Don't You Give Me No Bad News - Two Good Things That Happened This Week

[shadowkat]

Two good things that happened this week in the world:

1. Fifty-One Millionaires Requested A Tax Hike on Themselves

A group of 51 New York millionaires wants lawmakers to raise taxes — on New York millionaires.

In a letter addressed to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and state legislators, the group — working in conjunction with the left-leaning Fiscal Policy Institute and Responsible Wealth project — called for a permanent tax on the wealthy to replace a temporary one, with the revenue raised going to investments in poverty programs and infrastructure.

“In the spirit of shared sacrifice, we, the undersigned, call for a balanced solution that includes maintaining, expanding, and making permanent the top marginal income tax rates for upper-income New Yorkers like us who can afford to pay more,” the millionaires wrote in the letter, which was sent to lawmakers in Albany on Monday.

The signatories include some familiar names — Steven C. Rockefeller, Abigail Disney and leveraged buyout trailblazer Lewis Cullman.

2. Pope Francis Breaks with Tradition and Washes the Feet of Refugees.

On Holy Thursday, the pontiff washed and kissed the feet of Muslim, Christian and Hindu refugees at a center for asylum seekers just outside Rome. The event is portrayed as a gesture of humility, recalling the time Jesus washed the feet of his apostles. Previous popes have washed the feet of 12 Catholic men, often priests — but Pope Francis has shocked traditionalists by including women and people of other faiths in the ritual.

"We have different cultures and religions, but we are brothers and we want to live in peace," The Associated Press quoted the pope as saying Thursday.