"April is the cruelest month." Every year at this time somebody is quoting that line, from T.S. Eliot THE WASTE LAND, in lieu of anything better to say about whatever cruelty is regnant. Or just as a way of complaining about taxes. What is the context? Here is a bit of it. "April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain." Love those gerunds, a comma they are following, Bred, mixed and stirred: A line they are ending
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I enjoyed the Times scoop about Trump's losses through the late '80s and early '90s. Why does it matter? Because Trump sold himself as a successful businessman and a great deal-maker, and as someone who would bring those skills into the Oval Office. The tax returns contribute to a very different picture. He was a rich kid playing with Daddy’s money, and losing it (and other peoples’ money too) at great speed. He was eventually bailed out when he learned that he could PLAY a successful tycoon on television — THAT was what he turned out to be good at, and THAT is the skill he brought to politics with him. With this background, his recent efforts at negotiating with North Korea, with our two NAFTA partners, and even with the Democrats on infrastructure, make sense. This isn’t multi-dimensional chess. He’s an old man still trying to teach himself checkers.
With the coming of the New Year, a new Value Added Tax has gone into effect in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Lower oil prices have had a big impact on revenues for both governments, and the VAT is supposed to make up the difference. Also, VAT is politically less unpopular with other taxes because it is less visible. There is no slice of the paycheck disappearing each pay period, for example. There are higher retail prices of course, but from the POV of consumers the prices disappears into the simple number charged at point of sale. As the BBC report on the VATs says, " Gulf states have long attracted foreign workers with the promise of tax-free living." The implication seems to be that they like the fact that they attract foreign workers and they don't want to introduce revenue increasing measures that will scare them off. Thus the appeal of VATs invisibility.