I went to the park to fly this afternoon, but winds were too high so I ended up sitting on the hood of my car sadly watching the wind sock and weather report for about an hour before I went home. But several folks passed by walking their dogs on the trail that runs along the airfield and a half-dozen people stopped to chat.
One of them immediately started going off on the passing of Prop MM yesterday (which means that here in CO, households with $300k or more in annual earnings will be taxed more so that all meals at public schools will be free, school meal staff will get raises, and districts can afford locally-sourced, healthier, food options).
Now, aside from the fact that I was suddenly inhospitably dragged into a political conversation with a stranger, I found it odd that he was so upset about (checks notes) kids getting food. Out of all the things on the ballot.
So I asked, “Do you make more than $300k a year?” And he admitted that he didn’t. But he might someday! And if he did, he’d be furious, and he knows that people who make that much must be furious because—
“I do,” I told him. “Between me and my husband, our household is just over that threshold. We did the math. It’s around $600 more per year that we’ll be taxed. And we supported the proposition because we want to contribute to making sure kids have healthy food and are able to focus on their education.”
He didn’t have much to say after that. But I’m still so disheartened, hours later. This man was completely bent out of shape over a fantasy world in which he might be taxed more money to make sure kids weren’t going hungry. Like. It literally impacted him in no way. And get this. He was wearing a shirt with a fucking cross on it.
