This is our newsletter, Hard Reset. Sign up here. Donate to BigIfTrue.org here.
Crunching the numbers
- ProPublica published an investigation of Internal Revenue Service data that “demolishes the cornerstone myth of the American tax system: that everyone pays their fair share and the richest Americans pay the most.” While the median household pays 14% of its income in federal taxes, ProPublica’s analysis found that from 2014 to 2018, the richest 25 Americans paid an actual tax rate of about 3% thanks to tax avoidance tactics. Warren Buffett, who has publicly supported higher taxes for the wealthiest Americans, had a true tax rate of .1%. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos paid no income taxes in 2007, just as stock in his company more than doubled and his wealth grew by $3.8 billion.
- According to a 2018 survey from the Association for Flight Attendants-CWA, about 68% of flight attendants experienced sexual harassment during their careers. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that airlines don’t have standard practices for reporting sexual misconduct. In a lawsuit filed last year, a Fort Worth flight attendant alleged that after a celebrity chef sexually assaulted her during a work trip for American Airlines, the airline retaliated against her for reporting the incident.
- The National Association of Home Builders reports that the price of lumber, which has tripled since last year, has made the average home about $36,000 more expensive.
In local news
- The hundredth anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre has drawn statewide and national attention to the white mob attack against Black Tulsans that left 300 dead by some estimates. But as the centennial ends, the Tulsa World reports that some Greenwood community members are skeptical that increased awareness of the tragedy will lead to lasting change for Black Tulsans.
- The three living survivors of the massacre each received $100,000 last week from the Justice for Greenwood Foundation, which has been pushing for reparations in connection with the massacre.
- Many Oklahomans never learned about the Tulsa Race Massacre, and more eyes on the history of Greenwood has led to calls for schools across the country to teach students about the destruction of Black Wall Street. Yet what happened here in Oklahoma isn’t the only racist mob attack that occurred in the United States and was omitted from history books.
- Go deeper: This post describes other massacres that happened across the country. The Texas Tribune detailed The Texas Rangers’ participation in a massacre that left 15 unarmed Tejano men and boys dead in 1918. Hundreds of Black people were killed in the 1919 Elaine Massacre in Arkansas.
Thank you for reading Hard Reset. You can find me here at bryant@bigiftrue.org and 405-990-0988.
– Mollie Bryant
Founder and editor, BigIfTrue.org