Steady Hands & Open Hearts is headed for a book!

I've had such positive feedback about my latest column - A Steady Hand & an Open Heart - at InDepthNH ( http://bit.ly/SteadyHand ). . . thank you! A lot of folks have told me that they want to know more about where we are and where we need to go. They've encouraged me to write a book based on the foundation established in the column. So, I'm moving forward on doing just that. If you'd like to be kept up to date on progress, including some excerpts from time to time, join the email list here: http://eepurl.com/bbOh3n

Ripple of Hope - Limited Edition Poster

Ripple of Hope - Bobby Kennedy Quote Print

Holiday Special
http://bit.ly/RFKHoliday

A single ripple emanates outward on Mendums Pond in Durham, NH in this mixed media image. In this color image the sky has been painted with watercolors giving the image a very etherial feeling. The image brought to mind Robert Kennedy's famous Affirmation Day speech in South Africa in 1966. RFK had been warned not to go to South Africa and told that his presence would only cause trouble. He went anyway and gave the most beautiful and powerful speech of his life and one of the most eloquent speeches in history to my mind. I have added a portion of the speech to the original image which is also available without the speech. People like me who long for a leader who is fiercely brave and reaches out to the forgotten and dispossessed as well as the working man and woman and the one percent with a message that we are all in this together will find this image one of your most cherished possessions. It is available in both a signed edition as well as an inexpensive open edition. The signed originals are printed on fine art rag paper with archival inks, the open edition on your choice of stock.

Quote from Robert F. Kennedy's famous "Ripple of Hope" Speech delivered in South Africa in 1966 when South Africa was deep in the throes of Apartheid. In a courageous act, and against all the advice of almost all those who were grooming RFK for the Presidency, he delivered this speech calling people worldwide to the cause of freedom and equality.

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
http://bit.ly/RFKHoliday

Special Offer

Ripple of Hope - Limited Edition Print
19" x 30" Signed limited Edition of 250 prints
Was $125
Special Price $99.00


A Ripple of Hope:
Signed limited edition poster created from an image of the same name inspired by the famed
courageous speech of Robert F. Kennedy in 1966 in South Africa where he spoke out against the Apartheid system and for hope.

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.
Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

Open Edition Poster and Cards

Listen to the speech here.

The Need for an Alternative Vision on Tax Reform

The Democrats have missed a golden opportunity in not offering up a competing vision on Tax Reform, even if they cannot do any more than introduce it in a news conference - and by the way its time to reform the rules that allow the majority party to completely ignore proposals from the minority party in the Congress.

I have made it clear that I favor the radical centrist position of eliminating the business tax entirely and shifting all the taxation on income to the progressive income tax.

Most people don't know that currently all those people who have benefitted from the dramatic increase in the stock market pay less in taxes on the sale of stock or their dividends than Americans who earn their income by the "sweat of their brows".

Let me say that again: Work your ass off every day and pay a higher tax rate than the guy (or gal) who doesn't do anything more than move money around.

In other words, passive income is taxed at a lower rate than what is earned by someone with a traditional job. We could eliminate the business tax entirely and bring in MORE tax revenues if we simply asked those who earned passive income to pay taxes at the same rate as other Americans. We could generate substantially more revenues if we also instituted a small tax on stock trades, thus allowing us to lower taxes on middle income Americans in other ways or we could enhance coverage of things that will serve as a public good and reduce cost of living expenses, thus creating the same effect for middle income and working class families.

Can you imagine how the people who are trying to sell the public on the bill currently masquerading as tax reform in the Congress would have to scurry if the Democrats offer a proposal that eliminated the Business Tax, gave all those companies reason to repatriate their money and really lowered taxes for middle income families? Even if the proposal did not shame the majority party into action it would establish a real position that demonstrated genuine concern for working class families and middle income families.

I'm sure to get flack from some folks about this but I'm going to keep saying it until someone listens.

A Childs Walk Thru Lupine