Are Your Tax Dollars Working for You?

Mack and Steve talk about taxes, highway budgets, and there are two (count ‘em two!) separate references to presidential speeches! Come join the fun!

What one doctor has to say about health insurance:

Shmerling, Robert H. “Is our healthcare system broken?” July 13, 2021. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-our-healthcare-system-broken-202107132542

Does Jeff Bezos pay any taxes:

Eisinger, Jesse, Ernsthausen, Jeff, and Kiel, Paul. “The secret IRS files: Trove of never-before-seen records reveal how the wealthiest avoid income tax.” June 8, 2021. ProPublica. https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax

Curious about how long it would take you to earn as much money as Jeff Bezos:

Merelli, Annalisa. “The average US worker would need 10 times the length of all human history to earn as much as Jeff Bezos.” October 10, 2019. Quartz. https://qz.com/1723454/this-is-how-long-an-average-us-worker-needs-to-become-a-billionaire

What Warren Buffett had to say about his secretary’s taxes:

Isidore, Chris. “Buffett says he’s still paying lower tax rate than his secretary.” March 4, 2013. CNN Business. https://money.cnn.com/2013/03/04/news/economy/buffett-secretary-taxes/index.html

Want to learn more about education vouchers in Texas:

Osteen, Olivia. “Texas’ governor is pushing major school choice bill: What it means – and will it pass?” October 24, 2023. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/texas-governor-pushing-major-school-choice-bill-means/story?id=104050942

Want more info about the “special” sessions:

The Texas Politics Project. “Special sessions of the Texas legislature.” https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/bur/features/0404_02/slide1.html

Want to read the book that is the Texas Constitution:

Texas Legislative Council. “General reference.” As amended through the May 7, 2022, election. https://tlc.texas.gov/docs/legref/TxConst.pdf

What is the term for a Texas governor (asking for a friend):

U.S. Term Limits. “Which states have term limits on governor?” https://www.termlimits.com/which-states-have-term-limits-on-governor/

Is the Texas attorney general a crook? You decide:

The Texas Tribune. “Ken Paxton Impeachment.” https://www.texastribune.org/series/ken-paxton-impeachment-texas-attorney-general/

Yes, other states have offices that deal with railroads. But the Texas Railroad Commissioner is a fairly unique post because they no longer oversee the railroads. So, what do they do, according to their office:

Railroad Commission of Texas. “About us.” https://www.rrc.texas.gov/about-us/

In case you were wondering who now runs the Texas railroads:

Federal Railroad Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. https://railroads.dot.gov/

Not familiar with West Texas Intermediate:

Chen, James. “West Texas Intermediate (WTI): Definition and use as a benchmark.” June 13, 2022. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/wti.asp

Why yes, the U.S. is a net oil exporter:

U.S. Energy Information Administration. “How much petroleum does the United States import and export?” https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=727&t=6#:~:text=The%20resulting%20total%20net%20petroleum,million%20b%2Fd%20in%202022.

Yep, Texas has earthquakes:

Douglas, Erin. “Earthquakes in Texas doubled in 2021. Scientists cite years of oil companies injecting sludgy water underground.” February 8, 2022. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/08/west-texas-earthquakes-fracking/

Curious to learn a little history about the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) not maintaining roads due to budget cuts:

Floyd, Ian. “Plans to convert paved roads to gravel begins despite local concerns.” August 19, 2013. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/19/conversion-of-roads-to-gravel-met-with-concern/

What about TxDOT’s current budget, you say:

Texas Department of Transportation. “Funding Brochure 2023.” https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/fin/funding-brochure-2023.pdf

Unfamiliar with the concept of a farm to market or ranch to market road:

Texas Department of Transportation. “Farm/Ranch to Market Facts.” https://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/fmfacts.htm#:~:text=Texas%20is%20the%20only%20state,have%20Farm%20to%20Market%20Roads.

The toll road that goes around Austin is 130, Anne approves of it, and you can find it here:

General Texas Regional Mobility Authority. “Open Toll Roads Map." https://www.mobilityauthority.com/pay-your-toll/roads/map

Want more info on Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights:

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. “1944 State of the Union Address: FDR’s ‘Second Bill of Rights’ or ‘Economic Bill of Rights’ speech.” http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/stateoftheunion.html

When were flu shots made:

World Health Organization. “History of the influenza vaccine.” https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/history-of-vaccination/history-of-influenza-vaccination

If you don’t want to go to the last episode to look up How to Hide an Empire:

Daniel Immerwahr. How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States. (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2019).

Mack knows a lot about U.S. aircraft carriers and so can you:

U.S. Naval Institute. “USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.” October 30, 2023. https://news.usni.org/2023/10/30/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-oct-30-2023#more-106578

The F-35, we’re sure is a very nice fighter plane, but:

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. “Fact Sheet: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Costs and challenges.” April 7, 2016 (updated July 2021). https://armscontrolcenter.org/f-35-joint-strike-fighter-costs-challenges/

Want more info on Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address:

National Archives. “President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address.” https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/president-dwight-d-eisenhowers-farewell-address

Love who now:

Matthew 22:37-40 

Who inherits the Earth again:

Psalms 37:11

How to make a margarita cocktail:

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/margarita/

Wait, there’s tequila with sugar in it:

Difford’s Guide for Discerning Drinkers. “Tequila: Classifications, categories, & classes.” https://www.diffordsguide.com/g/1084/tequila/classifications

Our listener, Jason, recommends the following mezcal, and we concur:

Luminar Mezcal

Need to brush up on the Fibonacci sequence to mix cocktails:

Math is Fun. “Fibonacci sequence.” https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/fibonacci-sequence.html

Mack and Anne still politely disagree in Texan, but Steve may be on to something when it comes to putting your alcohol in the freezer:

Gane, Tamara. “This is why you should never store booze in the freezer.” February 14, 2022. Southern Living. https://www.southernliving.com/food/kitchen-assistant/storing-liquor-in-freezer

What Steve is reading:

Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer (editors). Myth America: Historians Take The Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past. (Basic Books, 2023)

What Mack is reading:

Boethius. Consolation of Philosophy. (Penguin Classics, 1999).

Want to find out if you’re are part neanderthal like Mack through the National Geographic Genographic Project? Well, I have some bad news for you:

National Geographic. “Genographic DNA ancestry discontinuation: About the project.” https://help.nationalgeographic.com/?path=s/article/Genographics-DNA-Ancestry

How often do you think about the Roman empire:

The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Roman Empire”. Last updated October 4, 2023. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Roman-Empire

Mack recommends you read the book of Job along with your Boethius:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%201&version=NIV

How to make a Moscow mule:

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/moscow-mule-cocktail-recipe/

Apparently, everyone from Michigan has a thing about Vernor’s ginger ale:

Detroit Historical Society. “Vernor’s Ginger Ale.” https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/vernors-ginger-ale

There are a few reasons why we aren’t fond of Vladimir Putin, but here’s a solid one:

International Criminal Court. “Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants against Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lovova-Belova.” March 17, 2023. https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-ukraine-icc-judges-issue-arrest-warrants-against-vladimir-vladimirovich-putin-and#:~:text=Mr%20Vladimir%20Vladimirovich%20Putin%2C%20born,articles%208(2)(a

Mack DID NOT find a source about Russian soldiers being paid in bottles of vodka, but Anne did find this interesting article so the bit was left in:

Kamieński, Łukasz. “Russian troops are battling high and drunk: It’s nothing new.” July 11, 2023. The Hill. https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4088951-russia-is-losing-in-ukraine-because-of-its-army-of-addicts/

“what didn’t you do to bury me/but you forgot that I was a seed”

Dinos Christianopoulos. The Body and the Wormwood. (1978)

Want to learn about challenge coins:

Lange, Katie. “The challenge coin tradition: Do you know how it started?” October 8, 2017. U.S. Department of Defense. https://www.defense.gov/News/Inside-DOD/Blog/article/2567302/the-challenge-coin-tradition-do-you-know-how-it-started/

Please vote. If you need help voting:

https://www.vote411.org/

Yes, of course, Moscow mules as in Moscow, Texas:

Texas Almanac. “Towns: Moscow.” https://texasalmanac.com/places/moscow

And “Starfleet vessel” is a reference to Star Trek. But you already knew that.