Taxing Times

"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

-Benjamin Frankilin 1817

The original tax form, introduced in 1913, only came with one page of instructions, "which would make people very happy," said Nina Olson, taxpayer advocate at the IRS.

Back then, only about 3 percent of the population was subject to the income tax. Today it's 54 percent. Gone is the single page of instructions, with its deductions for losses due to "shipwreck."

Now, the tax code is more than 73,000 pages long. Just figuring out what to pay eats up an estimated 6.1 billion hours of our time each year.

Read more...

Why do we have to pay taxes in the first place?

Where is the tax bill now on the path to becoming law?

Who is Grover Norquist and what is his pledge?

Would you sign it?  Why/ not?

A Higher Loyalalty

In an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Comey describes having to talk to the then-president-elect about allegations Trump was involved with prostitutes in Moscow.

1) Who is James Comey?

2) Why did he write this book?

3) Why was he fired?

4) What does the POTUS think about James Comey?

5) Who do you beleive:  POTUS or Comey?  Why? 

Happy Friday the 13th!

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year.  The superstition surrounding this day may have arisen in the Middle Ages, "originating from the story of Jesus' last supper and crucifixion" in which there were 13 individuals present.

Why do we like being afraid?

Why should or shouldn't we be afraid of the news?

War In Syria

For the past five years, Hadi Abdullah, 29, has been reporting on the war in Syria and its devastating effects in rebel-held areas. This work has put him and his colleagues in the line of fire.  Watch his report and answer these questions on your own sheet of paper.

1) Why did Hadi become a reporter?

2) What was he studying before the war?

3) Is he biased? If so, how?

4) What risks does he and his friends face?

5) Who does he hope will see his reports ? Why?

Still don't understand the fighting in Syria? It's complicated.

6) What was the 'Arab Spring?

7) What are the roots of the conflict?

8) Who are the good guys and the bad guys?

9) Why aren't the United States, Europe, or the United Nations doing anything?

10) In your opinon what should happen next? Should the United States Intervene? If so how? If not why?

So what has happened to Hadi Abdullah?

Fake News Blues

How America's largest local TV owner turned its news anchors into soldiers in Trump's war on the media: https://t.co/iLVtKRQycL pic.twitter.com/dMdSGellH3

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) March 31, 2018

One company. One script. Many, many voices.

A video published by sports news site Deadspin over the weekend revealed dozens of TV anchors from Sinclair Broadcast Group reciting the same speech warning against "biased and false news."

It was the latest show of the vast reach of a company that owns local TV stations across the country and has long been criticized for pushing conservative coverage and commentary onto local airwaves.

Sinclair required local anchors to record promos where they denounce "the troubling trend of irresponsible, one-sided news stories plaguing our country" and say that "some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda to control 'exactly what people think.' "

Sinclair says it is simply warning viewers about the dangers of fake news circulating on social media.

But media critics see a powerful company using local journalists to parrot one of President Trump's most consistent talking points — an allegation that the mainstream media cannot be trusted.

Read the rest of the story then answer these questions:

 1) What is the Sinclair Broadcasting Group? Does this group have its own bias?

 2) What are some of the criticisms of this campaign against 'fake news' by the Sinclair Broadcasting Group?  How has Sinclair responded to these criticisms?

3) What does President Trump think about these criticisms?  What has he tweeted?

4) Is it wrong for Sinclair Broadcasting Group to send out messages like this or does it really affirm their commitment to fair, unbiased journalism? What do you think?