Before I get to what's necessary to share with you, it's important to share this quote:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” ― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail
So why were a group of Jewish men who wanted to show solidarity with BLM in Philadelphia singled out? Told that what was going on in the "City of Brotherly Love" was not their fight?
That's according to Legal Insurrection at this point the protests over Walter Wallace's fatal police shooting there while failing to follow police commands while holding a knife has gone from Black Lives Matter to anti-semitism. I'm not sure this advances the narrative of Black Lives Matter and this unrest seems more hateful than useful.
[VIDEO] This on the heels of another police shooting of a Black man who was brandishing a knife not following Philadelphia police commands - he was also said to be mentally ill which is where most people who want to abolish/defund police would rather a social worker or psychologist was there instead of an armed police officer. Either way this has yet become another excuse to loot and riot.
I've never visited Philly, however, one of my goals is to look at the historic American sites as it's one of the major colonial cities. I'm sorry to see even now that a city can descend into unrest even as the weather gets colder. And the outside agitators seem to be at work.
I wonder if authorities - assuming they want to look - will uncover that someone orchestrated all of this.
[VIDEO] I was somewhat hoping that John Stossel would also bring up the now abolished soda tax enacted here in Cook County last summer. Of course the justification of the tax is slightly different but then not really. Gov't wants more tax money to spend on their projects so one of the things this soda tax in Philadelphia, PA was supposed to fund arts programs for youth. Yeah our youth needs exposure to arts and creativity though is this an effective use of tax dollars?
As far as Cook County we were told the expected revenues from this soda tax would benefit the county health care system. Also we were told that the expected revenue was suppose to stave off any job layoffs from the county. Of course with taxes like this the only results have been that the revenue projects made were going to be short. Let's not forget the city's projects on the grocery bag tax was short of expectations also.
BTW, it's very clever to see Sen. Bernie Sanders speak about taxes that prove to be regressive to the poor. It was also clever to note the number of taxes a resident of Philadelphia has to say of course state & federal taxes. Here's an article about delinquent taxes in Philly.
Bottom line is that whatever the politicians expect us to pay back to the gov't it seems it's rarely enough. Depending upon the tax people will change their behavior to avoid paying their share. In the case of pop, they go into another jurisdiction where there is no tax. If the gov't insists on taxing cigarettes to discourage smoking they do the same. Don't like income taxes find a state that doesn't charge an income taxes.
Regardless budget shortfalls what's the solution? It's rarely cut services or jobs it's raise more taxes. Not that I relish anyone losing their job gov't or otherwise however how much more taxes can our politicians expect us to have to pay up?
