Loved or liked all of this week's visual Tweets. Great job rounding them up.
On hugging - I'm not much of a hugger, but am fully back into handshake mode. (But , despite being vaxxed, got COVID again. Although I'm pretty sure that I contracted it while on a long-haul flight.)
The pro-life prohibitionists are going to do for abortion what the WCTU did for alcohol. We should be concentrating on changing hearts and minds, addressing the reasons why women have abortions and providing effective alternatives. But, their strong association with Trump seems to have turned many of them into authoritarians who want to impose their views upon everyone else even if it backfires on them.
And I am guessing that a lot of these people wouldn't even wear a mask to protect others from Covid but still insist that a woman endure a pregnancy and give birth no matter what her circumstances are.
I don't think it's Trump, rather the elimination of the Roe v. Wade protections for women seeking abortions that have caused enhanced aggression by anti-abortion advocates.
I woke up this morning thinking that the United States should change its tax laws and get rid of any exemptions for churches. (And I am a religious person.) There isn't much doubt that they are political animals these days (and perhaps have been forever). Churches on the conservative end of the spectrum seem to emphasize the need for the individual to "get right with God," and those on the liberal end seem to emphasize that everyone is OK in God's eyes but that we need to take care of each other. All religions should (and most do) reach out to help the poor, take care of their own families and those of others, etc. But a young relative mentioned to me the other day that many megachurches have no denominational designation, and I think that says volumes. No one knows what they stand for. And why the continued emphasis on sex from the conservatives? Those abortion rights protesters are not acting like Christians, if we believe that Jesus said, "Love one another." And the negative response of so-called Christians to anyone who is gay is why many gays have had years of therapy about their worthiness. So, maybe it is time to revisit the designation of "church." Think of the dollars that would pour into the US Treasury! Comments, please.
Religious congregations (including mosques, temples of various faiths, etc , not just churches) subject to the current income tax structure would file as businesses, not as individuals, and would be allowed, as any business is, to deduct operating expenses. The vast majority of religious congregations strain to pay the bills, and normally would pay little or no income tax--just as some flourishing mega-corporations have been said to do. Yes, there are huge congregations, as well as religious schools, hospitals, social service agencies, summer-camp facilities, etc., some of them led by modern-day Elmer Gantrys, that could well afford to pay income tax, and perhaps should. Imposing property tax, on the other hand, would likely close many congregations and other religion-affiliated institutions forever. Such an outcome would raise 1st Amendment concerns as favoring wealthy faiths able to pay the tax over most of the others. Has religion fallen out of favor with enough Americans to put the property tax exemption to the test?
You are right about the income, which for some churches is fairly small. But the megachurches with 'pastors' who own multiple private jets, etc. could come up with some hefty tax dollars if reason wins out on the topic.
The visibility of megachurches is high, but as a proportion of all U.S. congregations (not just churches), most (not just some) of which are far from financially secure, much less flush. Similarly, their large memberships are far from accounting for a majority of all worshippers. Beyond that, income tax isn't wealth tax, so the jets, vast campuses, and substantial bank and investment accounts associated with such congregations (many of which aren't Christian churches, BTW), exactly like those associated with Amazon and JPMorgan Chase, are beyond the reach of income tax because they are assets, not income. If there is a legal means of achieving substantially greater financial support for the common good from the vaults of those sitting on vast wealth than our country gets now, I'm all for it. Limiting the factor by which annual C-suite-level compensation may exceed that of the average compensation of the rest of the firm, including custodial, maintenance, and security staffs whether internal or contracted out (a factor of several dozen in the '60s; in or approaching the thousands now) would have an immense beneficial effect on the economy and the body politic vastly greater than dinging the conspicuous consumption of the megachurches. (BTW, the congregation of which I am a long-time member is far from being a megachurch and likely would be unaffected, aside from the need to file annual paperwork, by any law allowing its net income to be taxed. I have no dog in this fight.)
I notice these Christians, especially the politicians, talk about the Bible. They only seem to quote the Old Testament. I was always taught that the works of Christ were in the New.
They decry Sharia law, but Christia law is okay. I attended a ceremony at a Seventh Day Adventist church at my brother in laws request. If you took out the pews, you’d think you were in a VFW hall.
Well, separation of Church and State is in the constitution. My understanding is that is the basis for exempting churches from tax. It would be a heavy lift to make that change.
As for politics... Yes the ancient civilization that got big relied on the notion that their leaders were chosen by god(s). Europe was united under the pope. So they are all about political power from the start.
I agree with you that exempting them from taxation is BS. That is most visible with local tax which funds, roads, fire and police. All of those things churches use just like everyone else.
Does anyone know if churches are exempt from zoning laws? I assume they are not. If they are exempt for tax law why are they not also exempt from building codes?
I've become much more of a hugger as I've gotten older (softer?). I hugged my female employees pretty much for the first time when I retired. Always kept professional distance before that. Self preservation as well as, well, it just doesn't work in the workplace much imo.
Now I've found that I as I've gotten older, I truly want to hug good friends. Some of it is the realization of the treasure they are, but also, it's that time where you begin to lose a few and I just really need to express to those I love that emotion.
I don't impinge on acquaintances or strangers that way though as that's too presumptuous.
I can't believe Eric went an entire column without pointing out the latest folly by Brandon Johnson. Apparently he now wants to make his own rules about whom he can and cannot take campaign money from, even when there are rules that he himself pushed. I suppose it gets old pointing out his follies as the city is stuck with him for the next three and a half years unless he is caught dong something criminal. Lord help Chicago!
As I scroll down the Sentinel, the notice of Jason Benetti's departure sits at the top of my screen and beneath it is a picture of a man who is crying. Perfect juxtaposition. Benetti is fantastic. He was reason enough to watch the Sox. As for the coach who is crying, Go Blue!
I am back to shaking hands; however, I try to wash my hands as soon as I can afterward. And I’m never going to give up my big brass door-opening key. Gonna do my best to never touch another door lever as long as I live.
You might want to rethink some of your exacting standards. I’m not a virologist, but it’s elementary that taking extreme measures in an attempt to eliminate contact with germs is not healthy, and will make you considerably more vulnerable to sickness. Your immune system needs its exercise.
"Beloved" might well be overused, but it certainly was appropriate in the case of Jason Benetti. I've been listening to and watching Chicago baseball for 70 years and he was absolutely the very best we've ever had. Every White Sox fan I knew agreed with that assessment. Ostensibly, he was allowed to leave because his national assignments interfered with too many Sox games. Truth be told, it was a matter of serious jealousy within the White Sox executive suite where mediocrity is prized. For too long, Sox fans have had to put up with tired, insulting promotions instead of quality baseball. As Rick could have said in Casablanca, "Maybe we lost the best announcer in sports, but we'll always have Mullet Night."
Eric, if an actual newspaper had described Benetti in a headline as beloved you would have every right to be annoyed. But this came from the network which carried the games which he called. No one would consider NBC Sports Chicago as being a serious journalistic entity. Their only mission is to promote viewing of their product. Journalism is not their concern.
The spelling error was the fault of the Associated Press. Had the error emanated from a Mississippi newspaper I would have voted for that tweet but I voted for the pie chart instead.
All the visual tweets were pretty good this week as they usually are.
So, apparently now it's OK to drop f-bombs on network TV? Or is it okay in this instance because the dropper is a sobbing assistant football coach, and praising UMichigan football players, alumni and its (cheating) head coach?
Loved or liked all of this week's visual Tweets. Great job rounding them up.
On hugging - I'm not much of a hugger, but am fully back into handshake mode. (But , despite being vaxxed, got COVID again. Although I'm pretty sure that I contracted it while on a long-haul flight.)
I had to vote for the "montly pie chart" just because of the typo.
That's the Teutonic spelling of the word.
My go-to excuse for typos
The pro-life prohibitionists are going to do for abortion what the WCTU did for alcohol. We should be concentrating on changing hearts and minds, addressing the reasons why women have abortions and providing effective alternatives. But, their strong association with Trump seems to have turned many of them into authoritarians who want to impose their views upon everyone else even if it backfires on them.
They were like that even before Trump.
And I am guessing that a lot of these people wouldn't even wear a mask to protect others from Covid but still insist that a woman endure a pregnancy and give birth no matter what her circumstances are.
I don't think it's Trump, rather the elimination of the Roe v. Wade protections for women seeking abortions that have caused enhanced aggression by anti-abortion advocates.
They are not pro-life folks!! They are FORCED BIRTH folks. And in their equation, embryo / fetus = life while the "uterus with legs" =/= life?!?!?!
I woke up this morning thinking that the United States should change its tax laws and get rid of any exemptions for churches. (And I am a religious person.) There isn't much doubt that they are political animals these days (and perhaps have been forever). Churches on the conservative end of the spectrum seem to emphasize the need for the individual to "get right with God," and those on the liberal end seem to emphasize that everyone is OK in God's eyes but that we need to take care of each other. All religions should (and most do) reach out to help the poor, take care of their own families and those of others, etc. But a young relative mentioned to me the other day that many megachurches have no denominational designation, and I think that says volumes. No one knows what they stand for. And why the continued emphasis on sex from the conservatives? Those abortion rights protesters are not acting like Christians, if we believe that Jesus said, "Love one another." And the negative response of so-called Christians to anyone who is gay is why many gays have had years of therapy about their worthiness. So, maybe it is time to revisit the designation of "church." Think of the dollars that would pour into the US Treasury! Comments, please.
Religious congregations (including mosques, temples of various faiths, etc , not just churches) subject to the current income tax structure would file as businesses, not as individuals, and would be allowed, as any business is, to deduct operating expenses. The vast majority of religious congregations strain to pay the bills, and normally would pay little or no income tax--just as some flourishing mega-corporations have been said to do. Yes, there are huge congregations, as well as religious schools, hospitals, social service agencies, summer-camp facilities, etc., some of them led by modern-day Elmer Gantrys, that could well afford to pay income tax, and perhaps should. Imposing property tax, on the other hand, would likely close many congregations and other religion-affiliated institutions forever. Such an outcome would raise 1st Amendment concerns as favoring wealthy faiths able to pay the tax over most of the others. Has religion fallen out of favor with enough Americans to put the property tax exemption to the test?
You are right about the income, which for some churches is fairly small. But the megachurches with 'pastors' who own multiple private jets, etc. could come up with some hefty tax dollars if reason wins out on the topic.
The visibility of megachurches is high, but as a proportion of all U.S. congregations (not just churches), most (not just some) of which are far from financially secure, much less flush. Similarly, their large memberships are far from accounting for a majority of all worshippers. Beyond that, income tax isn't wealth tax, so the jets, vast campuses, and substantial bank and investment accounts associated with such congregations (many of which aren't Christian churches, BTW), exactly like those associated with Amazon and JPMorgan Chase, are beyond the reach of income tax because they are assets, not income. If there is a legal means of achieving substantially greater financial support for the common good from the vaults of those sitting on vast wealth than our country gets now, I'm all for it. Limiting the factor by which annual C-suite-level compensation may exceed that of the average compensation of the rest of the firm, including custodial, maintenance, and security staffs whether internal or contracted out (a factor of several dozen in the '60s; in or approaching the thousands now) would have an immense beneficial effect on the economy and the body politic vastly greater than dinging the conspicuous consumption of the megachurches. (BTW, the congregation of which I am a long-time member is far from being a megachurch and likely would be unaffected, aside from the need to file annual paperwork, by any law allowing its net income to be taxed. I have no dog in this fight.)
I notice these Christians, especially the politicians, talk about the Bible. They only seem to quote the Old Testament. I was always taught that the works of Christ were in the New.
They decry Sharia law, but Christia law is okay. I attended a ceremony at a Seventh Day Adventist church at my brother in laws request. If you took out the pews, you’d think you were in a VFW hall.
Well, separation of Church and State is in the constitution. My understanding is that is the basis for exempting churches from tax. It would be a heavy lift to make that change.
As for politics... Yes the ancient civilization that got big relied on the notion that their leaders were chosen by god(s). Europe was united under the pope. So they are all about political power from the start.
I agree with you that exempting them from taxation is BS. That is most visible with local tax which funds, roads, fire and police. All of those things churches use just like everyone else.
Does anyone know if churches are exempt from zoning laws? I assume they are not. If they are exempt for tax law why are they not also exempt from building codes?
I've become much more of a hugger as I've gotten older (softer?). I hugged my female employees pretty much for the first time when I retired. Always kept professional distance before that. Self preservation as well as, well, it just doesn't work in the workplace much imo.
Now I've found that I as I've gotten older, I truly want to hug good friends. Some of it is the realization of the treasure they are, but also, it's that time where you begin to lose a few and I just really need to express to those I love that emotion.
I don't impinge on acquaintances or strangers that way though as that's too presumptuous.
I can't believe Eric went an entire column without pointing out the latest folly by Brandon Johnson. Apparently he now wants to make his own rules about whom he can and cannot take campaign money from, even when there are rules that he himself pushed. I suppose it gets old pointing out his follies as the city is stuck with him for the next three and a half years unless he is caught dong something criminal. Lord help Chicago!
I do think that was an oversight, taking those donations. Maybe I missed it, but I don't think he's trying to change the rules.
I hope all the active duty folks and Vets had a good Veteran’s Day.
Thank you for your service!
I also wish the same for their families.
Thank you for your support!
As I scroll down the Sentinel, the notice of Jason Benetti's departure sits at the top of my screen and beneath it is a picture of a man who is crying. Perfect juxtaposition. Benetti is fantastic. He was reason enough to watch the Sox. As for the coach who is crying, Go Blue!
I am back to shaking hands; however, I try to wash my hands as soon as I can afterward. And I’m never going to give up my big brass door-opening key. Gonna do my best to never touch another door lever as long as I live.
You might want to rethink some of your exacting standards. I’m not a virologist, but it’s elementary that taking extreme measures in an attempt to eliminate contact with germs is not healthy, and will make you considerably more vulnerable to sickness. Your immune system needs its exercise.
"Beloved" might well be overused, but it certainly was appropriate in the case of Jason Benetti. I've been listening to and watching Chicago baseball for 70 years and he was absolutely the very best we've ever had. Every White Sox fan I knew agreed with that assessment. Ostensibly, he was allowed to leave because his national assignments interfered with too many Sox games. Truth be told, it was a matter of serious jealousy within the White Sox executive suite where mediocrity is prized. For too long, Sox fans have had to put up with tired, insulting promotions instead of quality baseball. As Rick could have said in Casablanca, "Maybe we lost the best announcer in sports, but we'll always have Mullet Night."
Eric, if an actual newspaper had described Benetti in a headline as beloved you would have every right to be annoyed. But this came from the network which carried the games which he called. No one would consider NBC Sports Chicago as being a serious journalistic entity. Their only mission is to promote viewing of their product. Journalism is not their concern.
The spelling error was the fault of the Associated Press. Had the error emanated from a Mississippi newspaper I would have voted for that tweet but I voted for the pie chart instead.
All the visual tweets were pretty good this week as they usually are.
So, apparently now it's OK to drop f-bombs on network TV? Or is it okay in this instance because the dropper is a sobbing assistant football coach, and praising UMichigan football players, alumni and its (cheating) head coach?