Walk this way

Walk this way

When Barack Obama talks about tax increases for the rich and tax cuts for the middle class, he’s referring to the income tax. When the Affordable Footwear Initiative (AFI) talks about tax cuts for the lower and middle income consumers, it’s referring to the shoe tax. The what? Yes, the shoe tax is hurting virtually every American household, the advocacy group claims. It wants Congress to do some sole-searching and repeal a tariff on shoes enacted in the 1930s to protect domestic manufacturers. Nearly every pair of shoes sold in the U.S. was made outside our borders, but the tariff on imported shoes can be as high as 67.5 percent, driving the cost of shoes up by up to $4.50 a pair. A bill pending in Congress would stomp out the tax once for all. AFI is in quite a leather about this tax, which has bipartisan opposition. Uncle Sam can do without the revenue and should walk away from the tariff.

Get the shovel!

When MSNBC host/commentator Joe Scarborough was discussing positive developments in the John McCain campaign, fellow commentator Keith Olbermann was heard to say, “Jesus, Joe, why don’t you get a shovel?” When Olbermann opens his mouth, more than a shovel is needed. A backhoe, perhaps, or a front-end loader. Executives at NBC News/MSNBC finally came to their senses and yanked Olbermann and Chris Matthews as co-anchors of political coverage. The commentators were posing as newsmen on election nights and during the national political conventions. Fox News Network, which Olbermann frequently blasts, never used Bill O’Reilly in that capacity. In our view, Olbermann, Matthews and O’Reilly are all Cat 3 blowhards. They have their own shows and they shouldn’t be anchoring the news alongside Tom Brokaw or Brit Hume. With Olbermann on stage, NBC had become the “Nasty Broadcasting Network.” What took the execs so long to figure out it wasn’t appropriate for him to be an anchor?

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