Republicans want to slash funding for the IRS to prevent the IRS from auditing and collecting taxes from wealthy tax cheats – the same tax cheats who sponsor the Republican Party - funny how that works.
In some states, Republicans have banned books that have been in school libraries for at least decades, claiming kids shouldn’t be able to read things that might make them feel bad about our country. Well, our country has done some bad things and it’s important to educate kids so those same mistakes won’t be repeated in the future.
Two lies that notbob posted.
"About $45 billion of the $80 billion in new funding is going to enforcement, and that is great news. For the wealthiest and most sophisticated tax filers, a cash-strapped IRS has meant a tax evasion free-for-all. Currently, the tax gap, which is the amount in taxes that are owed but not paid, comes to nearly $7 trillion over a decade. Three fifths of the tax gap is due to underreporting of income by the top 10% of taxpayers, and more than a quarter comes from the top 1%."
www.brookings.edu/articles/cutting-irs-funding-is-a-gift-to-americas-wealthiest-tax-evaders/Now let's talk about banned books."Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You," by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
This children's book garnered controversy for its frank portrayals of racism.
Senator Ted Cruz held up a copy of the book during the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in April 2022 as he questioned her about her views of critical race theory.
"Stamped" has found itself subject to five book bannings during the last school year.
How to Be an Antiracist," by Ibram X. Kendi
The nonfiction book by Ibram X. Kendi helped popularize the term "antiracist" when came out in 2019. It was on school ban lists five times over the previous school year.
It's part memoir and part social commentary on racism and ethnicity.
"Dear Martin," by Nic Stone
A Black high school student who suffers a dangerous encounter with white police officers writes to the late Martin Luther King, Jr., asking him what he would do.
Stone stated she began writing the 2017 book as a response to the deaths of Jordan Davis and Michael Brown. It received seven bans in schools in the past year.
"Monday's Not Coming," by Tiffany D. Jackson
A Black teenage girl goes missing — and her disappearance is never investigated. The book is based on real-life missing Black girls who fail to receive attention from media or police.
Due to its intense discussions about racism, justice and poverty, the book, which was released in 2018, has been pulled from classroom or school library shelves seven times in the past school year.
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," by Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer's 2005 book, which was turned into a major film in 2012, is one of the most influential of the 21st century, but that hasn't stopped it from getting banned frequently from school libraries — including in seven instances in the past school year alone.
The book deals with themes of death, trauma, and grief in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
"All American Boys," by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Jason Reynolds (pictured here) and Brendan Kiely were sharing a hotel room when they heard that George Zimmerman had been acquitted for the murder of Trayvon Martin. They shared their frustrations and eventually decided to write a book together.
That book talks about two Black boys navigating hurdles of police brutality and racism while growing up in poverty. Because of its explicit racial content and depiction of law enforcement, the book was subject to nine school bans during the 2021-2022 year.
"Nineteen Minutes," by Jodi Picoult
Picoult's 2007 novel "Nineteen Minutes" tells the unfolding tale of a school shooting.
The graphic depictions of the shootings have made the book controversial, and there were nine instances of it being pulled from classroom or school library bookshelves in the past school year.
"The Handmaid's Tale," by Margaret Atwood
"The Handmaid's Tale" shows the dystopian near-future of a patriarchal, totalitarian, theocratic society. The book, originally published in 1985, is now a successful television series. It is still controversial, and was removed from classroom and library bookshelves nine times over 2021-2022.
A special "unburnable" version of Margaret Atwood's famous book, was auctioned off in June 2022 to support PEN America in its goal to fight censorship.
"Beloved," by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison's 1987 novel was inspired by a tragic real-life story of a person fleeing slavery in Kentucky in the 1850s, and the dramatic choices she made when she was caught.
Its violent and graphic scenes were cited as reasons why it was subjected to 11 book bans in schools in the past year.
"Crank," by Ellen Hopkins
A teenager develops a crystal meth addiction. The story was loosely based on Hopkins' own daughter, who also developed an addiction to crystal meth.
Because of the portrayal of addiction, drug usage, and sexual content, it was put on school ban lists 12 times in the 2021-2022 school year.
"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie's book was subjected to school bans 16 times during the 2021-2022 school year. It was first released in 2007, and has been controversial since then due to its subject matter, which deals with poverty, sexuality, bullying, alcohol usage, profanity and the use of slurs.
The novel is semi-autobiographical, based on the Native American author's life, and won a National Book Award in 2007.
Sherman Alexie's book was subjected to school bans 16 times during the 2021-2022 school year. It was first released in 2007, and has been controversial since then due to its subject matter, which deals with poverty, sexuality, bullying, alcohol usage, profanity and the use of slurs.
The novel is semi-autobiographical, based on the Native American author's life, and won a National Book Award in 2007.
"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas, was released in 2017, and deals with the aftereffects of a Black girl who attends a predominantly white, elite private school.
The movie adaptation premiered in 2018.
Due to the race-based themes, profanity, and explicit content, the book has been regularly banned since its release. In the 2021-2022 school year, it was removed from school libraries or classrooms 17 times.
www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-50-most-banned-books-in-america/51/_________________
And let's not forget the classics like, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, and numerous others.
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ttps://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/classicsS
o, maybe there are other things you said I was lying about that we could discuss. I'm enjoying this discussion. How 'bout you?
