A big part of politics, I think, is trolling. And, just like on the internet, it works! Look no further than the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party. He's basically the Fox Nation comment section incarnate and yet, he could be the next President of the United States!
From a legislative standpoint, this works too. And yesterday, Congresswomen Gwen Moore of Wisconsin rolled out a bill that is, hopefully, the beginning of something great. The operative element for us is, there's a tax angle:
In the wake of several nationwide efforts by Republicans to drug test social welfare recipients, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04) introduced the Top 1% Accountability Act of 2016, requiring drug testing for all tax filers claiming itemized deductions in any year over $150,000.
It makes sense, right? If you believe that programs like TANF and SNAP are drains on the system, how are the home interest deduction or charitable contributions any different? They cost the government a lot of money, too!
So if you really want to itemize, rich people, then you should be willing to pee into a cup. It's only fair.
Image: Official portrait
The GOP is making a concerted effort to pressure billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett to release his tax returns to the public. Republicans say Buffett — the public face of Obama’s proposed “Buffett rule” to increase taxes on the wealthy — needs to reveal his finances if his views on tax rates are going to serve as the basis for Obama administration policy. “Will Warren Buffett release his tax returns so we can see why he should be the standard for tax policy?” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) questioned in a tweet Thursday. “If he’s going to be the gold standard, so to speak, in terms of what our tax policy should be, yeah, let’s look at it [his tax returns],” Cornyn told ABC News. [