Colorado Gives 2015

I would like to publicly state that I find the whole idea of philanthropy distasteful for the reasons explained here.

Colorado's tax system is a regressive disgrace. I don't need this study to tell me. I felt the economic pain when I was a graduate student teaching three different 'preps' for $800/month and having to pay a higher tax rate than people earning much, much more.

That is not a typo.  The poorest 20%of Coloradans pay double the effective tax rate of the richest 1%.

Should you wish to participate in tomorrow's Colorado Gives Day, may I suggest High Country News? I like to donate HCN to high school libraries or science teachers because they do high-quality, in-depth journalism about issues that no one else covers.  Citizens need to get exposure to these topics as early in life as possible.  They will see things in a clearer light for the rest of their lives.

Yes, very few people actually live in the high country. But, this picture of the Colorado River Basin shows why people need to pay attention to the shenanigans in the small towns of the headwaters.

I'll come back to this picture later, when I have more time.