Good morning. It’s Friday. I’ve been a bit absent from the blog as I didn’t want an immediate response to the debate, and this week was September 11th.

I’m Exhausted by Hyperbole in Politics

Hyperbole in politics is like using a sledgehammer to swat a fly — sure, it gets attention, but it doesn’t exactly leave room for a reasonable conversation (or intact furniture). When politicians throw around grandiose statements like “this bill will end civilization as we know it” or “our plan will solve everything from inflation to world hunger,” they turn serious issues into the verbal equivalent of a reality TV show. It’s all drama, no substance. And the real kicker? It makes it almost impossible to have a normal conversation about, you know, actual policy. Instead, we’re left wondering if we need to stockpile canned goods or if we’ve just solved world peace with a tax cut.

Not only does hyperbole distort the conversation, but it’s also like the boy who cried wolf — eventually, nobody takes you seriously. After hearing that “this election is the most important one in history” for the fiftieth time, voters start to roll their eyes and reach for the remote. If everything is a crisis or the best thing since sliced bread, people get tired of the hype, and trust in politicians erodes faster than a sandcastle at high tide. Then, when something actually important happens, everyone’s too busy binge-watching cat videos to care.

And let’s not forget how hyperbole ramps up the drama between political parties. Instead of debating real issues, it turns into a political soap opera where everyone’s either a hero or a villain. One side says, “Pass this law, or we’re all doomed!” while the other side says, “Pass this law, and we’re definitely doomed!” It’s like watching two rival sports teams trash-talk each other, except instead of touchdowns, the stakes are public policy. And just like in sports, sometimes you just want to turn off the TV and go outside for some peace and quiet.

Listen for the hyperbole in this clip where he states that ALL and every scholar wanted the states to decide on abortion rights—even trying to say that abortions are happening after birth. It gets old from both parties.

Buy your Vote with Taxes

I had an interesting conversation in our family group chat about taxes, and now both candidates are offering different tax incentives for your votes. Remember the student loan forgiveness that Biden offered, which was struck down by the Supreme Court? I digress.

Not taxing tips. It sounds good. I’m all for helping those who need it to get on their feet. The only problem I see is about $150 billion to $200 billion less revenue coming into the government, and that’ll immediately go onto the debt to cover it, at least according to this. That’s also revenue going to keep Social Security solvent. As one of my friends pointed out on a thread this morning most tip employees don’t claim or claim the bare minimum of cash tips. Both candidates currently have this proposal.

Not taxing overtime. This is the latest one from Former President Trump. Again, I wonder how much of a hole we’re creating in revenue coming in. It definitely would be larger than not taxing tips. By how much? There is not a reliable estimate yet.

I’m just not crazy about deficit spending. We have a huge spending problem. Remember that some of the presidents listed below only held one term in office.

iPhone Day

Yep. It’s iPhone launch day. Pre-orders went live at 5 am.

Today is iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro pre-order day! Which finish are you looking at?

— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) September 13, 2024

Does anybody remember the original iPhone launch day?

Lastly….

I was reminded of this scene from ‘Warrior.’ Where Tommy is working out at a gym and gets asked if he spar with the gym’s prize fighter.

Have a good weekend everyone!