From the Community: Taxes, wilderness protection and using technology to catch a thief
We're taking a daily look at some of the most popular stories from the Current community, and we've rounded up some highlights to share. Check them out and add your two cents:
GOP Can’t Handle The Truth: Taxes Are Lower Now Under Obama Than They Were Under Reagan
Submitted by Schnookums
The Republican Party is fond of saying the government's problem isn't revenue -- it's spending. But the fact is, taxes now are lower than they were under Reagan.
For a family of four, the “average income tax rate under Reagan in 1983 was 11.06 percent. Under Clinton in 1992, it was 9.18 percent. And under Obama in 2010, it was 4.68 percent.” During Reagan’s time, income tax revenue ranged from 7.8 to 9.4 percent of GDP. Last year, it was 6.2 percent and is not projected to climb back to 9 percent until 2016. In fact, in 2009, Americans paid their lowest taxes in 60 years.
Obama gives up wilderness protection plan
Submitted by JanforGore
The Obama administration is backing down from a plan to make millions of acres of undeveloped land in the west eligible for federal wilderness protection. The administration faced objections from Congress and Republican governors in Alaska, Utah and Wyoming filed suit to block the plan.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a memo Wednesday that his agency will not designate any of those public lands as "wild lands." Instead Salazar said officials will work with members of Congress to develop recommendations for managing millions of acres of undeveloped land in the West. A copy of the memo was obtained by The Associated Press.
Photos from Stolen MacBook Lead to Arrest
Submitted by itgrunts
If you're stealing a laptop, you might want to check that you're not grabbing one with a built-in camera. Photos from a stolen MacBook, taken via anti-theft software that used the computer's camera, led to the arrest of the thief.
Now this is awesome! A stolen macbook was recovered and the thief arrested after the anti-theft software loaded on it started sending emails with the images of the thief. Joshua Kaufman’s new Oakland apartment was broken into and his mac was missing along with a bag, an electronic book reader and a bottle of gin.
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