That Contraceptive Mandate

I got e-mail this week from Senator John Cornyn. He sends out a newsletter called “The Lonestar Weekly.” The lead story this time was about the contraceptive mandate that’s been causing the big firestorm in the media. Pundits everywhere seem to be arguing one side or the other: should faith-based employers be required to provide health insurance plans that cover birth control?

Cornyn, predictably, says no. Not that he, personally, has anything against birth control. Well, he doesn’t exactly say that, but he makes a point of saying contraception isn’t the point:
 “The dispute over the mandate is not a dispute over the use of contraception. It is a dispute over First Amendment rights.”

He devotes several paragraphs to this argument, using phrases like “a blow to one of our most cherished liberties” and “the bedrock principles upon which our great country was established.” His headline vows, “If President Obama doesn't end contraception rule, Congress will.”

Family Connections

I saw a picture in the paper today. People sitting a courtroom, looking much friendlier than they typically do at a trial or jury selection day. The bench is piled with teddy bears and other cuddly critters. In the foreground, a man hugs a little girl while his wife, decked out in a corsage, wipes away tears. The caption says this girl, age 5, was one of 25 local kids who got a new “forever family” on Adoption Day.

A note under the caption directed me to more photos on the website. I found more photos of the little girl with her new parents, and photos of another couple who adopted three boys to add to the three kids they already had. It was a happy occasion all around. Each adopted child got a stuffed animal to take home, and a necklace or bracelet engraved with his or her new name.

Papers, Please!

For the past week, Texas has been on fire. At least 1,400 families have lost their homes and pretty much everything they owned. Some of those are people I know. And the fires are still burning.

As I sit here wondering what I can do to help those friends and co-workers, I find myself fretting about important documents they may have lost. Thirty years ago, that would have been way down my list of concerns. But in this polarized, post-9/11 America, it seems you can hardly do anything without a document that verifies your right to exist.

Taxing Questions

It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything in this space. Not because I had nothing to say. I just didn’t know where to start.

I still don’t, really. But today, I’ll start with taxes. We’ve heard a lot about them in recent weeks. Federal, state and local governments are strapped for cash. They’ve been slashing budgets with a vengeance. Liberal/progressive types think we could stand to raise some taxes -- especially on wealthier Americans, who, they say, are not paying anywhere near their fair share. Conservatives just want to cut.

As a taxpaying American, I wanted to find out where I stand in this equation. So I did a little exercise this week. I dug out all the paperwork I could find and added up the taxes my household paid in 2010. It came to 26.27% of our total pre-tax income. Just over a quarter of each dollar we made went to taxes.