all the we could see the daily Lottery numbers, as if nothing unusual were transpiring. Nice touch.
Lots of mail on today's column already, including this one from Sam Pizzigati, editor, Too Much, an online weekly on excess and inequality, an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, and author of Greed and Good: Understanding and Overcoming the Inequality that Limits Our Lives:
"We’re going to be spotlighting your piece in the next issue of Too Much, our inequality weekly. In 2006, the IRS reported, the top 400 averaged $263 million each and paid just 17.2 percent of that in federal income tax. In 1955, by contrast, the top 400 averaged just under $12 million (in today’s dollars) and paid tax, after exploiting all the loopholes they could find, at a 51.2 percent rate. That great radical, Dwight Eisenhower, rejected GOP efforts all throughout the 1950s to drop tax rates on the upper-bracket set."
