2024年8月13日 星期二

freeloading, motorcade, freeloader, assuage public anger, judiciary, aversion.Undocumented immigrants paid $97B in taxes in 2022.

Undocumented immigrants paid $97B in taxes in 2022. They paid a higher state/local tax rate than the top 1% in a majority of states and contributed $26B to Social Security, which they can't benefit from. Remember this when the undocumented are called "freeloaders."





Donald Trump is often unpredictable, but his criticism of countries that do not meet NATO’s target of defence spending amounting to 2% of GDP has been consistent. In recent comments, he has taken his long-standing characterisation of these countries as “freeloaders” to another level by suggesting that the US might not come to their aid in the event of a Russian invasion, as NATO’s Article 5 requires. 


This has prompted much concern: in 2023, 20 of the 31 NATO members failed to meet the 2% spending target. Mr Trump has even floated the idea of the US withdrawing from NATO; however, this is highly unlikely, as it would need congressional approval.


Learn more in our latest article on the impact of the upcoming US elections on Europe in our latest article: http://econgrp.co/Ao


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#USelections #DonaldTrump #JoeBiden #NATO #Russia #Ukraine



Robert Reich the other 98%

The real freeloaders in this country are the rich, not the poor. The richest 1% evade $163 billion in taxes every year. The United States literally has a yacht tax deduction.


Remember: The oligarchs who control our economy and democracy seek to divide us so they can become more powerful. They want us to turn on each other so we don't look up and see where all the wealth and power have gone. Don't fall for it.


The Getty Family’s Trust Issues

Heirs to an iconic fortune sought out a wealth manager who would assuage their progressive consciences. Now their dispute is exposing dynastic secrets.

The day Elon Musk was named Time’s Person of the Year, Senator Elizabeth Warren took to Twitter to comment on the tax code and its relationship with the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.



NPR
Ikea's spacious cafe in Shanghai is a great hangout spot for retirees. But the store says they bring their own food, don't buy anything and argue loudly. No more, says Ikea.

Older people who spend the day in the cafeteria without buying anything are no longer welcome. It's the plight of older citizens with nowhere to go.
NPR.ORG


New research suggests that despite being prone to occasional violent behavior, chimps actually much prefer cooperating over competing.

Recent research challenges the notion that our closest animal relatives don’t…
SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM|由 BRET STETKA 上傳

Author Jennifer Weiner lays into Jonathan Franzen after he accused her of "freeloading on gender bias" to promote herself
Jonathan Franzen: ‘worst internet boyfriend ever’?
Author Jennifer Weiner lays into The Corrections writer after he accused her of ‘freeloading on gender bias’ to promote herself


THEGUARDIAN.COM|由 ALISON FLOOD 上傳




Political Instability Rises as Pakistani Court Ousts Premier

The high court’s dismissal of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday drastically escalated a confrontation between the government and the judiciary.



The local judiciary was so unnerved by the uproar that it took the unusual step of holding a news conference this week to explain Mr. Shi’s transgressions in detail.
The explanation, however, did little to assuage public anger.
In a commentary he wrote Wednesday in the Beijing News, a lawyer, Xu Mingxuan, said that if the official numbers were to be believed, the greater crime was that Chinese drivers were subjected to exorbitant tolls. “Such figures only highlight the people’s suffering,” he wrote.
With private car ownership soaring in China, the episode seems to have stoked mounting aversion to the tolls that have grown along with the nation’s rapidly expanding highway network. The county has been adding tens of thousands of miles to its highway system, and the vast majority operate with user tolls. A World Bank report in 2007 estimated that mile for mile, Chinese toll rates rivaled those in Germany, where incomes are far more extravagant. One of the capital’s more unpopular highway tolls, for example, is the $1.50 charged for access to the 12-mile highway to Beijing’s international airport. (That roadway’s operators are expected to earn eight times their initial investment, according to government figures.)

Investigators say Merkel was not in any danger and continued her visit to Prague.
DW.COM|由 DEUTSCHE WELLE (WWW.DW.COM) 上傳

Popular aversion to such fees has been inflamed by media reports of freeloading government motorcades and inflated tolls that end up in the pockets of local officials. In 2008, the country’s National Audit Office said that motorists had handed over $2.3 billion at illegally erected tollbooths.

motorcade
ˈməʊtəkeɪd/
noun 1913
  1. a procession of motor vehicles, typically carrying and escorting a prominent person.



freeloader 

Pronunciation: /ˈfriːləʊdə/ 

NOUN

informalderogatory
A person who takes advantage of others' generosity without giving anything in return.

A person who is a freeloading is a person who is basically using you -- most often for a place to live/room and board: a place to stay permanently if they can or just to crash if necessary; a free meal ticket; drugs; clothing; transportation; entertainment, and money-- basically whatever they can get their greedy lil paws on. If at some point you become obsolte or unusable to the freeloader they will usally find another host body (usually a wealthier one) to feed off of. Freeloading requires one to be extrememly manipulative and kniving.
person 1 : I wanted to help my friend M out and invited her to stay with me for a while but she ended up freeloading off of me and sucking me dry of all my recorcources (as stated above); eventually I had to kick her freeloading ass out. She eventually even found a job but still didn't make any attempt at restitution, which is common among freeloaders.

person 2: freeloading is the lowest form of any of these other forms: couch surfers, phrogs, sqatters etc.. because they are usually friends who knowingly betray your trust and are usually just in it to use you. Freeloaders are basically just users at heart and people should be careful of letting freeloaders into their homes, because once they are in they do NOT like to leave.

freeloading
adjective
    Of or characteristic of a parasite: bloodsucking, parasitic, parasitical. See dependence/independence.

judiciary[ju・di・ci・a・ry]

  • 発音記号[dʒuːdíʃièri | -ʃiəri][形]裁判[司法]の;裁判所[官]の.
━━[名]((形式))(政府の)司法部;(国の)司法制度;((集合的))裁判官, 司法官.
ju・dí・ci・àr・i・ly
[副]

assuage
/əˈsweɪdʒ/
verb
  1. make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense.
    "the letter assuaged the fears of most members"
    相似詞:
    relieve
    ease
    alleviate
    soothe
    mitigate
    dampen
    allay
    calm
    palliate
    abate
    lull
    temper
    suppress
    smother
    stifle
    subdue
    tranquillize
    mollify
    moderate
    modify
    tone down
    attenuate
    dilute
    lessen
    diminish
    decrease
    reduce
    lower
    put an end to
    put a stop to
    take the edge off
    kill
    lenify
    相反詞:
    aggravate
    • satisfy (an appetite or desire).
      "an opportunity occurred to assuage her desire for knowledge"

Definition of aversion
noun

  • a strong dislike or disinclination:they made plain their aversion to the use of force
  • someone or something that arouses a strong dislike or disinclination: my dog’s pet aversion is visitors, particularly males
Derivatives
aversive
adjective

Origin:

late 16th century (originally denoting the action of turning away or averting one's eyes): from Latin aversio(n-), from avertere 'turn away from' (see avert)

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